Chapter 40 Having gained Long, yet still coveting Shu, Li Yang requests a painting from Chen Junbai.
Seeing Chen Junbo's gaze sweep over her, she quickly said, "I just borrowed some to display at the flower arrangement, hoping it might attract more people to come and see..."
Upon hearing this, the person drinking tea simply put down their covered bowl and, no longer bothering with any pretense, turned to look at her. "Is this... Mrs. Chen being greedy after getting what she wants?"
Li Yang rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking: You mean 'taking an inch and wanting a mile'?
She was extremely obsequious, saying, "No, no, that's not true at all."
Chen Junbo teased, "If you borrowed it, will you ever return it?"
Wow! This guy!
She thought for a moment, then realized that she had left all the paintings at the flower shop, which belonged to the Chen family. How could this not be considered returning what she had borrowed? So she raised her head and replied firmly, "Of course!"
Chen Junbo chuckled softly, "Unfortunately, I don't have any left here."
This guy's crazy! He's rambling on about trivial things without even having a painting.
Li Yang had already cursed Chen Junbo to death in his heart, but then he saw Chen Junbo curl up the corner of his mouth and say, "Mr. Zheng doesn't paint often. Every time he paints one, someone else snatches it away. I only have this one scroll here, but..."
She hurriedly asked, "But what?"
“I can take you to see Mr. Zheng and have him paint a few portraits for you on the spot as a gift. I’m sure he’ll find it hard to refuse.”
Chen Junbai spoke so casually, but this Mr. Zheng was a highly sought-after master in Songshan Town. She had heard countless praises about him these past few days, such as "the spirit of a scholar" and "his paintings are hard to come by"... He actually said he could go directly to her door and have a few paintings painted? As a gift? Was he just bragging?
"Have him... paint... a few?" She uttered, her lips twitching, almost uttering the word "disbelief."
Chen Junbo seemed to be in a very good mood, his smile widening even more. "Don't believe me?"
The young woman kept saying, "I believe you, I believe you," but her head was shaking on its own...
Chen Junbo was amused by her, "Do you 'believe' or...?" He even shook his head like she was saying.
Seeing that Li Yang could not 'act in accordance with his words', he vouched for him, saying, "In three days, the Ruyi Pavilion will have a preview of the new play. You will come with me then, and you can see for yourself whether you want to 'believe' or 'not believe'."
Li Yang: "It's that simple?"
Chen Junbo smiled and said, "In Songshan Town, I can make anything you want happen to you."
Li Yang's eyes widened in shock, and he murmured, "Chen Junbai..."
Young Master Chen looked at her, his eyes filled with earnestness.
The young woman cautiously asked, "How much silver do I need to prepare? If it's expensive, I need to prepare in advance..."
He had thought the young lady would at least say a few kind words, or at the very least, a few compliments... but to his surprise, she was calculating her money. Chen Junbai was furious with her and coldly said, "Keep your money safe, you don't need it!" before going to his study.
Why are you angry again...?
This person is great in every way, except they get angry easily...
What a petty man! His heart is as narrow as a young woman's needlework...
Muttering a few words to himself, Li Yang then pondered, how many paintings should he ask for? Ten? Eight? Would it take an hour to paint one scroll? That probably wouldn't even be enough for a day…
Never mind, she doesn't understand anyway. I'll go to the shop and ask Zhong Qian tomorrow.
Thanks to Mr. Zheng's "Ink Bamboo Painting", the reputation of the Dongshi Flower Bureau became very popular in Songshan Town.
Zhong Qian has been in a good mood these past few days.
He finally showed off his skills in front of the young mistress, and people flocked to the shop to view the paintings every day. "Young mistress, look at the scene in this shop, it's a constant stream of people, one after another, bustling with activity!"
Last night, he specially consulted the neighbor's tutor, copied the poem into his palm, and didn't touch it with water all day, just so that he could perform a 'fluent' recitation for the young mistress now...
Li Yang, however, was not in the same good mood as Zhong Qian.
Many people entered the shop, but no one bought flowers. A group of people in dark blue robes stood around the painting, inevitably arguing about which one was better... After a while, they asked for some tea... That day, they didn't see many copper coins, but they did lose a lot of tea...
These people were even denser than the bamboo leaves in the painting, crowding around the counter. Even the young ladies who actually wanted to buy flowers would avoid them upon seeing this scene... The business these past few days had been entirely supported by those unrestrained pleasure boat riders... It was even worse than before.
This time, she truly understood what it meant to gain publicity but lose money, and what it meant to lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot!
Despite Manager Zhong's good intentions, which resulted in this outcome, Li Yang couldn't really say anything. He said dejectedly, "Manager Zhong, why don't you hang this painting upstairs and lead these people up there to sit and have some tea..."
Zhong Qian frowned, then quickly agreed. He led his men to carry Mr. Zheng's calligraphy to the second floor, and directed the waiter to hang the scroll on the wall with a few clanging sounds.
The crowd surged forward in a mighty torrent.
Scholar A: "Shopkeeper, bring me a pot of fine tea. Today I want to have a good discussion with this gentleman about Mr. Zheng's 'Way of Bamboo'!"
Talented Scholar B: "I have been studying Mr. Zheng's poems diligently lately, and he is quite accomplished in the field of bamboo. Today, I am determined to have a long discussion with you!"
Zhong Qian: "Three hundred rounds, right? A pot of tea and two cups, twenty coins. Who's going to settle the bill?"
The talented scholar was taken aback: "Why isn't it free anymore?"
Zhong Qian: "Esteemed guest, this is a pot of fine tea that you ordered. Besides, we've provided you with a table and chairs today, and we're waiting for you two to have a long talk. This Mr. Zheng's 'Ink Bamboo Painting' is for you to look at three hundred times a day, and it only costs twenty coins. Is that expensive?! If you think it's too expensive, we'll give you a snack to go with your tea."
Talented Scholar A: "...Brother, how about the two of us chip in to make it happen?"
Talented Scholar B: "...I have ten coins here..."
If there's one thing that's most endearing about Manager Zhong, it's his ability to read people's expressions. Li Yang only said one sentence, and he immediately understood. After a moment's thought, he grasped the underlying meaning.
These past few days, the town's talented men have flocked here, but instead of buying flowers, they've been competing in poetry and painting. They're all full of energy in front of the beautiful ladies, but when it comes to paying, they all become stingy.
Given this situation, each of these people is hoping some blind young lady will take her home as a cheap husband...
Now that we're on the second floor, it's perfect. Mr. Zheng's calligraphy isn't free, is it? At least we should charge for tea.
Having received the copper coins, the waiter immediately served tea and water, wiped the tables and chairs, and kept calling them "guests" and "scholars," which made the two men lose all sense of direction.
He tossed coins in front of the clock and ran to the counter. "Young Madam, look!" he exclaimed, arranging the coins on the counter like a treasure. "This 'Ink Bamboo Painting' with some new tea, twenty coins a pot, what do you think?"
Upon seeing the copper coins, Li Yang couldn't help but grin, exclaiming repeatedly, "Open for business?! It has to be Manager Zhong! I'll find some more famous paintings later, Mr. Zheng, Mr. Jin, Mr. Li, Mr. Wang... Give me a list, and I'll go find them. How about we fill every wall on the second floor with them! Hehehehehe..."
The two men laughed slyly, unaware of who they were about to trick; they seemed to share a rather amusing, albeit mischievous, trait.
Feeling cheerful, Li Yang suddenly felt hungry. He glanced at the date and realized it was time to go to the banquet hall to collect the bill. He peeked out from behind the counter and called out, "Little Lu, let's go to the banquet hall for wontons at noon."
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