Church sketching
The next day, Zhiwei slept until late morning. At noon, Zhou Xuanyu invited her to see an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and also accompanied her to take photos in Central Park. At that famous outdoor ice rink, Zhiwei enthusiastically put on her skates and started skating.
He wasn't good at ice skating himself; he just used his girlfriend's digital camera to take pictures of her. Zhiwei, slender and tall, was still wearing that fitted beige down jacket and a red chunky knit hat. She glided across the ice like a fairy.
After she had enjoyed skating to her heart's content, she suddenly braked and came to a smooth stop in front of Xuan Yu. Raising an eyebrow, she asked in a sweet voice, "Want me to teach you?"
Zhou Xuanyu quickly declined her offer, saying, "I don't want to fall and get so bruised and swollen that I can't move for months."
"It's not that exaggerated." Zhiwei said this, but she didn't force him. They took off their ice skates and went to Chinatown to eat.
Although Zhiwei had spent more time in the United States than Xuanyu, she still preferred Chinese food, while Xuanyu was indifferent and had no problem with sandwiches on a daily basis. Knowing what she liked to eat, Xuanyu specially took her to a wonton shop in Chinatown to eat fresh pork wontons.
"Sigh, when it comes to wontons, this shop is comparable to those in Shanghai. It's a pity that the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) here in Chinatown are not up to par with those in China."
As she was speaking, she suddenly remembered the delicious food from last night, "The xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) were quite good last night."
Did you have xiaolongbao last night?
"You were probably busy catching up with your seniors and didn't even notice what food was available, right? What a pity. That crab roe xiaolongbao—" She paused, then said casually, "I wonder when I'll get to eat it again next time."
The two wandered around for a while, and it wasn't until evening that Xuanyu took her home.
Where do you want to go tomorrow?
"Let's take a break tomorrow. Ah May is coming back tomorrow too, so let's just grab something to eat near home. I also need to start working on my portfolio. Even last-minute cramming can be effective."
As expected, Ah May arrived home in the afternoon of the next day. Zhiwei didn't go out for half a day, sorting through photos of her work from the past two years. She felt a little guilty, as she had very few things to show for herself.
The next day, May was going to a church to sketch. One of her architectural assignments required a stylistic analysis of the Baroque style, so she thought she'd take advantage of the free time to go to a church in Manhattan to find some materials. Zhiwei happened to be looking for some inspiration for sculpture and creative painting ideas, so she went with May.
There weren't many people in the church during the day. May stared intently at the relief in the corner of the wall, sketching it quickly in her sketchbook since taking photos wasn't allowed.
Zhiwei, on the other hand, was drawn to the stained glass, with its bright colors and vibrant, irregular geometric patterns that created a dazzling display. Even though it consisted of just a few simple colors, like patterns casually drawn by a child's hand, when pieced together and shone through in the sunlight, it possessed a lively and beautiful quality.
Suddenly inspired, Zhiwei opened her pencil case, sat down on the floor by the window, took out her drawing board, and began to sketch the window. After finishing the basic window, she didn't stop; instead, she used a black pen to outline a black rose on the entire canvas.
Slender branches slant across half of the glass from the bottom, with the thorns of roses faintly visible on them. The silhouette of a rose blooms in the upper right of the window, whether in contemplation or whispering secrets, making one want to know more.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she seemed to come to her senses. Feeling aches and pains in her back, she put down her brush, picked up the painting, and examined it closely, even comparing it to the window in front of her. She let out a regretful sigh.
"Is something wrong?" a deep voice suddenly sounded from the side.
She then noticed that someone was sitting on the prayer chair next to her, and she didn't know how long he had been watching.
“Ah, Mr. Li,” Zhiwei thought for a moment before remembering that she had met him just two days ago.
"What a coincidence, are you here for a visit?"
“Yes, what a coincidence,” he said, extending his hand.
Zhiwei felt a pang of embarrassment and, with his help, stood up. Since she was there to sketch, she wore a light pink down jacket and khaki trousers, the cuffs rolled up to reveal her signature Timberland shoes. A large, off-white canvas bag sat beside her, presumably containing her art supplies. Her hair was loosely tied in a braid, falling diagonally across her left chest. Unlike her radiant beauty that evening, she appeared casual and carefree, but her pink cheeks shone even more brightly, seemingly glowing in the quiet church.
Li Fuqiang felt that the girl's palm was as smooth as jade. She had already nodded in greeting before withdrawing her hand and casually patting the dust off her bottom. It seemed that she often sat on the ground to draw.
"I just heard you sigh. Is something wrong?"
"I brought colored pencils, but they couldn't express the rich colors and subtle variations of the glass. It felt very flat, so I was a bit discouraged. I was thinking about how to capture the texture of the glass. Watercolors didn't seem suitable either, and oil paints were too heavy."
What kind of product do you want?
"What I want is something three-dimensional, glossy, where the blue and yellow hues appear different from different angles, and each image is like a painting, not just a monotonous patch. This rose is like a black relief, growing together with these colored glass pieces. Ah, it's hard to explain, maybe glass is just the most suitable material." Zhiwei's tone was tinged with regret.
Just then, Ah May walked over. "Vivian? Are you all better? I'm all set." As she got closer, she noticed that Zhiwei was talking to someone and said apologetically, "Excuse me, did you run into a friend?"
Zhiwei said, "Yes, I'm all done here. Wait for me to pack my things." As she spoke, she smiled and nodded at Li Fuqiang again before starting to pack her art supplies.
Li Fuqiang picked up her painting and asked, "May I take a picture? I think it's beautiful."
Zhiwei was taken aback for a moment. It was always nice to have someone appreciate her work. She picked up a pen and signed her name in a flowing, elegant style in the blank space before handing the drawing board to him. "No problem."
Li Fuqiang took out his phone from his pocket, took a few photos, and then returned the artwork to her.
Zhiwei packed her things, said goodbye to him, and left with May. Li Fuqiang watched them leave, then slowly walked out himself.
At the church entrance, his driver approached. "Mr. Li, where do you need me to go?"
Li Fuqiang looked at the woman chatting and laughing with May, shook his head and said, "Take me back to my hotel."
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