"Mom, what's that red thing?" A soft, little hand pointed to the massive, two-meter-high mural on the wall.
"That's blood."
"And what's that long thing next to the red part?"
"Hmm... That's a Sea Monster from the ocean."
After tilting her head to observe the mural for a long moment, Shanshan turned to her father and asked, "Dad, this Monster is so ugly. Can you make it look prettier? Like in the cartoons."
Focused on his finishing touches, Gao Zhiming answered without looking up. "Go eat your breakfast. Don't be late for your first day of school."
Zhao Jiajia's slender hands slipped under Shanshan's armpits, lifting her from the studio and carrying her toward the living room.
Shanshan turned around in her mother's embrace, resting her head on her shoulder to watch her father paint.
"Mom, if Dad's paintings are so ugly, why do so many people want to buy them?"
