But achieving this is not just a matter of having enough time. It also depends on having what the Qing-dynasty scholar Jin Shengtan called "an extra ability of the heart, and an extra pair of eyes." It is only when one is in possession of these special qualities that one can be like Yunniang and manage the frugal life of the artist.
但這也絕不只是花得起時間而已，還要靠金聖嘆所謂的「胸中一副別才，眉下一副別眼」，才能像三白芸娘一樣，真心經營出一個簡樸雅潔的藝術家生活來。