Finest Servant

Chapter 17 The Birth of the Third Page Tabloid (Part 2)

Lin Wanrong was overjoyed and wished he could hug Dong Qiaoqiao and give her a kiss. This girl was truly a gem. Choosing this father-daughter duo, his eye for talent was truly outstanding.

Although Dong Qiaoqiao did not understand what Lin Wanrong was thinking, she could tell from his excited expression that he was extremely satisfied.

Seeing the happy look on Dong Qiaoqiao's face, Lin Wanrong suddenly laughed and said, "Miss Qiaoqiao, aren't you good friends with Miss Xiao? Why are you helping us to deceive her?"

Dong Qiaoqiao knew that the contents of these sections were based on hearsay and speculation, and had no real basis. She smiled and said, "Young Master, as you said, we are in business and what matters is profit. The stories recorded in this booklet are just some small things that are heard on the streets, but we have organized them and added slightly exaggerated titles. It doesn't harm anyone, but benefits ourselves. In addition, I am not really acquainted with Miss Xiao, we have not even met each other."

This is really wonderful, Lin Wanrong sighed in his heart. What I am doing is just creating a third page of a tabloid, what does it matter if it is not entirely true? However, Dong Qiaoqiao's words made him feel strange. Wasn't this Miss Xiao going to make clothes? Why didn't she let the tailor take her measurements?

Dong Qiaoqiao saw through Lin Wanrong's doubts and smiled, "Miss Xiao is extremely busy, so every time I bring an old dress of hers to use as a sample."

To be able to create clothes that satisfied Miss Xiao using an old dress as a sample, Dong Qiaoqiao was indeed a skilled girl.

After so much talk, there was still one important thing missing for the birth of this third page tabloid.

Dong Qiaoqiao looked at the blank spaces left by Lin Wanrong, and asked curiously, "Young Master, what are these remaining spaces for?"

Lin Wanrong gave a mysterious smile and did not answer her question. Instead, he ordered her, "Qiaoqiao, do you have any charcoal?"

Dong Qiaoqiao obediently replied and went to the kitchen to find a burned wooden stick for Lin Wanrong. In this era, no one knew what a pencil was, let alone graphite, and Lin Wanrong couldn't use a brush, so he had to use charcoal instead.

Lin Wanrong had not drawn for four or five years, and his hand was very rusty. He began to practice on the ground in a haphazard manner.

Dong Qiaoqiao saw Lin Wanrong sketching quickly and suddenly a beautiful woman's face appeared on the ground. The woman looked alive, graceful, and beautiful, with extremely realistic features and expressions.

Both father and daughter had seen others use ink to paint before, but they had never seen someone sketch as fast as Lin Wanrong.

Lin Wanrong looked at the sketch and couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't drawn for years, and his hand was very rusty, but he used to be much better than this.

Lin Wanrong learned sketching in middle school. Later, in order to pursue his first girlfriend, he practiced for four years and drew enough sketches for her to fill two boxes. Unfortunately, after graduating from college, she went to the United States and Lin Wanrong had more opportunities to pursue other girls.

Lin Wanrong was lost in thought until Dong Qiaoqiao called him a few times before he snapped out of it and smiled, "Miss Qiaoqiao, what's up?"

Dong Qiaoqiao asked softly, "Young Master, what kind of painting is this? It looks so simple, but you drew it so beautifully."

Lin Wanrong was patient with the beautiful and gentle Dong Qiaoqiao and smiled, "This is called a sketch, it's a simple painting method from my hometown. I haven't drawn in many years, so my hand is rusty now."

Dong Qiaoqiao shook her head and said, "No, I think Young Master's strokes are simple but masterful, penetrating to the essence. What's more wonderful is that you can use just a piece of discarded wood to create such a painting. One day, Young Master will surely become a master."

Although Lin Wanrong had a thick skin, he blushed a little when she praised him like that. He quickly shook his head and said with a smile, "Miss Qiaoqiao, if you keep saying things like that, I'll become arrogant."

Dong Qiaoqiao covered her lips and smiled. Her beautiful eyes turned into a seductive crescent moon as she softly asked, "But I wonder, where is Young Master's hometown?"

Lin Wanrong was momentarily stunned. His expression dimmed as he softly replied, "My hometown? It's very far, very far away."

Dong Qiaoqiao thought that Lin Wanrong didn't want to tell her, and a hint of melancholy crossed her face. She bit her red lips and watched Lin Wanrong paint, no longer speaking to him.

Dong Rende, who had been staring at the portrait, suddenly whispered, "This woman looks a lot like Madam Xiao, but--"

Lin Wanrong laughed and said, "Take another look. Is she really Madam Xiao?"

Dong Rende looked carefully for a moment before saying, "She seems to be a little younger and more beautiful than Madam Xiao. Could it be, could it be..." Father and daughter exchanged a glance, their faces filled with astonishment, then they turned to look at Lin Wanrong together. "It's Miss Xiao," they said.

Lin Wanrong smiled but said nothing. Dong Rende quickly asked, "Young Master Lin, have you met Miss Xiao before?"

Lin Wanrong shook his head and laughed, "If you haven't even seen her, how could I have? I just happened to have seen Madam Xiao earlier, and I drew this picture based on her appearance and my imagination. I think it should be somewhat similar."

At this point, the look of surprise and admiration on the faces of Dong's father and daughter left them with no further thoughts. After all, to paint the image of a woman in her twenties based on the appearance of a woman in her thirties, most painters would not have such skill. Now, in their eyes, Lin Wanrong seemed to be capable of anything.

Seeing their expressions, Lin Wanrong couldn't help but smile to himself. He deliberately made Miss Xiao in the painting resemble Madam Xiao to some extent, but even more young and beautiful. His goal was to make those literati believe that the woman in the painting was the Miss Xiao of their fantasies.

After practicing with the stick for a while and feeling proficient, Lin Wanrong asked Dong Qiaoqiao to fetch a small knife. He carefully carved the charcoal into the shape of a pencil, although his hands were covered in dust, it felt even more comfortable to use.

Dong Qiaoqiao's curiosity was aroused again. "Gongzi, is this a brush? Why is it so strange? What is it called?"

Lin Wanrong smiled and said, "I need something called a pencil to draw, but we don't have any here, so I had to carve the charcoal into that shape instead. When I finish drawing later, you must help me put it away. Who knows, maybe I'll need to use it again someday." Dong Qiaoqiao obediently nodded.

With this pencil in his hand, Lin Wanrong seemed to be back at the scene of drawing for his girlfriend by the Wuming Lake. His brushwork was divine, and in no time, a beautiful image of a woman with more delicate and natural expressions appeared on the paper. With his skilled tools and his mind in the right state, this painting was at least two levels above the invisible painting he had done before.

The woman in the painting had flowing skirt, like a fairy stepping on water, with a beautiful face, a slight smile on her lips, and a noble aura, as if she were standing in front of them in real life. However, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed at the center, as if there were some hidden worries. This was something Lin Wanrong had deliberately added based on Dong Rende's description of the recent situation of the Xiao family, in order to make it more realistic.

"Is this really Miss Xiao? She's so beautiful," Dong Qiaoqiao couldn't help but whisper beside Lin Wanrong, "If I had a painting like this, it would be great."

Lin Wanrong laughed and said, "Sure, no problem. I will personally sketch one for you someday."