The group entered the reception room. Ren Yifan invited everyone to take their seats one by one, then asked the staff to serve tea.
When Boss Lu came in earlier, he had introduced his friend. This man was also a businessman, surnamed Kai—a relatively uncommon surname. It was said to have come from the descendants of Duke Kang, the son of King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang.
Next, Ren Yifan introduced Chu Chen as well.
Upon hearing that the young man before him was Chu Chen, Boss Lu suddenly realized and exclaimed excitedly, "So you're the famous Curator Chu! I was wondering why you looked so familiar!"
As he spoke, he hurriedly shook Chu Chen's hand with great enthusiasm, and Chu Chen politely exchanged a few words with him.
After the pleasantries, Boss Kai took out the item he wanted appraised: a painting of peach blossoms on a branch, bearing Yun Shouping's signature.
The painting showed two peach branches extending inward from the right side of the composition in a tangled arrangement, yet with a clear distinction between the primary and secondary branches. Numerous twigs and leaves sprouted from the trunks, while the blossoms bloomed like clouds. The flowers were scattered in clusters throughout—some grouped together, some solitary; some sparse, some dense; some fully open, some still in bud—leaning and rising in mutual harmony.
Yun Shouping had been a master of flower painting renowned throughout his era. His paintings were concise yet exquisite, with bright and vivid colors. Their natural elegance swept away the stale habits of the time and brought a fresh breeze to the painting world of the early Qing Dynasty, exerting a broad and profound influence on the art of painting during the Qing Dynasty and afterward.
This painting, for instance, possessed an overall charm that was