Rebirth and the Beautiful Soaring

A boy's focus and seriousness in doing things is a quality that is very attractive to girls.

And if you add a radiant confidence to that, it becomes even more charming.

Although this was the third time Zhou Meihua had seen Yu Fei paint, his masterful brushstrokes still filled her with awe and a sense of pride. This was the boy she admired and loved.

The two elders were also inspired by Yu Fei's confident and spirited painting style, and they subconsciously felt that this boy's painting skills would definitely not be bad.

When Yu Fei finished painting a picture and handed it to Zhou Meihua's maternal grandmother, Xu Hongyu, she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "It's so lifelike, just like a photo taken in a photo studio. Child, you are truly amazing."

"Not bad, this portrait is practically professional, it's comparable to the old portrait artist in town." Zhou Meihua's maternal grandfather, Chen Qiang, went over to take a look and gave Fei's painting skills a very high evaluation.

Seeing her grandparents' loving and praising expressions, Zhou Meihua felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey, as if the praise was directed at her. Her gaze towards Yu Fei held an even stronger hint of infatuation.

Hearing the praise from the two elders and seeing Zhou Meihua's adoring gaze, Yu Fei was very happy. He smiled and said, "Grandpa and Grandma, you flatter me. Since my drawing is pleasing to your eyes, I will continue to draw."

As usual, she wrote with great speed, and the portrait of Zhou Meihua's maternal grandfather, Chen Qiang, was completed in no time, also of a high standard.

Zhou Meihua was the first to look at the painting. Although she was very satisfied, she didn't praise Yu Fei. Instead, she deliberately asked, "Student, how many years have you been studying painting? Which teacher do you have?"

Yu Fei smiled and replied, "Not long, about a year. As for a teacher, I didn't follow any; it's all self-taught. What, classmate, do you also want to learn pen sketching?"

Zhou Meihua suppressed a laugh and nodded, saying, "Yes, seeing how well you draw, I can't help but be tempted. Do you take on students?"

Yu Fei smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, "I won't charge you, but if you really want to learn, I can teach you for free."

"Oh, that's great!" Zhou Meihua exclaimed excitedly. Then she turned to her grandparents and pleaded, "Grandpa and Grandma, can I learn to draw these few days? I promise I won't miss my regular schoolwork or study."

The two elders knew their granddaughter's personality very well, and seeing her so excited, they realized she really loved painting, so they couldn't bear to refuse her.

Although the boy looked upright and harmless, they knew nothing about him, so they were very cautious.

Chen Qiang stared at Yu Fei for a moment, then asked kindly, "Child, can you tell me your name and where you live?"

Yu Fei replied, "Grandpa, my name is Yu Fei, the Yu Fei of Phoenix Soaring. My home is in the county town, but I'm staying at my maternal grandparents' house for the summer vacation now. Their home is in Yunwu Village, Fairy Town."

Zhou Meihua exclaimed softly, "Oh, my maternal grandparents also live in Yunwu Village."

Xu Hongyu exclaimed softly, "What a coincidence! Child, what are your maternal grandparents' names?"

Yu Fei was secretly overjoyed, but on the surface he answered seriously, "Grandma, my maternal grandfather's name is Fang Jianguo, and my maternal grandmother's name is Chen Mei. Do you know them?"

Before Xu Hongyu could answer, Chen Qiang burst into laughter and said, "So you're their grandson! Your maternal grandmother, Chen Mei, is actually from my clan. How could we not know each other?"

Xu Hongyu then chimed in, "Child, your mother's name is Fang Yun, right? I remember Chen Mei has three daughters. The eldest, Fang Min, gave birth to a girl, and the youngest, Fang Yi, is not married yet."

It's normal for people from the same village to know each other's parents' generation, but many older people might not recognize younger people like him. Yu Fei nodded and said, "Yes, Grandma."

Everything unfolded exactly as Yu Fei and Zhou Meihua had planned before parting ways yesterday morning.

Speaking of this staged encounter, Zhou Meihua was actually a little uneasy at the time, but the result was surprisingly good, which made her very happy.

With the connection of being from the same village and family, and with Zhou Meihua's earnest request, Yu Fei, the art teacher, finally received the approval of the two elders. In the next few days, he could openly meet with Zhou Meihua without having to secretly date her.

After agreeing on the terms, the two elders led Zhou Meihua into the market.

However, Yu Fei was not in a hurry to retire after achieving his goal. He wanted to play his part completely. Since he was already here, he might as well continue drawing. He needed to earn some pocket money to buy food, which was a promise he had made to his aunt.

Perhaps some passersby had seen Yu Fei painting, because not long after Zhou Meihua and her two companions left, a man asked Yu Fei to paint his portrait, just to give it a try.

As a result, Yu Fei's drawing satisfied the man quite a bit. Although Yu Fei said he could pay whatever he wanted, the man still gave him a 100-yuan note.

The "Great Unity" note, also known as the 1965 edition of the ten-yuan note, was discontinued after 2000, according to Yu Fei. This version has become highly collectible in later generations.

Of course, Yu Fei didn't know much about these things, and the Great Unity coin that was still in circulation wasn't a rare item, so he simply said thank you and accepted it.

Ten yuan may not seem like much in later generations, but in this day and age, an average teacher's salary is only three hundred yuan a month. For him to earn ten yuan for a portrait he draws casually is quite a good deal.

Once it happened, it started happening again, and gradually more and more people began asking Yu Fei to paint their portraits.

Yu Fei, as usual, accepted all comers' requests and gave money as he pleased, whether it was ten yuan or one yuan.

By the time Zhou Meihua and the two elders came out after buying their things, Yu Fei had already earned several tens of yuan, enough to buy lots of delicious food.

Watching Zhou Meihua's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Yu Fei felt it was time to retire gracefully. After finishing the portrait of the last aunt, Yu Fei said to the onlookers, "Thank you all for your support. I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can only draw this much today. See you all again someday."

"Why did you stop drawing? It's such a shame!"

"Young man, you draw very well. Remember to come back for your portrait drawing at the next market. I'll definitely be the first one to support you!"

"Big brother, I want to see you draw again."

……

Hearing these words of support and encouragement, Yu Fei felt very happy. It was truly a memorable morning.

Of course, most importantly, he achieved his goal.

The Fairy Market has a wide variety of delicious food.

Yu Fei remembers a type of fried lotus root cake that was especially delicious and was his aunt's favorite.

I also remember pan-fried buns and roasted glutinous rice cakes being especially delicious; my aunt loved them too.

Yu Fei found the food he wanted at the market stalls, then went to the fruit stand and bought apples that his aunt liked, mangoes that his grandmother liked, and bananas that his grandfather liked. Then he rode his grandfather's old bicycle leisurely back to his grandparents' home in Yunwu Village.