Chapter 153 Extra: Soulful Painter - What Hammer Are You Drawing?
In late autumn in Beijing, the maple leaves turn a deep red.
Although he had relinquished the heavy burden of being regent, Chen Jin's prestige remained. To avoid the endless stream of officials who came to visit, the family of three hid in a villa on the outskirts of the capital.
In the afternoon, the sunlight was lazy.
Shen Jin, dressed in a loose, moon-white robe, sat under a ginkgo tree playing the zither. The melodious music, accompanied by falling leaves, created a scene so beautiful it was like a painting.
Jiang Mianmian was lying on a rocking chair not far away, holding a pear in her hand and happily munching on it, but her eyes were fixed on her husband.
[Tsk tsk tsk.]
[This man, how come he gets more and more charming with age?]
Look at that profile, those long, slender fingers, those strands of hair fluttering in the wind… This is the legendary charismatic handsome guy!
[No way! This scene is so beautiful, I have to record it! It's a pity there were no cameras in ancient times, otherwise I could take a hundred or so pictures of him, make a photo album, and sell it to the noble ladies of the capital. I would make a fortune!]
Since we don't have a camera, let's draw it!
Jiang Mianmian sat up with a swift movement, her eyes burning with the flame of art.
"Someone come here! Bring me pen and ink!"
She shouted, "This princess is going to paint!"
Chen Jin paused slightly while playing the zither, then looked up at her with a smile in his eyes: "Painting? When did Your Highness learn painting?"
"Tch, underestimating me, aren't you?"
Jiang Mianmian said confidently, "Back in the apocalypse, I practiced sketching to draw a map of zombie distribution! People called me the 'Wasteland Picasso'!"
Although I was drawing skulls and maps back then, art is universal!
Drawing a portrait is a piece of cake, isn't it?
Soon, the maids brought in easels, Xuan paper, and brushes and ink.
Jiang Mianmian rolled up her sleeves with a serious expression, picked up a calligraphy brush, squinted one eye, and gestured at Shen Jin.
"Don't move!"
She instructed, "Hold this pose! Make your eyes a little more melancholy! Yes! That's the 'I want to be alone' feeling!"
Shen Jin shook his head helplessly, but still cooperated by posing properly. He even turned his face to the side to make the drawing clearer and to make the lighting more perfect.
Has it started?
"It's starting! Don't talk, you're ruining my inspiration!"
Jiang Mianmian took a deep breath, dipped her brush in thick ink, and made a sweeping stroke.
Swish swish swish!
Her movements were fluid and graceful, displaying great boldness.
[Draw a circle first; that's the head.]
[Draw a few more lines; that's for the hair.]
[Eyes should be big! Bright and expressive! Nose should be straight! Lips should be thin!]
[And this zither... how many strings does it have again? Never mind, just draw a few wavy lines, as long as the mood is right.]
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.
Shen Jin remained in that zither-playing posture, his neck almost stiff, but he didn't move an inch, afraid of ruining his princess's "masterpiece".
finally.
Jiang Mianmian let out a long sigh and threw down her pen.
"Done!"
She looked at the painting in front of her, nodded in satisfaction, and even took two steps back to admire it.
【Perfect! 】
[These lines, this composition, this spirit! It's simply a masterpiece! If it were auctioned, it would be worth at least ten thousand taels of gold!]
"Is it finished?"
Shen Jin stretched his stiff neck, stood up and walked over, "Let me take a look."
He was actually somewhat hopeful. After all, she always managed to surprise him; maybe she really did have some hidden talent for painting?
However.
The moment his gaze fell upon the rice paper.
Shen Jin remained silent.
A long silence.
On the snow-white sheet of rice paper, there was a drawing...
How can I describe it?
A huge, somewhat misshapen potato. Several tangled straws are stuck in it. It has two eyes, one large and one small, one like a copper bell, the other like a mung bean. Its nose is triangular, and its mouth is a wavy line.
The most outrageous thing is the body.
A few matchstick-like lines barely pieced together a torso and limbs, holding a... washboard in its hands?
This is... him?
That former regent, a man of unparalleled charisma?
Shen Jin's lips twitched violently. He tried to find a trace of himself in this "abstract" painting, but failed.
"How about it?"
Jiang Mianmian looked at him expectantly, "Doesn't it look just like me? Doesn't it capture your soul?"
Praise me! Praise me!
[This is Impressionism! People who don't understand art won't recognize it!]
He took a deep breath.
If someone else had drawn it like this, he would probably have had the artist dragged out and fed to the dogs.
but……
Looking at Jiang Mianmian's bright, pleading eyes, and the little bit of ink that had accidentally gotten on her face...
Shen Jin, against his conscience, slowly spoke:
"picture."
"Indeed...very similar."
“Especially this… Shen Yun.”
He pointed to the potato-shaped head and said, "Great wisdom appears as foolishness, returning to simplicity. The princess's painting skills are indeed... unique."
Jiang Mianmian was overjoyed.
I knew it! I'm a genius!
[It seems Chen Jin's aesthetic sense is still on point! He can understand my art!]
"That's right!" Jiang Mianmian said proudly. "I'll give you this painting! You can hang it in the center of your study and worship it every day!"
Shen Jin: ...
Hang it in the study?
That would probably scare the bodyguards who come in to report to the authorities to their deaths, right?
Just then.
Little Tuantuan, carrying her schoolbag, skipped and hopped over after school.
"Father! Mother! What are you doing?"
Tuantuan peeked over and asked a thought-provoking question:
"Huh? Mother, why did you draw... a hairy monster?"
"And this monster is even... doing laundry?"
The entire room fell silent.
Jiang Mianmian's smile froze on her face.
【monster? 】
【do the laundry? 】
[You little brat! Can't you speak properly? That's your father! That's a zither!]
"Chen An!"
Jiang Mianmian gritted her teeth, "This is art! What do you know! Even your dad said it looks like art!"
Tuantuan turned to look at Shen Jin, her face asking, "Dad, have you been kidnapped?"
"Father...does this really look like you?"
Shen Jin remained calm and even reached out to touch the "potato head":
"picture."
"This is how your mother sees your father."
"This is... the filter of love."
round and round:……
Although he was young, he was deeply moved.
Is this what love is? Does love blind people?
"Alright, alright, kids don't understand, so don't meddle."
Jiang Mianmian rolled up the painting and solemnly stuffed it into Chen Jin's arms. "Keep it safe! This is a family heirloom! When I become a famous painter, it will be worth a lot of money!"
Shen Jin accepted the painting as if it were an imperial edict.
"Shadow One".
"Your subordinate is here."
"Go, find the best framer in the capital, and have this painting...framed."
"Framed in gold. Inlaid with gemstones."
"Then... it was hung in my bedroom."
Shadow One: ...
"yes!"
Although the drawing is ugly, and it looks like a monster.
But she drew it herself.
It bears the scent of her ink, her joy, and her vision of him.
That's enough.
As for whether it looks good or not...
Shen Jin looked at the back of the boy chasing after his son and smiled.
Anything she gives you, even a hammer, is a unique treasure in the world.
(Of course, when he went to sleep at night, looking at the "potato monster" with its big and small eyes staring at the wall, Shen Jin couldn't help but silently turn over and face away from it.)
This is so addictive!
Next time... let her draw gold bricks again. That's more realistic.
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