He unexpectedly becomes a father at the start of his life, and the mother of his child is a national

Looking at the crane he had finished drawing, Chen Hao felt it was a bit lonely. One crane wasn't imposing enough, nor was it auspicious enough, so he drew a second one above the pine tree.

The crane is flying, its wings fully outstretched, its posture relaxed, as if it is soaring freely in the sky.

The feathers are drawn with thick ink, each one distinct and clearly visible, even the texture of the feathers can be faintly seen.

Two cranes, one still and one in motion, one up and one down, echo each other, perfectly matched together.

At this point, the main body of the painting is almost complete.

Finally, he inscribed the words "May you live a long and healthy life, blessed with good health and longevity" in the blank space of the painting.

Respectfully presented by Haolin. He used running script, with vigorous strokes, each stroke full of power, which complemented the style of the whole painting, neither abrupt nor inferior.

[Ding! Completed the creation of "Pine and Crane Longevity", drawing skill experience points +450]

Chen Hao put down his pen, took two steps back, put his hands on his hips, and carefully examined the entire painting.

The pine trees are vigorous and upright, the cranes are agile and elegant, the brushstrokes are unrestrained and vivid, and there is not a single flaw.

This was the first work he painted after reaching the master level of painting skills. It was much better than his previous painting, "Lotus and Fish Playing". He was very satisfied with it.

"Daddy's drawing is so beautiful!" Sisi finally couldn't resist anymore. She jumped off the stool, ran to the drawing, tilted her little face up, and looked at it carefully with her big eyes, clapping her hands as she looked.

"That crane is so beautiful, and that pine tree too! Great-Grandpa will definitely love it!"

Chen Hao walked over with a smile, gently patted her head, and said in a tender tone, "Sisi said she likes it, so she definitely likes it."

He knew that although his daughter's perspective was simple, it was the most sincere. If his daughter liked it, the old man would most likely like it too.

"Of course!" Sisi proudly puffed out her little chest, her face full of pride.

"What Sisi said is true! Great-Grandpa will definitely praise Dad for his drawing skills and also praise Sisi for her good taste!"

Chen Hao was amused by his daughter and ruffled her hair: "Good, good, our Sisi has the best taste." After laughing, he began to prepare for framing.

He knew very well that Chinese paintings are all about mounting. No matter how well a painting is done, it will be greatly diminished if it is not properly mounted, making it look low-class and not presentable as a gift.

He took out the framing tools from the cabinet and placed them one by one on the drawing table:

A sharp paper cutter, a long ruler, elegant silk fabric, prepared paste, a soft palm brush, and some auxiliary tools—everything was neatly arranged, as if afraid of losing or misplacing it.

The first step in mounting is to process the painting itself.

He first turned the painting over so the back was facing up, then took out a spray bottle filled with water, gently pressed the nozzle, and sprayed the water evenly onto the painting.

Allow the Xuan paper to fully expand and become flat so that it won't wrinkle when applying paste later.

He was very careful when spraying, making sure to spray evenly, without spraying too much or too little in any place, for fear of ruining the painting.

[Ding! Framing preparation - Spray the painting surface with water, painting skill experience points +220]

After the painting was completely smoothed out, Chen Hao began to mix the paste.

The consistency of the paste is crucial. If it's too thick, it won't spread properly and will leave thick marks on the painting; if it's too thin, it won't stick well and will easily fall off during mounting.

As he stirred, he picked up a little paste with chopsticks to check, adjusting it repeatedly until the paste was just the right consistency—neither too thick nor too thin, so that it could be easily spread but also adhere firmly to the paper.

After preparing the paste, he picked up a palm brush, dipped it in the paste, and evenly brushed it onto the back of the painting.

Applying paste is also a skill; it must be applied evenly without air bubbles or uneven thickness, otherwise it will wrinkle and bubble during mounting, affecting the appearance.

His movements were very skilled. He held the painting with one hand and used the other hand to hold a brown brush, slowly brushing from the center outwards until the paste was spread thinly and evenly on the back of the painting without any flaws.

[Ding! Framing - Applying paste, drawing skill experience points +280]

After applying the paste, it's time to mount the finished product.

He took out a piece of Xuan paper slightly larger than the painting from the side. This paper was specially used for mounting, and it was very soft and not easily torn.

He gently picked up the paper and carefully covered the painting with paste, afraid of placing it crookedly or wrinkling the painting.

After covering it, he picked up a brown brush and gently brushed it from the center outwards. He had to apply even pressure while brushing and not too much force, otherwise he would break the painting.

It can't be too light either, otherwise the paper and the painting won't stick together properly and bubbles will form.

Sisi watched intently from the side, her little head following her father's hand movements, her eyes unblinking, and she muttered to herself:

"Dad, slow down, don't break the painting." Although she didn't know anything about framing, she knew that this painting was to be given to her great-grandfather and couldn't be damaged.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" After watching for a while, Sisi finally couldn't help but ask curiously, her voice soft and innocent, like a child's.

As Chen Hao brushed the bristle brush, he smiled and answered her, "Daddy's dressing up the painting." Afraid his daughter wouldn't understand, he added, "..."

"Just like Sisi needs to wear pretty dresses every day, paintings also need to be dressed up so that they can be preserved longer, become more beautiful, and be more presentable when given as gifts."

"Oh—" Sisi suddenly realized, nodded as if she understood, and a knowing expression appeared on her little face.

"Do Sisi's drawings need clothes too? The little rabbit Sisi drew before also wanted to wear pretty clothes."

"Of course you should wear it." Chen Hao stopped what he was doing, looked at his daughter, and said gently.

"When Daddy has time, he'll frame the little rabbit Sisi drew and hang it in Sisi's room so she can see it every day, okay?"

"Okay! Okay!" Sisi clapped her hands happily, her little face full of anticipation. "Thank you, Daddy! Daddy is the best!"

After mounting, Chen Hao turned the painting over so that the front was facing up and carefully inspected it.

After checking for air bubbles or wrinkles and confirming that there were no problems, he pasted the painting on the wall and let it air dry naturally.

Paintings dried in this way will not deform or wrinkle, and will maintain their best condition.

[Ding! Framing - Mounting on the wall, painting skill experience points +320]

The next step is edging, which is also crucial as it directly affects the overall aesthetics of the painting.

After the painting was completely dry, Chen Hao took out the silk he had prepared earlier. He had chosen a beige color for the silk, which was simple, elegant, and understated.

It matches the ink painting style of "Pine and Crane Longevity" perfectly; it won't overshadow the painting but will instead enhance its elegance.

He used a paper cutter to cut the silk to the appropriate width, and then carefully edged it around the painting.

When edging, the four corners should be cut at a 45-degree angle, and the seams should be aligned without any gaps or crookedness, otherwise it will look very bad.

Chen Hao was very careful, aligning the pieces while gently pressing them with a palm brush to ensure the silk and the painting were firmly attached and the seams were neat.

[Ding! Framing - Bordering, Painting Skill Experience +380]