A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 36 Jiang Qingyu

At dusk, the lights come on.

It was not yet the busiest time in Huaying Tower, but faint sounds of laughter and rock-paper-scissors could be heard from the building. Even the ladies who had some free time were dressed up beautifully, waiting for their patrons to come.

At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared under an old locust tree at the intersection diagonally opposite Huaying Building.

The man was wearing a brown shorts and had a slender build.

He had a saddle bag hanging on his shoulder, which contained brushes, inkstones, cinnabar and other items.

There was a large rack under his right hand and a stool hanging on his wrist.

He had a sword on his waist and a lantern in his left hand.

This is truly a walking human-shaped shelf!
The person who came was Duan Rong, who had a square face, bright eyes and a dark complexion.

Duan Rong walked to the old locust tree, placed the easel and stool under the tree first, then drew his knife and stabbed the ox tail into the trunk of the old locust tree, and then hung the lantern in his hand on the handle of the knife.

The dim light from the lantern immediately cast a mottled yellow halo.

Duan Rong then set up the easel and removed the rice paper fixed on the easel, leaving only one piece of rice paper on the drawing board.

Then, Duan Rong pulled out a wooden board from behind the drawing board.

Duan Rong's right hand flashed, and he pinched out an inch-long iron nail from his sleeve. He circulated his energy in the palm of his right hand and gently clapped it with his hand.

The wooden board was fixed to the tree trunk under the lantern with iron nails. Under the dim light, one could see a layer of white paper pasted on the board, with a few large square characters written in thick ink, written in a very powerful manner: Photo, ten taels per piece.

Duan Rong looked at the words on the wooden board and nodded with satisfaction. Then he put the stool away, mixed the dye, and sat quietly waiting.

This Huayinglou is the application scenario he has chosen for the new business model.

The business is all set, now all that’s left is promotion…

Duan Rong decided to adopt the simplest and most primitive promotion method, which is ground promotion!
Duan Rong sat there, his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, and he silently said in his heart: Jiang Taigong fishes and those who are willing to take the bait...

Jiang Qingyu is the only son of Jiang Heng, the boss of a silk shop in Xiangu County.

The Jiang family not only owns four silk shops in Xiangu County, but also runs a large dyeing factory. Their business is quite big and they are considered one of the major forces in Xiangu County.

Jiang Heng's only son, Jiang Qingyu, is only seventeen years old this year. He has a handsome face and affectionate eyes. He is the epitome of a gentleman who is as kind as jade.

Jiang Qingyu is not only beautiful, but also has a good talent for martial arts. At a young age, she has already mastered the Jiang family's inherited martial arts - the Fantasy Cloud Sword Technique, to the third level of internal energy.

Jiang Qingyu is the only son of the Jiang family and is extremely talented, so he is doted on by his grandmother. He has never lacked money and is a frequent visitor to the Huaying Tower.

The four major flower shadows each have their own characteristics.

Lotus shadow, seductive and lascivious.

The shadow of plum blossom is cool and handsome.

The shadows of chrysanthemums are bold and bright.

Orchid shadow, sad and elegant.

But Jiang Qingyu only loves Lan Ying, and tonight is the night they have agreed to meet.

In the afternoon, Jiang Qingyu and a group of friends drank some wine and gambled a few times. They were still a little tipsy, so they rode on a green-maned horse. Jiang Rong, his personal servant, held a lantern in one hand to light the way and held the horse's bridle with the other hand. They rode slowly, while Jiang Qingyu himself sat on the horse's back and took a nap.

Just as he passed under the big locust tree at the corner of the street opposite Huaying Building, Jiang Qingyu felt a little dazzling. He thought he had arrived, so he raised his eyelids and found that he was under the big locust tree.

There was a knife stuck in the tree trunk, and it was the halo of the lantern hanging on the back of the knife that caught his eyes.

There was a stool under the tree, and a man was sitting on it. He had a square face, a broad forehead, and a dark complexion. There was a strangely shaped shelf in front of him.

There was a sign nailed to the tree trunk behind the man. Under the dim light, one could see a few large cursive characters written on it. They were elegant and powerful, but the distance was too far and the writing was too sloppy. Jiang Qingyu couldn't see clearly what the characters said. Jiang Qingyu was slightly surprised and stopped his horse.

When the servant Jiang Rong saw Jiang Qingyu rein in his horse, he immediately raised his lantern and asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

"Go and see what that man is doing?" Jiang Qingyu said, nodding his chin at Duan Rong who was standing under the old locust tree.

Jiang Rong walked up to Duan Rong holding a lantern, his big toad-like eyes blinking as he glanced at Duan Rong and the wooden frame in front of him. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, and he asked in a somewhat unfriendly tone, "Boy, what are you doing under this big tree?"

Duan Rong raised his eyes and glanced at Jiang Rong, but did not reply. Instead, he pointed at the sign nailed to the tree trunk beside him.

Jiang Rong looked at the sign and it seemed to have six large characters in two rows. Although he could read some characters, the characters were written in cursive script so he had no way of understanding them.

Jiang Rong was immediately annoyed and was about to lose his temper when Duan Rong suddenly said, "I'm setting up a stall here to sell paintings. Ten taels per painting."

Jiang Rong was slightly stunned. Although Duan Rong was not good-looking, he spoke in a calm and composed manner, and did not sound like an ordinary person who had never seen the world.

Jiang Rong snorted coldly, then turned and walked back to the blue-maned horse, saying, "Sir, he's a painter."

"Painter?"

"Well, ten taels a painting."

"What? Ten taels per piece. Are his paintings made with gold powder?"

Jiang Qingyu lost a lot of money gambling in the afternoon, and he was feeling depressed. He was a young man with a confused and chivalrous demeanor. He immediately got off his horse and said angrily, "It's this kind of charlatan that I hate!"

Jiang Qingyu walked up to Duan Rong with an angry look on his face. Under the bright yellow light, he finally saw the words on the sign beside Duan Rong: Photo, ten taels per piece.

When Jiang Qingyu approached, the first thing that surprised him was that the cursive writing on the sign was actually very well written.

Although he has not reached the level of famous artists, he definitely has a solid foundation. Without years of hard work, it would be impossible to write with such power.

Jiang Qingyu was born into a wealthy family and could be said to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Since he was a child, the Jiang family has spent a lot of resources to cultivate him.

He started learning literature at the age of eight and martial arts at the age of twelve.

The teachers invited were all famous masters in the prefectures and counties.

Although martial arts are popular in this world, young people only start practicing martial arts after the age of twelve, because if they are younger, their bodies are too weak and they may easily injure their muscles and bones while practicing martial arts.

Therefore, Jiang Qingyu first learned literature and then martial arts. He also studied calligraphy and painting with famous masters for several years.

Naturally, one could see the skill behind Duan Rong's calligraphy at a glance.

After seeing the words, Jiang Qingyu's opinion of Duan Rong has slightly changed. "Maybe this guy really has some skills?"

Jiang Qingyu looked at Duan Rong and asked, "What is a photo?"

Duan Rong raised his bright eyes and said, "I will use my brush to restore your original appearance, and that will be a portrait!"

Jiang Qingyu was shocked by what he said. "What a big tone!"

"Jiang Rong, give him ten taels of silver. I want to see how you can restore my original appearance."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rong picked up the lantern, took out a small ten-liang silver note from his sleeve, and placed it on the crossbar of Duan Rong's easel.

Duan Rong glanced at the banknote and said, "Young Master, you can pay me after you finish the painting."

"No!" Jiang Qingyu said, "I'll give it to you first. If the painting is not good, I will smash your stall!"

Duan Rong stopped talking after hearing this. He just smiled meaningfully, straightened his easel, and said, "Young Master, please come closer. I can't see clearly in the shadow of the tree..."

(End of this chapter)