Chapter 52: Giving A Slap In The Face With Facts
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Oh no.
Shen Hanxing wondered if her nonsense had upset Old Master Lin. Artists always had all sorts of quirks. When faced with someone like her, who only had shallow knowledge but was carelessly commenting on his work, he would probably find it intolerable.
If she angered these two, she didn’t know if Ji Ning would be implicated. It was all her fault for not being able to control her mouth when she saw the work she liked. Shen Hanxing subconsciously wanted to apologize.
However, Old Lin was the first to speak. He stuffed the brush into her hand and said, “Draw a few strokes for me to see. Draw whatever you want to draw.”
!!
Shen Hanxing was stunned. What was this? Was he angry and forcing her to draw? Was he trying to slap her in the face with the fact that she knew nothing?
Shen Hanxing’s scalp went numb. She looked at Old Lady Lin for help only to see Old Lady Lin smiling at the scene in front of her. She looked like a bystander. It seemed that even a bosom friend could not be relied on, so Shen Hanxing had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the brush. “Then forgive
me as I show my embarra.s.sing skills.”
Shen Hanxing really liked to draw. The act of drawing was quiet and silent. One would put all their attention on the canvas before them and pour out their emotions to their hearts’ content. Thus, Shen Hanxing still had the habit of drawing.
At this moment, she took the old man’s brush. Her movements did not seem unfamiliar. After calming herself down, she had a good idea of what to do. She quickly put the brush on the canvas and sketched out the shape of her favorite willow tree with a few strokes.
Compared to Old Lin’s willow tree that had settled after experiencing so many things, the angle of her willow tree was even more b.u.mpy and sharp. When Old Lady Lin saw the light in Old Lin’s eyes, she could not help but shake her head with a smile.
“This old man… still not contented even after retirement.’
Having been with Old Lin for decades, how could she not understand the reason why his face had darkened earlier? It was clear that he had cherished talented people so he wanted to take her in as his student. That was why he had adopted a serious att.i.tude earlier.
Unfortunately, even if they were husband and wife, she did not intend to hand over the talented Shen Hanxing. Old Lady Lin was slowly calculating in her head how to win against her husband and s.n.a.t.c.h this good student. That impatient look made it hard to imagine that there were countless people
outside crying and shouting, wanting the couple to take them in as their students.
Unfortunately, the two of them had high expectations of their students. Thus, no one could meet their standards to become their students. The two of them had not taken in any students for more than ten years.
“Your strokes here are too heavy, and it’s not smooth.”
After Shen Hanxing finished drawing, Old Lin still had a serious expression on his face. His expression was hard to decipher as he nitpicked her strokes. Shen Hanxing listened obediently and looked at what Old Master Lin had pointed out. As expected, she noticed the inadequacies in her drawing.
She thought that it was no wonder the reclusive ‘experts’ that she’d encountered before were unwilling to reveal their names and claimed that they were amateurs. It seemed like they were indeed amateurs. Now that she had met two old artists with artistic accomplishments, her flaws were endlessly
exposed.
“That being said…” Old Lin rubbed his chin, and his expression eased up slightly before revealing a smile once again. “These won’t be considered flaws next time. Instead, it’s your unique painting style. Your paintings are very spiritual.”
It had been a long time since he’d seen such potential, and his love for talent grew even stronger. “Do you want to learn how to paint? Call me teacher and I’ll teach you how to paint.”
Shen Hanxing was shocked. Why did he suddenly want to become her teacher?
Thinking back to those ‘teachers’ that she had met by chance, Shen Hanxing had lived a busy life for a long time. Every second of her life was filled with learning, and she had no time to herself at all. This caused her to be instinctively fearful when she heard that she had to learn.
“Old Lin, you’re not being honest,” Old Lady Lin was immediately dissatisfied. “Everything is first come first served. Hanxing should formally be my student first. Her talent in violin is much better than her talent in drawing.”
It had only been a short while, but she had already familiarly addressed Shen Hanxing as ‘Hanxing’.
“Can’t you tell how spiritual her painting is?” Old Lin did not give in. “This level of painting skill cannot be obtained without more than ten years of hard work. She has both talent and diligence. It’s a waste if she doesn’t learn to paint.”
A young girl who grew up in the slums and was not even twenty years of age. Yet, how was she able to paint for more than ten years?
Art was a money-burning profession to begin with. What was it that supported her and let her persevere her studies on how to paint even when it was difficult for her to eat or drink? It must be her love for painting!
The elderly couple imagined Shen Hanxing’s unquenchable love for art despite living in poverty. She must have lived frugally in order to go on learning the things she was pa.s.sionate about. When they thought of this, the way the elderly couple looked at Shen Hanxing changed. Their hearts ached terribly
for her.
Shen Hanxing: “…”
‘Tm not… I did not. Don’t blindly imagine it.’