Seeing his interest, Xu Jiang patiently explained the painting's origins. "I found this painting in a county in Shu. It belongs to a family of farmers and scholars, and it's been passed down for three generations. Unfortunately, by the current generation, there were no scholars left, so the owner wanted to sell it for some money to buy seed for the spring plowing. However, the painting had no seal, no signature, and couldn't be sold for a good price. In anger, the owner wanted to burn it. Fortunately, I came across it and bought it. However, the journey to the capital was long, and I was traveling all day before I had time to mount the painting, so it got damp. I'm taking it out to dry in the sun. I'll add the color and seal later, and it'll look great once it's mounted."
The man just nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Then he looked through several other paintings and calligraphy, but he didn't seem very satisfied with them. Finally, his eyes fell on this painting.
"Are you selling this painting?"
Are you planning to buy it? Xu Jiang's heart surged, but his face remained calm as he replied calmly, "Of course I'm selling it."
"How much?"
"It's not expensive, only one or two ounces of silver."
The onlookers around gasped when they heard this. One tael of silver is not expensive? Just a half-new painting without even a signature is priced at one tael. This person is really mean.
Seeing the man remained silent and indifferent, Xu Jiang thought he was dissatisfied with the price, so she added, "One tael of silver, including repair and mounting. Since you are our first customer, this is a discount."
Everyone thought: "Is this a discount? Twenty cents is too much."
Unexpectedly, the man nodded and said, "Deal, but I want to watch you frame it. If it's not framed properly, I won't accept it."
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "Okay."
Everyone took a deep breath again. Is this a done deal?
The man took out two strings of coins and asked, "Two hundred coins is enough. When can it be mounted?"
Xu Jiang took the deposit and took out a pen and paper from the shop to write the contract. As she wrote, she said, "Since we are in a hurry to close the business, we don't have all the necessary tools. Could you please allow me to prepare it? I will come to supervise the mounting at 5 pm."
"Can."
"May I ask your name, sir?"
"Please tell me your surname is Du and your given name is Hui." He watched Xu Jiang write, and seeing her neat and beautiful small regular script, he couldn't help but nod. Xu Jiang put down her pen, gently blew dry the ink on the contract, and handed it to him. He took it, put it in his sleeve, said to her, "I'll come back at noon," and turned to leave.
As soon as he left, the onlookers exploded.
"What kind of painting is this? It's worth only one ounce of silver, and you bought it without even bargaining?"
"It doesn't look anything special. It's just a dead tree, a toad, and a bird."
"This shop hasn't even opened yet, and I've already made a couple of taels of silver. I'm really lucky. I've met a sucker."
"After all, he is a rich man. One ounce of silver is nothing."
Xu Jiang smiled but said nothing. A layman might see the excitement, but an expert sees the intricacies. She was selling this withered plum painting cheaply for one tael of silver. If it were framed and stamped with a Tibetan seal and signature, it could easily fetch four or five taels. It was just that she had met a connoisseur today, and it was her first customer, so she was selling it cheaply for good luck. Besides, Du Hui dressed modestly, yet he exuded an air of elegance. She was giving him a discount initially, and once he became a regular customer, she wouldn't have to worry about earning back the money.
Xu Jiang happily rolled up the withered plum painting carefully and let the books dry for a while. When most of the people who came to see the novelty and the excitement had left, she put them away one by one, closed the door, and went to the street to buy mounting tools.
After going out, he returned at noon. Without taking a break, he carried his things to the backyard, started a fire to boil starch, and then cleaned up the tools he would use, such as rulers, pens, cutters, brushes, etc. When everything was almost done, he set up a flat chopping board under the big tree in front of the door, laid out the utensils one by one, and waited for the guests to come.
At 3:00 p.m., Du Hui arrived on time. When he saw this situation, a hint of curiosity appeared on his serious face.
"The items are all there, but I don't know how skilled they are."
"You will know how my cooking skills are later, sir."
Seeing that she was confident, Du Hui sat down on a stone bench beside her, then raised his hand slightly towards her, signaling to start.
Xu Jiang rolled up her sleeves and began to dye the silk, trim the edges, cut the paintings, fix the colors, and apply starch. The whole process was as smooth and orderly as flowing water.
She was applying the paste with a steady hand, her brush steady and composed, layer after layer of paste adhering to the painting and the rice paper, applying it lightly and evenly. Du Hui, watching from the side, found it pleasing to the eye. The sun was blazing, but not directly, and instead the heat dried the paste and forced her to sweat.
After finishing the starching, she breathed a sigh of relief and then brought a small incense burner from the shop. After filling it with incense and lighting it, she used a silk fan to gently fan the smoke toward the scroll. Du Hui sniffed the breeze from the fan and tasted a hint of plum fragrance. A closer sniff revealed that the plum fragrance was mixed with a hint of coolness.
Xu Jiang put down the fan and invited Du to come back for inspection.
"Sir, please read this and if there is anything missing, please correct me."
Du Hui stood up and walked over to the table, reaching out and carefully touching the painting. He could feel no unevenness on the surface, and not a single smudge in the center of the painting.
What a great craft! He secretly admired it and couldn't help asking, "Who taught you the art of mounting?"
Xu Jiang replied modestly, "I have been learning from the Master since I was young. Practice makes perfect."
"You're not arrogant or impatient, but you're good-natured." Du Hui pulled out a piece of silver from his pocket and said to her, "Here's one and a half taels of silver, and you don't need to give me the change for the two hundred coins. Your painting is worth far more than that. Once it's dry and mounted on a scroll, send it to my house."
Xu Jiang declined, saying, "Sir, you are very generous. However, this painting still needs some work. It won't be too late to send it to me after it's mounted."
Du Hui frowned, "It's going to be given sooner or later, it's not going to work if we keep pushing it back and forth."
Xu Jiang had no choice but to take it and said, "Thank you in advance, sir."
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