Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 29 The feeling of being watched by an old father
Zhao Yifu's painting speed increased. He even felt that once he mastered the art of ink splashing, he could use it as a "printing press".

This time he painted a picture of an outing.

In the scroll, you can see many scholars and scholars strolling together, and there is also a game of passing the flower with the sound of flowing water and beating drums...

This is a very lively picture of scholars going on an outing.

The golden section of the scroll is also the most eye-catching place. The protagonist of the scroll seems to be talking incessantly, while the people around him are all amazed, listening or complimenting.

Zhao Yifu did not put much effort into this painting. He simply found some materials in his mind and pieced them together.

But there is no doubt that this perfectly meets the man's requirements. He watched from the side and was completely immersed in it.

He knew at a glance that the protagonist in the painting was him, or to be more precise, the one he longed for!
Zhao Yifu's brush paused at this moment...

Then white gouache paint was used.

He changed a brush, dipped it in a very light white paint, and then painted on the scroll in a very freehand manner.

After his last splash of ink, he used the brush washer to create a mist of water that was then sprinkled onto the rice paper, and then the ink began to spread...

A magical thing happened. After he sprinkled water, the content on the scroll actually underwent some wonderful changes, making it look hazy. There were also several ripples running across the scroll, making the painting look like... a reflection in the water?

What was originally a beautiful picture of a spring outing party has now become a mirage.

The guest, who was originally excited, suddenly fell silent.

Zhao Yifu didn't care at all. He quietly took out his letter seal and stamped it, and as usual, he did not sign his name.

Literati all like to sign their calligraphy and paintings, but Zhao Yifu does not like to sign his name, because he thinks it is not too late to sign his name when he paints for himself or writes a good calligraphy piece that he wants to appreciate himself.

Just like the painting he drew for Yiyi, even though his painting skills were still flawed, he was happy to sign it as a record.

When he finally handed the stamped painting to the man, he said calmly, "No need to pay for the painting. Consider it a farewell gift for you."

The man frowned slightly after hearing this, then clasped his fists and thanked Zhao Yifu, then rolled up the painting and turned around.

Seeing this, the woman hurried to Zhao Yifu, took out money and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhao, how much is this painting? I'll give it to you."

Zhao Yifu smiled and shook his head when he heard this, saying, "That's not necessary. This is a painting I made for your husband. If he's satisfied, he'll naturally pay for it. If he's not, then it's my fault for not serving you well."

The woman felt bad and wanted to give it to Zhao Yifu, but he refused to accept it.

This made Zhao Yi Fu feel a little annoyed, and he thought, why not just accept a few taels of silver as a token of his appreciation?
But at this moment, a rather arrogant woman's voice rang out from the side: "If Mr. Zhao really wants to charge for his paintings, you probably won't be able to afford them!"

"Do you know how much the young lady paid for his two paintings?"

"One hundred taels!"

The woman was stunned.

When Zhao Yifu heard the voice, he knew who it was. He turned his head and saw Su Die's rather arrogant expression.

And the 'lady in red' following behind Su Die... well, it was Miss Zhou Qingzhao. Although she was wearing a red robe with wide sleeves, she looked extremely heroic.

But the problem is, from Zhao Yifu's perspective, she is still a weakling.

Seeing the woman in front of him was a little flustered and at a loss, he said gently, "Go find your husband quickly. I told you that if he likes my paintings, he will naturally come to me to pay for them. You don't need to worry about this."

The woman then hurriedly took her son and went to chase her husband.

At this time, Su Die said with an unhappy look on her face: "Why do my lady and I have to pay a hundred taels of silver to buy paintings, while they can get nothing?"

Zhou Qingzhao said, "Don't be rude, Sudie. Mr. Zhao didn't intend to take money from me, and that hundred taels of silver is not worth mentioning."

Su Die then stopped talking in disappointment.

Zhao Yifu clasped his fists towards Zhou Qingzhao and said, "Miss Zhou, we meet again. I wonder what advice you have for me this time?"

He is quite polite, and politeness means distance... Overall, he is a very receptive person.

But Zhou Qingzhao didn't mind this alienation. She showed a sad look and sighed, "Sir, you understand me, but I'm very distressed now..."

Zhao Yifu was confused. What did he understand?
Then, Yiyi, who had been dozing off in the sun on his bookcase, suddenly cocked her head and peered around warily, as if something had disturbed her. Zhao Yifu was startled, then realized something and quickly circulated his Qi to open his spiritual eyes...

There was a fiery light in his eyes.

During the day, it is filled with the fiery spiritual energy emanating from the Sun Star.

But even so, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, as if he saw some special golden-red light flash by.

This made him quite alert.

But in this situation, he only needed to analyze it a little to understand what was going on.

His Master Zhou has a daughter who is a bit of a worrywart. Recently, she suddenly became obsessed with literary youth and wanted to become a female general. To this end, she even left her body and went to the Danqing Sect to complain about his mischief...

Well, this week Master can have his spirit leave his body.

The image of an old father who was extremely worried about his precious daughter immediately appeared in his mind.

This made him very panic. What should he do at this time?

Zhao Yifu had no idea what to do at this moment, so he didn't say a word.

The literary Miss Zhou thought this silence was very meaningful, so she just waited quietly without responding.

Zhao Yifu was a little anxious. He didn't dare to say anything careless. If he was killed, who could he turn to for justice?
So in a hurry, he gathered his thoughts and held Yiyi in his arms in a nonchalant manner.

He seemed to be thinking, but in fact, a line of words was rapidly appearing and disappearing on the dense hair on the back of Yiyi's head...

What should I do, what should I do, what should I do, what should I do…

Yiyi was a little confused. It felt that the hair on the back of its head looked a little strange.

In reality, Zhao Yifu was using his weak ability to control water, causing that part of the cat's fur to become damp and sag. Because there was so little water, it quickly dried and returned to its original shape.

Zhao Yifu's crazy hint finally got a response.

Zhou Su's rather complicated voice came to his mind: "Hold her steady, it's best to get her to tell you what's bothering her."

Zhao Yifu didn't expect to receive such a response. This was really...

He was extremely helpless, but he didn't dare to refuse or had no way to refuse.

He calmed himself down, then raised his head and looked at Zhou Qingzhao and said, "Miss Zhou..."

Zhou Qingzhao shook his head and said, "Sir, we are close friends, so you can just call me Qingzhao."

Zhao Yifu's heart trembled, and then a line of words frantically appeared on the back of Yiyi's head: [What should I do, what should I do, what should I do...]

It's not easy to be Miss Zhou's confidante.

Then the answer came to his mind: "Promise her."

It feels a bit like gnashing of teeth.

How could Zhao Yifu dare to agree when he said that?
His eyes flickered before he said leisurely, "Miss, I have only met once before. How can you say we are close friends?"

Miss Zhou's expression darkened when she heard this, and she felt that her sincerity had been betrayed.

But at this time Zhao Yifu changed the subject.

"But the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water. Miss, are you willing to be my gentleman friend, a chance encounter, a moment of rapport, and then a mutual friend in the future?"

This literary and artistic feeling immediately touched Miss Zhou's heart, and she thought it was so exciting.

The friendship between gentlemen is like old acquaintances at first sight and then they forget each other again... Is there anything more meaningful than this?
She said happily: "This way, I can confide in you without feeling embarrassed. It's great."

Zhao Yifu: ...

Did he mean it?

(End of this chapter)