Chen Kexin thought about it for a bit and sent her a message via WeChat.
[Master, I just want to check in to see how the congratulatory painting is coming along.]
Her tone was much more respectful, very different from her teasing tone when she referred to her as Guru two days ago.
It was her grandma’s 70th birthday this Saturday.
Grandma had always enjoyed more traditional style items. In order to prepare a delicate gift for her grandmother, Chen Kexin had started her search since a month ago.
She worried that her being no expert in antiques or painting, she would accidentally end up with knockoffs. Not only would they be of low quality, but it would also be humiliating.
Which was why starting last month, she had asked around for a few somewhat well-known artists in the Chinese ink painting artists and calligraphy artists to have them collaborate on a painting with calligraphy for her grandmother.
Some of the masters were quirky and would not accept the request.
Some others’ work was so expensive that she couldn’t afford them with her allowance.
So she had another idea. She’d forego well-known artists and look for the ones that were not yet well known and give her grandmother 10 paintings with inscription from 10 different individuals. As the number 10 would suggest perfection.
She thought that was a great idea before, but now, not so much.
She emptied out her boxes, dug out all the paintings that she had already collected, and spread them out next to Orange Tabby and Butterfly.
“Ugh… this disparity…”
When they were placed next to each other, the disparity between them was only too obvious.
Let it be the lines, the form, the soft naturalness of the strokes, or the painted objects’ charm or aura were all of an entirely different level.
The Orange Tabby instakilled all the other paintings.
“All these look like they are missing something… like they have no souls…”
Chen Kexin looked at them over and over again.
Discouraged, she picked up the phone once again.
[Master, how big of a painting do you have in mind? Maybe we should go with something smaller? Can you give me an idea of how much it’d cost?]
Chen Kexin wanted to cry.
She had underestimated the channel master previously. She worried now that she wouldn’t be able to afford the painting when she heard the price!
The bigger the size of painting of any well-known artists, the higher the cost.
Chen Kexin, having been purchasing a lot of congratulatory paintings and loved to shop on a regular basis, didn’t have a lot of her allowance left.
But she did not want to give up now!
After this comparison, she’d be embarrassed to follow through with her original plan of giving her grandmother 10 different paintings.
With her cellphone in hand, she waited anxiously for a response.
***
On the other side, Gu Shishi finished her Four Sons Offering Up Mythical Peaches painting in pouring sweat.
All the fine sweat on her face was from heat.
She didn’t realize she had soaked her feet for 1.5 hours!
It was surprising that she didn’t pass out….
But earlier, when she was focused entirely on the paintbrush in her hand, she was one with the paintbrush and couldn’t feel time passing at all.
She only noticed that she was about to break down from heat after her cellphone had vibrated.
[I am done with it already. Let me send you a picture of it.]
Gu Shishi relaxed her shoulder and turned off her foot spa before taking a picture and sending it over to MeowMeow.
As for the price….
[Just pay me however much you see fit.]