Chapter 28 This relentless pursuit of the truth—is it a sign of recovery...?
The thunder had long since faded, and the rain seemed to be probing the secrets inside the house, its footsteps landing softly.
The pattering rain extinguished the last spark in Zeng Zhengqing's heart, and he finally regained full consciousness. But the suspense of "truth" and "falsehood" was like two colors of yin and yang, spinning rapidly before his eyes and merging into one, making it impossible for him to distinguish between black and white.
He rubbed his temples with his left hand, and after a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a question from his throat: "So, is that painting real or fake?"
“It’s fake,” Qingduo answered obediently.
Why did you say it was 'true' back then?
"Well... there are some unavoidable reasons," Qingduo said vaguely.
"Does Madam want that painting?" Her head, resting on his arm, bobbed up and down. "Gongzhi will not give in easily. If Madam is lying to you, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you get back 'Ten Thousand Green Mountains'."
Qingduo hesitated for a moment and then asked, "What do you want to know?"
"You say that painting is fake, do you have any evidence?"
"certainly."
"Everything outside is fake."
"Could it be..." Zeng Zhengqing had a guess in his mind.
"The real one is in my hands," Qingduo whispered.
Zeng Zhengqing gasped: "Then you don't even need to look at the painting to know it's fake? Why do we need to spend so much time authenticating it?"
"Why did you lie to Gongzhi that it was genuine? And why were you so sure?"
"You shouldn't have made fun of Gongzhi."
Faced with Zeng Zhengqing's stern words, Qingduo shrank back like a quail and said timidly, "I was wrong. Because I lied, I was afraid of being struck by lightning and dared not sleep in fear. I have already been punished, so Qingqing, please don't be angry."
Zeng Zhengqing's anger immediately subsided. He sighed inwardly. After spending some time together, he had figured out how to get along with his wife. For example, last time, she was the one who wanted to change her surname to Qin in a fit of anger, but in her mouth, it became "My father doesn't want me."
Only praise can make her open up and tell the truth.
He hugged Qingduo again and said earnestly, "Madam, I was anxious for a moment, not because I was angry with you. You have always been kind-hearted and would never intentionally harm or deceive people. There must be a hidden reason for all this. I hope you can tell me the details."
Hearing his gentle words, "Quail" stretched his neck and boldly said, "You're right. How could someone as kind as me harm or deceive others? I had no choice. It's all because Brother Liu said that if it's a fake, he'll burn it. To him, this fake painting is nothing, but to me, it's worth a fortune."
"The same principle applies to whether this painting is real or fake; it all depends on who you're looking for it to be."
Her logic of "for whom" confused Zeng Zhengqing, who asked in bewilderment, "What do you mean?"
Qingduo answered earnestly, "To my father, the painting is fake; to my mother, the painting is real."
Zeng Zhengqing thought for a moment before she could make sense of the "rhyme." She might as well just say that the painting was done by her mother-in-law!
However, he understood why his wife was lying. He gently stroked her round head and sighed, "You lied because you wanted to protect your mother-in-law's painting, which is indeed understandable."
The head under his palm nodded repeatedly, and he asked again, "So, why did your mother-in-law imitate your father-in-law's paintings?"
"Well..." she began to stammer again.
Alright, needless to say, it's related to her again. Zeng Zhengqing sat up straight and asked, "Where is my father-in-law's 'Ten Thousand Green Mountains' painting?"
His mother-in-law's descriptions of mountains and rivers were already worthy of being passed down through generations. He couldn't imagine how exquisite the original work, which was famous throughout the world, must have been. He was filled with longing and wanted to get his hands on it to feast his eyes on it.
Zeng Zhengqing lit the candle wick, and Qingduo took out a scroll from her dowry chest. She solemnly handed the painting to him, her expression resolute, almost as if she were facing death with a sense of determination.
Zeng Zhengqing mentally prepared himself; judging from her appearance, she might be a catastrophe that even Nuwa (the goddess who saves goddesses) couldn't save.
Since returning home, he has been shocked countless times. Even ordinary days have become full of ups and downs, all thanks to marrying a "virtuous wife".
As the scroll slowly unfurled, Zeng Zhengqing unconsciously held his breath. A vast river and majestic distant mountains came into view. Layers of azurite and malachite hues sculpted the rugged peaks and rendered the river's vastness. Waterfalls and gorges, courtyards and bridges, islets and green trees, sandbars and villages—nature and human life intertwined, the grandeur of the mountains and rivers and the prosperity of the water towns all contained within the canvas.
Although Zeng Zhengqing was not very knowledgeable about painting, he was greatly shocked when he first saw it. The painting was a perfect blend of movement and stillness, as if it were created by nature. The mountains were majestic and the rivers were rushing endlessly, as if he had climbed up to this place and had taken in all the scenery. No, even what he had seen was not so detailed. He was excited and eagerly pushed the scroll to see more.
"Hmm!"
When Qingduo heard Zeng Zhengqing's surprised exclamation, she closed her eyes. What was bound to happen had finally arrived.
"you???"
He turned around in astonishment. Although there was no thunder outside, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, like a tree split in two, swaying precariously, unable to utter a sound.
Qingduo hung her head, her hands neatly clasped in front of her, staring at the ground without uttering a sound. Zeng Zhengqing understood that this was the best she could do to admit her mistake. He couldn't bear to scold her any further, and could only sigh repeatedly.
"Ah—what a pity, alas—"
His gaze returned to the painting, confirming once again that what he saw was not an illusion.
In the middle of the stunning painting, on a majestic mountain, seven large, childlike, and crooked characters are boldly written:
"Tang Qingduo was here"
*
Qingduo also sighed.
I never imagined that this ordinary day would be so difficult, like jumping into a mountain range, only to be blocked again after climbing over one. I managed to salvage my reputation once, only to lose it all again.
It's so hard to be a woman! It's so hard to be a dignified woman!
Zeng Zhengqing pointed to the words on the painting: "Does my father-in-law know about this?"
"How could I dare let him know?" Qingduo said guiltily, "He would definitely beat me to death! That's why Mother painted a copy to cover it up."
Zeng Zhengqing's pupils suddenly dilated. He opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed the words, "If I had beaten you back then, you wouldn't have become so lawless." He looked at Qingduo with mixed feelings and sighed, "Madam, from now on, I will be the one to raise our children."
Qingduo's heart tightened: He really wanted a child!
But his health isn't good right now!
Fortunately, we increased his dosage that night, which turned out to be a lucky accident.
Zeng Zhengqing, unaware of the turmoil in Qingduo's mind, rolled up the painting and sighed, "Things have come to this, and there is no other way. It's just a pity that such a masterpiece has been passed down through generations."
"I was only three years old then, and I didn't know any better than to do things that ruined my father's hard work. Sigh, I will be a dutiful daughter to my father from now on, as a way of making it up to him!" Qingduo said regretfully.
“But Qingqing,” Qingduo’s eyes were full of pleading, “Mother left when I was very young, and she didn’t leave me any memories. I really want the painting ‘Ten Thousand Green Mountains’ that Mother painted.”
Zeng Zhengqing pondered for a moment and said, "Tomorrow I will go to see Gongzhi and tell him the truth that this item is not genuine. Perhaps I can persuade him to part with it and transfer the painting to me."
Qingduo's eyes widened: "Could it be...could it be...that you're willing to spend three thousand taels to grant my wish?"
“This painting is of extraordinary significance to you. I would find it for you even if it were worth a thousand gold pieces, let alone three thousand taels of silver,” Zeng Zhengqing sighed.
A flame ignited in Qingduo's eyes. She flew over and hung around his neck, excitedly saying, "Qingqing! I want to be your servant and a devoted wife for the rest of my life!"
Zeng Zhengqing was pushed back two steps by a force. He steadied himself, put his arm around Qingduo and said helplessly, "There's no need to be a slave to me."
But only a lifetime... He rested his head on Qingduo's shoulder, his heart warming. That would be very good, very good.
“But…” Qingduo hesitated again, “Three thousand taels is no small amount, I can’t let you bear it all by yourself! How about this! We’ll split it in half! But I don’t have the money on hand, Qingqing, you, you lend me the money first, and I’ll pay you back when I’ve saved up…”
“Alright, let’s draw up a written agreement now, just in case Madam denies it later,” Zeng Zhengqing said seriously.
Qingduo was taken aback. She was about to say that she would not deny it when she looked up and met his smiling eyes. She realized that he was joking. Then she heard Zeng Zhengqing sigh, "We are husband and wife, why do we need to keep clear accounts?"
Qingduo's eyes immediately curved into crescent moons as she sincerely praised, "Hehe, Qingqing is the most generous! You are the best husband in Wuzhou City, no, the best husband in the world! The title of 'Number One Husband in the World' belongs to you!"
Zeng Zhengqing suddenly had an absurd idea: even if the throne were placed in front of him and he was forced to exchange it, he would not let go.
Sure enough, spending a lot of time with his wife would make some strange things grow in his head. Looking at his wife's moon-like smiling eyes, the tide in his heart pounded against his chest, repeatedly chanting an urgent feeling.
The "Number One Husband in the World" wants to kiss the "I Was Here" lady.
He reached out and stroked her cheek, staring into her eyes, and slowly leaned down. But her eyes gradually glazed over and unconsciously closed. Suddenly, she let out a long yawn, and a tear welled up in the corner of her eye.
Zeng Zhengqing stopped what he was doing and said in a low voice, "It's too late, and you must be tired. Let's rest!"
"No," Qingduo tried her best to open her eyes, buried her face in his chest, and said stubbornly, "I'm not sleepy, I want to talk to you a little longer!"
"Alright, what shall we talk about? Right, let's talk about why Madam suddenly thought of making sugar paintings?" He hugged Qingduo back and patted her back gently.
In a daze, Qingduo felt like she was a tree, gently patted, like spring rain nourishing all things. Her branches wanted to spread out in all directions. She mumbled:
"My dear! The apricot tree I painted recently is only worth thirty coins. A small sugar painting can sell for twenty coins. It only uses sugar syrup, while my painting, brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and paint were all top-quality gifts from you. So, I'm actually losing money!"
"Why should I learn to paint! I might as well set up a stall and sell sugar paintings!" She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke. Zeng Zhengqing felt the dampness on his chest, rested his chin on Qingduo's head, and said in a low voice, "Then paint sugar paintings."
Qingduo fell silent. After a long while, Zeng Zhengqing even wondered if she had fallen asleep. Suddenly, he heard her say, "Why don't you persuade me to continue learning to paint?"
"I hope you will do what you want, madam."
"Whether you're holding a pen or a spoon, you can do whatever you want. As for money, I'll take care of that. My lady... just do what makes you happy."
She was originally a free cloud, and shouldn't have been trapped into a stagnant pool just because she married him.
Tender leaves sprout from the branches, the leaves stretch out gracefully, and the green blossoms grow bigger. But something is supporting her, and she rises higher and higher. The wind passes through her, birds surround her, and this force carries her all the way to the top of the clouds, making her feel like she's floating on air...
"Qingqing..." His embrace was so comforting and reassuring. Qingduo closed her eyes, and her breathing quickly became long and even.
Zeng Zhengqing carefully picked her up horizontally, his movements light and graceful, as if afraid of blowing away a cloud. He gently placed her on the bed and covered her with a brocade quilt.
Qingduo was already lost in her dream. She dreamt that she was in the courtyard where her mother was recuperating. At that time, the family kept several chickens, and the most aggressive rooster, with its tail held high, was strolling leisurely. Its colorful feathers caught her attention, and Qingduo imitated it, stretching and retracting her neck as she followed behind it. She quietly bent down and, with quick eyes and hands, plucked the longest tail feather.
The rooster, startled, turned around. Qingduo, crouching low, didn't have time to dodge, but the rooster aimed at her lips and pecked her hard...
Qingduo snapped out of her shock, her heart still pounding wildly. Suddenly, she noticed her lips were wet and warm, and was shocked. Had she really been pecked and was bleeding?
She hurriedly opened her eyes, and the familiar face was right in front of her. Shocked, she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, while instinctively pinching her inner thigh.
Phew—thankfully, he had his eyes closed and didn't see her wake up.
Qingqing, why is he kissing me again...?
Qingduo's cheeks flushed red. In the morning, he had only lightly touched her, but now, his lips were on hers...
For some reason, I felt completely powerless, and my fingers, which were pinching my skin, were limp and I couldn't feel any pain.
I have to pretend to be asleep every time! I can't keep up the act anymore!
This can't go on! She has to find Aunt Zhu and get to the bottom of this!
Is Qingqing's unrestrained demands a sign of recovery?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Qingduo: Raise your hand if you like King Qingduo! [Sunglasses]
Zeng Zhengqing: Indeed, he is the King—the King of Troublemakers. [doge emoji]
Qingduo: Say you're going to add more medicine again! [Eye roll]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com