Filling Blanks

  Lu Mingyu was an easygoing person with thick skin. Even though he had underestimated the painting’s value at 3,000 yuan, he didn’t feel embarrassed in the slightest. Instead, he cheerfully left a comment: [Expert, how much is this painting?] His fans always kept up with his activities. The moment they saw his comment, they immediately pushed it to the top of the replies. At the same time, they all came to the same realisation—this [A Fleeting Dream] was truly a master. But then again, it made sense. Without real skill, how could anyone dare to price their work at 3,000 yuan? And that was just the starting price. Jiang Yu had turned off her phone after posting the painting. When she returned from the bathroom after taking a shower, she saw Lu Mingyu's message. [How much is it worth…] To be honest, Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment before typing 5,000. She knew her painting was good, but she wasn't famous. Even at 5,000 yuan, she worried she might scare off potential buyers. Sigh...

  The next day, Jiang Yu went out to buy art supplies. S City was huge and in the city center, there was a specialty store for art materials called ‘Yan Zhai’. Gouache, watercolour, oil painting, traditional Chinese painting... Jiang Yu could paint in almost every style—and she had mastered them all. As people often praised her, she was born to hold a paintbrush. Others might spend a lifetime perfecting a single art form, but she was different. She could paint in all styles and she excelled in each one. It seemed as if she had been destined for this, a talent so enviable that others could only dream of it. This shop carried the finest art supplies from around the world. For artists, it was heaven—and it had always been one of Jiang Yu’s favourite places. Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough money to buy the best materials. Even the most basic supplies still cost thousands. Of course, the key to a successful painting lay in the artist’s skill, but high-quality materials minimised f...

  The old Jiang family residence was not a good house. Maybe decades ago, it was considered decent, but after so many years, it had become old and dilapidated. Otherwise, Jiang Yu’s eldest and second uncles wouldn’t have let her stay there. Jiang Yu took out the key from her pocket and opened the door. Though the courtyard was old, it was kept clean and lush greenery filled the space, with seasonal fruits and vegetables growing. Perhaps because she was an art student, even when planting vegetables, Jiang Yu arranged them with a sense of aesthetics. The mix of red and green colours made the place look more like a garden than a vegetable patch. Setting down the things in her arms, Jiang Yu glanced around, finding everything both familiar and strange. Suddenly, there was a noise in the courtyard. Jiang Yu stepped outside and saw a plump woman standing there, accompanied by a middle-aged man. It was her eldest uncle and aunt. “...Uncle, Aunt,” Jiang Yu greeted them. Her uncle cleared h...