It’s hard to put a price on art, so to minimize any mishaps, it was common practice to send someone to pick it up in person. Lu Yao wasn’t surprised. She just looked at her, gesturing for her to continue.
"But when the guy saw me, he was really surprised to find out who I was. He told me he thought it was just someone with the same name and never expected it to actually be me. Then he got a little awkward."
"Traditional Chinese painting, compared to art from the Western World, places a lot more emphasis on the integrity of the literati. You probably ran into an old-timer who was afraid your fame would ruin the purity of the exhibition, hahaha!"
Lu Yao understood the situation as soon as she heard it.
"Luckily, I hadn’t stamped my seal on those two paintings yet. When the uncle saw that I was willing to use a pseudonym, he actually carved a seal for me!"
Her so-called "using a pseudonym" meant giving herself an art name, something like "Hermit," "Mountain Man," or "Master."
Lu Yao watched as she took a small brocade box out of her limited-edition Xiao Xiang bag, and from the box, a delicate, pinkish Shoushan hibiscus stone seal. She quickly leaned in for a closer look.
Ni Bingyan’s heart was bursting with pride!
She just couldn’t contain it!
She first took out the seal, then a small, palm-sized notebook, and then a small box of red seal paste. Right there at the dining table, she carefully pressed the seal onto the paper!
After making the impression, she took out a soft cloth and meticulously wiped the ink paste off the seal.
Lu Yao: "..."
She wanted to say, ’I could just look at the seal itself to see what’s carved on it,’ but she was immediately captivated by the impression on the paper.
"This seal was carved so beautifully!"
The characters for ’Yayuan’ were elegant and powerful, with a strong personal style. It was clear the carver was highly skilled.
"I think so too! Haha! When the uncle was leaving, he praised me for being a ’pure’ person, but I think he’s the real deal! He’s so generous when he meets someone he vibes with! Actually, I’m just a very worldly person! I love me some money~"
"Hurry and put it away! Let’s finish up and get going. I can’t wait!"
Lu Yao’s mind was now filled with thoughts of her cousin’s paintings. She just wanted to finish their meal quickly and go to the exhibition to see them up close. Seeing that Bingyan was still fiddling with the seal, she hurriedly urged her on.
Ni Bingyan carefully placed the seal back into the small brocade box, put the box into a zippered compartment in her bag, and made sure the zipper was closed before she started eating.
The two had a quick meal. Since they didn’t have much luggage, they didn’t even go to the hotel and just took a taxi straight to the gallery.
When they got there, they discovered the exhibition had a limited number of visitors. To get in, they first had to get a free ticket using their IDs.
The two of them got their tickets, only to see they were for the day after tomorrow. They stared at each other, speechless.
"Looks like this exhibition is pretty popular, huh!"
Ni Bingyan’s voice was a little muffled from behind her mask.
"Should we try to talk to the organizers and see if they can make an exception?"
"Should we go to Shanghai first and buy some Lolita dresses?"
The two Sisters spoke at the same time, and it was a little awkward.
"I know that’s a bit opportunistic, and you might not like it..."
"I know you didn’t make this trip just for some dresses."
They both tried to explain at the same time.
A moment later, they couldn’t help but look at each other and smile. Ni Bingyan spoke again:
"There are a lot of tourist spots around here. Why don’t we find a place to hang out and come back the morning after tomorrow?"
Afraid her cousin wouldn’t understand her reasoning, Ni Bingyan explained, "I’ve only told you about this, not even my dad. I just want to go in low-key, have a look around, and not draw too much attention. So let’s just come back the day after tomorrow. What do you think?"
Ever since she started getting good at painting, the thing Lu Yao hated most over the years was hearing, "Wow, Yaoyao, can you draw one for me? You’re so good!" People would see a piece she’d spent hours on and immediately ask for it for free. She often thought, ’It would be better if no one knew I could paint.’
Something she originally loved had become tainted with so many unpleasant things that she began to dislike it. For a while, she didn’t even want to touch a paintbrush.
Her cousin was in the entertainment industry. If people found out she had this skill, there would surely be even more trouble. She wouldn’t even be able to have something she purely loved. That would be too pitiful.
Lu Yao immediately understood what she meant. She adjusted the straps of her backpack and gestured for her to lead the way.
The two Sisters found a hotel and rested well for the night. The next day, they visited a famous garden. On the morning of the third day, they arrived outside the exhibition hall.
They arrived early, just as the gallery was opening. After going inside, it was almost as if they had the place to themselves.
Countless paintings, each with its own unique character, some large and some small, were mounted and placed in uniform frames. They hung on the pristine white walls at varying heights, a dazzling and overwhelming sight.
It was clear the organizers had prepared with great care; every single piece had its own merits.
This was Ni Bingyan’s first time visiting a traditional Chinese painting exhibition. She felt that compared to the bland verbal exchanges with fellow enthusiasts in her hobby group, this kind of direct, visual stimulation was far more conducive to improving her skills.
She had originally planned to look for her paintings as soon as she came in, but starting from the very first piece, she found she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
It was as if an invisible force was guiding her, making her follow the designated route and view the paintings one by one.
A layman looks at the spectacle; after seeing it all, their only feeling might be, ’I like this one, I don’t like that one.’ But an expert can see what makes each painting good.
’So composition can be done like this... so colors can be matched like this... so a few simple strokes can create such an atmosphere...’
The advanced techniques mastered by academy-trained artists were things she couldn’t learn on her own. The experience that veteran painters had developed over many years was also unknown to her. And the ingenious ideas of others were different from her own...
’Only by going out into the world do you realize how full of talent it is. Staying humble suddenly becomes so easy.’
Everything she lacked, she could find in these works.
As long as she paid close attention, it was as if she were receiving guidance from the artists through their work, becoming their friend.
The feeling was novel and wonderful.
For her, this art exhibition was nothing short of a magnificent feast!
’So there are so many things in this world that are more interesting than making money.’
Now that she had achieved financial freedom, she felt she could pursue more.
’That’s what makes life interesting, isn’t it?’
So, after the exhibition, the organizers contacted her. They said a collector had taken a liking to her work and was willing to pay 120,000 for one of the pieces, a painting of a cute chick pecking at rice. After thinking it over for a night, Ni Bingyan agreed.
She decided to try to become a painter.
In the world of traditional Chinese painting, Yayuan must make a name for herself!
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