Painter

Chapter 51: Chapter 51

Before entering the threshold, Zhong Huaiyu looked up and saw the paulownia signboard of "Ximoju".The signboard is the facade of the shop, especially for calligraphy and painting shops, the signboard hanging on the door is the first word displayed to customers.

Zhong Huaiyu has seen the inscriptions on the cat play candle picture, the fake painter imitated Xu Yingqiu's calligraphy so vividly, he must be proficient in calligraphy, these three characters are not bad, but they are not very good, it must not be written by the painter of.

When Li Chan in the store saw Zhong Huaiyu come in, she just nodded her head, said something to read casually, and then read the book by herself, treating customers very loosely.Zhong Huaiyu walked around the front room with his boots on, and looked at the paintings on the wall, but after seeing them, he was quite surprised.His eyesight is not as good as that of veterans in the calligraphy and painting industry, but he is not an ignorant master, otherwise, he would not be able to snatch the cat playing candle picture from the shopkeeper of Naya Biju.Each of Ximojuli's paintings is top grade, and the market price can be sold for at least two or three taels.

A painting sells for three taels, which is already an extremely high price. At that time, there were famous painters who ranked the world's Danqing masterpieces, and divided the painters into three grades: god, wonderful and capable. When these painters were not famous, even if they had excellent painting skills , The paintings he made can only be sold for a few taels.As the saying goes, 20% is for painting, [-]% is for fame. Take the cat play candle picture as an example, [-]% of the [-] taels of jade spent by Zhong Huai spent [-]% on Xu Yingqiu’s reputation.

At this time, Zhong Huaiyu looked at the painting with a faint green pink bud, and suddenly remembered that the Taozhi Festival was approaching, so he turned to Li Chan and asked, "How do you sell this painting?"

"A picture of five or two." Li Chan looked up at the picture of peach blossoms, then lowered her head and continued to read.

Zhong Huaiyu took another look at the picture of peach blossoms and said, "It's too high."

Li Chan glanced at Zhong Huaiyu's Shi Qinghua Shu brocade robe and jade pendant around his waist, and said with a smile, "There are still a lot of cheap ones in the Brush and Ink Studio in Banrifang. Guests can go and have a look at those places."

Zhong Huaiyu's face froze, and he suddenly came back to his senses. He didn't come to buy paintings, but to inquire about news.He walked to the counter, looked at the blue and yellow glazed surface of the pottery ornaments of riding a camel and dancing, and said with a smile: "The things here are all high-quality goods, and they are indeed valuable. I will come to buy a few paintings of it in a few days. Yes Now, I have another message to inquire from the shopkeeper, is there an artist who is particularly good at shadow books in the half-day workshop?"

Li Chan stopped turning the pages of the book, and glanced at Zhong Huaiyu with a half-smile. "Shadow book" is the jargon of the calligraphy and painting industry, which has two meanings, one is copying or ringing, and the other is forgery.A veteran in the calligraphy and painting business, who doesn't know a few masters who are good at forgery.Some craftsmen are proficient in everything in gold, stone, calligraphy, calligraphy and painting, but they are not well-known. These people are the cash cows in the calligraphy and painting industry.

Seeing Li Chan's expression, Zhong Huaiyu pushed a tael of silver in front of him, and said with a smile, "Don't blame the shopkeeper. I'm not trying to ruin your business, but just asking for information. Does the shopkeeper know an artist who is good at forging Xu Yingqiu's handwriting?"

Before Zhong Huaiyu let go of the money, Li Chan raised her eyebrows, knowing that the sufferer had come to her, and asked, "What do you want him for?"

"You know him?" Zhong Huaiyu hurriedly asked.

"No, I don't know, I haven't heard of it." Li Chan lowered her eyelids and continued to read.

Zhong Huaiyu refused to give up easily, and said with an apologetic smile: "Don't misunderstand the shopkeeper, I didn't come to trouble him, the specific reason... But it's inconvenient to say, please ask the shopkeeper to help me connect, is this two silvers just a deposit, as long as I can find him, and I have another thank you."

But Li Chan ignored Ren Zhonghuaiyu's pestering.After entanglement for a long time, a voice suddenly came from the backyard: "Shao Lang, it's time to eat."

Zhong Huaiyu was taken aback, but Li Chan got up and said, "It's closed today, why don't you come back tomorrow?"

Zhong Huaiyu looked hesitant, but didn't pester her any further.He left Ximoju, under the locust tree beside the lane, staring back at the closed shop door.At dusk, the words Ximoju on the signboard were hard to read clearly, but the woman's voice still echoed in his ears.He took one last look at the store door, then hurriedly rented a donkey from the donkey renter at the alley, and rushed to Sunning Palace.

In the backyard of Ximoju, Hongyao put red bean porridge, steamed buns in sugar oil and spicy radish on the table, and put a fresh peony on the side of the plate.The peach blossoms are approaching, and before the peach blossom festival, we must first celebrate the Flower Festival.On the day before the flowers turn, Xuan has the custom of eating flowers.The elegant name for eating flowers is called "chewing spring".

Li Chan put the petal of peony in his mouth and chewed it up, which is the so-called chewing spring.The bitter taste and aroma of flower petals filled his mouth, and he asked, "Qing Niang, you said earlier, who did you sell that cat play candle picture to?"

"Looks like a prodigal son." Sao Qingniang moved her mouth away from the edge of the bowl, "Why did Shaolang suddenly ask this again?"

"A guest came just now..." Li Chan didn't continue talking, but murmured in his heart, that guy probably found out that he bought a fake.

"It's him?" Sao Qingniang put down the half bowl of red bean porridge and said softly, "I was busy in the kitchen just now, but didn't pay attention to the outside, but as long as Shaolang doesn't say anything, he probably doesn't know that the painting is about you." I painted it, just because I'm afraid...he recognized my voice..."

"If you hear it, you can hear it." Li Chan said, "At worst, pay him back 20 taels and take that painting back."

……

At the hour of Xuzheng, the night was as dark as ink. A group of people and horses drove out from Xunning Palace with lanterns and stopped on the road of Banrifang. The breath of horses and knights mixed with the lights, turning into white gas in the dark night.

Everyone looked at the dimly lit courtyard, got off their horses, Zhong Huaiyu pointed to the closed front door of Ximoju, "Director Cao, this is it, the woman who sold "Cat Playing Candle Picture" is here, this room The shopkeeper of Bimozhai is a young man. I heard the lady selling paintings call him Shaolang. I think the owner of this house is the painter of that picture. But the young man was a little wary of me, so I didn’t ask any questions and went directly to Xun Ning Gong reported the letter to you."

Looking at the small courtyard, Cao Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief. There are still ten days before the day of worshiping the ancestors in Xunning Palace, and the holy driver must be on his way.In ten days, as long as the artist is really the author of the cat play candle chart, things will turn around.

　Thank you all for your well wishes!

　　I wish you all a happy new year and all the best!

　　(It’s a happy Chinese New Year, but...too busy, eating, worshiping ancestors...my head hurts)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)