"The landscapes I’ve seen."
"You’ve seen orchids, too?"
Chiang Xiao was startled, why was he asking about orchids? Of course, she had seen the orchid in that painting, and now it was still blooming quietly and elegantly in her space.
"I have seen them." Although Chiang Xiao did not understand why Liu Guoying was asking if she had seen orchids, she did not want to lie to him about these matters, either.
Liu Guoying looked at her deeply, noticing her gaze was bright and resolute, with not even a hint of guilt.
"I have an old friend who is extremely fond of growing orchids." After pondering for a moment he said, "We looked at your award-winning painting together, and he said he had never seen that variety of orchid before. Knowing you are so young and hail from a mountain village, he inferred that the orchid in your painting was imagined by you."
Chiang Xiao was taken aback by his words.
"In painting, of course, one can add their own imagination, but your painting is a realistic one, the orchid is an actual flower species, and it’s the main subject of the entire piece. If it were imagined by you out of thin air, the painting would not be truly great in its essence."
Liu Guoying spoke very seriously.
Fu Mingfeng couldn’t help but laugh and cry after hearing this; his old friend was, as ever, earnest in his dedication and stubborn in his opinions.
Chiang Xiao, however, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Teacher, the orchid was not a figment of my imagination, I have truly seen that kind of orchid."
"Hmm, I’ll have a chance to see it for myself sometime, how about that?"
"You’re welcome, Teacher."
Chiang Xiao felt somewhat helpless. It seemed she might have to move that orchid out of her space and into a pot, then place it on her desk.
Fortunately, her grandparents did not understand orchids.
Liu Guoying then asked her about her mentor. Chiang Xiao looked at him, "I haven’t taken a master. But, since Principal Fu holds you in such high esteem, you must be an exceptional painter. May I be your student?"
"I do not take disciples." Liu Guoying rejected her firmly and stood up, giving the impression that he did not wish to speak further. "Principal Fu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back now."
Without waiting for Fu Mingfeng to respond, he turned and left.
After he departed, Fu Mingfeng looked at Chiang Xiao and said with a wry smile, "Xiao Chiang, don’t take it to heart, that’s just his nature. Back in the day, he was too stubborn, offended some petty people, and ended up quite tragically. That’s why he came here not long ago, seeking refuge with relatives."
Chiang Xiao had heard before that Teacher Liu had gone through a rough patch, and now she had a rough idea of it.
"Principal Fu, of course I won’t mind. Does Teacher Liu live at our school now?" As the No. 3 Middle School had teacher dormitories, if Liu Guoying’s life was really tough, living in a dormitory might alleviate some financial pressure.
Fu Mingfeng sighed and shook his head, "No. Teacher Liu’s wife is unwell. He says it wouldn’t be convenient to stay in the dormitory as it might affect other teachers, so for now, they are staying at a relative’s place."
The teacher’s wife’s illness...
On the way back, Chiang Xiao thought through the entire journey about how to make Teacher Liu accept her. Liu Guoying now was not the same as the university professor he would become years later. Perhaps now he felt he was not qualified to take on disciples, so convincing him would be much harder than in her previous life.
However, there was one advantage — just like before, she was still his student in a professional sense, and there was still time ahead. She could always work on it slowly.
After going back, Chiang Xiao entered her space, found a flowerpot, filled it with some soil, of course, mixing in a bit of the black soil from the space, and moved the orchid out, placing it on her desk.