320 An Unexpected Surprise for the Artis

She spent a good part of her day with her master. The old man was in a talkative mood. The two drank hangover soup together— it turned out both of them were drinking the evening before— painted around with some oil paints, and chatted about life all throughout.

After that, Yujia realized that she hadn't painted watercolors in a long time. These days, she was so focused on oil painting that she completely neglected this other medium.

Truthfully, before she transmigrated, she didn't practice watercolor much. After transmigration, she used it as a tool of survival as well. It was her ticket into Lingxin and to the success she currently had. It was only until she began genuinely loving art again that she began to appreciate watercolor as well. 

Recalling how the summer scenery of Lingxin Pavilion was beautiful— or, to be more accurate, any season's scenery of Lingxin was beautiful, considering how well-maintained every part of it was— Yujia picked up her supplies and took a walk over to the pavilion.

It was relatively empty, considering the time-of-day. But then, Yujia remembered a conversation she had with her master. 

Lingxin had entrance exams just three weeks or so ago. They were scheduled to be earlier, yet because of certain events and delays, they had been pushed back. Today, by the customary schedule, the masters of the academy would look through the new students in search of talent that they would select as their disciples. Thus, all the students in the academy were rushing to show off their artistic talent while those that were already disciples would watch from the side, for entertainment. This explained the pavilion's serene emptiness.

Yujia faintly recalled that Bo Zhizhong, her business partner, had taken the entrance exam. She couldn't recall if he disclosed the results or not with her. They never talked about it. However, she didn't doubt that he had gotten in, considering the amount of studying he had done. She just didn't think that it was likely for him to become a direct disciple. 

Based on skill, Zhizhong was still lacking. His current style came from the result of hard work, not talent. On the other hand, based on background, The Bo Family was the most respected and wealthiest merchant family, but there were plenty of other students coming from respectable families. If she were to base his chances of being selected as a disciple off of that, he definitely wouldn't qualify. 

Her master even noted that the new-students-turned-disciples were either based on extreme talent or incredibly honorable family backgrounds. Thus, Yujia came to the conclusion that Bo Zhizhong would not become a disciple as of the selection this round. Rather, he had a higher chance later on, after being in the academy for a while.

Without hesitating for any longer, Yujia picked up a brush and dipped it into the black ink. She made her first stroke on the page, more than ready to paint the pond, covered by a lush blanket of lotus leaves and a paradise of lotus flowers, in front of her.

…

Yujia didn't paint for long before someone came to visit her. 

Since she was facing away from the entrance to the pavilion, she couldn't see anyone approaching. Along with the fact that she was so focused on getting one particular detail of a lotus stem correct, she didn't even hear the person approaching.

It took a tap on her shoulder for her to snap her head up, shoulders jumping in surprise. The brush in her hand accidentally swiped against a part of the page where it was not supposed to touch, leaving a black mark.

Yujia stared at the person who messed her painting up, Yu Zixu.

"Zixu!" she exclaimed, turning to hastily dab water on the wrong splash of ink. "You made me accidently mark the painting." 

He raised his eyebrows. "It's not truly damaged. There's a solution."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is there?" She was almost finished with her painting, and with that stray dot of paint, she couldn't really see how to improve it. In the split second where she registered the accidental ink, she even considered cutting that part of the painting away.

Without giving her a verbal answer, he decided to show her himself.

The warmth from his palm clasped over the back of her hand. He took her hand and guided it to the area of the page where the ink had stained. His face leaning close to hers, he used simple movements to capture the shadow of a lotus flower. And then, he guided the brush up to paint the lotus flower itself, framed by the leaves around it.

"Sometimes," he advised, voice gentle, "making adjustments to the painting, different from reality's reference, is best. The pond's natural beauty is undeniable, but there is also beauty in one's own mind and creativity."

She looked at the place where he painted a new flower. He was right. In that area of the pond, there were no shades of pink, entirely covered by lotus leaves. With Zixu's addition of a flower that was never there originally, he brought a sense of balance to the painting. The balance brought on a sense of tranquility, and the tranquility brought on beauty.

"You're right," she admitted. "You really made it better."

Zixu leaned back, a proud smile tracing his lips. "I'm glad I made up for my mistakes, then. I didn't want to see you angry."

"I could not stay angry at you for long," Yujia told him, the corner of her lips twitching up. "You know that."

"If you did, I had a plan," Zixu continued, taking a seat next to her.

She shifted herself to face him. "Really? What kind of plan?"

"A surprise." A slight smile traced his lips. "Close your eyes and hold your hands out."

Listening, Yujia did so, her heart skipping a beat out of pure nerves. 

She felt a box-shaped item touch her hand. Her eyes instinctively opened up, and there was a small box, made of dark cherry-toned wood, resting in the palm of her hands.

"What's this? I can open it, right?" She brought the box a little closer to her face.

He nodded. 

When she opened it, she saw a gift that she never would've expected.

The insides of the box were lined with soft, elegant fabric, similar to velvet. It cushioned the contents within the box: two seal stamps. One was of cold white jade, a splash of green curling around the corners. The other was a crisp jade green, the color of spring. Each one was only slightly taller than the height of her finger, yet the top of both had decorative carvings, forming a gleaming small lion at the top of each one. 

Yujia's eyes marveled at the sight of them. "They're beautiful," she murmured.

Zixu smiled a little more. "Try looking at the bottom of it."

Yujia picked one up from its place in the box, turning it over to see what it would stamp. There, carved in the jade, was her name.