Since Master Li's school opened, everyone's enthusiasm for learning has been unprecedented (not really). Due to the large number of students, classes were later divided according to learning progress and aptitude. Later, extracurricular classes were added based on everyone's interests, aiming for all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor!
Although they are called hobby classes, they are actually more like skills training courses. For example, cooking class is basically doing odd jobs in the kitchen and occasionally learning on your own; there is also carpentry class, which is naturally doing odd jobs in a furniture store; in addition to these two most popular classes, there are martial arts class, embroidery class, agriculture class and art class.
Although the martial arts class is currently still learning basic horse stance, it is still the second most popular class among men, and surprisingly, a few women are also participating. For the time being, Cheng Ruyi occasionally teaches the classes.
The embroidery class was led by Tao Fei's eldest daughter, Tao Xiaochun. Although she was young, she had been a first-class maid since childhood. Her embroidery skills were not only proficient, but her designs were also elegant and fresh, making her very popular among women.
As for the agricultural class, it was actually about learning how to farm or raise animals, all of which were handled by Old Man Ding and his wife.
The hobby classes weren't mandatory, and there were many courses available, so Cheng Ruyi didn't force everyone to choose one to participate in. However, everyone wasn't stupid; they all understood that their employer clearly wanted to teach them survival skills, so the enrollment was much more enthusiastic than expected.
However, there was only one class, and almost no one signed up for it: the art class.
The art class was led by Tao Fei's youngest daughter, Tao Yingdong. Although the girl was only thirteen years old, she was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This was personally verified by Master Li, and she was the only person in Lishan Villa with artistic talent.
In the end, thanks to the exemplary participation of the Cheng sisters, Cheng Yun'an and Cheng Yunle, we were able to gather five students.
Among the five students, one girl was the oldest. She was the seventeen-year-old girl named Bai Li who had almost been sold to a brothel but was eventually bought by Cheng Ruyi.
Bai Li seemed to have suffered some kind of trauma in the past. Apart from her own name, she couldn't remember much about her past. She was in a daze and confused. Fortunately, everyone took great care of her and no one disliked or took the opportunity to bully her. As time went by, she was able to say a few words to everyone.
However, ever since she joined the art class and started painting, she suddenly changed. Every time she painted, she seemed to have divine help and her brushstrokes were wonderful, which directly shocked Tao Yingdong and Li Fuzi.
The painting in Cheng Yunle's hand was naturally done by Bai Li, and Yunle herself was just vividly describing her mother's image.
"No way! I drew it too!" Hearing this, the chubby girl couldn't help but protest again.
Unfortunately, her older sister, who knew her best, was merciless: "Yes, you drew it too, but you only drew a few blades of grass on the ground. How can this painting be considered yours?"
The chubby girl pouted unhappily upon hearing this, looking at her older sister with a mournful gaze, as if she was about to cry at any moment.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing." After hearing the whole story, Cheng Ruyi was both amused and exasperated. She looked down at her youngest daughter and said, "Yun'an is right. This is someone else's painting. It's wrong of you to pass off someone else's work as your own. Put yourself in Bai Li's shoes, how would you feel?"
"Of course, it's very kind of you to give me a painting, but next time it would be even better if you could give me a painting that you actually painted yourself!"
Cheng Yunle actually knew she had made a mistake. She was just acting out of vanity and wanted to show off in front of her mother.
At this moment, she lowered her head, tugged at Cheng Ruyi's sleeve, and said in a muffled voice, "Mother, I know I was wrong. I didn't draw it. I saw how good Sister Baili was at drawing, so I couldn't help but ask her to draw a portrait of Mother. I will apologize to Sister Baili..."
"Sister Baili is sweeping in the yard right now. Go and talk to her. The cloud cake should be ready by the time you come back. We'll wait for you to eat it together." Cheng Yun'an patted her younger sister's head. She had prepared the cloud cake that her sister liked to eat recently, just in case she was really sad.
Cheng Ruyi watched the little figure run away, and then looked at the composed girl beside her who was keeping an eye on her younger sister. She felt very comforted. The original owner had raised both daughters very well, so she hardly needed to educate them. She had completely gotten a free advantage.
Bai Li's appearance surprised her somewhat. She thought back carefully and remembered that the day she bought the little girl, she seemed to be wearing fine clothes, suggesting she came from a good family, perhaps even a wealthy young lady skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. What a pity…
Living in chaotic times is difficult enough, but it is even more difficult for women.
But could she make good use of Bai Li's special skill?
In ancient times, poor transportation led to a significant delay in communication, rendering many propaganda methods ineffective. She had long thought about creating a propaganda brochure to distribute, but she later discovered that relying solely on manual labor to create such a brochure was far too time-consuming and laborious. Moreover, many of the literati and aristocratic families of that era were skilled painters, and if one's painting skills were mediocre, people would not only look down on it but also despise it, which would be counterproductive.
After having a plan in mind, Cheng Ruyi carefully observed Bai Li for a period of time and discovered that this girl was definitely a painting genius!
You ask her how a clueless engineering student with absolutely no artistic talent knew that? Of course, she did it with some kind of cheat code!
When Cheng Ruyi picked up the painting that Bai Li had casually drawn, she only needed to concentrate to see it, and a shimmering light would appear before her eyes. At the same time, a system notification would sound in her mind, proving that the painting in her hand contained spiritual energy.
Cheng Ruyi's eyes lit up. Wasn't this a walking, humanoid spiritual energy recharger?
Having searched for antiques and calligraphy for so long, she already knew that if a painting contained spiritual energy, it would undoubtedly be a masterpiece that could be passed down through generations and could be sold for hundreds of taels of silver in no time!
Moreover, Cheng Ruyi had only ever seen one person whose paintings, like Bai Li's, could amaze everyone with their effortless skill and overflowing with talent: Wen Jingqing, the renowned scholar of Chongzhou.
Without delay, Cheng Ruyi immediately suspended Bai Li's other work and took the quiet girl to all the places near Lishan. In less than half a month, twelve stunning snow scene paintings of Lishan were unveiled!
Bai Li's painting style is completely different from Wen Jingqing's. Wen Jingqing is a typical gentle and delicate meticulous painting style, which requires a solid foundation and can only be painted after decades of accumulation. Bai Li, on the other hand, is more inclined to the free and unrestrained freehand style, which combines reality and illusion with bold brushstrokes. Although it is a bit immature, it is more suitable for the scenery of Lishan.
After obtaining Zhou Yin's consent, Cheng Ruyi hung these paintings in the two Lingyun Pavilions and Zhiwei Pavilion, and even hung two in the Sun family's bookstore!
Unsurprisingly, it sparked heated discussions among literati and artists within just a few days, and many people came to see the scenery depicted in the painting.
In late February, all sorts of cars would be parked around Lishan, and groups of scholars would stand nearby, pointing and composing poems or even painting on the spot. Occasionally, students from Lingshan Academy would come here to gather inspiration, making it a well-known tourist destination.
Under such circumstances, the shops at the foot of Lishan Mountain were naturally packed with people, and the villas halfway up the mountain were selling like hotcakes. Fortunately, she was very farsighted and added second-floor private rooms to several shops in advance. Although they were not as warm as the lobby downstairs, they had the advantage of beautiful scenery and were quiet and private, and they were also full.
During this time, many people asked who created the snow scene painting of Lishan, but Bai Li's psychological problems have not been fully cured yet. When facing strangers, she will freeze up and have no reaction.
So Cheng Ruyi didn't push her out. Fortunately, everyone actually liked the mysterious master setting even more. They not only didn't investigate, but were even quite happy to imagine it themselves.
"Brother Liang, who do you think created this snow scene painting of Lishan?"
"Yes, Brother Liang, your paintings have always been the best among us. You must be able to see some clues, right?"
"Uh... it's hard to say, but judging from this person's style, he is quite unrestrained and wild. He must be a recluse who has experienced great storms and retreated to the deep mountains!"
“I don’t think so! The painting technique is obviously a bit immature. I think it should be the work of a young master from a noble family.”
"Impossible! How could a child have such drawing skills? I agree more with Brother Liang's opinion!"
"On the contrary, I agree with Brother He's opinion. If this person is old, he must have been very famous when he was young. How could he have remained unknown until now?"
"Maybe they're just being modest."
"Hehe, what's there to argue about? I think what you're all saying is inaccurate!"
"Then who do you think it is?"
"Hmm... it must have been created by an exceptionally beautiful woman! Moreover, she was a woman in distress, possessing great talent but encountering the wrong people, and in her helplessness and indignation, she created such a masterpiece."
How do you know so much? Do you know her?
"Yes, Brother Cao, who is this stunning beauty? Please introduce us!"
"We naturally know each other; I've met my beloved in my dreams countless times..."
Everyone: ......
Cheng Ruyi, who was eavesdropping: ......
I have to say, Brother Cao, you actually guessed half right!
In fact, she had heard similar conversations countless times over this period of time. At first, she was a little worried that something bad might spread. Later, she realized that she had worried too much. The literati of this era were much more open-minded than she had imagined. Many of them even guessed that it was written by a woman, which was why it was inconvenient for her to show her face in public.
Regardless, thanks to everyone's enthusiastic speculation, the Cheng family's business continued to boom for a long time, and this chain reaction ultimately accelerated Cheng Ruyi's preparations for escape.
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