Maids filed in carrying painting supplies.
Even Zhai Huan couldn't help but change his expression slightly. He put down the wine cup in his hand with a sullen face, and was about to stand up and speak - this is not an entertainment banquet. If you really admire Mr. Qi's paintings, you can just go to his house with a valuable gift after the banquet to ask for it, instead of treating him with the same contemptuous attitude as you would treat an actor...
Is the county magistrate trying to make fun of Qishan
However, these thoughts only lingered in his mind, and he did not speak them out loud, because he received a hint from Qi Shan's eyes halfway through, signaling him not to intervene. Zhai Huan hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, drank the wine cup, and found an excuse to go outside the hall to get some fresh air.
The county magistrate saw all of this.
He sneered secretly: "Young people are still too impatient."
Seeing Qishan holding the brush with his right hand, his posture was skillful and natural, and his strokes were decisive and neat, he asked: "Sir, can you paint with your left hand?"
Qi Shan answered naturally, "Yes, I learned it for a while when I was young out of curiosity, but it's not as flexible as my right hand."
The county magistrate recalled in a casual tone: "When I was young, I also knew a friend who could paint with his left hand. However, he did not learn it out of curiosity, but was born with it. For him, the left hand is much more useful than the right hand. Coincidentally, he has the same name, surname, and courtesy name as you."
Qi Shan said calmly: "Oh, such a coincidence?"
The county magistrate was a little embarrassed: "When I saw Mr. Danqing earlier, I thought it was that friend who came to Xiaocheng to visit our government."
Upon hearing this, Qi Shan handed the pen to his left hand and said fluently: "The county governor and his friend have a very close relationship, and their friendship is deep?"
The county magistrate sighed, "Yes, it's a pity that we haven't seen each other for many years."
Qishan smiled but said nothing, concentrating his attention on drawing on the paper.
Painting with your left hand
No one at the table was interested in this.
Because everyone in the world uses their right hand, and the right hand is respected, and the left hand is a special case. Even if some people are born more inclined to the left hand, the elders in the family will use means to correct it. Deliberately learning to paint with the left hand, isn't it just a small trick to attract attention
Immediately, some guests started chatting and laughing.
"In my humble opinion, learning to paint is 30% talent and 70% hard work. Solid painting skills and a solid foundation are the most important. Which hand you use to paint is secondary. If you are naturally good at using your left hand and your elders don't correct you in time, then there is nothing to say. But if you waste energy just for the sake of gimmicks, isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"
In this world, "painting" is mostly used for entertainment, and ordinary scholars will not put much effort in this aspect. Wouldn't it be better to spend more time studying the words and practicing meditation? If you indulge in it too much, you will be labeled as "losing your ambition due to playing with things".
Because he was not sure how close the relationship between the county magistrate and his friend was, he ignored that "friend" and only stepped on the unknown Qishan.
After he finished speaking, some familiar guests agreed with him with a smile.
The county magistrate remained silent.
When the guests saw this, they knew that Qishan was of no importance in the eyes of the county governor. He was just a dispensable thing that could be used for fun and did not need much respect. So the conversation became more about the "left-handed person", or "strange stories", or "gossip".
Qi Shan remained as calm as a mountain. He showed neither the anger of being humiliated nor the shame of being laughed at. It was as if the chattering around his ears was all nonsense and had nothing to do with him. It did not stir up any ripples in his heart.
The county magistrate sized Qishan up secretly while sipping his tea.
Feeling wavering inside.
It's not that he doubted that Qishan was the "Qishan" he knew. He had doubted before he saw him, and he was worried about it. He wanted to send someone to assassinate him, but he was too afraid to act rashly. It was not until he saw the real person that he felt relieved.
The two are too different to be the same person.
But he suspected that the man in front of him might be sent by his political enemies to disgust him, and "Qishan" was not his real name. In this way, the doubts made sense. Therefore, the county magistrate allowed and hinted at others to mock him, and also intended to provoke and test him.
Not long after, Qishan handed in the painting.
The county governor didn't look closely, but praised Qishan's painting skills. The other guests also gave him face and supported him, as if they were not the ones who were making sarcastic remarks and making indirect accusations. Qishan was too lazy to deal with it, so he made up an excuse and left with the reward.
Not long after he went out, he met Zhai Huan who was returning to the main hall.
Qi Shan asked, "Is Mr. Zhai a guest here?"
Zhai Huan: "Visiting famous people."
Celebrities
His enemy
Qi Shan tilted his head, thought for a while, and then remembered.
This enemy of his climbed up the ladder quickly and was good at flattering others, but he had a bad reputation. In order to make up for his shortcomings, he often invited celebrities from all over Sibao County to play together, and took the four words "catering to their tastes" to the extreme.
Whenever any celebrity passed through his territory, he would not let them go, making the guests fully feel the host's hospitality, giving them money, people and warmth, and being righteous, warm and generous.
After a while, she became a well-known celebrity (socialite) far and wide, and had a strong presence in the circle of celebrities (socialites).
Qi Shan smiled and asked, "What about him?"
Zhai Huan: “…”
Although he didn't say anything, his indescribable expression seemed to say it all, which made Qi Shan feel much happier.
He patted Zhai Huan on the shoulder and said mysteriously, "It's fun."
Zhai Huan: "Play?"
"I heard that the concubines kept by this county magistrate in his backyard are all extremely beautiful and have unparalleled looks. You may be blessed..."
Zhai Huan: “…”
His expression became more and more stiff, which made Qi Shan in a good mood. He made a "brush" gesture on his shoulder, as if Zhai Huan had found some stolen goods in this house, and then he laughed and walked away.
Zhai Huan said to Qi Shan from behind, "Sir, be careful too."
Since the county governor was a rotten thing on the inside, he would not let Qishan take away the gold ingots easily, so he should not let his guard down. Qishan naturally knew this.
However, he was not in a hurry at all. He used the money to make large purchases under the noses of the people sent by the county government. However, he did not buy all rice. Most of the money was wood charcoal, cloth seeds, and a few farm tools, pens, ink, paper and inkstone. It was difficult to figure out what he was trying to do.
More than forty trucks were filled.
Qishan was either on his way shopping or drinking and having fun everywhere. Sometimes he would catch a drunkard in a tavern and chat with him for an hour.
No useful content at all.
It's a lot of nonsense, which makes people yawn.
Qishan enjoyed it, and occasionally he would take his cat servant named "Su Shang" with him to buy fine ingredients or dried fish.
After three or four days, Qishan finally packed up and walked out of Xiaocheng. As soon as he left, a group of people followed him.
He has shifty eyes and harbors bad intentions.
They also heard by chance that this poor scholar had a huge fortune, so based on the principle of "if you miss it, you will miss it", they prepared to make a big move.
Who knew that when we followed him to the suburbs, the person from our sight suddenly disappeared.
"People? Where are the people?"
"Why did you suddenly disappear?"
Just as they were panicking, a laugh came from behind them.
"Are you looking for me?"
When I turned around, I saw a thin and gaunt scholar in a green robe, holding a sword in his hand and smiling. From a distance, he looked like a straight green bamboo.
The thieves: “…”
Just half a minute.
Qi Shan threw away the handkerchief he had used to wipe the blood off the sword.
He sheathed the sword and walked slowly into the mountains.
Faintly, one could still hear him whispering to someone.
"Su Shang, accompany Dad back to ring the bell."
"What bell are you asking?"
"Of course it's the knell for that villain!"