I have a wildlife zoo

Zhuang Xiaobai's painting process attracted a steady stream of onlookers, who shifted in waves. They even voluntarily kept order, shushing those who approached and gesturing for them to be quiet, saying a master artist was at work and not to disturb him with noise!

After completing his painting, Zhuang Xiaobai stood up, stepped back a few paces, and admired his work, his eyes brimming with satisfaction!

He felt that this painting really was well done! Whether the composition and color of the piece, or the application of brushstrokes, it was all a notch above his previous works. Moreover, the most crucial accomplishment was capturing the very spirit of the gray wolf!

His teacher had once said that capturing the spirit meant one was beginning to understand the essence, and he himself had reached this realm only at thirty years old.

Although he could perceive the spirit before, he always missed capturing that elusive trace with his brush.

He thought it would take a few more years of accumulation before a breakthrough would occur, waiting for the moment when preparation meets opportunity, but unexpectedly, a breakthrough came unbidden while he simply intended to participate in a Mid-Autumn Festival event.

Feeling somewhat proud, he thought, "Now my painting level must be considered to have glimpsed the pathway, right?"

As the onlookers saw him finishing up, they asked cautiously and softly, "Mister, are you done with your painting?"

They referred to him as a "mister" because he looked relatively young. Had he been an older man in his fifties or sixties, they surely would be calling him "master" by now!

Turning around, Zhuang Xiaobai was shocked to see so many people had gathered around.

"Yes, it's finished!"

The crowd instantly became abuzz with excitement and chatter. "Wow, mister, your painting is so beautiful!"

"Mister, what's your name?"

Zhuang Xiaobai scratched his head: "I'm Zhuang Xiaobai!"

Someone immediately started searching on their phone and exclaimed, "Ah, I found him! Zhuang Xiaobai, graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts in XX year, now a member of the China Artists Association, a member of the XX Province Watercolor Painting Research Association, a professional artist, whose work 'Yawning Cat' won the gold medal in the XX competition..."

"Exactly, you can tell at a glance that he's not some nobody!"

"Teacher Zhuang, could I have your autograph?"

Zhuang Xiaobai felt overwhelmed. Although his painting skills had reached a level where he'd glimpsed the pathway, he really wasn't good at handling social interactions. He'd typically respond politely to questions asked by others and rarely initiated conversations. His artist's attire also suggested "do not disturb."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Now surrounded by a group of enthusiastic fans, with some reading out his biography, he was practically being publicly executed. He hastily gestured to the crowd, saying somewhat bashfully, "Thank you, thank you, please make way, I have to go submit my painting now."

The onlookers promptly made room, with one asking, "Mister, what's the name of the painting?"

Zhuang Xiaobai, while packing up his tools, pondered for a moment: "Let's call it 'The Wolf in the Forest'!"

Since the watercolor was still wet, he planned to carefully lift the painting and place it on a cart to push away. The crowd offered enthusiastically, "Teacher Zhuang, let me help you push the cart!"

"Right, right, what if it gets jostled and falls in the process?"

"I'll help with carrying the painting!"

"Eh, no need, no need, I can handle it myself."

...

By the time he was done painting, it was already 3 p.m.!

The jovial Q&A session took place for an hour in the morning, another hour in the afternoon, and had just ended. Now, only the Mid-Autumn scroll event remained.

Art submissions could be made at any time, but voting was open from 4 PM to 5 PM.

Inside the tiger exhibit, a circle of magnetic boards had been set up, adorned with magnets holding various paintings, with number tags on the side. When it was time to vote, one could enter the numbers of their favorite paintings to vote via the activity interface on the WeChat public account.

Now, with only one hour left to submit, more and more people were handing in their artwork. The staff bustled about, continually attaching new paintings to the boards and writing down their numbers.

Not all paintings made it onto the boards; some artists, feeling their work was too tragic to display and embarrassed, would quietly ask the staff if they could skip the display. The staff would offer a knowing smile, hand them a raffle ticket, and set the paintings aside in a box, out of sight.

"Hello, here to submit a painting!"

The tiger exhibit's receiving staff looked up to see Zhuang Xiaobai with an embarrassed expression on his face, surrounded by several enthusiastic individuals helping to push a cart and carry paintings, followed by a crowd of onlookers. The staff couldn't hide their amazement.

My goodness, why such a grand procession for submitting just one painting?

However, upon seeing the painting, they were struck dumb—it was simply too well done! Even those without an appreciation for art could sense the painting's prowess!

After a few seconds of stunned silence, they carefully asked, "Is this piece being entered into the competition?"

Zhuang Xiaobai replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, it is."

Not daring to be negligent, the staff suggested, "Normally we attach paintings directly to the whiteboard with magnets, but for this one, shall we place the painting along with its board on an easel?"

"Uh-huh, sure."

So, the staff found an easel and set up the painting on it, placing it at a very conspicuous spot near the entrance of the tiger exhibit, where a whiteboard was dedicated to displaying the painting's title and number!

Another staff member was called to maintain order; they couldn't have any children touching and potentially damaging it. Meanwhile, they phoned Fang Ye, "Hello, Director, someone has brought in an incredibly impressive painting..."

Visitors kept arriving to submit their artwork, while many others toured the exhibition, admiring the works on display and discussing with friends and family which paintings were better.

Such a distinctive and attention-grabbing piece placed by the entrance rapidly drew a crowd of onlookers!

They expressed their amazement and admiration, taking photos with their phones.

"Wow, this is amazingly painted!"

"How did they create this misty, hazy aura blending with the forest?"

"Is this scene painted from the wolf exhibit? It seems familiar yet not quite!"

"It must be based on the wolf exhibit's scenery but not entirely realistic. There are rocks behind the pond in the wolf exhibit. The painting seems even more beautiful than the real thing!"

"Right, even though it's a still image, it feels like the pond, the mist, and the forest are all flowing!"

"Even though the black wolf is standing by the pond, for some reason, the wolf in the forest seems to draw more attention!"

"The wolf in the forest seems to be staring at me!"

"I get the feeling that there might be more than one wolf hiding in the dark corners of the forest, not just one!"

Among the crowd, there were visitors skilled in the arts, who nodded in admiration at the painting: "The use of light and shadow in the colors and the composition are very skillful! The contrast between the light in the dark forest is striking. Although it doesn't shine directly onto the wolf, it guides the viewer's gaze.

The black wolf outside blends into the mist, and its gaze aligns with the slanted beams of light, which meet exactly at the position of the gray wolf's head."

"Damn, that's pretty cool."