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After finishing their tour of the garden, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu decided it was not appropriate to stay in their new residence since the renovations were not yet complete.
Instead, they would stay at Zhang Yuelu’s residence in Taishang Place.
Little Yin was reluctant to leave. Spotting a blank wall, she left behind one of her own ink works—a vivid painting of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor riding an ox. Her painting skills were exceptionally refined—nothing like what she claimed about being unable to draw at all. Usually, she simply wanted to slack off with calligraphy or painting, deliberately sketching simple drawings to save effort and to fool Qi Xuansu.
Many people mistakenly believe that Central Plains painting favored freehand expression and was entirely non-realist. Rather, freehand painting, also called literati painting, did not require much technical foundation, making it easy to pick up.
Literati painting was much like doggerel poetry. At its core, it reflected Confucian authority rather than professional skill. Those in high positions would tout themselves by splashing a few strokes of ink-washed landscapes or some sort of murky flowers, birds, and fish. There were no clear standards of quality, so as long as it was vaguely passable, someone would flatter...
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