Chapter 2: Sending Paintings

  Just as Xiaoyao quickly understood the old man's unspoken words, when she heard her again making excuses to gloss over the matter, the old man was somewhat angry and stared at her saying "The atmosphere expressed by these four paintings can move people's hearts, it is much stronger than those paintings you made for the sake of painting in the past. Not to mention as a painter, but even as a person who paints, one should take creation as the main goal, this is an attitude problem!"

  "And you, on the other hand, always use those dead pictures as reference and paint in batches. In the past, it was for your family's economic situation, for your grandmother's hospital expenses, I won't mention it anymore. Not only did I not mention it, but I also helped you sell them! Now that you have less financial pressure, you can indeed produce such good work, why are you still sticking to your previous ideas?"

  Afraid of adding fuel to the fire, Zuo Xiao Yao didn't dare interrupt and could only hang her head down, letting the old man finish venting his grievances.

  "Grandfather Wang, please sit down first, don't...don't get so worked up. In the past when I painted, it was for money, but now I paint purely out of interest. Of course, there's a big difference in mindset between these two motivations. But what I think is that when I paint, I only do it to satisfy my own needs, not to seek fame or reputation as an artist, which are all meaningless..."

  "I know, what you regret the most is that before I even got a painter's reputation, for a small amount of money, I ruined my own future, and it pains me to waste my good talent. But I don't care about those things, and of course, I also don't care about what you think I might get or should get. I don't admit that I have painting talent, isn't it just to make you happy? As long as you think I'm a useless person, you won't keep thinking about dragging me out to show off, right?"

  When it comes to this issue, Zuo Xiaoyao feels quite innocent, just like the old man finds it hard to understand why she doesn't care about her work being famous or not, and whether she can get more people's recognition and familiarity. Similarly, Zuo Xiaoyao also finds it hard to understand why people are so concerned about those intangible fame and status, even going to great lengths to deceive and cheat, violating their conscience and morality, racking their brains to come up with ways to hype themselves for the sake of fame and gain.

  Life is short, and our time on this earth is limited. As long as we can earn enough to meet our basic needs with dignity, it's good to live a simple life. Why make things so complicated and exhausting?

  On this topic, the two of them obviously would never reach a consensus. Seeing Zuo Xiao Yao's flattering smile, the old man's anger in his heart instantly dissipated by more than half. The reason why he valued her painting so much was that it expressed a kind of calmness and strength, which was a personality trait that she possessed as the author herself, so she could unintentionally convey it through her paintings, making it impossible for others to replicate.

  But this quality is precisely what modern urban people lack, so in the past few years, even if she used her most disdainful method to take pictures from books, websites or TV as references, painting one after another with the same pattern without leaving any marks, the sales were still quite good, and some old customers would come regularly to ask for her paintings.

  Although I know that I am a gas, what's the use of being white? Far away? Dirty? Witchcraft is related to the danger of the riverbank. The flash is hesitant. The lie is covered with eight eggs and mulberry. Is it blown by the wind or by the model?

  "Delivering paintings!"

  Even though Zuo Xiao Yao only brought over four paintings this time, and they were all recent non-mass-produced works, it was clear that her purpose was different from the past. However, upon hearing her response, the old man still looked somewhat perplexed.

  "In the past few years, thanks to those three or four old customers who have been supporting me, my grandmother and I can live a secure life... Don't get angry again, no matter what their purpose is for buying paintings, as long as I got the money I wanted, that's all that matters. Also, thank you for always helping me, so I'll give these four paintings to you. Among them, this one is my favorite, and I specifically wanted to give it to you, please don't refuse!"

  Zuo Xiao Yao pointed to the painting of the lake's surface with sunset glow, ripples caused by a gentle breeze, and emphasized that unlike general depictions of sunset which often convey a sense of melancholy and regret as the day fades away, this painting instead highlights the profoundness and brilliance of the sunset, dazzling and captivating, making one feel in awe of nature's wonder and inadvertently filled with reverence.

  Perhaps it was her consolation that took effect, the old man did not get emotional again this time, but only sighed and said "I know your intention, in this world, watching others gain fame and benefit from their own work with gratitude, I'm afraid you're the only one who is so special!"

  There were two or three young people who relied on their family's power to sell her unsigned paintings in competitions, hyping them up as 'famous young painters'. Every time this was mentioned, it made Old Man You furious, and he would get angry every single time.

  After all, these paintings have been passed through his hands, and he always thinks that those fame and fortune should belong to Zuo Xiaoyao, but from time to time, he sees those people who are at peace with themselves, proudly bearing the honor that does not belong to them, often appearing on TV, newspapers, and magazines, which makes him even more depressed.

  The old man surprisingly didn't have another outburst this time, and Zuo Xiao Yao let out a sigh of relief. She smiled and joked, "Grandpa Wang is indeed a fashionable modern person, spouting trendy phrases left and right! Anyway, I'll leave these to you, whoever wants to buy them for whatever reason, you're more aware of it in your heart. The price will be the old price, just sell them as you see fit. Just please let them know clearly that from now on, I won't paint like I used to, and I won't randomly take them out to sell. This is my heartfelt intention!"

  "It's all right, don't worry, you'll do what's best, your grandmother in heaven will also be at ease. All these years, she didn't say it out loud, but seeing you secretly squandering your future and exchanging things that are most precious to her for money has made her feel guilty, thinking that she had wronged you."

  After leaving Zhengxin Shuhua Studio, Zuo Xiaoyao drew a period to her painting career and strolled around the nearby clothing market. Since her grandmother passed away, her dressing style had also changed greatly. She no longer liked wearing those colorful clothes, but always dressed very simply, mostly in black and white tones. However, the clothes in her closet were rarely these two colors because her grandmother thought that bright colors would make Zuo Xiaoyao look more youthful and energetic, making her look younger as well.

  The clothes in this market are all mid-to-low-end, and the prices aren't low either. But in front of a master bargainer, they can even be haggled down to two-thirds off. Zuo Xiao Yao doesn't have the skill to haggle with people, so she always splits the price in half. If it's sold, she buys; if not, she leaves. Even when she walks away, most of the time the store owner will call her back and she'll end up buying it anyway.

  Of course, this is the case when facing those clothes that can be bought or not. If she really likes them, as a person who has been straightforward and lazy to hide her true self since childhood, even if the store doesn't give in, as long as it's within budget, she'll basically buy it and then go back and listen to Zhen Jia laugh at how much of a loss she's suffered again.

  This time, she was buying clothes just for the sake of it, and she didn't have the mood to enjoy shopping and selecting clothes. Basically, she would pick those without complicated patterns, simple and elegant styles, black or white colors, and wouldn't accept half-price discounts. If not, she would immediately switch to another store. With just a little more time than what most girls spend browsing through one or two stores, she had already returned home with her purchases, without spending too much money.

  Back home, after simply boiling some instant noodles to eat, she didn't feel like going online or watching TV. Facing this suite of less than sixty square meters, divided into two rooms and a living room, Zuo Xiao Yao took out the few things that her grandmother had entrusted to her before she passed away, which were also the "dowry" left for her, and stared blankly at them, imagining how her grandmother had first laid eyes on them among many gifts.

  These three things are obviously a set, all made of non-gold, non-silver, non-copper, and non-wood materials. The style is extremely ancient, and the intricate patterns carved on them are very complex, even giving off a hint of mystery. However, overall, they give people a good feeling, and look very beautiful when walked around.

  Unlike the blurry copper mirrors commonly used in the past, this palm-sized mirror can reflect people very clearly and is usable on both sides. Given the technical conditions of ancient times, such craftsmanship can be said to be quite ingenious. In comparison, the style of this hairpin is relatively ordinary, except for the intricate patterns on top, there's nothing striking about it, looking simple and elegant, which is the style that Zuo XiaoYao likes.

  After a moment of hesitation, she picked up the last item from her dowry - a double-sided comb. This kind of comb, with teeth on both sides, is rarely used by modern people, but Zuo Xiao Yao was very familiar with it, as she had been influenced by her grandmother and had always used this type of comb since childhood.

  She had very straight and smooth long hair, extremely natural, never having done any perms, dyeing or pulling, from the time she was too young to remember, her grandmother always liked to comb her hair, using this wooden comb with relatively sharp teeth, but her grandmother's movements were very gentle, completely not hurting her scalp, would comb her hair very loose, then braid it into various flower-shaped braids.

  Thinking of this, even if I clearly know that I should regain my former strength, tears still flow down uncontrollably. The grief and pain of losing a loved one are really heart-wrenching, until Xue Xiao Yao personally experienced it, she only then truly understood how painful it was!

  At the moment of grief, her hand inadvertently clenched into a fist around the comb, and even though her fingers were pierced by one of the finer teeth, causing blood to flow freely, Zuo Xiao Yao's heart was in so much pain that she didn't notice at all. On the contrary, the pain transmitted from her hand relieved some of the sadness in her heart.

  When the blood mixed with tears stained these three things, they were completely absorbed by them, and this strange scene did not attract her attention. The three things, however, gradually emitted a purple glow as they absorbed more and more of the bloody tears, and their own colors began to change gradually.

  It wasn't until the light became dazzling that Xiaoyao, who had been trying to lift her head, realized something was off. She lowered her head in confusion and found that even the comb she still held tightly in her hand had turned purple along with the other two objects. This scene would have seemed quite eerie to a modern person who valued science.

  In her astonishment, she subconsciously loosened her grip, and to her surprise, the comb, mirror, and hairpin floated in front of her, arranged in a row. The scene was so surreal that even Zuo XiaoYao began to doubt whether she was dreaming or not. Just as she thought of lifting her hand to pull down her hair to test if it hurt, the three objects suddenly shot out three beams of light that completely enveloped her, rendering her immobile in a raised-hand pose, though fortunately, her breathing remained unaffected.

  This uncontrollable body seemed to have lasted for a short time, when Xiaoyao's eyes widened and her pupils shrank as she stared blankly at the three things that quickly entered her brow, her hands finally fell down, only to follow suit and faint herself.