Chapter 390.3: Painting, Envoys Arriving Soon
Jing Wan helped Li Hong Yuan wash off the makeup, and Li Hong Yuan changed the clothes himself. Using a hair crown to bind the hair, the peerlessly handsome Jin Qinw.a.n.g returned again.
Jing Wan hugged Li Hong Yuan’s waist, “As expected, it’s still this appearance that I like the most. Crossdressing and whatnot, sure enough, can only be considered amus.e.m.e.nt.”
“Amus.e.m.e.nt? Not bad, next time, we can change together. Wan Wan in men’s clothes is also stunning, and more importantly, it won’t influence this husband’s urges in the slightest. Perhaps, we can even do it once after changing.”
Jing Wan’s face was a bit dark, was there a need to always go back to being ‘dirty’? You being like this, is it really okay? For better or worse, still a w.a.n.gye, what happened to being reserved? What happened to being esteemed?
Li Hong Yuan expressed, in front of one’s wife, what are those? Can it be eaten, can it be drunk? And most importantly, can it make one’s wife happy?
In other words, Li Hong Yuan truly was a ‘dragon’——-The dragon’s inherent nature l.u.s.tful[1]!
This was actually Jing Wan’s first time painting in the bedroom. As such, this while, it was actually quite messy inside, needing to properly clean up.
Jing Wan had the paintings carefully put away, regardless of whether they were completed or not. However, speaking of which, these things all can’t be seen by outsiders, and further can’t be leaked out. That’s why, for mounting the painting[2], it was still best to do it herself. For Jing Wan, mounting the painting actually wasn’t considered anything difficult either. Jing Wan had also learned before. At least, it just wasn’t that good. For ordinary paintings, it was fine, but these that she valued, it was still far from enough. That’s why, was it finding some time to return to the Luo family to let her grandfather train her, or directly look for a pretty good female teacher from outside the manor to come teach her?
Thinking it over, her grandfather seemingly will be very busy for some time, so it was better to not bother him. Jing Wan raised this problem to Li Hong Yuan.
Li Hong Yuan glanced at Jing Wan, “Not using the one readily available, instead insisting on going outside to look, it’s not that this husband is boasting, but compared with the experts, this husband isn’t any inferior either.”
Jing Wan this while really was shocked. Truthfully speaking, a certain someone really wasn’t like the type that would go learn this. Should say, can’t just a person by appearances, the ocean unable to be measured?
However, Jing Wan didn’t doubt at all. Since he dared to say it, then he certainly was able to do it.
In reality, Li Hong Yuan not only was very skilled in mounting paintings, he was also very skilled in the gongbi style. Of course, he would only ever paint one person, and that was just Jing Wan.
That was in his past life. The only beautiful memory that Li Hong Yuan treasured in the bottom of his heart. However, he was never really that diligent in painting, perhaps only painting one a year, or perhaps one every three to five years, personally painting, personally mounting, all by his own hands. On his deathbed, those paintings were the only things he clearly indicated to be buried with him. Just, he never thought that he would start over from the beginning once more.
After his rebirth, Li Hong Yuan actually never touched the painting brush again, because Wan Wan was still alive. He no longer needed to use those paintings to reminisce. Besides, at the start of his rebirth, Wan Wan was merely just two years old. The Jing Wan he knew in his past life was the her after enduring many hards.h.i.+ps, so she certainly would differ to some extent with this life’s. In this lifetime, prior to connecting with her at the heart, he’d merely inadvertently called out ‘Wan Wan’ twice, and just got misunderstood by her to be thinking of someone else. If he really were to leave behind the smiling face and appearance of the her from the memories of his past life, how can that be good?
Since she existed before his eyes, then there was no need to reminisce the past. Of course, those images that were carved too deeply in his bones weren’t that easy to erase.
That’s why, to this day, no one knew that Li Hong Yuan was skilled in the gongbi style.
Then again, Li Hong Yuan has never thought of having the things Jing Wan brought out in his past life brought out in advance. Otherwise, some things, Jing Wan wouldn’t have been able to do, and there wouldn’t be the matter of Jing Wan using the gongbi style to build Luo Jing Bo’s fame. However, in the past life, Li Hong Yuan really thought that the gongbi style was Luo Jing Bo’s creation. Turns out, this simply wasn’t the case, but rather belonged to his little darling. As for whether or not it was Jing Wan’s creation, Li Hong Yuan didn’t care. Even if it was just brought over by Jing Wan, since it didn’t exist in this world, then it just belonged to his Wan Wan. Right now, it was under Luo Jing Bo’s name, but one day, in the future, Li Hong Yuan will undoubtedly let it return to its ‘rightful owner’.
As for how many other unknown secrets this man still had, Jing Wan didn’t go look into. Their days were still very long, can just leave to slowly unearth in the future. That will also be a great joy. After all, perhaps each time when something was unearthed, it would just be a great surprise. As an old married couple, occasionally having surprises was nice.
“Then Ah Yuan, you teach me.”
“Why not directly let me mount the painting?”
“It’s not that it won’t work, but, the rest all doable, just that one for you won’t do. I want to do it myself. Prior to that, no one can look at it.”
“Then, just according to your wishes. However, can take it slowly, don’t tire yourself.”
“How can I? Look at me, very idle all day long. If I don’t look for a bit of something to do, I really might grow fur.”
“What kind of saying is this?” Li Hong Yuan asked.
“Eh, this isn’t too easy to explain.” Growing fur, this kind of thing, a certain someone probably has never seen before, in fact, perhaps didn’t even know such a thing existed.
“Then, no need to explain.” Li Hong Yuan pulled along Jing Wan, walking out of the bedroom hand in hand. This entire afternoon’s time had been cleanly whittled away.
A bit hungry now.
Li Hong Yuan was an exemplary good husband, pa.s.sing down the word and ordering in the meal in advance.
Speaking of which, because the rear kitchen still wasn’t ready, this one line from Li Hong Yuan just made them exceptionally busy. However, Jin Qinw.a.n.g Manor had plenty of chefs, and the kitchen was also big enough, further having countless helpers. When there wasn’t enough time, it was just separately calling someone over to cook. There was absolutely enough ingredients in the rear kitchen. This was the case even for ordinary qinw.a.n.g manors, and Jin Qinw.a.n.g Manor further didn’t lack money. That’s why, they would only be even more abundant.
As for the chefs, the majority of them had all followed along to Jiangnan, so towards w.a.n.gfei’s preferences, they more or less had a grasp of. As for w.a.n.gye, who cares, already don’t need to specially pay attention to him. For the most part, whatever w.a.n.gfei ate, he just ate too. What he didn’t eat in the past, as long as w.a.n.gfei says it was good for the body, and moreover, put in his bowl, he would just eat.
In the past, Li Hong Yuan’s meals were for the most part all meat dishes, yet now, it wasn’t the case anymore, for the most part, a mix of meat and vegetables.
Additionally, Jing Wan wasn’t a picky eater. Even if favoring certain dishes, and perhaps would order somewhat frequently, she absolutely won’t continuously eat for two days in a row. Even the so called ‘frequent’ was also just ordering twice out of ten times. That’s why, for the rear kitchen to want to learn her preferences, they truly needed to put in quite the effort.
As such, for the people of the rear kitchen, there naturally wasn’t anyone that was particularly ‘favored’. Of course, this wasn’t a bad thing either. Without compet.i.tion, there naturally was also less of those petty matters. Moreover, the living Enma’s reputation was displayed there. They naturally didn’t dare to not put in their best. As the saying goes, there might not be a reward for doing well, but there certainly will be punishment if one messes up.
In reality, as long as one stays in Jin Qinw.a.n.g Manor for about a year, one will know, as long as one performs one’s duty well, not causing trouble, one’s days will be very good. It wasn’t the least bit like what outsiders says, saying that Jin Qinw.a.n.g Manor was a tiger’s lair.
However, the people of the manor for the most part won’t say anything outside. After all, they also believed that they weren’t the best in their field. If by chance more people were to know, all wanting to come to Jin Qinw.a.n.g Manor, then when time comes, there may not necessarily be any place left for them. More importantly, at the time, when they’d entered, they had already been warned to look after their own mouth. If they were to say anything that they shouldn’t say, then they definitely will suffer the consequences. Since they were uncertain whether or not it was something they can say, it was best to just not say anything at all.
The more people, the more power. That’s why, it wasn’t long before the evening meal was set on the table. If one were to carefully look, one would still discover some differences. Everything else aside, just this coordination wasn’t that meticulous. However, each dish was still perfect, not the least bit sloppy.
The two finished their meal and waited for the food to digest. Afterwards, they just headed to the study. There were some things that needed to be taken care of.
These things, whether or not Jing Wan wanted to understand, and whether or not she wanted to partic.i.p.ate in, all depended on her desire. If she were to want to go to the study one day, regardless of what, it all won’t be hidden from her.
[1] This saying traces back to how the dragon has nine sons in chinese mythology, and each of its sons were hybrid combinations of dragon and some other animal, hence the saying dragons are l.u.s.tful by nature, because they can bang anything and everything. For example, one of its more well known sons, Ya Zi is a wolf dragon hybrid, its image commonly used on swords, as pictured below. Overall the dragon’s nine sons all have symbolic meaning, and often used as decoration based on their role.
[2] Putting the painting on a scroll mount, below are the examples of the different types of mounts for a hanging scroll.