Sketching is quick, but touching up takes more time. Qin Guanglin spent the afternoon in the studio. He only felt relieved after putting his pen away in the evening and admiring his finished work.
The person in the drawing is wearing a small floral apron. Her hair was tied behind her head, and a small strand of hair hung from her forehead. She held a spatula in one hand and a wok in the other. One could see that she was smiling from her side profile. She even looked relaxed and happy to be cooking.
Qin Guanglin had thought about what his future partner would look like. Shiny and wavy black hair, long slender legs, slim waist, and the likes. These are what guys his age often fantasize about, and they often wonder how to find someone like that.
Looking at the drawing board, Qin Guanglin suddenly realized what exactly they consider the best. Not gorgeous and enchanting, but calm and steady.
Appearance is superficial. Even if she ate until she became a hundred-kilogram fatty, she would still be the best.
He could not let such a right person go. If he missed this chance, he wouldn’t be able to meet a second one… Qin Guanglin suddenly felt that both were progressing a bit slowly. He had an urge to tie her tightly to him.
“Time to eat.” Mother Qin knocked on the door.
“Coming.”
Qin Guanglin put down his pen and walked out of the studio. Mother Qin had bought dough fritters and watermelon for dinner.
He took a bite out of a dough fritter, but he hesitated for a moment before saying, “Mom.”
“Yes?”
“I want to marry He Fang.” Qin Guanglin looked at Mother Qin.
Holding a dough fritter, Mother Qin thought she heard wrong. “What?”
“I want to marry He Fang,” Qin Guanglin repeated.
“…”
“…”
“Then you have to tell He Fang?” Mother Qin frowned, wondering what had gotten into him. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Well… Don’t you have to approve?” Qin Guanglin was a little taken aback by Mother Qin’s response. Shouldn’t family members be informed of such things?
“What if I don’t approve?” Mother Qin ate a piece of watermelon and leaned in her seat.
“…” Qin Guanglin scratched his head. “I still want to marry her. Even if you disagree, I will marry her.”
“Then what’s the point of telling me this?” Mother Qin rolled her eyes. “She might not even want to marry you.”
“I don’t care. You have to help me.” Qin Guanglin ate the dough fritter. He had already given up and became shameless. “That is your future daughter-in-law.”
“Are you sure she’s the one?”
“I’m sure.”
“No regrets?”
“No regrets.”
“Go after her if you like her. I won’t interfere.” Mother Qin sighed. “He Fang is a good girl. Treat her well if you want to marry her.”
“You can see it too?” Qin Guanglin ate and smiled. “I don’t think there is anyone better than her.”
“I could see it the first time I saw her.” Mother Qin looked at him with disdain. “I’ve lived through more years than you. Shouldn’t my foresight be better than yours?”
“Then help me come up with an idea.” Qin Guanglin felt that it was impossible to rely on himself. “How do I get her to marry me?”
“She is still in school. You have to hold on to your horses.” Mother Qin wondered what had gotten into him to make him so anxious all of a sudden. “I’m warning you, don’t make things messy, or I won’t spare you.”
“What mess can I make?” Qin Guanglin ate the watermelon. He thought for a while and said, “Do I have to meet her family first?”
“That goes without saying. Not only do you have to meet them, but you also have to convince them to let you marry their daughter.”
It worried Qin Guanglin. It was as if there was no way to marry He Fang so soon. What should he do?
“You’d better think it through.” Mother Qin was worried and nagged again. “Marriage is serious. You are starting a new family, and by then, even I will be half an outsider. This is a lifetime commitment. Don’t end up regretting it.”
“How come? We will all be one big family then, including her parents.” Qin Guanglin believed that he had already thought it through. He put down his half-eaten dough fritter, washed his hands, and then took out a drawing from his studio. He then showed it to Mother Qin.
“Yesterday, I watched her cook, and I really liked it. Look, I think this is what I want. If I let her slip from my hands, I definitely won’t be able to find another like her.”
Mother Qin teased. “So you want her to cook for you for the rest of your life?”
“No!”
Qin Guanglin did not know how to describe that feeling. After thinking for a while, he simply could not find the right words. He put the drawing in the bedroom, then came back out to continue eating. “Anyway, I just like her. This is love. You won’t understand.”
“Please, as if you know anything about love.” Mother Qin looked at him with amusement. “You’re just greedy for her cooking.”
“I don’t care. If she cooks, I’ll wash the dishes. If she wants to eat an egg, I’ll peel the shell for her. If she wants to wash her feet, I’ll pour the water for her. She… I just like her!”
“Let me see how you peel one now. Talk is easy. Your dad also said that he would wash the dishes every day, but what happened in the end?” Mother Qin continued looking at him with disdain as if her kid was possessed.
He even wanted to marry her, but marriage is not that easy. They have only known each other for not long. Who knows, maybe they would quarrel one day and break up. Young people are reckless and impulsive.
“I’ve made up my mind. I’ll go to work over the next few days. I’ll start with earning money.”
“You found a job?”
“I have. I passed the interview today, and I’ll be going to work from tomorrow.”
“What job?”
“I’ll be working at a comic studio. It looked pretty good to me.” Qin Guanglin made a gesture. “After the probationary period, I’ll be getting a basic salary of $7,000 and a performance bonus.”
Mother Qin frowned slightly upon hearing the salary. “It’s about the same as you get working from home.”
“I can do freelance work in my free time, even though I’m working. They call this increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.” Qin Guanglin explained, “I spend most of my time idling now. Going to work is equivalent to earning an extra salary.”
The most complicated drafts, if done thoughtfully, can be given to the client in one or two days. The charge for a piece of work mainly depends on the purpose and level of consumption and the artist’s skill level. To put it bluntly, this line of work is still a mental effort.
If the artist is reputable, he can receive an order for a few hundred dollars. Otherwise, that would be too high a price. Two to three of such orders are worth the salary in a studio. At present, he was accepting two to three orders as a non-reputable artist.
“Alright, alright. Just be careful not to tire yourself out.” Mother Qin did not understand his art world, neither could she be bothered to.
“It’s no big deal.”
Qin Guanglin ate his fill and tossed the watermelon skin into the bin. Then he returned to his room.
He chatted with He Fang for a while but did not dare to reveal his desire to marry her quickly. For once, he was afraid of scaring her off. Second, he only dared to think about it and seek Mother Qin’s advice at the very most.
Qin Guanglin held the drawing of Chef He cooking and looked at it for a while. He pressed it under the glass tabletop, along with the photo of them on a rollercoaster the other time. This way, whenever he was using his computer or reading at his desk, he would see her when he looked down.
If he could not see her in person, it was nice to look at her photo and drawing.