Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 30 Absolute Painting (2)
There are more and more people who come to ask for paintings.Meng Lanting had already run out of talent and was too lazy to write. Someone came to ask for a painting, and asked Yuan Tuozi to write it for him.The applicants didn't know the details, but they only got the "authentic work" of Mr. Lanting, and they all left happily.That Yuan Tuozi was originally an idiot for painting, as long as he was allowed to paint with a brush and show his talents, he never asked about matters outside the painting.Meng Lanting had already exhausted his talents and could no longer draw a decent painting. With Yuan Tuozi, a "gunner", he was able to gain both fame and fortune, and enjoy the title of "Sage of Painting in Jingchu".

The two get what they need, and they have worked together for more than three years, but they have lived in peace.

On this day, Yuan Tuozi retreated in the studio for several days, and finally drew a new work, and invited Meng Lanting to see it.

When Meng Lanting looked at it, he saw that it was a picture of "Girls Fluttering Butterflies". In the picture, when the stone bridge turned around, a four or five-year-old girl waved a net bag, trying to flutter butterflies.Willow branches hang down in the background, and a few strokes of cinnabar outline the bridge railing.The characters are similar to meticulous line drawing, with soft and thin lines, and the image is elegant and delicate.The girl's head is braided, her eyes are bright and wide open, her face has a faint smile, her tender lips are like a little cinnabar, and the longevity lock hanging on her chest is bouncing up and down.The artistic conception is fresh and childlike.From the perspective of painting method, Yuan Tuozi combined rubbing and rendering, which is slightly different from his usual painting style.

Meng Lanting called out "Okay", and when he looked closely, he found that there were two lines of small characters next to the painting: My daughter Xiaoqian was separated at the age of four, and it has been nearly ten years.Every time I recall it, I feel dismayed.Today I paint the scene of Xiaoqian fluttering butterflies in her childhood, and talk about it for comfort.Only then did I realize that Lao Yuan painted the youngest daughter who had been separated ten years ago, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit of a sigh in my heart.Such a good painting, he naturally would not let it go, and overjoyed, the inscription was sealed with Mr. Lanting's name on it.

As soon as "Girls Fluttering Butterflies" came out, Jingchu painting circles were amazed by it.Everyone rushed to visit the painting, and they were all overwhelmed by it.Meng Lanting knew what to buy, he knew that this painting "Girl Fluttering Butterflies" was a wonderful painting, so he was not eager to put a price on it for sale, but kept it for himself, waiting for a price.However, the reputation spread, and there was an endless stream of admirers and appreciators, almost breaking the threshold.

More than a month later, one day, a foreign art dealer came to view the painting. After seeing it, he suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, I saw the girl in the painting in Gong'an County not long ago. At that time, she was with a The old man is playing the piano and singing on the street. Although he has grown into a young girl, his appearance and demeanor are consistent with those in the painting. I once talked with the old performer and talked about this girl’s background. The girl was separated from her relatives, and the girl was frightened. She could not remember her childhood, and only knew that she was Xiaoqian. At that time, she also had a copper lock on her chest. It was said that the key of the copper lock was in the hands of her father. Whoever can open the copper lock is her. Undoubtedly the biological father."

Others applauded and asked him to find the girl. It would be a meritorious deed if Mr. Lanting and his daughter get to know each other better.The man was also a good person, so he went immediately.

Gong'an County is adjacent to Xiulin City, after two days, the man really led the little girl to Lanting Yaju.Meng Lanting looked at the girl, although she had grown into a slim young girl, her beautiful eyebrows and round eyes, her expression and temperament were indeed no different from the girl in the painting.

He never thought that a painting would involve such an orphan girl confessing her relatives.He hurried to the backyard and told Yuan Tuozi.After hearing this, Yuan Tuozi was so excited that he burst into tears, and was about to rush to the front hall to confess his relatives.Meng Lanting stopped him and said, "If you recognize your relatives, you just exposed your identity as a fugitive. If you cause trouble, both of you father and daughter will suffer."

Yuan Tuozi asked, "Then what should I do?"

Meng Lanting said: "The painting is engraved with my Mr. Lanting's red seal. Outsiders only say that I painted it. You give me the copper lock key, and I will go and recognize this daughter. I have no children. I will treat her like my own daughter. Although you father and daughter can't recognize each other immediately, but under the same roof, when she gets older and the time is right, you can explain the reason. Wouldn't it be better if father and daughter were reunited?" Yuan Tuozi Hearing that what he said was reasonable, with a long sigh, he took out the key from the pocket of his underclothes and handed it to him.

Meng Lanting took the key and came to the front hall, and inserted the key into Xiaoqian's copper lock, only to hear a "click", and the copper lock opened in response.Xiaoqian knelt down in front of Meng Lanting with a "plop" and called "Father", tears streaming down her face.Meng Lanting hurried forward and hugged "daughter" tightly.The father and daughter hugged their heads and wept, so touching.

The news that Mr. Lan Ting recognized his relatives through painting spread like wildfire, and it became a good story in the painting circle for a while.The picture of "Girl Fluttering Butterflies" became more and more miraculous, attracting people from far and near to take a look.

Suddenly one day, three more viewers came, an old man with glasses and two burly young men.

Meng Lanting invited the three of them to the study, and took out the "Picture of a Girl Fluttering a Butterfly".When the old man with glasses saw it, his eyes lit up, he took out a magnifying glass from his pocket, stared at the painting carefully for half an hour, then nodded slightly to the two young men, and said: "This painting is more useful for thirsty people." The brush is rubbed and brushed, and the center and side are used to paint, the surface is turned into a line, the white is black, and the vigor is revealing, the old man can be sure, it is indeed his painting style."

The two young men lowered their faces, stared at Meng Lanting and asked, "Who painted this painting?"

Meng Lanting was a little displeased, and said, "Didn't you see the red seal with 'Mr. Lanting' engraved on it?"

A young man took a step closer and asked, "Are you Mr. Lan Ting?"

Meng Lanting said, "Exactly."

"Okay, very good!" The young man smiled coldly, and said in a deep voice, "Do you think no one will recognize you after you put on your disguise?" A cold light flashed in his eyes, and suddenly he rushed forward with a stride, stretched out a One hand tightly covered Meng Lanting's mouth, so that he could not make a sound.Another young man jumped out from behind his companion, took out a gleaming dagger from under his clothes, and stabbed it at Meng Lanting's chest.

Meng Lanting's eyes were wide open, a knife was stabbed in his chest, he fell to the ground, struggled for a moment, and died.

The three people watching the painting glanced at each other and strode away.

After a long time, a servant went into the study to pour tea, only to find that the master fell to the ground with a knife, and the teapot and teacup in his hand shattered to the ground with a bang.

The whole house was panicked and panicked.

When the police received the report, they rushed to the scene. While investigating the scene, they taught people to chase the murderer.Those three people had already driven out of the city, where could they find any trace?

Xiaoqian didn't expect that she would suffer such misfortune as soon as she met her father, crying like tears, but thanks to Yuan Tuozi's help, Meng Lanting's funeral was settled.

On the night of the first seven days, Xiaoqian burned incense candles for her father, and was sitting on the ground weeping secretly, when she suddenly heard faint singing coming from the backyard.Be careful, that old voice is singing a very interesting nursery rhyme:
Little shuttlecock, little shuttlecock,
Fly to the sky and fall to the ground.

Let's all kick it,
It doesn't matter if you don't play well.

……

Xiaoqian listened, her mind was dazed, isn't this the nursery rhyme her father taught her to sing when she was young?That deep and loving humming sound was so familiar.I followed the singing, but saw an old man sitting on the threshold of the backyard, beating time in his hands and humming softly a nursery rhyme.Upon closer inspection, it was Yuan Tuozi.

With tears in his old eyes, Yuan Tuozi was looking at her kindly...

【postscript】

Regarding Meng Lanting's murder, the police investigated for a long time, but there was no clue at all, so they finally let it go.

There are two rumors about Meng Lanting's death, which are recorded here.

One is the enemy's death.I heard that Meng Lanting once offended a water pirate on the Yangtze River when he was young, and the two young men who assassinated him were the descendants of this Yangtze water pirate.

The second is to take life for money.Yuan Tuozi saw that Meng Lanting's only son died in the front line, and there was no one to inherit the wealth of the Meng family. Hiring a murderer to kill people, as long as Meng Lanting dies, his daughter Xiaoqian, whom he just recognized in public, will be the legitimate owner of Lanting Yaju.And Xiaoqian is Yuan Tuozi's biological daughter.In this way, Meng Lanting's family property fell into the hands of Yuan Tuo's father and daughter.

The cause of this Mr. Lanting's death has been debated by experts in Xiulin literature and history circles for decades, but there is still no conclusion.

When Yue Yong was writing this novel, he interviewed Lao Cai, the curator of the Municipal Museum, and found some new clues.

Lao Cai is not only an expert in cultural relics, but also a member of the Chinese Artists Association, and he can paint well.Lao Cai told Yue Yong that Mr. Lan Ting's "Picture of a Girl Puffing a Butterfly" was collected in the Municipal Museum.He had studied that painting meticulously, and finally discovered that the artist used a painting technique called "light ax chopping method" when painting that painting.And this painting method is the original technique created by Zhang Xuan, another great painter in Xiulin during the period of the Republic of China.

I was taken aback, and immediately asked him: "You mean, Yuan Tuozi who painted this painting was Zhang Xuan?"

Lao Cai nodded and said: "Yes, if my guess is correct, the person who reported anonymously and killed Zhang Xuan's family in the flames was none other than Meng Lanting. Zhang Xuan should have escaped from the fire In order to get revenge, he did not hesitate to destroy his image, pretended to be a hunchback, sneaked into Lanting Yaju, and then set up a trick to get Meng Lanting to help him find his daughter Xiaoqian who was lost in the fire."

I suddenly realized: "So, the person who killed Meng Lanting was really Yuan Tuozi—oh, no, Zhang Xuan hired him?"

Lao Cai shook his head and said, "No, based on my research on Zhang Xuan, he probably wouldn't hire murderers to kill people. In today's terms, he probably wouldn't do such unskilled things."

"Then you mean..."

Lao Cai said: "Zhang Xuan disguised himself as Yuan Tuozi and acted as Meng Lanting's shooter. He has always imitated Meng Lanting's painting style. Only in the last painting "Girl Fluttering Butterflies" did he change his painting style. It very implicitly shows Zhang Xuan's original famous technique "light ax chopping method". I think it is not difficult for those KMT spies who have a keen sense of smell and have been chasing and killing Zhang Xuan. It is not difficult for those people to see it. This painting is undoubtedly the work of Zhang Xuan."

When I heard this, I already understood the cause of Meng Lanting's death, and said: "The Kuomintang secret agents thought that Meng Lanting was actually Zhang Xuan after his disguise, so we can't tell it apart..."

Lao Cai said: "Using his own way to deal with his own body, let the enemy die in the hands of the Kuomintang secret agents. Judging from my research on Zhang Xuan, this is very in line with his character."

I listened, half-believing.

In that era, strange people and strange things emerged one after another, who can say for sure?

(End of this chapter)