Hearing his sister's encouraging voice and thinking about being able to ride his long-loved horse for a run, Hong Sheng immediately turned around and walked out the door.
For a period of time afterwards, Wen Zhu continued to talk with Zhang Xu and asked many details about the family's braised food shop.
When he learned that his stepmother Luo Qiongying was indeed a good woman who was capable and handled the family finances fairly, and was also very friendly to his half-brother Hongsheng, he felt very relieved.
At this moment, she took out a carefully painted scroll from the small bag she was carrying, handed it to her father who was sitting next to her, and asked, "Dad, do you think this painting looks very much like Mom when she was young?"
In fact, since there has been no news about his long-missing mother, Song, for many years, Wen Zhu has specially hired several skilled professional painters to create works based on his memories of his mother, hoping to restore her appearance when she was young.
But he always felt that something was not right. Wen Zhu showed the painting to Zhang Xu and Hong Sheng, and they also pointed out many unsatisfactory aspects.
After all, no matter how detailed the description is, the painter has never seen Song in person, so it is difficult to fully capture that subtle sense of reality.
Although the painter has superb skills, he lacks that key reference, which makes the people in the painting appear slightly unfamiliar.
Hongsheng looked more like Song, so Wenzhu took him to the painter.
After referring to Hong Sheng's appearance and combining it with some fragments of his memories of Song, the painter finally created a work that was closer to the mother's original appearance.
This effort makes the expressions of the people in the painting look more natural.
Wen Zhu took this precious portrait to Jingzhao Prefecture for help. She expressed hope that she would send people to look for information.
However, a long time passed, and no definite good news came.
Officials told her that the number of missing persons is so high that finding someone who left home years ago is like finding a needle in a haystack.
In this situation, Wen Zhu made a decision: to start learning painting by himself.
Unlike other subjects, her goal is to delve specifically into portraiture, specifically a style that strives to realistically reproduce the human figure.
During this period of hard practice, Wen Zhu did accumulate a very solid foundation and gradually mastered some skills.
Based on the previous sketches and personal understanding, Wen Zhu made some subtle adjustments and completed the painting in front of him.
When she handed the finished product to her father Zhang Xu for inspection, she saw that his hands were shaking uncontrollably and tears were welling up in his eyes.
Seeing this scene, Wen Zhu realized that this work should be very close to what his mother looked like when she was young.
After putting away the portrait that was heartbreaking yet full of longing, Wen Zhu thought of another way to find clues.
Recently, she has made the acquaintance of many women of higher status, who are accustomed to traveling to various places and participating in various activities with their personal servants.
If you're lucky, maybe someone will remember what your mother looks like.
Seeing his father so sad, Wen Zhu felt a little relieved.
At least it is certain that when my mother was alive, she was deeply loved.
Thinking this way, Wen Zhu is no longer so demanding about certain things.
As for the current Duke's wife, Luo Qiongying, although she does not seem to be anything special on the surface, she is obviously a qualified wife and does not seem to be particularly scheming.
It's a good thing to be able to help heal the trauma in my father's heart.
However, no matter how hard he tried to change his mindset, Wen Zhu still couldn't completely let down his guard towards his stepmother.
Although his attitude is much more polite than before, he still maintains a certain distance deep down in his heart.
After a brief and complicated psychological struggle, Wen Zhu decided to visit the Duke's wife first.
After entering the other person's room and greeting them, she explained the purpose of her visit: "My dear madam, you must have come into contact with all kinds of people at the various social events you attend. Perhaps you have noticed the servants in other mansions. Does the woman in this portrait bring back any memories for you?"
After saying that, she gently handed over a portrait of Song when she was young.
This portrait shows Song as a young girl. The person in the portrait is gentle and lovely, revealing a touch of elegance.
The Duke's wife took the portrait and looked at it for a long time before carefully looking at the young woman in the portrait.
She first showed a trance-like look, as if she was moved by the beautiful and elegant face of the woman in the picture; then she said "Oh", as if she remembered something, but then her brows furrowed and she fell into deep thought.
Wen Zhu stood aside. Although he was very curious, he knew that he should not say too much at this time, for fear of interrupting the Duke's wife's thoughts. He could only wait quietly for the answer.
There was a solemn atmosphere in the air, and even time seemed to have stopped at this moment.
Finally, the silence was broken.
"I thought the portrait looked very familiar, but after searching my mind for a long time, I couldn't recall the specific details. When and where had I seen such a beautiful woman before?"
The Duke's wife reluctantly expressed her true thoughts, and at the same time looked at Wen Zhu beside her, with a hint of confusion and regret in her eyes.
Just at this moment, Aunt Mei brought a bowl of bird's nest porridge into the room.
After hearing the conversation just now, the loyal old butler couldn't help but stop and walked closer to carefully observe the portrait on the table.
Her eyes flickered, and it was obvious that she was trying her best to recall similar faces she might have seen in the past.
Seeing this, the Duke's wife smiled at Madam Mei and sighed softly, "After so many years, my memory has begun to become a little fuzzy. If even I can't recall it, I'm sure it will be difficult for you to remember it too, right?"
Sure enough, Aunt Mei nodded and agreed, "That's exactly what she looks like. She looks so familiar, but I can't recall in which era or in which noble family's mansion I've seen her."
She shook her head and sighed as she spoke.
After hearing what they said, Wen Zhu suddenly had an idea in his mind - since his mother's appearance made the two old people feel so familiar, it might mean that in his youth, Song had served in the homes of some high-ranking officials with whom he frequently interacted, and these families still maintained close ties with his family today.
"Could you please pay more attention to this matter in the future, Madam?"
Wen Zhu pleaded with an expectant look in his eyes, "As long as this case can be solved as soon as possible, that's the most important thing for me. Otherwise, I'm worried about it all day long, and it's really tormenting me."
After hearing Wen Zhu's words, a look of tenderness and consideration immediately appeared in the Duke's wife's eyes.
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