Chapter 53: Revealing His Special Skills: Dr. Jiang is indeed a genius at restoring calligraphy and paintings! ...
Zhu Zhanji finally couldn't sit still anymore. Even while he was sitting in the study, he could faintly smell the smell of Jiang Tong and the others cooking.
You know what, that’s clearly the aroma of the brine!
Zhu Zhanji walked towards Jiang Tong's room.
There was indeed a small stove lit in the room, with a clay pot on the stove, steaming. Zhao Quesheng was stirring with a long-handled spoon. When he saw him come in, he hurriedly saluted him.
Zhu Zhanji raised his hand to indicate that there was no need to formality, and went straight to the stove. A closer look revealed that the contents of the pot had been boiled into a yellow-orange paste, and it was impossible to tell what it was.
There was also a small cloth bag inside, which had also been boiled until it turned yellow.
Jiang Tong was holding a small white dish with a small ball of yellowish-brown coloring on it, and was adding it little by little.
"What is this being cooked?" Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but ask.
Jiang Tong was displeased at being interrupted while retouching a painting. She frowned slightly but patiently replied, "Paper pulp."
Zhu Zhanji obviously didn't notice he was being disdained and continued to ask, "Then what's in this cloth bag?"
Jiang Tong really didn't want to pay attention to him and just continued to adjust the colors.
Zhao Quesheng, however, didn't dare to leave such a dignified prince out in the cold. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, these are Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon bark, and white hyacinth..."
She listed several names in succession, but didn't finish them all, and didn't even mention the proportion. After all, this was Jiang Tong's unique secret.
Zhu Zhanji’s eyes widened. Isn’t this just brine?
Could it be that this girl wants to ruin his calligraphy and painting? !
"You! What are you going to do?!" Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but raise his voice.
At this point, Jiang Tong completely lost his patience and said coldly, "This is a necessary step in the repair process. Your Highness, please be patient."
Not only did she have no intention of explaining, she also shut Zhao Quesheng's mouth!
Zhu Zhanji had never been treated so coldly before. Even the Zhengtong Emperor himself treated his uncle with great courtesy. Jiang Tong choked on his words, and his face darkened in anger.
Zhao Quesheng was so scared when she saw it that her hands were shaking. She wanted to explain for the teacher, but she knew Jiang Tong's temper. If she said something unrelated to the repair at this time, it would definitely anger Jiang Tong.
For a moment, Zhao Quesheng was like a wolf in front of her and a tiger behind her. She didn't dare to offend either one, so she had to lower her head and continue to stir her paper pulp.
Jiang Tong, however, didn't notice the tense atmosphere in the room at all. Her entire attention was on the boiling pulp in the pot.
Zhu Zhanji was not a dandy with no brains but only a temper. When he saw Jiang Tong's attitude, he felt that this was a man with real talent and knowledge. A capable master always had some eccentric temper, which was understandable.
After about half an incense stick of time, Jiang Tong finally spoke: "It's almost done, pour out a bowl."
"yes."
Zhao Quesheng hurriedly scooped some out into a white porcelain bowl and placed it on the table.
Jiang Tong dipped a clean brush in the ink and gently touched the damaged center of the painting.
Zhu Zhanji's eyes widened. He found that wherever Jiang Tong pointed, the hole there would be covered with paper pulp!
Because Jiang Tong added pigments to the paper pulp, the newly repaired area was almost the same color as the center of the painting. It could be said that wherever her pen tip touched, the wormhole there would disappear immediately. People with poor eyesight would not even be able to find any trace of it.
Her hands were extremely steady and her speed was extremely fast. In a moment, all the holes in the center of the painting were filled.
Zhu Zhanji on the side was almost dumbfounded. He was a painting lover. Although he did not know the restoration skills, he knew a little about it, but he had never seen this method before.
"What kind of method is this? This king has never heard of it before."
After Jiang Tong finished patching the hole, she had time to take care of her customers. She put down her brush, bowed to Zhu Zhanji and said:
"Your Highness, to mend holes, we naturally need to find a suitable method. This painting has too many holes, and the openings are too small. Using the conventional method of cutting paper and gluing them one by one would take too long. The only way is to tear the appropriate patching paper into pieces, add various insect repellent herbs and pigments, boil them together into a pulp, and apply it to the holes. This method is most suitable for mending such small holes, and the results are also the best."
"Who taught you this method?" Zhu Zhanji looked at Huaxin, then at Jiang Tong, his eyes almost turning green.
"I figured it out myself."
"Genius! Doctor Jiang is truly a genius at restoring calligraphy and paintings! No wonder he's so famous in the capital at such a young age! Today I finally believe the rumors! They're true!"
Facing the praise from His Royal Highness Prince Xiang, Jiang Tong's attitude remained calm. She smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness, thank you for your praise. I have already repaired this one. Why don't you let Mr. Hu give the rest to me to repair?"
She pointed to a small pot still steaming beside her and said, "We've cooked this big pot of hard-to-find Jin paper. It would be a waste to just throw it away."
Her attitude, neither humble nor overbearing, made Zhu Zhanji look at her with even greater respect. He immediately agreed, "Very well, I'll leave the rest to you to restore! Someone, go get the remaining painting cores from Mr. Hu."
When the servant took the remaining drawing paper from Hu Shaoqing, the old man was so angry that his nose was crooked. He kept shouting, "Nonsense! Nonsense! How long has it taken her to fix it? Haste makes waste. She's ruining the painting! Destroying it!"
The servant retorted, "Dr. Jiang is just faster and better than you!"
Jiang Tong was unaware of the verbal dispute next door. Seeing that Hua Xin had been brought over and Zhu Zhanji had left, she said to Zhao Quesheng, "Quesheng, come here."
Zhao Quesheng was startled and waved his hands repeatedly: "Me? I can't do it."
Although she could now independently restore calligraphy and paintings, the works Jiang Tong gave her for practice were mostly obscure works bought from street stalls. She had never touched a famous artist's work, let alone one from a calligrapher's sage!
Seeing Zhao Quesheng timidly not daring to move, Jiang Tong said, "Don't be timid. You are my apprentice. I know your abilities best. You can do this without any problem. Come on."
Zhao Quesheng didn't dare to disobey the teacher's order. He walked forward obediently and picked up the pen.
Seeing that she was so nervous that she forgot to breathe, Jiang Tong couldn't help but shook her head. Her previous disciples, no matter whether they were good at martial arts or not, were all full of confidence and never got stage fright when they had the chance to go into battle.
But to be honest, Zhao Quesheng's basic skills are much more solid than those of her senior brothers.
Jiang Tong thought bitterly: If Quesheng's brothers had her level of skill, who knows how high they would have soared. This child is indeed a bit cowardly.
Seeing Zhao Quesheng holding the pen stiffly, Jiang Tong softened his voice and reminded him, "Relax, hold the pen gently."
"Yes." Zhao Quesheng agreed, but the tip of his pen was still trembling.
Jiang Tong came over and pinched her shoulders: "Don't be afraid, even if it's broken, the teacher is here."
"Yes." Zhao Quesheng took a few deep breaths, and the tip of the pen gradually stabilized.
…
When they finished work in the afternoon, Hu Shaoqing reported to Zhu Zhanji that his painting would be repaired in three to five days.
He put all his effort into it and asked his disciples to join him!
Unexpectedly, Zhu Zhanji was stunned when he heard this: "You still have one? Quick! Quick! Take it to Dr. Jiang."
Hu Shaoqing felt a tightness in his chest and almost passed out on the spot.
The disciples hurriedly helped him out of the study.
"Master, what should we do?"
"The prince hasn't even seen our craftsmanship, so why wouldn't he let us repair it?"
"I'm curious and want to see how that girl repaired it."
Hu Shaoqing's disciples were so noisy that it made his head hurt. He waved his hand and signaled the monkeys to shut up.
Actually, he also wanted to see how Jiang Tong repaired it, but now they had already started their work, and if he went to see it, he would be suspected of stealing Jiang Tong's skills, so he didn't feel comfortable going.
Hu Shaoqing narrowed his eyes and looked at the closed door of Jiang Tong's room. "No rush, let's wait for her. No one in this world can repair such a long calligraphy and painting in half a month. I think that yellow-haired girl must be bragging. If she can't deliver the work by then, let's see how she ends up!"
…
Jiang's House, Main House
The two sisters of the Zhong family were talking in private.
Zhong Yan Ge has finally figured out the current situation of the Jiang family.
She held her sister's hand, her face full of heartache: "How can this family be without a man to take charge? Without your brother-in-law, how are you and your mother going to live?"
"I rely entirely on Tongtong. Luckily, this kid has his own ideas..."
Zhong Yange interrupted her: "You are also confused! Tongtong is so young! She is just an unmarried girl. How can you let a little girl take charge?"
Zhong Wanci blinked her big red eyes blankly, feeling a little helpless: "But..."
"What do you mean by "but"? If something really happens, only men can be relied on! No matter how capable Tongtong is, can you really expect her to mediate and rescue your brother-in-law? Don't be afraid, now that we, mother and daughter, are here, we will definitely not let you suffer any grievances again." Zhong Yan Ge said.
Fan Yanyu interjected at the right moment: "Aunt, don't worry, I'm here to protect you and your daughter."
Zhong Wanci was deeply moved by these words, and tears welled up in her eyes again. She held Zhong Yange's hand and cried, "Sister, why didn't you come earlier? If you had been by my side when Huaishan was seriously ill, I wouldn't have been so helpless."
Zhong Yan Ge said, "Oh my, look at you, you've been a crybaby since you were little. Now you're a mother, why are you still a crybaby? You just don't have a backbone. It would have been fine if you had given birth to a son, but it's a pity that he's a girl, and can't start a family. But it doesn't matter, Yanyu will be your son from now on, and he will help you take care of your family. Are you willing?"
Zhong Wanci nodded hurriedly.
…
It was because Hu Shaoqing delivered the last painting too late, and when Jiang Tong and Zhao Quesheng were so tired that they returned home, it was already dark.
Jiang Tong had no intention of looking for Su Guanqing. She told Zhao Quesheng in the corridor, "Get a good night's sleep tonight. When tomorrow comes, Huaxin will be done and we will start writing the petition."
After saying that, the teacher and student went back to their rooms.
Zhao Quesheng was yawning and was about to open his door when he suddenly heard a noise next door.
She thought it was Su Guanqing coming out, and turned around to greet him, but when she saw clearly, she was stunned -
The person who walked out of the west wing was not Su Guanqing at all, but a short and fat stranger.
...Strange, is he Master’s friend?
It was late at night, so Zhao Quesheng couldn't go into her master's room to ask. She pushed the door open and returned to her own room. The teacher said she needed to conserve her energy. The petition was a crucial step!
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