After My System Went Bankrupt, I Found My Happy Ending with the General - Chapter 7

After touring the front courtyard of the general’s residence, Luo Chuchen stayed behind to share a meal with Lady Jiang and spent some time chatting with her.

Lady Jiang was in poor health, and it wasn’t long before she grew tired and retired to her room to rest, leaving Luo Chuchen and Liang Jue alone.

Once Lady Jiang had left, Luo Chuchen relaxed his posture, sitting cross-legged on a wooden chair as he sipped sweet soup. He asked Liang Jue, “Do you think I can get into the Academy of Painting?”

Liang Jue nodded. “Of course you can.”

Luo Chuchen said, “You’ve never even seen my paintings. How can you be so confident?”

“I think I have seen them,” Liang Jue replied, meeting Luo Chuchen’s surprised gaze with a helpless smile. “You’ve probably forgotten, but back when we studied together, you drew a few sketches. Thinking back now, your style was lively and exquisite, vivid and full of life. You have the talent for it.”

Though Luo Chuchen couldn’t quite recall the incident, it did sound like something he would do. Hearing Liang Jue’s praise made him feel so pleased that he nearly puffed up with pride. He hummed smugly, “Of course.”

Liang Jue watched his expression, his lips curving into a smile that didn’t fade.

After basking in his pride for a while, Luo Chuchen remembered to be modest. “How about I paint something for you one of these days?”

Although he hadn’t excelled in his studies while in Yunzhou, he hadn’t neglected his painting either. When he grew bored during lessons, he would often doodle on spare sheets of rice paper. He had accumulated quite a number of sketches, though most were probably not presentable.

If he wanted to convince his uncle to send him to the Academy of Painting, he would need to produce a couple of proper works first.

“Then I’ll thank the young marquis in advance,” Liang Jue said with a playful, formal salute and a laugh.

Luo Chuchen grew a bit worried. “But aside from figure paintings, I’ll probably need some landscape paintings too. Otherwise, I might not even get past my uncle. It’s such a headache to think about.”

“Why would Lord Chu stop you? If you ask him, he’ll definitely agree,” Liang Jue said, taken aback that Luo Chuchen was worried about dealing with Chu Yuanzhu.

Luo Chuchen replied, “How could he not? You know his temperament stubborn and contrary, always needing to needle people to feel satisfied.”

Liang Jue laughed heartily at his description of Chu Yuanzhu, unable to stop for quite some time.

The two chatted a while longer about other interesting happenings in the capital until He Qi knocked on the door and reminded them, “General, young marquis, it’s already Xu hour.”

Only then did Luo Chuchen realize how long he had stayed. He quickly stood up and said, “I should head back now.”

Liang Jue walked him to the gate. Feeling reluctant to leave, Luo Chuchen held onto Liang Jue’s wrist while being helped into the carriage, counting the moments of his life value. Even after boarding the carriage, he was still reluctant to let go.

Liang Jue chuckled. “Hurry back, or your uncle will start lecturing again.”

Luo Chuchen’s face fell immediately, and he whispered, “How about I come find you tomorrow to paint?”

Liang Jue agreed. “After I finish at court tomorrow, I’ll come pick you up. We can go somewhere fun for you to paint landscapes.”

Luo Chuchen nodded obediently. “Then, until tomorrow.”

By the time he returned to the Chu residence, the sky was completely dark. From a distance, he could see a servant waiting at the gate, holding a lantern as if specifically awaiting their return.

As Luo Chuchen stepped out of the carriage, the steward hurried out to meet him. “Young master, why are you back so late?”

Luo Chuchen asked, “Is there something urgent?”

He had previously sent a servant back to the residence to inform them that he would return late.

The steward said, “It’s nothing urgent, but well, the master didn’t know that the young master was staying at the general’s residence for dinner. He specifically returned early from the Ministry of Revenue this afternoon but waited in vain for the young master. As a result, he barely ate any dinner and is now sitting in his study sulking.”

“Uncle can sulk?” Luo Chuchen was somewhat curious. Following the steward to Chu Yuanzhu’s study, he imagined countless times what Chu Yuanzhu would look like when sulking.

The study was brightly lit by candles. The steward pushed the door open for him and quietly retreated.

Luo Chuchen peeked in cautiously and saw Chu Yuanzhu sitting at his desk, intently practicing calligraphy with a copybook. Without looking up, Chu Yuanzhu said, “Decided to come back?”

Huh? He didn’t seem to be sulking.

Luo Chuchen walked over to the desk and asked, “Did you need something, Uncle?”

Chu Yuanzhu glanced up at him indifferently and retorted, “If I didn’t, would you not have come home at all?”

So he really was angry.

Luo Chuchen felt a bit guilty, knowing Chu Yuanzhu was criticizing him for returning so late. As someone “living under another’s roof,” he was at a disadvantage and didn’t hesitate to apologize: “I’m sorry, Uncle. I originally intended to come back for dinner, but Liang Jue’s mother happened to return home, so I had to stay and chat with her for a while.”

“Happened to?” Chu Yuanzhu snorted, though his expression softened slightly. “If you’re this late again next time, you might as well stay at the general’s residence. That would suit him just fine.”

“Suit whom?” Luo Chuchen asked, confused.

Chu Yuanzhu shook his head and refused to say more.

Luo Chuchen tentatively brought up a few other topics, but Chu Yuanzhu seemed annoyed and waved him off, saying, “Don’t loiter around here. If you have time, you’d be better off reviewing your studies. In a few days, when I’m on break, I’ll test you on your progress.”

Hearing this, Luo Chuchen’s face fell immediately, and he slipped away faster than a rabbit.

The next day, Liang Jue indeed sent a carriage to pick him up.

Luo Chuchen stepped onto the carriage using a small stool, his entire face glowing with excitement. When he saw Liang Jue sitting inside, his eyes curved into a smile. He sat down beside him and, with a natural movement, grabbed Liang Jue’s wrist as he turned. “Where are we going today?” he asked.

After their interactions the previous day, his life points had recovered significantly to 74%. Seeing Liang Jue now felt no different from seeing a lifesaver.

“To the South Garden,” Liang Jue replied.

“South Garden?”

“Yes, it’s a place that’s only become popular in the last year or two. It used to be the estate of some official but fell into decline. Later, his descendants turned it into a scenic spot for leisure and enjoyment. November is when the maple forest there is at its most beautiful, so many nobles and officials like to visit in their free time,” Liang Jue explained.

When Liang Jue mentioned free time, Luo Chuchen grew curious about how Liang Jue had so much leisure to take him here and there.

Chu Yuanzhu went to court early every day, attended meetings with the emperor, and handled various affairs at the Ministry of Revenue he seemed overwhelmingly busy. In contrast, Liang Jue appeared to have nothing to do.

However, Luo Chuchen didn’t dare ask outright. What if Liang Jue retorted, “Isn’t it all to accompany you?” That would be terribly awkward.

Lost in these scattered thoughts, Luo Chuchen forgot that he was still holding Liang Jue’s hand.

The journey passed in silence, and soon the carriage came to a halt. Luo Chuchen was helped down by Liang Jue and glanced around.

His sense of direction was poor, so he could only vaguely tell they were on the outskirts of the capital, with no clear idea of the exact location.

The South Garden was enclosed by a neat wall of blue tiles and white plaster, with fiery red maple leaves peeking over the top, creating a strikingly beautiful scene.

The owner was already waiting at the entrance. It turned out Liang Jue had reserved the entire place for the day. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the garden’s steward led them inside.

The layout of the South Garden was orderly, with straight paths, artificial hills, and a pond. At the intersection of the hills and water stood a waterside pavilion, also built with blue tiles and white walls, open on all sides and facing what seemed like an endless maple forest truly a sight to behold.

Liang Jue must have given specific instructions, for a complete set of calligraphy and painting tools was already laid out on the wooden table in the center of the pavilion. Luo Chuchen rushed over to examine them and found they were all of the finest quality.

Delighted, he turned back and asked, “Did you prepare all this?”

Liang Jue replied, “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do!” Luo Chuchen’s eyes sparkled.

Luo Chuchen had studied traditional Chinese painting since childhood. Although it wasn’t part of his art exams, he had never given up this hobby. Now, holding a professional set of painting tools, he couldn’t contain his excitement and urged Liang Jue to sit down. “Come on, come on, let me practice with you as my subject.”

Liang Jue obediently took a seat, teasing, “Yesterday you said you’d paint a portrait for me, and today it’s just practice?”

Luo Chuchen knew he was joking and playfully scowled. “What’s wrong with using you for practice?”

Liang Jue quickly conceded, “Of course, of course.”

With his enthusiasm at its peak, Luo Chuchen directed Liang Jue to strike a natural pose, then picked up a charcoal pencil and began sketching the outline.

It had been a long time since he had formally drawn a portrait, so Luo Chuchen was a bit rusty at first, worried about making mistakes. But as he progressed with the lines, about eighty to ninety percent of his former skill returned, and his strokes became increasingly fluid and effortless.

After about an hour and a half, Luo Chuchen finally let out a sigh of relief.

When he looked up, he met Liang Jue’s unwavering gaze and was momentarily taken aback.

He had been so absorbed in his work earlier that, now stepping out of that intense focus, he felt a little self-conscious.

Clearing his throat softly, he said, “It’s done,”

“Hmm? Already?” Liang Jue stretched and walked over. “That was surprisingly fast.”

“Because I only sketched the outline and didn’t add any color. If I were to color it, it would probably take two or three more days,” Luo Chuchen pouted slightly, showing the drawing to Liang Jue. “So, what do you think? Does it look like you?”

The sketch vividly captured Liang Jue’s likeness tall and smiling.

Liang Jue studied it carefully for a moment before sincerely praising, “It captures both the spirit and the form. It’s even better than the line drawings I’ve seen by masters.”

“Don’t exaggerate just because we’re close,” Luo Chuchen said, though he happily accepted the compliment. “Next time, I’ll paint a detailed gongbi piece for you. It’s just not convenient to apply layers of color here, so I only did a simple sketch. I hope you don’t mind.”

“How could I mind? I’m delighted,” Liang Jue replied. “I’ll keep this, then.”

“Ah, wait!” Luo Chuchen protested anxiously. “Didn’t we agree beforehand? My uncle needs to see my skill level first…”

Liang Jue was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, then carefully replied, “I’m afraid Lord Chu would not wish to see this portrait of mine.”