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Chapter 410: Chapter 333: Delivering a Painting (Seeking Subscriptions!) _1
The next day.
May 3rd.
In the morning, Tang Qing didn’t go to play with Lin Jiaxue but stayed at home and draw instead.
This time it wasn’t his usual subject of firearms, but rather Lin Jiaxue. Despite his artistic prowess, he realized he’d never drawn her before. One painting wasn’t enough, he needed two, three, many more.
In his hands, there was no such thing as failure.
The subject of his artwork was his beloved. He would not allow himself to tear or crumple any of the drawings and throw them into the trash can.
Because she was the love of his life.
After finishing the largest piece, Tang Qing immediately hitched a ride to a framing shop.
This was the biggest and best framing shop in the city.
Tang Qing had never been here before. The information was provided by the Command Room. He asked and found that it was not far, the taxi ride took just five or six minutes, and it was just on the next street from his school.
The place was called Qingfeng Art Studio.
The name sounded quite artistic, and the plaque was quite elaborate, it looked high-end. Tang Qing was continuously nodding his head about the beautifully written characters on the plaque, but he had no idea about the material it was made from.
All he knew was that it was made of wood.
As soon as he walked in ...
The atmosphere of culture enveloped him.
The shop specialized in framing hand-drawn art, not photo posters or the like. The business was quite focused and professional. Still, some of the displayed works at the entrance hall were a bit laughable.
Tang Qing curled his lips slightly.
Showing off such a terrible imitation was the epitome of misguided self-confidence.
If not for the majority of the displayed works being quite decent, he would have walked out right then and there.
An old man who appeared to be of full of spirits was carving a piece of wood at the shop’s entrance. However, it was still in the early stages, and it was hard to tell what it was going to be.
As Tang Qing walked in ...
The old man stopped his work.
"Hello young man, what do you need to frame?" The old man pushed up his glasses and asked with a friendly smile.
"A painting, using the best materials," Tang Qing answered.
"Our best frame material is yel..."
The old man’s patient explanation was interrupted by Tang Qing.
"I’ll take it, please start."
"Ah, alright."
A big spender.
The old man was also pleased.
As he took the drawing from Tang Qing, even without unfolding it, the feel of the paper told him it was a sketch.
He assumed that it would be just another mediocre drawing by a young person, but as he unfolded the drawing, an ethereal and exquisitely beautiful woman sprang to life on the paper, causing him to inhale sharply.
Excellent painting.
Excellent compositions.
Making old people seem young again has a much stronger "true-to-life" feel compared to other drawings. However, Tang Qing’s sketch looked exceptionally smooth, with no extra lines. Every stroke was necessary, perfectly capturing a woman’s beauty.
This was truly amazing.
The old man hadn’t seen such a perfect sketch in his entire life.
This was the level of a master.
"Young man, did one of your elders draw this?" The old man asked in astonishment.
"No, why do you ask?" Tang Qing shook his head.
"No reason, I just wanted to know who the artist is. May I ask who is this Qing Xue the master artist?" The old man asked, looking at the red seal on the paper. He was sure he had never heard of it, but the name Qing Xue was firmly imprinted in his mind.
Upon hearing this, Tang Qing could not help but feel a bit proud.
"I’m no master. It is my drawing. Please start framing it as soon as possible, sir. I need it for a gift. I’ll pay extra." Tang Qing urged. He intended to give it to Lin Jiaxue right away.
The old man looked at Tang Qing, stunned. "You drew this?"
"Yes, I would appreciate it if you could hurry." Tang Qing responded.
"Not at all, not at all, young man, sit over here please. Xiao Ke, make our distinguished guest some tea." The elderly man quickly led Tang Qing to the couch in the corner of the hall, and called towards the backyard.
"Coming."
A crisp female voice resounded from the backyard.
The old man smiled at Tang Qing. "Young man, please wait a moment. I promise to have it done within an hour. I won’t be charging you the extra, but I wonder, who is the master that guided you?"
"I’m self-taught."
"Self...self-taught? You are truly a genius." The old man exclaimed.
"You flatter me." Tang Qing laughed.
At this moment, a girl around sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a school uniform, came out. Tang Qing smiled, guessing that she might attend the same school as he did. But she couldn’t be a senior, as she didn’t recognize him.
"Grandpa, who is this?"
"A distinguished guest. Take care of the shop for a bit, I’ll go and frame this painting."
"Okay."
The moment the old man entered the backyard, the sounds of a chisel could be heard, followed by the noise of a cutting machine.
Tang Qing did not turn to look.
That was someone’s craft, and it was considered rude to watch.
The young woman was busily doing her homework at the front desk.
How nice it is to have a grandfather around.
Tang Qing couldn’t help but think of his own grandfather. Having an old person in the family is like having a treasure. Unfortunately, both his grandparents had passed away. Thinking of this and the old times made Tang Qing feel a bit melancholy.
If anything, Tang Qing didn’t just wait around; he went out and bought some snacks. He gave some to a girl named Xiao Ke, and they actually started chatting. It turned out that she was his junior in school, a student in the eleventh grade. Having lost her parents at a young age, she was living with her grandparents. She was a strong girl.
Time slowly passed by.
An hour later.
The old man took out the framed picture.
A frame forty by sixty centimeters in size.
Tang Qing took it and examined it closely. The frame was meticulously crafted. He was very satisfied.
"How much is it?" Tang Qing asked, wrapping the painting in paper and then bundling it up.
"Just the cost price, 6300 yuan," the old man said uneasily. 6300 RMB was by no means a minor sum.
Tang Qing exchanged 7000 RMB from his pocket, counted out seven notes and handed it directly over.
"Here."
Seeing Tang Qing start to leave, the old man hurriedly asked, "Young man, I wonder if you have any paintings to sell?" They do frame pictures, but they also sell on behalf of others. He wasn’t asking Tang Qing because of the money, but because he was a lover of painting himself and wanted to appreciate Tang Qing’s other works more closely.
"Sorry, my paintings are only given away, not sold," Tang Qing declined.
The old man instantly felt a lot better about Tang Qing.
That reason.
He accepted it.
"I apologize for my forwardness. If you ever need a painting framed in the future, just come here. It will be done at cost," the old man said, showing his respect for art.
"No problem, thank you in advance," Tang Qing said, leaving the shop.
He took a taxi to Lin Jiaxue’s house.
Ringing the doorbell.
Upon entering.
There were no surprises, but there was a shock.
Light Bulb Xi Shan was there again.
"Why are you still here?" Tang Qing grumbled.
"Why can’t I be here, keeping you from bullying Jiaxue?" Xi Shan retorted. It was hard to be happy when someone mistakenly assumed you were redundant.
"How could I?" Tang Qing awkwardly replied, although he did actually plan to come and "bully" his wife.
Xi Shan stopped teasing him. Looking at the framed painting in Tang Qing’s hand, she asked, "What’s that you’re holding? It seems to be carefully wrapped."
"A painting," Tang Qing said, walking inside.
Lin Jiaxue was watching TV when she saw Tang Qing. She quickly got up to pour some tea.
When they sat down.
Tang Qing handed her the painting, "Jiaxue, this is for you."
"What is it?" Lin Jiaxue asked, puzzled.
"Open it up and have a look," Tang Qing replied.
Lin Jiaxue did not rip through the paper. Instead, she carefully untied the strings and slowly opened the paper wrap.
Looking at the contents of the painting.
Lin Jiaxue covered her mouth. Even though she was somewhat prepared, she couldn’t help but feel a quake in her heart. She looked up at Tang Qing, her eyes filled with deep emotion and her face slowly softened.
"Did you paint this?" She softly touched the painting behind the glass. She figured the answer was obvious. She had witnessed Tang Qing’s painting skills at a dinner party in the past and found him incredibly talented. She loved this beautiful and captivating portrait of herself.
"Yes, I brought it to you as soon as it was framed. Do you like it?" Tang Qing asked.
"I love it, very much," Lin Jiaxue replied, holding the frame tightly and her eyes glistening.
"Do you have any nails in your house? I’m going to see where it should be hung," Tang Qing said, standing up to look for a nail.
Lin Jiaxue immediately prevented him, "No need to hang it. Just put it on my bedside table."
"Alright."
Xi Shan, who had just gone to wash the fruit, also saw the painting. "Wow, you can actually paint?"
"Of course, otherwise how could I be worthy of our Jiaxue," Tang Qing said proudly.
"Could you paint me a portrait then?" Xi Shan instantly changed her tone and pleaded. She thought Lin Jiaxue was really lucky to have such a talented, handsome, and rich boyfriend, or rather fiance.
"Next time, I don’t have the tools today," Tang Qing gently declined.
"Oh."
Xi Shan would just have to note down this promise for the future.
Tang Qing then sat down and kissed his partner’s pretty face.
"You, you, I’m still here. Jiaxue, you’re not going to do anything?" Xi Shan was flabbergasted.
"..." Lin Jiaxue didn’t protest. She just quietly lowered her head.
In his previous life, Tang Qing had been fed a lot of dog food by Xi Shan and her husband. This life was an opportunity to return the favor.
"You... I’ll go do my homework," Xi Shan decided staying out of sight was best, and grumpily returned to Lin Jiaxue’s room.
With no outsiders around, Tang Qing didn’t hold back anymore. They enjoyed this rare leisure time, and to Tang Qing’s delight, Lin Jiaxue was unusually warm.
She still didn’t let him get too frisky though.
But it wasn’t a rush, they still had a little over a month. He could endure.
PS: Shining more light on the leading lady’s presence.
