Four Seasons Brocade – CH 028

Chapter 28 ☆、 The Messy Account at the Birthday Banquet (Part 2)

Ah Wu’s expression remained unchanged. Of Tang Yin’s friends, Hu Yahe harbored resentment towards her. Before Ah Wu, Hu Yahe was Tang Yin’s closest confidante. Now that Ah Wu had taken her place, Hu Yahe could not help but feel jealous.

Furthermore, Hu Yahe did not find Ah Wu anything special. The fact that such an ordinary person could receive Tang Yin’s special attention made Hu Yahe particularly unhappy.

Actually, the young girl did not understand that the connection between people was not about how outstanding or excellent the other person was. There were many talented people in the world, but not everyone liked them upon first meeting.

As the old saying goes, “White hair fresh as new, like old friends”—this was the same principle.

Making friends was about compatibility. Perhaps it was a glance, perhaps a gesture; when two people were compatible, their hearts resonated. Therefore, Tang Yin did not care whether Ah Wu was outstanding or not; it was simply that this young girl had won her heart, and that was why they became friends.

Hu Yahe, however, believed that a girl from Tang Yin’s family background should associate with girls of similar background. If someone came from a less privileged background, then they should be exceptionally talented to make sense.

In reality, most people did not necessarily enjoy befriending those more outstanding than themselves, let alone confiding in them.

Tang Yin opened the box, took out a scroll painting, and said happily to Ah Wu, “You painted this?”

Ah Wu nodded but hesitated. She had not expected Gu Xihui to come, and this was a subject she often painted.

Tang Yin slowly unfurled the scroll, revealing a pair of lifelike, exquisitely depicted ducks. In the upper right corner were four lines of poetry: “Lotus fragrance stretches across ten acres of pond; the young girl, engrossed in play, is late in picking lotus. In the evening, playing in the water, the boat’s bow is wet; she takes off her red skirt to wrap the ducks.”

Below was Ah Wu’s seal, carved for her by Third Master Rong in his spare time: “Duck Farm Guest.”

“Duck Farm Guest” was Ah Wu’s self-deprecating nickname from her previous life. She was physically weak and spent her days at home, her daily pastimes mostly consisting of feeding fish by the water and watching ducks across the water. Thus, she called herself “Duck Farm Guest”—the most commonplace being the most refined. The word “guest” also reflected her self-pity due to her frail health, suggesting she was merely a passerby in this world, reincarnated as a human, only to be a temporary guest in this home.

Because Ah Wu observed and painted ducks so much, she developed her own unique style of duck painting. Even the renowned calligrapher and painter Su Xishan praised her, saying she had created her own style and possessed the air of a master.

Tang Yin, Su Nian, and others appraised Ah Wu’s meticulously crafted work with great interest, finding her style interesting, lively, and unrestrained—they had never seen such delightful duck paintings before.

Unlike Tang Yin, who watched the spectacle with an outsider’s eye, Su Nian was extremely surprised. The Su Xishan mentioned by Ah Wu was her grandfather. Having been immersed in painting since childhood, Su Nian had gained considerable knowledge and understanding of it. In her opinion, this breathtaking, masterful duck painting was truly beyond the capabilities of an eight-year-old girl.

Su Nian harbored a doubt. “This painting truly captures the essence of a duck. If my grandfather saw it and knew it was painted by such a young child as Sister Xuan, he would be astonished.”

Besides Su Nian, the most shocked person present was Gu Xihui.

Gu Xihui had grown up with Princess Kangning and was intimately familiar with her style. Princess Kangning herself had called herself a “duck farm guest,” and her greatest skill lay in painting ducks.

Rong Xuan (Ah Wu)’s painting, in its conception, composition, and technique, was invariably similar to Princess Kangning’s style. Of course, there were others with similar styles, but Princess Kangning’s ducks had a unique feature: their eyes.

A duck’s eyes were extremely small in a painting, but it was precisely this smallness that revealed their essence. Princess Kangning always deliberately left white space in those small eyes, revealing a tiny white star, making the duck’s eyes appear exceptionally lifelike and lively.

Gu Xihui had once asked Princess Kangning why she painted in this way. She only remembered Princess Kangning saying that ducks also had feelings, and they mourn after losing their mates. In her heart, these ducks were like people, and the most expressive part of a person’s painting was the eyes; the eyes of a duck should not be overlooked, either.

Today, in Rong Xuan’s duck painting, the eyes of the ducks were painted using Princess Kangning’s style.

This was too much of a coincidence, causing Gu Xihui to look at Ah Wu in shock.

Ah Wu naturally knew why Gu Xihui was looking at her like that, but she simply smiled back, feigning ignorance.

Gu Xihui thought perhaps she was overthinking it; perhaps it really was just a coincidence, all just a coincidence.

“Sister Nian is the most knowledgeable about painting among us. Since you say so, I think this painting might not necessarily be the work of a particular person,” Hu Yahe began, taking advantage of Su Nian’s words. “Sister Gu, do you not think so?”

Gu Xihui was renowned for her talent, even surpassing Fifth Young Lady Rong’s. If she also said so, then Ah Wu’s claim of forging someone else’s painting and saying it was her own would be a certainty.

Gu Xihui smiled, regaining her composure. “That’s hard to say. Why do we not have Sister Xuan create one on the spot so we can all see for ourselves?”

If Ah Wu were truly a forger, Gu Xihui’s words would be kicking her while she was down, but since that was not the case, Ah Wu was not intimidated.

Gu Xihui did not mean to make things difficult. She genuinely wanted to know if Rong Xuan had painted it herself. If not, then it could only be Princess Kangning’s work that had been leaked. If that were the case, it would be better than the coincidental and bizarre style of the painting, which Gu Xihui found more acceptable.

“Alright, alright, it’s not my birthday for you to paint. Whether it’s Ah Xuan’s or not, I like it.” Tang Yin was trying her best to protect Ah Wu. She was afraid that Ah Wu, being young and naive, might borrow someone else’s painting, and she was also afraid that Ah Wu would embarrass herself, so she wanted to avoid the topic. This showed that Tang Yin was quite protective of her own.

Ah Wu lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, ultimately still hoping to use Gu Xihui to see if she could make a breakthrough. “Good things come in pairs. Sister Yin, how about I paint another picture of the ducks in your garden for you?”

This not only relieved Tang Yin’s dilemma but also made everyone else happy.

Every wealthy family’s garden had a small pond, where they would always keep one or two pairs of mandarin ducks or water ducks. Tang Yin made the arrangements, and everyone moved to Fuyang Pavilion. Fuyang Pavilion was by the water, the perfect place to feed fish and admire ducks.

When Ah Wu and the others arrived, a painting table, along with the Four Treasures of the Study and painting pigments, had already been set up in the pavilion.

“No need for colors; too much work. I will just use ink.” Ah Wu slowly unrolled the white scroll, and with a flourish of her brush, she painted a picture of a pair of ducks swimming in the Xuelang Pond of the Tang Mansion. The brush moved with fluid grace, and in just a few strokes, less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the ducks appeared on the canvas.

The depiction was vivid and meticulous. Most remarkably, the ducks were rendered with only a few strokes of ink—simple yet seemingly lifelike.

This performance not only vindicated Ah Wu but also showed everyone that she was not only a skilled painter but also quick at it, as if painting were a mere formality for her.

The previous painting Ah Wu gave Tang Yin was a meticulously crafted watercolor, while this one was an ink painting. Each had its own merits, and Tang Yin loved both. The fact that Ah Wu was not faking it relieved Tang Yin; she did not want a friend she valued to be a hypocrite.

Of course, in this painting, the duck’s eyes still bore the style of Princess Kangning. Having witnessed Ah Wu’s work firsthand, Gu Xihui felt increasingly that she and Princess Kangning were practically identical. Princess Kangning had used the same movements, the same confidence, and the same effortless mastery when painting.

Seeing that Ah Wu was not faking it, Hu Yahe smiled awkwardly. Under Tang Yin’s glare, she lowered her head and apologized to Ah Wu, “I am sorry, I…”

Tang Yin could glare at Hu Yahe, but Ah Wu did not have that luxury. She quickly said, “I dare not accept such praise. I know Sister Hu was just joking.”

Hu Yahe nodded, thus getting away with it.

At the ensuing small banquet, Ah Wu maintained a low profile. Having just displayed her talent, it was not appropriate for her to steal the spotlight again. During the drinking games, poetry recitations, and song contests, Ah Wu’s performances were average—neither outstanding nor mediocre.

Su Nian treated Ah Wu with special favor. Tang Yin already liked her, and Liu Hexuan was a gentle and kind person. Even Hu Ya’s dissatisfaction with Ah Wu lessened somewhat, as she found Ah Wu to have some talent. Therefore, everyone present enjoyed themselves immensely, drinking and playing games.

As the afternoon drew to a close, Liu Hexuan looked at Tang Yin and the others with a touch of sadness. “Alas, I wonder if I can still come to Sister Yin’s birthday party next time?”

Liu Hexuan was a gentle and delicate woman; a slight furrow in her brow evoked pity.

“I will not allow it! You have to come next time,” Tang Yin said, pleadingly pulling Liu Hexuan’s hand.

Su Nian asked Liu Hexuan, “Are you really getting engaged?”

Liu Hexuan nodded, a hint of shyness in her expression, but not particularly happy.

“Why are you not happy, Sister Xuan? Was it not the eldest son of the Kong family, the Imperial Scholar’s son?” Tang Yin asked. Although no one had met the eldest son of the Kong family, they were all from scholarly families, and his family had a long-standing relationship with the Liu family, a scholarly household, and even had some marriage ties. They figured Young Master Kong must be a good man.

“She’s worried she will not be able to leave the house in the future.”

Liu Zonghe, the head of the Hanlin Academy, was a man of strict discipline. Once his children were engaged, they were forbidden from leaving the house and confined to their homes to embroider their dowries. This was partly due to family tradition and partly to prevent any potential scandals. The Liu family, a noble and scholarly family, would never tolerate any scandals.

Everyone gave an “Oh,” their mood becoming somewhat somber.

To lighten the mood, Hu Yahe said, “Sister Nian, you are not young anymore. Your mother must be looking for someone for you, right? What kind of man do you want to marry?”

Normally, young women should not ask such questions, but the girls were very close and spoke frankly with each other. Which young woman had not experienced the stirrings of first love?

“I…I like good-looking people,” Su Nian said bluntly, partly trying to lighten the mood.

“The best-looking people in the capital are at Sister Yin’s house and Sister Gu’s house. You’d better try to please them, and I guarantee your wish will come true,” Hu Yahe teased.

“You brat, teasing your sister!” Su Nian protested, pretending to hit Hu Yahe.

Hu Yahe hid behind Gu Xihui and stuck her tongue out at Su Nian. “Am I wrong?”

The two most famous handsome men in the capital were Tang Yu, Tang Xiujin from the Tang family, and Gu Tingyi, Ah Wu’s former second brother and the second son of the Imperial Princess. Every time these two went out, they captured the hearts of countless young women in the capital. Some were even bold enough to toss their sachets directly to them.

Su Nian blushed. It seemed her heart belonged to one of these two.

“I told you you are wrong,” Tang Yin said, feigning arrogance.

“What do you mean?” Hu Yahe pressed.

“Although my elder brother is handsome, if we are talking about the best-looking man in the capital, it has to be…” Tang Yin pointed towards the Forbidden City, making a “four” gesture.

“The Fourth Prince?!” Hu Yahe exclaimed.