The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 1072 - 244: I Like to Slap Faces

Chapter 1072: Chapter 244: I Like to Slap Faces

The paper was set, and Huang Qiu brought the colors, preparing the brushes.

The brushes of Shen Mansion had been improved by Shen Songming, and she still found them very handy to use; with a flourish of her brush, a draft sketch of a turtle sprang onto the paper.

The group of women waiting to see the commotion couldn’t help but stifle their laughter.

Wei Shu was also somewhat astonished, "Madam Yuanyang, you... there’s no need..." If she couldn’t do it, there was no need for this embarrassment, she could just admit it.

Lady Mo watched on, also not believing that Mo Heng would truly be fond of Pei Qin, spending his life dedicated to her—it was merely using her as a stepping stone. Glancing again at the turtle’s original form with four legs on the paper, mockery flashed in her eyes. She really knew how to provide their amusement!

Pei Qin sneered, "What’s the rush!" She began to focus intently on her sketch.

Huang Qiu and Xue Dong held back faces full of helplessness; even if Madam was angry, there was no need to paint a turtle! Now, those women had even more reason to laugh at her!

Madam Dou found it somewhat unbearable to watch.

Dou Mingying watched awkwardly from the side.

When those old fellows were waiting for the experimental results, she didn’t like sitting idly by and enjoyed painting aquatic creatures to pass the time. The most lifelike among them was this turtle! Only, it was rarely painted on paper.

With deft strokes of her brush, Pei Qin worked quickly, and soon the shape and color of the turtle came to life on the paper, the fierce strokes depicting its incredibly hard shell.

Wei Shu watched from the side, wanting to put her down but not wanting her to bring too much shame to Mo Heng. But as she watched, her expression changed.

Switching to a finer brush, Pei Qin carefully painted the eyes, perfecting the form. Then, picking up a wolf-hair brush, she dipped it into the paint and with a few bold strokes, the roiling calm waves appeared beneath the belly of the turtle.

Pei Qin threw the brush aside and reached out to wash her hands.

Wei Shu clenched her fists. One look at the turtle’s eyes, and a chill ran down her spine. The turtle might not move, but its aura was commanding; especially those cold, fierce eyes—it made her tremble inside.

The women who had gathered around to watch were also startled. Though it was a painting of a turtle, it was remarkably lifelike! Particularly its commanding aura—it seemed not like a turtle, but rather a powerful general undefeated on the battlefield!

Pei Qin dried her hands and approached, "Put my seal on this painting, and present it to Elder Statesman!"

Xue Dong had brought her seal with her, stamped the painting, and took it to deliver to Shen Bi.

The women watched her bold move; the painting might have been good, but to paint a turtle and then to brazenly gift it to Elder Shen, it was really...

Dou Mingying wanted to remind Pei Qin it was inappropriate, but seeing her unfazed, she let it be.

Madam Dou looked at Madam Shen and Great-grandmother Shen, and sighed. Pei Qin, though a woman, served as an official in the same court as Elder Shen. They had invited an esteemed Buddha to their home, thinking that stepping on her wouldn’t matter much.

Madam Shen watched Pei Qin’s arrogant actions and told Great-grandmother Shen to look away—Pei Qin was a coarse person. They had invited her over for social reasons, hoping she wouldn’t make a scene.

Great-grandmother Shen didn’t mind, "I didn’t expect Madam Yuanyang’s painting skills to be so exquisite, yet still kept hidden! Come quickly, join the poetry society, and this time no more concealing your talent! Let us all have an eye-opener!"

Others had already composed a line or two of so-called exquisite verses about the pond full of lotuses.

Pei Qin looked over and found they were praising the lotus for its purity, untouched by the mud, though they had spun their wording every which way. Without second thought, she wrote, inspired by the poem "Exhortation to Learn": The ancients who studied without wearying, the young must work and the old must finish; Knowledge gained from paper seems shallow at last, one must truly practice to understand their craft.

Such scholarly verses, seemingly not what she would come up with, and the fact that she had written so effortlessly made them suspect she had used Mo Heng’s work!

Wei Shu was the first to see the satire; using ’practice’ to mock their ’shallow knowledge,’ suggesting they wanted lotus seeds without picking them themselves.

"I’m someone who prefers to take direct action, to fully immerse in my tasks, and thus find more joy," Pei Qin said with a smile, throwing down her brush.

"It has indeed been heard. But it’s been a long time since Madam Yuanyang has immersed herself in her tasks—we haven’t tasted that refined soy sauce for ages," Lady Mo also looked at her with a smile.

"Don’t get me started, even the Emperor can’t get ahold of it! I’ve been too busy lately, no time to make soy sauce," Pei Qin shot her a glance. The Mo family, she hadn’t come to them yet, but here they were bumping into her!

Lady Mo chuckled lightly, "Well, that is true, Madam Yuanyang is a General’s Wife after all. Just curious what Madam Yuanyang has been busy with lately? When might we see it in the spotlight?"