Song Jiyun couldn’t help but laugh and cry.
Even if the Fortune and Prosperity Gourd Vase was a replica of a famous painting provided by the Hong Family, it still required precise adjustments based on the size of the vessel, to not stray from the original painting’s artistic conception. How could it possibly be drawn casually?
Yet Yuan Yunzhong had already turned around and called for the servant boy to bring her pigments and a palette, urging her, "Start soon, and finish soon."
Seeing his insistence, Song Jiyun had no choice but to change her mind and instructed Xiang Zhan to notify the Kiln Factory’s Chief Steward and the Store Manager to come over early the next morning to discuss matters.
Xiang Zhan left with Xiao Liuzi by her side.
Song Jiyun prepared the colors, spread out a piece of Xuan paper, and sat upright at the desk, starting to draft the sketch.
Yuan Yunzhong stood silently behind her with his hands clasped behind his back.
Fine outlining brushes traced smooth lines. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
In the white porcelain dish, dawn red and reddish stone were blended into a slightly orange-red hue, while indigo and gamboge were mixed into varying shades of oil green, green onion, and emerald, resembling a mountain forest in spring, with layers of colors gradually blending, fresh and verdant.
She held a coloring brush between her thumb and index finger, while between her index finger, middle finger, and the base of her thumb, lay a water brush horizontally.
Large swathes of green spread across the slightly yellow Xuan paper.
The oil green was for the veins, the emerald for the leaves, and the green onion for the tips.
With a flip of her middle finger, the coloring brush and the water brush switched places.
Yuan Yunzhong raised his eyebrows.
Song Jiyun carefully painted the colors.
The water brush gently blended the freshly outlined buds, giving them a barely visible hint of green.
With another flip of her middle finger, the water brush and the coloring brush switched places again.
The light green buds began to be dotted with small, bright red fruits.
Vibrant and lovely.
At first glance, it appeared similar to the Cornelian cherry fruit in the original painting, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to possess a flirtatious charm that was more pronounced than the original.
A look of surprise flickered across Yuan Yunzhong’s face, and after a while, he said, "Did you paint that Banana tree Arhat?"
Initially engrossed, Song Jiyun jumped with fright.
The tip of her brush twitched, and she painted the fruit crookedly.
After thinking for a moment, she added a half leaf in oil green where the fruit had gone awry, and then raised her head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Are you referring to the Arhat Painting on the Arhat Cup in the Kiln Factory lounge?"
Yuan Yunzhong nodded.
Song Jiyun laughed, "How did you guess that Banana tree Arhat was painted by me?"
Yuan Yunzhong "hmphed" and said, "That Arhat is too elegantly depicted."
Was it because the painting of the banana leaves behind the Arhat was too gentle?
Having seen the evolution of porcelain in future generations, she had grown fond of Famille Rose Porcelain. Influenced by the subtle and tender quality of Famille Rose, not only did she like to paint florals, but her style also tended to be softer and more vibrant.
Song Jiyun dipped her brush in some bright red pigment again, smiled, and looked up at him, "Is it that obvious?"
At that time, she had just begun to copy her father’s paintings, and her style was clearly leaning towards the breadth and ease of her father’s work.
Yuan Yunyuan slightly bowed his head.
From his angle, Song Jiyun’s exquisite eyebrows looked like feathers, finely tapered from the arch to the tail, exuding a reserved charm.
His heart skipped a beat.
His breathing quickened for a moment.
He couldn’t help but straighten up and took a deep breath before saying, "It’s fine! But I’ve followed my grandfather around since I was young, feasting at various places, and I’ve seen many treasures of the nobility. Perhaps others can’t tell, but I recognized it at a glance..."
As his words reached his ears, he realized his speech was hurried, disordered, and lacking in clarity.
He pressed his lips tightly together.
And looked back at Song Jiyun.
She seemed not to have noticed his odd behavior and was intently examining the Cornelian cherry painting she had created.
Relieved, he cleared his throat a little uncomfortably and found his voice again, "When placed alongside the other Arhat Cups, it becomes quite evident."
Song Jiyun sensed his peculiarity.
However, she was uncertain whether to include a branch at the very top of the Cornelian cherry fruit; her distracted mind consequently overlooked his remark.
She simply asked Yuan Yunzhong, "Do you think it’s necessary to add a branch here?"
Yuan Yunzhong glanced and said, "There’s no need to gild the lily."
Jiyun still trusted his aesthetic judgment, so she put down the brush and carefully admired her work for a while.
Not adding that branch was the right decision.
The entire painting was lively and busy without losing its playfulness.
She stood up and asked Yuan Yunzhong, "What do you think?"
Yuan Yunzhong, however, said, "It’s too complicated. Simplify it. Paint fewer leaves; it’ll also speed up the coloring process."
Jiyun was at a loss for words, and after a moment said, "The painting still needs to be beautiful."
Yuan Yunzhong gave her a look, sat down at the writing desk, and spread out a new piece of Xuan paper. He skilfully switched between the outlining pen and the coloring brush, and quickly completed a Cornelian cherry painting.
"Take a look," he stood up, placed the Cornelian cherry painting she made next to the one he had just finished, and said, "Which one is simpler?"
Yuan Yunzhong’s style was clearly different from Jiyun’s.
His paintings were more concise and brisk.
Under the sparse leaves and branches were clusters upon clusters of Cornelian cherry fruits.
More fruits, fewer leaves.
Taken from the ones that had fallen beside Taihu Lake stones in that painting.
He even said, "These Cornelian cherries, one stroke each, a skilled painter could easily paint a few hundred in one day."
The perfunctory intention was clear.
Jiyun couldn’t help but laugh and said, "You really disdain it that much!"
Yet, it was rare for him not to disdain something.
Yuan Yunzhong said nonchalantly, "It’s all because the Hong Family is all about gourds and Cornelian cherries."
In addition to the meaning of fortune and prosperity, gourds also signify endless generations and the prosperity of descendants. Cornelian cherries symbolize good luck, the warding off of evil and disasters. They all represent beautiful blessings and wishes.
Jiyun said, "Then your choice of subject is even better—bountiful harvests in spring and autumn, and abundant crops."
"Oh!" Yuan Yunzhong said expressionlessly, "A plentiful harvest, fruits fallen to the ground, ha!"
His words, rather, made one think of how things reverse when they reach their extreme, like the moon waning after it’s full.
It shows that everyone has their own method.
Jiyun thought about it and found it rather amusing.
She laughed out loud.
The corners of her eyes and brows were lifted with joy.
It was the first time Yuan Yunzhong saw her laugh like this.
It was as if the sunlight shined on her face, comfortable and bright.
He looked at her unchangingly, but deep in his eyes, a light shone through that even he didn’t realize.
And Jiyun thought that since the Hong Family was led by Hong Xi’s grandfather, Yuan Yunzhong’s painting might be more to the old man’s liking.
"Alright!" she said, "Let’s use your painting later."
Yuan Yunzhong neither agreed nor denied, but when Xiao Liuzi brought over the Gourd plain bottle, he personally started painting several Gourd plain bottles and lined them up on the writing desk, saying to Jiyun, "Pick one that pleases your eye."
With a stroke of his brush, he sketched a leaf; with a dot, he created a Cornelian cherry fruit. Not only did he paint quickly and well, but he also made them almost identical, with no obvious differences.
Jiyun hurriedly praised, "They all look nice. I think they’re all pretty good."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded reservedly, and said, "Then just pick any one of them."
How could she just pick any one?
These were the fruits of his labor.
Jiyun leaned over and said, "I still want to pick one carefully!"
She joked, "Or should we keep the best-painted one?"
Yuan Yunzhong didn’t make a sound.
Just when Jiyun thought he was against the idea, he suddenly uttered a "hmm."
The sound was gentle and refined, as if it also contained a hint of pleasure.
Jiyun looked up in surprise.
Yuan Yunzhong’s dark eyes were calm, his expression unchanged.
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