"She said she couldn't comment, not that she couldn't comment, but rather..."
“Grandpa, it’s not easy for our family to get together today. How about I paint a picture for you, wishing you good health, longevity, and all the best?” Xiang Jin interrupted Murong Xiao’s attempt to defend her.
Murong Xiao understood what she wanted to do, so he didn't say anything more.
The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone were quickly brought out. Although it was for painting, no one had high expectations. After all, art students could all paint a few pictures, so what was so special about that? It was hard to say whether they could please the old man.
However, it's fine to just watch.
A crowd gathered around Xiang Jin. The old man didn't say anything about stopping, and no one dared to make a sound. Everyone stared at Xiang Jin's hands, wanting to see what she was going to draw.
Xiang Jin wrote with fluid strokes and unrestrained ease, his eyes fixed intently on the paper. In just a moment, a painting of pine trees and snow appeared on the paper.
Pine and cypress trees grow amidst the biting cold and bleak winds. Their bent and broken trunks reveal the marks of time. Even when the snow weighs down their branches, they stand proudly and live with vitality.
Xiang Jin paused for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote his pen name in the upper right corner: "Unfinished Steamed Bun".
What an embarrassing name.
If I had known I would become famous, I would have chosen a better pen name. Sigh, I really regret it now.
Xiang Jin sighed silently in her heart.
"Quick, quick, help me up." The old man was a little agitated for some reason. He ordered someone to get his reading glasses while he walked shakily to the painting and looked at it carefully.
After a long while, he raised his head in surprise, looking Xiang Jin up and down as if he didn't recognize her: "You're the author of 'The Unfinished Steamed Bun' and 'The Umbrella'?"
Xiang Jin nodded: "Yes, I wouldn't dare to lie to you."
A small commotion arose around them, along with gasps of surprise, but Xiang Jin ignored it and continued to say to the old man, "I didn't expect to paint today, so I didn't bring my seal. I'll come back next time to give you my seal."
Artists usually have their own seal, which can be used by outsiders as one of the ways to distinguish authenticity.
"Good, good, not bad." The old man was excited. He originally wanted to reach out and touch the pine tree, but he remembered that the painting was not yet dry when he reached out, so he pulled it back.
"Put the painting in the study and have it framed."
"Okay." The butler stepped forward with a smile and carefully put away Xiang Jin's painting.
Everyone looked at each other, speechless. They all knew that the old man loved painting and was very picky about it, but they never expected that Xiang Jin's painting would catch the old man's eye and even receive a good title.
What was even more unexpected was that Xiang Jin was the "unfinished steamed bun" that caused a sensation a while ago.
"Ah Jin is really amazing. I didn't expect her to be so accomplished in the arts. I really admire her." Auntie San felt a little embarrassed and gave an awkward smile.
“There are many things that Third Aunt wouldn’t have thought of, not just this one,” Murong Xiao retorted.
Third Aunt's face became even more embarrassed.
"Alright, everyone, take your seats. Tell the kitchen to start serving the meal." The old man interrupted them. "You two, follow me and do it." He said to Xiang Jin and Murong Xiao.
After dinner, it was already past 10 p.m. when they left the Murong family mansion. Murong Ying wanted Xiang Jin to stay overnight at the mansion, but Murong Xiao carried him away like a chick.
The car was filled with gifts from the old man and his relatives and friends. Xiang Jin sat in the back seat, watching the scenery outside the car keep receding, and remembered what the old man had said at the dinner table.
He said, "You two are not young anymore, when are you going to let me hold my great-grandchild?"
Before Xiang Jin could react, Murong Xiao replied, "No rush, let's talk about it in a few years. Even without great-grandchildren, grandchildren are fine too."
The old man snorted a few times, clearly displeased: "What do you mean no great-grandson? You two aren't planning on having children?"
Murong Xiao paused, then served Xiang Jin a bowl of soup: "It's not impossible."
…………
Murong Xiao, don't you plan to have children?
He was very sad when he lost his last baby, and you could tell he cared a lot about his child.
"What are you thinking about?" Murong Xiao turned around and took her hand.
Xiang Jin shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile: "I'm thinking, maybe I shouldn't go to the awards banquet on the 3rd."
"Why? Because of Jiang Anqing?"
Xiang Jin's dark eyes held a hint of melancholy: "My mother is gone, what's the point of having a 'Mother'?"
Noticing her emotional state, Murong Xiao cupped her face and looked at her earnestly: "Xiang Jin, the people who are unworthy of the painting 'Mother' are Jiang Anqing and Li Shuhui, not you, the painter. Your enthusiasm and your praise of the mother herself are not wrong; the one who is wrong is the one who has let her down."
Xiang Jin smiled faintly. He understood the reasoning, but he couldn't put it into practice.
When she sees that painting again, she feels ironic and heartbroken. She is not pitiful, but tragic.
"Will you go on the 3rd?" With him by her side, she would have a little more courage.
“Of course.” He squeezed her hand, his gaze fixed ahead. “As long as you turn around, I’ll be there.”
Xiang Jin was slightly stunned. The heat in her chest slowly spread throughout her body. She heard her heart beating like a wild horse galloping uncontrollably.
She then asked, "Would you be proud of me?"
"Why not? My wife is a rising star in the art world. Who else is so lucky?"
Xiang Jin smiled, her eyes slightly reddening. She clutched her wildly beating heart and asked casually, as if it were a joke, "Murong Xiao, do you like me?"
The voice that answered her was slightly reproachful: "Idiot, you're only realizing this now?"
Xiang Jin: "..."
Well, she only realized that recently.
So the person she'd had a crush on for years actually liked her...
The smile on her lips grew wider and wider, the upward curve rising higher and higher, even her fox-like eyes were filled with a deep smile. She turned her head and saw her own rosy cheeks reflected in the car window, while Murong Xiao, not far away, was gazing at her with a smile.
"Murong Xiao, actually I also..."
"So what?" He put his arm around her waist and looked directly into her eyes.
Meeting those familiar yet captivating eyes, she gave a hesitant smile: "It's nothing, we're almost at the bus stop, let's get off."
Murong Xiao: "..."
………………
The day of the awards ceremony arrived quickly.
Xiang Qi attended the event in a black evening gown, exuding a noble and elegant yet aloof aura. She held Murong Xiao's arm with her right hand, and upon arriving at the scene, she was immediately surrounded by reporters from all directions.
Are you two attending this event as guests?
"I've heard that one of the sponsors of this event is Fengrong Group. I'd like to ask Mr. Murong if he has any favorite works?"
"Did Murong Xiao bring his wife here this time to show off their love?"
…………
A barrage of questions followed, the flashbulbs practically blinding her. Xiang Jin smiled at the camera, while Murong Xiao took the microphone from beside her: "Everyone guessed wrong this time. I'm here with a family member."
A faint smile played on his lips; he was in an exceptionally good mood.
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