“We have a teaching art studio and we want to promote ink painting so children and young people will learn about the beauty of ink painting. The only thing that we need right now are quality instructors…”
“Oh? So the Ink Painting Guru shares the same thought as our president?”
“They want us to go and be instructors there?”
“That’s the token gesture? No wonder they wouldn’t say it out loud earlier. It is quite a big ask!”
Siyi was interrupted before he was done talking.
President Huang Chuan truly appreciated the Ink Painting Guru so he stopped the others right away.
He turned to Siyi and studied him up and down.
“Your housemaster has such incredible skills. They must have some disciples of their own over the years?”
It would take more than just one or two, or even dozens of people to promote ink painting.
By the time they’ve got to their levels, they must have disciples and disciples of disciples.
Over the last dozens of years, Huang Chuan had over 100 disciples and his disciples were already in their forties and fifties. Now that his disciples had been accepting their own disciples, there were countless of those.
In addition, he taught at the art institutions. He had quite a few students as well.
Had he decide on opening up his own art studio, he had no shortage of quality instructors .
As such, Huang Chuan was somewhat curious.
This reminded the other elderlies in the room as well.
“Yeah, did they not have enough disciples of their own?”
“Why would he need us for that level of teaching?”
Siyi rubbed his nose.
That was because his boss lady was too young and just about the age of a college graduate herself.
Even if she was to have disciples, they wouldn’t be teaching for a while.
While he was struggling how to explain it further, he received more instructions through his Bluetooth headset.
“Please remain calm, fellow seniors. My boss will explain to you herself.”
***
After Gu Shishi had agreed to not go upstairs, Huo Sishen reminded her that she could communicate with these people over the phone.
Her voice being exposed was still acceptable to Huo Sishen.
He was in a good mood today and decided that he could be nice for a change.
It didn’t matter to Gu Shishi one way or another. She has won the competition already. It would be alright if some of them refuses to mingle with her because of her age afterward.
“Hi, everyone,” said Gu Shishi politely after she had cleared her throat.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
After she had spoken up, it was a sea of silence from the other end of the phone.
She thought perhaps it was her signal.
After a long while, she heard the familiar voice that belonged to President Huang Chuan. “You are… ?”
His usually sonorous voice was quivering a little.
And there were rustling noises from around him.
“Ink Painting Guru’s descendent, perhaps?”
“No, it’s a voice changer, right? The kind that they use when they stream videos?”
“Have I misheard?”
There were all sorts of speculations coming from the group.
Gu Shishi felt that she was being a truly pretentious person right now.
She has a halo over her head and she was glowing!
Grandma Chen was startled last tie as well.
“Ahem. I am Ink Painting Guru.”
Gu Shishi tried very hard to make her voice sound more compelling and commanding!
But, truth was, it was still quite soft and delicate.
She was, after all, a young girl in her twenties, age-wise and physiologically. There wasn’t much she could do there.
“Everyone, I hate to impose but…” Gu Shishi blushed a little as she talked. “Truth was. I didn’t have too many disciples. The only few that I have had just started learning under me.”
Having said that, it was another awkward silence from the other end of the phone!
The length of silence wasn’t quite as long as last time. Shortly, someone gasped loudly!
“How old are you?”
“You are Ink Painting Guru?”
“You painted the Visiting the Mountain with the Wife and Son today?”
“That’s, that’s impossible! The painter should have been a man!”
Gu Shishi knew that the perspective of her painting could be misleading, particularly allowing men to be immersed in the feeling of having a delicate wife and a young child around them.
Then there was the caption, a poem from Du Fu, that described lives in the farms with one’s wife and child.
It was, indeed, more of a man’s perspective.
But it was all a big a misunderstanding!
___
