NFBE Chapter 158 Painting with Pebbles
Chapter 158 Painting with Pebbles
After returning from the Empress Dowager's place, the two adorable little ones started rubbing their eyes and yawning incessantly, clearly feeling sleepy. Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly told Granny Jin and Granny Ru to take the children downstairs for a nap.
After the two nannies led the children away, Su Nuannuan turned and walked into the inner hall, softly calling out, "Li Quan."
A voice responded from outside: "This servant is here." Immediately afterwards, Li Quan hurriedly walked in from outside and bowed respectfully to Su Nuannuan.
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly to signal him to stand up, then picked up a few drawn blueprints from the side and handed them to Li Quan, saying softly, "Take these blueprints back to the palace and find those people in the Ministry of Works. Tell them to install these things in our courtyard according to the drawings on them."
Li Quan quickly extended both hands and respectfully accepted the blueprints, but he did not examine them on the spot. Instead, he carefully put them into his sleeve and then bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will arrange this matter properly and ensure that it is handled perfectly."
Su Nuannuan nodded in satisfaction, but then added with concern, "Yes, be careful on the road."
Li Quan bowed again and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, please rest assured." After saying that, he slowly withdrew from the inner hall and left.
Not long after, Yaoqin came in carrying a heavy bamboo basket. She stopped in front of Su Nuannuan and said, "Your Highness, I have brought you the pebbles you requested." With that, Yaoqin bent down and placed the whole basket of smooth, round pebbles steadily on the ground.
Jinse then retrieved the necessary pigments and gently placed them on the antique sandalwood table. She bowed slightly and respectfully reported to Su Nuannuan, "Your Majesty, the pigments have been used quite frequently these days, to the point that some colors have already been used up." After speaking, she stood quietly to the side, awaiting Su Nuannuan's instructions.
Su Nuannuan did not show any distress over the lack of certain pigments. Instead, her gaze fell leisurely on the bamboo basket filled with clean pebbles, and she replied softly, "It's alright. When we have some free time, we can make the pigments we need ourselves." Her words revealed a sense of composure and confidence.
Upon hearing this, Jinse's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Your Majesty, do you actually know how to make pigments?" She found it hard to believe that this noble and elegant lady possessed such skills.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and replied nonchalantly, "This is just a trivial matter, what's so difficult about it?" Her expression was relaxed and at ease, as if making paint was just a piece of cake for her.
At this moment, Yaoqin, who had been observing silently, could no longer contain her curiosity and asked, "Your Highness, what are you planning to do with so many pebbles and these pigments?"
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly, reached into the basket and carefully selected several pebbles of different shapes and unique textures, then said slowly, "This afternoon, I wish to teach the children the art of painting."
Yaoqin looked puzzled after hearing this and continued to ask, "But isn't painting usually done on paper?" Clearly, she was a little confused about Su Nuannuan's idea.
Su Nuannuan raised her head, playfully rolled her eyes at Yaoqin, and retorted, "Who says that painting can only be limited to paper?"
Su Nuannuan held a paintbrush in her hand and smiled as she showed it to Yaoqin and Jinse, saying, "Look, this paintbrush can glide across snow-white paper and leave marks on hard, cold stone; it can paint on soft, delicate fabric and display artistic beauty on solid, heavy wood. For those with superb painting skills, even a wall can become their stage to showcase their talent."
Those breathtaking murals, aren't they painted on walls? Therefore, wherever the brush can reach, a beautiful painting can be created. We shouldn't set too many rules and limitations for ourselves.
As Su Nuannuan spoke, she gently fiddled with the paintbrush in her hand, as if the paintbrush had become an extension of her soul. Yaoqin, standing beside her, was filled with respect and admiration, and quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."
Next, Su Nuannuan turned her gaze to an oval-shaped pebble and continued with great interest, "Actually, this stone is not just a simple canvas. With a clever design, it can also be transformed into a fun and interesting toy!" After saying that, she took a paintbrush, carefully dipped it in some white paint, and began to gently apply it to the pebble, giving it an even base color.
At this moment, Jinse couldn't contain her curiosity and stepped forward to ask, "Your Highness, what do you plan to draw on this pebble?"
Su Nuannuan didn't even look up, focusing intently on applying the base color, while replying, "I want to draw a lovely house on the pebbles. This layer of white is used as the base color." As her paintbrush danced, the originally plain pebbles were gradually covered in white, as if draped in a mysterious veil, making one eagerly anticipate the scene to come.
"Your Highness, the two young princes are still too young to paint anything as perfect as you," Yaoqin said softly from the side.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and said slowly, "When did I ever ask them to paint the same as me? I was merely showing them this painting as an example. The intention was to show them that even insignificant pebbles can depict a magnificent and colorful world."
Then, Su Nuannuan added earnestly, "As for the art of painting, they are still young, so they can freely express their imaginations. It's not too late to systematically study the relevant painting techniques when they are around ten years old."
After speaking, Su Nuannuan continued working, and in the blink of an eye, she had finished laying down the base color. She then put down the paintbrush she had used before, picked up a finer brush, and began to carefully outline the smooth, rounded surface of the stone.
Before long, the outline of a peculiar building had emerged on the stone. At this moment, Yaoqin, who had been silently watching from the side, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Your Majesty, this house is quite strange."
Su Nuannuan was then surprised to realize that she had unknowingly drawn the skyscrapers from her past life. She chuckled awkwardly and explained, "Hehe, these are buildings that soar into the clouds like towering pagodas. Painting, after all, should be unrestrained and imaginative."
However, Yaoqin did not give up. She kept staring at the pebble and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the most magnificent pagoda in our Azure Kingdom only has nine stories. But judging from what you have drawn, it seems that there are many more stories."
"Oh dear! Who knows, one day I might wake up and find that the houses in our Azure Kingdom have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and suddenly they've been built into many-story buildings!"
However, Yaoqin, standing nearby, shook her head repeatedly, throwing out a series of questions: "How is that possible! If we really lived in such a high-rise building, how would we cook? Would we have to climb up and down several times a day to buy groceries and carry ingredients? And the toilet problem wouldn't be easy to solve either. Would we have to build a long pipe to the ground? Besides, how would we keep warm in winter? We can't let everyone freeze into ice sculptures!"
Hearing this, Su Nuannuan, who had been full of enthusiasm, immediately deflated and complained with a pout, "This conversation is just impossible to continue..."
Immediately afterwards, Su Nuannuan sighed helplessly, looked down at the pebble pattern she had just carefully drawn in her hand, and muttered to herself, "Alas, it seems that what I drew is indeed not very suitable. Yaoqin, take this stone and wash it clean." As she spoke, she handed the pebble in her hand to Yaoqin.
Upon hearing this, Yaoqin immediately stepped forward with a smile, carefully took the pebble, and replied, "Alright, Your Highness, I'll go wash it clean right away!" After saying that, she happily carried the pebble towards the basin of water.
Jinse, who witnessed the whole thing from the side, couldn't help but shake her head slightly and said to Su Nuannuan with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, you spoil Yaoqin too much! You let her do whatever she wants."