Painter

Chapter 33: Chapter 33
Since the peace in Guannei, the housing prices in Dayong have been rising day by day, especially in Xuandu, Yujing and other metropolises, where it is almost hard to find a house.

Li Chan asked Nier to mortgage the old house in Lixi Lane, and rented a storefront with the money near Banrifang.

Banri Square is located on the southeast side of the old imperial city, and the area is prosperous.The front house is arranged as a storefront across the street, and the back of the house is a courtyard surrounded by the east kitchen and the west house, and there is also a study room.

Inside the shop was a flat, Yang-carved paulownia plaque, which belonged to the original owner, and Li Chan bought it for eight coins.

The original owner of the shop switched to tea business. The shop had been vacant for several months, and Li Chan rented it out without much trouble.I also purchased some of the Four Treasures of the Study and scriptures. In the calligraphy and painting business, I was exhausted and starved to death. When encountering bad times, I couldn't do a single business in half a month.When you are free, it is much more secure to bring along a booklet, paper and pen.

It took four days to prepare and clean.

……

At dusk, it was cloudy and rainy.The candlelight diffused through the lantern paper to every corner of the house, and the dust rose on the bluestone board, and then penetrated into the table, cabinet and paper roll.

The red medicine grinds a corner of rosewood incense and lights it in the green pottery incense burner on the counter. Sao Qingniang hangs the water-mounted calligraphy and paintings on the wall, and the broom demon cleans at the back door.Li Chan wiped the dusty plaque clean with a rag, watched the water stains on the wooden paint gradually dry, patted the dust on the clothes, carried the plaque on his shoulder, and walked out the door.

The closed shop door opened without anyone pushing it. With a creak, the cold wind and the earthy smell of rain came in.A ladder was set up outside the door, Li Chan shouldered the plaque with his shoulders, held a corner of the plaque with his left hand, climbed up, fiddled with it for a while, and then hung the plaque on the lintel again.

He jumped down the ladder nimbly, looked up at the three words "Ximoju" on the plaque, and heaved a sigh of relief. After wandering in the rivers and lakes for many years, this was the first time he had his own property.

Li Chan returned to the house, Xu Da jumped off the beam, Hong Yao brushed off the green smoke from the stove, and smiled at Li Chan, "Congratulations, Alang, for opening."

"I haven't done my first business yet, so it's not an opening." Li Chan walked to the back of the counter, and other monsters also congratulated her.

It was dusk, and the room was filled with sandalwood, like mist.On the street directly opposite the store door, three or two pedestrians walked by with umbrellas, and occasionally someone cast curious gazes at the newly opened brush and ink studio, but only Li Chan was seen.

Li Chan sat behind the counter and was about to take a break when all the monsters suddenly hid, and the surrounding became quiet.

An old man with white hair and green clothes put away the butter paper umbrella and walked into the threshold.Raindrops dripped down the umbrella tip and splashed on the threshold. The old man smiled and nodded at Li Chan, then looked at the paintings on the wall and asked, "What's the shopkeeper's name?"

Li Chan got up and said: "My surname is Li and my name is Chan, and my step is..."

The old man smiled and said, "My surname is Lu, and that's my shop over there. People around here call me Lu Mojing." He pointed to the opposite side of the street, "Seeing that you have just opened, I came over to say hello. I didn't expect Shopkeeper Li to be so young. "

Li Chan looked over there and saw that it was a shop selling bronze mirrors. The people of Dayong named it whatever they wanted, like this old man in Tsing Yi, it is not uncommon to use Xingdang as his name, he cupped his hands and said, "I will ask Mr. Lu to take care of it in the future. "

"Naturally." Lu Mojing chuckled, walked to the wall to look at the picture of plum blossoms, and said, "These paintings can be said to have both form and spirit. I wonder which expert wrote them?"

Li Chan said with a smile, "Old Lu praised it, I drew it."

Lu Mojing was surprised and said: "This skill is not easy. It happens that my shop lacks some decorations. I wonder if shopkeeper Li is willing to make his first business with me?"

"Of course I would."

Li Chan walked up to the old man in Tsing Yi and introduced him.Lu Mojing looked at the paintings of Peach Blossom, Plum Blossom, and White Deer Returning to the Green Mountain, but he never made a decision.It wasn't until he walked to the counter that his eyes fell on a box, and he asked, "Is it convenient for shopkeeper Li to take out the paintings here?"

Li Chan raised her eyebrows and said to Lu Mojing, "There are only some scriptures inside, no calligraphy or painting."

"Forget it." Lu Mojing chuckled, pointing to the west wall, "Then trouble Shopkeeper Li, and give me the picture of peach blossoms."

"For the first business order, I will give Mr. Lu a half discount, two taels of silver." Li Chan took down the framed picture of peach blossoms and rolled it up.

The old man in Tsing Yi who polished the mirror and Li Chan settled the money and goods, and left with the painting scroll.

Li Chan looked at the back of the old man in Tsing Yi crossing the street and disappeared into the rain, frowning.

Hong Yao appeared next to him, and asked suspiciously, "Why doesn't Ah Lang seem very happy?"

Li Chan shook her head without answering, and opened the box at her feet. Inside the box were dozens of vertical scrolls.One of the volumes was unfolded, and a skull was drawn on a dead tree, with twisted forks protruding from the skull's eye sockets.

Hong Yao sensed a hint of evil spirit in the scroll, and asked, "Ah Lang, who is this?"

"Huaizhi Skull." Li Chan said, "When I saw him outside Taodu Mountain, he wanted to kill me, but I defeated him."

He glanced at Hongyao: "Not all monsters can communicate. Some monsters lack intelligence but are ferocious. This skull belongs to this category. He was a native of Dayong before his death, and his entire family was exiled to the foot of Taodu Mountain. Become a demon."

There are more than [-] similar scrolls in the box.

The monsters in Fengzhen in these paintings are similar to Meijianqing, they don't have a clear mind, but they have a demonic aura. Li Chan originally planned to use them to condense his body and spirit, but he has been busy these days and has not cared about his practice. .

Hong Yao was taken aback, "Then, that Mr. Lu just now...why did he focus on this box?"

"In Xuandu City, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Li Chan closed the lid of the box, got up and walked into the back door.

A shallow layer of rainwater had accumulated in the patio, and the raindrops were still falling along the eaves.

Faintly, several thunderclaps came from the sky.

Li Chan was a little worried when he heard the spring thunder, but fortunately, the old man who polished the mirror didn't seem hostile.

He looked up to the top of the courtyard and called out: "Qing Niang."

In the breeze and drizzle, by the window, the paper-cut figurine swayed gently.

It was still raining outside the small courtyard, but the rain in the courtyard stopped.

(End of this chapter)