Huainan Road, Jingzhou, Yuezhou City.

The land under the jurisdiction of Yuezhou is worthy of being an important place in Jingzhou, with land extending in all directions, Yangzhou to the east, direct access to the imperial capital to the north, Xiangxi and Liangzhou in the west, and Jiangnan West Road belonging to Jingzhou in the south. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "if you get Yuezhou, you can get Huainan, and if you get Huainan, you can get Jingzhou, and you can compete for the world with Jingzhou".

But when you arrive at Yuezhou City, you will know that this treasure land is not only that, look at the wide streets and roads in the city, the houses are located, the shops are lined up, and the people are happy to have it.

There is an unwritten rule in Yuezhou City, all those who are in distress from other places can go to the Yamen to get a "difficult" card and give help according to the situation of the victims.

If you have a skill, you can sell here. If you don't know anything, you can also go to the teahouse as a buddy, go to the restaurant as a handyman or something. When you have saved enough money, you can leave, or you can go to the Yamen to get registered and have an official Yuezhou city registration.

It is precisely with such a good policy that we can continue to attract foreign talents, instill fresh blood, and make Yuezhou City develop in the long run.

For those outsiders, the Yuezhou government also set up a special street for them to do business, and the locals called it a "cheap street".

As the name suggests, this "cheap street" specializes in selling cheap things. Like some snacks or something, it's a lot cheaper than other streets, but the taxes are also higher than other places.

Most of the people who do business in this "cheap street" are rough people, and some of them don't even know a single word of Douda.

Among these people, there is one person who is particularly conspicuous, he does not sell food, clothing, or coolies, he sells his own paintings.

The man looked a little wooden, looked to be in his early twenties, dressed as a scholar, and sat on a simple stool.

In front of him, there were several calligraphy and paintings, and a few of them were still dry, apparently new to him.

The painting made by this scholar is still of some level, especially a beautiful picture in the middle, on which a beauty smiles like a flower, and the spring between the eyebrows is revealed, which is a rare good product. And at the foothold, the words "Lu Yansheng" were written impressively, which must be his name.

The painting is naturally a good painting, but this "cheap street" is full of illiterate people in the lower riba, how can you appreciate this spring and snow?

A vendor selling cooking cakes next to him was chatting with the guests at this time, glancing at Lu Yansheng from time to time, revealing a sneering look.

"Look at that nerd, he's been squatting here for days, but he hasn't made a single painting. Tsk..."The peddler whispered, pointing at Lu Yansheng.

"Judging by his thin appearance, he must have been hungry for a long time," said the guest, showing a hint of pity.

"You're right, I've seen that he's run out of dry food these days, and if he continues like this, I'm afraid he'll have to—" The peddler stuck out his tongue and looked gloating.

"Little brother, why don't you give him a few cooking cakes, they are all outsiders, can't they take care of each other?" the guest asked.

"Hey, don't mention it, I saw him pitiful yesterday and handed him a cookcake, guess what he said?" the peddler whispered, "He said 'gentlemen don't eat the food that comes from the mouth', I am gone, what kind of nonsense is a gentleman who is not a gentleman..."

"Well... Then you can ask for his calligraphy and painting, although I am also a rough person, but this painting looks quite tasteful..."The guest suggested.

"One of his paintings costs ten taels, and you can't do it without one. I'll exchange a picture of a cookcake for him, and I'll have to put a silver tael upside down, don't you think it's stupid?" the peddler scoffed.

"Ten taels, my good man, just this thin piece of paper, with a few strokes painted on it, is worth ten taels?" The guest was also taken aback.

"Hmph, I see that this scholar just has a bad brain, and he doesn't pee and take pictures, and he won't ask for this broken calligraphy and painting..."The peddler said with a disdainful face.

Lu Yansheng obviously heard the words of the two, but he didn't get angry at all, he still looked at the distance with a wooden expression.

He was originally a tribute student of Liangzhou, and this time he made a detour to Jingzhou to go to the imperial capital to catch the exam, but he was robbed of all the entanglements by the thieves on the way, and he had no choice but to fall here.

Lu Yansheng was a scholar, he didn't bother to ask for help from the government, nor did he ask for alms, and came to this "cheap street" like an ordinary person to do business, so as to save enough silver taels to go to the imperial capital.

Who knew that he was thinking too simply, many people in this place were illiterate, where would those who really appreciate calligraphy and painting appear in such alleys?

Of course, Lu Yansheng was also aware of this, but out of the pedantry of a scholar, he still waited persistently.

He believes that "the fragrance of wine is not afraid of deep alleys", and there will always be people with discerning eyes who will like his paintings.

For three days, he waited quietly in one place, nibbling on his remaining steamed buns when he was hungry, and drinking a few sips of white water when he was thirsty.

Other hawkers began to sell early in the morning, shouting loudly. But this Lu Yansheng always squatted there, not saying a word, like a piece of wood.

While the vendors were exchanging words with the customers, an old man in a fancy costume slowly paced over. Because the clothes on his body are very expensive at first glance, they are very rare in this "cheap street", so they have attracted the attention of many people.

The old man squinted, looked east and west, and finally stopped in front of Lu Yansheng's stall.

The old man looked at Lu Yansheng's painting carefully, and suddenly his eyes lit up, and he asked:

"Dare you ask who made this painting?"

Lu Yansheng raised his head and replied weakly:

"A few calligraphy and paintings are all made under the following, old man, do you want to buy them? Ten taels, not a single one is missing..."

The old man stroked his beard and laughed:

"Haha... It's a pity that you can get this masterpiece for only ten taels..."

When Lu Yansheng heard the old man say this, his eyes lit up, he stood up, and asked:

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hehe... The attainments of this painting are also quite high, it seems that you must learn from everyone, and the future is limitless... Take this picture of a beauty as an example, although it seems clumsy with a pen, the demeanor of the beauty is vivid, obviously you did it deliberately..."The old man said slowly, while observing Lu Yansheng's expression.

Lu Yansheng showed joy, nodded frequently, and said:

"Yes, under the tutelage of Zhang Daozi of the Shu School, these paintings are not superb, which makes you smile..."

"No wonder, no wonder... It's Zhang Daozi's apprentice, um... In this way, I want all of your paintings, a hundred taels, how about it?" said the old man with a finger.

Lu Yansheng was overjoyed when he heard that the old man wanted to buy these paintings for one hundred taels, and excused himself:

"One hundred taels is too much, I really can't stand it..."

"According to the old man, one hundred taels is a big bargain, and if this painting is placed elsewhere, it will have to be multiplied several times..."The old man said.

Lu Yansheng never dared to accept this hundred taels, the old man thought about it and proposed:

"So, you accompany me back to the house and make a picture for me, and you can set the price, okay?"

Lu Yansheng felt that the old man's proposal was still acceptable, so he nodded and agreed.

Afterwards, Lu Yansheng packed up his things and followed the old man out of the "cheap street", leaving a crowd of envious eyes.

"One hundred taels? Is this nerd's painting really worth a hundred taels? Damn, why didn't I buy it then?" said the vendor with a hateful mouth.