Chapter 87: Extremely Satisfied

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Extremely Satisfied

Using color ink, Chen Jingle painted a vivid, majestic large red rooster from memory. It stood on a wooden stump, stretching its neck and crowing at the sky, its comb and wattles glowing a bright red. One look was enough to tell this rooster was an authentic Sanhuang chicken. Liu Deqiang’s company specialized in breeding Sanhuang chickens, which also happened to be the most widely raised breed in the Jiangbei region.

"Not bad at all," Chen Jingle mused.

As his first color ink painting, he felt it at least met the passing mark. It might not be quite good enough to sell for money, but it was perfectly fine as a gift. He took photos of both works and sent them to Li Beixing.

"Teacher Li, do you think this quality is acceptable?"

Li Beixing, who had just finished her class, was surprised. "That fast?"

She had figured it would be fine as long as he finished within the week. After all, Liu Deqiang hadn’t set a deadline. She never expected to receive the results this very afternoon. She marveled at his incredible efficiency.

"I can only say that inspiration just happened to strike," Chen Jingle replied.

Li Beixing completely understood. For artists, inspiration was indeed crucially important. She then noticed a second attachment and wondered why there was a painting. Opening it, she saw a relatively small piece featuring a large rooster. The inscription read: *A rooster’s crow announces the dawn. Gifted to Mr. Liu Deqiang.*

"You know how to do traditional Chinese painting too?" Li Beixing couldn’t help but ask.

Although she didn’t know much about traditional Chinese painting, she could tell it was very well done. It captured the rooster’s very essence, especially its eyes. No wonder the ancients always praised the finishing touch that brings a painting to life. The eyes were simply far too expressive.

"I’ve learned a bit," Chen Jingle replied. "Don’t worry, I won’t charge for this one. It’s a free gift."

Li Beixing froze. She wondered why she hadn’t received a free gift.

Chen Jingle’s heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten that she was a client, too. He quickly tried to figure out what she meant by that. Was she demanding an explanation?

"Uh, I didn’t think about that before," he explained. "Didn’t you say he was paying twenty thousand? I figured selling one piece of calligraphy for twenty thousand meant I was making out like a bandit, so I threw in a small painting. It’s a really small one, just for practice. As long as the buyer doesn’t mind, it’s fine."

After a moment’s thought, he added, "I’ll make it up to you with a bigger painting later. If you hadn’t helped me make the connection, no one would want my calligraphy anyway."

"Really?" Li Beixing’s slight annoyance vanished in an instant.

To Chen Jingle, this was a trivial matter. "Yeah. Just let me know what you want me to paint."

"Then I’ll have to think about it carefully." Li Beixing felt a sweet sense of satisfaction, feeling like she had hit the jackpot.

She looked back at the calligraphy piece and was surprised all over again. Why did it feel like this guy’s skills had improved once more? He was practically catching up to the contemporary masters. It was outrageous! Was this what a natural-born prodigy looked like? For Liu Deqiang to buy a calligraphy piece of this caliber for twenty thousand and receive an above-average traditional painting as a bonus—he had truly struck gold!

"This is really good, even better than the two pieces you wrote for me! Don’t worry, the client will definitely be satisfied!" Li Beixing praised repeatedly.

Instead, Chen Jingle felt embarrassed, as if he hadn’t put his full effort into the pieces he wrote for her. "I’ve gained a bit more insight from copying ancient rubbings these past few days," he said awkwardly.

Hearing this, Li Beixing did feel a bit sour. She was jealous of Liu Deqiang’s good luck and envious of Chen Jingle’s talent. However, she also knew she couldn’t force things. She’d just consider it the perk of buying early.

That afternoon.

After her classes ended, Li Beixing went over to her father’s company office again. Sure enough, Liu Deqiang was there drinking tea with her father.

"Uncle Liu, I was just looking for you," she said.

"Oh? Is there progress with your friend?" Liu Deqiang asked in surprise, though he didn’t doubt her.

"Yes." Li Beixing took out her phone. "He has already prepared it for you. He was worried you might not be satisfied, so he included a small traditional Chinese painting as a gift. Let me show you."

Liu Deqiang took the phone and was so shocked he stood straight up—even though standing didn’t make him much taller than when he was sitting. "My word, you’ve really given me a huge surprise!"

The calligraphy truly delighted him. Brilliant! It was absolutely brilliant! Both the style and the content struck a chord in his heart. It was not one bit inferior to the so-called masterworks in his collection. These twenty thousand were incredibly well-spent!

Li Qiguang leaned over to take a look and gasped in equal surprise. "Whoa, that really is good calligraphy! Brother Qiang, you’ve definitely struck gold. Anyone with even a little fame would charge far more than twenty thousand for this level of work!"

"Absolutely, absolutely. It’s all thanks to your Beixing." Fatty Liu smiled so wide his eyes vanished, the fat on his chin jiggling.

"There’s also a traditional painting gift!" Li Beixing reminded him at just the right moment.

Fatty Liu realized he had forgotten about the painting and swiped the screen. A second later, his eyes widened, and he let out a sharp INHALE.

If the calligraphy had surprised him, this large rooster absolutely shocked him.

Everyone knew Fatty Liu had built his fortune raising chickens. To be honest, many people secretly looked down on him. As the old saying went: *Feathered wealth doesn’t count.* A single disease outbreak could bankrupt a poultry farm in minutes. His wealth was fleeting wealth!

Fatty Liu naturally resented this attitude. What was wrong with raising chickens? Was it shameful? In this day and age, the only shameful thing was being broke! The entire Jiangbei region consumed over twenty million chickens a year. How many of those came from his farms? Did any of those snobs know?

He thought, "If you look down on me for raising chickens, then have the guts not to eat my chickens! And don’t eat the eggs from my farms, either!"

It was chickens that had built his empire today! It was chickens that allowed him to drive a Mercedes-Benz and live in a villa! He felt this large rooster was his very own battle cry against societal prejudice!

*A rooster’s crow announces the dawn.* What a beautiful phrase! It was sung so well! Furthermore, one look confirmed this large rooster was a Sanhuang chicken. It completely aligned with his heart’s desires. It was painted exceptionally well!

Fatty Liu slightly composed himself. "Brother Guang, look at the demeanor of this rooster. Doesn’t it have a bit of Mr. Ling Qigeng’s flair?"

Li Qiguang stroked his chin. "It does capture some of that essence."

The elderly Mr. Ling Qigeng was hailed as the number one chicken painter in Jiangnan. Although there was still a gap between him and the contemporary absolute best, he was undoubtedly a master of this generation. He excelled at painting birds, with chickens being his specialty. Having received the true legacy of the Lingnan Painting School master, Mr. Zhang Shizhong, he had even been highly praised by Mr. Xu Beihong.

As for who the true number one chicken painter was, there was considerable debate. However, it was universally acknowledged that Mr. Xu Beihong’s skill in painting chickens was exceptionally high. Yes, he wasn’t just a master of painting horses; he was equally adept at painting chickens.

It was just that Chen Jingle’s work gave off more of a Lingnan Painting School vibe. The vibrant colors, in particular, were a standard hallmark of the Lingnan Painting School. That was why they said it resembled Ling Qigeng’s style. Achieving even a slight resemblance was already incredibly high praise. In fact, this was a rather conservative evaluation.

Although Li Qiguang’s ability to appreciate traditional painting wasn’t as good as Fatty Liu’s, he wasn’t blind. He could easily tell whether a piece was good or not. For a moment, he actually felt a bit envious.

"A bit of his flair is more than enough!" Fatty Liu beamed with joy. "It seems we Lingnan people aren’t just experienced at eating chicken, our chicken-painting skills are also top-notch! I really made out like a bandit this time!"

As long as Mr. Chen Jingle continued to paint and his fame grew, the value of the two works in his hands would only climb higher and higher!

"You really hit the jackpot," Li Qiguang sighed.

Fatty Liu laughed heartily. "This is all thanks to your Beixing! Brother Guang, I owe you a favor for this. I will definitely reward you handsomely!"

Li Qiguang quickly waved him off. "Ah, that’s too serious. This is just your good fortune. Beixing only helped make the connection. There’s no need to talk about favors."

"You’re right that it’s my good fortune, but I still owe the favor."

The two men continued to exchange modesties, leaving Li Beixing feeling quite helpless. "I say, it won’t be too late for you to celebrate once the items are actually in your hands," she interjected.

"Oh, right!" Fatty Liu slapped his forehead, pulled out his phone, and directly transferred thirty thousand yuan to Li Beixing. "Beixing, please help Uncle Liu transfer the money to your friend. You absolutely cannot let my big rooster run away!"

Li Beixing was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to add an extra ten thousand. *Well, Fatty Liu isn’t exactly short on cash anyway,* she figured.

She smiled and said, "I’ll thank Uncle Liu on my friend’s behalf. Don’t worry, it won’t run away. And if it does, I’ll catch it right back for you!"

"Roughly when can it be delivered?" Fatty Liu asked, his face full of anticipation.

Li Beixing blinked. "He’s busy this afternoon. How about I take them to Uncle Huang’s place to be framed tomorrow, and then bring them to you? Or do you have a preferred framing shop?"

"Just do whatever you think is best. I’ll wait for your message!"

"Alright, I promise to complete the mission!"

When Chen Jingle received the money, he looked utterly bewildered. "Is art money this easy to make nowadays?"

He had thought twenty thousand was already a massive profit, but the other party had directly sent thirty thousand.

"Did he send too much?" he texted Li Beixing.

Li Beixing couldn’t help but smile. "No, he transferred it to me in person, which means he genuinely loves your calligraphy and painting. Since he gave thirty thousand, just accept it. We never agreed on a set price at the beginning anyway."

Given that, Chen Jingle had no choice but to accept it. But then he fell deep into thought. "I clearly came back to slack off and lie flat. Why does it feel like, at this rate, I’ll be earning more than when I was actually working?"

Although he had been lying flat for over half a year, he had only started making money this past month. Fifty thousand deposited in just a month...

HISS!

"It seems I can’t be too casual about treating her to a meal," he muttered, frowning in contemplation. After thinking for a moment, he looked up at Chen Qiyun, who was sitting next to him, aggressively picking up food with her chopsticks and eating non-stop. "Does your Teacher Li have any hobbies or things she likes?"

Chen Qiyun paused and blinked. "What? Have you finally figured it out and decided to pursue Teacher Li?"

"Stop messing around," Chen Jingle said in exasperation. "She did me a huge favor. I need to thank her."

"Why would she help you?"

"How should I know! Can’t she just be a kind-hearted person?"

"Eww! Something is definitely going on!"

"Forget it, asking you is useless!" Chen Jingle waved his hand dismissively.

Chen Qiyun, however, wasn’t about to let him off the hook. "How about I just ask her directly for you?" she offered excitedly.

"Are you crazy? Who asks directly like that!" Chen Jingle gritted his teeth. "Alright, alright, I don’t need you doing more harm than good. I’ll figure it out myself."

"Don’t look down on people!" Chen Qiyun puffed her cheeks and glared at him, firmly making up her mind that she absolutely had to help him, whether he wanted it or not.

If anyone was to blame, it was Corporal Little Chen Jingle himself for being too disappointing!