Chapter 123 - 114: A Timeless Masterpiece

Chapter 123: Chapter 114: A Timeless Masterpiece

Two white-eyes.

One stood at the tip of the treetop, swaying slightly. It glanced left and right, occasionally lowering its head to peck at the branch. The other fluttered its wings and flew over, but instead of landing on the leaves, it hovered in mid-air right in front of its companion.

Chen Jingle’s eyes lit up. This scene was simply a living painting! He didn’t lack technique; what he lacked was inspiration.

"However, it’s hard to paint green leaves layered with green white-eyes," he murmured.

Just as Chen Jingle furrowed his brows, a white-eye flew out from the dense longan leaves and landed on the bougainvillea branch in his courtyard. Two more followed closely behind.

"This is great, this is great!" Chen Jingle said happily.

With red flowers and small birds, the color palette would no longer be an issue. Chen Jingle was incredibly familiar with both white-eyes and bougainvilleas. He immediately decided to use them as his main subjects to create a Flowers and Birds Painting.

Now that he had an idea, painting a good bird piece was still no easy task. It wasn’t that a high skill level meant he could paint carelessly. On the contrary, the higher the skill, the more attention to detail was required.

Painting was a process of constant refinement. First, he had to determine the overall structure, the dynamics, the form, and the sequence of the flowers and leaves. All of these factors had to be considered before painting the focal points of each section. He specifically referenced the "Pipa Mountain Bird Painting" by the Southern Song dynasty painter Lin Chun. It featured fine-brushwork white-eyes and was considered the absolute pinnacle of traditional fine-brushwork flower-and-bird paintings. This masterpiece was currently housed in The Palace Museum.

Fine-brushwork emphasized realism. It had to look authentic. For the bird, the ink needed constant adjustments based on the feather color. The relationship between black, white, and gray had to be clearly defined to apply the wash step by step. The shape of the branches and leaves, along with the veins of the petals, all had to be individually rendered to create a three-dimensional effect.

Painting tested one’s patience, especially fine-brushwork. It was notoriously slow and couldn’t be rushed. Rushing easily led to mistakes. It wasn’t like freehand brushwork—the time it took to paint one fine-brushwork piece was enough to paint ten freehand ones. Many painters who painted for a living sold freehand works to make money while slowly working on their fine-brushwork pieces.

Even though the various techniques of fine-brushwork flower-and-bird painting were incredibly mature today, those who lacked the skill still couldn’t paint well. The "Pipa Mountain Bird Painting" became a legendary masterpiece largely because the bird was painted with extraordinary vitality. Its demeanor and movements had to be vivid and lifelike, never dull.

This was especially true for the eyes. Birds were highly vigilant creatures, always looking around to deal with any potential danger. Nikon users who loved birding would deeply relate to this. Therefore, a bird’s eyes absolutely couldn’t be painted stiffly. Stiffness meant a lack of spirit, and even if the rest of the painting was perfect, it still wouldn’t be considered a good piece.

Chen Jingle’s strokes were extremely steady. The finished image already existed in his mind; he just needed to draw it out. His movements didn’t seem fast, but there was zero hesitation and no mistakes along the way. The flowers and birds appeared one by one under his brush, and in just an hour, he was almost finished.

It was truly a godly speed!

...

After adding the final stroke, Chen Jingle scrutinized the artwork before him, feeling very satisfied.

"Not bad!" he said.

He signed his name and stamped his seal. Taking out the calligraphy piece he had written earlier, he took photos of both and sent them to Li Beixing. "The calligraphy and painting for Boss Long are done. Help me take a look and see if there are any issues."

Even though she was slowly getting used to Chen Jingle’s speed, Li Beixing was still a bit surprised when she received the message. When she clicked on the images to take a closer look, she let out an exclamation of shock.

"Ah!"

The calligraphy was elegant and unrestrained, clearly carrying a hint of Wang Xizhi’s flavor. Incredible! Although everyone practiced copying Wang Youjun’s work, anyone who could capture a fraction of his true essence while blending in their own style was already considered an elite talent. It was rare even in the contemporary calligraphy world.

"His progress is so fast. Just how much time does he spend practicing every day?" she wondered in admiration.

No wonder he always liked staying at home. He probably didn’t even have enough time to practice his calligraphy, let alone go out and socialize. He lacked neither talent nor effort. Given enough time, he would definitely secure a place in the modern calligraphy scene.

When she tapped on the photo of the flower-and-bird painting, she froze completely. She thought the shock from the calligraphy had been intense enough, but the real highlight was yet to come.

This piece was clearly a step above the big rooster he had painted for Liu Deqiang previously, whether in terms of size, vitality, or three-dimensional depth. Aside from a sudden breakthrough in his painting skills, Li Beixing couldn’t think of any other possibility. If this were a work by Song people, it would undoubtedly be a legendary treasure that major museums fought over to collect.

Even though it was painted by a modern person and Chen Jingle had little reputation—drastically reducing its monetary value—it could still sell for a hefty sum to a discerning buyer purely based on its quality. If Chen Jingle ever became famous, give it a few hundred years, and this piece would easily qualify as a world-class masterpiece.

"Your skills have improved again!" she praised sincerely.

"It’s alright. I just had a bit of an epiphany," Chen Jingle replied modestly.

Li Beixing was truly envious of such gifted people. She wasn’t like him; she had practiced for so many years but was still only at a beginner’s level. It felt like a massive loss if such an excellent work sold for a mere ten or twenty thousand.

"I’ll help you negotiate a suitable price!" she typed.

"Thank you!"

Chen Jingle felt a bit embarrassed. He had promised to treat her to a meal earlier but had delayed it for so long without following through. Yet, she was still helping him out in so many ways. He really didn’t know what to say.

He sighed, feeling deeply ashamed. He had to find an opportunity to properly express his gratitude.

...

The photos of the calligraphy and painting were then forwarded from Li Beixing to her father, Li Qiguang.

Upon seeing them, Li Qiguang thought the calligraphy was truly excellent, though it was a pity he didn’t run a storefront business. The flower-and-bird painting, however, made his eyes light up. It seemed like the perfect fit for his office.

Should he get one too? After all, it wasn’t expensive. It was only about ten or twenty thousand yuan. A larger piece might cost forty or fifty thousand, which was basically the same to him. Having made up his mind, he planned to ask his daughter for her opinion later.

First, he called Fatty Liu over. "Brother Liu, when Boss Long returns to Jiangbei, you have to rip him off good. Look at this calligraphy and this painting. They’re even better than the two you bought."

Fatty Liu took one look and immediately couldn’t sit still. "Damn, they’re that much better than mine?!"

If these were by a famous artist, they would easily sell for hundreds of thousands. His eyes went round with sheer greed.

"He probably practiced a lot in private and improved again," Li Qiguang chuckled. "My daughter thinks the price for the painting should be bumped up a bit. After all, this piece is much larger than your big rooster."

"As it should be! With this kind of quality, even if he has no reputation, it should be worth at least thirty or fifty thousand. If Boss Long lowballs him, I wouldn’t mind swooping in and taking it myself," Fatty Liu snickered.

Li Qiguang quickly stopped him. "Hey, hey, hey, that’s unnecessary. He already agreed to paint it for Boss Long. As long as the price is fair, it’s fine."

"Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him," Fatty Liu replied, assuring him that he knew how to handle it.

He sent the pictures over. After reviewing them, Long Zhijie expressed immense satisfaction. Seeking Fatty Liu’s advice, Boss Long decided to spend twenty thousand on the calligraphy and forty thousand on the Flowers and Birds Painting.

This was a very good price for Chen Jingle.

When he heard the news, he was thrilled. Raking in sixty thousand yuan at once bolstered his assets, putting his total savings right on the verge of breaking six hundred thousand. It felt fantastic!

On the other end, Boss Long felt that since the quality of his two pieces was higher than Fatty Liu’s, paying a slightly higher price was no issue at all. Besides, the markup wasn’t much. At the end of the day, he was still the one profiting, making him quite satisfied.

In short, everyone was happy.

Though Li Beixing still felt the price for the painting was a bit low, she knew it would be difficult to ask for more given Chen Jingle’s lack of fame. She could only let it go.

"If he could submit his works to an exhibition, win an award, and build his reputation, the price could easily multiply by ten!" she thought.

...

Around noon, Li Beixing received a message from Zhou Manlin. "Baby Xing, I want to treat Chen Jingle to dinner this Friday night. Do you want to come along?"

Dinner? Oh right, she had promised to treat him to dinner after her car accident last time.

Li Beixing blinked. "Is your car fixed?"

"Not that fast. It’ll probably take half a month. I’m driving the ’Chopped Pepper Fish Head’ mini EV right now."

"What are your plans?"

"How about Star Chef Private Kitchen?" Zhou Manlin asked.

The two of them had gone there a while ago. The food tasted decent, but more importantly, the atmosphere was great. It was suitable for young couples or friends grabbing a bite—not so formal that it felt restrictive, yet not so cheap that it felt low-class.

Li Beixing thought for a moment. "I should warn you, Chen Jingle is an excellent cook and specializes in several traditional cuisines. I feel like Star Chef’s food leaves room for improvement. A nice dining environment probably won’t hold much appeal for him."

"How do you know he can cook, let alone that his skills are so good?" Zhou Manlin asked suspiciously.

Li Beixing was very calm. "His cousin is my student. I usually see her sharing lots of delicious food, and it’s all made by Chen Jingle."

"Is that so?" Zhou Manlin fell deep into thought. "If we’re talking about flavor, then we can only go to Tang Garden, right?"

Li Beixing pondered. "Tang Garden should be fine."

Tang Garden was a restaurant that had been open for many years, widely considered the pinnacle of dining in Jiangbei. While it couldn’t compare to places in the provincial capital, it was at least highly presentable.

Zhou Manlin immediately made the decision. "Then it’s settled. Tang Garden, Friday night. I’ll go tell him."

She turned around and texted Chen Jingle: "Handsome Chen, are you free this Friday night? I’d like to treat you to dinner. I still haven’t thanked you for what happened on West Ring Road."

On his end, Chen Jingle was simmering a five-finger fig chicken soup. He was scrolling through his phone while keeping an eye on the heat. Seeing the message, he quickly replied: "You’re too polite. It was nothing."

He hadn’t expected her to still be thinking about treating him to a meal.

Zhou Manlin added: "If you’re worried it’ll be awkward to eat just with me, rest assured, I’ve asked Beixing to come along too."

She asked Li Beixing along? Uh, was she sure that wouldn’t make things more awkward? He had originally planned to find a suitable time to treat Li Beixing to a meal, but now her friend was beating him to the punch.

Chen Jingle scratched his chin, his expression hesitant. It took a while before he finally replied: "Since you’re inviting me so graciously, it would be too unreasonable for me to keep refusing. Friday works. What’s the exact time and place?"

In his heart, he made up his mind to find another chance to treat Li Beixing separately later. After all, she had helped him out so many times.

Zhou Manlin was delighted. "How about six-thirty? The location is Tang Garden."

Chen Jingle had no objections. "Alright, see you then."

"Mhm, see you then~"