After looking around in the Mingchen Studio and observing the paintings currently on sale, Chiang Xiao felt more certain in her heart.
Uncle Lee indeed hadn’t been able to find a painting of that size and headed home quite disappointed. Chiang Xiao thought for a moment and then said to him, "Uncle Lee, when you buy a painting, do you need to look for a famous artist?"
Uncle Lee shook his head and said, "What famous artist? Just this once—the Painter, who also claimed to be from the Painters Association, and look what he produced? Now I just want a painting that’s well-done, bright, grand, and has good fortune. That’s all!"
"What if I painted it?" Chiang Xiao asked very seriously.
Uncle Lee stopped, glanced at her, and burst into hearty laughter, gently tapping her shoulder with his folded fan, saying, "If you truly managed to paint such a large piece, no matter how it turns out, Big Master will buy it!"
"Really!" Uncle Lee didn’t take Chiang Xiao’s words seriously at the moment, but since Chiang Xiao had pointed out the drawbacks of the painting ’Prosperous Blooms’ earlier, he felt this young girl was surely a genuine apprentice in painting, and her creations would at least qualify as paintings, right? It was just a way to encourage her and repay a little favor. "But it would take a long time to paint such a big piece, wouldn’t it?"
Chiang Xiao shook her head and said, "Two days will suffice."
Once she threw herself into it wholeheartedly, her painting speed could be very fast.
In fact, it was a pace driven by Deng Qingjiang in her previous life. Deng Qingjiang wanted to make money from her paintings, always insatiable and never allowing her to paint slowly. Later, he even kept accepting commissions from wealthy patrons and set very short deadlines for her.
Besides, for paintings like the ones Uncle Lee wanted to hang in the guesthouse, she had already thought of painting the Welcoming Pine.
She had painted this subject countless times in her previous life and was now very proficient at it.
"Two days?" Uncle Lee frowned slightly, feeling that Chiang Xiao was being less than honest—how could a painting of that size be completed in two days? His smile faded slightly, and in a more subdued tone, he said, "Xiao Chiang, let me be clear, I don’t care what the painting turns out to be, but it has to be a complete piece, you understand?"
"Uncle Lee, I understand. I’ll go buy some paper. Do you know if any bookstores in town sell large sheets of paper?"
"Yes, do you want me to take you there?"
"No, that’s alright. Just tell me how to get there; I can go on my own."
By the time Chiang Xiao had purchased the paper and returned to the street where the guesthouse was located, it was already evening. She had also gathered all the pigments and painting tools she needed.
Aunt Lee, having heard about her plans to paint, didn’t say much and immediately provided her with an empty room furnished with some furniture and a bed with a very flat planks.
"We don’t have such a large table here, so if you think it’s suitable, you can paint in this room. Just lock the door when you’re not finished, and no one will be able to enter," she said, handing a key to Chiang Xiao.
Chiang Xiao took the key, expressing her thanks. She really found Aunt Lee to be a very warm and sincere person.
After setting down her things, Chiang Xiao decided to go out for a walk first.
As the ticket-selling lady had said, there were indeed many restaurants nearby, as well as many shops selling handicrafts and even candy and pastries.
One of them simply had the words ’Old Restaurant’ written crudely, and it was bustling with guests, nearly full.
Chiang Xiao went around to the back and indeed saw a back door, so she approached it and knocked. After a long wait, the door opened, and a bucket of water was suddenly splashed out, accompanied by an angry shout.
"I told you rascals not to cause trouble here again!"