Chapter 48: Shen Mizhi

In the blink of an eye, ten days or so had passed!

Over these ten days, Duan Rong had spent his time standing on stakes and painting; he had lived a truly fulfilling life!

The medicinal formula Xiao Lao gave him was indeed effective!

Every day, Duan Rong stood on stakes for a full nine hours, yet he felt neither a sense of depletion in his body nor any lethargy in his spirit.

And as soon as the Shen hour arrived, Duan Rong would appear punctually under the Old Locust Tree diagonally across from Huaying Pavilion to grind ink and paint for the young men and women who had come by reputation!

After ten days, his purse had already bulged, and his total assets had exceeded two thousand taels; he could be said to have a modest fortune.

However, while painting this day, Duan Rong suddenly noticed that there were only eight people in line.

This was the first time a vacancy had appeared since he began painting!

This was, of course, a signal, indicating that it was time for him to change locations.

Xiangu County, after all, was not the internet of his past life; the urban population was only thirty or forty thousand.

And among them, the number of families who could afford to spend ten taels of silver to buy a painting was truly very limited.

While painting, Duan Rong had been contemplating his next move, and by the time he handed over the last painting, he already had a plan in mind.

Duan Rong took a sheet of rice paper and pasted it over the wooden board nailed to the Old Locust Tree, then held his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote: For portraiture queues, please go to the crooked-neck willow tree diagonally across from the Raw Medicine Shop on West Street!

That crooked-neck willow tree had originally been the site of a wonton stall, but the old man who sold the wontons had caught a cold the previous month, never recovered, and passed away.

This spot had thus become vacant!

Duan Rong had just happened to put it to use!

The Shen hour was exactly at dusk; the setting sun in the western sky was crimson, like a ripe persimmon.

The thin, tall, middle-aged Personal Attendant of the Raw Medicine Shop had just seen off a distinguished guest when he saw a figure covered in various items walking over in the afterglow of the sunset.

Duan Rong walked to the entrance of the Raw Medicine Shop and smiled at the thin, tall, middle-aged Personal Attendant, revealing his bright white teeth.

Duan Rong often came here to buy medicine, and they had gradually become familiar with each other.

He already knew that this thin, tall, middle-aged Personal Attendant was named Ma Chu and was the most senior employee in this Raw Medicine Shop.

Ma Chu had originally thought Duan Rong would come into the Raw Medicine Shop to buy medicine, so he stood at the door waiting, prepared to welcome Duan Rong inside.

Unexpectedly, when Duan Rong reached the entrance, he turned his steps and walked past, stopping under the crooked-neck willow tree diagonally across the street.

At noon, Ma Chu had noticed a line of Personal Attendants and maidservants standing under the crooked-neck willow tree across the way.

He had initially thought it was some wealthy family training their servants, but looking closer, it didn't seem so; the clothes of those Personal Attendants were completely different, clearly not from the same household, so Ma Chu had been puzzled all along.

Duan Rong walked to the crooked-neck willow tree, set up his easel, hung the cloth bag from his shoulder onto a branch beside him, then smiled at the people in line and took out ten palm-sized wedge-shaped wooden tallies, handing them one by one to those in line, saying: "These wooden tallies have numbers on them; once you have a number, you don't need to wait here."

"As long as you come back with your number before the You hour, I will paint for you as soon as you arrive; I recognize the number, not the person!"

Those Personal Attendants and maidservants who received the wooden tallies were overjoyed, and six or seven people immediately dispersed from the line.

This method of issuing wooden tallies was something Duan Rong had thought of last night, and the ten wooden tallies were also made that same night, with the numbers written by his own hand.

Ever since he had absorbed the Devouring Artifact Spirit and taken in the brushwork of the Spring Palace Painting master and the thin scholar, his calligraphy had become quite rich in Artistic Conception and character, making it difficult to imitate.

And this method of issuing wooden tallies, to use the terminology of his past life, was called improving user experience.

As twilight gathered, Ma Chu stood in the main hall of the Raw Medicine Shop, looking across the street at Duan Rong, who was painting tirelessly under the dim, yellowish light of a lantern beneath the crooked-neck willow tree, and clicked his tongue slightly, saying: "Although this Xiangu County is small, it is a place where outstanding people and spirits gather!"

In fact, Duan Rong had moved his painting spot to the area diagonally across from the Raw Medicine Shop on West Street.

He had also given it some thought.

He had a deep personal understanding of how expensive medicinal supplements were.

This Raw Medicine Shop served a high-end clientele, and these people were precisely the potential customer base for his business.

Therefore, he chose to set up his stall diagonally across from the Raw Medicine Shop; this was called grasping the traffic code.

Moreover, this West Street was originally the widest and most prosperous street in Xiangu County; not only did it have the largest Raw Medicine Shop, the largest silk store, and the largest restaurant, but the Yuanshun Escort Agency, the County Government Office, and the branch of the Yunshui Bank were all on this street, which could be called the CBD of Xiangu County.

On this street, there had originally been the largest brothel in Xiangu County—Chun Zui Lou, but later, Huaying Pavilion rose to prominence, and the Four Great Flower Shadows beat Chun Zui Lou so thoroughly that it had no power to fight back, leaving the building empty and the people scattered day after day!

The procuress of Chun Zui Lou, having learned from the pain and stopped her losses in time, directly redecorated Chun Zui Lou and renamed it Chunfeng Inn.

From a brothel procuress, she transformed into the female Manager of Chunfeng Inn.

You don't say, business had actually improved since then.

This truly was: when in poverty, change; when you change, you find a way!

Several days after Duan Rong moved his stall to West Street.

This day at dusk, Shen Mizhi and her maid Qiuhun walked past West Street.

Shen Mizhi held a Long Sword with a dark red snakeskin scabbard and a tasseled hilt; her waist was straight and her steps were light. She only walked at a normal speed, yet Qiuhun had to jog to keep up.

"Miss, walk slower, I can't keep up!" Qiuhun pouted and muttered.

Shen Mizhi was just about to stop and scold Qiuhun a couple of times when she suddenly saw a dark-skinned youth with a square face, wearing a brown short coat, standing in front of an easel under the crooked-neck willow tree across the way, painting intently.

A look of confusion appeared on Shen Mizhi's fair, tender face, which was like a newly peeled egg; she furrowed her brows slightly and asked: "Qiuhun, what are they doing over there?"

Seeing that Shen Mizhi had finally stopped, Qiuhun immediately stopped behind her, feeling the pain in her tense calves finally ease slightly. She glanced at the other side and then smiled: "It's a painter, he's been very famous lately! The young ladies and young masters from all the major estates are lining up waiting to be painted!"

"Is that so?" Shen Mizhi's clear eyes blinked, revealing a look of disbelief.

"Miss, why don't you get one painted too..."

"Why get involved in such things?" Although Shen Mizhi was a woman, her Dao Heart was quite firm, and she had always been averse to miscellaneous matters.

"But..." Qiuhun seemed to be weighing her words, pausing slightly before saying: "Miss, if you go to the Taiyi Sect next year, you won't be able to return to this Xiangu County easily. If there is a painting, in case the Master and Mistress miss you, it can also help relieve the pain of longing!"

Shen Mizhi was slightly surprised and also felt a bit ashamed. She was naturally strong-willed and was indeed somewhat indifferent to matters of family affection; Qiuhun had thought of this point, but she had never considered it.

"I wonder, how is this painter's skill?"

"Ten taels a piece, and there are still so many people lining up. The skill is naturally good!"

"Ten taels a piece?"

"Yes."

It wasn't that Shen Mizhi couldn't afford the money; ten taels of silver didn't mean much to her. She just felt that a street-side painter could actually sell at this price, which really surprised her.

"Then go and get in line," Shen Mizhi said, casting a glance at Qiuhun.

"That will have to be tomorrow. This painter only paints ten pieces a day; he starts at the hour of the Monkey and packs up at the hour of the Rooster. There are no spots left for today!"

"Only ten pieces?" Shen Mizhi had never heard of such a thing, and a look of astonishment flashed through her beautiful eyes.

"This gentleman certainly has a high opinion of himself!" At this moment, Shen Mizhi truly felt a spark of interest in the plain-looking painter sitting beneath the crooked willow tree.

(End of chapter)