Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 17: Nuanxiang Tower

Food Ding Building.

Zhong Lin found the owner of Shidinglou and borrowed some tables, chairs, benches and the open space at the door for a day for ten big coins.

Shidinglou is one of the four top restaurants in Heishan County. It specializes in elegant vegetarian dishes and is best at various medicinal foods that warm and detoxify.

It is precisely because of the vegetarian and medicinal dishes that this restaurant is most popular among women, and the singing girls from various brothels often order meals here.

The singing girls would not show up in public easily, but they always had their own servants running around.

Zhong Lin is not very famous. If he wants to make progress quickly, he must let customers see his work as soon as possible. The best way is naturally to block the door of Nuanxianglou.

However, Zhong Lin always felt that Scholar Xu had bad intentions. At first, he did not react and just thought that the scholar was pointing out a clear path for him, but then he thought something was wrong.

If someone shows you kindness without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief. What's more, Zhong Lin wants to be his colleague and steal his business. It's good enough that he doesn't lead you into a ditch. How can he show you the way?
It is always necessary to be on guard against others, so Zhong Lin planned to keep a trick in mind. He did not set up a stall directly in front of Nuanxiang Tower, but came to Shiding Tower. Although he could only interact with the servants of these singers, he still had opportunities.

He set up the tables, chairs and benches, hung up the two paintings of the stars in their past lives that had been framed yesterday, and then sat confidently behind the table and waited.

The full-level stereoscopic painting technology is used to color and render the characters in the painting, which can be called a handmade camera.

It was 10 noon, the time when the restaurant was busiest with customers, and even the singers in the brothel began to get up and eat.

These people immediately saw Zhong Lin at the door and the hanging painting.

The lively three-dimensional painting, like a photo, attracted people instantly. Soon, a group of people gathered around Zhong Lin. Some of them were smart enough to take the lunch boxes and ran back quickly.

Zhong Lin saw this and was delighted. He thought that he would open the shop soon. What would be the best price to ask for then?

"It seems that I have misunderstood Mr. Xu. I should find time to invite him to dinner." Zhong Lin thought to himself.

While he was thinking, a pretty maid came in and knocked on the table.

"Did you draw this?"

The maid's hair was tied in a double bun with a blue ribbon. Her hair was soft, shiny and smooth, draped neatly over her shoulders. She looked at Zhong Lin with a pair of lively eyes. Her round little face with delicate features made her look very cute.

If the maids are so pretty, then the ladies serving them won't be much worse. Not only can they make money, but they can also feast their eyes on beautiful singers.

"Yes, I drew it."

Zhong Lin answered, not caring at all about the disbelief on the maid's face.

There was no way, Zhong Lin at this moment really did not have the temperament of a painter.

He is thin, with dark skin, and exudes the aura of a wild and unruly young man from the mountains, which is completely different from the temperament of a weak scholar.

It is really hard to believe that such a person could create such a painting.

Zhong Lin laughed and said, "I'll tell if it's true after I draw it. Can this thing be faked?"

The maid took another look at the lifelike portrait, nodded and said, "Come with me!"

Business is coming.

Zhong Lin was overjoyed. He quickly rolled up his scroll, put away his brush and ink, and followed him up. As for the tables and chairs, there was no need to worry. The waiter at Shi Ding Lou was watching them! He had been keeping an eye on him, fearing that Zhong Lin would secretly remove them.

Zhong Lin left with the painting, and the onlookers dispersed.

The Nuanxiang Tower was built beside the city moat, which in turn connected to the Baisha River outside the city. The environment was extremely beautiful. Zhong Lin followed the maid into the Nuanxiang Tower. He was quite curious about this brothel, as it was an ancient club.

There is a hall at the entrance. In the center of the hall is a stage about one meter high. It is obviously used by the dancers to perform. There are some tables and chairs placed around the stage. The closer to the stage, the more spacious the tables and chairs are, and the ones on the periphery are relatively tighter.

Upstairs are private rooms. There are no doors in the rooms, but they are blocked by screens. You can overlook the entire stage by lowering your head.

It was not as noisy as imagined. There were only a few servants mopping the floor and cleaning. After all, it was only noon, and the brothel was busiest at night.

"Don't wander around, follow me."

The maid turned around and gave Zhong Lin an order, then continued to twist her waist as she walked around the stage, out of the hall, and towards the courtyard at the back.

"Xiaoxue, who is this?"

As he was walking, a middle-aged man appeared from the corner, frowned at Zhong Lin's figure, and asked.

"Greetings, Manager Zhang." The maid Xiaoxue bowed and said, "This is the painter I found for the young lady."

"Painter? Him?"

Manager Zhang looked Zhong Lin up and down with a strange look on his face.

This country boy is an artist? Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm blind?

"Manager Zhang, he is indeed a painter. I met him at Shidinglou. His paintings are so lifelike, it's as if real people walked out of the paintings. Miss usually likes self-portraits the most, so..."

"Alright." The manager waved his hand impatiently and said, "Don't you know that the girls in our Nuanxiang Tower are all painted by people from Miaohuafang? Get him out."

"But……"

The maid Xiaoxue hesitated to speak. She had seen Zhong Lin's paintings before and knew that her young lady would definitely like them. It would be a pity to drive Zhong Lin away.
"How dare you, a mere maidservant, talk back to me? Don't think I can't deal with you just because you're relying on Fuxiang. Don't forget, you should be combing your hair in two months."

A sinister look appeared on Manager Zhang's face, like a hungry wolf staring at a little white rabbit.

The maid Xiaoxue's face turned pale, and she lowered her head and whispered, "Yes."

Zhong Lin, who remained silent, turned pale. He felt like beating Zhang Guanshi to death. A deal he had worked so hard on was ruined just like that. Who the hell was this?

Before he could say anything, the steward snorted coldly, turned around and left without giving Zhong Lin a chance to speak. The maid Xiaoxue also pulled Zhong Lin outside.

"Are you afraid of him?" Zhong Lin asked.

At this moment, the maid Xiaoxue was like a frightened little rabbit, no longer as cute as she was just now.

He whispered, "Manager Zhang is one of the managers of Nuanxiang Tower, specializing in managing us maids and servants."

"What's going on with Miao Hua Fang?"

"It's a group that specializes in painting. They paint the portraits of the young ladies in our Nuanxiang Tower and don't allow outsiders to interfere at all."

Zhong Lin understood it in his mind. This could be understood as the school cafeteria being outsourced in the previous life. Apart from their company, no one else was qualified.

At the same time, Zhong Lin also understood the sinister intentions of Xu Shusheng. As a painter, he couldn't be unaware of the relationship between Miao Huafang and Nuanxianglou. He even "pointed the way" to himself. No one would believe that there was no trick involved.

A group that can cooperate with a brothel can never be just an organization that only knows how to draw.

(End of this chapter)