Chapter 31: The Return Gift For Grandfather

Jing Wan returned to the Elegant Haitang Residence and changed into more comfortable clothing. Then went to look at those pots of treasures she brought from Qi’an Fu to the capital. They weren’t very meticulously cared for during the trip, so they appeared somewhat withered. Jing Wan even worried that they won’t be able to live. However, over these few days, they seem to have once again regained their vitality. Jing Wan’s cheerful mood could clearly be seen. Then looking again to that precious pot of ink orchid, because the flowering period wasn’t deliberately prolonged, she very surprisingly discovered that it was actually about to bloom. Just these, were enough to make her move all her worries to one side and wholeheartedly stare at the orchid, feeling it was more pleasing to the eyes the more she looked.

That’s why, Jing Wan was actually the true flower fanatic.

After staring for quite a while, Jing Wan finally got up and let the servant girls prepare the ink brush, paper, and the ink stone. She wanted to draw. She wanted to have the entire blooming process of the ink orchid recorded. In her past life, she had learned how to paint with her grandma, similarly focusing on flowers. And in order to reconstruct the various flowers’ elegant posture, she chose the gongbi style. About two years ago, when she started learning how to draw in this life, she’d also used the gongbi technique. The teacher had praised her for being highly gifted, and the others all also said she drew well. Jing Wan however didn’t think too much of it.

Jing Wan thinly sketched out the orchid’s shape. From when the brushed touched the paper till when it stopped, it was a single smooth flow. And from beginning to end, she sketched a total of four pieces. During the process, she didn’t look at that pot of orchid again.

Gong mama carefully looked at the four pieces of the orchid at different angles. Following which, she circled around the orchid flower. As expected, the four sketches of the orchid were identical to the certain four orientations of this orchid flower. This level of detail, this astonishing memory, and also the fundamental skills of drawing. Perhaps her poetry wasn’t good, and perhaps her qin and qi[1] skills weren’t good either, but who can deny her talents.

Soon after, Jing Wan also added different backgrounds for the orchid flowers, starting to apply color layer by layer.

When she was in Qi’an Fu, as long as it was a color she wanted, she just needed to tell the people below. Shortest, an hour, and longest, three to five days, there was always a way for her to get an usable paint dye. If not ready-made, then it was substituted using something else. Jing Wan knew that it was Luo Old Madam’s indulgence. She felt grateful in her heart, thus she perfectly made use of these hard to come by materials as much as she could. As a result, her paintings would always be abundant in color, looking as if it was the same natural color, but in actuality was different dye spread out upon layers and layers.

Every time a painting was complete, it would always give people the greatest visual pleasure. The scene would also appear exceptionally alive.

The remainder of this day’s time, aside from eating, as well as occasional break time, the others Jing Wan mostly all spent on painting. Directly until it was nighttime, did she finally finish the four not so big orchid paintings. In addition to the background she added, it even gave people a dream like feeling.

“Miss paints so well.” The servant girls perhaps didn’t understand art, but they understood beauty, and sincerely exclaimed in admiration.

Even Gong mama, who had seen quite a few good things before, couldn’t hold back the admiration in her heart.

Then she thought of those volumes of ‘Record of Flowers’ made by miss, every flower entry all paired with a delicate and peerless drawing and a detailed introduction. If those books were to leak out, they would no doubt be even more valuable than the most expensive breed of flower personally grown by miss by a hundred times. This was precisely the so called ‘instead of giving a man a fish, teach a man to fish.’ But how many of those who’ve truly obtained it would be willing part with it and share with other. Not to mention that unknown painting style, those ‘Record of Flowers’ were all the first copy. If after hundreds and thousands of years of history, the value will be hard to imagine. Although talks of money were inelegant, this nevertheless was the most direct way to illustrate the value of those books.

In the following few days, Jing Wan spent all her energy on this. She didn’t go accompany her grandmother, didn’t mention going to the home tutor either, and as for making rogues, ointments, and what not, there was furthermore no need to mention. And after Luo Old Madam found out what she was doing, she also freely allowed her to ‘mess around’.

In the paintings, the ink orchid little by little bloomed. All the way until it revealed its most beautiful form.

Adding everything together, there was a total of forty some pieces. Although the paper all weren’t that big, it was still fairly tiring. Jing Wan walked out from that stimulated state. She probably won’t touch the painting brush again in at least another ten days to half a month.

After sorting it all out, she admired them one by one. This time the results were very good, Jing Wan was very satisfied. However, Jing Wan still felt it was mainly because the flower was pretty and deeply pleased her, letting her most willingly become a ‘flower slave’.

Jing Wan felt, with these paintings in addition to those Record of Flowers, it was enough to be a return gift for grandfather.

And in these few days, something worth a mention was Ding Duke Manor’s old madam’s youngest di daughter, Cheng Junwang’s wife, Li Ru Yu’s mother, not long after the banquet at the Ding Duke Manor ended, dragged her ill body back to the Ding Duke Manor. Some people saw her going in with a deathly pale complexion, and leaving with a pair of swollen red eyes. To say there wasn’t any intentional purpose in it, no one would believe. After all, what kind of place was the Ding Duke Manor, was it somewhere outsiders could easily pry into?

Then there was the matter of the Ding Duke Manor’s Sun Yi Lin still having yet to settle on a future bride candidate. After that, he also accepted the position of the inner court scribe bestowed by the Emperor. Although the post was merely just seventh ranked, but because often accompanying at his Majesty’s side, and in the free time was in charge of reading to his Majesty, one was frequently able to see the Emperor. So naturally one would be able to easily know his Majesty’s various situations. It can even be said to be a position that even the big shots of all sides needed to carefully deal with. One must not underestimate. Soon after, rumors that he was at odds with his older brothers came out.

Then, immediately after, was the matter of Sun Yi Jia about to select a husband. Don’t know whether or not it was for the sake of distancing the relationship with Kang Qinwang, but the matter of her selecting a husband was very high profile. Even a princess recruiting candidates for a husband probably wouldn’t be like this either. Quite a few people were all guessing, just who could pluck this high peak flower. Although she presented a dance during the Ding Duke Manor banquet, but because there was a reason, those that praised her for her loyalty were instead in the majority.

His Majesty personally wrote a decree, and actually had Kang Wangfei buried using the formalities of a Crown Princess. Everyone were all guessing one after another whether this was publicly declaring certain things or not. Then after, during Kang Wangfei’s mourning period, Kang Qinwang took in a side consort, to one’s understanding, it was Kang Wangfei’s last wish. The person was Kang Wangfei’s full-blooded di younger sister, hoping she can properly take care of the children Kang Wangfei left behind.

Lastly was Wu’an Marquis heir’s wedding. The girl he married naturally didn’t have a prominent status, but could also be considered passable. And of the upper class families in the entire capital, with the nobles and royalty at top, and the various officials at the bottom, practically everyone all sent congratulatory gifts. Of course, don’t count on these gifts being valuable. Those who were more generous just conformed with the standard. Just, most families all didn’t attend. A portion of the people were just following the trend, purposefully avoiding the Wu’an Marquis Manor. While some didn’t want to inconvenience the Wu’an Marquis Manor. If too many people went, they weren’t able to entertain them all, causing all sorts awkwardness, and it was also slapping the Emperor in the face. After all, his Majesty ‘cares’ that much about the Wu’an Marquis Manor. The Luo family naturally belonged to the latter group.

With things happening one after the other, it can be said to be like ‘brilliant lights flashing by[2]‘, especially with the Ding Duke Manor greatly standing out in the limelight. It was more than enough for people to enthusiastically gossip for a long period of time.

Jing Wan knew the inside situation of the Wu’an Marquis Manor. She sighed endlessly. It was the idea of ‘boiling the hound alive, after the crafty rabbit died’[3], although this process was a bit long. For the descendants of a founding duke, to have ended up in this kind of predicament, she had to say, it was better off to be like the other few families and just directly decline. That way, at least the people would still be alive. Of course, this was only Jing Wan’s own thought. She’d never came in contact with them before, so she didn’t dare to make any presumptuous guesses.

These few days, there similarly were other relatives visiting in succession, just Luo Old Madam didn’t call her over to greet them.

After Head Minister Luo returned from the office, Jing Wan packed her things and directly went to the front study.

Jing Wan didn’t know that her own grandfather, after coming home from the office, still worked that hard in educating his sons and grandsons. That’s why, after she received permission and entered the study, she saw her father and uncles, as well as brothers, all standing in a row, seemingly like they were being punished. She couldn’t help but suddenly pause. How about go back first, then find another time to come? Unfortunately, Luo Pei Shan had already let her in, how can he just let her leave without saying anything?

Since she’s come, might as well stay. In a short few seconds, Jing Wan calmed down. Shouldering everyone’s gaze, she properly paid her respects.

“Third girl has some matters?” Luo Pei Shan asked, his gaze landing on the tray in her hands.

“Didn’t this granddaughter receive a treasure from grandfather, so this granddaughter also needs to express some gratitude, no?” She placed the entire tray before Luo Pei Shan.

“Oh?” Luo Pei Shan’s curiosity was hooked, and he lifted the satin draping on top. When the ink orchid paintings entered his eyes, his expression immediately changed. He carefully reached out to touch them, staring at it for quite a while, before pushing aside the first piece and seeing another. Identical, yet also different, but equally made one stunned. Luo Pei Shan somewhat impatiently wanted to look at the other paintings below, but also wasn’t willing to just hastily glance at them either.

[1] Qi – Full name weiqi, roughly translating to ‘encirclement chess’, also known as Go.

[2] Legit have no idea how to properly translate this idiom; it means along the lines of a bunch of beautiful images successively flashing before your eyes, similar to the feeling like how someone would say ‘your life flashing before your eyes’, but in a different context.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[3] Basically, killing off your loyal hunting hound after it killed the crafty rabbit for you.

T/N: A lot of people have said that they liked Grandpa Luo and that makes me really happy because he’s my favorite character in this novel. I sorta like him more than the leads lol. The next 10 or so chapters are my favorite chapters in the series, because it’s mostly about Grandpa Luo bonding with MC. More cute grandpa moments.