Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1247: Chapter 414: Birthday, the Painter Living in Xia City, Population Boom, Disheartened

The portrait spread, and the women in the city were immediately captivated upon seeing it.

With the current level of development in Great Xia, some women now have the privilege of appreciating beauty.

With beauty fleeting and youth ever passing, women naturally care about their appearance. A portrait that can preserve their youthful image for a long time and can be viewed from time to time has an enormous appeal to them.

Thus, a new business of creating portraits for people was born.

Initially, the painters only painted women, but now they have expanded to paint the elderly, men, and children, almost accepting anyone. It’s said that a very few have already started to fall in love with landscape painting.

...

Since his mother Shi Lu fell in love with portraits, Yuan Cheng had been painted three times. His resistance stems from having to maintain the same pose for a short duration of half an hour or a long duration of an hour, which is incredibly painful for a child his age.

Shi Lu naturally understood her son’s resistance, and she smiled, saying, ”Don’t worry, mother has invited a very skilled painter this time; you won’t need to stand still. She just needs to look at you once.”

Yuan Shao was taken aback upon hearing this, and he displayed a bit of puzzlement on his face.

The maid next to them seemed to know something, and she curiously asked, ”Madam, could it be that you invited Miss Chu from the Outer City?”

Seeing Shi Lu nod, the maids immediately began to chat.

”So, it’s Miss Chu! I’ve heard a lot about her. She charges at least 500 taels to create a painting now.”

”That Miss Chu has become extremely famous recently. It’s said that even Bai Yunzi, the chief painter at the Craftsmen Workshop, visited her out of admiration ten days ago.”

”I heard her paintings can even move!”

”Move, that’s incredible?”

Upon hearing that Miss Chu’s paintings could move, Yuan Cheng immediately became interested, his eyes full of curiosity.

”Yes, indeed! Not only do the people in her paintings move, but even the scenery does, though it’s said to be quite expensive, 1000 taels for a single painting!”

Hearing the 1000 taels price, Yuan Shao couldn’t help but click his tongue.

He was young but due to his affluent family background and living in the Inner City near the Camp Supply Department main hall, he had some understanding of prices.

Currently, 1 tael of silver can exchange for 10 contribution points. 3000 taels translate to ten thousand contribution points, which is definitely not a small sum.

”Madam, the young masters have arrived!”

Suddenly, a maid’s voice came from outside the hall.

”Mother, I’ll go open the door!”

Shi Lu had yet to speak, and Yuan Cheng, who had just been comforted by her, dashed to open the door. Seeing her son so excited and eager, Shi Lu smiled and said nothing, slowly walking towards the door.

Having been promoted to a Seventh-Grade Qingming Marquis, Yuan Cheng’s house followed the seventh-grade standards and expanded to 600 square meters, roughly twenty meters from the main hall to the front door. Shi Lu had only walked a few meters when Yuan Cheng, with nearly thirty peers, came in together.

Among the group of children, there were not many who were six years old; including Yuan Cheng, there were six. The remaining twenty plus, looked at Yuan Cheng with obvious envy in their eyes.

Seeing the envy in those children’s eyes, knowing they all wished to soon turn six and start their cultivation, Shi Lu couldn’t help but feel amused, though her heart was filled with sighs of emotion.

The destruction of Da Shi Camp at Ta Mountain was just ten years ago. Among the hundreds slaughtered by the Wood Puppet Monster, there were many children around the age of these in front. If they hadn’t died then, they could be living a life like this today.

”Greetings, Aunt Yuan!”

Lost in thought, Shi Lu was awoken by the voices of the children, looking down at the four to eight-year-olds, her eyes full of affection. She couldn’t help but step forward to pinch the cheek of Yue Yuan at the front, and said to the children with a smile, ”Good children, get up! No need to bow to Aunt Yuan, today you are guests here for Shao’er’s birthday celebration. Aunt Yuan has prepared snacks for you in the side hall, Shao’er, quickly take your friends to go play!”

Yue Yuan, the eldest of the group, blushed immediately after his cheek was pinched, causing a burst of laughter from the other children.

”Let’s go, let’s go, follow me to the side hall, let you all see my prowess!”

But Yuan Cheng, the little host, seemed a bit impatient at this moment. Seeing his mother had spoken, he immediately led everyone to the side hall.

Watching as the group of children headed towards the side hall, Shi Lu’s face was full of joy.

Even in the Inner City, families wouldn’t casually allow children so young to wander around, so those invited by Yuan Cheng were essentially neighbors.

It’s worth knowing that the Yuan Mansion was close to the Great Xia Main Hall, and neighbors were naturally not simple figures.

These twenty-seven children, Shi Lu basically knew them all.

For instance, the eight-year-old Yue Yuan, and his six-year-old brother Yue Bo, are the eldest and second sons of Yue Feng; then there’s the seven-year-old Xu Cheng, the four-year-old Xu Ping, who are Xu Ning’s two sons; then there’s Qiu Peng’s eldest son Qiu Hong, second son Qiu Yang; Lin Kai’s eldest son Lin Shou, second son Lin Lie, third son Lin Meng; Lu Yang’s eldest son Lu Yuzhou, second son Lu Yufan; and her eldest nephew, soon to be six, Shi Yuan...

”Madam, Miss Chu has arrived!”

Shi Lu returned to the main hall, just having instructed two maids to watch the group of children in the side hall when a voice came from outside. She quickly wiped her hands and called towards the outside, ”Please, come in!”