Filial piety: the supreme emperor

The next day, in Xiaoxiang Yayuan.

Holding the jade pendant given by Aunt Rong, Lu Ran walked through the winding corridor and into the courtyard. As soon as he entered the courtyard, his steps could not help but pause, and his sight stopped at the Lanting Pavilion in front of him.

Following his gaze, a mature and beautiful woman in a clean white gown and a white mink shawl came into view. She was leaning against the falling snow, painting with great concentration.

At this moment, this graceful and elegant figure seems to blend into the surrounding snow scene, as beautiful as a poem or painting.

Lu Ran didn't want to disturb her, so he slowed down his pace, walked carefully, without making any sound, and slowly approached Lanting.

From his angle, he could only see Aunt Rong's back, her long black hair and graceful curves vaguely visible.

Lu Ran took a step forward and saw clearly what Aunt Rong was drawing on the rice paper.

Qu Qirong had not yet noticed someone approaching behind her. She was still concentrating on holding the charcoal pencil and slowly outlining a familiar outline.

She followed the sketching techniques taught by Lu Ran, creating from the whole to the details, and then from the details to the whole.

Gradually, a handsome young man with a smile on his face appeared on the paper!

The boy was extraordinarily handsome, with a face as clear and distinct as a sculpture, and his angular features were particularly eye-catching.

Relying on her memory and with a smile on her face, Qu Qirong vividly depicted the boy in the painting without even referencing the real thing.

She originally planned to paint the snow scene in the courtyard, but for some reason, after closing her eyes, that familiar figure emerged in her mind.

Perhaps out of interest, or perhaps because he had once helped her paint her own portrait, she decided to paint one for him herself.

After a while, Qu Qirong finished coloring the scroll, put down the brush in her hand, stared at the boy on the rice paper, and sighed softly: "Why do I always feel like something is missing?"

Although she successfully portrayed Lu Ran's image, and it was lifelike, it still lacked that touch of charm.

"There's no need to feel sorry. It's already very rare that Aunt Rong can achieve such a realistic level in such a short period of time!"

Suddenly, a familiar and warm voice came from behind.

Qu Qirong turned around and happened to see the young man in the painting standing in front of her, looking at her with a smile.

At this moment, she understood what was missing from her painting - the charm of the boy's every move.

Qu Qirong's eyes fell on Lu Ran in front of her, and she said angrily, "Ran'er, why didn't you say anything when you came?"

"Zhi!" Lu Ran nodded and responded according to the elder's request.

Qu Qirong was stunned for a moment, then she started laughing. Her laughter was like a blooming flower, beautiful and moving, or like the first clear day after snow, illuminating the entire Lanting Pavilion.

"Just now I saw Aunt Rong concentrating on painting, so I couldn't bear to disturb her." After Lu Ran sat down, he asked, "Aunt Rong, is that me?"

"Yeah!" Qu Qirong nodded and poured a cup of fragrant tea in front of him: "What do you think, Ran'er?"

It is a very common thing for an elder to draw a picture for a younger person, and she did not think there was anything wrong with it.

"The painting is so lifelike, it looks exactly like me!" Lu Ran took a sip of the fragrant tea and answered seriously.

Qu Qirong's bright and deep eyes sparkled, and she glanced at him with a sweet smile: "You! You only know how to say nice things to make Aunt Rong happy."

Normally, when she describes other scenes, she always has to observe them repeatedly before she can have a clear idea.

However, when she was painting Lu Ran, a specific image naturally emerged in her mind, making the lines she drew smooth and free without any hesitation.

"I'm telling the truth, not to please Aunt Rong." Lu Ran shook his head, "Aunt Rong's sketching skills have indeed improved rapidly."

Hearing such praise from her beloved junior, Qu Qirong felt very happy, but she was still a little puzzled:

“In fact, when I saw Ran’er, I realized that the painting was missing some verve, but I didn’t know how to add it.”

"It's actually very simple. If you want to draw the spirit of a person, the key is to show the expression of the person's eyes."

Facing her gaze, Lu Ran picked up the charcoal pencil and drew his portrait in black and white.

As he spoke, he picked up the paintbrush again and gently colored his own eyes in the painting.

In an instant, his eyes in the painting seemed to contain the stars and the sea, deep and vast, and his charm was immediately apparent.

"So that's how it is!" Qu Qirong looked at the portrait in front of her that was endowed with charm and immediately understood the meaning.

Draw the static before drawing the dynamic, and when drawing the spirit, you need to focus on the character's eyes.

After all, no matter who you are, eyes are the window to convey inner emotions.

Whether it is anger, resentment, calmness, or indifference, subtle emotional changes can be revealed in the eyes.

Lu Ran put down the cup in his hand and asked with a little doubt: "Aunt Rong, this fragrant tea is not an ordinary thing, right?"

He just took a sip and felt the fragrance between his lips and teeth. After taking a sip, he felt a stream of spiritual energy nourishing the meridians throughout his body.

"Mr. Lu is right!"

"This fragrant tea is made by adding several spiritual ingredients to the icy flower and brewing it with the morning dew."

“It can nourish the practitioner’s body and eliminate fatigue.”

At this time, the maid Qing'er walked into the Lanting with a few plates of snacks and placed them on the stone table. They exuded bursts of fragrance.

"Ice Flower?" Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then remembered some information about this flower. He was immediately surprised: "Isn't it a precious spiritual object that blooms only once every twenty years?"

"That's right!" Qing'er picked up the teapot, refilled Qu Qirong and Lu Ran's cups with fragrant tea, and explained.

"Last night, Madam learned that Young Master Lu would be coming today, so she specifically asked me to go to the herb garden to pick some icy flowers."

"And these snacks are all made by Madam herself!"

Although the words were brief, they brought warmth to Lu Ran's heart. He felt Aunt Rong's meticulous love and care for him.

He had always known that Aunt Rong treated him like her own son, but he had never expected that she cared for him to such an extent.

Just like a mother who is looking forward to her son's return home, she will always prepare everything carefully after knowing that her son is about to come back.

Qu Qirong noticed his unusual reaction and glared at Qing'er: "You just talk too much!"

Qing'er knew that the lady had no intention of blaming her, but she also felt that what she had just said was a bit abrupt, so she remained silent and stepped aside to serve.

Qu Qirong retracted her gaze and turned to Lu Ran: "Ran'er, try this plum blossom pastry!"

"Okay, Aunt Rong!" Lu Ran smiled, picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of plum blossom cake, and couldn't help feeling a little ashamed.

Before this, he was so busy with sect affairs that he forgot to tell Aunt Rong in advance. In contrast, Aunt Rong was always thinking about him.

"Qing'er, you try it too."

Qu Qirong motioned Qing'er to sit down, picked up a piece of plum blossom cake and put it into her bowl.

"Thank you, ma'am!" Qing'er responded gratefully, and she opened her cherry lips and tasted a piece of plum blossom pastry.

Qu Qirong's beautiful eyes turned and she asked, "How does it taste?"

Qing'er: "Madam's craftsmanship is naturally first-class!"

Lu Ran: "Sweet but not greasy, with a light and elegant fragrance..."