The Versatile Master Artist

I don’t care about the ridicule of these people. Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin... whose works of these great painters have not been laughed at by everyone?

Who is a master, and who is a joker, time will bear witness.

The problem is trouble—my uncle knows I spent two thousand five hundred dollars to buy a painting, and he’s sure to come and scold me.

Sure enough, when Gu Weijing, in the eyes of everyone, raised his hand to claim the exhibit from stand number 159.

Uncle’s voice, mixed with disbelief and anger, immediately rang out from below the stage.

”Gu Weijing! Are you damn crazy, 2500 dollars, just to bring this pile of junk home?”

Uncle this time brought only three thousand dollars from home for the calligraphy and painting auction, and a fine woodblock print he spent a whole morning studying was missed just because he was short a few hundred dollars.

He didn’t expect his nephew still had 2500 dollars and that he would use such a large sum to buy a pile of trash.

”Grandfather gave me money, allowing me to choose freely. I found a very good Impressionist painting, and I think it’s worth the money.”

Gu Weijing patiently explained.

”A very good painting? What makes you say it’s a very good painting, is Monet or damn Van Gogh signed on the frame?”

Uncle got anxious, turned his head, and said to Boss Wu, ”Boss Wu, the child is ignorant, we don’t want this painting, we want a refund.”

”Mr. Gu, what you said is unreasonable. You are an elder in the industry, and our business is all about buying without hesitation, there is no logic of saying you don’t want it after buying it. Who will dare to do business with your family in the future?”

Boss Wu easily pushed back Uncle with a gentle rebuttal.

The previous ”Cyan Bird Singing Bamboo” painting, he didn’t have a point.

The old master of the Gu Family was sharp-eyed and skilled, identifying the painting’s problems and flaws without error, as if he had seen the painter at work himself.

Even so, Boss Wu unwillingly refunded the money only because he recently heard Brother Hao from Yangon took a liking to Gu Tongxiang’s grandson.

He’s now running an open and honest auction, and that foolish grandson of the Gu Family submitted a bid in black and white.

This kind of golden opportunity hard to find even with a lantern in hand, how could he allow the other party to retract it?

As for the possibility he mentioned on the label that it might be a pen used by Maum — please, he’s a businessman, should he write the word ’trash’ on his goods?

Even if this kind of thing spread far and wide, people in the industry would only think those who believe it are idiots, and wouldn’t think Boss Wu is untrustworthy.

Boss Wu with a small moustache turned his head, looking at Gu Weijing who remained expressionless amidst the ridicule and criticism from others.

”Young Master, since you’ve stepped into this auction, age is not a concern. In the business world, there’s no seniority, not having money is okay, but lacking credibility will make people look down on you, don’t you think that’s the truth yourself?”

Boss Wu knew that young people are the most competitive, with a strong sense of pride and vanity.

He immediately cornered Gu Weijing with his words, leaving him no chance to back down.

Indeed.

That Gu Weijing merely lifted the receipt in his palm.

”No refund, and I’ve already paid, may I have the painting now.”

”What a pity, Old Gu, such a shrewd man, raised such a foolish grandson.”

Boss Wu felt disdain, but on the surface, he wore a look of admiration: ”Magnanimous. You’re bound to make it big in business someday, everyone give him a round of applause.”

Another round of applause mixed with mocking laughter, among which those galleries competing with Yangon and Gu’s Calligraphy and Painting Store laughed the hardest.

”Who is that?”

”Do you know Gu Tongxiang, the one whose ancestor was an Imperial Painter during the Qing Dynasty? That’s Old Gu’s grandson. What an unfortunate family.”

”Big business, I think he’s just a prodigal.”

The chatter among the crowd watching the show was non-stop.

Uncle was so anxious he wanted to slap his nephew twice, but a familiar businessman beside him held him back.

”Calm down, calm down, as you said, the child is ignorant, everyone here is watching, talk about it at home.”

”There’s no use being anxious now, just think of it as paying for a lesson.”

”Paying for a lesson, two thousand five hundred dollars for a lesson?”

Uncle was furious, ignoring the mocking expressions of those around him, he felt his nephew really was dumb in learning art.

Spending two thousand five hundred dollars for a useless piece of trash.

Does he think he’s some kind of art-loving prince? How much money does our family have for him to squander like this?

”Gu Weijing, do you know how hard it is for adults to earn money! How much do we make a month at our calligraphy and painting store? To save money for you and Gu Lin’s international school fees and future university tuition, the whole family gets up early and goes to bed late, scrimping and saving. Your grandfather is so old, yet he’s still running the business himself, unwilling to hire help. A car that’s been running for forty years...”

”I offer two thousand eight hundred dollars.”

Just as Uncle was angrily chastising his nephew, a woman’s voice was heard.

This sentence was like a block of ice, quickly freezing the atmosphere of the entire venue.

Uncle’s words were stuck halfway in his mouth.

He looked dazedly in the direction the voice came from.

The professional woman in the brown coat, the one who initially questioned the auction’s fairness, was now tightly gripping her handbag.

Her expression held a hint of venom as she glanced at Gu Weijing, then she repeated to Boss Wu: ”I’m offering two thousand eight hundred dollars, sell it to me.”