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墨書 Inktalez
The footbridge was bustling with activity. At this moment, more stalls had set up, creating a lively night market. Hanno walked purposefully towards one of the stalls. The stall sold various accessories: brooches made of rhinestones, beautifully designed and sparkling; pearl necklaces, each pearl perfectly round, undoubtedly cultured... These items might not be worth much in modern times, but if taken back to ancient times...
Hanno spent two hundred yuan on a pearl necklace and three hairpins. The tops of the three hairpins were adorned with rhinestones—one shaped like a green dragonfly, another like a purple butterfly, and the last one resembling a red camellia. Although the camellia was beautiful, it could not compare to the uniqueness of the other two. The wings of the dragonfly and butterfly were fitted with delicate springs that fluttered even without wind, making them look incredibly lifelike.
Holding these three items, Hanno returned to her rented room and wrote down her requests, placing the hairpins and pearl necklace into the Porcelain Jar.
...
The next morning, when the Li siblings saw the contents of the Porcelain Jar, their mouths dropped open in astonishment.
"This is a real treasure," Li Zhoule exclaimed. "So beautiful!"
As a girl, the allure of accessories was something boys could hardly imagine. Li Yishu thought the four items were pretty and incredibly valuable, but Li Zhoule felt a possessive urge rising within her. However, as soon as this thought emerged, she suppressed it; these were divine treasures that she could not covet.
Hanno would not treat those who helped her poorly. Seeing Hanno's handwritten note filled Li Zhoule with delight. Sister Han had gifted her the red camellia hairpin. Although it was not as exquisite as the other two hairpins, it would surely be a rare treasure when taken outside. Li Zhoule carefully tucked away the camellia hairpin. Such an item was meant for personal admiration; she could not wear it out. Otherwise, losing or damaging it would be too painful.
"Big sister, it turns out Sister Han also enjoys collecting ancient calligraphy and paintings like those from prominent families," Li Yishu remarked, not understanding what was so special about ancient artworks. Although he could barely be considered scholarly, he had not developed any refined tastes typical of scholars. To him, antiques and paintings were useless; they required careful preservation and offered none of the charm of gold or silver.
Li Zhoule ruffled Li Yishu's hair, fully aware of her brother's mindset: "Sister Han is noble and elegant, unlike you who only cares about money."
Li Yishu made a face and ran out of the storage room. Those items were all for women; he could just leave them to her. He had no interest in touching them—though he did find the dragonfly and butterfly on the hairpins fascinating and wanted to feel their fluttering wings.
...
Sun Shopkeeper had grown accustomed to the surprises brought by Li Zhoule and Wen Zixia whenever they visited him. However, he was still taken aback when he saw the dragonfly and butterfly hairpins. Such exquisite and novel hairpins were something even Consort Jiang from their family palace did not possess.
"The hairpins are five thousand taels each, and the pearl necklace is three thousand taels," Sun Shopkeeper quoted them a fair price.
Li Zhoule and Wen Zixia were unfamiliar with these prices but trusted Sun Shopkeeper completely. They intended to maintain a long-term partnership and believed he would not deceive them. Li Zhoule nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Sun Shopkeeper stood up to fetch some silver notes when Li Zhoule called out to him: "Sun Shopkeeper, this time we don't want silver notes. We would like to exchange for some ancient calligraphy and paintings; do you have any?"
Of course! The pawnshop had everything one could imagine. Especially with calligraphy and antiques—there was no shortage of them. In this era marked by war and disaster, many people struggled to survive and had no choice but to pawn valuable family heirlooms.
Sun Shopkeeper instructed his assistant to bring out several scrolls for them to examine and choose from. Wen Zixia dismissed all scrolls from after the Tang Dynasty; this was something Hanno had specifically emphasized—only calligraphy and paintings from the Tang Dynasty or earlier would do. This world took a different historical turn after the Tang Dynasty. Instead of experiencing the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, it split into two nations along the Yangtze River—a division that persisted into today’s Great Zhou and Northern Liang—spanning five hundred years of history.
The thoughts of the Wen Family Brothers were quite similar to those of Li Yishu, but Wen Zixia understood more, had broader experiences, and was familiar with more renowned masters. After careful selection, he chose two paintings. One was Li Sixun's "River Sail and Pavilion Painting," a representative work of early landscape painting in ancient art featuring lush green mountains and waters. The scroll depicted gentle ripples on the water and a distant drifting boat, emphasizing the grandeur of the river. The peaks along the riverbank stood tall and majestic, while the trees were lush and verdant, layered and intertwined among the winding mountains. There were pavilions and platforms nestled among them, with water pavilions built along the pine and bamboo paths, where visitors wandered through the vibrant blossoms. On the sloping bank, two figures paused by the water to enjoy spring's beauty; further along, four individuals approached from the mountain path—one riding a horse while three servants either led, carried burdens, or held items, all moving together in a cluster. This painting transported viewers away from worldly concerns and into nature, offering a refreshing sense of tranquility.
The other painting was the very famous "Guo Guo Consort's Spring Outing Painting." Also a spring outing scene, this painting was much more elegant and vibrant in color compared to "River Sail and Pavilion Painting," showcasing the opulence, confidence, and optimism of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. However, for Wen Zixia, he preferred the landscape depiction in "River Sail and Pavilion Painting" over the character-focused "Guo Guo Consort's Spring Outing Painting."
The prices for both paintings were not low; together they consumed all the silver earned from selling ornaments earlier. The Wen brothers were astonished at how valuable a single painting could be. Should they also learn to paint so that they could create works for their descendants? Perhaps after they passed away, if their descendants encountered difficulties, they could sell one of their paintings to earn silver to resolve their troubles?
Having made two successful transactions in one go, Sun Shopkeeper was immensely pleased, thinking that the Wen Family and Li Family were indeed his benefactors. As it was already past noon, Sun Shopkeeper treated both families to a lavish meal at a restaurant. Wen Zixia had keen hearing and caught snippets of conversation between two keepers discussing how they had spent twenty taels of silver on a recipe. This piqued his interest.
"You all continue eating; I’ll be right back," Wen Zixia said as he set down his chopsticks and walked away. After some time, he returned with a smile on his face. Li Zhoule shot him a questioning look, to which Wen Zixia responded with an eye signal: later.
Noticing their exchange, Sun Shopkeeper wisely refrained from engaging them further. Soon they finished their meal and boarded an ox cart. As they left the county town and traveled along an empty road, Wen Zixia took out ten silver notes totaling one hundred taels from his pocket and handed five to Li Zhoule.
Li Zhoule exclaimed in surprise, "Where did you get these silver notes?"
Wen Zixia replied with a smile, "I overheard that two keepers spent twenty taels on a recipe earlier. Remember how Brother Li taught us some interesting cooking methods? I compiled several recipes to sell to them and earned this one hundred taels."
Li Yishu and Wen Ziyu widened their eyes in disbelief: "You can actually make money selling recipes?"
"If I had known about this sooner, we wouldn't have gone hungry before," Wen Ziyu added.
Wen Zixia flicked his finger against his brother's forehead: "What's done is done; we should look forward now."
Li Zhoule refused to take the fifty taels: "This idea was yours; the money should belong to you. We can't accept it."
Wen Zixia insisted: "But the recipe originated from Brother Li; it rightfully belongs to your family. It would be wrong for me to take all the money after using your idea. If you won't accept this fifty taels, then I won't take my share either. Let's just throw it all away."
He pulled out another fifty taels and pretended to toss them aside. Li Zhoule quickly stopped him from doing so and snatched one of his hands holding fifty taels: "Alright then; I'll accept it."
Wen Zixia smiled faintly as he happily accepted the other fifty taels as well, turning around to receive two pairs of admiring gazes from Li Yishu and Wen Ziyu who both gave him a thumbs up.
Upon returning home, Li Yishu immediately placed both paintings into a porcelain jar. As they disappeared inside, everyone breathed sighs of relief with smiles on their faces.
Meanwhile, Hanno had finished breakfast and arrived at her rented room where she practiced brush calligraphy while waiting for any news from the porcelain jar. She had never felt time drag on so slowly before. After waiting all morning without any sign from the jar, Hanno grew tired of staying indoors or going out. She ordered takeout instead from a nearby Northeast dumpling restaurant known for its authentic flavors—sauerkraut dumplings and cabbage dumplings were her favorites. She ordered one serving of each along with a portion of braised pork ribs—Hanno was a meat lover who enjoyed vegetables but preferred meat even more. After filling her stomach and taking a nap for over half an hour without any response from the porcelain jar, Hanno picked up a book titled "The Sword of Blood and Tears," one of Golden Giant's major works. Hanno wasn't particularly fond of it; she only read it to pass time. She disliked both the main character and supporting characters in this story—especially the female lead Xia Qingqing who was quite spoiled. In contrast, Huang Rong was also spoiled but infinitely more lovable than Xia Qingqing. Yuan Chengzhi must have been blind to fall for Xia Qingqing! And what about Xia Xueyi—the most popular supporting character? He was just an unworthy scoundrel! As for Yuan Chengzhi himself—oh dear! He was Yuan Chonghuan's son! A man who unjustly executed anti-Jin general Mao Wenlong which allowed Jin forces to advance southward towards Beijing City leading to chaos during the Jisi Incident—what legacy could he possibly inherit? Where did Chongzhen go wrong in executing him? Zhu Shunshui—a renowned scholar during late Ming—had participated in anti-Qing activities and labeled Yuan Chonghuan as a traitor in his work "Collected Works of Zhu Shunshui." Ming general Xu Shiqi believed that Yuan Chonghuan outwardly advocated war but secretly sought peace while using Mao Wenlong's capture as leverage against Qing court trustworthiness. Even Qing Dynasty scholar Zhang Tingyu deemed Yuan Chonghuan’s execution of Mao Wenlong as unwarranted in his writing "Ming History." Ji Liuqi noted in "Brief History of Late Ming" that although Yuan Chonghuan died unjustly, he listed twelve charges against him similar to how Qin Hui executed Yue Fei with twelve edicts. Moreover, Yuan Chengzhi aided Li Zicheng in breaking through Ming defenses out of personal vendetta which indirectly helped Qing forces invade Central Plains while he fled overseas leaving innocent civilians behind to suffer through events like Yangzhou Ten Days Massacre or Jia Ding Massacre. Aside from Chen Jialuo, Yuan Chengzhi was Hanno’s second most disliked protagonist.
Bored and flipping through a book, Hanno finally noticed some movement from the Porcelain Jar around four in the afternoon. Two scrolls suddenly appeared inside, and Hanno picked them up and opened them.
"Hiss~" Hanno gasped in surprise. She was no inexperienced ancient youth; she understood that calligraphy and painting were interconnected. Having studied calligraphy, she naturally had some knowledge of traditional Chinese painting as well. The River Sail and Pavilion Painting and the Guo Guo Consort's Spring Outing Painting were both national treasures! What a steal—two hundred bucks for two priceless paintings! Those who struck it rich in the lottery couldn't compare to her luck!
Joyfully cradling the two scrolls, Hanno returned home to find that Han Dad and Mom Han were not there. After placing the scrolls safely, she decided to prepare a delicious meal to celebrate. The fridge was stocked with plenty of ingredients, so Hanno showcased her culinary skills. Since it was dinner time, she only made two meat dishes, with the rest being vegetarian. She prepared Mantis Shrimp Tofu and Sweet and Sour Ribs, along with Red Oil Bamboo Shoots, Stir-Fried Three Delicacies, Honey Glazed Yam, Celery and Lily Bulbs, and Cold Dressed Wood Ear Mushrooms. She also made Tomato Egg Drop Soup. When Han Dad and Mom Han returned home and saw such a lavish spread on the dining table, they were both taken aback.
"Girl, why did you make so many dishes?" Mom Han asked in confusion.
"To celebrate!" Hanno replied cheerfully.
Han Dad asked, "Did you win the lottery?"
Hanno curved her lips into a crescent shape. "It's even better than winning the lottery; I found a treasure."
"Really?" Han Dad and Mom Han asked in surprise.
"What treasure? Show it to me and your mom," Han Dad said eagerly. A few years ago, treasure appraisal shows were often aired on television, which both Han Dad and Mom Han loved to watch. They had even entertained thoughts of collecting art themselves. However, after a few missteps where they misjudged items' values, they realized how deep the waters of collecting could be—not something amateurs like them could easily navigate. So they decided to just enjoy watching on TV rather than waste money on collecting. Hearing that their daughter had found a treasure made them happy yet concerned that she might fall into the same traps they had.
"Wait a moment," Hanno said as she dashed back to her room to retrieve the River Sail and Pavilion Painting. Its fame wasn't as great as that of the Guo Guo Consort's Spring Outing Painting, so Han Dad and Mom Han likely wouldn't know its background or value—perfect for Hanno to spin her tale. She didn't want to reveal the true price of the scrolls for fear of scaring her parents; besides, she planned to use a large portion of the money from selling these paintings for other purposes.
"It's an ancient painting!" Han Dad and Mom Han indeed didn't know about the River Sail and Pavilion Painting; they merely regarded it as an ordinary ancient artwork. They didn't even know who Li Sixun was.
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