The Versatile Master Artist

This time Bu Dao immediately nodded like a little chick pecking at rice.

”A... Ah Wang... good.”

”Good?”

Gu Weijing wrinkled his nose in surprise and gave a thumbs up: ”Bu Dao, you’re amazing. Is this the vocabulary the doctor taught you?”

Autism patients with language barriers have a hard time speaking in complete sentences.

To date, whether in Burmese or English, Bu Dao can only sporadically utter very simple, short-syllable nouns.

”I’m going downstairs to play,” in their mouths, would be vaguely shrunk to words like ”downstairs, play.”

And when dealing with something, whether they like it or not.

In Bu Dao’s mouth, it would always be reduced to Good and Bad, those simplest expressions.

Complex multi-syllable words like Amenable (obedient), this was the first time Gu Weijing had heard Bu Dao mention.

Bu Dao stopped talking again this time.

Gu Weijing didn’t mind.

Perhaps it was psychological.

He vaguely felt that Bu Dao had become more cheerful compared to before.

Maybe it was the effect of the rehabilitation class Miss Sakai had paid for during this time.

But Gu Weijing preferred to believe it was Ah Wang’s credit.

Cats really are efficient psychologists.

”When we get back, I will prepare some honey water for you, and give you a full set of Thai massage.” Gu Weijing said approvingly to Ah Wang at his feet.

”Cats are fun, she will come here often in the future, you can play with Ah Wang together with Sister Molli. But now, brother will show you an illustration, let you, the little judge, help Gu Weijing brother appreciate it, okay?”

Gu Weijing led Bu Dao to sit facing the camera.

This way, the content displayed on the iPad in his hand could not be captured by the camera.

Even though the camera lens is expensive and high-definition, it is still difficult to appreciate the details of a painting through it.

Moreover, at this moment.

Koizumi Katsuko should be pulled by her mom shopping at Siam Palace, Mrs. Sakai hasn’t had the pleasure of shopping for a long time, buying jade bracelets and jewelry several times gets boring, online shopping can’t relieve stress like shopping in person.

They’re unlikely to check the happenings in Yangon Small Painting Studio, but it’s better to be cautious.

Gu Weijing showed Bu Dao the ”Cat Nanny” he had just painted.

Ah Wang jumped into Gu Weijing’s arms from the other side, also craning its head to look at the screen of the tablet.

”Meow?”

The tabby cat was startled by the cat sealed inside the glowing screen.

Proud as Ah Wang.

Perhaps deep down it always believed it was the coolest, most majestic, and beautiful cat in Yangon City.

If Ah Wang had a fairy tale magic mirror, it would definitely hug the mirror and ask it ”Magic mirror, magic mirror, who is the most beautiful cat in the world?”

Now, it seems to have met a rival.

Ah Wang bared its teeth, tentatively stretched out its paw, touching the seemingly aloof fat cat on the display screen.

”Ah Wang?”

Seeing the tabby cat’s reaction, Gu Weijing felt tonight’s surprises were endless.

Apart from a few mammalian species like whales, dolphins, gorillas, pigs, and monkeys.

Cats and dogs, like human babies before they develop self-awareness at 18 months,

are difficult to recognize the light-reflecting mirror images.

That is to say,

If they see themselves in a mirror,

the cat would mistake it for another of its kind nearby, attempting to communicate or attack to drive it from its territory.

Painting can produce similar effects but is much more difficult than mirrors.

To make animals mistakenly believe the painting depicts a living creature, usually requires a considerably realistic depiction.

Gu Weijing paints cats very vividly, which is remarkable in the field of Painting Knife Painting.

Painting Knife Painting has always been inclined to depict atmosphere, not strong in realistic fields, inferior to oil paintings painted with delicate small brushes and far less realistic than watercolors.

Also, Ah Wang is a feline.

She has excellent night vision and dynamic visual capabilities but weaker color perception compared to humans.

Gu Weijing’s use of orange, champagne red, and such color tones are within Ah Wang’s visible spectrum, but seeing them clearly is uncertain.

Theoretically, in a cat’s vision, the painting on the iPad screen should only be a blurry orange light mass.

Even so, could the painting still be recognized by Ah Wang as depicting a cat?

”Is this the function of the painting’s intrinsic temperament?”

Gu Weijing could only attribute it to the effect Mr. Tree Sloth mentioned regarding portrait painting for cats.

Painting is a mystical language connecting all things.

It cannot only transcend nations and borders but also dissolve biological boundaries between species and groups.

When the painter and animal empathize, infusing the emotions animals express onto the paper, not only humans can be moved.

Even animals can comprehend the emotional essence within the colorful pigments of an artwork.

”What about Bu Dao? Do you like it?”

Gu Weijing noticed that since Bu Dao began looking at the ”Cat Nanny” painting, his deep black pupils were locked on the screen, neither crying nor laughing, just silently watching.

His baby-fat face was extremely calm, not speaking a word.

Just watching.

Gu Weijing wasn’t in a hurry to push.

He could feel that the painting was establishing some unique emotional connection with Bu Dao.

Earlier, he had shown Bu Dao the ”Nils Holgersson’s Wonderful Journey Through Sweden” illustration book donated by someone else.

The feeling of flipping through those books seemed more like glancing over colorful cards.

Now his response is different.

Bu Dao is ”reading” this work.

In those few seconds, Gu Weijing suddenly felt the joy and tearful cry of ”IT REALLY WORKS!!!” from the Star Mother in the YouTube video when she saw her child flipping through ”Little Prince”.

His Painting Knife Painting truly holds a miraculous attraction for these children enclosed within their inner worlds.

Gu Weijing calmed down, even breathing as gently as possible.

He patiently waited for Bu Dao, the judge’s verdict.

This chubby kid growing up in a welfare home might never know.

His upcoming reactions not only determine if Gu Weijing’s efforts were in vain but also concern the fate of another 41-year-old big kid beyond the Great Ocean.

If Master Jean Arnou were here, he might be gasping anxiously.

All those reviews from Andersen’s jury, the publisher’s executives, those billionaire collectors... all the judgments faced by this towering figure in the world of illustration throughout his life.

At this moment, none was more important than the opinion of this little judge, who couldn’t even speak clearly.

It truly reflects the wondrous marvels of fate.

”Cat is good, Ah Wang is good, I like kitty.”—Just as Gu Weijing was feeling suffocated due to lack of oxygen.

Bu Dao the little judge placed his palm over Ah Wang’s paw, looking at the painting on the screen, his eyes calm.

Word by word, slowly, bit by bit, he spoke his first complete sentence in life.

...

Bu Dao genuinely liked that beautiful illustration.

When Gu Weijing had Little Girl Mo Li come over to take Bu Dao away, Bu Dao showed an unwillingness like leaving a fun toy.

Nonetheless, Mo Li held onto the unwilling Bu Dao who couldn’t see the illustration anymore with one hand, and carried off Ah Wang, who was extremely unwilling after seeing Mo Li, with the other.

Bu Dao’s finger was just cut by a can lid, cat saliva is merely a natural disinfectant in nature.

Moreover, Ah Wang just ate raw meat from a can, its mouth wasn’t very clean, better to treat it in case of infection.

His painting techniques and insights were confirmed.

Gu Weijing then pulled out Tony’s medical report and those childhood life photos.

He opened two split-screen windows on the tablet.