Chapter 76: The man in the painting with the cinnabar mole behind him... how does it relate to myself...?
The door to the private room at Fuyuanju Restaurant opened, and Liu Ke's teasing voice rang out:
"Wow, what a rare guest!"
Everyone inside turned to look at the doorway, and burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Oh dear! Isn't this Boss Zeng, who's so engrossed in his beautiful wife that he's completely forgotten about us old friends?"
"What wind is blowing today? That you would grace us with your presence?" Qi Shuping, the young master of Tongji Incense Shop, said jokingly.
Despite their jeers, Zeng Zhengqing remained unmoved, speaking calmly: "I recently acquired a fine painting. You are all more knowledgeable than I am, so I would like to invite you all to appreciate it together."
Qi Shuping then said, "Hey, Brother Zhengqing, don't try to fool us! Do you really have a good painting to share, or... are you just looking for an excuse to kill time since you can't go home?"
He winked at Zeng Zhengqing: "Tell us next time, and we'll all go with you. On your birthday, it's so lonely to be on a boat with only Liu Er!"
The crowd burst into laughter again. Zeng Zhengqing remained expressionless, giving Liu Ke a faint glance. Liu Ke immediately felt guilty and stood up to defuse the situation:
"Well, weren't we supposed to be appreciating paintings? Where are the paintings? I can do as you say and get everything ready. I brought my own paintings too, and we'll have everyone judge whose painting is the best in a bit!"
Zeng Zhengqing unfurled the Qingming scroll: "The one in my hand is the work of a new painter. Although he is not famous yet, the delicate touch in the painting shows his thoughtfulness."
Several people crowded around to take a closer look, and they all nodded in agreement, saying, "It's wonderful! The figure is kneeling but not prostrate; looking at the straight shoulders and back, the figure's unyielding spirit is truly conveyed. It's really quite interesting!"
Who drew this?
"Little Lotus Turns Over? This is what you call not being famous?" Someone exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the name on the painting. "After his 'Gentleman in the Twelve Months' painting came out, everyone was hoping for a new work from him! Eh? I haven't heard of any new works from him! Brother Zeng, how come you have his new work?"
Liu Ke suddenly burst out laughing, drawing everyone's attention. He chuckled and said, "Yuan Bai, you and I, brothers, are quite in sync!"
He took out the painting he brought: "This is probably a work from before the 'Little Lotus Turns December' series. The brushwork is still a bit immature, but the charm in the painting is impossible to hide. You could say it's 'sensual'."
The moment the word "sensual" was uttered, everyone's interest was piqued, and they stared intently at the scroll in his hands. As the scroll slowly unfurled, the figure in the painting, half-undressed, gradually became clear:
This person has broad shoulders and a straight posture. Looking down along the slipping clothes, the waistline is neat and sharp, and there is a red mole on it.
Qi Shuping's face fell immediately: "What a sensual scene I was looking at! It turned out to be a man!"
"No, Liu Er, when did you become interested in men? Aren't you afraid that your Wanwan..." He held up two fingers and made a gesture of gouging out his own eyes.
"Hmph, vulgar!" Liu Ke scoffed. "How can you judge the quality of a painting by gender? Look at the tender emotions in this painting, extending from within the painting to beyond it, overflowing! That's what makes it so captivating!"
“You all simply can’t appreciate the beauty of this painting!” He shook his head, then rolled it up. “Never mind, I’ll keep it for myself to admire!”
"Wait!" Zeng Zhengqing suddenly pressed down on the scroll, staring intently at the painting, looking utterly shocked.
Seeing his expression, Liu Ke was deeply moved and sighed, "Yuanbai, Yuanbai! That's why I say you are my soulmate! Only you can understand me!"
He was rambling on and on, but Zeng Zhengqing couldn't hear a word he was saying. It was as if a huge firecracker had exploded in his head. After the boom, thick smoke quickly filled his brain, leaving it a white, blank expanse.
He couldn't hear anything, nor could he think of anything. The scarlet mole leaped out of the paper, spinning, enlarging, changing, rushing forward, and aimed straight at his nose like a flying punch!
He woke up.
My head was still buzzing. The white smoke gradually dissipated; the rumbling questions gradually became clear.
He finally heard clearly the cry from his heart, a cry that made him tremble:
How come the cinnabar birthmark on the back of the person in the painting is exactly the same as mine?
*
Zeng Zhengqing didn't know how he got into the carriage, how he got home, or how he walked back to the courtyard. When Fang Qing woke him up, he didn't know how long he had been standing in the courtyard.
"Young Master, why don't you go inside? It's so cold outside!" Fang Qing asked in surprise as she came out of the house.
"Oh." He composed himself, and saw Fang Qing lift the curtain and step into the room.
As soon as Zeng Zhengqing entered the room, he heard a "swish, swish, swish, swish" sound. In a daze, he instinctively moved towards the direction of the sound, and then he saw this scene:
His wife was holding a wooden sword, swinging it left and right, seemingly having learned it from some Taoist priest, and was performing a devout ritual.
"Ah Zhao!" he called out blankly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than something flew towards him through the air with a whooshing sound. Zeng Zhengqing didn't have time to think; his body reacted first, and he took a step back. The object landed with its tip pointing downwards, "thud," in front of his feet.
After regaining his composure, he looked ahead and realized—
That's the wooden sword Qingduo just made.
"Ah! Qingqing!" Qingduo rushed over in a panic, holding his arms and looking him up and down. "Are you... alright?"
Seeing that he was alright, Qingduo let go and complained, "How could you shout when someone is practicing swordsmanship? I was distracted and almost hurt you!"
"Even if I didn't hurt you, what if your sudden outbursts cause me to suffer a qi deviation?" she said seriously.
Oh, it's sword practice.
Zeng Zhengqing frowned: "Why are you practicing swordsmanship out of the blue?"
At this, Qingduo became interested and said excitedly, "Qingqing, do you know! Sister Lu Nong is going to write a new storybook, and she's going to use me as the model!"
Can you imagine? I'm the main character!
"Oh? She wants to write a story about an artist?"
"No! That's so ordinary! She wants to use me, the 'Ever-Winning Heroine,' as the model to write a story about a heroine traveling the world with her sword."
Qingduo relayed Lu Nong's thoughts in one breath, and then said, "Brother Zhu decided to teach me sword techniques after listening to Sister Lu Nong's plan, so that I would be more like a chivalrous woman!"
Qingduo stayed until she had dinner at Lu Nong's house before coming out. Unexpectedly, as soon as she arrived at the place where the two had hidden in the morning, she saw Zhu Yi leaning against the wall. Judging from his bored look, he had obviously been waiting for a long time.
"Why have you been here so long?" He straightened up, staring intently at Qingduo. "What did you say?"
Qingduo was eager for him to ask! She immediately shared the good news with him. Zhu Yi looked at her incredulously: "She's actually going to write about you?"
He looked Qingduo up and down and said, "Fine, she chose you after all!"
"Since we're going to write about a 'heroine,' and based on you no less, you should at least know a few tricks. So, I'll teach you a couple of moves as a thank you for not betraying me."
Cleopatra noticed you a long time ago!
However... since he said he would teach me a few tricks...
Qingduo remained silent.
Thinking about it carefully, I realized that I really didn't expose him; it was Sister Lu Nong who found out on her own!
She readily accepted Zhu Yi's gift.
...
"Alright! That's all for now!" Qingduo waved her hand dismissively at Zeng Zhengqing. "This heroine still has to practice her sword!"
She picked up the sword, skipped to the side, and continued stabbing and thrusting. Zeng Zhengqing heard her muttering incantations:
"One, two, sprinkle a bag of powder; three, four, pour a pot of water..." She made a sweeping motion and shouted, "Swing the noodles!"
Good heavens, they're actually using cooking steps to memorize sword moves!
This is truly unprecedented and will likely never be repeated.
It's unclear how many moves Zhu Yi taught her, but every move seemed to be new.
Zeng Zhengqing watched Qingduo practice her swordplay. She was really clumsy, and the wooden sword in her hands was completely unresponsive. But she was extremely serious, muttering her own specially made techniques. Her seriousness revealed her cuteness, making people want to pat her fluffy head.
Seeing her bewildered appearance, no one could connect her with the "Little Lotus" who painted erotic pictures.
No, no...
Zeng Zhengqing denied it again and again in his heart. Without any basis or reason, he stubbornly believed that the truth was definitely not like that.
Ah-Chao is simple-minded; she's definitely not like that!
While he was lost in thought, Qingduo had already completed a series of actions. She stood still, her wooden sword held horizontally in front of her, and shouted, "Who is that in front of you? Quickly state your name! I am the heroine of Changying!"
Upon hearing this, Zeng Zhengqing's heart stirred, and he said, "I must say, Miss Lu Nong's eye is indeed very accurate. The chivalrous theme is very popular right now, and whether it's a storybook or a picture book, as long as it's related to this theme, it can sell for a high price."
"Oh?" Qingduo immediately straightened up, her eyes fixed on him, gleaming. "Is that really so? Even the paintings..."
As if someone had struck him on the head, Zeng Zhengqing felt dizzy. He suppressed the bitterness in his heart and gritted his teeth to answer, "Yes, it's a pity. Madam has always specialized in flowers and birds, so she can't keep up with this chivalrous trend."
Qingduo quickly laughed it off, saying, "Haha, yes, what a pity!"
It should have nothing to do with her, but she stopped practicing her swordplay. She held the sword in her hand, absentmindedly swinging it around, her head bowed towards the ground, as if she was thinking about something.
Zeng Zhengqing dared not look any longer. He turned and walked outside, his hands clenched into tight fists inside his sleeves. His heart sank lower and lower, plummeting, as cries and prayers echoed a thousand times within his chest:
No, no! That's not her! And that's not me either!
No, no!
A few days later, a painting depicting the Winter Solstice was delivered to him by Shopkeeper Fang. It showed a man riding a horse with effortless grace, a scene clearly reminiscent of his horse race with her. Snowflakes fluttered down, creating a world of pristine purity.
Zeng Zhengqing's heart was just like this icy, snowy landscape.
It's completely cold.
He leaned back in his chair, exhausted, and closed his eyes.
What is there that is still uncertain about?
"Xiao He Fan" refers to his wife; and his wife...
It means "small lotus leaves turning".
In his heart, she possessed an innocent and naive charm, and was always easily shy. In his presence, the slightest mention of intimate topics would cause her face to flush; not to mention the intimate acts between the two of them, she seemed to be on fire.
This is the kind of lady, this pure and innocent girl, who secretly drew portraits of handsome men behind his back, and they were even the kind of portraits that were alluring and seductive!
It was even created based on his appearance!
He opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with a sharp light.
Tang Qingduo!
How dare you!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Qingduo: I made some money again, hehe! [Go for it!]
Next chapter will be updated on Sunday.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com