“When drafting, don’t make your strokes so fragmented,” Shen Jiaru pointed out as he looked at the lightly sketched lines by Hua Jie:
“Be precise when observing, and be decisive when putting the pen down.”
“Form a habit, the foundation has been solidly laid, so make each stroke a bit more definitive, from the start to the finish of each line.”
“Okay,” Hua Jie pondered for a moment, and her subsequent strokes were indeed less fragmented.
Shen Jiaru nodded in approval, very satisfied with Hua Jie’s execution and determination to change, finding her more and more agreeable.
He then addressed the color usage issues of another student, Fang Shaojun, and glanced at the time; it was about right.
He clapped his hands to signal everyone to stop writing, and placed the semi-finished paintings on one wall together, starting to comment on each one by one.
Occasionally, when he discussed a key technique, Shen Jiaru couldn’t help but pick up a brush and sit down in the student’s place to make corrections to the painting.
At such times, all the students would crowd behind him, listening intently.
This time was no different; he sat in Lu Yunfei’s spot, explaining while making strokes.
The gouache’s strong coverage was perfect for color correction; a thick layer applied, and Lu Yunfei’s previous mistakes in color tone and strokes were completely covered.
“Doesn’t it look better now?” After finishing the painting, Shen Jiaru put down his brush and looked at the expressions of the students.
Then, he noticed that while other children were nodding thoughtfully, Hua Jie was busy taking notes with one hand holding a book and the other a pen, swiftly writing.
He watched her finish writing and saw her expression change from confusion to a sudden realization.
Standing up, he put the corrected painting back against the wall, and as he stepped back to continue his explanations, his curiosity got the better of him, and he turned to Hua Jie again:
“Let me see your notes.”
“Ah,” Hua Jie quickly handed over her notebook.
The other students also peered over, as they hadn’t developed the habit of taking notes.
The little notebook was already filled with quite a bit of content. Shen Jiaru first flipped to the beginning and discovered that these notes began from the day he assigned homework to her.
It included a schedule of homework times, what to do on which day, and what needed to be learned from painting, all clearly planned.
Page after page followed, all filled with the experiences she had accumulated during her homework process. She not only recorded the techniques she learned from copying but also noted the mistakes made while using those techniques, along with summarized experiences.
Further on, there was even a color-matching table, supplemented not just by notes but also by diagrams.
The more he read, the more amazed Shen Jiaru felt.
This child not only studies seriously but also has an exceptionally strong ability to learn on her own.
She plans each step, executes it, and then summarizes, displaying a level of thinking logic that is quite advanced, almost beyond what a child could achieve.
Only by looking at her notes did he realize that she had gained much more from the painting process than he had imagined.
Looking up somewhat incredulously at the young girl, he flipped to the place she had just recorded, discovering that she not only noted down what he said but also added her own understanding:
“Apply broad strokes following the form, and before painting, have a conception in your mind of what the finished painting might look like, with many color blocks and areas prepared in advance. It’s a planned painting, not just painting wherever the brush goes.”
Shen Jiaru read this aloud, then looked at Hua Jie and glanced around at the other students with a meaningful sigh.
Returning the notebook to Hua Jie, he stood at a distance and thought for a moment, then said:
“Although Hua Jie is the youngest among you, she seems more mature than you are.”
“A good memory is not as reliable as a bad pen; take the initiative to take notes as well.”
“Review your notes frequently, think about what I’ve said, and paint with your brain.”
After saying this, he waved his hand and continued to check the paintings.
Fang Shaojun initially just stood by and listened, but after hearing a few words, he went to his seat, picked up a sheet of ruined gouache paper, folded it a few times in his left hand, grabbed a 2B pencil, and came back to the teacher’s side, starting to jot down what he considered key points while listening.
Shen Jiaru nodded approvingly and smiled at Fang Shaojun.
Lu Yunfei fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a small notepad, and began taking notes.
“…” Qian Chong glared fiercely at Lu Yunfei and Fang Shaojun, calling them traitors.
Then, reluctantly, he also found a piece of paper and, holding a pen, listened for a while, suddenly realizing that indeed many points were worth noting.
Moreover, many were points the teacher had mentioned before, which he had heard but not remembered, and ended up repeating the same mistakes when painting.
He hurriedly took notes, looked at his paper, looked at his painting, and began to feel that, perhaps by reviewing these notes when idle, they could indeed subtly imprint in his brain and not be forgotten again.
After all the paintings were reviewed, Shen Jiaru sternly said:
“Continue painting tomorrow, and all the mistakes I mentioned today must be corrected. If you come tomorrow and have not corrected these, next week’s homework will be equivalent to a month’s workload.”
“Understood, teacher.”
“Okay, teacher.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Several students responded one by one, beginning to pack up their bags and belongings. Fang Shaojun kept packing up, but his gaze was fixed on his own drawing, his expression intensely focused, as if pondering how to step by step repair and improve his painting tomorrow.
Lu Yunfei was the first to finish packing and bowed to the teacher before leaving the studio.
After Qian Chong picked up his bag and said goodbye to the teacher, he walked through the studio and saw Hua Jie’s position just a step away.
Although he had to admit that this newcomer seemed quite talented and knew how to put in the effort, he was still annoyed by the changes her arrival had triggered.
Especially since he felt that the teacher seemed to dislike him even more now.
Previously, his biggest annoyance in the studio was Fang Shaojun, who would target him frequently, look down on him, and try to outshine him in front of the teacher.
Now, this Hua Jie irritated him even more. It was one thing for Fang Shaojun to always excel, but what right did this newcomer have to be so arrogant?
Thinking this, he turned his head and stealthily glanced at the teacher. Seeing that the teacher wasn’t looking this way, he quickly kicked out his foot.
The stool wobbled, and the pencils, erasers, and brushes on it clattered to the ground.
A brush still dipped in paint splattered onto Hua Jie’s small bag on the floor, instantly staining the grey backpack with a blotch of brown.
Hua Jie, who had propped up her painting on one side and was about to return to clean her backpack, saw this happen.
Qian Chong met her gaze and provocatively tilted his chin up, his demeanor rude and detestable.
Although the girl spoke with confidence when critiquing paintings, outside of those moments, she appeared quite meek and soft, easy to bully.
He felt sure in his judgment; Hua Jie must be a timid art fanatic in daily life.
Little did he know, as he smugly contemplated the lesson he was teaching her, the girl suddenly took strides toward him.
“?!” Qian Chong was startled by the sudden release of her energy, instinctively puffing up his chest and lifting his head to display an even fiercer expression to intimidate her.
But Hua Jie was unfazed. She walked up to him in two steps and without hesitation kicked him hard in the shin.
“Ah!” Qian Chong was shocked, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked down at her.
This brat, a whole head shorter than him, dared to kick him.
Fang Shaojun turned her head to look over, her lips curling into a mocking, nearly amused expression.
Qian Chong immediately panicked, as he could not let a newcomer continuously challenge his patience, nor could he tolerate being mocked by Fang Shaojun, that scoundrel.
He raised his arm, ready to shove Hua Jie hard, to show her he was not the kind of man who treated women gently.
But just as he was about to push her, Hua Jie suddenly shouted:
“Teacher, my backpack is dirty. May I go to the restroom to wash it?”
Shen Jiaru turned his head and his gaze swept over Qian Chong’s raised hand.
The young man immediately cowered, turning his head to a spot where Shen Jiaru couldn’t see and glared fiercely at Hua Jie, then pushed the door open and left.
After receiving Shen Jiaru’s permission, Hua Jie also followed and pushed the door open to leave the studio.
Then she found Qian Chong waiting at the main entrance, clearly intent on settling their score.
Hua Jie curled her lips into a smile, unafraid of a confrontation.
Qian Chong looked like the type who blustered and intimidated others, but when it came down to it, he wasn’t completely heartless and wouldn’t actually resort to severely hurting her.
Hua Jie’s extra decade of life experience wasn’t for nothing; she knew how to read people.
Thus, she felt confident and unafraid of him.
Just as she was about to give him a contemptuous look to really annoy him, a voice suddenly came from behind her right side:
“Why did class end just now?”
It was Shen Mo.
Hua Jie looked up to see the young man standing on the stairs in slippers, his plump, round toes at eye level, clean and chubby like little dumplings.
Despite the cool and handsome appearance from above, this direct angle made it look too cute.
He wiggled his big toe, teasingly bringing his foot closer to her face:
“What are you looking at?”
Hua Jie snapped back to reality, clutching her backpack she loudly exclaimed:
“Shen Mo, Qian Chong knocked off my pen and dirtied my backpack.”
“And he’s blocking the way saying he wants to fight me!”
All the maturity, composure, seriousness, and focus she displayed in the studio vanished in an instant, transforming into a childish tattletale seeking comfort from a parent.
“…” Shen Mo was stunned, completely unprepared for Hua Jie to be making such a fuss and seeking his help.
He had never been sought after for protection or seen as a backer by anyone before, and was a bit slow to react.
But soon, he regained his composure, and his gaze followed Hua Jie’s pointing finger, turning towards Qian Chong standing at the door.
It was well known among them that the teacher’s son was not someone to be trifled with.
But Shen Mo was hearing for the first time that there was a student named Qian Chong among his father’s pupils. He stepped forward in his slippers, slowly descending the stairs, his gaze fixed on Qian Chong the entire time.
His presence was like a tiger stalking its prey, slowly closing in with an overwhelming sense of pressure.
“…”
“??”
“!!”
Qian Chong was utterly baffled by Hua Jie’s act of tattling; he had no idea she was so close to Shen Mo.
Watching Shen Mo approach step by step, he began to calculate his chances of winning if it came to a fight.
Only when Shen Mo descended the steps to stand on the same level did he realize that his opponent was taller and broader shouldered than himself.
The aura was crushing, completely overpowering his own.
He couldn’t win a fight!
And moreover!
Shen Mo was the teacher’s son!
He had paid a hefty sum to come all the way from Qingdao to study under Shen Jiaru, having barely been accepted after his parents begged countless people and spent much effort, with his mother even staying in Jinsong City to accompany him… He wouldn’t dare to strike the teacher’s son even if he had a hundred guts.
“Hey Hua Jie, I was just joking with you, why are you so petty?” Qian Chong exclaimed in a panic.
“Who was joking with you? Don’t mess with me in the future!” Hua Jie, carrying her backpack, followed behind Shen Mo, clearly taking advantage of his presence.
Shen Mo glanced back at her and suddenly felt like laughing.
She was quite amusing like this.
“Who messed with you, hey, is saying sorry enough?” Qian Chong said, then grabbed a hat from the rack near the door and dashed out.
Hua Jie snorted in amusement, letting out a triumphant hum.
Shen Mo patted her head, “Learning to bully others using your connections, huh?”
“My desk mate is so impressive, it would be a waste not to rely on him a bit.” She patted his arm, then exaggeratedly mimed admiration, exclaiming:
“Stronger than Schwarzenegger!”
Shen Mo playfully smacked her forehead again, then turned around and asked:
“I’m going out for hot pot at noon, want to join?”
“Just the two of us? Hot pot is more fun with more people,” Hua Jie thought for a moment and then suggested:
“Hey, why don’t you tell Auntie to take the afternoon off today, and we can have hot pot at home instead?”
“?” Shen Mo frowned.
“There’s a vegetable market right at the entrance of your neighborhood. We can buy some beef fat, make some spicy beef tallow broth, and then cook a chicken soup for half an hour to make a yin-yang pot,” Hua Jie said, immediately patting his arm, grabbing his short down jacket hanging by the door, and continued:
“Come on, you accompany me to buy a pot, an induction cooker, vegetables, and meat. I’ll treat you today.”
She had always wanted to find an opportunity to show her gratitude to Shen Jiaru and properly repay Shen Mo.
In her previous life, she often made hot pot at home by herself, enjoying dishes like enoki mushroom beef rolls, spicy duck blood and tofu pot, premium beef cuts, and lamb rolls that were so delicious they’d make you bite your tongue!
Moreover, their home was close to the Hulunbuir grasslands, so the beef and lamb were simply top-notch.
Hot pot, hot pot!
She hadn’t had hot pot since she came back to life!
Just thinking about it almost made her drool, Hua Jie casually threw her backpack aside, put on the down jacket Shen Mo bought for her, and urged him impatiently to call Auntie, then dragged Shen Mo out the door.
Fang Shaojun emerged from the studio, only to see their backs.
She pursed her lips and quickened her pace to the door, putting on her down jacket, and looked outside through the window.
It was really… Shen Mo.
For the first time!
It was the first time she saw him talking to someone else, and… their relationship seemed really close.
Quickly putting on her shoes and leaving the house, she walked fast, but still couldn’t catch up to the two by the time she reached the door.
As she got into the car that came to pick her up, she saw them enter the vegetable market across the street.
Could someone like Shen Mo really be going into a vegetable market?
…
Not only did Shen Mo enter the vegetable market, but he followed Hua Jie around the entire time, acting as her porter, watching her impressively haggle with the vegetable sellers.
He was stunned!
So this was what Hua Jie was like!
After returning home with bags of groceries, Shen Jiaru was thrilled to hear they were having hot pot for lunch and even asked Shen Mo to call Zhao Xiaolei to join them.
Hua Jie then busied herself in the kitchen.
Initially, Shen Mo sat in the living room playing on his laptop, but soon got bored and wandered into the kitchen to watch her work.
He had planned to give advice as he had before, but before he could start, the girl cut him off:
“Classmate, help me with something.”
Before he knew it, Shen Mo found himself dutifully carrying pots, pouring soup, and straining out the solids from the chicken broth.