Old Du glanced at him in surprise, realizing that he knew that such inherited things could not be modified at will, and that he had some knowledge and was not some nouveau riche.
He suppressed his disdain and gave a lazy snort: "What good ideas could I possibly have? Do whatever you want, you'll have money and success."
"Uncle, that's not how it works. This house is your Du family's ancestral property. You wouldn't be happy if I ruined it beyond recognition, would you? Are there any experienced craftsmen who can repair old objects? I hope to restore it to its original state as much as possible."
When Chen Jing wanted to coax someone, he was quite resourceful. He praised Old Man Du's old house so much that Old Man Du's heart softened.
If there weren't specific reasons, how many people would be willing to sell their ancestral property? Especially after hearing some onlookers criticize his yard so harshly, focusing on the garbage in the yard and ultimately trying to drive down the price.
Chen Jing hasn't mentioned the price since noon; he just wants to find an experienced craftsman to repair the ancestral home, as he genuinely loves the courtyard.
Old Du softened his heart and introduced him to two master craftsmen who specialized in repairing old houses and had ancestral skills, and gave them their addresses.
The courtyard was bought at the price Old Du had quoted, but all the antique furniture inside was kept.
Chen Jing and Ji Xia were not stingy people. They got along well with Old Man Du and coaxed him to go to a private restaurant together, order a few dishes, sit down and discuss things slowly. In the end, they agreed to go to the housing management office together at noon the next day to handle the certificate transfer.
When the property certificate for the courtyard house was issued, Ji Xia and Chen Jing were both very happy.
This was done in Ji Xia's name, and from then on, she was a homeowner in the capital.
After the courtyard house was completed, Chen Jing, as instructed by Old Man Du, found a master craftsman surnamed Lin to repair the courtyard, and also found a group of underlings including Wang Yuan to clean up all the usable items in the courtyard and clear away the unused items.
However, the time the experienced craftsmen gave them was enough; the house would need at least two or three months to be repaired.
Ji Xia also made a few requests. Southerners are used to the weather in the south, and it's too cold in the winter when it snows in Beijing. Several rooms need to have heated brick beds.
Ji Xia is used to having her own bathroom and toilet in the South, so she wants to install a new ceramic flush toilet and request the installation of water pipes so that water can be pumped from the well to the front and back yards.
These projects are not only extremely expensive, but also time-consuming and labor-intensive.
If things are done this way, the thousand yuan that Old Man Du mentioned simply won't be enough.
After several debates and planning sessions between the master craftsman, Ji Xia, and Chen Jing, a final plan was finally agreed upon, but the house renovation would take at least six months to complete.
At this time, the preliminary examination for the art academy had already begun.
The preliminary exam for the art academy was on February 26th, a one-day exam that included drawing, watercolor, and design, with a total score of 300 points.
Ji Xia's watercolors and designs have stood the test of the market. Her clothing designs and color combinations are not only loved by the townspeople, but also greatly appreciated by well-informed people like Su Yujing.
Of the three subjects, sketching was her weakest point, but she had some basic skills. After half a month of guidance from a renowned teacher and diligent practice, Ji Xia's sketching skills improved significantly.
On the day of the exam, Ji Xia, accompanied by Chen Jing, entered the art academy and took two or three pencils into the examination room.
There weren't many applicants this time, only about two hundred students. Each exam room had more than twenty drawing boards and sketching paper, and they were asked to draw a sketch based on the plaster cast shown on the boards within two hours.
Ji Xia felt a little nervous when she saw the plaster bust of David displayed above the examination room.
In half a month, she drew many plaster geometric shapes, but she only practiced drawing plaster statues in the last few days. She had never drawn the most complex plaster statue, David, before.
She stared intently at the plaster statue for a long time, recalling her teacher's teachings.
Grasp the character's features, focus on the big picture and let go of the details. First, draw the general size and proportions, and then gradually refine them. These steps cannot be rushed at all.
Secondly, both teachers said that she had no major problems in color and design, and even if she didn't score well in sketching, she had a chance to catch up, so she didn't need to put too much pressure on herself.
After mentally preparing herself, she picked up her pencil, compared its size and proportion with the plaster statue above, and began to slowly begin to draw.
Fifteen minutes later, most of the students had already drawn the outlines, and Ji Xia also determined the approximate location on the paper.
An hour later, Ji Xia finished drawing the general outline. She looked at the other people's drawing boards in the examination room. Some were almost finished. Of course, there were also some people whose level was worse than hers. They were in a hurry to draw the facial features, but the proportions and outlines of the facial features were strange.
Sketching exams are different from academic exams. When you're drawing in the exam room, especially if you're sitting at the back, you can always see the works of others in front of and behind you.
Two hours later, the bell rang in the examination room to signal the end of the exam. Ji Xia wiped the last shadow with her fingertip and signed her name in the corner.
The dragon and phoenix dance moves; it's quite unique.
As they walked out of the examination room in line, she looked at each candidate. Although they weren't the best, they were at least above average. She wondered how the overall scores of the more than two hundred candidates in the dozen or so examination rooms were.
In the afternoon, she took the color and design exams. She applied for fashion design, focusing on wedding dresses. Using elements of cheongsams and horse-face skirts, along with classic auspicious patterns, she designed a brand new wedding dress. The bright red wedding dress leaped off the paper.
Ji Xia was very satisfied with this design. When she came out of the examination room, she talked to Rong Xiaorou in detail about her work, and she was quite relaxed.
Rong Xiaorou also expressed satisfaction with her work: "Not bad. Your theoretical knowledge is sufficient, and your knowledge base is quite broad. You are able to conceive your ideas through writing. At this level, you should be quite solid."
Rong Xiaorou smiled approvingly at her: "The preliminary test results should be out in two or three days, no problem."
"I heard you're still staying at a guesthouse?"
Ji Xia smiled shyly: "Yes, we also want to find a quiet house, but my boyfriend looked at a few courtyards, but they are all big, mixed-use courtyards, none of them are private, so we are not very comfortable with them."
Rong Xiaorou nodded to her niece: "Ruoshi told me about it a while ago, and I was thinking of waiting until you finished your preliminary exam before talking about it. Now, I know there's a small courtyard for rent. Why don't you go and see if you're interested?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Xia was overjoyed: "Really, Teacher Rong, thank you for your trouble."
"Don't be shy, let Ruoshi take you there. It's not far from Teacher Fu's place, and she knows her too."
Rong Xiaorou then called Rong Ruoshi over and asked her to take Ji Xia to see the rented courtyard.
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