After being tidied up by Qi Jingyi, she could finally go out.
Qi Jingyi smiled and said to Li Wei: "I wish you have a good time."
"Thank you, Sister Qi."
"My makeup set is very waterproof, so as long as I don't sweat profusely, I won't be able to wear it easily." Qi Jingyi has always been confident in her dressing skills.
Li Wei was about to leave, but Qi Jingyi walked her to the door and suddenly said to her, "Actually, it's helpful to me if you call me aunt."
Wait, her seniority was a bit messed up. This time she finally corrected it after Qi Jingyi reminded her: "Auntie, goodbye."
Sure enough, Qi Jingyi said happily: "Goodbye!"
She had put a lot of thought into her elderly nephew, and she just hoped that these two people would not miss it again.
Li Jianbo knew that women tend to be long-winded when going out, so it didn't matter if they waited a little. When he saw the carefully dressed Li Wei appearing in front of him, the corners of his lips could not help but rise, and soon a smile burst out, and he said happily: "Did my aunt help you clean it up?"
"Yeah, she said that my previous outfit was too studentish, but actually I think it's okay. Simple and convenient is more important, right?"
"It's all good to me."
Li Jianbo and Li Wei went out. The sunshine outside was a bit bright, and Li Wei hurriedly put on the sun hat in his hand. Li Jianbo stopped a taxi and helped Li Wei open the door first.
As the car drove towards its destination, Li tilted his head slightly to the left. Through the car window, he could see the undulating sea water and groups of seagulls chirping.
There are many palm trees planted along the road, giving it a tropical feel.
The last time I came to Beihai was a few years ago. In the past few years, the city has developed extremely rapidly, and the tourism market has also completely opened up, showing a vibrant appearance.
They came to the cinema, and Li Jianbo pointed at the movie posters and asked, "Which one do you like to watch?"
Li Wei looked around and found that none of the action blockbusters that were being released were what she wanted to see. Finally, she saw a promotional poster for a literary film, so she pointed at it and asked, "How about this one?"
Li Jianbo took a look and saw that it was "Letter from an Unknown Woman" adapted from a foreign novel. He was not very interested in these literary films, but he still followed Li Wei's intention and said, "Okay, then. This one.”
Li Jianbo went to the front desk to ask about the show and make a reservation. Unexpectedly, the film was about to be released. There was only one show scheduled every day, and today's show was at nine o'clock in the evening. The time was not very suitable, but thinking that this was the first time that Li Wei and I went out to watch a movie, we still bought the movie tickets.
Li Wei took the ticket and looked at it and said, "Why is it so late?"
"That's the only show today. It's said to be released the day after tomorrow, so I'll just watch it."
Li Wei glanced at his watch. It was now a quarter past three in the afternoon, and there were still a few hours before the movie was released.
How to spend these few hours? Li Jianbo said that he would treat Li Wei to afternoon tea.
Originally, they thought they would find a cafe or teahouse to kill time, but when they were shopping and looking for a cafe, they accidentally passed by a studio that was holding an event in the square for a live painting competition.
When Li Jianbo saw it, he couldn't help but ask Li Wei what he meant: "Why don't you try it?"
"I haven't picked up a paintbrush for a long time because I'm afraid I won't be able to paint well."
"What are you worried about? The most important thing is to participate." Li Jianbo encouraged her. In Li Jianbo's mind, he always remembered the time when he sent his sister to compete in the city many years ago. It was also that time when he noticed that something was wrong with her sister.
Encouraged by his second brother, Li Wei finally walked towards the center of the venue.
"Ma'am, do you want to participate in live painting to win prizes? Our prizes are very rich. Do you want to give it a try?"
Li Wei didn't look at what awards were offered, and just asked: "What are the requirements for the content of the painting?"
"There are no requirements. Oil paintings, watercolors, or sketches are all acceptable, and the subject matter is not limited. We are conducting a promotional activity in response to the city's cultural promotion month to improve the cultural literacy of citizens. As long as you participate, you will be rewarded."
Li Wei finally asked the organizer for paint, paper and pen. She stood there and thought about what she wanted to draw. After thinking about it, she started to draft and adjust colors. A few strokes already had a rough outline, and she used colors to render it layer by layer. Li Jianbo looked on and was dumbfounded.
"Don't you paint Chinese paintings?"
“Watercolor is quicker and expressive enough.”
Under Li Wei's painting brush, the blue sky gradually appeared, followed by the blue sea water, white seagulls, fishing boats out to sea, palm trees, white beach, and tourists on the beach.
She showed what she saw at the beach these past few days through her paintbrush. She used bold colors and was informal, with delicate brushwork and a strong sense of color layering.
Her outstanding skills attracted many people to gather around. The host on the side said: "It seems that a professional artist came today to show everyone his skills, which also opened our eyes."
Li Wei spent more than an hour on this painting from beginning to end, and his arms and eyes were sore at the end of the painting. The apron on the chest was stained with a lot of paint. There are all kinds of paints in the gaps between my nails.
This painting has not been taken off the shelf. Many people came to watch and appreciate it. Finally, the judges came to appraise it and give scores.
"This lady's paintings look very vivid and really good."
The host handed the microphone to Li Jianbo and asked with a smile: "Sir, is that lady your girlfriend or your partner?"
Li Jianbo was obviously confused by this question. He said awkwardly, "She is my sister."
The host heard that he was obviously more embarrassed than Jianbo and quickly said: "I'm so sorry."
Li Jianbo smiled, and the host asked: "What does this gentleman think of my sister's paintings?"
"I'm a complete layman. I just think she draws very well, but I can't tell her how to draw well. Thank you for this competition, which helped her regain her confidence."
In the end, Li Wei's painting was rated second, and the reward for second place was 500 yuan. Although I didn’t get the first place, I can still accept the second place. Li Wei was very happy after making five hundred yuan out of thin air.
"With your painting skills, you will definitely earn more than this. In fact, watercolor painting is not your strong point."
Li Wei said: "Well, the important thing is to participate. Besides, I'm not here for the awards. Second brother, I'll treat you to dinner."
Seeing her so happy and not caring at all, Li Jianbo naturally felt happy.
Five hundred yuan was a huge sum of money for Li Wei, who had no income now. She took out one hundred yuan as food money. The two found a roadside seafood restaurant. They ordered fresh shrimps and ate happily. It turns out that one hundred yuan is enough for a delicious meal.
"Thank you for your hospitality!" Li Jianbo smiled broadly.
Li Wei said: "As long as you are satisfied with the meal."
The two of them saw that the time was almost up and went to the cinema.
(End of chapter)