Zhu Huaijing felt inexplicable and said, "This is not very funny!" You're afraid you have a nervous problem, right? Don't go crazy! If you're crazy, alone, without care, don't kill me? ”

Li Mingxi was really crazy, and said, "Don't talk about being crazy." I think crazy people are people with extraordinary intelligence. Why do you think you always see dogs go crazy and not other animals? Because dogs are the smartest of animals. When a dog's intelligence exceeds its limits and is as intelligent as a human, it becomes a mad dog. And because dogs know people best, dogs bite people as soon as they go crazy. ”

Zhu Huaijing didn't understand why this person suddenly had so many strange thoughts in his head, so he said, "I don't want you to talk crazy things." Did you just say that you had time to come out at noon? I have something to tell you. ”

Li Mingxi was reluctant to come out, saying that something was so mysterious, and he just said no on the phone? Zhu Huaijing said that you are talking nonsense, so I won't say it? So the two made an appointment and met at the coffee house on the first floor of the Oriental Building opposite the city at 12 o'clock at noon.

After saying that, Zhu Huaijing thought about it again. it! Anyway, the words were spoken, so I had to plan it, and the fake show was really done. Besides, Liu Zhongxia doesn't know anything about the art world, so he can coax it. At this time, there was a sudden power outage. The city also has frequent power outages, and there is no greeting in advance. He used to work below, and the county's electricity did not dare to be stopped casually. Occasionally, I stopped and made a phone call, and the head of the power company would be so frightened that he was busy explaining. I don't know what happens next. Judging from the signs here, it seems that the prestige of the city is getting worse day by day. It was already cold, the power went out, and the room was gloomy, and it was even more cold. Outside the window, the trees swayed in the cold wind. Winter is getting deeper.

Zhu Huaijing got off work at noon and went straight to the Oriental Building. Li Mingxi wouldn't be so punctual, so he found a seat and sat down. The young lady came over and asked him what he wanted, and he looked at the list and saw that the coffee cost ten dollars a glass. He came here once two months ago, and it was six dollars. But I couldn't say anything, so I asked for a cup of coffee. This place is very quiet, and it is quite affectionate to sit and sit occasionally. After waiting for a long time, Li Mingxi came in. He wore a wide puffer jacket, which was a little funny.

The café serves fast food, which is a bit of a nondescript, but it's also a first. Business is better. They each asked for a quick snack and some drinks. While eating, Zhu Huaijing said, "It's nothing, I just want to ask you to make a painting for me." ”

Li Mingxi felt strange, his eyes were wide open, and he looked at Zhu Huaijing and said, "Aren't you nervous?" Don't you always say that my paintings stink, and I don't think there's ink in the paper I gave you to make? Hell today! ”

Zhu Huaijing was embarrassed and said, "Don't be careful." When I say that, I say that you are too crazy and deliberately suppress your edge. Are you going to take it seriously? To be honest, your paintings are not bad, it's just that you're not famous. You should know Picasso's jokes. The master's later painting style became more and more grotesque, almost to the point of incomprehension. According to his private disclosure in his later years, he himself did not understand how to draw such inexplicable things. It's just that his fame is too great, and no matter how he paints, he gets the applause of the world. The more people admired his weirdness, the more weird he became. This is actually kitsch in another sense. I don't know what the old man Picasso thought when he hid aside when people were scrambling to buy paintings and collect Picasso's paintings, and when those self-proclaimed art critics were touting his works, maybe he laughed secretly. ”

Li Mingxi just laughed when he heard it, and he didn't feel like a bosom friend. He's been laughing anyway. After a while, he said, "You don't know how to draw anyway." ”

Zhu Huaijing said: "So you only paint for people who know how to paint?" In this case, you can only starve to death as a painter. But it's only you who are not famous. Those guys, put pen to paper! Isn't Chinese painting about blank space? A large piece of white rice paper is left on the screen, which is also tens of thousands of yuan per square foot! ”

Li Mingxi suppressed his smile and only chewed the food creakingly. Zhu Huaijing said: "Don't be like me. I'm also in trouble! He told the reason, but he didn't mention the former Japanese prime minister's collection of Li Mingxi's paintings.

Li Mingxi raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Huaijing strangely, like looking at a stranger. Laughs again. It took a long time before he said, "You're going to shoot the horse and use my painting as a beat?" At first, I wanted to paint for you, but now I won't paint even if you kill me. ”

Zhu Huaijing was anxious and said, "What am I doing with his ass?" He's just the director, and I'm also the deputy director. If I want to pat the sycophant, I will also pat the secretary general and the mayor. It's just that we work together, and people bring it up, how can I refute other people's face? ”

Li Mingxi was a fool, and he didn't think about how Liu Zhongxia would know that there was a Li Mingxi in this world. Of course, Zhu Huaijing didn't talk about lying impromptu in the morning. He was only talking about the personnel relations of his unit, and of course he was covering it up. He said that there is sometimes a world of difference between the good and the vice of officialdom. Let's just say that the mayor, not only with the secretary, but also the guard, went out to open the way with a police car. When he reaches this position, he may be transferred to Beijing one day, and he will be the leader of the country. At least the minister or something. Although the rank remains the same, he is a Beijing official. But the deputy mayors, if you can't get it right, it's just like this for the rest of your life. If you cover the sky with one hand, you have no hope of getting ahead.

Liu Zhongxia is this kind of person, he doesn't let any of his subordinates have the opportunity to contact his superiors, as if he is afraid that someone will compete with him for favor. When you meet such a regular position, even if you have a full stomach, you are only fermenting in your stomach. He doesn't have the power to promote you, and he doesn't even give you small shoes, but he just doesn't give you a one-word evaluation in front of the leader, even a bad evaluation. Then you can only do a good job under the correct leadership of Director Liu. All the achievements are due to his good leadership. You can't be angry yet. You have no reason to be angry, others have not treated you well, if you can't hold your breath and go to the superior to complain, you are asking for trouble. Instead, the leader will think that you have a wrong character. Comrade Liu Zhongxia never said that you didn't say a word, and you came to sue others. So you have to endure and wait.

Zhu Huaijing has been dying like this for three years, and the mayor has changed two, and he has never spoken to the mayor. The mayor often sees it, but it's no different from what ordinary people see on TV every day. You can also see a close-up of the mayor's head on TV, and even the mayor's protruding nose hair can be seen clearly. And he usually meets the mayor in the hallway of the office building. The current mayor's surname is Xiang, a tall and thin old man. Mayor Xiang walked through the corridor, always followed by three or two tiptoeing people behind him. These people are all colleagues in the general office, and they are all acquaintances. But as soon as they followed behind Mayor Xiang, they all had strange faces, and their eyes all looked at the back of Mayor Xiang's head. It appears that there is a fluorescent screen on the back of the mayor's head, on which exciting is playing. The people in front of them hurriedly gave way, like encountering an operating cart in the aisle of a hospital's emergency room. When Zhu Huaijing encounters this situation, he can't help but shout "good to the mayor". Mayor Xiang probably didn't seem to hear it, and just walked forward with a blank face. Sometimes I smile and say yes. But even if you run into the mayor ten times a day, the mayor won't know who you are. But the mayor's occasional response smile impressed Zhu Huaijing. He sometimes eats with others outside, and people see him as the mayor, and they always ask the mayor with curiosity. At this time, he will think of Mayor Xiang's smile and say with emotion: "Mayor Xiang is very approachable. He knew in his heart that this was not so much about the mayor's good, but about saving face for himself. In today's world, I'm not afraid that you will brag about how good your relationship with the leader is, or even expose how you pat in front of the leader, or let people know that you have no backstage. What Zhu Huaijing lacks is the backstage!

Zhu Huaijing didn't speak for a while, only chewing the rice mechanically, not knowing what it tasted like. This is a quiet place, but the quietness of the two of them is a little boring. After eating, the two of them asked for another cup of coffee each.

"Mingxi," Zhu Huaijing's tone was a little heavy, "You are an outsider, so you can naturally be chic and careless." But you can't understand the taste of officialdom. No one can imagine the taste without being there. Everything is indescribably subtle. A hundred times more depressing than your creation. You can hide in small buildings to form a unity, regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter. It's just too hard for me to do. ”

Zhu Huaijing said a lot, infinitely emotional. He had never spoken so deeply about his situation. He knows that in this world, if you complain to others, you can't even get a little cheap sympathy except for being looked down upon. So now, no matter how anxious people are, they always slap their swollen faces and become fat, and their cowhides are noisy. Some people don't have fart skills, but they actually rely on bragging, and they become rich and expensive in the blink of an eye. If you're still laughing at this person today, you won't dare to laugh at others tomorrow. People are already really human.

When Zhu Huaijing spoke, Li Mingxi kept his head buried. The smile on his face grew more and more eerie. After Zhu Huaijing finished speaking and sighed, he said with a smile: "So you are really in pain?" I just thought you were bored! Well, I'll draw it. What is his interest, you say? I had no passion, so I had to engage in proposition composition. ”

Zhu Huaijing thought for a while and said, "That's not going to be able to say for a while." But people don't just speak a few official words like you think, and he's still a doctor of economics. ”

Li Mingxi immediately laughed when he heard this, and said, "Doctor of Economics? As far as I know, some people in officialdom today don't have a diploma that can be affordable. ”

"People have published a few books." Zhu Huaijing said, "His books will be an important asset for him to pass the test in the political circles." Zhu Huaijing said so, how could he not know that what Li Mingxi said was the truth, and there were too many leading cadres who spent money to buy master's and doctoral diplomas.

"There it is." Li Mingxi's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he covered his mouth and smiled.

Zhu Huaijing thought that he had been inspired, but when he saw that he looked like a prank, he said: "You can draw whatever you want, as long as it is not like Ji Xiaolan to humiliate He Shen, and make him scold others with something like 'bamboo buds and pine trees'." He is also a cultural person, and people understand your little cleverness! ”

said okay, the time was about the same, paid the bill and left. Zhu Huaijing went straight to the office. I wanted to go to Liu Zhongxia to talk about Suo Hua, but it is estimated that he may not have come to work at this time, so he will flip through the newspaper first. I saw a joke that a high-rise building in Tbilisi had been without power and water for more than a week, but someone posted a notice asking survivors of the winter to gather in front of the building on Monday morning and take pictures. Zhu Huaijing immediately imagined the Russian winter, cold and long. He shuddered. Russians are really humorous, they are about to freeze to death and have the heart to joke. I remember that there is a saying in the West that people can only laugh when they are most helpless. Zhu Huaijing thought to himself, if the heating is not repaired, I am afraid that I will have to take commemorative photos of the survivors after the winter. It's just that no one dares to make such a joke.

I wanted to call Liu Zhongxia, but I didn't think it was good, so I ran over to take a look. Still not seeing him come to work. It's half past three, and it's time to come. I'm afraid that I went to a meeting, and I should say hello when I go to a meeting. There is no communication between the principal and deputy positions, and it is not in line with the principles of the organization to talk about public affairs, and it is disrespectful to people to talk about selfishness. Zhu Huaijing was a little unhappy. On second thought, why think so much? Bother. It's also possible that people have something urgent to go out and don't have time to say hello.

He had nothing to do all afternoon, just pretending to look at the information. It was so cold and cold that I felt cold after sitting for a while, so I had to get up and walk around the offices. The comrades under him are two people in one office. When his colleagues saw him going, they hurriedly greeted Director Zhu, and subconsciously stroked the spread out documents with their hands, as if to tell him that they were reading the materials carefully. Seeing this, Zhu Huaijing knew that they were chatting in the open sky, but he deliberately pretended to be confused and said, "Are they all watching?" Time is getting tighter, so take a good look at the information. It's not just about looking, it's about thinking. Colleagues nodded yes. Of course, he understands that the most annoying thing for his subordinates is to sit stupidly and read information all day long, but he still pretends to be serious, emphasizing the importance of understanding the materials thoroughly. He seemed to be speaking very seriously, and his men seemed to be listening very seriously. It's really interesting, many things in officialdom, everyone knows that they are boring, but they all tacitly take it seriously. It seems that the superiors and subordinates rely on this tacit understanding to maintain a peaceful atmosphere.

finally got off work, and Zhu Huaijing returned home calmly. As soon as I entered, I rubbed my hands together. It's so cold that I can't stand it. He estimated that Liu Zhongxia should come back even if he went to a meeting at this time, so he was going to hang up the phone. He just picked up the phone and put it down again. It's better to tell him as if it's okay when you go to work tomorrow, otherwise it will be too stuttering. Xiangmei was busy in the kitchen and said, "You are so cold, you don't know how to turn on the electric heater?" Zhu Huaijing turned on the electric heater, and his body slowly warmed up. Kiki is not afraid of the cold and sits on the side watching TV. Cartoons are playing on TV.

I heard someone knocking on the door, and when I opened the door, I saw that it was Xiangmei's cousin Simao who was coming. Simao carried a nylon woven bag and stood at the door for a long time without knowing how to come in. Zhu Huaijing said you come into the house! Simao shined his shoes and asked if he wanted to take off his shoes? Zhu Huaijing said not to take it off, but took a pair of slippers for him.

"Call Uncle, Kiki." Zhu Huaijing said.

Kiki called her uncle, but she didn't raise her head, looking at the TV and not looking back. Xiangmei heard it, and came out with her hands spread out to greet her: "Simao is here?" Sit down, sit down. I'm cooking, and your brother-in-law will talk to you. ”

"From Wuxian today?" Zhu Huaijing asked.

"Yes. Early morning car. Simao replied.

"How is my aunt and uncle?" Zhu Huaijing asked again.

Simao replied: "My dad is in good health and is doing things." Mom is not in good health, and she is in bed for half of the year. ”

"How's the family income?" Zhu Huaijing asked.

"I can't find a lot of money all year round." Simao said.