Chapter 9 Mysterious Blue and White Porcelain 5. The painter of the dead
Since Wu Yu and Yunyun suspected that the woman in the portrait was similar to Niao Niao , Yunyun paid more attention to Niao Niao. As for Wu Yu, in order to find the secret of the woman in the blue and white porcelain, he left the ancient house in the evening of the next day with the lady's portrait in a mysterious way.
After being in Wuzhen for so many days, Wu Yu has gradually become familiar with this place. He knows where to find people who can help him, so he went to the Second Street in the West District, where there are people who specialize in painting portraits.
Wu Yu strolled in the dark Second Street for a while and saw an old man in his sixties or seventies with a white beard, who was lowering his head to paint a portrait. So he walked over with full confidence.
The old man was concentrating on the portrait and did not notice Wu Yu coming in.
Wu Yu approached and saw the old man painting a young girl. The painting was very realistic, almost lifelike. Compared with the old man, Wu Yu thought Yunyun's level was far below his. In shock, Wu Yu unconsciously compared them in his heart.
The old man seemed to have noticed someone beside him. He slowly raised his head and stared at Wu Yu with his unclear eyes, which made Wu Yu feel uneasy. He smiled calmly and said, "I'm here... I'm here to paint a portrait." Wu Yu wanted to ask him about the maid painting and the blue and white porcelain portrait, but was afraid that he would not tell him the truth, so he decided to say this after weighing the pros and cons.
" Portrait ?" The old man looked at him puzzledly.
"Yes." Wu Yu nodded.
"I have always painted portraits for the dead and have never been in the business of painting portraits for the living." The old man said with a sly smile.
"Drawing portraits of dead people?" Wu Yu asked in surprise.
"Yes, for decades, I have made a living by painting the dead."
Wu Yu was stunned and didn't know what to say.
"The young man must have come from other places. Everyone in Wuzhen knows that I specialize in painting the dead."
After hearing this, Wu Yu hesitated and said, "Sorry to bother you."
The old man chuckled.
Wu Yu came out and thought to himself, how could such a strange thing happen in this ancient town? The girl in the portrait just now...
Wu Yu opened the Waiting Girl Picture and looked at it carefully for a while. Suddenly he thought of something, turned around and walked to another street, and stopped at the door of a shop that looked like a portrait studio.
"Painter, I want to ask you something." Wu Yu said after hesitating for a moment.
The painter looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What's the matter?"
Wu Yu handed over the picture of the waiting woman. The old man took it and looked at it. He was shocked. Wu Yu looked at his expression and was secretly surprised.
"Painter, what's going on?" Wu Yu whispered.
"How did this picture of a waiting woman end up in your hands?" The portrait looked at Wu Yu again in surprise.
Wu Yu couldn't understand the meaning behind the painter's strange look for a moment, and asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
"This is a long-lost painting of waiting women. No one in the ancient town has ever seen it in decades." The painter's face showed joy as if he had found a treasure.
"Is this painting really that precious?" Wu Yu asked in surprise and joy.
The painter nodded.
Wu Yu was so surprised that he was speechless. He had no idea that this painting of waiting for a woman was so precious.
"I didn't expect the woman in the portrait to be more lifelike than the legend." The painter's words scared Wu Yu.
"Does the painter know the woman in the portrait?" Wu Yu asked hurriedly.
The painter shook his head and murmured, "No one in the ancient town has ever seen the woman in the portrait, but there is one person who has really seen her."
"who?"
"My master."
"Your master?" Wu Yu thought that since he was already this old, his master must be even older?
"good."
"Then where is your master now? Can you tell me? I want to ask him about the woman in the portrait." He suddenly got a clue about the maid's portrait. Although it was just a few words, it was enough to make him ecstatic. But the questions that followed made him suppress his current joy. He asked in a low voice, and his tone was really incomparable pious.
The painter suddenly sighed and said, "Many years ago, my master went to a mysterious place to paint this picture, and then mysteriously disappeared."
Wu Yu's joy disappeared when he heard this, and his doubts grew. After a moment, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is the woman in the portrait really just a legend?"
"No, it's a real person. I remember one night many years ago, a mysterious person came to my master to ask him to draw a portrait of his deceased relative, but I didn't expect that it was the legendary white fox."
The more Wu Yu listened, the more he felt something was fishy. How could this happen?
"The women in the portraits are actually dead, because my master only paints portraits of the dead."
Wu Yu thought of this point from the moment he started talking about the portrait.
"Does your master also paint porcelain?"
"He also draws, and his drawings are more realistic than real people."
"Then take a look at this." Wu Yu said as he put out the stolen blue and white porcelain.
The painter was even more horrified when he saw the woman in the portrait. Wu Yu more or less guessed what he meant.
"Judging from the delicate brushstrokes, it is indeed from my master's hand, but how did it end up in your hand?" The old man looked up at him in confusion, his expression suddenly changing.
"I can't say that." Faced with the old man's questioning, Wu Yu was a little at a loss. Fortunately, he had done enough preparation. Although he was nervous, he was not panicked and soon calmed down.
The old man fell silent for a long time. Wu Yu was getting anxious now. He ignored his own manners and kept asking, "Can the painter tell whether the back of the woman in the waiting woman painting is related to the woman in the blue and white porcelain?"
The old man squinted his eyes and looked at it carefully for a while before answering: "There is indeed some similarity, or it is really the same person."
The old man's answer undoubtedly confirmed Wu Yu's doubts, and Wu Yu was pleasantly surprised. But what was the relationship between the woman on the blue and white porcelain and Niao Niao? Why was the woman in the maid's painting only painted from behind, while the blue and white porcelain was more realistic than a real person?
"Sir, can you resell these two items?" The old man showed great interest in the paintings of ladies and blue-and-white porcelain in Wu Yu's hands.
Wu Yu shook his head, feeling that he seemed to know about this matter, and thought that he didn't need to stay any longer, so as not to cause more trouble and harm to himself. So he came out and left quickly. He was also worried that the old man would follow him, and if that happened, the consequences would be disastrous.
