If Cang Shuxue’s first sentence did not pique everyone’s interest, then her last sentence caused a great commotion in the bus.
A pot-bellied man was shocked and exclaimed by instinct, “What? The champion of the competition will be made the Art Saint Master Wu’s disciple? Are you serious about that?”
“Really? With Master Wu’s status, how would he possibly be interested in a children’s art competition?” A square-faced man wearing gold-framed glasses could not help the shock on his face.
“Who is this Art Saint that you guys are talking about?”
Some parents showed that they had never heard of that person.
The pot-bellied middle-aged man mocked as soon as he was done speaking, “You haven’t even heard of Master Wu, the Art Saint? I must say that you’re really ignorant!”
The man looked embarrassed.
The middle-aged man looked through the crowd. Noticing that there were a few people who had no idea who the Art Saint was, he could not help but introduce them boastfully, “You guys only know Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi, but you don’t know the Art Saint Wu Wenshan!
Master Wu is the master of calligraphy art. He’s also the descendant of Wu Daozi. He is as famous as Qi Baishi and the rest. His painting skills have reached the level of godly perfection.”
He paused for a moment as he spoke to this point before he proceeded, “It’s said that Master Wu once drew a painting of a spring trip in the suburbs. As soon as the painting was completed, before the ink had even dried, it attracted countless butterflies and bees.”
The crowd gasped upon hearing this.
It was just a painting, but it attracted the butterflies and bees. Was Master Wu’s painting skills so good that he could materialize something?
“That’s not all!”
The middle-aged man with the gold-framed glasses pushed his glasses and said, “Master Wu is the No.1 painter in Jinling. Even the Jinling Calligraphy Art Association’s president is his disciple. Rumor has it that a wealthy foreign businessman offered Master Wu 100 million US dollar to paint for him, but Master Wu was nowhere to be seen.”
The whole bus fell into silence.
Everyone was shocked. They did not expect such a person to exist in the world. This time, even the arrogant, plump woman with heavy makeup could not sit still.
What would that mean if her child got first place in the competition and became Wu Wenshan’s disciple? It was hard to imagine.
In reality, she was not the only one who had such thoughts. Almost everyone in the car had their eyes sparkling.
Li Yongmin looked at the little fatty who was still eating. He was instantly infuriated, “You little brat, did you hear that? You have to do well in this competition and get first place. If you do that, you’d become Master Wu’s disciple!”
“I don’t care about that!”
The little fatty wiped his greasy mouth and said nonchalantly, “So what? Can he really turn a drumstick into a real drumstick just by drawing it? I can’t eat a painting.
Daddy, don’t paint me such a big picture. I know what I’m capable of. I don’t have much ambition in life. I just want to sleep, eat, and sleep. After you die, I’ll inherit the legacy and continue to sleep, eat, and sleep.”
“W-What did you say?”
Li Yongmin was so pissed that he almost died. He pretended to hit him!
Ye Chen shook his head lightly. He did not care about this so-called Art Saint at all. Putting aside the fact that his painting skills were superb, it was not a big deal even if he could turn rocks into gold and add the vital finishing touches.
When he was in the Immortal World, there was an art workshop under the heavens that commanded dozens of the most powerful artworks in the world. These people could change the color of the sky and earth with a casual wave of their hand, and whatever they drew would be materialized.
As compared to that, what was a mortal Art Saint even?
The reason why he accompanied Mengmeng to the competition was because Su Yuhan and his daughter liked it. He would satisfy them in anything that they liked.
Even if they wanted the moon in the sky and the dragon in the sea, Ye Chen would catch the moon and capture the dragon for them!
On the contrary, he rather admired Li Ergou’s character. This kid was a typical introvert of the new ages. He was broad-minded, fat, and had no desires.
…
It was around 1 p.m. when the bus finally arrived at the destination – the Jinling Gallery.
The art gallery was located at the foot of the mountain. Along the way, they could see the flower and bird markets, as well as the natural park. The people in the bus watched the beautiful scenery and culture of Jinling, the ancient capital of six dynasties. It could not be compared with Tiannan.
The bus finally stopped at the outdoor venue outside the gallery. When the group got out of the bus, they saw people with all walks around them. All of them brought the seniors and young ones along.
“Everyone, the competition will begin in less than an hour. I know that everyone is hungry.”
Cang Shuxue looked at the time and said to everyone, “How about this? You guys go ahead and grab something to eat. You can take a stroll nearby at the same time. We’ll meet here at 1:50 p.m.. However, I’d like to make this clear. You can’t go far, or you might not be able to participate in the competition in time. Also, you must be careful.”
Before she could finish, most of the parents had led their children to the nearby commercial street with their faces filled with excitement.
“I’m hungry!”
The little fatty stared at Li Yongmin.
The corner of Li Yongmin’s lips twitched. He could not help but smack his forehead and asked, “You’ve been eating all the way here. Are you not full yet?”
“Daddy, I’m hungry too!”
Mengmeng looked around and hugged Ye Chen’s thigh. She looked at Ye Chen in anticipation. Although Qianqian who was next to her did not say anything, she was probably starving judging by her beaten appearance.
Ye Chen patted the two little girls’ heads and looked at Li Yongmin next to him, “Brother Li, why don’t we go somewhere to get something to eat?”
Along the way, he chatted with Li Yongmin and his son.
“Sure!”
Li Yongmin nodded with a smile and said to Cang Shuxue, “Ms. Cang, shall we go together? You’ve been talking to us along the way and haven’t been eating.”
“Sure, thank you!”
Cang Shuxue smiled faintly.
…
The group walked to the nearby commercial street and found a high-end restaurant. They took their seats and ordered.
As soon as the little fatty sat down, he called the waiter over. He waved his hand and said generously, “Uncle Ye, Ms. Cang, my dad is buying us lunch today. You guys can order as much as you want. Don’t bother him, he’s a contractor. He has earned a lot of money over the years.”
Li Yongmin remained silent.
‘Who would do that to their own father in front of outsiders? Am I still your father? All I did was just hitting you a few times after drinking Erguotou in the past. Do you have to do this to me?’
“I’d like a bowl of duck blood noodle, thank you!”
Cang Shuxue giggled and ordered for herself.
Mengmeng ordered over ten dishes at once, “Daddy, I want to eat soup dumplings, Zhou Hei Ya, this, and that…”
Li Yongmin’s face turned grim.
When it was Qianqian’s turn to order, the little girl seemed a little reserved. She also ordered a serving duck blood noodle just like Cang Shuxue did.
“Don’t worry. Order whatever you want. It’s my treat.” Ye Chen noticed her hesitation and passed the menu to her again.
When he said that, Li Yongmin felt a little embarrassed. He quickly said, “Brother Ye, let me pay the bill. This brat is right. All these years, I’ve been managing the construction site and I’ve indeed earned a lot of money.”
“Uncle, how much did you earn?” Mengmeng asked curiously.
The fat boy blurted out by instinct, “It’s not much, just a few billion or two. However, my dad is too stingy. He likes to wear cheap clothes, and when he smokes, he only smokes one packet of Yun Yan…”
“Hurry up and eat!”
Li Yongmin coughed continuously.
As they were talking, the sound of brakes screeching came downstairs, followed by many screams.
Everyone looked up.
On the street outside, a Hummer drove on the street like a bully. In the end, it drove into a supermarket and shattered the glass door. Countless people stood outside to watch and gossiped.
