Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 799: Chapter 795: The Doggerel in the New Year Painting

Hearing Director Zou analyze it like that, the tourists were also listening with keen interest, so they stopped arguing and each one of them clung to him, eager to discuss the matter further.

The director was all smiles, without putting on any airs, and agreed to each one, even providing patient explanations.

However, after visiting the Shen Family Old Residence, Huo Sining couldn’t help but shake her head secretly.

The reconstructed Shen Wansan’s old home, although glittering with gold and brilliance, had beneath its dazzling colors a kind of oppressive disappointment. These added screen walls, brick carvings, and serial pictures not only lacked a sense of profound historical weight but also seemed like an unnecessarily burdensome embellishment.

Gu Xu couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, ”Why are you shaking your head?”

Huo Sining sighed, ”I just feel that Shen Wansan was a peculiar person. He was able to build such a mighty business empire on his own capabilities. Logically, he should have been worldly wise and would have known to keep a low profile and hide his brilliance. How could he be so eager for glory that he even thought of surpassing Zhu Yuanzhang? Wasn’t this seeking his own death? How could such a smart man do such a foolish thing?”

Gu Xu laughed, ”That’s quite normal. When people reach a certain level of achievement, they are prone to arrogance and might forget their true origins. Not just Shen Wansan, but figures like Nian Gengyao, Suyet-tu, and Mingzhu from the Qing Dynasty - didn’t they all do the same? Fame and wealth can blind people, causing them to lose themselves in desire.”

Huo Sining didn’t quite agree with Gu Xu’s explanation, especially since she had been researching the history of the Yuan and Ming dynasties recently and found Shen Wansan’s behaviors increasingly peculiar the more she studied him, developing a growing curiosity about him.

However, she didn’t argue with Gu Xu but just looking at the bronze statue of Shen Wansan in the courtyard of his old residence, she couldn’t help but sigh:

”Shen Wansan of Nanjing, Kusuwan of Beijing; a man’s name, a tree’s shadow. Shen Wansan made so much money, but in the end, he was exiled to Yunnan. Even after his death, Zhu Yuanzhang still coveted his wealth and wiped out his family. Do you think money is really a good thing?”

It was as if she was questioning Shen Wansan and at the same time asking herself.

After visiting the Shen Family Old Residence, all Huo Sining felt was confusion and melancholy.

Money, like the endless desires of the human heart, once tainted by it, one cannot let go. Yet, the more one possesses it, the more it becomes like a black hole impossible to fill.

Seeing Huo Sining in such a state, Gu Xu knew that the girl was overthinking again:

”When not controlled by the desire for money, then money is a good thing. Of course, if driven by money, then it becomes the root of evil. Therefore, we should be the masters of money, not slaves to fame and wealth.”

Huo Sining was originally a little bewildered, but upon hearing Gu Xu’s words, it was as if bright sunlight suddenly appeared through the mist, piercing through the clouds, and she suddenly saw a new world.

A glint of enlightenment flashed in Huo Sining’s eyes, and looking deeply at Gu Xu, she nodded seriously and said, ”You’re right, I was thinking wrongly. As long as we’re not easily swayed by money, it is a sharp tool for us, an instrument to realize our values!”

As they left the Shen Family Old Residence and walked into the alley, Huo Sining was stopped by an Old Granny:

”Miss, buy a painting as a souvenir, hand-drawn commemorative albums of Shen Wansan. Take one home for good luck, with the protection of the Civilian God of Wealth, you’re bound to draw wealth and make a fortune once you buy it!”

”The commoner’s God of Wealth?” Huo Sining found the title somewhat amusing and immediately repeated it.

The Old Granny was afraid that Huo Sining didn’t know who Shen Wansan was, and as soon as Huo Sining asked, she opened up like a floodgate, prattling on about Shen Wansan’s life struggles, almost idolizing him as if he were the God of Wealth himself.

Huo Sining could hardly keep a straight face. Her mouth twitched involuntarily as she bought a New Year painting from the Old Granny and fled as if she’d been granted amnesty.

After she’d put a good distance between them, and seeing that the Old Granny wasn’t following her to chatter more, Huo Sining finally patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

Gu Xu rarely saw Huo Sining in such a playful, child-like mood and felt a stir in his heart. He gently brushed off the leaves that had fallen on her hair and tucked her temple locks behind her ear. Then, a mischievous thought popped into his head. His eyes darted around, and seeing no one was paying attention, he swiftly leaned in and kissed Huo Sining’s lips.

Huo Sining was caught off guard and felt a jolt in her heart as she was unexpectedly ambushed. She looked up at Gu Xu inadvertently, only to find him gazing back at her with intense eyes.

Huo Sining’s heart skipped a beat and, blushing, she swatted away Gu Xu’s hand, scolding him, ”Stop it, we are on the street!”

Upon hearing her words, Gu Xu’s spirits lifted, and he looked at Huo Sining with burning eyes, ”You mean, it’s okay once we get back?”

Huo Sining felt faint. This guy usually seems so serious, so why is he acting like a rogue now?

”What do you think?” Huo Sining spat at Gu Xu irritably and swiftly changed the subject, ”Take a look at this painting.”

With that, Huo Sining unrolled the New Year painting she had bought from the Old Granny.

It was a typical colored New Year’s painting from Henan Zhuxian Town, themed around Shen Wansan, with ”Shen Wansan Fishing” written in five large characters. On the right side of the painting, Shen Wansan was depicted casting nets from a boat, with the Cornucopia appearing in the water, while on the left, the Dragon King and the Crown Prince emerged above the water, giving thanks to Shen Wansan with folded hands.

The painting reflected the folk tale of Shen Wansan who had released frogs and received reward.

Such paintings, apart from the fishing scene, also include images of Shen Wansan with his wife and many maids surrounding officials and merchants with a money-growing Cornucopia tree, Shen Wansan welcoming the God of Wealth, and so on. These were quite common in Zhouzhuang, with nearly every local able to list them from memory.

This type of painting wasn’t really anything special, but upon seeing this picture, Huo Sining was completely dumbfounded.

She instinctively widened her eyes, her gaze fixed tightly on the New Year painting.

At the top of this painting was also a limerick. The content of the poem was simple, merely describing the content of the painting. But it was this poem that left Huo Sining shocked.

On the painting, it boldly read: In Henan there was a man named Shen Wansan, who fished daily by the riverside. He never fished anywhere else, always sticking to Longwan. The fish he caught piled up like a stack, the silver he earned became a mountain high. The Dragon King blessed him with a Cornucopia full of treasure, granting him wealth and glory for thousands of years.