The joy and pride Fang Shaojun had just felt were extinguished in that moment.
Hua Jie’s painting not only sold for twice as much as hers and Lu Yunfei’s, but also received such recognition and respect, which was truly enviable and jealousy-inducing.
Eventually, the three paintings, along with their three easels, were sold to Fang Tonglin and Qiao Baiwan.
Except for the rebellious Qian Chong, the other three students all made some money.
At around 10 in the morning, Shen Jiaru, Fang Tonglin, and Qiao Baiwan were sitting in the sunroom drinking tea, enjoying their last morning of the training session.
Fang Tonglin had arranged for a chef to prepare a lavish feast, bringing out the best meats and ingredients he had been saving for a special occasion.
Lu Yunfei, Fang Shaojun, and Qian Chong, having nothing else to do after packing their belongings, took out their brushes and continued to paint.
That morning, Qian Chong was unusually quiet, neither mocking nor showing jealousy or discontent towards others; he just silently painted, scrutinizing his work over and over, his eyes almost burrowing into the canvas.
After breakfast, Shen Mo left the manor alone, walked to the ice lake, circled around, and then headed towards the farther snowfield, trudging through the snow, alternating between deep and shallow steps. He walked until he was exhausted, the small manor in the distance becoming a tiny black dot before he started his return journey.
Squelching in his soaked cotton sneakers and with a head full of sweat.
After a shower and a change of clothes, he found a spot in the sun, continuing to dry his hair while reading the complete works of Lu Xun.
Hua Jie also wanted to continue painting, but Qiao Baiwan, engaging her in conversation, forced her to sit in the sunroom and chat with the elderly gentlemen, unable to excuse herself.
Amid Qiao Baiwan’s continuous approval, Fang Tonglin began to question his own aesthetic sense and started regretting not purchasing Hua Jie’s paintings.
When he saw a stack of Hua Jie’s watercolor sketches, he immediately wanted to buy them. The somewhat abstract style of large color blocks pieced together looked simple yet visually striking, perfect to hang in every foyer or bedroom.
He subtly encouraged Hua Jie to sell these casual sketches to him, but she decisively refused. Such unfinished, casually brushed works absolutely could not be sold under the name ‘Hua Jie’.
She understood this without needing Teacher Shen to point it out.
Besides, she already had 100,000 yuan!
Qiao Baiwan’s trip to Songjiang City and even to the Ergun Snow Mountain Resort was incidental; he was actually in Heilongjiang to collect a debt.
He was accompanied by several younger brothers for protection, all carrying cash.
Thus, the transaction was straightforward: cash for painting. Hua Jie, trembling, received the 100,000 yuan prepared by Qiao Baiwan’s family, feeling almost transcendent.
Money! So much money!
Even in her past life, she had never made so much money at once!
Her father, a railway policeman, earned just over 1,300 a month; 100,000 yuan was enough for him to work for eight or nine years!
My goodness, this was nearly enough to buy an eighty-square-meter apartment!
One painting, one apartment.
Ten small stacks of cash laid on the table, and Hua Jie could hardly take her eyes off them.
She hoped her teacher wouldn’t think her superficial, because she was really trying to restrain herself, but it was just too hard.
The enticing smell of the banknotes made her want to go home immediately!
“Only a few months studying painting with Teacher Shen? You’re really amazing, a young hero indeed,” Qiao Baiwan continued to marvel.
“It’s all thanks to Teacher Shen’s excellent teaching,” Hua Jie felt a bit embarrassed but also quite pleased inside. Being recognized like this really felt wonderful.
Qiao Baiwan also asked about many details of Hua Jie’s emotional journey while painting “Monochrome Tundra” and her creative concepts. When they ran out of topics, he even forcibly shifted to discussing her academic performance.
Seeing the girl’s smile becoming increasingly forced, Shen Jiaru couldn’t help but find it amusing.
She was still just a child, lacking experience in handling overly enthusiastic elders.
He intervened to give Hua Jie a break, allowing her to go back to her painting. Finally freed, Hua Jie left the sunroom and the elderly gentlemen to continue her watercolor sketches.
Once she got home, she planned to treat these sketches as homework, redrawing them in watercolor.
She wrapped the money in scrap paper and stuffed it into her backpack, keeping it by her side and watching it constantly, as if worried it might suddenly grow wings and fly away.
Shen Mo was reading for a while, and when he saw her come out, he wandered over, picked up a stack of her watercolor sketches, and as he looked through them, he said:
“Congratulations, little rich girl.”
Hua Jie instantly looked up and burst into a super radiant smile.
So radiant that Shen Mo paused, her smile was just too big, like a little fool.
“Is making money that much fun?” he raised an eyebrow.
“Super! Extremely! Happy!!!” Hua Jie whispered, unable to suppress her joy and excitement.
100,000 yuan, for a family like hers, was an immense fortune.
She was still in a daze, finding it unbelievable, and kept touching the money every now and then to make sure it wasn’t all just her imagination.
Her one plein air painting had sold for 100,000 yuan, and in the millennium era, no less!
It was all thanks to Teacher Shen’s reputation, she felt; she couldn’t believe she had earned it with her own painting.
What kind of gift should she buy for Teacher Shen?
She wanted to buy something that perfectly suited his taste, oh my!
Shen Mo, watching her act like a money-grubber, couldn’t help but smile.
He glanced around to see if anyone was watching them, then reached out and ruffled the back of her head.
The girl looked up at him with raised eyebrows, her eyes wide open.
The sunlight fell on her, making her face flush red.
Backlit by the light, he spoke softly, pausing between words:
“Adventure is like this; there are storms, but there is also the other shore.”
“!” Hua Jie’s eyes locked onto his, deeply struck by his words.
…
Shen Mo chatted with her a bit more, then wandered back to continue his reading.
After watching for a while, he couldn’t help but look up at Hua Jie. Indeed, every time he saw her, she was grinning foolishly. When she noticed him watching, she would show off even more, smiling like someone who had won the lottery.
He was genuinely worried she might faint from happiness, as being happy can consume a lot of energy, and he was sure she would sleep all the way on the return trip.
The farewell lunch on Sunday was surprisingly lavish—
Braised ox head, with half of the head complete with bones and horns, made a dramatic entrance;
Large skewers of lamb, a whole big platter of them;
Killed pig dishes were served directly in big bowls;
Pig blood sausages dipped in garlic, which Lu Yunfei couldn’t stop eating quietly;
Sweet and sour pork, mixed vegetables, and sauerkraut glass noodles were indispensable;
A full table of various Northeastern Chinese dishes and Mongolian meat dishes, delicious enough to make everyone salivate as they ate.
Qiao Baiwan had a pair of public chopsticks specifically for helping Hua Jie with her servings.
The more he talked to the young girl, the more he admired her. So mature and wise for her age, and immensely talented, she was surely destined for a brilliant future.
He might not have been able to buy a painting from Shen Jiaru this time, but starting to collect Hua Jie’s paintings from a young age, he was bound to own some eventually.
After the meal came time to say goodbye, and Qiao Baiwan was a bit reluctant to leave. He took down Shen Jiaru’s phone number, promising to visit when he was next in Songjiang City, and then parted with regret.
Before parting, he even had Hua Jie sign her name on the back of a piece of drawing paper.
Fang Shaojun pursed her lips, silently handing her luggage and art supplies to her family who came to pick her up. After politely saying goodbye to Teacher Shen, she even glanced a few more times at Shen Mo, her eyes lingering on Hua Jie for a long while before she emotionally got into the car.
Even though she had sold a painting, she couldn’t quite manage to smile when telling her father the good news.
Lu Yunfei and Qian Chong were also picked up by their relatives one by one. Zhao Xiaolei checked the place again upstairs and downstairs before picking up his and the teacher’s belongings to get into the car.
Shen Mo carried Hua Jie’s luggage and easel, and seeing Qiao Baiwan still unwilling to let go, he stepped forward impatiently.
He strode over, patted the girl on the back, and despite Qiao Baiwan’s earnest farewells, said coldly, “It’s time to go.”
Qiao Baiwan then sighed, bidding his final farewell to Hua Jie and Shen Jiaru.
As the car finally started on the return journey, Hua Jie watched as the manor and Qiao Baiwan and Fang Tonglin at the manor gates became smaller and eventually blurred into the distance, before she finally turned her gaze away.
She let out a long sigh, suddenly feeling as if the past wasn’t just four and a half days, but rather like four years, or even forty.
In such a short time, she had experienced so much, so much.
Her shoulders slumped, she sank into the car seat, feeling a myriad of emotions swirling inside her, yet her eyelids began to fight against each other.
Shen Jiaru was already napping in the passenger seat, and Shen Mo, sitting beside her, also closed his eyes to rest, though it was unclear if he was asleep.
Zhao Xiaolei saw from the rearview mirror that Hua Jie was still awake and asked her softly:
“Aren’t you going to sleep for a while?”
Hua Jie smiled slightly and said, “Brother Lei, you’ve worked hard on the way here and these past few days.”
“I haven’t worked hard at all, I actually quite like driving. Plus, I get to come here and enjoy food, drinks, and a vacation. It’s been great.” Although Zhao Xiaolei said this, he felt content inside.
A girl like Hua Jie really was warm-hearted.
“Sleep for a bit. You’ll be home when you wake up,” Zhao Xiaolei added.
“I really want to sleep, but there are so many emotions in my heart, I don’t want to sleep yet. I want to quietly savor and digest them,” her voice was soft and tender.
“Is that so? You’ve made a lot of progress during this training,” Zhao Xiaolei whispered.
“…” Hua Jie looked out the window again, pausing for a long time before murmuring as if talking to herself:
“In this world, everyone is making choices alone.”
“The luckiest people are those who meet someone willing to help them clarify each choice and offer useful advice when they make those choices.”
Her heart was filled with gratitude.
Shen Jiaru wasn’t asleep yet and suddenly hearing Hua Jie’s words, he felt warmth in his heart.
She was talking about him, what a thoughtful young girl.
Pride, moved, satisfied.
Shen Mo’s eyes moved under his eyelids, the corners of his mouth slightly curling up as he too recalled helping Hua Jie analyze her father’s words, and staying up late into the night, keeping her company, talking about dreams and the future.
She was talking about him.
He hadn’t expected her to be so thoughtful, to express such deep feelings; she must really appreciate him.
Little potato really depended on him.
Pride, moved, satisfied.