A Beautiful Vision
Upon hearing this, Xu Xue's eyes instantly lit up. "Really? Will they like coming to find my new book?"
"Yes, definitely," Zhao Ruxi said. "You write so well, how could there not be? Maybe there are few people like you at the beginning, but as you write better and better with each book, there will naturally be more."
Xu Xue was so inspired by the wonderful blueprint drawn up by Zhao Ruxi that she was filled with enthusiasm and eager to go back and write another storybook.
"As you write better and better, your fame grows. People who like your later books will come looking for your first and second novels. In other words, every novel you write later will boost the sales of your earlier ones. This kind of long-term income will definitely be more than six or even twenty taels of silver."
Xu Xue was initially only focused on the few taels of silver she would earn from the book's royalties. However, after Zhao Ruxi's analysis, she felt that what lay before her was a bright path and a broad prospect for her life plan. As long as she wrote well and worked hard, she could support herself and give back to her family with the income from writing. She wouldn't have to worry about being mistreated by her husband's family after marriage.
She had seen many young women in the village, both before and after their marriages.
Many women endure abuse from their mothers-in-law and beatings from their husbands in silence because they have nowhere to go after leaving their husband's family and no ability to support themselves. But women who are good at embroidery and can earn money are different. Their husband's family dares not beat or scold them because of their ability to earn money. The same is true if their own family is wealthy and powerful.
Now that she can earn money, no matter what kind of family she marries into, she won't have to put up with other people's mistreatment. At worst, she can get a divorce and support herself.
Seeing Xu Xue's high spirits, as if she had been injected with chicken blood, Zhao Ruxi knew that her tactic had worked.
The contract with the bookstore wasn't about making a few more taels of silver, but about whether it would incentivize Xu Xue.
"There's one more thing..." Zhao Ruxi told Xu Xue about Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu finding a school for Xu Chongwen and renting out a house.
"Go back and discuss this with your uncle and aunt," Zhao Ruxi said, then took out another invitation. "My parents invite your family to dinner during the ten-day break. When you arrive, you can tell my parents directly what your uncle and aunt think about the school and the house. My mother said that inviting you to dinner is my grandmother and parents' way of expressing their gratitude to your uncle and aunt, and also to let you know the family's history so you can visit as proper relatives in the future, so please feel free to do as you please. You can also visit the clan school and the rented house."
Xu Xue was both excited and a little uneasy when she heard that the Earl of Suiping's Residence could find a private school for her brother. However, this was not a matter she could decide, so she simply agreed and said that she would definitely tell her parents when she got back.
After seeing Xu Xue off at the academy gate and watching her enter, Zhao Ruxi took a carriage to the residence of Kang Shilin that she had visited the previous night.
"Young lady, you've arrived?" Mama Song guessed that Zhao Ruxi would be here soon, so she was waiting at the gatehouse. Seeing her come in, she quickly came to greet her.
Is my master here?
"Yes, they're here. Not only is the teacher inside, but quite a few of the people who were learning to paint yesterday also came." Mama Song read out the names of several people.
Apart from Gong Cheng and a few others who were on official business in the yamen, everyone else who had nothing else to do came.
Zhao Ruxi wasn't surprised that she didn't hear Wu Zong's name.
Although Wu Zong said he had specifically asked the yamen for leave to study painting, the Court of Judicial Review was not an ordinary yamen where one could simply ask for leave. When there was a case that required Wu Zong's cooperation, he had to go even in the middle of the night, let alone during normal yamen hours.
As the group entered, Zhao Ruxi saw that everyone was diligently drawing cones in the open pavilion where they had painted the day before. The courtyard was very quiet, except for the occasional chirping of sparrows in the branches.
She walked over and looked at the paintings everyone had made.
"This... isn't like that." She said with a smile as she looked at the old gentleman's painting.
Most of the people who come here to learn painting are young people, in their twenties and thirties. Gong Cheng is the only one over forty. Besides him, there is only Kang Shilin and the old gentleman in front of us.
The old gentleman's name is Zhou Wenbai. Kang Shilin was in such a hurry to learn to paint yesterday that he didn't introduce the people's identities at all, he just rattled off their names and then urged Zhao Ruxi to demonstrate painting.
Therefore, Zhao Ruxi did not know Mr. Zhou Wenbai's identity. What impressed her most about him was that he was less receptive to three-dimensional painting than others.
Despite being in his sixties, almost seventy, Kang Shilin is just as receptive to new things as a young person. After Zhao Ruxi introduced the three-dimensional shape of a cone and gave a demonstration, Kang Shilin was able to draw it quite well right away.
Mr. Zhou Wenbai was about ten years younger than Kang Shilin, probably around fifty years old. But when he put brush to paper, he still used the traditional Chinese painting style, and his hand holding the charcoal pencil was awkward. If Zhao Ruxi wasn't paying attention, he would switch back to holding a calligraphy brush. Several attempts to correct him were ineffective, which gave Zhao Ruruxi real headache.
Kang Shilin didn't reveal his identity, but the astute Zhao Ruxi knew that everyone present had an extraordinary background.
The art of painting requires a great deal of money, including paper, brushes, paints, and various other items for sketching. Even in modern times, it takes a lot of money to learn painting, which is generally unaffordable for working-class families. This is even more true in ancient times when the cost of paper and brushes was ridiculously high.
Therefore, even if not all the people present were from prominent families, they were definitely from wealthy families. Moreover, these people must have achieved something in the field of painting to catch the eye of Mr. Kang Shilin and be accepted into this painting class.
Therefore, Zhao Ruxi not only treated these people well, but was also very respectful. Even though the old gentleman in front of her seemed to be someone who couldn't be taught no matter what, she still corrected him with great patience.
Moreover, to save face for the old gentleman, even when she saw that he was doing something wrong, she didn't point it out. The frequency of her corrections and guidance for the old gentleman was similar to that of others, and she tried her best to be tactful when reminding him, for fear that the old gentleman would lose face and leave in a huff.
It would hurt her to receive the three thousand taels of silver from her pocket and then have it returned. Not to mention the possibility of offending a powerful figure because of it—it's not worth it at all.
She's probably the only one in history, both in China and abroad, who treats her teacher like a grandson. Sigh!
As soon as she spoke, everyone noticed her arrival. However, seeing that she was giving Zhou Wenbai guidance, everyone else politely remained silent, including Kang Shilin.
After Zhao Ruxi had gone around and given instructions to everyone, Kang Shilin finally called out, "Girl, draw another one and show everyone."
"Yes, yes," everyone else chimed in.