After reading the shoes, Ning Chaoxi helped him put them back one by one, and then stacked them against the wall, Chen Xun was still cleaning up the dust on them, and Ning Chaoxi was wandering around the room.

There was an easel next to it, the drawing board on it was covered by a curtain, and there was a toolbox at his feet, in which paints and brushes were placed, Ning Chaoxi was attracted by his covered painting, and wanted to open it to take a look, but thinking that such a move was too presumptuous, so he asked for his opinion: "Chen Xun, are you finished painting this painting?" Can I take a look? ”

Chen Xun saw her standing in front of the drawing board and looking at himself with wide eyes, his eyes flashed slightly, and he suddenly didn't dare to look at her directly, he looked away and stood up, walked to the cardboard box by the desk, his bony fingers swept over the drawing tube one by one, and pulled one at random: "Look at these, that painting is not finished yet." ”

"Okay." Although her mouth answered, her eyes were still glued to the curtain, and she was really curious about what the painting was hidden behind it.

Chen Xun opened the painting tube, pulled out the paintings inside, and laid them out on the table, different from his previous sketches, this is a watercolor painting, the paint is smudged, the color is clean and pure, the painting is a scene in the courtyard, similar to the scene that Ning Chaoxi saw just now, but his painting feels like it was painted earlier, and the trees are still verdant.

Ning Chaoxi doesn't have any artistic cells, and she doesn't pay special attention to this aspect of things, she doesn't know how to evaluate a painting, but she knows that good works can move people, Chen Xun's paintings are like this, there is a kind of attractive charm, it seems that you can see the story behind this through his paintings.

"Chen Xun." She suddenly shouted to him: "You should develop in this area, go to the Academy of Fine Arts, and become an art student, I feel that you will definitely become a very powerful painter in the future." ”

The window was not closed, the cold wind blowing from the gap was cold, and her clear voice sounded in the silent room, accompanied by the sound of the wind, falling on Chen Xun's ears, as if the leaves were falling into the pool, making his heartstrings tremble.

Ning Chaoxi was still saying to himself: "You are so good at painting, it's a pity not to engage in this kind of career in the future, Chen Xun, think about it." ”

He was silent for a long time, and then replied, "Okay." ”

He really didn't think about this aspect before, because his family's economic conditions did not allow it, and the cost of studying painting in the Academy of Fine Arts was too heavy, and it was too difficult to become famous.

Hearing his promise, Ning Chaoxi smiled happily, helped him carefully roll the painting and put it back into the painting tube, she asked, "Chen Xun, why don't you learn to make shoes from your father?" ”

"He didn't want me to hurt my hand." Chen Xun said.

He also thought about inheriting his father's craft before, but Chen's father didn't want him to learn it, for fear that he would hurt his hands, and because the shoes he had made for nearly 20 years were still like this, he didn't want Chen Xun to be like him, living in a small shoe shop all his life.

Ning Chaoxi's eyes were attracted by the pile of papers on the desk, she picked up the top illustration with various birds and birds, and asked him, "What is this?" ”

"I took orders from a publishing house, and I was in charge of drawing illustrations."

"They're going to give you money?"

"Hmm."

"That's good." Ning Chaoxi suddenly sighed: "Hey, it's good for people to have a skill." ”

Without continuing to delve into this issue with her, Chen Xun raised his eyes and looked at the wall clock on the wall, and said to her, "Let's go, you should go back." ”

The place where the boots were broken had been repaired, and Ning Chaoxi just wanted to sit on the small bench to change his shoes, but was stopped by Chen Xun: "Don't change it, wear it back." ”

"Oh, no, the slippers belong to yours."

"Your foot hurts, and your boots grind your feet." Chen Xun explained lightly.

Ning Chaoxi looked down at her slightly swollen ankles, although she was much better after rubbing the medicinal wine, it was still a little painful to walk, and it was really not appropriate to wear back these boots, she raised her eyebrows and smiled warmly: "Okay, thank you, how much is the repair cost, I will give it back to you." With that, she reached for her bag.

"No, you don't." Chen Xun stopped her hand, as if he knew what she was going to say, and said before she could speak: "Change it in another way." ”

"In what way?" Ning Chaoxi was stunned for a moment.

"I'll talk about it when I think about it."

Chen's mother walked in through the small door leading to the backyard from the shoe shop: "Classmate, this is going to go." ”

"Yes, Auntie." Ning Chaoxi smiled at her: "Thank you for your hospitality tonight." ”

"You're welcome, I'll play again when I have time." Chen's mother said to her, and then looked at Chen Xun again: "Ah Xun, you can send it to someone so late, a girl is not safe." ”

Chen Xun had this plan, he nodded in response, reached out and picked up a paper bag, put her boots in it, and walked out of the store first.

Ning Chaoxi just wanted to say, 'No need to send it', but Chen Xun had already opened her long legs and was waiting for her outside the store, so she had to turn around and say goodbye to Chen's mother.

At eight o'clock in the evening, it was very dark where there were no street lights on the street, and Ning Chaoxi's foot was sprained and she couldn't walk fast, so Chen Xun slowed down his pace and kept walking on her side.

At this point in time, this lively street during the day suddenly quieted down, although the shops on both sides were open and lit, but there were not many passers-by to see, except for the two of them, there were only a few scattered passers-by in the obscurely lit alley.

Ning Chaoxi has not tried to walk home from here at night, Ning's father is strict, and she is not allowed to go out alone at night, afraid of being unsafe, she looks at the thin light on the road, and the black shadows of her and Chen Xun stretched by the street lamp, shallow and faint, colliding together from time to time, the sense of stability in her heart is rising inch by inch, and the corners of her mouth curl up an arc.

The occasional dog barking in the quiet alley was heard once or twice, and other than that, there was only the sound of footsteps.

When she went out, Ning Chaoxi didn't wear the scarf around her neck properly, and the cold wind blowing in her face stuck to her skin through the gaps, so cold that she quickly reached out to tidy up the scarf.

Walking out of Qianguan Village, Ning Chaoxi stopped on the side of the road and said to him: "Chen Xun, just send it here, I'll go back by myself." Afraid that he would insist on sending himself, she added: "I just sent a message to my dad, and he should be waiting for me at the gate of the community at this point, I am afraid that he will see the two of us...... A bit out of place. ”

"Okay." Chen Xun handed her the bag he was carrying.

"Chen Xun, thank you today." Ning Chaoxi thanked him.

"You're welcome."

From knowing him to now, Chen Xun has helped her Ning Chaoxi can't count, she hesitated in place for a while, and said: "Chen Xun, you have helped me so much, I don't know how to thank you, so let's do it, if you have any difficulties in the future, you can also tell me, I will try my best to help you." ”

Chen Xun didn't speak, and his dark pupils glowed with warmth under the street lamp.

"That's it for now, I'll go back first." Ning Chaoxi waved his hand to him, "See you at the beginning of school." ”

She returned to the gate of the community, and Father Ning was really waiting there, and as soon as he saw her, he immediately greeted her: "Xiaoxi, what's wrong with your feet?" Sprained? ”

"Dad, it's okay, I was stepped on on the bus."

"Seriously? Do you want Dad to carry you? Father Ning said.

"No, Dad, let's go back quickly, it's so cold outside." Ning Chaoxi said and shrunk his neck.

After returning home, Ning's mother rarely sat on the sofa and watched TV, and when she saw her daughter and husband entering the door, she didn't have a good face, and when Ning Chaoxi came over and shouted 'Mom', she snorted, pointed to the wall clock on the wall and said, "See for yourself what time it is." ”

Ning Chaoxi lowered his head and didn't speak.

Mother Ning glanced at her and said, "Let me ask you, is the classmate you opened the shoe shop a boy or a girl?" ”

At this age of youth and ignorance, whenever your parents ask you whether you are in contact with a boy or a girl, it is like touching a ban. Jealous, all emotions became sensitive, and Ning Chaoxi's face stiffened: "Mom......"

There is no need to wait for her to answer, seeing her reaction, Ning Mu will know the answer, she said with a cold face: "Don't associate with that classmate in the future." ”

"Why?" Ning Chaoxi didn't understand.

Father Ning changed his shoes at the entrance, and came over at the right time to play a round, and he said to his wife: "Talk well to the child, don't be so impulsive." ”

"You still ask me why, don't you know what stage you are in now, don't you know what the most important thing is now, I told you to go home after class, where did you go, ah, a boy said that you would go to the house for dinner, Ning Chaoxi, do you still have the reserve and shame of a girl!"

Ning Chaoxi's expression was pale, she clenched her palms, pursed her lips and said: "I don't understand what you're talking about, I broke my shoes on the bus, people kindly touched me and took me to my house to repair my shoes, his family saw that it was so late, what happened to leave me at home for dinner out of courtesy, where do I not have the reserve and shame of a girl, but you, my dad will call me and text me when I come back one night, what about you, what else will you do except question me and blame me." ”

"You ......"

"Okay, okay, don't talk about it, Xiaoxi just came back, take a break and take a shower, what a big deal, no, no." Father Ning made a look and asked Ning Chaoxi to go back to the room first.

Ning Chaoxi calmed down and knew that her words were too much, she said with a calm face: "Mom, I will study hard and strive to get into a good university, but I am not young anymore, who I want to make friends with and what kind of friends I make is my business, I hope you don't interfere." ”

Mother Ning got up from the sofa and said angrily: "Okay, you have grown up and your wings are hard, you can do whatever you like, from today onwards, I don't care about you, whether you do well in the exam or badly, you can make friends with whoever you like, it's all your own business, but Ning Chaoxi, let me tell you, the path you chose by yourself, don't regret it if you die." ”

There was a 'bang' and the door slammed shut.

Ning Chaoxi stood in place, looking at the closed door, only to feel a chill under his feet.