Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 13 Peach Blossom Fan 1
The next day.

Ye Beixuan got up early and strolled along the bluestone streets. Looking up, the entire county seemed shrouded in a brilliant cloud, but he was troubled by a question.

What gift should I prepare? It can't be too shabby, as the guests at such a wedding are likely to be high-ranking officials. But if it's too expensive, I don't have the money, and it will also look tacky.

Just then, Ye Beixuan happened to pass by a folding fan shop, and an idea suddenly occurred to him.

"Boss, how much is a folding fan?" Ye Beixuan asked softly.

The boss looked Ye Beixuan up and down, looking at his extraordinary appearance, then glanced at his ordinary blue shirt, and said suspiciously:

"What kind of folding fan do you need?"

"Which one is better? Could you recommend it to me?"

"Sir, please take a look at this folding fan. It is the finest fan we have here. The ribs are made of ivory and are crafted by a famous master. It is a favorite of dignitaries and nobles."

Ye Beixuan stroked the fan and felt a slight coolness. The fan was also covered with cloth. The inscription on it was beautiful and natural, and the landscape painting on it was lifelike.

It is indeed a good fan, but it is not what I need!
Seeing that Ye Beixuan couldn't let it go, the shop owner struck while the iron was hot and asked, "Sir, are you satisfied?"

"Excuse me, how much is this fan?"

"This fan is made of ivory ribs and covered with kesi silk. The inscription and painting on it are personally written by the current top scholar. Our price is fair, five hundred taels."

Hiss. Ye Beixuan took a breath of cold air. Five hundred taels, even if he sold it, he wouldn’t get that much. He immediately returned the fan to the shop owner.

"Boss, do you have any fans available here? They shouldn't be too expensive, maybe just a few dozen coins." Ye Beixuan said calmly.

I rely on the copper coins given by the audience to make a living! I will wait until I can settle down as a storyteller in this city and have some income and financial resources.
When the boss saw that Ye Beixuan didn't buy, he frowned immediately. It turned out that he had misjudged him and found him to be a poor scholar.

Noticing the boss's face darken, Ye Beixuan pretended not to notice and whispered, "What kind of blank fan do you have?"

"Oh oh oh! Yes, we have fan ribs made of bamboo and fan leaves made of ordinary silk. The price is not expensive, fifty cents, and there are no inscriptions or paintings." The boss smiled again. Although he did not buy the most expensive fan, he opened a business to do business. No matter the size, as long as the customer bought something, it was worth his smiling welcome.

"Well, I want it." Ye Beixuan fumbled around, took out fifty cents from his pocket and handed it to the shop owner.

After receiving the money, the shop owner immediately said with a smile: "Sir, please wait a moment."

After a while, the boss came out with a white flour fan that was made with very fine workmanship.

"Sir, this is the fan you requested."

Ye Beixuan took the fan, opened it and took a look. It was indeed good and worth the money. The silk was soft and smooth to the touch.

"Boss, can I borrow your table for a moment?"

The shop owner was stunned and thought to himself: Is this guy going to paint it himself? Well, there's nothing to lose anyway, so let him use it!

"Please."

"Boss, bring out your best fan." A figure stood at the door, and the person's voice was like a clear spring flowing through stones, warm and powerful.

Turning around, I saw a young man with extraordinary bearing and handsome appearance. He was obviously a scholar with a very high level of literary attainments.

"Hello, sir. This is our treasure. Look, this fan is made of ivory."

The shop owner immediately turned away from Ye Beixuan and began to diligently introduce the ivory fan he had just introduced to Ye Beixuan.

Ye Beixuan paid no attention to the others. Instead, he picked up his folding fan and slowly walked to the table to sit down. After a moment's thought, he took out his magic brush and began to write. As the brush moved, peach blossoms quietly bloomed on the fan.

The petals are tender and juicy, with bright colors, as if covered with morning dew. The stamens are clearly visible, and the whole peach blossom painting is lifelike, with a subtle fragrance floating in the air.

a long time.

"Huh" he exhaled deeply, looking at the lifelike and vivid peach blossoms, Ye Beixuan sighed secretly, it was indeed a stroke of god.

When he was about to pick up the fan and leave, he suddenly felt someone behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was the young man who had just bought the ivory fan. He frowned slightly, showing his displeasure at the other party, and was about to turn around and leave.

The young man was staring at Ye Beixuan's work in amazement, his eyes full of astonishment. When he saw Ye Beixuan was about to leave, he immediately reacted and said quickly, "Wait a minute, brother."

"What's the matter?" Ye Beixuan asked puzzledly.

"I see that you are a man of great bearing, and I would like to make friends with you. My name is Hou Fangting, and I am twenty years old." Hou Fangting bowed and saluted.

"Ye Beixuan, eighteen." Ye Beixuan bowed in return.

"I see that Brother Ye has superb painting skills. I'm afraid that even the current painting saint may not be able to paint the peach blossom picture he just painted." Hou Fangting came up and started praising him.

Was he really that good? Was this painting really that good? Ye Beixuan was also surprised. This divine stroke was so powerful.

"Thank you for your compliments, Brother Hou. I have something to do, so I'll leave first." I still have to attend the wedding! After that, I have to find an inn to tell stories.

"Wait a minute, brother. Could you write an inscription on a folding fan for me?" Perhaps feeling a little abrupt, he added, "I can pay you for it."

Remuneration? It was indeed good, but there was not enough time to paint another one. Ye Beixuan sighed to himself that he just had no luck with money.

So he said, "I'm sorry, Brother Hou, I have to go to a wedding banquet, and it will be too late if I'm late."

Seeing Ye Beixuan about to leave, Hou Fangting immediately said anxiously, "How about I exchange this fan, our most valuable treasure, with you?"

Ye Beixuan paused. His fan was worth five hundred taels! On second thought, this thing was perfect as a gift. At least it was better than what he had painted. After all, he could paint the fan however he wanted. After all, the other party had also given him a place to live. It would be a shame to be too shabby.

So he readily agreed.

After exchanging the fans, Ye Beixuan asked, "Brother, are you taking this fan as a wedding gift for the Liang and Zhu families?"

In fact, he just wanted to know whether his fan was a little shabby as a gift.

"Brother Ye, my family has already prepared the gifts. How can I bear to give this folding fan as a gift? I want to give it to a beautiful lady." Hou Fangting said lovingly after getting the folding fan.

"I just heard Brother Ye say that he was attending a wedding banquet. It should be the wedding of the Liang and Zhu families! What a coincidence, I also want to attend. Why don't you and I go together so that we can have someone to accompany us on the journey." Hou Fangting invited enthusiastically.

"That's great." Ye Beixuan didn't know much about the wedding rules here, so having someone to look after him would prevent him from making a fool of himself.

The streets and alleys are decorated with lights everywhere, and colorful silks hang from the eaves, fluttering in the wind, as if they are colorful ribbons scattered by fairies.

The two walked side by side on the street. They had handsome faces and slender bodies, attracting many young ladies to stop and watch them along the way.

Looking at the festive atmosphere filling the streets, Ye Beixuan couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart. Only the two richest men in Qingzhou could afford such a grand wedding! For an ordinary person, their entire life savings wouldn't be enough to cover this wedding.

"Brother Ye, the wedding banquet is ahead. It is said that Li Xianglian, the most talented woman in the Great Zhou, will come to congratulate today." A gentle voice brought Ye Beixuan back to his senses.

Li Xianglian? Who is she? Ye Beixuan nodded without asking, and the two of them walked over.

(End of this chapter)