Jin Qianqian pressed her lips together, then quickly went to the backyard to fetch the Xuan paper Ancient Wen Heng used for his calligraphy practice. She also rembered to grab a few pieces of charcoal from the kitchen.
When she returned, Ouyang Bing looked at Ancient Wen Heng expectantly. "Please, Brother Gu, I await your instruction."
Ancient Wen Heng shook his head. "I’m not very good at drawing portraits. Let my wife do it."
After all, Jin Qianqian had studied drawing from a young age and had a good foundation in sketching. He, on the other hand, had studied oil painting. When it ca to drawing people, Jin Qianqian’s thod was naturally quicker.
Ouyang Bing looked at Jin Qianqian, a little surprised. He had thought she was just a young woman with so culinary talent, but it seed she had hidden depths.
He glanced at the table. Besides a sheet of Xuan paper, there were only a few black pieces of charcoal. ’What is she planning to do with these?’
He watched as she picked up a piece of charcoal and began to sketch rapidly on the Xuan paper. Soon, the outline of a person’s face erged.
Ouyang Bin couldn’t stay seated either. This was a style of drawing he had never seen before, so he stood up to watch, his eyes glued to the paper.
Ancient Wen Heng watched the figure erge on the paper and had to pinch his palm hard to keep from laughing out loud.
"Why does this person look so bizarre?" Ouyang Bing asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. "He looks... strangely comical."
Jin Qianqian said, "If you saw him in person, you’d realize you’re not wrong. He is indeed quite comical-looking."
"But his hair is so strange. Madam Gu, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"
Unfazed by his skepticism, Jin Qianqian simply drew a small portrait beneath the first one. Ouyang Bing’s own face appeared on the Xuan paper.
"It’s a perfect likeness! Anyone could tell it’s at a glance." Seeing his own miniature portrait, Ouyang Bing couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. "I’ve never seen a drawing style like this. It’s true what they say—masters are hidden among the common people."
Jin Qianqian glanced at her masterpiece with satisfaction. "By the way, this person tends to make exaggerated expressions when he speaks. He should be easy to recognize."
"Thank you, Madam Gu. If I can find this man, I will be sure to reward you handsoly." Ouyang Bing held the drawing as if it were a priceless treasure, his confidence soaring. "With such a bizarre appearance, anyone who’s seen him should rember him. It seems he won’t be too difficult to find after all."
After seeing Ouyang Bing and his servant off, Ancient Wen Heng covered his mouth and gave two mock-serious coughs. "Mischievous."
Jin Qianqian gave a smug little toss of her head. "It’s all the sa, isn’t it? Since I’m just making soone up from thin air, I might as well have a little fun with it."
Ancient Wen Heng’s thoughts turned to another matter, and he couldn’t help but frown. "I heard from Chief Li that soone has been asking about us recently. I just don’t know who."
’At first, I thought it might be Ouyang Bing trying to dig up more information because he wanted sothing else from us, but now that doesn’t seem to be the case.’
Jin Qianqian shared his concern. "I’ve had the sa suspicion. Sister-in-law Xiang also ntioned that people have been loitering outside the shop lately, and soone even asked her about our relationship.
"We haven’t done anything to attract attention recently, have we?"
To avoid arousing the suspicion of anyone with ulterior motives, they had been doing their best to restrain themselves and keep an extrely low profile.
"Let’s be more vigilant for a while. I’ve already asked Chief Li to help keep an eye out for us. If this person has malicious intent, we can be prepared." For the first ti, Ancient Wen Heng felt the inconvenience of being short-handed. ’It seems,’ he thought, ’so things need to be put on the agenda.’
"By the way, Mr. Wang heard we were looking to buy a manor, and he recomnded one. We’ve arranged to go see it in a couple of days."
Jin Qianqian asked, "What’s the manor like?"
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Apparently, it’s from a family inheritance being divided among several brothers. The one who received this manor doesn’t want to live so far away, so he’s looking to sell it, exchange it for so silver taels, and buy property closer to where he is.
"The manor itself isn’t huge—just over eighty mu of land, but it cos with several dozen mu of mountain land and a separate villa.
"However, his asking price is not cheap. It’s nearly a thousand taels."
Jin Qianqian grabbed the abacus on the counter and started clicking the beads. ’The inco from the pastry shop, the money from the mirror we sold, the paynt for the dicinal herbs sold to the apothecary, the silver from Ouyang Bing, and that windfall from stone gambling... but after subtracting the cost of buying this shop and all the other various expenses... money really disappears fast.’
’If another manor like this cos up for sale next ti, we’ll only be able to look on helplessly.’
Ancient Wen Heng glanced at the final figure on the abacus and patted Jin Qianqian’s back reassuringly. "Don’t worry. We’ll take it one step at a ti."
Jin Qianqian knew there was no use in rushing. She was just doing the math to get a clear picture of their finances.
She reset the abacus to zero and glanced toward the backyard. "What are your plans for Xiao Dongzi? Are you going to let him just keep helping out here?"
"Ever since we let him stay here, that boy hasn’t stopped moving for a mont. Sister-in-law Xiang has complained to several tis that if he keeps snatching all the chores, she’ll have nothing left to do."
Ancient Wen Heng said, "I’ve been giving him daily assignnts to learn so characters, haven’t I? The boy is sharp and principled. If we guide him well, he’ll be a great help in the future.
"You don’t need to worry about him too much. If he wants to work, let him. At least it helps him feel more at ease."
Jin Qianqian gave a dry laugh. "My worry is that he’s *too* diligent. Both Sister-in-law Xiang and Ping Sao are worried I’m going to fire them. After all, one child is doing the work of two adults. What are they supposed to think?
"I’ve tried to talk to the boy, but before I can even open my mouth, he’s asking if there’s anything else he can do."
’Even just for the sake of harmony in the shop, Xiao Dongzi’s over-eagerness has to be reined in.’
"It sounds like the boy has too much free ti. I’ll give him more assignnts later—reading and writing to keep him busy." Ancient Wen Heng rarely spent ti at the shop, so he hadn’t really considered this problem.
Jin Qianqian looked at Ancient Wen Heng with a pang of sympathy. "Actually, if Dongzi is willing to drive the cart, you should let him try. It gets even colder on the donkey cart once it starts moving in this weather. Even though you use moisturizer every day, your face is getting chapped."
Ancient Wen Heng touched his cheek. "I never imagined we’d be living like northerners one day. Winter has just begun, and it’s already this fierce. But it’s alright. I only go to the academy every few days, so I can just bear with it.
"The next ti I go to Prefecture City, I’ll take Dongzi with and have Doctor Chu examine him. I’m worried his health was damaged from being out in the cold before."
Jin Qianqian agreed, "Yes, he should be seen. We’ve been trying so hard to feed him well these past few days, but he hasn’t put on any weight. I hope his health wasn’t permanently damaged from past hardships."
After a period of treatnt, Jin Qianqian had beco a firm believer in traditional Chinese dicine. She noticed that she hadn’t just gained so weight, but had also grown a little taller.
The clothes she had bought before were now difficult to squeeze into, so she’d had to purchase a new set just the other day.
"You should co along then, too. It’s been a while, so you should have Doctor Chu check your pulse again." He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Ancient Wen Heng felt that ever since Qianqian started taking the dicine pills Guo Yurong had given her, her complexion looked better with each passing day.
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