TL: Hua
Chapter 11: Appreciating Paintings – “courtesy name Sifan.”
Pei Jintang really wanted to see those fish, so he asked Pei Xiting for his opinion. The next day, he sent someone to deliver a visiting card. Zhao Yi should be at home because they received a reply from him soon after.
That afternoon, the two of them visited Zhao Yi.
The carriage stopped in front of Duke Wen’s mansion on Xigeng Avenue. Pei Xiting got off the carriage and saw a young man in a clean gauze robe standing in front of the east corner gate, followed by six attendants.
The three of them greeted each other. Zhao Yi invited the Pei brothers into the mansion and said on the way, “Because I just survived a disaster, this morning, my father and mother went to Baohui Zen Temple to burn incense. They have to fast for half a month before returning. Otherwise, they would have thanked you in person.”
Pei Jintang said, “We brothers really can’t afford that. Today is our first visit, so we have prepared a small gift for the Duke and his wife. Please pass it on for us.”
Preparing gifts for the first visit is a common courtesy; thus, Zhao Yi didn’t refuse but just thanked them.
Chatting and laughing all the way through the winding corridors and pavilions, Zhao Yi led the two into the courtyard where he lived and gestured for tea to be served under the corridor.
Beside the left courtyard wall, under the Flowering quince tree, there was a large fish tank as long as two arms width, with colorful fish swimming freely, each slender and graceful. Pei Jintang leaned over to admire them and exclaimed, “They are all so beautiful!”
“In recent years, cinnabar fish are popular in Yejing, with many sellers and inflated prices, and it’s easy to confuse them for fakes.” Zhao Yi said, “These were carefully selected by me from the hands of major sellers.”
Pei Jintang hesitated, “Then wouldn’t I be stealing someone’s love?”
Zhao Yi said, “That’s not the case. Since you like it, why don’t you pick a few to raise at home? It’s not like you’re going to eat them anyway.”
“I won’t have that kind of appetite!” Pei Jintang said with a smile, “In this case, I won’t be polite.”
Zhao Yi called two servants, pointed at the white cup in one of their hands, and said, “Young Master, whichever one you like, you can put it in the cup first. The water and the white cup should both reflect red; then it will become a real cinnabar.”
“Thank you for your advice.” Pei Jintang said, “I’m afraid I will take some time. The weather isn’t pleasantly cool, so you don’t have to waste time with me here.”
“Then I will leave these two here. They are responsible for feeding the fish on weekdays. Young Master, you can ask them anything.” Zhao Yi instructed the two servants and then turned sideways. “Third Young Master Pei, please follow me.”
The furnishings in the study are fresh and pleasant, without any cumbersomeness. The servant put the tea on the pearwood low table by the window and quietly stepped out.
“When I heard that you two were coming this morning, I selected a set of pigments, including gold and silver powders, from my collection. I will have someone carry them to the carriage for you later.” Zhao Yi opened the small wooden box on the long table. “These are all finished products, and no more processes are required.” Pei Xiting stepped forward and closed the lid. “I’ll take this box, and you won’t owe me anything.”
“Don’t worry.” Zhao Yi said hurriedly, “I’ve prepared something else.”
Pei Xiting said, “This is enough.”
He really didn’t look like he was being falsely polite, so Zhao Yi had to say, “Is my life only worth a box of pigments?”
“Theoretically, the two cannot be equated, but if they are completely equated, it’s really hard to calculate.” Pei Xiting deliberately made things difficult, “Or will you give me this house as a gift?”
“This… If it were my own house, I could give it away, but the Duke’s Mansion was built by imperial order, so I have no right to touch it. In this case,” Zhao Yi had an idea, “I will buy a good house in Yejing and give it to you, how about that?”
When can he go back to the state of giving away houses as soon as someone asks for them… Pei Xiting said, “You are really kind, but forget it. I can’t move out of my house for the time being, and I’m too lazy to take care of an empty house.”
“Since you’ve already made your stance clear, let’s leave it at that for today. If you need anything else, feel free to come to me anytime.” Worried that Pei Xiting would refuse, Zhao Yi hurriedly said, “I have seen your paintings at Qu Lianhai’s place, and I admire them very much. I want to be your friend, what do you think, young master?”
“Thank you for your appreciation, but,” Pei Xiting said playfully, “I haven’t seen your paintings yet.”
Under this expression, the arrogant and proud spirit of the young man suddenly emanated from under the paper, as if adding a heavy stroke of ink to the already exquisite painting. His entire face was shining brightly.
Zhao Yi felt dazzled and was stunned for a long time before he smiled and said, “I have a humble painting background, so I hope Young Master doesn’t mind!”
He turned around and took out a cedar wood painting box from the bookshelf, called for water to be brought in, cleaned his hands and then opened the box. Then he took out the scroll on the silk cushion, unraveled the cloth cover, and gently unfolded it. It was a landscape painting.
“Third Young Master Pei,” Zhao Yi gestured with his hand, “Please.”
“At first glance, the clouds and smoke are scattered, the mountains are rugged, the waterfalls are steep, the mountain paths are winding, the pine and bamboo trees are tall and straight, the layout is atmospheric and smooth, and the distance is clear. Hmm… Upon closer inspection, I can see that the pine trees have twists and turns, the end of the forest has a bird nest, the stone bridge is smooth, and the water at the foot of the mountain is flowing. The details are fresh, and the shades are appropriate.” Pei Xiting stood or bent over and looked at it for about a quarter of an hour before making an evaluation.
Zhao Yi, standing nearby, asked expectantly, “Are there any shortcomings?”
Pei Xiting answered truthfully, “In my opinion, there are.”
His white fingertip pointed at a rock on the right side. “The texture here is not smooth enough; the layers are blurred and lack texture, making it look rigid.”
Zhao Yi looked at that place and was overjoyed. He said, “To be honest, I have been painting this picture for almost three months, but I always feel that something is wrong. I asked several former classmates who are good at painting to take a look, and they all said it was good. So I took it anonymously to the art gallery for everyone to judge, but no one could say anything. I didn’t expect that just a few words from Young Master would suddenly enlighten me today.”
He took two steps back and bowed solemnly, “Thank you for your advice, young master.”
Pei Xiting didn’t like overelaborate formalities, but he also understood the joy of being lifted from this dilemma by others and the feeling of having his shortcomings pointed out. After returning the bow, he said, “I won’t comment on your former classmates, but although you sent your work anonymously, it’s not difficult for experts to guess that the painter has an extraordinary background from the paper and color used. Therefore, even if someone in the gallery sees something, they dare not speak out.”
“Oh!” Zhao Yi nodded his head and suddenly realized, “That’s something I overlooked. Young master is really a master of hands and eyes. I wonder if you and I can talk more about painting in the future.”
It is said that seeing the handwriting is like seeing the person. Pei Xiting also believes that seeing the painting is like seeing the person. Zhao Yi’s paintings are clean and warm, without any restraint or evil. If his original intention was to expand personal connections and social relationships, at this moment, there’s some sincerity in his heart. He nodded and said, “I believe we can be friends.”
“Great!” Zhao Yi said excitedly, “In that case, it’s a pleasure to meet you… Hey, I wonder how old you are and what your courtesy name is.”
“I’m eighteen years old, born on the first day of the winter month.” Pei Xiting said, “I don’t have a courtesy name yet.”
Zhao Yi said, “My courtesy name is ‘Sifan’. I already came of age (20 years old) on the sixth day of September last year. Since I’m older than you, how about I call you ‘Xiting’?”
Pei Xiting had no objection. Zhao Yi took out an ancient painting like a treasure and asked him to appreciate it, saying, “I just got my hands on this and haven’t taken it out yet.”
Pei Xiting saw that the color of the painting was yellow, and the edges of the silk cloth had neat cracks. He carefully observed the details of the picture and finally said, “You are probably deceived. This painting should be a fake.”
Zhao Yi’s expectant expression suddenly broke. “What? Fake? Fake!”
Pei Xiting asked: “You can’t distinguish the real from the fake?”
“I don’t even know half a trick.” Zhao Yi said dejectedly, “I bought this painting in Baiyou Mountain and spent five hundred taels, but it turned out to be a fake…”
“Although there are good and bad forgeries, the content, brushwork, and artistic conception of your painting are only average. Five hundred taels, you’ve lost a lot.” Pei Xiting crossed his arms. “Go find the seller and get the money back.”
“It’s not easy to find the person.” Zhao Yi struggled to look at the painting, “Baiyou Mountain is different from the ordinary market. There are all kinds of people. Except for a few shops, many vendors are travelers… At least the seller of my painting is.”
Pei Xiting remembered that the place the masked young man mentioned before was this Baiyou Mountain. He couldn’t help asking, “Where is this place? Is there no one in charge?”
“It’s in the eastern suburbs of the city, under the jurisdiction of the right commissioner of the Longhe Division, but because Baiyou Mountain is a special place where all kinds of people are mixed, they will only show up when someone dies or something big happens.” Zhao Yi sighed, “Forget it. I will just take this as a lesson.”
When he went out, Pei Jintang had already chosen one and was struggling to choose between the other two, his eyebrows twisted into two lively caterpillars.
Seeing this, Zhao Yi stepped forward and scooped up two fish, then put them into the white cup together. Before Pei Jintang refused, he said, “I’ll ask someone to find a suitable fish tank. Later, I’ll write down some information about raising fish and have them sent to your place together.”
“Thank you very much.” Pei Jintang no longer refused after hearing this and thanked him with a bow.
“It’s time for dinner now. If you two don’t mind, can I invite you to the restaurant for a meal? You can choose what to eat.” Zhao Yi said.
“Let’s go to Baiyou Mountain.” Pei Jintang said, “I want to eat roasted rabbit!”
Pei Xiting asked, “Is there only one roasted rabbit restaurant in Yejing?”
“Ignorant.” Pei Jintang shook his head and his finger. “There are dozens of roasted rabbit restaurants in Yejing, but the best one is definitely the ‘Roasted Rabbit Champion’ in Baiyou Mountain! I swear, as long as you have eaten there once, you can’t eat at any other restaurants. In addition, their wine is also very delicious!”
Pei Xiting became interested. “What kind of wine do they have?”
“The most famous one is ‘Drink You to Death’.” Pei Jintang asked Zhao Yi, “Fourth Young Master, have you heard of it?”
“Second young master, you can just call me ‘Sifan’… This ‘Drink You to Death’ wine is indeed very famous because it has really killed people.” Zhao Yi said, “It is said that when the boss first sold this wine, he claimed that this was the most intoxicating wine in the world. A man didn’t believe it and accused the boss of lying. He insisted on making a bet with the boss, saying that if he could drink a jar of wine without falling, the boss would never be able to charge him for wine. The boss agreed, but the man really fell down forever after drinking a jar of wine. The name of this wine has thus resounded throughout Daye.”
Pei Xiting questioned, “Is it possible that it’s just a marketing tactic?”
The two showed an “I don’t understand your language” expression.
“Is it possible that this is the owner and the customer working together to put on a show in order to get the name out there? After all, there are many unbelieving and stubborn people under the sky.” Pei Xiting said.
Zhao Yi said, “Actually… it’s possible.”
“Who cares?” Pei Jintang only had the roasted rabbit in his mind and couldn’t wait to say, “How about it? Do you want to try it?”
Zhao Yi had no objection, and Pei Xiting also wanted to go for a walk, so he said, “Let’s go.”
*
“Baiyou Mountain,” the crown prince said calmly while checking the purple peony under the corridor, “It’s a lively place.”
Yu Shaoyun stood aside with a tray and said, “A piece of fat meat is being stared at by several dogs; I’m afraid it will inevitably be torn into pieces and eaten.”
The peony was in full bloom, as big as a bowl. The crown prince pointed at the overlapping and soft petals and said, “You will reap what you sow; don’t worry about it.”
Yu Shaoyun presented the scissors and said, “Third Pei also went to Baiyou Mountain today. In addition, Second Pei and Fourth Zhao also went with him. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence.” The crown prince looked at the white jade potted plant, and after a while, he put down the scissors with satisfaction, saying, “There will be things he likes there.”
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