Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 18: Painting a Portrait

"It's a pity that you paint so well. If the young lady saw your paintings, she would definitely like them very much." The maid Xiaoxue said regretfully.

"It's you who should be the one to feel bad, not me." Zhong Lin said with a smile, "With my painting skills, am I really worried that someone won't recognize my work?"

The confident tone made the maid Xiaoxue feel like hitting someone, but she had to admit that Zhong Lin's painting skills were the best she had ever seen.

Xiaoxue didn't understand what it meant to focus on meaning rather than form. She only knew that Zhong Lin's paintings looked just like the real ones, as if the people in them could walk out at any time. It was simply amazing.

He curled his lips and pointed at a scroll on the back of Zhong Lin's package: "Sell this to me! I'll take it back and show it to the young lady."

"Five taels of silver."

"It's okay, not expensive. Miao Huafang charges three taels of silver for a young lady's painting. Your painting is so beautiful, five taels of silver is not expensive."

As she spoke, the maid Xiaoxue took out a grain of silver from her purse, not more, not less, exactly five taels.

Zhong Lin took the silver and handed over the scroll.

Xiaoxue slowly opened it again and looked at the beauty in the painting. The beauty was dressed in flowing white clothes, with an ethereal temperament, and her long black hair fluttering in the wind. The figure was three-dimensional, with lively eyes, and she even seemed alive.

"She's so beautiful, even prettier than my young lady. What's her name? Which family is she from?"

Xiaoxue looked away with difficulty, closed the scroll, and asked.

At this time, Zhong Lin was still immersed in the joy of five taels of silver. You know, this was just a short time of incense sticks drawn by him, and he could draw another one at any time if he wanted.

The annual rent for the courtyard I rented was only three taels of silver, and this painting was five taels of silver. With this skill, I would never have to worry about not having enough to eat.

Hearing the question from the maid Xiaoxue, she casually said, "This is Xiaolongnu, not someone else's daughter. I saw her in my dream and drew her."

"Is this what I saw in my dream? No wonder she is so ethereal and full of fairy spirit. How can a mortal world raise such a beautiful woman?"

The maid Xiaoxue sighed and turned back to Nuanxiang Tower.

Zhong Lin also put away his five taels of silver and left with big strides.

I made five taels of silver from my first business venture, so I had to reward myself.

Go out to eat.

"Excuse me, but is this Master Zhong?"

A carriage suddenly stopped in front of Zhong Lin, and a tall and thin old man in his fifties got out of it.

"you are?"

"I have heard that Master Zhong is a master of painting, so I have come to invite you to paint for my master. Please come over."

The butler was not at all rebellious because of Zhong Lin's young age. His tone was very gentle, which made people feel that he was worthy of being the butler of a wealthy family.

"I can paint, but the cost is..."

"Don't worry, Master Zhong. If your painting satisfies the master, he will never treat you unfairly."

"it is good."

Zhong Lin stepped onto the carriage and headed towards the city along the street.

Sitting in the car, the butler was taciturn and closed his eyes to rest. Zhong Lin didn't want to talk to him either, so he looked out the window at the scenery.

As the carriage moved, the buildings on both sides of the street became more orderly and the people passing by were obviously better dressed.

The streets are paved with bluestone, and the houses have changed from small courtyards to large mansions with deep courtyards.

After about a quarter of an hour, the two arrived in front of a red-painted gate. Above the mansion hung a large plaque with the two big characters "Liu Mansion" written on it.

"Mr. Zhong, please." Following the butler into the side door, Zhong Lin was filled with emotion as he saw rockery and water, pavilions and towers along the way. They were indeed a wealthy family.

Soon, she was led to the inner courtyard by the housekeeper, where seven or eight maids and servants were waiting.

Some people carried basins of water, some held towels, and some carried food boxes.

As soon as I entered the house, a strong smell of medicine hit my nose.

The housekeeper explained in a low voice, "Please forgive me, Master Zhong. My master is terminally ill and the doctor says he doesn't have much time left. I asked you to come and paint a portrait for my master, so that future generations can admire his appearance. Please rest assured, Master Zhong, I will give you an extra red envelope after the work is completed."

"Butler, has the painter arrived?"

A middle-aged man in his forties in the house saw Zhong Lin and the housekeeper come in and asked loudly.

"Master, the painter is here."

"he?"

The middle-aged man looked at Zhong Lin with the same expression of disbelief as always.

Zhong Lin didn't say much, he just took out the scroll behind him and showed half of it to the middle-aged man.

This has become Zhong Lin's business card.

Sure enough, after looking at the painting in Zhong Lin's hand, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, let's take him!"

The housekeeper quickly led Chen Mo into the inner room, and at this time he saw the old man lying on the bed. The old man was pale and breathing weakly. Every time he breathed, his throat made a dull sound like a broken bellows, leaving no doubt that he might kick his legs at any time.

"Here it comes...cough cough."

His voice was hoarse and weak, and he started coughing violently after just one sentence. The old woman next to him stroked his chest for a long time before he calmed down.

"Master, this is the painter I found for you." The butler stepped forward quickly and said in a low voice.

"Such a young painter? Forget it. The fact that you like it means that the painting is good. Let's start!" Master Liu waved his hand with difficulty.

"The finest writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are ready. Please come in, Master Zhong."

Zhong Lin was also extremely speechless at this time. His original target group was the young ladies in the brothel, but who knew that the business in the brothel failed and instead he came here to paint the portrait. Life is so unpredictable!
Just paint! It's good to make money.

Zhong Lin did not sit down and write immediately. Instead, he turned to the butler and said, "Please bring out Mr. Liu's daily clothes and accessories so I can see them."

The butler looked at Zhong Lin in surprise, and after asking for instructions, he decided not to make the arrangements according to Zhong Lin's request.

Zhong Lin ignored everything else, walked to the bedside, looked at Mr. Liu carefully, and understood everything after a moment.

Not long after, Mr. Liu's clothes were also delivered. Logically speaking, the portrait should be made after the person himself is dressed and dressed up, but unfortunately, Mr. Liu did not have the energy to do this at the moment.

He then asked the housekeeper about Mr. Liu's usual state, temperament, habits, etc. After some operations, Zhong Lin finally sat down and picked up the paintbrush.

An hour later, Zhong Lin slowly put down his pen and stood up.

In fact, Zhong Lin had almost finished the painting half an hour ago, but he had to respect the money given by others.

"Master Zhong has a great hand."

The housekeeper and Young Master Liu standing behind Zhong Lin could not help but be moved after seeing the painting.

The person in the picture has a full face, bright eyes, and meticulously combed hair. His overall image is very different from the dying old man lying on the hospital bed.

But the two knew that this was the image of Mr. Liu in a healthy state, and the image in the painting even looked younger than usual.

It's just manual photoshop, basic operation, don't worry.

(End of this chapter)