Qin Susu is truly busy at Wangyou Hall today.
While treating minor ailments like headaches and fevers in ordinary people is relatively simple, it becomes overwhelming when there are many people involved.
Fortunately, a man suddenly appeared at the pharmacy, claiming to be a former apprentice to Qiu Yan, to help her. It was Gao Chong.
Gao Chong only arrived in Shangjin last night.
Last night, following the letter Qiu Xu had given him, he made his way to the General's Mansion.
He also called Zhou Zifang. The three of them drank until they were completely drunk last night.
He stayed at an inn last night, and this morning he intended to go and find Qiu Yan, but he learned that Qiu Yan was in the middle of the month and it was inconvenient to meet her.
He was thinking of having Qiu Xu and Zhou Zifang spend more time with him, so the three brothers could catch up.
Last night, Zhou Zifang originally planned to get some rest, but Qiu Xu and Gao Chong dragged him into drinking, so he overslept.
I just woke up this morning, and I originally planned to go find Gao Chong, but my mother stopped me. That's why I'm meeting Qiu Ling'er now.
Therefore, he completely forgot about lofty matters.
As for Qiu Xu, he got up very early.
However, due to official duties, he only took Gao Chong to his aunt's wonton shop for breakfast in the early morning before leaving in a hurry.
Gao Chong harbored the idea of seeking refuge with relatives and friends, hoping to make a name for himself in Shangjin City.
As for why he suddenly came to Shangjin...
The reason is the loss of a close relative; the person wants a change of environment.
For the past few years, he has been living with his biological father.
Because he worked odd jobs at a blacksmith's shop at night while studying, and worked and studied diligently at Wangyou Hall during the day, he lived a fairly decent life.
Later, the blacksmith uncle fell ill and passed away, which saddened him for a long time.
Just as he was recovering, his father fell seriously ill again.
For nearly a year, his father had been suffering from weakness and serious illness, forcing him to abandon his studies. He had also invited Shen Yu to examine his father on more than one occasion.
The conclusions reached
Poor health.
One night, his father got up to use the bathroom, fell, and never got up again.
Gao Chongsheng lost all will to live and became depressed for a time.
"Sigh, everyone's busier than the last." Gao Chong sighed helplessly and could only wander around the street alone.
Unexpectedly, during his wanderings, he came across the very familiar Forget-Worry Hall.
To his surprise, he ran into an acquaintance, Zhao San, as soon as he entered.
This was the first time in Gao Chong's life that he had experienced this.
The joy of meeting someone from your hometown in a foreign land.
Even though he wasn't familiar with Qiu Yan's uncle.
Once the Forget-Worry Hall had quieted down, Qin Susu began to carefully examine the man before her…
...On the other side, Zhou Zifang glanced in the direction of the Bihu Inn.
"Ling'er, I'll be right back."
After saying that, he ran towards the nearby Bihu Inn.
Qiu Ling'er smiled and nodded, letting him go.
Immediately afterwards, a person lay down on the wooden table under the pavilion, looking up at the lake scenery.
The sunlight is redder than usual this season, and the air is filled with a sweet fragrance.
Chrysanthemums, interspersed among withered wildflowers, swayed in the wind on the roadside, seemingly beckoning to her. Gusts of autumn wind swept across her cheeks, making her fall in love for this season that everyone says is sorrowful for the first time.
"Miss Ling'er, what are you doing here all alone?" Qiu Ling'er looked up and saw that it was none other than Mu Bai.
"Brother Mu Bai, why don't you go and stay by His Highness's side? Why do you have such leisure time?"
"Who said I'm not by Your Highness's side?" Mu Bai turned his gaze and looked towards a spot not far away.
Qiu Ling'er then looked in that direction.
They saw He Jinran, accompanied by Xuanming Xuanying and Mu Xiaowangchuan, chatting happily with a young girl.
"Who is it?" Qiu Ling'er asked in surprise. Upon closer inspection, the face seemed somewhat familiar.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Ding Tian, the young lady of the Ding family in Baiyang.
I was thinking of going up to say hello.
Upon closer inspection, not only Ding Tian, but also Zhang Yuyan had arrived.
At that moment, she was chasing after her fourth uncle, nagging, "Qiu Dazhi, wait for me!"
"Why is Fourth Uncle so free when he's not busy at the Hanlin Academy?" Qiu Ling'er suddenly realized, why are they all coming to Shangjin?
She already knew that Zhang Yuyan was pursuing her fourth uncle, but she never expected that he would actually win her over in Shangjin.
She stood up, intending to go forward and say hello again.
Duan Xiu has arrived.
Looking at Xiao Ran and the others, they had already boarded a yacht on the lake.
"Miss Ling'er." Duan Xiu approached, first glancing at Mu Bai, then clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Mu Bai returned the greeting, thinking to himself, "What is Duan Xiu doing here at this time?"
"Young Master Duan." Qiu Ling'er thought of the previous discord between herself and Duan Tianzhang, and wondered if Duan Xiu had come to plead for his sister.
To everyone's surprise, Duan Xiu didn't mention his sister at all during his visit.
Duan Xiu is an honest, upright, and kind person.
Like Duan Yi, he was somewhat cowardly at heart.
Knowing that it is impossible, he will not do it.
"Miss Ling'er, I'm leaving tomorrow." Duan Xiu's seemingly random words left Qiu Ling'er somewhat puzzled. She thought to herself, whether he's leaving or not, he doesn't need to tell her.
However, she still politely asked:
"Where is Young Master Duan going?"
Mu Bai listened to the whole thing, and seeing the reluctance hidden in Duan Xiu's eyes, he shook his head.
"I don't know either." Duan Xiu's words were tinged with melancholy and a sense of vicissitude.
"I've come to say goodbye to Miss Ling'er. I hope Miss Ling'er will remember me in the future."
Qiu Ling'er: "..." She nodded and smiled, "Young Master Duan, please take care on your journey."
"Mm." A smile appeared on Duan Xiu's face.
Being alone together, Qiu Ling'er didn't want to be misunderstood.
Unfortunately, neither of the two men in front of him showed any intention of leaving.
While others remained, she did leave.
Turn around,
It turned out that Xue Ning and his group of five had arrived one after another.
"Second Miss, so you've been here." Xue Ning stepped forward first to greet her, and then the four of them also approached.
Qiu Ling'er: Are you all so free?
"Why are you all here too?"
"The princess has some dealings with the innkeeper, and she ordered the five of us to come and entertain him," Jiang Sheng added.
After saying that, the five of them looked curiously at Mu Bai and Duan Xiu.
Zhang Meng asked:
"Second Miss, when are you coming home?"
Lü Chong added, "Perfect, let's go together."
After saying that, Feng Chao added, "Second Miss, please don't misunderstand. It was the Princess who ordered us to keep a close watch on you."
As he spoke, he gave Mu Bai and Duan Xiu a meaningful look.
The former shrugged indifferently, not bothered by the misunderstanding.
The latter seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and did not hear Feng Chao's words clearly.
Qiu Ling'er shook her head, "No need."
She waved to the man in the distance.
Zhou Zifang ran closer with a smile and noticed that Qiu Ling'er was surrounded by men, who were talking to her like a star. His expression changed, and he felt a surge of jealousy.
Before Zhou Zifang could get close, Qiu Ling'er first said goodbye.
"Brothers, you go ahead with your work, I have to go now."
She also ran into Zhou Zifang.
"Zhou Zifang, it's too stuffy here. Let's go to the lake for some fresh air." She was still thinking about going to the Forget-Worry Hall, so she didn't want to stay any longer.
However, to save face for Zhou Zifang, they decided to stay for a moment.
The two went together to the lake ahead.
Throughout the entire process, Zhou Zifang's expression remained sullen.
After a long silence, he finally asked:
"who are they?"
“One is His Highness the Crown Prince’s guard, one is the young master of the Duan family, and the other five are all my sister’s people.”
"They...are interested in you."
"That's not true."
"Your eyes don't lie."
"..." Qiu Ling'er didn't want to explain. If the two people earlier were indeed pursuing her,
But it was impossible for Xue Ning and the others; she felt that Zhou Zifang was overthinking things.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead.
Qiu Ling'er looked in the direction of the crowd.
A large crowd was gathering ahead.
"Brother Zifang, let's go take a look." Qiu Ling'er, full of curiosity, ran with Zhou Zifang and squeezed into the crowd.
I saw an old man painting over the lake, and beside him was a stack of scrolls, all of which were his masterpieces.
There were many ordinary people around him, but even more were literati and scholars.
They looked at the painting and praised it highly.
"Lifelike and moving, so vivid!"
"A beautiful painting! A beautiful painting!"
The old man raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing this, then pursed his lips and remained silent.
Qiu Ling'er looked at it and thought it was quite good. She looked at Zhou Zifang beside her and asked in a low voice:
"Brother Zifang, what do you think of the old man's painting?"
"The painting is nice, but... Ling'er, there's nothing much to see. Let's walk around over there." Zhou Zifang pointed to a spot not far away, and pulled Qiu Ling'er, about to leave.
Suddenly, the old man uttered a sound.
"stop!"
Zhou Zifang paused, his eyes meeting Qiu Ling'er's. At the same time, his eyes questioned whether the old man was speaking to him.
After standing for a moment, they prepared to leave again.
But then they saw the old man already standing in front of the two of them, looking at Zhou Zifang with a face full of disdain.
"Kid, but what?"
"Uh...it's nothing, the old man's drawing is very good." Zhou Zifang coughed awkwardly and grabbed Qiu Ling'er's wrist.
Qiu Ling'er glanced at her wrist being held and forced a smile, "Your painting is indeed very good." Brother Zifang didn't say anything, so why did this old man chase after her?
"You didn't tell the truth." The old man's expression turned cold for a moment, but then suddenly softened.
“Young man, speak freely, I will not be angry.”
“Really…very good.” Zhou Zifang was not one to show off, and he also felt that it was inappropriate for a junior to criticize an elder.
"Hmph!" the old man sighed. "What a pity! I've been painting for decades, yet I've always been rejected."
Zhou Zifang asked in confusion, "Didn't get selected?"
"To become a court painter is extremely difficult!" the old man sighed. He had come to this lake today in search of inspiration.
"Now that we've finally heard a dissenting opinion, the young master is secretly mocking it, but remains silent on the surface."
"Sir, you're overthinking it." Zhou Zifang was no longer concerned.
"I think the old man's painting is very wonderful and very lifelike, but it lacks the spirit and artistic conception."
“Shenyun? My painting is a landscape painting.”
Zhou Zifang: "Mountains and rivers also possess a unique charm."
"You know about painting too?"
"I know a little bit," Zhou Zifang replied modestly.
“You understand? Come here, draw.” The old man pulled Zhou Zifang closer.
The reason is that few people can see his weaknesses in painting.
The old man moved suddenly, giving Zhou Zifang no time to react; his entire body was already sitting in the chair.
And at this moment, he also had a clean sheet of drawing paper in his hand.
"Draw...what?" Zhou Zifang wasn't there to show off; it was just a casual remark. He never expected the old man to suddenly ask him to draw.
"The theme of the painting is: a journey of fear and trepidation, a mountain climb to send the departing traveler home."
“This…” What kind of question is this? Zhou Zifang glanced at the girl beside him and saw Qiu Ling’er smiling at him.
Ling'er seemed to be even more confident than him.
He felt that if he didn't paint well today, he would be letting Ling'er down for her affirmation.
He pondered for a moment, then carefully examined the artificial hill in the lake.
Then, under the old man's expectant gaze, he raised his hand and began to write.
When Zhou Zifang starts painting, he changes his usual behavior.
His expression was focused, as if he had become a different person.
However, the lines he had just drawn made the people around him burst into laughter.
"You call this a painting?"
"Showing off one's skills in front of Guan Yu..."
To put it bluntly, compared to the old man, Zhou Zifang was much younger, less experienced, and lacked any real authority.
And yet, they dare to criticize and judge an old man?
He's really overestimating himself.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ling'er's face turned extremely pale.
"Don't make any comments before you see the end."
After listening, the old man nodded and said, "What this young lady said is absolutely right."
He enjoys being praised, but he doesn't want people to flatter him or belittle him.
Inevitably, he also wanted to save face in front of Zhou Zifang.
It's because Zhou Zifang said his paintings lacked spirit.
Zhou Zifang completely ignored the negative comments around him.
Because he was focused on painting.
Not long after,
He sketched out a rough autumn scene.
Every stroke of his pen is vigorous and powerful, with distinct lines.
At first glance,
It doesn't look like painting, but rather like...
A complete mess of scribbles.
Outsiders all looked down on it.
"This is hardly a painting."
"Even the kids draw better than you."
"..."
The old man frowned upon seeing it.
Judging from the way he put the pen down and the lines Zhou Zifang drew, this kid...
The drawing skills are good.
That's right, only he could see that Zhou Zifang's drawing skills were very good.
However, it seems we've gone off-topic.
Upon closer inspection, he confirmed that the kid had indeed gone off-topic.
Because what he wanted to portray was the desolation of sending off the departing family in autumn.
But what is this young master drawing?
His paintings of autumn,
The fiery red color diminished the desolation and enhanced the beauty.
This time, the surrounding noise rose again, with all sorts of things being said.
Even Qiu Ling'er felt that Brother Zifang's style was off.
However, she repeated her original words.
Do not make judgments until you see the end.
Continue reading...
But the more I looked at it, the more something seemed off.
Zhou Zifang's autumn scenery in the mountains became more and more magnificent with each painting, eventually turning into a beautiful picture of late autumn.
In the painting, the sun shines brightly overhead, the water ripples, and a young woman plays music in the nearby woods. The young woman is undoubtedly Qiu Ling'er; in the painting, she is even more captivating with her bright eyes and white teeth.
Ultimately, Zhou Zifang's painting drew ridicule.
"Autumn is the season, but it lacks the poignant beauty and doesn't fit the theme."
"Young master is still not good enough; he is no match for this elder."
"...Really, what do you mean by 'pretty girl'? It's so tacky, so vulgar."
"No, no, it won't work..."
Zhou Zifang finished writing, then turned to look at the old man.
The old man shook his head secretly.
"The painting is excellent, but the title doesn't do it justice."
Zhou Zifang's lips curled slightly, and then he picked up the scroll, turned it upside down, and displayed it to the old man and the crowd...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
