Chapter 73: A Little Knowledge of Painting
It was almost evening when I returned to the mansion.
Changle has fallen asleep since he came back, and even now that he is back home, he is still sleeping soundly.
Qin Wenyuan carried Changle back to the house and prepared to cover her with a quilt for sleep.
Unexpectedly, when they were halfway through the walk, Changle, who was still in his arms, rubbed her eyes in confusion.
"Madam, did I wake you up?" Qin Wenyuan's face was full of self-blame.
Changle shook her head, her face blushing a little.
The next moment, she pulled Qin Wenyuan's sleeve with her jade hand, "Husband, I... I woke up because of hunger."
When Qin Wenyuan heard this, he suddenly understood and his eyes widened.
He said, "I was so careless that I didn't even think about the fact that we went to the peach blossom forest at noon and haven't had any food yet ."
"Madam, let me carry you back to the house first. I'll ask the servants to make you something to eat later."
Hearing this, Changle shook her head and said, "Husband, shall we go out to eat?"
She was observant and knew that Qin Wenyuan asked the servants to bring food instead of coming himself, which meant that her husband had no time to accompany her.
Changle doesn't want to see this.
Today is a rare day that her husband has the whole day to herself, without being distracted by Yuheng, the shop, or even the imperial examination. She must seize this opportunity.
Qin Wenyuan never expected that his wife would think so much.
He just thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, since Madam wants to go out to eat, let's go together."
After he finished speaking, Changle nodded heavily, and when Qin Wenyuan wasn't paying attention, he showed a smug smile as if his evil plan had succeeded.
Chang'an is extremely lively at night, even more lively than during the day.
Crowds of people were coming and going, and the streets were filled with the cries of vendors.
Qin Wenyuan and Changle are also the most eye-catching people on this street.
It was not because of their looks that attracted him, but because Qin Wenyuan actually carried Changle on his back in front of everyone, as if he didn't see anything.
At this time, Changle put her arms around Qin Wenyuan's neck and waist. Because there were too many eyes around her, she was so embarrassed that she could only bury her head in Qin Wenyuan's shoulder.
And now she didn't dare to refute Qin Wenyuan. If she had known from the beginning that Qin Wenyuan was going to bring her out like this, Changle would never agree no matter what.
Not long after, Changle suddenly saw something that interested her. Her eyes lit up and she said, "My husband, look, that Kongming lantern is so pretty. It's pink, just like the color of the peach blossom forest we visited this afternoon."
Qin Wenyuan looked forward and saw a small stall with various kinds of Kongming lanterns.
Rationally speaking, the pink Kongming lantern that Changle mentioned is no different from other ones.
If there really is a difference, it should be pink, which reminds Changle of what happened in the peach blossom forest in the afternoon.
Qin Wenyuan smiled gently, "Madam, do you like it?"
"No, I just think it looks good." Changle shook his head.
It is said that husband and wife are of the same mind. Changle said that she didn't like it, but Qin Wenyuan didn't believe it. He smiled and said, "Really? Your husband likes it very much. Madam, wait for me."
Changle nodded slightly when she heard this, and watched Qin Wenyuan moving among the crowd coming and going. Her heart felt sweet, as if honey was dripping.
But when Qin Wenyuan was walking back with the rabbit he had bought, he found that his wife was missing.
He stood there in a daze, looking around, searching for Changle's figure in the crowd.
"Hey! The lotus this girl painted is so vivid with just a few strokes. It's amazing, really amazing."
Just when Qin Wenyuan was looking for someone everywhere, an old man's voice came from not far away.
Qin Wenyuan subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a woman in white brocade clothes standing in front of the stall. Her back alone was so beautiful that it was impossible to take your eyes off her.
Isn’t this the wife of Mr. Qin?
Is there anyone in this world who is more beautiful than his wife?
In the eyes of the beholder, every woman is beautiful. Qin Wenyuan only thinks Changle is the most beautiful woman in the world.
He hurried over and watched his wife holding the brush and painting smoothly on the rice paper, but he did not go over to disturb her.
But after a while, a lotus painting with a completely different flavor from the first one appeared on the rice paper.
As he watched, he forgot for a moment his panic at not being able to find Changle, and couldn't help but praise her.
"Wonderful, really wonderful, I never thought that Madam could paint so well."
Changle turned around when she heard the voice, and when she saw it was her husband, the corners of her face lifted slightly.
After all, painting is one of her stronger abilities. Now that Qin Wenyuan praises her so much, Changle is really happy.
Then, Changle picked up the rice paper on the stall and asked for praise: "Husband, please take a look at my lotus painting. Is it good?"
Just as Qin Wenyuan never gets tired of Changle praising him, Changle also likes to hear Qin Wenyuan praising himself.
Qin Wenyuan smiled indulgently, "Good, it's lifelike. Ordinary people would not be able to tell whether it's real or fake at a glance."
"By the way, Madam, why did you suddenly want to paint at this stall? If we are so interested, we can go home and paint."
But before Changle could explain, the old man spoke first: "This young master doesn't know something."
"Sir, pick a piece of paper at random from this blind box. What is written on it? If you can draw it, you will get some rewards from me."
Qin Wenyuan became interested. "That's right. But if that's the case, old man , wouldn't you be at a loss?"
“After all, we are just painting, we don’t have to pay anything, but you, old man, need to give something away.”
The old man laughed out loud when he heard this: "Haha, young master, if I don't want money and let you draw the lottery, I will naturally lose money, so..."
The old man rubbed his hands together and said, "Of course, some silver is needed."
Qin Wenyuan nodded as if he had learned something new. "That's a new way to play."
"Husband, you...you don't want to paint too, do you?" Changle asked in surprise.
She didn't know that Qin Wenyuan could draw. If he really could...
Changle felt like she was about to collapse. After all, if she couldn't even paint as well as her husband, she would be such a failure!
"I know a thing or two." Qin Wenyuan chuckled.
