Chapter 431 Master Yu's Painting
A dozen or so scholars were sitting in the outer room, engaged in lively conversation, when suddenly, they faintly smelled a fragrance.
They smelled it for a long time, making all sorts of guesses, but they couldn't figure out what the smell was. They just thought it was very fragrant and pleasant, as if they had smelled it somewhere before.
A moment later, Grandma Zhao came out with a plate of dishes: "Lotus leaf sticky rice ribs are ready! You came all this way to admire the lotus flowers, so I've prepared a lotus feast for you today. Since it's the Dragon Boat Festival, I added some sticky rice to make it more festive. Please try it."
After everyone thanked them, they couldn't wait to start eating.
I've eaten all kinds of spare ribs, but I've never had spare ribs with lotus leaves before. The fragrance of the lotus leaves is completely infused into the spare rib meat, and the soft and sticky glutinous rice wraps around the spare ribs. The lotus fragrance lingers on your lips and teeth. This taste is truly amazing.
Seeing everyone's satisfied expressions, Grandma Zhao smiled.
The eldest son's wife said that these dishes are very easy to make. Sure enough, things that are not unusual to eat normally become surprisingly delicious when cooked with lotus leaves. Those who try them for the first time will definitely praise them.
The eldest son's wife is full of novel ideas, as if she has an endless supply.
There are many more dishes to come.
Lotus leaf-scented sticky rice chicken.
"Small miscellaneous fish on lotus leaves".
"Lotus leaf and shredded chicken soup".
"Stuffed lotus leaf rolls".
"Stir-fried hairpin".
"..."
Each table is set with twelve dishes, and the aroma of lotus flowers wafts through the air.
Grandma Zhao, standing to the side, said, "When the lotus flowers bloom in a month, there will be many lotus-based delicacies. We will arrange a lotus banquet then. If you have time, come and visit us again."
Upon hearing this, everyone's anticipation immediately soared.
A single lotus bud is so beautiful. It would be so beautiful if all the lotus flowers bloomed together.
"We can't just eat food without drinking." Shen Zheng snapped his fingers. "Afu, where are you?"
Wei Hongying quickly said, "Afu has been called away by Grandpa Zhao. It seems he wants to have a set of furniture made. He would like Afu to give some advice."
Shen Zheng: "..."
His pageboy is obsessed with carpentry every day. It would be better to let Afu stay in Dahe Village. Otherwise, if he goes to Huzhou, he will be physically in Cao Ying but mentally in Han.
Wei Hongying spoke up: "What are your orders, Young Master Shen?"
"Go next door and buy two jugs of wine." He took out some silver from his purse and threw it out.
Wei Hongying did not take the money, but smiled and said, "Auntie said that everyone who has come from afar is a guest, so Auntie will cover all the expenses today."
"This won't do!" Qian Hui stood up. "I agreed to treat you, how can Madam Sui try to take it from me!"
"You are all juniors, so it's only right for the elders to treat us," said Old Mrs. Zhao. "Young Master Qian, hurry up and sit down to eat, or you won't get any!"
As Qian Hui stood up, the other scholars did not stop eating; the bowl of fresh and tender stir-fried lotus root shoots was already empty.
These people had never even seen lotus leaves or lotus flowers before, let alone lotus root shoots. When they first saw this kind of food and tasted it for the first time, they were immediately amazed. They put aside other chicken, duck, fish and meat for the time being and ate their fill of this new food.
Everyone was very satisfied with the meal.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they prepared to head home.
Qian Hui stood up and said, "The Pear Blossom Spring wine is quite good today. My grandfather will definitely like it. I'll take some wine back with him."
Pear Blossom Spring is a specialty wine of Huzhou, and it's really hard to buy in nearby counties and towns. These literati also thought of bringing some back with them, since people often come to visit during festivals, and serving Pear Blossom Spring is a great way to entertain guests.
The group arrived at the entrance of Dahe Winery.
Lu Yingxue greeted them with a beaming smile: "What kind of wine would you like to buy? I have it all here, including Pear Blossom Spring, Daughter's Red, Bamboo Leaf Green, and even some grape wine..."
Qian Hui's eyes lit up: "One pot each of Pear Blossom Spring wine and regular wine."
I've heard that wine is good for beauty and health, and I never expected that there would be wine in a village. I'll bring some back for my mother to try.
Others also took out their money to buy wine, and Lu Yingxue's eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled.
Just then, Zheng Wangfeng suddenly spoke up: "Excuse me, is this painting on the wall for sale?"
Lu Yingxue looked up and saw a lotus scene painting, created by Lao Yu half a month ago. It was the time when the lotus leaves were sprouting and dragonflies were alighting. Lao Yu's painting focused on the artistic conception. With just a few strokes, he outlined a lake, and the large areas of ink spread out to form lotus leaves, with dragonflies dotting the surface. Looking at a part of the painting alone, one might not appreciate his talent, but when one looks at the whole painting together, one is amazed.
She thought the painting was beautiful at first glance, so she wanted to hang it on the shop wall as decoration.
On the two walls on the left and right, there are a total of ten paintings, arranged according to the seasons. Last autumn, when Lao Yu came here, it was now the transition from spring to summer. The yellow autumn, the snow-white landscape, the budding willows, and now the lush green have made this small shop stand out from the crowd.
Seeing that Lu Yingxue remained silent, Zheng Wangfeng spoke again: "I'll offer two taels of silver."
This painting is characterized by its vigorous and fluid brushstrokes, bold and unrestrained use of ink, and concise yet profound depiction of the subject matter. It evokes the imagery of a dragonfly landing on a lotus leaf, and he greatly appreciates the artistic conception conveyed by the painting.
Lu Yingxue was stunned. Two taels of silver... a painting was worth more than dozens of kilograms of wine for her. That was too valuable.
"Brother Zheng, did you see it clearly? The seal on this painting says 'Yu Qingsheng.'" A man beside him examined it closely and whispered, "Yu Qingsheng, do you know who he is? Twenty years ago, he was accused of cheating before the imperial examination, and since then..."
Zheng Wangfeng said calmly, "I only look at the painting; as long as it's well-painted, that's fine."
A morally despicable person should indeed be despised by everyone, but if a despicable person has talent, then he is worth learning from.
Just like himself, upon closer examination, he was actually despicable, but as long as he stood in the position of the foremost among intellectuals, who would dare to criticize him?
He looked at the stunned Lu Yingxue: "Five taels of silver."
Lu Yingxue was stunned again. Cheng Zhao coughed softly, and she seemed to wake up from her dream. She quickly nodded and said, "Okay, okay, I'll take the painting down right away."
Qian Hui pointed to a painting across the street and said, "The whole village is catching pigs together. It looks so interesting. It also depicts Lady Sui. I want this painting. Here's five taels of silver."
"Don't you guys think this picture of harvesting wheat is quite interesting?" Shen Zheng said, stroking his chin. "It would be great if there were a picture of the autumn harvest."
He participated in the autumn harvest in Dahe Village last year. He was very tired at the time, but now when he recalls it, he feels very happy. It is a pity that Master Yu had not come to the village at that time and was unable to record the scene.
He also took out some silver from his pocket and bought the painting.
Someone took the lead in buying the painting, and he was the leader of the group. The others exchanged glances, and four or five people from well-off families followed suit and bought one as well.
Lu Yingxue took a deep breath, carefully took down the scroll, packed it up, and handed it to the buyer.
Those who bought the paintings left satisfied, but Cheng Zhao stayed behind last and said, "If my teacher hadn't had that accident back then, these paintings would be worth at least a hundred taels of silver. My teacher's wife doesn't need to feel bad about it."
Lu Yingxue held the several dozen taels of silver and sighed softly.
The filth on Lao Yu's body will never be washed away, and perhaps it will remain so for the rest of his life...
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