When it comes to drawing shrimps, you can be my teacher!

Ding Shijun smiled and said, "Which fine arts academy did you graduate from?"

"To be honest, Old Ding, I haven't attended a professional fine arts academy. I just practiced a bit with others in my spare time."

"Is that so? That's a pity!" He had originally planned to mentor some newcomers from the village while painting, but who knew the Village Chief would bring back someone like this.

He was just afraid his skill level was too low to understand.

"Tell me, what are you good at?"

Nan Ye really didn't know how to answer this question. Should he tell the truth?

"I... know a little bit of everything!"

Ding Shijun's smile faded slightly. "You're not old, but you talk big!"

"The path of painting is unfathomable. To be able to grasp even a small part of it is already a great fortune in life. Don't be greedy for too much!"

It was normal for young people to be a bit arrogant; he had seen many.

But as an elder, sometimes he needed to give them a little nudge.

Unpolished jade cannot become a valuable object.

"Old Ding is right!"

After a while, he continued, "The theme of the village is water and fish, so naturally, fish, shrimp, and crabs are essential."

"I've spent my life studying landscape painting and haven't had much exposure to fish painting. I wonder if you've researched this area?"

His concept was primarily based on landscapes, with fish as embellishments, so he could showcase his skills as much as possible.

"If your skills in painting fish and shrimp are decent, I can let you add a few strokes and paint around your fish and shrimp."

When the audience saw this, they all gave Ding Shijun a thumbs-up:

[This Old Ding is quite honest and generous. If he doesn't know, he doesn't know. No need for excuses, and he doesn't brag about himself.]

[Exactly. Although I haven't heard of Old Ding, he's much better than those painters who seek fame and prestige.]

[Right. At least he's much stronger than those 'masters' who howl and scream while painting and don't even look at the paper.]

[You call that a master? They're just a bunch of clowns!]

In terms of character, this Ding Shijun was already very good. He wasn't aloof or arrogant, and even for a young person like Nan Ye, he didn't look down on him.

Instead, he first inquired, perhaps the other person's skill level was indeed good?

You know, in the field of painting, it's not necessarily true that the older you are, the better the paintings you produce.

The youngest member of the Great Xia Country Calligraphy and Painting Association was only 19 years old, much younger than Nan Ye.

He was originally here to help, so Nan Ye didn't need to hide anything. "I know a little bit about fish, shrimp, and crabs."

Ding Shijun's eyes lit up. "Let's see what you can do, see where your skill level is, so I can prepare."

After speaking, he took out some Xuan paper and a brush, then pushed the ground ink to the side.

Nan Ye walked closer, picked up the brush, dipped it a few times, and considered what to paint...

The other guests were either working in the fields or doing manual labor, which everyone was tired of watching.

On the contrary, Nan Ye's side was particularly fresh.

Painting, wow! On variety shows, how many artists can paint?

It's almost zero, okay!

Whether he genuinely had skill or was just playing around, everyone was particularly interested.

Coupled with the popularity gained yesterday, Nan Ye hadn't even started painting yet, but his live stream room already had 3.6 million viewers, far exceeding the other guests.

[Finally, he's going to start! I'm already impatient and can't wait to know what level Nan Ye's painting skills have reached.]

[Yeah, let's see how his painting skills compare to his other abilities.]

[What do you guys think, will the delivery Xiao Ge lead the painting style astray again?]

[It won't be that bad, it won't be that bad. After all, this Old Ding is a provincial association member; his skill is evident!]

Nan Ye quickly thought of something: when it comes to painting shrimp, no one surpasses Old Master Qi!

Since he was going to paint, he would go all out.

Just like butchering a cow, he first simulated it in his mind before starting.

He spread the Xuan paper flat, then used the belly of the brush with light ink to paint. With just a few strokes, he depicted the body of the shrimp bending and crawling.

He perfectly captured the charm and effect of combining ink, water, and Xuan paper, making the shrimp appear translucent throughout and vividly lifelike.

Then, with three more strokes, he painted the tail, which had both elasticity and a sense of transparency.

Next, he used thick ink to dot the eyes, and a bit of scorched ink in the middle of the head added a sense of weight to the shrimp's head.

The shrimp's head, within its crystal clarity, had a sense of layering, making it appear even more nimble.

Then, he used heavy ink to paint the shrimp's pair of front claws. From thin to thick, through several segments up to the two pincers, they were open and closed.

With just a few strokes, they were round yet very powerful.

The shrimp legs were not emphasized, just like a dragonfly skimming the water, achieving a simple beauty.

Finally, he used light ink to draw a few winding antennae.

One shrimp was officially finished.

It was so lifelike, as if it could jump off the paper at any moment.

The entire live stream room instantly went wild, comments flooding in one after another, impossible to stop.

[Oh my god, is this the painting skill of the delivery Xiao Ge? It's terrifying, absolutely terrifying!]

[Damn, that was only about a minute, right? He drew a shrimp, and this shrimp looks so realistic, like it's alive.]

[Someone who studied painting for five years says, I'm completely prostrate. The control of light and dark ink is too good, especially the transparency of the shrimp, it's truly amazing.]

The Village Chief stood by, clicking his tongue in wonder. He had originally thought Nan Ye only knew a little, but he didn't expect that 'little' to be so impressive.

Although he didn't understand painting, this shrimp was the best-looking shrimp painting he had ever seen in his life.

The Director in the work area couldn't sit still. He held the armrest of his chair and kept leaning his head forward, almost drilling into the screen.

"Amazing, amazing, truly amazing!"

He had once filmed a documentary about artists, over 3 hours long, which included the lives and works of various painters.

It was after that that he developed a considerable interest in painting, and whenever he had free time, he would try his hand at a few strokes.

While filming that documentary, he visited many painters, and not a few of them painted shrimp.

But no one could paint the 'vitality' of a shrimp to this extent; it was simply divine craftsmanship.

The Director slammed the table hard. "No, I have to get this painting."

Just as he made up his mind, he saw in the video that Ding Shijun had already taken the painting into his hands and was looking at it repeatedly.

"Damn it, I forgot Old Ding was there too!"

The Director instructed his assistant and then quickly ran out...

...

Looking back at Ding Shijun, he stared at the shrimp for a full three minutes, almost pulling his beard off.

"Amazing, amazing!"

"The waves behind push the waves ahead!"

"I never thought I, Ding Shijun, would have a day where I misjudged someone!"

"Young man, what's your name?"

"Nan Ye!"

Ding Shijun suddenly stepped forward and excitedly grasped Nan Ye's hand.

"So you're Nan Ye? When it comes to painting shrimp, you can be my teacher. My eyes were dim just now, please forgive me!"

Hearing this, Nan Ye quickly denied it. "No, no, no, Old Ding, you're exaggerating. I only know how to paint shrimp; I still need to learn much more from you in other areas."

"Okay, okay, okay, not arrogant or impatient, the future is promising!" Ding Shijun liked Nan Ye more and more the more he looked at him, wishing he was his own son.

What they didn't know was that a major earthquake had occurred in the live stream room.

[What the f*ck, what did Old Ding say, what did he say? I didn't hear clearly, or did I hear wrong?]

[You didn't hear wrong. Old Ding meant that when it comes to painting shrimp, Nan Ye can be his teacher.]

[Wow, I could tell Nan Ye's shrimp was amazing, but is it really that amazing, even Old Ding is bowing down?]

[Is it really that exaggerated...]