“Auntie Wang, have you been having bad luck recently?”

“Sorry, it seems like I have self-drawn.”

“Auntie Wang, are you cheating?”

…

Wang Hongying had already lost so badly she looked ashen.

Unwilling to accept defeat, she insisted on dragging Dong Changyang to play mahjong with her, and after a few rounds, she had already lost over 500.

Unbelievable!

Even though Wang Hongying usually had a loose hand, losing so much in one go still made her feel the pain.

The key point was that out of the 500-plus she lost, most of it was won by the other two players, with Dong Changyang winning only a few dozen.

Because she “accidentally” let off many tiles, causing her to lose significantly more when the other two players completed their hands.

After playing the whole day like this, Wang Hongying was completely out of sorts.

She truly couldn’t stand Dong Changyang, at least not at the mahjong table!

In the local area, playing mahjong involves some strange taboos.Wang Hongying could win when playing with others, but she would definitely lose when playing with Dong Changyang. Even a few of Wang Hongying’s friends said, “It must be because you spoke badly about her, so the God of Wealth isn’t favoring you.” How else could you explain such strange luck?

Without Wang Hongying stirring up trouble, the rumors about Dong Changyang having bad luck also gradually disappeared.

If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them.

Since Wang Hongying started with nonsense, she couldn’t blame Dong Changyang for being unkind.

For dealing with someone like Wang Hongying, taking money from her pocket hurts more than beating her up.

Hmm, the timing was just right.

Yesterday, the matter with Wang Hongying was resolved, and today she could continue learning to paint with Brother Chen.

Dong Changyang’s mood improved like never before.

In the past, Dong Changyang could only study at night because she didn’t have time during the day, which made her feel embarrassed.

Her home naturally had incandescent lights, making no difference between day and night, but the world where Chen Huanzhi lived only had oil lamps. The flickering light made Dong Changyang feel very guilty, and several times she wanted to say she wouldn’t study anymore, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

The opportunity to receive guidance from such a master of traditional Chinese painting was too rare.

Dong Changyang had nothing else; she could only seize every opportunity.

Fortunately, the nighttime studying didn’t last long, and now she could rightfully study during the day.

“…Painting emphasizes artistic conception. For example, when painting plum blossoms, a straight tree trunk can show integrity, and the blank spaces around the blossoms evoke endless imagination; the light colors reflect its nobility, and the faint hues of the blossoms can show its purity. However, if one only pursues artistic conception and neglects basic brush techniques, it is a common mistake.”

The painting teacher was generous with his knowledge, always answering questions thoroughly.

Whenever Dong Changyang didn’t understand something, she would directly say so, and Chen Huanzhi would repeat it, waiting for the teacher to explain.

For instance, when the teacher would give a topic for Chen Huanzhi to paint, Dong Changyang would also paint it. Then, she would compare her painting with Chen Huanzhi’s, or sometimes Chen Huanzhi would imitate Dong Changyang’s painting with a simpler version, and the teacher would point out areas for improvement in the composition. These exercises greatly benefited Dong Changyang.

Learning to paint is something that cannot be accomplished alone, especially with traditional Chinese painting.

Chinese painting can generally be divided into two schools: one is traditional, and the other combines Chinese and Western styles, also known as innovative.

Art is a universal language, and Eastern art is filled with its own unique beauty. Their country’s ink wash painting is one of the iconic art forms, and compared to the intricacy and realism of oil painting, Dong Changyang preferred the brushstrokes and charm of traditional Chinese painting.

Of course, she especially loved ink wash painting.

However, most accomplished masters in this field are gathered in the capital and other major cities, making it very rare for Dong Changyang to find a teacher to guide her.

But the teacher Chen Huanzhi found for her was a master that Dong Changyang could never have found on her own.

To put it more accurately, the painting teacher Chen Huanzhi found for Dong Changyang was one of the few great masters that might not even be easily found in their entire country.

Dong Changyang, who already had a natural talent for painting, made rapid progress after learning to paint with Chen Huanzhi.

She was almost completely immersed in the world of painting.

Occasionally, when Chen Huanzhi paused to drink tea and eat snacks, he would see Dong Changyang sitting at the table, carefully painting with coarse brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Extremely serious.

Radiant with energy.

One cannot show such an expression without genuinely loving what they do.

Chen Huanzhi chuckled softly.

Oh well.

He was a few years older than Dong Changyang, had the protection of his parents, and lacked nothing. In contrast, Changyang had nothing and had to seize every opportunity to improve herself. With such determination and perseverance, what could she not achieve?

So why should he be so hung up on the little lie she told?

They just haven’t known each other long enough yet.

Perhaps, after some time, when they can both open their hearts without any reservations, things will get better.

Unknowingly, the time for painting lessons passed.

Lunchtime was always the moment Dong Changyang felt the most envy and resentment.

While both were eating, Chen Huanzhi had an array of exquisite dishes in front of him, at least ten plates, with many dishes unrecognizable but visually appealing.

In contrast, Dong Changyang had a simple egg fried rice she made herself, with some Lao Gan Ma sauce added.

Wasn’t this comparison a bit too stark?

For the first time, Dong Changyang felt the sting of jealousy.

“Chang…” Chen Huanzhi began to speak, but Dong Changyang hurriedly interrupted him.

“Ahem, Brother Chen, my mosquito coil is almost burned out, so I need to save it. I’ll just put it out now, see you later.” After saying that, Dong Changyang quickly and deftly cut off the mosquito coil.

Great, at least now she couldn’t see what Chen Huanzhi was eating.

Thinking about it, egg fried rice was still quite tasty.

Hmm, tomorrow I’ll buy some sausages. Adding sausages to the fried rice should make it even better.

Chen Huanzhi turned and saw Dong Changyang enthusiastically starting to eat.

With one side extinguishing the incense, the other side’s words couldn’t be heard.

“Young master, is there something you don’t like? Shall I instruct the kitchen to prepare some snacks for you?” The servant became nervous when he saw that Chen Huanzhi had no intention of eating.

The young master not eating would surely upset the mistress.

Looking at the delicious food before him, Chen Huanzhi recalled Dong Changyang’s frustrated expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Tell the kitchen to make some fried rice.”

“Fried rice?” The servant was a bit surprised that the young master suddenly wanted to eat such a thing, but he complied and went to instruct the kitchen.

Not only did the cook send over the fried rice, but she also brought a palm-sized cream cake.

This cake had taken several days to perfect, according to Chen Huanzhi’s specifications, using a lot of precious fine white sugar, which made the cook’s heart ache.

Fortunately, after whipping the milk and sugar together, the “cream” that the young master mentioned appeared. The cake base was easier to make, though it did consume quite a bit of firewood. When combined with some fruits, it looked exceptionally delicate and tasted deliciously soft and sweet. Both the mistress and the young lady loved it and had been requesting it for several days.

When Chen Huanzhi saw the cake, he was slightly taken aback. It took him a moment to recall that it was something Changyang had mentioned before. He didn’t expect the kitchen to actually make it. He had been busy Inspecting the shops outside and hadn’t eaten much at home, so he didn’t know they had succeeded in making it. However, the appearance still seemed a bit different from what he had seen with Changyang.

Though such delicate desserts probably have some unique tricks, getting it roughly right was good enough.

Chen Huanzhi remembered that Dong Changyang liked this kind of cake, so after eating a few bites of fried rice, he proceeded to eat the cake.

It was… actually quite delicious.

No wonder Changyang liked it.

It could be a bit sweeter, though.

The servant, seeing his young master’s expression, knew that he was very pleased with the cake. Next time, it could be made a bit sweeter.

Perhaps it was because the young master had always played with the young lady when he was little. Before the young lady got married, the young master had almost always eaten whatever she did, so his tastes followed hers. He liked sweet things and pretty, delicate pastries. However, this preference didn’t quite match his status, so only a few people in the household knew about it.

“Send a piece of this cake to Mother and the others later,” Chen Huanzhi reminded.

“The lady has been eating it for a few days now,” the servant said with a smile. “The first ones were large, but the lady instructed to make them smaller.”

“Does Mother like it?” Chen Huanzhi paused with the cake in his hand.

“Yes, the lady and the young ladies all love it. The lady even said it could become one of the family’s secret recipes to serve esteemed guests.” Families like theirs always had some signature dishes that weren’t shared with others, showcasing their heritage and sophistication.

Chen Huanzhi immediately thought of their not-so-profitable teahouse.

His mother was well-versed in many things, yet she couldn’t get enough of this dessert. Changyang had also mentioned that no woman could resist such a treat. Therefore, the refined ladies who visited the teahouse would likely enjoy it as well.

Their teahouse might as well focus on catering to women specifically. Manager Wang had also mentioned that women tended to spend more freely than men.

With this in mind, Chen Huanzhi didn’t hesitate any longer.

After finishing his meal, he immediately called for Manager Wang and the teahouse staff. He planned to temporarily close the teahouse for renovations, rebranding it to specifically target female customers.

Half a month later.

Dong Changyang noticed that Chen Huanzhi seemed preoccupied while painting these past few days.

This was truly unusual.

Dong Changyang used to think of Chen Huanzhi as someone who could remain unruffled even in the face of Mount Tai collapsing, almost like a character from a comic who had the personality trait of being “emotionless like an iceberg.” Fortunately, as they got to know each other better, Dong Changyang discovered that Chen Huanzhi did indeed have expressions; it was just his upbringing that had taught him to rarely show his emotions.

After all, Chen Huanzhi was only nineteen this year.

Hmm… Could it be… he has a girlfriend?

It wasn’t entirely impossible.

They said high school students dated a lot, and Chen Huanzhi was around that age, so maybe he really did have a girlfriend.

Should she ask?

Though Dong Changyang, in her early teens, outwardly appeared to be a perfect student, she certainly had the curiosity typical of teenage girls. During gossip sessions in class about who was dating whom or who had broken up with whom, Dong Changyang would also perk up her ears to eavesdrop.

“Brother Chen,” during their break, Dong Changyang straightforwardly asked, “Today while painting, your strokes seemed different, like you had something on your mind. Have you taken a liking to a pretty girl?”

“What does ‘měiméi’ mean?”

“Oh, I misspoke. It’s a local term here. ‘Měiméi’ means a pretty girl,” Dong Changyang explained, noticing Chen Huanzhi’s slight blush and quickly adding, “Hey, Brother Chen, it’s no big deal. If you like someone, just go for it, or confess quickly. If not, just break it off. At our school, the campus heartthrob changes girlfriends every half month, and there are tons of criticisms about him being a player on social media.”

Chen Huanzhi furrowed his brow tighter.

“Is romance really that casual?”

Even though Dong Changyang’s surroundings were more open-minded, switching partners every half month seemed excessive.

Oops.

She forgot again that Brother Chen was more traditional.

“Ah, well, not everyone here is like that,” Dong Changyang hurriedly changed the subject. “If it’s not about someone you like, Brother Chen, why have you been so troubled?”

“Is it… really obvious?” Chen Huanzhi didn’t answer Dong Changyang’s question but posed one of his own.

“Very obvious,” Dong Changyang replied without hesitation. “I can see it clearly.”

Upon hearing Dong Changyang’s response, Chen Huanzhi quickly relaxed his brow and spoke cheerfully, “You can tell?”

“My eyesight is good; I don’t even need glasses. Of course I can see.”

“But many others can’t.”

“Huh?”

Chen Huanzhi glanced at Dong Changyang’s bewildered expression and a faint smile played on his lips. “Usually, the only ones who can tell my mood are my mother and sister.”

Dong Changyang pondered seriously whether it was more advantageous to take on the role of “mother” or “sister.”

“Are you thinking about something strange again?”

“No, I’m not. Don’t talk nonsense,” Dong Changyang quickly denied, refusing to admit what she had just been thinking about.

Chen Huanzhi gave her a glance, knowing she wasn’t telling the truth.

“It’s actually nothing major. It’s just that today is the reopening day of the teahouse, and I can’t openly appear. I’m a bit worried,” Chen Huanzhi briefly explained the situation, including the prince’s instructions.

Although everyone knew who owned and operated the teahouse, Chen Huanzhi couldn’t appear openly with his identity as the prince’s study companion. The teahouse could only nominally belong to their servants.

“Well, Brother Chen, you can watch from a distance,” Dong Changyang urged. “It’s your teahouse reopening, so you must be concerned.”

“I’m not well-versed in business matters, so…”

But you must still be concerned.

Why not go then?

A thought flashed through Dong Changyang’s mind, but was instantly replaced by another.

It’s because of me.

Because I have to learn painting with Mr. today, that’s why Brother Chen stayed at home and didn’t go see the teahouse opening.

Stupid!

Why doesn’t he say anything?

If I hadn’t asked, Brother Chen probably wouldn’t have said anything at all.

Come to think of it, since they met, Brother Chen has hardly ever lost contact with her. Whether it’s painting or chatting, he’s always punctual, more diligent than chatting on QQ.

Dong Changyang also applied for a QQ account, but she didn’t even have a single friend request and was hardly ever online.

For her, she already has a chat partner who is better than any “online friend,” so where else could she find someone better?

“Brother Chen, come to think of it, I’ve never seen the streetscape on your side. I’ve only seen teahouses and such on TV dramas. I wonder if it’s similar to yours here?” Dong Changyang clasped her hands together. “Please, Brother Chen, could you go take a look and maybe take me along? I really want to see what your teahouse looks like.”

“Painting…”

“If you don’t go and experience the scenery outside more, the paintings you create won’t have any vitality.” Dong Changyang’s small face was full of “I told you so,” she said, “You absolutely must go. If you miss this chance, there might not be another!”

Chen Huanzhi looked blankly at Dong Changyang, as if he had just realized something, and softly chuckled, “Alright then, I’ll have the servants prepare the horses.”

“Hooray!!!!”

“You’re amazing, Brother Chen!”

Dong Changyang’s cheers continued to ring in his ears, as if he had really done her a great favor.

Even though it was clearly Changyang who had helped him out.

But for them, it was enough to treat it as their unspoken understanding.

This feeling seemed much sweeter than any cake they had eaten before.