Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 143: Painting Hukou Waterfall

Chapter 143: Painting Hukou Waterfall

[Suggested song for this Chapter – The Pensione Bertollini, Richard Robbins]

Tan Bowen was dressed elegantly in a blue robe and matching cloak, that was too dark to be royal blue, but was not quite navy, a colour that highlighted his pale complexion, and his unusual brown hair. A thick brown fur collar kept his neck warm in the chill late-winter air at the falls, elegant matching gloves with fur at the cuffs completed his ensemble.

The day was perfect, high blue skies without even a cloud. Hukou waterfall remained frozen, creating a spectacular landscape of icicles dripping from rocks, the white of the frozen landscape merging with the white froth of the churning river.

Tan Bowen carried an easel and paints. His instructions had changed at the last minute. Head to Hukou Waterfall first.

Wang Feilin had made an unexpected trip to the falls to see the unique landscape and paint it. Tan Bowen would also make the pilgrimage to the waterfall, ostensibly for painting and poetic inspiration.

His manservant had run up ahead to scout for him.

"Sir, Sir," he panted as he ran back to his young master, "I think the young lady you seek is up ahead on the rocks. There’s a rainbow which she seems to be trying to capture in her painting."

That would be her for sure, thought Tan Bowen.

"Very good. Thank you Liu Kai. Fall in behind me now and carry my paints and easel. Make sure not to startle the young lady if she’s already seen you."

"I made sure to stay out of sight, Young Master."

"Be that as it may, young ladies of noble families are easily startled when they’re outside the house. Try and keep her maidservant occupied for me. But don’t be weird."

"I definitely won’t be weird, Young Master," the young servant said eagerly.

Tan Bowen looked at him dubiously. His boyish enthusiasm had the feel of a bull in a china shop.

"Alright, just do your best."

As they came up a rise in the rocky path that had been marked out along the river, Tan Bowen saw the young lady in question in the distance.

He knew it was Wang Feilin straight away, by the ridiculous amount of gold jewellery the girl wore in her hair. Here was evidence of the unexpected wealth of her Wang family, who should just be low-lying provincial officials.

When he reached a flat rock with a good outlook over the river and across to the icicle-covered rocks on the far side, he instructed Liu Kai to set up his easel for him and he commenced painting the landscape.

It really was quite beautiful, so it wasn’t a difficult assignment from that perspective.

A perfect arched rainbow shimmered across the river, curving from the air above him, before it dipped into the river. He captured it with light strokes of pastel watercolour, allowing the colours to expertly bleed and run together.

Liu Kai stood respectfully well-back from his master while he painted, deliberately standing on the side where Wang Feilin and her maid were situated.

Tan Bowen didn’t look in the woman’s direction, pretending an intense focus on his art, knowing that his handsome appearance and attire would be piquing her interest.

After he had been painting for around half-an-hour, he called Liu Kai over.

"Is she looking my way?" he whispered.

"Yes, Young Master," said the servant with excitement. He only knew that this was a young woman in whom his master had some interest. "She has glanced your way a number of times," he said behind his hand.

Tan Bowen nodded. "Good. Why don’t you open our snacks and pour me some tea. Take a tray of the dragon beard candy over to the ladies and offer them some. Tell them your master didn’t feel it was right to be enjoying such a delicacy without offering to share it with the other artist at these falls."

"Yes, Young Master! I’ll go right away!" he said enthusiastically, rushing off to unpack the snacks and tea.

"Don’t rush, don’t rush," Tan Bowen called. "The rocks are slippery. You don’t want to fall and drop the candy."

"Don’t worry, Master. I’ll be extra careful!"

Tan Bowen laughed and shook his head. The poor young man clearly thought that he had a genuine romantic interest in the girl. Oh well, at least his servant’s honest actions should convince the two women...

After Liu Kai had handed a cup of tea and a candy to Tan Bowen, he carefully approached Wang Feilin and her maid. The woman stopped painting and watched him come nearer.

"Go and see what he wants, before he gets too close," she said to her maid.

The maid rushed forward to meet him before Liu Kai was within striking distance of her mistress.

"What do you want with my Young Mistress?" she asked him sharply.

"My Young Master is taking morning tea," Liu Kai told her. "He asked me to share this plate of dragon beard candies with his fellow artist at the falls, your Young Mistress."

He held out the lacquered bamboo basket, not moving any closer to the maid, so as not to alarm her.

The girl looked back at her mistress, knowing she would have heard what the manservant said. Wang Feilin nodded at her maid to accept the basket, and the girl strode forward and took it from Liu Kai, nodding a quick thanks at him, before rushing back to hand it to her mistress.

Wang Feilin removed the lid, and saw a beautiful tray of dragon beard candy, all sitting in ruffled papers of varying pastel shades, like a pretty posy of sweet peas. She beamed with pleasure, taking one out and nibbling on it. It had a delicious sesame seed filling.

"Mmm," she said with satisfaction. "Very yummy. Take the young master over some of our zhuanggao in return Biyu," she told her maid. "And pass on my thanks to him."

"Yes, Young Miss."

Biyu picked her way along the rocky path with a tray of zhuanggao, pretty little rice cakes with a red bean filling.

As she approach Tan Bowen, she called out, "Young Master?"

He carefully laid down his brush and turned to face the maid, gracing her with a faint smile.

The woman’s knees turned weak, as she saw the handsome young man’s face for the first time. She gulped.

"Y... Young Master, m... my Young Mistress gives you her thanks for the dragon beard candy you sent over. In return she sends you this tray of zhuanggao."

"How very kind of your young mistress," Tan Bowen threw the full force of his looks at the hapless maid. "May I know her name?"

"She is Miss Wang Feilin," the maid replied without hesitation.

A man this handsome couldn’t possibly be bad.

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