Chapter 283

On Saturday, the rain stopped, and Xiao Qi went to the driving school in the morning.

He gave the coach at the driving school a pack of cigarettes as a gesture of goodwill, trying to blend in with the local customs.

The coach generously let Xiao Qi practice driving three times. Xiao Qi found it quite simple. He practiced parking in reverse, navigating an S-shaped curve, parallel parking, and starting on a slope. He did all these exercises very smoothly.

However, right from the start, the coach kept talking in the car. He mentioned that one of Enhua's students had gotten into a car accident the night before. The young girl was driving a sports car and collided with a large truck. It was clear that she hadn't learned to drive properly, and it was a mystery how she had obtained her driver's license. Now she was lying in the hospital.

The coach urged Xiao Qi to practice diligently.

Xiao Qi was very diligent in his studies. Whatever the coach said, he listened attentively. He could grasp the basics after just one demonstration, remember them after the second, and become proficient by the third.

Unlike some other students who took two months to practice parallel parking.

Xiao Qi felt that his progress was a result of his dedicated studying. In the past, he was easily distracted and lost focus when studying. He would daydream during classes that didn't interest him.

But now, even if he wasn't interested in a subject, Xiao Qi would still listen attentively because he believed that every learning opportunity was valuable and could be useful someday.

With this mindset, his studying became more effective. It was as if he had become smarter, but in reality, his intelligence hadn't increased. It was just his attitude towards learning that had changed.

The coach also praised Xiao Qi greatly, saying he drove very well and asked if Xiao Qi had driven before.

Xiao Qi hadn't driven before, but the coach's scent of cigarettes was so strong that Xiao Qi had to try adjusting his sense of smell. However, he couldn't mask the smell of smoke coming from the coach sitting next to him. It was as if he had been smoked over by cigarettes, emitting a strong odor of secondhand smoke.

It was worse than the smell of firsthand smoke.

The coach did restrain himself and didn't smoke while in the car. Sometimes he would step out to smoke one or two cigarettes. Judging by the frequency of the coach's smoking, he couldn't finish two packs of cigarettes in a day.

After practicing all morning, Xiao Qi asked the coach to help him book the second phase of the driving test and then left the driving school directly, heading to the racecourse. He could also get a free lunch there.

The coach thought Xiao Qi had driven before and that he drove well, so he readily agreed.

Of course, it was mainly thanks to the cigarettes. Xiao Qi remembered the scent of smoke on the coach, so this time he deliberately chose the brand the coach liked. The first pack he gave might not have been to the coach's taste.

When he arrived at the racecourse, he had to readjust his sense of smell again because the smell of animals was stronger. But the benefit was that when he encountered delicious food, it seemed even more fragrant.

Today's lunch included fresh white shrimp, braised pork noodles made from farm-raised pigs, and particularly fresh vegetables. There was also Chinese flowering cabbage that had just bloomed, which was very appetizing. This year's new harvest of rice had also arrived, and the white rice was especially sticky and fragrant.

Xiao Qi was good at ordering dishes, and Coach Steven always ate the same as Xiao Qi. At first, he used to eat Western food every day, but now, when Xiao Qi was there, he would eat whatever Xiao Qi ate.

It seemed that the racecourse was quite busy today, and the club president was quite occupied with receiving people.

After Xiao Qi and the coach enjoyed a lavish staff meal, they strolled around and then went to the stables to do some work.

The horse stable is primarily maintained by Wei Cheng and another student, and they keep it quite clean.

However, it rained a few days ago, and today, after a long wait, the weather finally cleared up. The horses in the stable haven't had a bath for a few days, so it's a good opportunity to clean them up during lunchtime while the sun is out. Otherwise, they might easily fall ill.

Taylor hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days, and has been a bit irritable.

Xiao Qi checked and found that it's the old wound acting up again. Changes in the weather make it uncomfortable, just like with humans.

Xiao Qi gave Taylor a bath first and then gave him a massage. Xiao Qi has quite a strong grip, applying just the right amount of pressure, and Taylor closed his eyes in contentment.

Xiao Qi trimmed the hair around Taylor's old wound and checked that it wasn't inflamed. It was probably just a bit uncomfortable, so Xiao Qi cleaned the area around it, and Taylor perked up again.

Little Coral has been growing rapidly recently, thanks to Coach Steven's good care and feeding. She's no longer the little foal that wouldn't eat horse feed and would wander around the stable picking at grass. She has grown taller and her original pink coat has become lighter, almost like a pale gray.

Pink horses are relatively rare.

Ji Gu has changed the most, looking extremely majestic with his shiny coat. He is Coach Steven's favorite horse.

Xiao Qi and the coach cleaned each horse one by one and let them sunbathe in the horse yard, leisurely strolling around.

Xiao Qi took out her drawing board and prepared to paint.

Consider it a midday break.

Today, she was drawing Taylor. Perhaps because Taylor hasn't been feeling well these past few days, he has been particularly clingy to Xiao Qi, constantly circling around her. So, Xiao Qi decided to draw him.

Xiao Qi invested all her Diamond Learning Cards and Talent Seeds into this rather unimpressive subject of painting.

After all, in most people's eyes, painting is just a hobby and not something to show off.

For Xiao Qi at the moment, it's also the same. She indulged herself a bit. When she was younger, she liked painting a lot. She would follow her father to the mountains, where he would work, and she would sit on the side, drawing tree stumps. As a result, she always ended up covered in mosquito bites.

Xiao Qi didn't have a systematic education in painting. Sometimes, when she encountered an unresolved problem, she would send a WeChat message to Teacher Shi or discuss it with him on WeChat.

She would also go to the library to find relevant books herself. But when it comes to painting, it's not really something that can be mastered through theoretical knowledge alone. It's probably just like what Teacher Shi said: paint more, paint more, and then paint some more.

Maybe one day, it will all become clear.

Xiao Qi started by sketching Taylor's figure and then worked on the specific details.

Painting is a way of observing things more deeply. Things that are usually unnoticed, like the fact that Taylor's left front leg joint seems a bit thicker and bent compared to the other legs.

Xiao Qi faithfully captured it, along with the fur and the head.

As expected, the most challenging part to paint was the expression in the eyes. The eyes require emotions, a conveyance of feelings. How to depict them with just a few strokes is truly not easy.

Not all eyes can be portrayed by simply making them watery.

Although it may appear watery at first glance, the eyes convey different emotions. Emotions are a very rich world, encompassing joy, sadness, pleasure, attachment, regret, and more. When Xiao Qi draws eyes, it feels very difficult because the stroke of the brush may not always capture the desired feeling.

Today, she spent a long time with Taylor. At this moment, Taylor leans his head over, resembling a child.

The intelligence of smart animals is roughly equivalent to that of human children.

Xiao Qi gives his head a rub and continues drawing.

With her head lowered, she is deeply focused. With just a few strokes, Taylor's gaze comes to life.

Unaware, Xiao Qi doesn't notice that Xiao Shengzhou has approached and is standing behind her.

Watching her as she puts the finishing touches on her drawing.

Taylor seems to have walked right onto her paper, lifelike and vivid.

Xiao Shengzhou spotted Xiao Qi sitting here from a distance, thinking she was daydreaming, but he never expected her to be drawing.

When she draws, she is particularly calm and serious.

The whole world is shut out.

Xiao Shengzhou admires the young girl's graceful figure when she runs, her handsome appearance on horseback, and her seriousness during English speeches. However, at this moment, he realizes that her appearance while drawing is the most beautiful.

She devotes herself wholeheartedly, very serious. Under her brush, there is a world that belongs to her.

"Hello, President." Xiao Qi finishes her drawing and notices that the President has come over, so she greets him.

"Yesterday's interview was good, you remained calm. You mentioned wanting to see a house. I'm free tomorrow, would you like to go take a look?" Xiao Shengzhou remembers the promise he made to the young girl.

Xiao Qi is delighted to hear about the house and feels like she's taking another step toward her dream of being a landlady.

"I'm free, I have time tomorrow."