My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 5 Retreat
Shuimo Studio, Dongshi, Qingshan County.

Shuimozhai mainly sells writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and also prints books.

Chen Mu sat on the east side of the entrance to Shuimozhai.

A table was placed in front of him, complete with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

There was a piece of white paper hanging on the table, with two figures drawn on it: one was himself, writing with a pen, and the other was a passerby whose back was visible.

Next to the portrait were eight elegant characters: "Letter writing service, portrait drawing service".

This is where the original person wrote and drew pictures.

The tables, chairs, and benches all came from Shuimozhai behind him, including the spot where he was standing, and the rent was two copper coins a day.

Chen Mu sat behind his desk, idly waiting for business to come to him.

Productivity was low in this era, and living standards and education levels were also poor.

Poor families would at most send someone to deliver a message; they rarely wrote letters.

He sat there all day, and only wrote three letters.

Writing letters is different from selling calligraphy; you can't sell them by the character. A single sheet of paper costs three copper coins.

"Three letters cost nine copper coins."

"Give two to Shuimo Studio, keep four as rent reserves, and only three are left. That's barely enough for a day's food, and still not enough to fill your stomach."

"Ugh……"

……

Four days later, in the evening, Chen Mu arrived near Anlefang, which is located in the northern part of the East Market.

This is a street full of brothels and entertainment venues.

As darkness fell, the place became increasingly lively.

Chen Mu stood in the shadows at the street corner, watching an old man on the street.

The old man, dressed in a long robe, had a table in front of him and was now concentrating on writing calligraphy.

He had been observing for two days and concluded that the old man was a painter who made a living by drawing portraits here.

The main subjects of the portraits are mostly courtesans from the brothels along the streets.

I don't know the exact amount of their income, but judging from their clean and smart clothes and the fact that they eat out every day, they can't be too bad off.

Stepping out of the street corner, Chen Mu slowly approached the old man's table, examined his paintings for a moment, and then nodded in a pretentious manner.

The old man looked up at Chen Mu for a moment, then chuckled, "What, you want to sell paintings too?"

Chen Mu was taken aback; the old man had actually seen through his thoughts.

Seemingly aware of Chen Mu's doubts, the old man straightened up and smiled calmly: "You've been watching me for two days now, and you still haven't made up your mind?"

Chen Mu was startled. He thought he had hidden it well, but he didn't expect that he had been discovered so early.

“Selling paintings is a dead end! Young man, take my advice and go back to your studies.” The old man had a mysterious look on his face.

"This industry is very complex; you can't handle it," the old man said with a sneer.

Chen Mu looked completely bewildered. How deep could the waters be in selling paintings?

"I won't stop you, good luck to you." The old man chuckled, then lowered his head to continue painting, ignoring him.

……

Ping An Fang

Chen Mu didn't even have time to eat. He rushed into the study on the east side and took a self-portrait in front of the water basin's reflection.

After finishing the drawing, I compared it to the mirror. This drawing, apart from self-portraits, doesn't resemble anyone at all!
A gray wall came into view.

Writing: 1035/10000/Second order;

Drawing: 3061/10000/First order;
Chen Mu thought about the old man's painting in the brothel...

"Yes, there's definitely a lot of room for improvement."

After putting away the painting, Chen Mu left the study.

Chen Mu poured all the money onto the square table and counted it again.

He had two paths before him.

One option is to live according to the original owner's trajectory, slowly accumulate wealth, and look for possible opportunities for change.

The other option is to take a gamble, use all your money to practice painting in seclusion, and once you've mastered the skill, go to the brothel district to paint portraits of courtesans to earn more money, eat your fill first, and then try more possibilities.

Whether it was the original owner of this body or his past life, he would choose the first option. Because it seemed safer and more stable.

They dare not step out of their comfort zone, dare not face the unknown pressure, and dare not muster the courage to risk their lives.

This is the common state of affairs for most people. As it turns out, even choosing a seemingly safe option doesn't necessarily guarantee stability.

Any unexpected event in life can shatter this seemingly stable yet fragile peaceful life.

"Since I've already put them on, what else is there to worry about?" Chen Mu chuckled. "Besides, I'm also proficient with gray walls."

He took the money and went out, buying white wheat to fill the rice jar.

They carefully calculated and bought enough oil, salt, and firewood for two months.

I carefully tended to the vegetable garden on the east side of my small yard, planned out the amount I could eat each day, and tried to make it last for at least two months.

After preparing everything, he only had three copper coins left on him.

But Chen Mu felt a sense of ease, both physically and mentally.

With everything ready, Chen Mu closed the door and began to practice painting diligently.

……

The painting techniques of this era are similar to those of ancient ink wash painting, emphasizing meaning over form.

The father of the previous incarnation was an old scholar who made a living by teaching children.

My father taught me painting skills.

Chen Mu does not intend to develop the techniques from his predecessor.

He had seen the paintings of the old man in the brothel, and the old man's paintings were extremely lifelike. Even with the help of his skill level, Chen Mu was not confident that he could surpass him in a short period of time.

He planned to take a different approach.

In my previous life, I lived in an era of information overload and had seen many different kinds of paintings.

Compared to freehand brushwork, Chen Mu plans to create a meticulous three-dimensional painting, emphasizing one word—realism! As realistic as a photograph!
Holding a tree branch with a sharpened tip, Chen Mu arrived at the vegetable garden in the small courtyard.

There was a flat area about one meter in diameter, covered with a thin layer of soil.

He can write with water, but it's not suitable for drawing. He plans to practice on fine soil so that he can reuse it.

Looking at the reflection in the basin, Chen Mu used a sharpened twig to carefully outline the image.

It took him a full half hour to paint a self-portrait.

Chen Mu couldn't wait to bring up the gray wall.

Writing: 1035/10000/Second order;

Drawing: 3073/10000/First order;
"One portrait increases proficiency by twelve points. That's good..." Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

Drawing takes more time than practicing calligraphy. Fortunately, I gain more experience from it as well.

After leveling the ground and covering it with sifted soil, Chen Mu continued drawing.

This time, however, I only managed to gain nine proficiency points.

While tidying up the fine soil, Chen Mu reflected on and summarized what he had learned from the two painting sessions. When he picked up his brush again, he consciously tried to improve.

My proficiency improved significantly, and I scored thirteen points.

"Looks like we need to put in even more effort!"

After that, every time Chen Mu practiced painting, he would take a short break to summarize what he had learned, and he would even take out paper and pen to record it.

Time slowly slipped away as he practiced, improved, and practiced again.

Chen Mu's drawing skills are also improving little by little.

……

A month and a half later, in the study.

Chen Mu had disheveled hair and a messy beard. He held a brush and gently sketched on a piece of white paper.

A beautiful woman in flowing white robes, with an ethereal air, was born from the pen.

This beauty has long, dark hair, a three-dimensional figure, and lively eyes; she even seems to be alive.

Chen Mu put down his pen, examined it, and after thinking for a moment, wrote down a seven-character poem next to it.

"Frost fills the sky over the ten-mile-long calm lake, and every inch of black hair is tinged with sorrow for the passing years."

"Gazing at the moon alone, I yearn for companionship; I envy not the immortals, but only the mandarin ducks."

Writing: 1035/10000/Second order;

Drawing: 72/10000/Second order;

"It's done!"

(End of this chapter)