Rural Farming: My Buildings Can Be Upgraded

Chapter 70: Chapter 69: The Painter and the Mother

"COUGH, COUGH, is this the place?"

"Mom, this is it. Why don’t you sit here for a bit? I’ll go take a look."

After settling his mom down, Wu Jiaxing ran toward the Medicinal Tea shop.

"Hello, miss. Do you still have any Medicinal Tea?"

"Nope, it’s all sold out. If you want to buy some, you’ll have to come back tomorrow."

Wu Jiaxing’s heart sank when he heard the shopkeeper’s words. His mother had a chronic cough that had never been cured.

He had taken her to hospitals all over the country, from south to north, but not a single one could find the cause. The specialists’ diagnosis was simply a "difficult and complicated case."

Just yesterday in the Imperial Capital, a friend told him about a special medicine for coughs that had appeared here—one that could even cure chronic bronchitis. He had rushed over with his mother immediately.

Returning to his mother’s side, he wondered what to do now.

"Jiaxing! Just stop running around. Can we please just... not treat this illness anymore?"

"Mom, we have to keep trying. I heard the medicine here is amazing for coughs. Even if it can’t cure you, it might at least make you more comfortable."

Yu Wanqing pleaded, "Then let’s just find a place to live here. No more traveling around seeking doctors."

If it weren’t for the thought of her son being all alone after she was gone, she might have chosen to end her own life rather than continue to be a burden.

The thought of her outstanding son, with his immense Talent for painting, being held back by her, made Yu Wanqing’s heart ache.

"Okay. If that Medicinal Tea can really stop the coughing, we’ll stay here. Mom, I feel like the air here is really good, better than all those other places we’ve been."

He had often taken his mother to places with good air quality to recuperate, all in an effort to ease her condition.

"It really is nice. I feel like it’s much easier to breathe, and my cough isn’t as severe."

Wu Jiaxing said joyfully, "Mom, you’re right! Your cough really doesn’t seem as bad."

He was only just now realizing that ever since they entered Lin Xian Village, his mother had been coughing less frequently and not as forcefully.

This gave him a glimmer of hope for his mother’s recovery. After some thought, he went back to ask the shopkeeper for directions, then led his mother deeper into the village.

"Boss, Boss! This Mr. Wu is looking for you."

Lin Feng, who was looking over the schedule of performances, turned to see a man he didn’t recognize standing next to a weary-looking woman.

"Hello, can I help you with something?"

"Hello, Boss. My name is Wu Jiaxing. I’m a painter. This is my mother. She has a complicated illness and suffers from a persistent cough."

"Ah, so you’re looking for Medicinal Tea, right?"

"I do need the Medicinal Tea, but I came to find you, Boss, to ask if you need any employees. I’d like to work here. I don’t even need a salary, as long as you can provide food and lodging."

Lin Feng was a little surprised. ’He’s willing to give up a salary just for his mother.’

"You still need a salary. And I do happen to be hiring. By the way, you mentioned you can paint. How skilled are you?"

Wu Jiaxing’s demeanor suddenly grew confident. He said humbly, "My teacher said my skills are decent. As long as I work hard, I can make a living with my painting."

"It sounds like you’re quite good. How about you try being a Painter here in the village?"

"Ah! That can be a job?" Wu Jiaxing was pleasantly surprised.

’If I can still paint, that would be amazing.’ When it came to painting, he was very confident.

After all, most of the money he’d earned to pay for his mother’s treatments over the years had come from his art.

"Why not? If you’re truly skilled, you might have tourists asking you to paint for them. It could even become an attraction for our Lin Xian Village."

"Well... I’ll give it a try first. If it doesn’t work out, I can always do another job."

"Come on, let’s go test it out right now. If it goes well, we’ll sign a contract."

"Mom, you sit here in the pavilion for a while. I’m going to go paint with the boss."

Yu Wanqing beamed, "Go on, go on, hurry! I’ll be fine here."

"Ma’am, please sit here for a bit. I’ll have someone bring medicine for you shortly."

As Lin Feng passed the Medicine House, he told Zhao Shiyun to bring some Clearing Heat and Stopping Cough Pills to the woman.

The Clearing Heat and Stopping Cough Pills were much more effective than the Medicinal Tea; they just couldn’t be sold publicly yet.

"Boss, let me go get my painting tools first."

Lin Feng said awkwardly, "Right, I forgot. Painting requires tools."

He had only been thinking about having someone paint, completely forgetting that detail. Luckily, Wu Jiaxing had his own supplies.

Soon, the man returned from the plaza, carrying his easel and tools on his back.

"Boss, how about I paint a picture right here? I think the scenery around this pavilion is quite nice and would make a great painting."

"Sure, do as you like. I don’t know anything about this stuff."

The Well, the small pond, the pavilion, the flowers and plants, plus the wooden houses in the distance—it was indeed a perfect scene for a painting.

Qi Yangming was coming down from the mountain and had just entered the courtyard when he saw someone painting and stopped in his tracks.

As a Daoist, he had a passing knowledge of the classical arts, but his own painting skill was merely average. The man was working on a meticulous landscape painting, and his technique seemed quite good.

He recalled a painter with the surname Xu who was incredible at painting the Yellow River, a true master.

True masters were usually low-key, their fame confined to their own circles. Because they had genuinely achieved financial freedom through their craft, they belonged to a different world from those hacks who were constantly seeking attention.

Standing nearby, Lin Feng was quickly mesmerized. With just a few strokes, Wu Jiaxing sketched the rough outline of the courtyard. As more colors were added, the scene on the canvas grew increasingly realistic.

Even though he didn’t understand art, he could tell from the painter’s relaxed and fluid movements that his skills were excellent.

Before long, a crowd had gathered behind them. The courtyard fell silent as everyone stared intently at the canvas beneath Wu Jiaxing’s brush.

Time slowly passed until a shout of "Time to eat!" startled everyone.

Only then did Lin Feng realize how many people had gathered around him.

"Why are you all crowded around here?"

"Boss, we saw you all watching something, so we came over to look. This painting is amazing!"

Wu Jiaxing didn’t stop. He was already adding the finishing touches. A small piece like this was no challenge for him.

Setting down his brush and wiping the paint from his hands, Wu Jiaxing stood up.

"Boss, everyone, hello. My name is Wu Jiaxing. I’m a Painter, and I’ll be working here from now on."

"Alright, everyone, break it up. Go eat quickly. You still have work this afternoon."

After the crowd dispersed, Lin Feng looked at the painting and felt a little embarrassed about signing a man like this on as a regular employee.

’With this level of skill, he could easily make a living just by selling his paintings in the village.’

"Painter Wu, how about you rent a place in the village and open your own shop? As a regular employee, I wouldn’t even know what to pay you."

"Boss, I’d still rather be an employee. The salary doesn’t matter. As long as you provide food and lodging, it’s fine."

Lin Feng was in a difficult position. The man’s skills were just too good.

Hu Xia spoke up. "Boss, if he wants to be an employee, you can pay him a salary of 5,000 yuan, set him up with a shop, and split the profits from the paintings fifty-fifty."

In her opinion, having a chance to open a shop in Lin Xian Village was definitely a good deal for him.

"What do you think of that?"

"Yes, that’s completely fine."

"Alright then. After we eat, we’ll sign the contract."

When Wu Jiaxing returned to his mother’s side, he was pleasantly surprised to see that her complexion had improved a bit.

"Mom, we really came to the right place this time. Your color is looking better."

"I can feel it too. I haven’t coughed at all since I took that medicine. Let’s just live here and stop rushing all over the place."

Her son wasn’t young anymore. She wanted him to settle down, preferably find a wife. That way, even after she was gone, he wouldn’t be lonely.

"Mom, we’re not leaving. I’m going to sign the contract with the boss in a little while. We’re going to make our home here."