Chapter 27
After returning from her walk, Xu Ying sat down at her computer and continued working on the concept of "The Great Tang Female Painter".
Usually, during the serialization of a novel, as long as she doesn't have enough drafts to finish the last chapter, she will write every day. No matter how much or how little she writes, as long as she writes, she can maintain her writing skills. If she doesn't write for a day, she will feel rusty.
So, even though it was already past 8 p.m. and she wanted to lie in bed and relax for a while, she eventually sat down at the computer and started typing.
She first reviewed what she had written yesterday.
Yesterday she wrote about Du Gou.
Speaking of Du Ruhui, he was one of the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion. However, after his death, his two sons both met a tragic end.
Forget about the youngest son; he was indeed involved in the Crown Prince's rebellion and was beyond redemption. However, Xu Ying still wanted to give her eldest son, Du Gou, a little pushover so that she could slightly change his fate.
As night falls, all is quiet.
Yan Huaijin tossed and turned in his tent, unable to sleep.
For some reason, the scene of Madam Du watching Du Gou's back view today keeps replaying in her mind and lingering there.
When she finished painting, Du Gou was delighted and took it away. Madam Du stood there watching him leave, her smile kind and her eyes gentle... so gentle that Yan Huaijin couldn't fall asleep.
"well!"
Frustrated, she got up and walked around the yard several times before finally returning to her room to sleep as dawn broke.
The next day, Yan Huaijin woke up late.
These days, there's no such thing as sleeping in late. Her mother waited for her to eat but she didn't come, so she asked Hongzhu to go and wake her. She woke up groggily, her eyes were dark and swollen.
Hongzhu and Chen were both startled by her dark circles.
Yan Huaijin thought there was nothing wrong, and after finishing his meal, he went into his father's study.
Hongzhu followed behind her the whole time. She was a little worried about her mistress. Ever since they returned from the Du residence, her mistress had been acting strangely, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.
Yan Huaijin didn't pay any attention to Hongzhu. From the moment she came into this world, Hongzhu had always been by her side, and she had completely gotten used to it.
She took out a blank sheet of Xuan paper and laid it on the table. After some drawing and revising, she finally drew the axle she wanted.
She instructed Hongzhu to find some things for her, and she took the rolled-up Xuan paper to the workshop outside.
She needs to find a craftsman to make this axle wheel.
Hongzhu was completely bewildered.
Yan Huaijin asked her to find something strange: a bamboo stick, a goose feather, a thick needle from a female worker, and a ball of fine thread. What was the lady of the house planning to do?
Hongzhu had prepared everything in a daze.
In the afternoon, after Yan Huaijin received the small wooden axle, he went to the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, and returned to his own yard, which terrified the cook in charge of preparing the meals.
She thought her young mistress had finally given up on the rumors and was going to go out and chop someone up, but when she followed her there, she found out that she was just chopping bamboo, so nothing happened.
The cook walked away leisurely.
Yan Huaijin then used a kitchen knife to cut off the bamboo leaves and sections of bamboo, trimming them neatly except for the first and last sections.
At the same time, she had Hongzhu pluck all the feathers off the goose feather, leaving only the bare quill, which she then cut into several pieces to use as a fishing float.
That's right, it's a fishing float.
She wants to make an ancient version of a fishing rod.
Last night, after much thought, she finally remembered something: in Cizhou, where Du Gou was to take up his post, there was a type of fish called the Needle-beam Fish.
This fish has a slender body, beak-like jaws, extremely sharp teeth, and a ferocious temperament, making it a pest in the local area.
Fishermen are easily bitten by the fish while fishing. Even Du Gou himself had his Achilles tendon severed by the fish's mouth during the suppression of bandits.
She said that Du Gou's walking seemed strange today, and it might be a sequela of his ruptured Achilles tendon.
The people of Cizhou are living in hardship.
She thought that if Du Gou could make a contribution during his tenure, the emperor would be more lenient.
The only solution she could think of was to improve her fishing gear.
Fishing rods have existed since ancient times, but fishing gear in the Tang Dynasty was still very simple and crude. Her self-made fishing rod had an additional fishing cart part.
The fishing spool, simply put, is the reel on which the fishing line is wound, allowing you to freely control the length of the fishing line.
She couldn't make the fishing cart herself, so she went to the workshop that morning and asked the craftsmen there to carve a wooden one for her.
This thing is not complicated; once the blueprints were provided, the craftsmen quickly completed it.
Now, Yan Huaijin assembled the fishing rod, fishing cart, fishing line, and float he had prepared, and a fishing rod was ready.
She took her fishing rod to a nearby pond and tried it out, and she actually caught a small fish.
Hongzhu happily bounced around beside her.
She's only fourteen years old this year, still a child!
After confirming that the fishing rod was fine, Yan Huaijin began to think about how to get it into Du Gou's sight. She couldn't very well just go up to him and say that she had made a fishing rod for him.
Let me draw instead.
Yan Huaijin didn't come up with any brilliant ideas, so she simply painted a picture of fishing by the river and gave it to Du Gou as a return gift for the generous gift from Madam Du yesterday.
If Du Gou weren't blind, she would surely be able to see the difference in the fishing gear in this painting; she had specifically drawn the axle wheel.
After finishing the painting, Yan Huaijin took it with him to the Du residence.
Not long after.
Du Gou, who was handling official business in his study, received a report from the gatekeeper that Madam Yan had come to deliver a painting.
Du Gou frowned. What kind of painting was this?
"Please let her in."
Yan Huaijin followed behind his servants and walked all the way to Du Gou's courtyard.
Upon entering the study, Yan Huaijin bowed respectfully.
"Duke Lai, the reward given by Madam Du yesterday was truly generous. I have thought about it and felt unworthy of it. Just today, I was suddenly inspired and created this painting of fishing by the river. I thought I would send it to your residence as a token of my gratitude. I hope you will not find my work too disrespectful."
Yan Huaijin's little mouth chattered away, while Hongzhu's eyes widened in disbelief.
What is the old lady saying? She never hesitates to take money, and as for this painting, there was no sudden inspiration; it was clearly prepared in advance!
Du Gou was far from the capital and knew nothing of Madam Yan's bad reputation. He took it as a genuine gift and couldn't help but smile.
"You're too kind, madam."
He took the painting and unfolded it. In the painting, an old man wearing a straw raincoat sat alone by the river, fishing, looking very relaxed and carefree.
However, he let out a soft "hmm" and pointed to the fishing rod's handle, asking, "What's this?"
They've arrived.
Yan Huaijin had been waiting for this moment.
Although she felt that her hints were a bit too obvious, it was the quickest and most effective way.
After all, she didn't know how much longer Du Gou could stay in the capital. Officials who were reporting for duty were always ready to leave at any time, so it was better to present the fishing rod sooner rather than later.
"This is called a fishing rig, which allows you to freely adjust the length of the fishing line."
Du Gou smiled enigmatically: "This inspiration also came from your sudden whim?"
The Duke of Lai was indeed clever.
Yan Huaijin didn't beat around the bush: "I've heard that needlefish are rampant in Cizhou. If this method can help Lord Du in any way, it would be my honor."
Du Gou lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Just as Yan Huaijin was feeling somewhat uncomfortable, he looked up at her and said solemnly, "Although I don't know what Madam's purpose is, this method is indeed beneficial to Cizhou. I thank Madam for your help."
“If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, Madam, you are welcome to come to the Du residence to find me, or you may come to Cizhou.”
Yan Huaijin was relieved.
She didn't ask Du Gou for anything in return; she only wanted to have a clear conscience.
"I wonder where this fishing rod is now. I want to see it with my own eyes."
"It's right at the gatehouse."
Du Gou was somewhat surprised to hear this. As expected, the lady of the house was well-prepared. He beckoned to his servant to fetch it from the gatehouse.
Yan Huaijin smiled guiltily under his gaze. She had only brought it along because she was lazy. Luckily she brought it, otherwise she would have had to make another trip to his house. What a waste!
The servant quickly brought over the fishing rod.
Du Gou took it and examined it carefully. The fishing rod was indeed a bit rough, but the fishing rig part was quite innovative.
However, this is not a big deal. When he arrives in Cizhou, he can find someone to produce it and exchange the ordinary bamboo for purple bamboo to sell to noble families.
Even without fishing, Cizhou can make a fortune just from these fishing rods.
He thanked him again solemnly, and Yan Huaijin felt very embarrassed, so he quickly made an excuse to leave the Du residence.
Leaving the Du residence and walking home, Yan Huaijin felt completely relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
She'd done all she could; now it was up to fate.
*
While Xu Ying was working to change Du Gou's fate against all odds, her daily update on Feihong Novel Network sparked considerable discussion.
Mo Yun's roommates are very excited right now.
They had only been begging the Emperor for a few days when he immediately arranged for Wang Erniang to appear. No one could understand the shock and emotion they felt when they read this.
This feeling of being cared for, noticed, and satisfied really makes people like us even more. Oh my, the boss really cares about us!
"I'm falling in love with this February weather," one of my roommates exclaimed dramatically, making a gesture reminiscent of Xi Shi clutching her heart.
Mo Yun looked proud.
"You're only just falling in love with her? I already knew she was different from others back in 'Back to High School'."
Hehehe, she was the first to discover this treasure.
Another roommate joked, "Yes, yes, you're amazing! We'll never disobey you again, and we'll definitely read the novels you recommend as soon as they're available, hahaha!"
My roommate, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "The author describes Wang Erniang as so beautiful, don't you guys think?"
"Needless to say, she's absolutely gorgeous! Just look at the words the author used: beautiful appearance, graceful and charming—these descriptions alone make her look stunning!"
"Oh, heavens are so unfair! How could such a beautiful woman marry such a wretched old man? I refuse to accept this!"
Writing Wang Erniang so well will only make them feel more resentful.
"Yes, yes, my dear second aunt, what are we going to do now..."
Mo Yun's roommates started wailing again.
However, other readers did not have such complicated feelings.
To them, Wang Erniang was just a minor character who had just appeared in the book, and that was the end of it.
They focused their discussion on the female protagonist's painting skills displayed in the countryside.
-！ ！ ！
-Isn't this just a sketch? Hahahaha.
-Wow, how come I didn't think of that? The female lead is really quick-witted!
-It's not the female lead who's agile, it's the month that's agile [doge emoji]
-That's right, hahaha, how did the author come up with the idea of having the female lead draw sketches in ancient times? It feels so interesting to bring modern things to ancient times!
-We need more updates! There's just not enough to keep us entertained!
- To broaden the horizons of these ancient people.
I love seeing the surprised reactions of these ancient people; I'll write more and more if I can't get enough!
-The female lead is so cute and quirky.
- I feel like the author has pioneered a new genre of female protagonists, and there should be many lively female protagonists in the future [laughing and crying emoji].
- It's actually not easy to write "lively" properly; if you're not careful, you can easily write it as being loud and boisterous, which is not endearing.
That just proves how amazing DaDa is.
-This is the first time I've seen this type of female lead, and I love her so much. I feel like I can't stand those melodramatic, resentful female leads in romance novels anymore.
-Me too, author, you have to make it up to me! I can't read any other novels except yours anymore, waaaaaah!
- Give me one more
- Pay me back plus two
......
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com