Ou Yangfu turned to look at his older brothers, thinking of asking them for help.
Unexpectedly, his older brothers were also staring at the painting, completely absorbed in their memories, unable to extricate themselves.
Now, Ou Yangfu finally felt reassured.
He should say it! The painting by the little artist was very good indeed!
Look, not only did it move his dad to tears, but also his older brothers were deeply touched!
Ou Yangfu felt that he should also shed a few tears at this moment. With the whole family crying together, their story would probably make the headlines tomorrow.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t cry. Instead, he felt extremely proud. This was the little artist he had "discovered" with his keen eyes! Much better than any famous artist!
The members of the Ou family on the stage kept admiring the painting, while the guests below continued to discuss which famous artist it might have been painted by.
While everyone around was engrossed in the painting, the Ye family appeared unusually calm and abrupt.
Qin Sui’an tightened her grip on her grandmother’s hand, occasionally glancing at Old Mr. Ou, who was quietly wiping away tears on stage, and then at the crowd beside her.
Her excellent hearing allowed little one to hear everyone’s discussions clearly.
She was somewhat puzzled. On one hand, Old Mr. Ou and the other uncles were crying while looking at her painting on stage, and on the other hand, everyone was talking about how amazing her painting was.
If her painting was really that good, why would Old Mr. Ou and the other uncles cry?
Old Madam Ye knew little one must have heard the surrounding whispers, and she had only vaguely heard part of it herself. She couldn’t be sure if they were all praising little one.
Seeing little one’s face full of confusion, she squatted down and gently rubbed little one’s head. "Ann, what are you thinking about? Can you tell me?"
Qin Sui’an, with a puzzled tone, asked her in her childish voice, "Grandma, is Ann’s painting ugly?"
"Of course not." Old Madam Ye couldn’t help but sigh, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly covered by more worry. She asked softly, "Ann, did you hear someone say that your painting is ugly?"
Who dared? She would never let them get away with it!
Qin Sui’an shook her head, earnestly explaining, "Everyone is praising how beautiful and amazing the painting is."
Old Madam Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, no one dared to say anything bad about her little one.
She asked again, "Then why does Ann think her painting is ugly?"
Qin Sui’an lowered her little head and whispered, "Old Mr. Ou and the uncles all cried. Grandma, did Ann’s painting make them cry because it’s ugly?"
"How could that be?" Old Madam Ye hugged her tightly, comforting her, "Ann misunderstood. Old Mr. Ou and his sons cried because they were moved by Ann’s painting, not because it’s ugly."
"Moved?" little one raised her small face, blinking her round eyes in confusion.
"Yes, they were very moved." Old Madam Ye patiently explained, "Ann painted Old Mr. Ou’s wife. Old Mr. Ou just told you that his wife has gone to a faraway place."
Old Madam Ye glanced up at the members of the Ou family on the stage before continuing, "In Ann’s painting, there are also Old Mr. Ou’s parents. His parents have also gone to a faraway place."
Qin Sui’an seemed to understand, pursing her lips as she pondered over her grandmother’s words.
"Ann’s painting is very good, very lifelike. When Old Mr. Ou and the others saw Ann’s painting, they thought of their family members who have gone to a faraway place, so they cried," Old Madam Ye explained, gently touching her granddaughter’s cheek. "It’s not because it’s ugly. Do you understand, Ann?"
Grandma explained it very clearly this time, and Qin Sui’an understood immediately, nodding her little head. "I understand!"
Seeing little one’s face brighten up again, Old Madam Ye felt relieved. She smiled and said, "Good girl."
On the stage, just as Ou Yangfu was thinking about how to stop his dad and his brothers from crying, he finally saw his dad handing the handkerchief back to him.
Old Mr. Ou stuffed the crumpled handkerchief into his son’s pocket and, though his eyes were moist, he didn’t shed any more tears.
Ou Yangfu’s expression froze as he looked down at the pocket, feeling hesitant to complain but also unable to do so. He could only weakly call out, "Dad..."
"I’m here, what’s wrong?" Old Mr. Ou pulled himself together, took a deep breath, and steadied his emotions.
Ou Yangfu sighed inwardly. Oh well, since the suit would only be worn once anyway, let it get dirty.
After composing himself, Old Mr. Ou smiled again and looked at the guests below. He said with a smile, "I’m very sorry that I lost it."
The guests responded:
"You’re too polite, Old Mr. Ou."
"It’s only natural, we understand."
"This painting portrays Old Mr. Ou’s family members so vividly. Not only Old Mr. Ou, but we also feel moved when we see it..."
Old Mr. Ou’s smile widened a bit. He chuckled and said, "Yes, this painting is so well done! I never imagined that there would be a day when my family members would come back to life."
"After seeing this painting, I suddenly felt like I was twenty years younger, as if I had returned to my youngest son’s first birthday celebration many years ago..." Old Mr. Ou choked up for a moment, held back his tears, and said with great emotion, "I really love this painting! Thank you to my youngest son for giving me this painting!"
Ou Yangfu didn’t expect his father to thank him separately. He was stunned for a moment, then grinned and hugged his father’s shoulder. "You’re welcome, Dad!"
He glanced at the Ye family’s position below the stage and said with a smile, "Although I did spend your money, Dad, it took me quite a while to find this little artist who painted the painting!"
He intentionally tried to lift the atmosphere of the birthday banquet and change the subject.
Sure enough, as soon as Ou Yangfu finished speaking, someone in the audience immediately asked loudly, "Young Master Ou, can you tell us who the artist behind this painting is?"
"Yes, please tell us, Young Master Ou!"
"Who is this talented artist? We really want to know!"
...
A slight stiffness appeared on Ou Yangfu’s face, and he looked down at the Ye family’s position below the stage. "Um, well..."
Everyone understood that the Ye family was very protective of their little one, especially since little one had the Qin family behind her. If it were a somewhat famous or well-known artist, Ou Yangfu definitely wouldn’t hesitate to reveal it. But this little artist was still quite young, and he wasn’t sure whether to disclose their identity, fearing that it might have some impact on the little artist once their identity was made public.
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