Chapter 12 Famous Paintings "My teacher and she were classmates."...

Chapter 12 Famous Paintings "My teacher and she were classmates."...

Ye Hantao knew that her family couldn't afford furniture worth over 300,000 yuan, but she had to put on a brave face to keep up with the Joneses.

She deliberately ignored the much denser patterns on the furniture here compared to her own, and said confidently, "The more I look at it, the more similar it looks!"

The viewers in the live stream were astonished by the extent of Ye Hantao's boasting.

[Ye Hantao is such a liar!]

[Haha, a primary school classmate of mine is bragging that his dad is Bill Gates' brother. Those two definitely have a lot to talk about.]

[My tendency to embarrass others has kicked in again; I've somehow managed to pull out a Barbie castle from under my feet.]

How could Ye Hantao so naturally say something that was the same as what she said about her own furniture?!

There are two possibilities: either he doesn't recognize the valuable wood, or he's addicted to bragging and has a thick skin.

In the bedroom, Zhou Ti looked around at her bedside, wardrobe, and dressing table, and angrily pinched Ye Weizheng's arm, "I told you I shouldn't have chosen such expensive wood!"

"I didn't choose expensive wood! The wood we use is black sandalwood!" Ye Weizheng cried out in pain, but didn't forget to protest, "The wood in the villa is rosewood!"

The house itself cost around 300,000 yuan, while the furniture in the living room of the villa alone cost several million yuan.

Zhou Ti released his hand, "What black sandalwood? It's just ordinary wood that we use at home, dyed."

Ye Weizheng rubbed his arm. "Yes, yes, it adds up to ten thousand yuan."

After a moment, Zhou Ti glanced at him and asked, "Did it hurt a lot when you pinched me?"

"It hurts, it hurts so much." Ye Weizheng leaned closer, stretched out his arm, and said pitifully, "Darling, blowing on it will make it stop hurting."

Zhou Ti wasn't buying it. She picked up a pillow and slapped his face, saying, "Still pretending?!" She didn't even pinch him hard.

"I knew you cared about me." Ye Weizheng hugged his pillow and sat back down next to Zhou Ti with a shameless grin.

He could have had someone replace the furniture with a cheaper one, but the problem was that his wife had always loved sandalwood and similar woods, saying that such a bed would make her sleep soundly.

Taking care of Tao Tao while also satisfying his wife's hobbies is what he should do as a husband.

The thought had barely formed when a message came through the family group chat for the four of them.

Zhou Ti was surprised, "It was sent by Tao Tao."

[Taking a bite of a peach: Aa ...

[Taking a bite of a peach: The variety show "My Classmate is Here" has brought me good fortune ^_^]

[Taking a bite of a peach: My elbows and knees don't hurt for now, just a slight ache remains.]

Zhou Ti & Ye Weizheng: "!!"

The opportunity the master predicted has truly come true!

On the other end of the program, Ji Changtu spoke at a moderate volume, loud enough for at least the three people around him to hear him clearly. He Qiang, too lazy to pay attention to this vain girl who was just like Jin Shiyue, kept a straight face and strode towards the spiral staircase.

Of the remaining two people who heard clearly, Liao Jiayue and Jin Shiyue were.

Jin Shiyue thought that Ye Hantao would feel ashamed after Ji Changtu publicly implied that her family couldn't afford expensive wood, and that her eyes might even be red.

To everyone's surprise, Ye Hantao remained relaxed, even the corners of her eyes were tinged with a faint smile, just like peach blossoms in spring, dazzlingly beautiful.

It's as if she doesn't care about any harsh words others say.

For a moment, Jin Shiyue couldn't tell whether Ye Hantao had a strong heart or superb acting skills.

"Mr. Ji must be seeing things. Furniture oxidizes and darkens over time, which is why you mistook it for black sandalwood."

As she spoke, Jin Shiyue stepped forward in her high heels, her exquisitely sparkling manicured nails lightly touching the purplish-black cabinet. She haughtily commented, "The wood grain is fine and straight, with dense, fine lines—"

She paused, then looked over instinctively. Ye Hantao was looking at her, her eyes filled with complete focus and admiration.

"..."

I misjudged her; this young girl's acting skills are indeed superb.

Ye Hantao truly admires her.

If I were to spout such expert-sounding words during a live stream, it would be considered as showing off my persona.

Jin Shiyue kept a cold face and stopped looking at Ye Hantao. She added a sentence to her statement, "Besides, the furniture here has a warm luster, unlike the dark and dull ebony."

Ji Changtu forced a composed expression and said, "Is that so?"

Ye Hantao asked curiously, "What kind of wood is this furniture made of?"

“This is small-leaf sandalwood, which is different from black and yellow sandalwood,” Jin Shiyue replied calmly.

[Family! I quickly searched for rosewood (Dalbergia odorifera), and just the sofa, coffee table, and chairs in the living room start at three million.]

【？？？？？？】

[Damn it, they're sitting on two of my houses!]

[I own three apartments, thank you.]

[After all that, it turns out Ji Changtu was just pretending to know what he didn't, and he was even lecturing Ye Hantao.]

[Did this Ye Hantao hire an online troll army? I always see a few people in the comments defending her just because of her looks.]

[What do you mean by judging solely by looks?! I'm asking you, did Ye Hantao commit murder or arson? You all keep making sarcastic remarks, but if you were thrown into a variety show, you wouldn't even be as good as her!]

[I have a short temper, so what if a young girl is vain? Is it illegal?]

Liao Jiayue stepped forward and took Ye Hantao's arm, smiling gently, "Luckily, Sister Yue sometimes explains these subtle differences, otherwise I wouldn't have recognized it at all."

“The difference is really subtle,” Ye Hantao agreed. “Boss Ji’s home uses black and yellow sandalwood furniture, and he still mistook it for something else.”

Ji Changtu's lips twitched. This little girl must be doing this on purpose!

Jin Shiyue didn't react much. As she walked past Ji Changtu in her high heels, she took advantage of her 183cm height and glanced at him with utter contempt, saying, "Outsiders naturally can't tell the difference."

"I really have been showing off my limited skills in front of experts," Ji Changtu forced a smile. "I can be considered an expert when it comes to tea, but when it comes to timber... I'm ashamed, truly ashamed!"

Jin Shiyue rolled her eyes. "Pretentious."

Ji Changtu: "..."

Just then, Yuan Kai's voice came over, indirectly relieving Ji Changtu from his awkward situation: "Teacher He Qiang, are all these paintings genuine?"

Yuan Kai walked at the front of the group, and stopped in the middle of the spiral staircase, passing several ink paintings hanging on the wall.

He initially thought it was just an ordinary decorative painting, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was signed by Zheng Banqiao and Qi Baishi.

Even if he knew nothing about paintings, he was clear about the value of these two paintings; they were worth at least several million yuan, and possibly even tens of millions of yuan!

Thinking this, Yuan Kai moved away from the wall and closer to the stair railing, afraid that he might accidentally damage the painting and the homeowner would make him pay for it.

“It’s an authentic work.” He Qiang, who had been walking ahead of the group, stopped in front of a painting at some point.

Her blunt, ear-length hair accentuated her long neck, and her calm gaze was solely focused on the painting. "I never expected to see her here."

The cameramen carefully brought their lenses closer, and one painting after another, capable of fetching astonishing prices at auction, appeared in the live broadcast room.

[Closer! I want to see the shrimp whiskers!!!]

[...Could someone quickly search online to see how many zeros this painting is worth?]

[I've searched; a similar painting sold for 4.01 million yuan at Poly Auction and 23.61 million yuan at Sotheby's spring auction.]

【Aaaaaaah, production team, please lock the door tonight! I'm afraid I'll commit a crime!!!】

[Production team, you've got your hands on a god of wealth!]

My colleague's neighbor's niece is an intern at Qingmang TV. I heard that the God of Wealth approached her to invest (crying emoji).

Qi Baishi and Zheng Banqiao are great figures who are included in textbooks, and even a mediocre student like Su Yi'ang knows them by heart.

He jumped up in three steps to take a picture, "Hahaha, I'll send it to my teammates to see, I also got up close and personal with the master's original work."

When he took the next picture, he realized he didn't recognize the name on the signature. Looking to the side, he saw that the person had six paintings hanging on the wall. "Who is this person? The frames they used seem to be more expensive than those of the two masters."

Jin Shiyue touched the wood a few times and said, "These picture frames are all made of rosewood. It can only be said that the carvings on the frames are more exquisite."

Others also gathered around to look at the painting, wondering to themselves, could it be a master even more outstanding than Qi Baishi and Zheng Banqiao? If he truly possessed such achievements, Su Yi'ang couldn't possibly be unaware of it.

Upon closer inspection, the signature reads: Xie Feihuai.

"Jie Feihuai...who is that?" I've never heard of him before.

Yuan Kai was about to ask He Qiang, the only expert in traditional Chinese painting among those present, when Ye Hantao ran over and started chattering, "I know!"

Hey, she doesn't know much about wood, but she can still talk about and show off her knowledge of traditional Chinese painting.

[Not bad, at least he's gotten a bit smarter; he didn't mention that there are any of the other person's paintings at home.]

[To be displayed alongside Qi Baishi and Zheng Banqiao, the price can't be low!]

[Ahhhhh, family! I found Jie Feihuai! He's the president of the Chinese Painting Association! His paintings start at six figures!]

[Oh no, Ye Hantao has run into another big shot again.]

Ye Hantao's words drew the attention of those around her, even He Qiang looked over, a flicker of emotion appearing in her dark, calm eyes. "You know her?"

Seeing this, Liao Jiayue scoffed inwardly. With so many painters, how could Ye Hantao possibly know this particular one?

At most, they only have a little common sense and know that trying to piggyback on the fame of Qi Baishi and Zheng Banqiao is too exaggerated, so they deliberately chose a painter they are not familiar with.

She wanted to see just how much nonsense Ye Hantao could spout in front of He Qiang.

“Yes, I know her. My teacher was her classmate and said she was very good at painting bamboo and birds.” Ye Hantao’s fingertips lightly tapped the edge of the frame. “My teacher guided us to copy this painting, ‘Bamboo Shadows by a Sunny Window,’ back then.”

[Disease progression: 92.3%]

I overestimated Ye Hantao.

Thank you, my neighbor is the world's richest person.

[I live in the same neighborhood as Jin Shiyue [doge.jpg]]

Tao Tao and I attended a traditional Chinese painting class, and the teacher actually guided us in copying ancient paintings.

【？？？？】

[We even have a group photo! Tao Tao learned so quickly back then, and the teacher really liked her.]

[Are you bragging without thinking?]

He Qiang gazed quietly at the painting "Bamboo Shadows by a Sunny Window" on the wall. The brushstrokes were clumsy and forceful, and the ink was heavy and rich. This was the teacher's early style, from the year she first experienced a series of injustices and fell to her lowest point.

Yes, Xie Feihuai is her teacher, which is no secret in the circle, but it is rarely mentioned online.

He Qiang asked, "Since you've made a copy, what do you think this painting is trying to convey?" Most people said that the painting represents the teacher's early struggle against injustice and his tenacious resistance, using bamboo as a metaphor for people.

"..." Ye Hantao fell into an eerie silence.

[Disease progression: 91.9%]

[Hahaha, it was a disaster!]

[You keep saying you're being guided by the teacher to copy, but doesn't the teacher teach you how to analyze the meaning of the paintings?]

[My knowledge is limited; I can't even make this up on the spot!]

Ye Hantao opened her mouth, hesitating whether to continue speaking.

When their traditional Chinese painting teacher taught them to imitate, he said that Master Xie Feihuai dedicated his life to eating all kinds of food from around the world.

He was good at painting bamboo because he was extremely hungry when he was young and would often secretly dig up bamboo shoots to eat. He was good at painting birds because he liked to catch and roast birds to eat. He ate so many birds that he became so familiar with them that he could paint them as soon as he picked up a brush.

She believed her teacher's words without question at the time, but later she searched online and found that in the media interview transcripts, Xie Feihuai's answer was to use bamboo as a metaphor for people, and he did not mention wanting to eat bamboo shoots at all.

The traditional Chinese painting teacher must be teasing them.

Should she use the foodie theory or the metaphor theory? The former satisfies the desire to lie, while the latter satisfies the desire to show off.

At this moment, Liao Jiayue stepped forward and said, "This painting should be using bamboo as a metaphor for people."

Ye Hantao suddenly turned to look at Liao Jiayue, who then gave her a reassuring look.

Okay, no need to dwell on it anymore. Now all we can do is maintain the persona of a liar.

“The bamboo grows wildly, undaunted by harsh environments.” Liao Jiayue gazed deeply at the painting, “I suppose the painter must have been a very resilient person as well.”

He Qiang didn't comment on whether Liao Jiayue's meaning was right or wrong, but her gaze towards Ye Hantao held a hint of disappointment and dissatisfaction.

This little girl is not only unrealistic like Jin Shiyue, but she's also impersonating her teacher.

“Actually…” Ye Hantao hesitated, “it’s also possible that Master Jie Feihuai really loves bamboo shoots.”

He Qiang's pupils contracted slightly.

This little girl's teacher and her teacher are true friends!

A note from the author:

----------------------

Master Jie: (chewing) Who likes to eat bamboo shoots? (chewing) Me?