Page 7
"This is my master. Please ask Mr. Li to draw a portrait of him." Butler Li gestured to Chen Mu to look at the bed and whispered, "The master is seriously ill. If something unexpected happens, it would be good to leave a portrait of him for future generations to admire."
Chen Mu looked over blankly and saw an old man with a pale face and barely breathing lying on his back on the bed, unconscious.
"The best writing materials are ready, let's get started."
Chen Mu: “…”
This...this is asking me to draw a portrait!
Where is the beautiful young lady you promised me?
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 7 Blocked
Just paint, it’s not shameful to make money.
"Please bring the clothes and accessories that Master Wang wears daily."
"It would be better to call the maid who helps Master Wang with his hair and bath."
"Bring me another nicer chair."
Butler Li looked at Chen Mu in surprise, went out to ask Young Master Wang for instructions, and then arranged everything according to Chen Mu's request.
The person being portrayed should have been dressed and dressed before being painted.
Unfortunately, looking at the condition of the person on the bed, it’s hard to say whether he can even see the sun tomorrow, let alone get dressed and pose.
If it weren’t for the second-level drawing skill, Chen Mu really wouldn’t dare to accept it.
Now he is full of confidence.
When Chen Mu saw Mr. Wang's clothes, his mind suddenly popped up of him being neatly dressed.
After carefully asking the maid about her daily routine, I already had a clear idea of what Mr. Wang's face and hairstyle looked like when he was in good health.
Pair it with an antique and heavy armchair.
The effect of the entire portrait is clearly presented before your eyes.
Chen Mu looked at Master Wang again, then immediately lowered his head to paint.
An hour later, Chen Mu put down his pen and stood up.
"Mr. Chen has a great hand!" Butler Li, who had always had a cold face, couldn't help but be moved.
The person in the painting has a full face, bright eyes, and meticulously combed hair. The overall image is very different from the person on the hospital bed.
But Butler Li knew that this was what Master Wang looked like when he was in good health!
He didn't expect that this poor scholar who had always been unknown actually had such ability.
……
In the carriage, Chen Mu was holding a small cloth bag with a happy look on his face.
Inside was ten taels of silver, a reward from Steward Li.
At the same time, his rent was waived for one year.
In Qingshan County, one tael of silver could be exchanged for about 1,200 copper coins.
Three hundred copper coins are enough for a family of three to spend for a month, and that’s enough to feed them.
Ten taels of silver, if saved a little, can support a family's needs for three years!
This is a huge sum of money for Chen Mu!
But Butler Li gave it to him casually.
In addition to the fact that his portrait was indeed outstanding, the Wang family was wealthy and did not lack this little money.
"Now we can finally eat meat!"
I spent half a month in seclusion, practicing painting. Although I ate a lot every meal, it was only vegetables and wheat.
Not only did I not gain weight, I actually lost weight.
When they arrived at Dongshi, Chen Mu got off the bus early, ran to the butcher shop, bought two pounds of pork belly, and walked home carrying it.
After enduring hardship for a month and a half, he wants to have a good meal today.
As I was walking, I passed by a martial arts school.
Hearing the shouts in the martial arts hall, Chen Mu couldn't help but stop and watch.
He did not forget Captain Lu, who could take five or six meters in one step.
There is a plaque with black background and gold characters hanging in the martial arts hall, which reads "Baiyun Martial Arts Hall".
Chen Mu stood at the door and watched calmly.
Some apprentices were lifting stone locks, some were wielding spears, and some were dancing with swords. The activity was very lively.
After watching for a while, Chen Mu walked out of the martial arts hall in disappointment.
Those training methods are basically ways to build strength, similar to lifting weights in the gym in the previous life.
With these methods, one cannot develop the ability of Captain Lu to jump five or six meters.
"No hurry, take your time to find out."
……
The next day, Chen Mu didn't get up to wash until noon.
He risked everything and secluded himself for a month and a half. The world was strange and the future was uncertain. All of this brought him tremendous pressure.
But the ten taels of silver he earned yesterday finally made Chen Mu breathe a sigh of relief.
With this money, he won't have to worry about going hungry for at least one or two years.
More importantly, he has mastered a skill that is enough to support himself and even live a good life.
"It's just a pity to paint a portrait for someone right after the opening. It would be better if a beautiful singer came."
After eating and drinking, Chen Mu packed his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and prepared to go to Anlefang to continue selling paintings.
Ping'anfang, where Chen Mu lived, was in the southeast of Qingshan County. The houses here were all low-rise buildings, and it was a civilian gathering area.
The roads are all small alleys with twists and turns.
Just after turning a corner, a tall, fat man came towards me.
The other person stared at Chen Mu with his eyes full of flesh, which made people tremble with fear just by looking at him.
Chen Mu instinctively felt something was wrong and turned around to leave the alley.
I don't know when a short man stood behind me.
The other person looked at Chen Mu with a smile, a playful look on his face, like a cat playing with a mouse.
Being blocked!
Chen Mu panicked for a moment, and quickly recalled his previous memories, but he did not find the two people. He also had no memory of having any grudges with others.
"I have made an appointment with the Wang family in the city to paint a portrait of the master of the Wang family today. If we delay, you two will be held responsible." Chen Mu tried to remain calm.
"You're trying to scare me." The short man smiled and said, "Didn't you finish the painting yesterday?"
Chen Mu's heart sank. These two people came prepared!
"All my writing fees are here. Can you let me go?" Chen Mu took out a cloth bag and said. At this time, he calmed down.
He decided to spend money to avoid disaster.
We know that these people are like dog-skin plasters, and once you get on them, you can't easily avoid them.
But if he doesn't give it to him, the other party will definitely snatch it away by force, and maybe even beat him up.
"That's not enough, we need to add something else." The short man said with a smile as he approached, his tone full of frivolity and playfulness.
Chen Mu couldn't help but frown. Apart from this bag of money, he didn't have any other valuables.
"Including your hands!" the tall and strong man said coldly.
Chen Mu's heart suddenly turned cold.
"Can you tell me who asked you to come here?" This is not just a simple robbery!
The short man looked at Chen Mu in surprise: "Aren't you afraid?"
"Fear." Chen Mu said calmly. But fear couldn't stop the two men.
The short man frowned.
Why does this guy look so indifferent?
Shouldn't he panic and kneel down to beg for mercy?
"Break off his arms!" the short man said coldly.
Wait till I break both of your hands, and then I’ll see if you can still remain so calm.
Chen Mu's scalp tightened and he suppressed the instinctive urge to run away. He looked at the two of them carefully.
He wanted to remember the appearances of these two people, and he was able to remember their appearances.
"Look at your mother!" The short man was annoyed when Chen Mu stared at him.
He kicked Chen Mu to the ground.
"Why, you still want to take revenge on us, right?"
"Wait until I break your legs and blind your eyes, then I'll see how you'll take revenge!" said the short man viciously.
They hang out on the streets all year round, and their vicious tactics are commonplace.
The tall and strong man took two steps to Chen Mu and stomped hard on Chen Mu's palm.
Chen Mu couldn't help but tense up.
boom!
A black shadow flashed before my eyes, but the expected pain did not come.