The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 431 Life is only 30,000 days long

Aesthetics is a very diverse thing.

Different strokes for different folks. Some people like Impressionism, some like Abstract Art, some like Realism, and some like Postmodernism.

The above is Qin Huai's complete understanding of aesthetics before reading the book given to him by Master Zhou.

After reading one of the books, Qin Huai's views changed. He realized that he didn't understand what beauty was at all, and he couldn't define aesthetics. He felt like he knew nothing at all.

In a sense, Master Zhou managed to make him forget everything. Although he hadn't forgotten what happened before, he was completely confused, and confusion is a kind of forgetting.

Qin Huai has even begun to understand Shi Dadan; he is now somewhat allergic to books and feels sleepy whenever he sees words.

On the fifth day that Qin Huai was reading "A Grand View of Pastries" while eating his boxed lunch at the morning meeting, Master Hua, who had been observing him diligently for five days, finally couldn't resist. While Master Zhou was discussing something with Boss Su, Master Hua quietly strolled over to Qin Huai and whispered:
"Little Qin, is this the martial arts manual that Little Tan told me about?" Master Hua asked with great curiosity.

Qin Huai: ...? What exactly did Tan Weian say?

"There are no martial arts manuals. This book was recommended to me by Master Zhou, who said it would help me learn finger techniques," Qin Huai said honestly.

"A Panorama of Pastries" was the book least related to cultivating aesthetics on Master Zhou's recommended reading list, but it was also the one Qin Huai could most easily finish reading. During lunchtime, a time that should theoretically be blissful and pleasant, Qin Huai didn't want to read books that would make him drowsy.

He still wanted to read something that would make him feel comfortable while eating.

Regardless of the quality of the text in "A Panorama of Pastries," the accompanying pictures are quite beautiful. Many of the pastries in the book were made by Zhao Cheng'an, and the pastries he made are almost identical to those in the pictures. It's clear that this book was Zhao Cheng'an's textbook back then.

"Reading books?" Master Hua's voice rose in surprise, his face clearly saying, "Zhou Guanghai, do you even know how to teach your apprentices?"

Even we, as renowned dim sum chefs, need books to teach our apprentices. Go ask around, in all our years at Zhiweiju, has any chef ever used books when teaching apprentices?

Zhou Guanghai, can you teach me? If you really can't, then let me teach you.

“Yes.” Qin Huai nodded. “Master Zhou said that practicing finger techniques and aesthetics is very important. He recommended a lot of books to me and told me to read them first before making the desserts.”

Master Hua was stunned. He had originally wanted to say something, but after hearing Qin Huai's words, he suddenly didn't know what to say.

Just as Master Hua was bewildered, Master Zhou came back excitedly with his phone in hand. Seeing that Master Hua was there, he glanced at him, said nothing, and asked Qin Huai with a smile, "How was the look?"

"I saw a panda hugging bamboo," Qin Huai said.

"It's still early. There's a painting exhibition at the city art museum these days, and Xiao Su got three tickets. Xiao Qin, you don't need to practice making pastries this afternoon. Does your cousin have time this afternoon? If he does, I'll have Lao San take you two to the art museum to see the paintings. If he doesn't have time, I'll give you two tickets first, and you can use the remaining ticket to go see the paintings by yourself tomorrow afternoon."

"An art exhibition?" Qin Huai closed the book, pointed to himself, and asked, "Should I go see an art exhibition?"

“It’s good for you,” Master Zhou said. “You’ve worked hard these past few days making pastries, so this is a good opportunity to relax.”

Qin Huai didn't understand, but he did as he was told.

Qin Huai sent a WeChat message to Shi Dadan asking if he would like to go to an art exhibition, and Shi Dadan readily agreed. He said that he had lived two lives and had never seen anything so high-level, and he was very willing to go to the art museum to be immersed in art.

Led by Zhao Cheng'an, Qin Huai and Shi Dadan arrived at the Municipal Art Museum at 1:54 p.m. At first, Qin Huai thought that Master Zhou had specially obtained three tickets from Boss Su. This exhibition was a legendary touring exhibition of works by famous artists, where any painting could cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan, and tickets were extremely difficult to obtain.

It turned out that the art exhibition was a collaborative effort by students from several universities, crowdfunding to showcase outstanding works. Tickets were incredibly cheap, only 15 yuan each, and you could even add 3 yuan to your ticket to get an iced Americano at the small coffee shop near the art museum – making it excellent value for money.

Since they were already there, Qin Huai and his two companions spent 9 yuan to buy three iced Americanos. They were very authentic iced Americanos, made with ice, water, and espresso; Qin Huai had personally witnessed the staff making them.

The city art museum wasn't very big either. Only after Zhao Cheng'an's explanation did Qin Huai learn that it was built many years ago, the venue itself was quite small, and it rarely saw visitors. If they really wanted to hold a large exhibition, they would go to a larger art museum or gallery.

There weren't many people in the art museum, probably because it was a weekday. Apart from a few college students who came to join the fun, couples looking for a cheap and air-conditioned place for a date, and parents with children, the viewing experience was excellent.

Shi Dadan held his iced Americano, frowning with every sip. His face seemed to say, "How could anyone be willing to spend money on this stuff? Wouldn't it be better to use that three yuan to buy a few steamed buns?"

Zhao Cheng'an strolled around leisurely, holding his coffee cup, making a three-yuan iced Americano look like it cost thirty yuan. He was completely relaxed, glancing here and there, and occasionally offering his comments.

Qin Huai followed Zhao Cheng'an like a student. Whenever Zhao Cheng'an made a comment, Qin Huai would ask why, what the principle was, which book talked about this theory, and whether he had seen that book.

It's clear that you've been studying very well lately; you've become almost obsessed with reading.

After strolling around, Qin Huai carefully observed every painting. Shi Dadan frowned the whole time and didn't even finish his iced Americano. Zhao Cheng'an snapped a few photos, posted them on his WeChat Moments to show off, and then started watching variety shows.

The dating reality show Zhao Cheng'an was watching had already started to have drama, but he wasn't interested in the drama itself, but rather in the location of the show. As he watched, he kept remarking, "Hey, this island is nice. I can travel here next year."

Qin Huai returned to the first painting he had seen when he entered the art museum, frowning and pondering it, muttering, "Master Zhou must have had a deeper meaning in giving me a day off to come and see these paintings, but what's so interesting about them? Is Master Zhou implying that I should spend some money to audit classes at the art academy? That doesn't seem realistic, does it?"

Shi Dadan stared at the half-eaten iced Americano: "Back then, the captain spent money and pulled strings to buy this thing as a gift?"

Each of the three has their own unique brilliance.

After searching for travel guides, Zhao Cheng'an put down his phone and checked on his companions. He found that Qin Huai was already squatting in front of the first painting, studying it carefully using academic methods. Seeing how serious Qin Huai was, Zhao Cheng'an went over and said, "What are you looking at? Do you like this painting that much? If you like it, why not buy it? Paintings on display like this are usually available for purchase. Even if there's no price tag, you can ask for the price."

"Can I buy it?" Qin Huai asked.

"Of course you can buy it. I've bought paintings from art museums before, and the one hanging on the wall of my dining room is one of them."

Qin Huai tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember what the painting on the wall of Zhao Cheng'an's dining room was about; he only remembered that something was indeed hanging there. "How much did you buy that painting for?" Qin Huai asked.

“More than 4000,” Zhao Cheng’an said. “I got a good deal on that painting. I bought it at a gallery when I went to Beiping before. It was a work by an emerging painter. It was very cheap. I thought the color combination was very bold, so I bought it. I think it was last year.”

"I did some inquiries this year, and I found out that the painter's paintings have now risen to tens of thousands of yuan, making them a very worthwhile investment."

“The paintings in these student exhibitions are also worth investing in. What if you buy a work from a future master’s student days? You can hoard it for more than ten years and then resell it to make a fortune. I like to do this kind of investment. Before, I invested in stocks and funds, and later I invested in antiques. The water is too deep.”

"Stock funds are so bad they're making me anxious, and antiques are even more of a rip-off. Art is the most reliable option; if you buy something cheap, you won't lose too much."

"Sometimes you can even make a profit. Has the painting I bought gone up in value now?"

Qin Huai: "...Have we considered that we wouldn't lose money if we didn't invest?"

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

Zhao Cheng'an silently looked up at the sky, pretending that the ceiling of this art gallery was particularly artistic.

Yes, it is definitely worth appreciating carefully.

Qin Huai had been spending most of her time reading and baking lately, and had had very few opportunities to chat with Zhao Cheng'an. Now that she finally had a chance, and Zhao Cheng'an had proactively revealed some of his hobbies, Qin Huai seized the opportunity to ask:
"Brother Cheng'an, do you usually enjoy visiting these kinds of exhibitions?"

Zhao Cheng'an shook his head: "Generally speaking, at first I just wanted to see something new since I hadn't been to any exhibitions before. Later I found that some of the works were quite worth investing in, so I bought some randomly. After buying them, I wanted to know if these things had room for appreciation. In order to find out, I often went to exhibitions, and as a result, I couldn't help but buy them. Later, it became a habit."

"I especially want to see student exhibitions and exhibitions of works by emerging artists whenever I come across them."

Qin Huai: ...It sounds like he's fallen into an investment trap, becoming increasingly addicted and unable to extricate himself.

“Sometimes my senior classmates feel that I have wasted a lot of money on this, after all, I have really bought a lot of random things at home, such as sculptures, paintings, handicrafts and even tea sets, as well as local specialties and handicrafts that I bring back from each country when I travel. Last time you came to my house, you didn’t go to one of the small rooms to see it, it was full of things everywhere.”

"Most of these things I bought were just left at home and never touched again. At first glance, it seems a bit wasteful. But I think it's okay. Life is only a few decades long, and you should experience everything. I really enjoy making desserts, but I don't like to stay in one place for the rest of my life, stuck in the same kitchen counter making desserts."

"If only a pastry chef could be like Xu Cheng someday. Xu Cheng travels the world and eats wherever he goes. Why can't a pastry chef travel the world and cook wherever he goes? It's true, my family isn't as rich as Xu Cheng's. It's a bit of a pipe dream for my parents to work hard to reach Xu Cheng's level of wealth."

“But food critics travel the world at a cost, while pastry chefs can make money. They can work in different places. I think this is a great idea, and I even suggested it to my master a few years ago.”

“Students can study and research, so why can’t I study and make? My master said that I’m rigid and inflexible when it comes to making pastries, that I have no ideas of my own and no soul. So I’ll go traveling to find my soul. Give me three to five years, and even if I don’t travel the world, I can at least travel around Asia, Africa and Europe. Maybe I can even help Zhiweiju make a name for itself and break out of Asia to go global.”

Zhao Cheng'an became more and more excited as he spoke, and it seemed like he wanted to go back and ask Master Zhou to reapply and rewrite the plan.

Qin Huai remained silent for several seconds, pretending that the painting in front of him was really attractive, staring at it for a while before slowly asking, "So, regarding your idea... what is Master Zhou's reaction?"

"My master told me to get out."

Qin Huai could tell that Master Zhou really liked Zhao Cheng'an, and that he only told him to get lost instead of making him work 15 hours a day to sober up.

"So Qin Huai, are you interested in this painting? If you are, ask about the price. It's really worth investing in." Zhao Cheng'an sounded like a victim who had been lured into a scam and was constantly recruiting others to join.

Qin Huai stared at the painting for a few more seconds: "If it's not too expensive, it's worth considering..."

"I just asked, this painting is 1800." Shi Dadan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, carrying a bag of bread, which he was already eating.

Shi Dadan gave Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an each a sweet bread.

"Xiao Qin, do you like this style of painting? If you do, I can ask a friend to help you ask. I have a friend who owns an art gallery." Shi Dadan said clearly while munching on his bread, "I remember you don't have any paintings on your walls. It would be nice to buy a few to hang at home."

Qin Huai looked at the painting in front of him and said, "I wouldn't say I like this style of painting, but I just think this painting looks warm and welcoming."

Hearing Qin Huai say this, Zhao Cheng'an took a serious look at the painting for the first time and discovered that it was a very simple portrait.

The painting's title is as simple as its content: "My Brother".

The drawing depicts a high school student hunched over a desk doing homework; it's a very standard student artwork, neither particularly good nor bad.

The author is a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, and her name is Jiang Bing.

“1800 isn’t expensive. Consider it an investment. If you like it, just buy it,” Zhao Cheng’an said. “Anyway, you’re not short of money. You only live once. Try what you like and don’t let yourself regret it.”

"I'll go back today and write another application. Tomorrow I'll sound out my mentor and see if I can go abroad again at the end of the year."

Qin Huai smiled and said, "I don't think Master Zhou will agree."

“99.99% will not agree, but isn’t there still a 0.01% who will? At worst, I’ll just get a scolding, it’s fine,” Zhao Cheng’an said with a grin. “Life is only 30,000 days long, just get through each day as it comes.”

As soon as Zhao Cheng'an finished speaking, a game notification sounded in Qin Huai's mind.

"Ding! Congratulations on unlocking a new illustration. Please check it in the illustration panel."

Eh?
Does unlocking the encyclopedia now also produce a notification sound?

(End of this chapter)