The resort owner, Fang Tonglin, personally greeted Shen Jiaru at the door. As he led Shen Jiaru inside, he laughed and said:
“Mr. Shen, I’ve made some improvements based on your suggestions and even incorporated the Japanese style you mentioned. Look at the façade and the courtyard now, isn’t it much prettier than when you visited last time?”
Previously, Fang Tonglin had bought a painting from Shen Jiaru for 300w, which hung in the main hall to signify status. Since then, his resort had promised to always provide Shen Jiaru with free lodging, meals, and hospitality whenever he wished to visit.
“It’s quite nice,” Shen Jiaru nodded, his demeanor remaining indifferent to Fang’s respectful gestures.
“Hey, aren’t your few apprentices together?” Fang Tonglin looked behind Shen Jiaru but didn’t see Fang Shaojun, Qian Chong, and Lu Yunfei.
“They’ll arrive later; this is a new apprentice,” Shen Jiaru turned and pointed at Hua Jie, “This is Hua Jie, she’s learning watercolor painting with me.”
“Watercolor?” Fang Tonglin glanced at Hua Jie in surprise, chuckled lightly, and then looked away.
These days, even if not learning oil painting, one would study traditional Chinese painting; who learns watercolor?
It’s not like children using watercolor pens where any random scribbling works. It’s rare to become an apprentice under someone like Shen Jiaru, and yet she chose not to learn oil painting but watercolor?
As the thought passed, Fang Tonglin labeled Hua Jie as ‘offbeat,’ considering her just another casual learner with no real prospects, a naive kid.
“Mr. Shen, you and your students will be staying at this hilltop for the next few days. If you need any assistance, you can use the snowmobile at the gate to come find me at the main house.”
“This place is serene, just as you requested. I’ve had the house cleaned up, and the food supplies are fully stocked; everyone else has been cleared out.”
Shen Jiaru needed a secluded environment to take his students on a sketching trip.
Fang Tonglin prepared this separate large courtyard for them, which boasts beautiful scenery and no disturbances from other tourists.
“Thank you for your efforts,” Shen Jiaru said as he stood in the courtyard, looking around at the surrounding two-story buildings, all with cement walls covered in wood decorations, making them look like genuine wooden holiday cottages.
“Do you really not need a couple of people to do some cleaning?” Fang Tonglin asked.
“Just an auntie to prepare our three meals a day is enough; we don’t need anything else. Peace and quiet are most important,” Shen Jiaru responded.
“Alright, then I won’t disturb you for the next few days,” Fang Tonglin said with a smile, pointing towards the house:
“That’s the main house where you’ll be staying. It has the best view, directly facing the snow-capped mountains at sunrise.”
“There are eight rooms around here for the students to stay in as they wish.”
“Over there is the kitchen and dining room, and there’s the hot spring room…”
“Okay,” Shen Jiaru nodded and said to Zhao Xiaolei and the others:
“Everyone go to sleep, we’ll get up at 7 a.m. for breakfast and then start painting.”
“Okay, teacher,” Hua Jie said, looking up and choosing the room next to her teacher’s.
Shen Mo waited a few steps before following her, choosing the room next to hers.
Zhao Xiaolei bid farewell to the teacher and Fang Tonglin, heading to the far side, away from everyone else.
After everyone had left, Fang Tonglin said to Shen Jiaru:
“Mr. Shen, I don’t suppose I could buy one of your students’ paintings over these next few days?”
“Their techniques are still not solid, and their expressions are naive; the work they produce is still very immature,” Shen Jiaru replied. He didn’t return to his room but walked around the courtyard first, scoping out several potential spots for painting, then entered the main hall.
The walls of the resort were high, blocking the mountain winds, and the courtyard was not very cold.
Once inside the hall, the room was warm and toasty, hot enough to immediately want to take off one’s down jacket.
Shen Jiaru strolled along the floor-to-ceiling glass walls of the hall. The view outside was not very clear, but he imagined that every corner could make for a picturesque scene.
Although the glass walls were not one whole piece, the pure wooden frames divided them beautifully. The glass was cleaned to clarity, making it perfect for sketching from within the hall.
“As long as they are your students, even if still immature, they must paint very well indeed,” Fang Tonglin persisted. “Mr. Shen, aside from the competition entries, may I purchase one?”
“Although their techniques and styles are not yet refined, they are still my students, and the prices won’t be low,” Shen Jiaru turned around and said bluntly.
“Of course! That’s a surefire investment. Even if it’s expensive, it’s still a bargain for me if they become elite artists in the future,” Fang Tonglin always had a smile, giving off a friendly and comfortable vibe, a typical astute businessman.
“Alright, aside from the competition pieces, you can choose one painting from each of the four students to buy. 50,000 per piece,” Shen Jiaru said.
Fang Tonglin choked a bit at this. These kids were still learning to paint, and besides Shen Jiaru, no one knew them.
Currently, selling paintings outside, even those with a little fame could sell for a few hundred at most. It was astonishing for Mr. Shen to ask for 50k for student works.
Although this price was cheap compared to the millions Mr. Shen’s own works commanded, after all, he was an internationally recognized artist who had held exhibitions abroad, a national treasure-level painter.
Fang Tonglin’s mind was racing, but as he studied Shen Jiaru’s indifferent expression, which seemed to convey, “Take it or leave it,” he took a deep breath and still managed a smile:
“Alright, no problem~ Then I won’t disturb you these days. I’ll come by on Saturday afternoon to choose a painting.”
His voice was still joyful, betraying no sense of finding the price excessive.
“Okay, thank you, Mr. Fang. I’m off to bed,” Shen Jiaru turned to dismiss his guest.
After a few more pleasantries, Fang Tonglin left with the manager who had helped arrange everything.
Ten minutes after Shen Jiaru returned to his room, Fang Shaojun arrived, picked a room next to Shen Mo upon seeing a note at the door, and settled in. Her parents, after seeing her settled, drove to the main resort to book a room and decided to stay for a few days while their daughter sketched.
Qian Chong and Lu Yunfei arrived later. Qian Chong’s parents were busy and rushed back to Jinsong that night, while Lu Yunfei’s parents also went to the main resort to book a vacation room.
By the time everyone was settled, it was past three in the morning.
Shen Mo waited until he could no longer hear the sounds of Hua Jie washing up or moving around next door before closing his eyes.
Imagining the girl next door tucked tightly into her blankets, sleeping like a kitten, brought an inexplicable peace to his mind, and soon, he too drifted off to sleep.
The quaint mountain villa, far from the city, was serene and beautiful, dotted only with stars that twinkled busily above.
As morning light spilled over the next day, the villa began to awaken.
The first to dart out were the squirrels, sleeping in the trees, now slipping down in search of food.
In winter, plump sparrows chirped in groups, flitting from one tree to another in unison.
Hua Jie, groggy, heard the birdsong and, still wrapped in her blanket, crawled forward to pull open the curtains by her bed.
The sunlight outside was dazzling against the snow, and it took her a while to adjust before she could open her eyes.
Below, the courtyard of the villa was blanketed in snow, every elegant decoration draped in white, adding to the charm.
The nearby woods outside the courtyard were cloaked in snow; the pine trees adorned with frost, not just white, but sparkling.
The distant plains were a vast expanse of white, like a thick fleece carpet, tempting one to throw themselves onto it and roll around.
To the right, the shadowy trees concealed an icy lake reflecting light like a white mirror, where skating would surely be fun, and if one were to cut a hole, ice fishing could yield a super big fish…
The young girl couldn’t help but grin foolishly, her eyes sweeping over the endless white that stretched to the horizon, truly a joyful sight.
So beautiful!
If only she had money, then she could bring her mom and dad here to stay and experience this breathtaking scenery.
Her mom would surely exclaim in amazement, already thinking about setting up a barbecue here, which would taste incredibly good.
Her dad, despite trying to keep his composure, would surely love it too; he always enjoyed having fun and loved nature the most.
Resting her chin in her hands, she looked out the window at the dawn spreading across the fields, the snow-capped mountains continuous, the wilderness boundless.
She deeply sighed, longing to throw her blanket behind her, shake it into a great cloak, and then, head held high, loudly recite one of Chairman Mao’s poems.
She was just trying to get out of bed to stand by the window and declaim when she suddenly heard from behind the door, a man’s voice, still hoarse from sleep, starting to sing loudly:
“Northland scenery, a thousand miles frozen, ten thousand miles of drifting snow!”
“…Mountains dance like silver snakes, the highlands gallop like wax-hued elephants…”
“To count the heroes of the world, look to this moment!!!”
His tone was exaggeratedly melodramatic.
Hua Jie wrapped herself in her blanket again and ran to the door, quietly opening a small slit in the curtains, just in time to see Qian Chong, wearing a dark green sweater, standing on the rockery in the large courtyard, preparing to start another poem.
Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from next door, followed by a wet towel flung out, heading straight for Qian Chong’s head.
Another voice, slightly deeper and hoarse from the morning, said impatiently:
“Shut up!”
It was Shen Mo.
Unaware that someone was peeking through a slit in the curtains by the window, the youth seemed fresh from a shower, his hair still damp, now tousled by the towel.
His white tank top revealed two well-toned arms. After casually tousling his hair some more, he turned and retreated back into his room.
In that fleeting moment, Hua Jie caught a glimpse of the young man’s sleepy, languid eyes, which looked somewhat cute and even a bit sexy.
Especially… he had stepped outside wearing just long underwear, the loose pants appearing soft, showcasing a relaxed, homey look, a stark contrast to his usual neatly dressed appearance.
Downstairs, Qian Chong dodged Shen Mo’s wet towel but didn’t dare continue howling. He sulkily wandered around the courtyard.
Hua Jie let the curtain fall with a smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Walking to the large window, she yanked the curtains open.
The rustic private cottage, though not as exquisite and luxurious as many modern villas, had its unique charm and beauty.
The double-paned glass windows, framed by solid wood, were very good at keeping heat in. While they didn’t offer the stunning view of full floor-to-ceiling windows, the wall that faced the view was still entirely made up of windows, which was quite beautiful in itself.
She sighed.
In this world, there were so many beautiful sights, so many breathtaking landscapes.
She needed to work harder at her painting, to get better and stronger.
Then earn a lot of money, travel to all these beautiful places, and capture them all in her paintings!
Turning on the tape recorder, it began to read English words, spelling them out, reading them, and forming sentences.
With the English sentences from the tape playing, Hua Jie got dressed, washed up, and took her sketchpad and pencils downstairs.
Before anyone else woke up and came down, she sat by the warm stove, drinking hot water, sketching several views of the courtyard.
Potted pine trees, goldfish bowls, ornamental rocks, rough wooden sculptures, pure wooden benches, corn cobs and Chinese knots hanging from the eaves…
She drew everything she saw, and whenever she encountered beautiful colors or special light and shadows, she grabbed her watercolor pens to add simple colors, creating light and dark contrasts.
Taking a deep breath of the crisp air from the snow-capped mountains and the scent of breakfast cooking in the kitchen, pencil in hand, everywhere she looked was a view.
Fantastic!
A 5-day intensive sketching workshop was about to begin!
The young girl was filled with joy as Shen Mo finished washing up and came downstairs, dressed in a black tracksuit and sneakers, hands casually tucked in his pockets, swaggering down from the second floor.
A well-rested and carefree handsome boy stood amidst the scenic backdrop of the vacation villa, descending the log steps. The cool morning light rendered his skin translucent and his eyelashes seemed soft and lush, adding a tender and adorable quality to the slightly downturned corners of his lips that hinted at his just-woken state.
Hua Jie tilted her head, gazing at him unblinkingly.
He’s so handsome!
There are so many beautiful things in this world, and she wants to capture them all in her paintings!!!
If she could just lose Shen Mo in this picturesque scenery for a few days, to paint both the beauty and the views together, that would be even more blissful.
Imagine a handsome young man dressed all in black, lying leisurely or seductively on a pristine snowy field…
Or the handsome young man crossing his feet, hands in pockets, casually leaning against a cedar trunk, tilting his head to gaze into the distance…
Just thinking about these scenes, her hand gripping the paintbrush could hardly contain itself!