Chapter 60 Death Makes You Valuable
Mao Mao certainly didn't recognize him.
But Mao Mao knows that everyone who comes to the gallery today is here to buy paintings!
Before the gallery opened, Lou Hongjian held her and muttered to himself many times, worried that his paintings wouldn't sell.
Even the most fearsome Green Gang boss, in her eyes, was just a strange uncle.
Mao Mao wasn't afraid of him at all and asked familiarly, "Uncle, do you want to buy a painting?"
"Buying paintings?"
Mao Mao eagerly recommended, "Uncle, buy my brother's painting!"
Lou Hongjian coughed: "Mao Mao..."
Mao Mao loves her brother's paintings the most. She proudly raised her little head and said loudly, "My brother paints beautifully, Uncle, buy my brother!"
Lou Hongjian touched her hair and said a little embarrassedly, "Mao Mao, no need."
Mao Mao asked, puzzled, "Brother?"
Not only did they buy it, but they also took out a huge sum of ten thousand silver dollars.
Lou Hongjian looked up at Nie Zhengyun: "Mr. Nie, my sister is just a child and doesn't mean any harm. You don't need to take it to heart."
Nie Zhengyun shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't care.
He looked at the little girl with interest and teased her, "Do you know that your brother's paintings are very expensive?"
"Very expensive?"
"I want ten thousand silver dollars."
Mao Mao blinked her eyes, looking at him blankly.
She couldn't count and didn't know how much 10,000 silver dollars was.
“It costs 10,000 yuan to buy it, but it won’t be worth that much when you sell it. Art collecting depends on reputation, and your brother isn’t famous, so his paintings aren’t worth much.” Nie Zhengyun smiled slightly, a few fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes: “I’ll lose money buying your brother’s paintings. So what should we do?”
Mao Mao listened, seemingly understanding but not quite.
She turned her little head, then raised her chubby chin and said confidently, "It's okay. When my brother dies, his paintings will be valuable, worth a lot of money."
Lou Hongjian: "..."
He decisively covered his sister's mouth: "Okay, stop talking."
Mao Mao blinked at him and asked, "Hmm?"
“Mao Mao, Mr. Nie has already bought my painting.” Lou Hongjian: “He is the one who just bought my painting.”
Mao Mao exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"
She turned to look at Nie Zhengyun, her bright, dark eyes sparkling, and a big smile spread across her round little face: "Uncle, thank you."
Nie Zhengyun looked at her with a faint smile.
His fingers rubbed against the loose sleeves of his robe, and for some reason, he had a strong urge to pinch the soft flesh on the little girl's face.
It must feel great to the touch.
He asked, "Is this the Third Young Master's sister?"
Lou Hongjian: "That's right."
"I've never heard of the Marshal having a daughter?"
"Oh, Mao Mao came to my house with my father's fourth concubine. We treat her like our own sister."
Lou Hongjian bent down and picked up his younger sister, affectionately pressing his lips against her soft little face. Mao Mao hugged his neck, snuggling close to him affectionately. Anyone could see that the brother and sister had an exceptionally close relationship.
Nie Zhengyun looked regretful: "Not his biological son? The commander is really lucky."
Lou Hongjian thought so too.
Not just his father, but his whole family must be very lucky to be able to be related to Mao Mao.
Holding his younger sister, he wanted to play with her even more, so he quickly said goodbye to Nie Zhengyun.
"Mr. Nie, please make yourself at home. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer." Lou Hongjian: "If Mr. Nie finds any works he likes in this gallery, please put them on my tab."
Mao Mao nestled obediently on her brother's shoulder, waved her little hand in the air, and said goodbye to him: "Uncle, bye-bye."
"goodbye."
Nie Zhengyun watched them walk away.
Look back at the painting on the wall.
Upon meeting her in person, the little girl who was fast asleep in the portrait seemed to come to life and become even cuter.
...
Lou Hongjian's gallery was a great success!
He advertised extensively, and on the first day, he attracted many customers, selling a considerable number of paintings in addition to the auction.
On the day of the opening, his painting fetched a staggering 10,000 silver dollars at a charity auction, stunning countless onlookers and making headlines in the Haicheng newspaper afterward.
A few days later, in front of reporters, he donated the proceeds from the auction to the Haicheng Orphanage in the name of the gallery. His actions were very high-profile and flamboyant; the whole of Haicheng heard about them.
Lou Sanshao opened an art gallery and raised tens of thousands of yuan, all of which was donated to charity!
At the same time, thanks to that ten thousand silver dollars, his net worth also increased significantly.
Although Western painting has become more widespread, and many art academies offer courses in it, the current art collecting world still values traditional freehand landscape painting more. Western paintings don't fetch high prices and are mostly used for commercial purposes. However, a Western painting by a newcomer to the art world sold for ten thousand silver dollars, drastically changing the perception of the art community.
Although not a single penny of that ten thousand silver dollars went into Lou Hongjian's pocket, it did raise his social standing.
After the auction, he received many letters. Some people wanted to buy his paintings, while others commissioned him to create works, paying half of the fee in advance.
Although the price isn't as high as ten thousand silver dollars, it's almost comparable to some famous artists.
Compared to the pocket money given by my family, the income from selling paintings was not much, but it was income from a respectable job.
During those days, Lou Hongjian felt like he was floating.
He became very smug, his tail held high, and he even dared to put on airs in front of Old Madam Lou.
His suit jacket was open, his shirt hung loosely on his body, several buttons undone, revealing a small patch of his chest. He looked dashing, and even his gait became unrestrained. As he passed by, the scent of his perfume made Mao Mao sneeze several times.
Old Madam Lou frowned and asked, "What are you wearing?"
"Are you going out so late?"
Lou Hongjian smiled, his peach blossom eyes sparkling: "I've been so busy that I haven't been out for a long time, and I haven't seen my friends in ages. They all saw me in the newspapers and invited me to Night Paris to listen to music and drink."
Old Madam Lou gripped her cane, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't hold back any longer. She struck him on the leg with the cane, shouting angrily, "You scoundrel!"
Lou Hongjian jumped to the side with a "whoosh," obediently buttoning his shirt up to his neck, tucking the hem into his trousers, and standing up straight.
"Grandma, I just made plans to go out with my friends."
Old Madam Lou frowned: "Going to a karaoke bar in the middle of the night? What kind of respectable friends could they be?"
Lou Hongjian: "They are all acquaintances; we've known each other for many years."
He gave several names, all of them were young men from Haicheng.
Old Madam Lou still couldn't stand it: "You've already opened an art gallery, which is a respectable thing. Don't continue with your old dissolute ways. Can't you go out to meet friends during the day?"
Lou Hongjian chuckled, "Grandma, you don't understand. That's how artists are; they get a lot of inspiration at night."
Mao Mao stood beside him, listening with a look of admiration: "Brother is an artist, brother is amazing."
Madam Lou flew into a rage, raising her cane high: "Look at the state you're in, corrupting your sister!"
Lou Hongjian: "..."
"Aww!"
"Grandma! Stop hitting me! I was wrong...Grandma, please don't hit my face!"
A moment later.
Lou Hongjian sat on the sofa, grinning.
He took off his shirt and turned to look at his back: "Grandma hit too hard, ouch."
"Serves you right." Lou Heming helplessly applied the medicine to him. "You know Grandma's personality perfectly well, yet you still said those things in front of her?"
Lou Hongjian muttered, "I only go to Night Paris to drink and listen to music, I don't do anything else."
“Night Paris, that’s Nie Zhengyun’s territory.” Lou Heming closed the first-aid kit and asked, “He spent ten thousand yuan to buy your painting for no reason. When did you two become so close?”
Lou Hongjian shook his head: "I don't know either. I was quite surprised. Doesn't he often do charity work? Maybe he just did it on the spur of the moment, and to give Dad some face."
"And... this might be because of Mao Mao."
Mao Mao was playing with her feet by the side when she heard her name called. She looked over blankly and asked, "Me?"
"It must be Mao Mao's blessing that makes your paintings so popular," Lou Hongjian said proudly. "You don't know, even Zhang Jingshu has come to me to commission a painting."
Lou Yansui asked in surprise, "Miss Zhang? Isn't she someone you don't get along with?"
Lou Hongjian looked surprised: "A-Sui, who are you talking to?"
Lou Yansui: "?"
"The person in front of you is a rising star in Western painting in Haicheng, the most sought-after artist in Haicheng right now, and the person who has set the record for the highest price for a Western painting." Lou Hongjian raised his chin and said reservedly, "Your third brother, that's me."
Lou Yansui: "..."
Lou Yansui turned her head speechlessly: "Second brother, take another look at his head. Did Grandma damage it?"
Lou Hongjian was furious: "...Hey! Ah Sui!!"
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