meal

At the table, Ah Ni moved his chair to Zhou You's side and moved it again, until he was next to Zhou You, and then picked up the chopsticks. She stopped after taking a bite of the dish, and suddenly said to Zhou You thoughtlessly: "Uncle Xiao Zhou, our family has so many rooms, it's too wasteful for three people to live, when will you move to our house to live." It's boring to be an only child, I always wanted a little brother, and I want to be an older sister. Now I don't want a little brother, I want a big brother. Uncle Xiao Zhou, are you willing to be my big brother? That day by the river, when you first met me, you called me little sister, right? ”

"That'...... Absolutely. I only have big brothers and sisters, but I don't have sisters. Zhou You didn't want to disappoint Ah Ni. He thought that this girl really had a heart, and even the first time he used the title was used by her.

"Great, then I'll call you big brother in the future, I don't play with my parents anymore, just play with my big brother, let's draw together, the classmates in the art group must envy me......"

Zhou You looked at Ah Ni, he really liked Ah Ni's pure and bright girlish beauty. Ah Ni looks too much like Shui Hong, Ah Ni is Shui Hong's girlhood, and Shui Hong is Ah Ni's future world. He had the illusion that he was talking to Shui Hong. If Shui Hong is also like Ah Ni, and directly says the love word in her eyes with clear and clear words, he is the happiest person in the world.

Lao Wu saw that Zhou You was silent, so he said: "Xiao Zhou, I can really consider Ah Ni's opinion, Suzhou's economy is taking off, and the painter will definitely be useful, if you are transferred to Suzhou, everything here is ready-made." We're about to move back into my parents' big house, and we don't really know how to use it. If you live in Suzhou, you can teach Ah Ni to draw. Ah Ni needs your guidance, if you become her teacher, she will definitely grow up to become a promising female painter. As parents, we are most concerned about our daughter's future, Shui Hong, don't you say? ”

"Yes, then you need to say ......" Shui Hong agreed, and hurriedly turned her face to Ah Ni.

"Big brother, then don't go!" Ah Ni turned his face to Zhou You again.

Zhou You said with a smile: "I'm afraid I won't be able to do it this time, I still have a lot of things to do when I go back to Beijing." Let me go back and think again...... However, the art force in Suzhou is too weak, and there are few opportunities for communication, I think, Ah Ni is now in the second year of junior high school, and in another year or two, Ah Ni will be able to be admitted to the High School Attached to the Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Ah Ni, if you can be admitted to the High School Attached to the High School, I can be responsible for teaching you when you get to Beijing, and you will be sure to be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in the future......"

"That's a good idea." Lao Wu happily asked Ah Ni: "Do you want to go to Beijing?" ”

"Yes!" Ah Ni jumped up excitedly, "Actually, I wanted to be admitted to the high school attached to Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts for a long time, but now I have changed my mind, I am going to Beijing." Suzhou City is so big, there is not even a good gallery, if I go to Beijing, I can paint with my big brother every day! ”

Shui Hong said softly: "Then you really have to work hard, and the middle school attached to the Central Academy of Fine Arts is not so easy to get into." ”

"I have a big brother, I will definitely be able to get in!" Ah Ni shook her silky black hair vigorously.

After lunch, Ah Ni brought all her drawings for Zhou You to see. Among them are sketches, watercolors, and a few freelance creations. Zhou You said to Ah Ni that her sketching path is crooked, but her color feels good, her imagination is rich, and she is different. What Zhou You values most is the aura and personality of painting. Ah Ni paints a lot, and she really looks like a little painting fan. But it's a pity that her instructor is not of high level, and if she continues to guide her, it will be difficult for Ah Ni to be admitted to a school in Beijing.

Zhou You divides Ah Ni's paintings into three categories. In the first category, he suggested that she burn them all, which were all imitations copied from the past, and the copies were not the works of professional painters, but the general goods of third-rate painters. The second type is sketching, he gave her a piece of fault and explained the method, telling her that in the future, whether she chooses to major in painting or arts and crafts, sketching is the basic skill of a painter. Even the modernist master Picasso was no less capable of sketching and modeling in his early days than the realist painters in the current academic school. Practicing the basic skills is boring and progress is slow, but it is the only way to enter the art of painting, and you must learn how to observe things as a whole. Just like a child learning piano, you must play the etude repeatedly, some times even hundreds of times. Zhou You told Ah Ni that almost no good artists have a happy childhood and youth, and when he was as old as Ah Ni, the teacher asked him to sketch the plaster statue every day, and if he couldn't draw well, he had to repaint, and once he wanted to smash the plaster statue. The third category is Ah Ni's free creation of paintings, which is the main way to improve his interest in painting, cultivate his artistic sense and creative ability. We must keep the special feelings we see, feel, think, dream, and half-dream in the form of paintings, and paint things that others have not discovered or felt.

"A-Ni, don't lose your feelings and imagination." Zhou You told her again. "It's not difficult to learn to draw, but it's not easy to be a good painter. A-Ni, can you endure this suffering? ”

"Yes!" Ah Ni replied unequivocally.

"Alright, now you can practice sketching." Zhou You said, casually picked up a Tang Sancai horse from the cabinet and put it in front of Ah Ni. "You draw this first, and I'll teach you while watching you draw."

Ah Ni picked up the sketchpad and began to sketch the observation methods and procedures that were explained by the week. Zhou You copied the portrait he painted for Ah Ni yesterday by Ah Ni's side, looking at it while he was there, sometimes stopping his pen to tell her a few words and changing a few strokes. When Ah Ni began to paint light and dark, Zhou You moved behind her and told her how to use light and dark, virtual and real, black, white and gray to model. He corrected her old observation habit and told her to focus on the horse's nearest head, and then use the corner of her eye to figure out the middle, far point and edge of the horse. Tell her that with this method, she can draw the relationship between reality and light, and the relationship between light and shade in still life, and paint Malaysia concave and convex. The clever Ah Ni observed this method for a while, and immediately understood the mystery, and she cried out happily: "I know what is wrong with me, I used to draw all the parts the same solid and clear, and the things behind jumped to the front, so there is no three-dimensional sense." Big brother, you're such a good teacher. I've been studying painting for three years, but I don't know much about this afternoon. As he spoke, he kissed Zhou You on the cheek, and his little pencil-stained hand wiped several black marks on Zhou You's neck.

Lao Wu sat on the couch, looking at the close brother and sister, teachers and students, and felt very satisfied. He hopes that the friendship between Zhou You and Ah Ni can be maintained and developed for a long time. Ah Ni actually found a free teacher from the outside herself, it seems that she is really a lucky girl. When she was just over a year old, Shui Hong went to Shanghai to go to college, and for four years, he raised her with his own hands, and he really wanted to use the second half of his life to water this little seedling, until he cultivated her into a fruity tree.

Shouldn't we stay a few more days? Lao Wu was a little undecided. He wanted to ask Shui Hong when her portrait would be finished, and he had to ask someone to buy a train ticket back to Beijing for Zhou You in advance. Of course, this matter has to be decided by Rainbow. But he looked back and found that Shui Hong was not in the living room. He looked at the dining room and the study, and remembered that when Shui Hong had lunch just now, he looked a little uncertain, maybe he was not feeling well, and went upstairs to rest. Lao Wu didn't have the habit of taking a nap, so he walked up to Zhou You to watch him paint. Zhou You couldn't hide his excitement and said to Lao Wu that in the past two days, he felt that he was simply playing at a super level. Ah Ni interjected and said that she asked her eldest brother to keep the big painting and take the small one away so that he could hang it in his room so that he could see her every day. Lao Wu asked Zhou You how A-Ni was painting, and Zhou You said that he had made great progress in the afternoon, and it would be easy to do it if he was on the right path.

It was close to evening when Rainbow went downstairs. She said she had a bit of a headache and felt better after a while. Lao Wu said that he should go to the street to buy some food, and invite Zhou You to dinner in the evening. Shui Hong said that she didn't want to cook, so she asked Lao Wu to call Ah Xiu to make two famous dishes in Suzhou, "squirrel mandarin fish" and "yellow stewed eel", and then burn a plate of shredded tofu with shepherd's cabbage and meat, and a plate of fried broad beans, and send them to Zhou You to taste. At dinner, Lao Wu accompanied Zhou You to drink rice wine, a famous Jiangsu wine called "sealed jar wine", the degree is not high, Lao Wu personally went to heat it, and the wine taste is mellow and fragrant. Ah Ni shouted for a drink, and after a few sips, her face turned red. Shui Hong said that he was unwell and did not drink a drop of wine. Zhou You thought to himself, if you don't drink me, I'll get drunk and fall asleep, so as to save myself from insomnia. If you lose your words after drinking, you have to be sorry. He didn't look at the water rainbow, poured down from a large cup of glass, and saw that Lao Wu was dumbfounded, and said that it was the northerners who were bold and the amount of alcohol was excessive, and I compared it with Zhou You's booze, Suzhou men drank like Cantonese people drinking kung fu tea, ashamed and ashamed. Zhou You drank a bottle in one go, still his face did not change, Ah Ni clapped his hands and said that there would be another bottle and another bottle, so that his father and big brother could set a Guinness record, but Shui Hong held down the wine bottle and said softly, Zhou You is a real person, but he is afraid that the master will be disappointed, and no one needs to persuade him to drink. I'm worried that he's drunk too much and will paint me as an ugly person tomorrow, who will I settle accounts with? Lao Wu smiled and said yes, let Xiao Zhou rest early. Even if I sacrifice my life to accompany the gentleman, I can't bear it anymore. Everyone ate vegetables, praised Ah Xiu's father, Boss Li, for his good craftsmanship, and chatted for a while before dispersing.

After all, Zhou You's wine was too violent, and he didn't sleep well the night before, so he fell asleep on the bed and fell asleep after a while. There was no dream all night. He originally wanted to use the power of alcohol to maybe make a difference with "drunken madness", but Shui Hong saw through it at a glance and left his heart-filled thoughts in his dreams to say.

The next morning, Lao Wu went out to work on time, and Ah Ni also went to school happily.

When the sound of the impact of the iron door once again locked Zhou You and Shui Hong in this quiet small building, the heat in Zhou You's heart rekindled. He looked at Shui Hong intently in front of the drawing board, hoping that Shui Hong could say something to him, or that the white scarf around her neck would slip off like the day before, revealing the soft and delicate skin under her neck, as well as the mysterious and deep ** that extended to her chest.

But Shui Hong sat in front of the window, silent. Her gaze was neither cold nor hot, gentle and friendly, with a hint of elder love. The eyes were as still as water, as flat as a mirror, as if everything was over, and there was no need for explanation or expectation. Occasional flashes of light in the eyes were like shooting stars streaked across the dark sea, telling a riddle like black humor. Zhou You began to doubt how he felt yesterday, could it be that the error in his eyes was so big? Could it be that the men in the north really can't understand the eyes of the women in the south of the Yangtze River? There may not be a dictionary of eye language in the world that can be used, let alone literacy for those crazy men and women. Zhou You was stunned in his heart, he knew that Shui Hong had firmly closed the iron door in her heart. For most of the morning, Zhou You didn't see the two blush that made him tachycardia yesterday. He immersed himself in the painting, feeling as if he had completed the painting in a painful state close to falling out of love. The colors of his paintings and the emotions of his paintings all reveal the secrets of his heart. This painting is the longest and most difficult one he has painted in recent days, and the oil paint has been thickened layer by layer, soaked with the strong and mellow love in his heart. If hung in the rainbow's bedroom, every color would convey to her his deep longing. In the life of the rainbow, they will never fade. When the painting was coming to an end, he felt that he really didn't want to give it to Shui Hong, he wanted to take her away and let her accompany him every day, maybe one day, she would really come down from the painting.

It was almost noon, and Zhou You took the pen. Take a few steps back and admire the rainbow on the painting from afar.

Shui Hong let out a long sigh of relief, stood up and approached the picture with trepidation. She felt like she had survived a long century, and she was about to be reborn on this picture—

It was as if she had been hit hard by something. It was more like a hot kiss that made her heart tremble and her eyes blurred. Is that really her? Why is there a faint flush on the face? Why are there veins of love in the eyes? The lips were slightly open, as if to tell something; The eyebrows were raised slightly, as if they had promised something. The silent words on the picture are like a memo full of love words, so that she has no way to retract her confession and nowhere to escape. The magical brush had led her soul out of her body, binding her with color and line and remaining in the palm of his hand. Zhou Youzhen is an artistic monster, he only uses color to capture her, but she is in the clouds, fog, sea, and waves, and there is nowhere to hide. Shui Hong really didn't know whether she was standing at the gate of heaven or facing the boundary of the abyss at this moment, she really wanted to close her eyes, lie down on Zhou You's broad chest, and let him take her to the end of the sky and the end of the sea, even the end of the earth......

But she couldn't. Shui Hong was thrilled and opened her moist eyes. She felt that the strings of iron locks and things outside her body were too heavy. She still can't be like the women whose marriages are dead, desperate to give up. Last night, she had already released the flood peak that she had accumulated two days ago out of the flood gate. And this morning's renewed flood has just come down. She still has sane levees to intercept it, and she's not going to burst them, because she has no reason to burst them. Even if she will lose Zhou because of this, even if she will regret it because of this, she can only do this.

"You're so good at drawing...... Shui Hong said with a faint smile. than myself...... It is more energetic and richer in connotation. Really, I don't even know what to say, as if it's not me, but your ideal woman, and men often idealize women. But to be honest, I still like it. Thank you so much. It's just that you forgot to sign your name on the painting, which is the most important thing for me......"

Shui Hong said, carefully handing him a paintbrush. Saying softly that I should go get lunch, he turned and went into the kitchen. The kitchen door was slammed shut.

Zhou You stood in front of the painting in a daze, his mind blank.

He felt that from the first day he saw the river, the scene in front of him had been immersed in poignant tones. Although he finally meets Mei unexpectedly, he still can't get the love he wants. This is perhaps more miserable than not seeing a beautiful woman in the world. He knew that he could not take away the painting from others, and that the ownership of the painting was like herself, and that at the same time as it was created, it and her life belonged to him and not to anyone else. Zhou You could only take him away. He was too tired of painting and too tired of love, and it was really difficult for him to digest too many impressions and feelings in this small building in the past few days. He must return to Peking as soon as possible, and if he does not leave here quickly, he will get into trouble sooner or later. He felt like he couldn't help himself. Zhou You Zhou You, it seems that he can only resign himself to fate, and he can no longer live and paint freely and freely.

Zhou You found the camera with a look of concern, and took a few pictures of the whole part at close range and distance in front of the portrait of Shui Hong. was shooting, Lao Wu came back. Tell him that he has bought a sleeper ticket to Beijing the next day. Lao Wu explained with some apologies that the ticket was really difficult to get, and that it was a patient he had treated before who had managed to exchange it for him. So he had to get to know which day was the other day, but he and Shui Hong A-Ni actually wanted to keep him for a few more days.

From Lao Wu's apologetic expression, Zhou You realized that Lao Wu seemed to have noticed something. Zhou You can understand Lao Wu's worries and helplessness - this Zhou You was originally a Trojan horse that was used as a big toy by Ah Ni and pulled back to the castle. If he is not decisively invited out of the city gate, Lao Wu's beautiful Helen - Shui Hong may be snatched away by the "thieves" hiding in the Trojan horse. Zhou You took the ticket and thanked him repeatedly, saying that he should have hurried back as soon as possible, anyway, things have been almost done, and it is just right for him to leave tomorrow.

In the afternoon, Ah Ni came back from the art group, and as soon as he entered the door, he said, "I showed Mr. Lu the sketch I drew yesterday, and he still doesn't believe that I painted it." Later, I told him that he was taught me by my eldest brother, and he said that he would like to invite his eldest brother to give a lecture in our art group. ”

As soon as Ah Ni returned, the whole family was in a cheerful mood. Ah Ni ran to Zhou You's portrait of Rainbow to admire it carefully, and then put it on Rainbow's ear and said, "Mom, you are so good-looking, like a bride, blushing and ......"

"Don't talk nonsense," Shui Hong whispered to stop Ah Ni, "This is my mother wearing light makeup, and the portrait needs to have a little color, otherwise the face will look too pale, isn't it ......?"

"Hmm...... Yes......"

Lao Wu has been pondering in front of this portrait for a long time. Even Ah Ni noticed at a glance that her mother's demeanor was different from usual, how could he not see it? This painting is so beautiful, more beautiful than all the photos he has taken of Rainbow in the past ten years. He liked this painting very much, and Zhou You did not let go of the most expressive and perhaps the most secret soul charm of the painting object. In the past two days, he has faintly felt that Zhou You seems to have an indescribable admiration and attachment to Shui Hong. Lao Wu is not surprised by this at all. Among his friends, there are many people who have always had a crush on Shui Hong, and he has long been accustomed to friends openly expressing their affection for his beloved wife. But Rainbow has always been indifferent to these compliments and pursuits. The expression of Shui Hong on this picture is familiar to Lao Wu, and he often sees them when they are in love for the first time and passionately. However, in recent years, in their calm and stable married life, he has rarely seen Shui Hong's shy and joyful demeanor. For the first time, Lao Wu's self-confidence built up in more than ten years was shaken, and his heart was very chaotic. Could it be that the wandering heart of the rainbow on the painting is moving away from him...... Fortunately, he has bought a ticket for Zhou You, and he hopes that Zhou You will return to Beijing and return to the old group of girls. As for the rainbow...... He believes he knows how to make amends. The fortress is easy to break through from the inside, as long as he can recover the past relationship between husband and wife, as long as Shui Hong does not move, no matter how charming he is, he will not be able to open the door of the Wu family's small courtyard.

Lao Wu decided that he would treat Zhou You in a friendly and polite manner until Zhou You left Suzhou.

At this moment, Ah Ni is very proud of his success in showing off Zhou You's big brother to the teachers and classmates of the art group. She pestered Zhou You again and talked to him endlessly.

"Big brother, the dream I had last night was all colorful, and I also painted a beautiful painting, with you and me in it, and I sent it to Beijing to participate in the art exhibition!"

Zhou You asked in surprise: "Ah Ni, are you dreaming of colors in your dreams?" ”

"It's just dreaming of colors, red, green, blue, yellow, many, many colors, all shiny, beautiful......"

"It's not easy, Ah Ni, you will become a good painter in the future!"

"Why?"

Zhou You excitedly told Ah Ni: "Ordinary people's dreams are often colorless. Even fewer people can dream of painting with colors. When I was learning to paint, I was always confused about color, and I felt terrible. The teacher said that when you can see colors in your dreams, there is hope. Later, I tried my best to paint colors, going to the flower beds in spring, the forests in summer, and the fragrant mountains in autumn to sketch the most intense colors to strengthen my sense of color; Look at a lot of colored things every day to stimulate your own color response. After more than half a year like this, once I finally dreamed of colors, which were so beautiful, like clumps of colorful feathers, that I turned into a big sparkling rooster. Since then, I have often dreamed of painting with colors, and I have come to understand that colors come from human emotions. The teacher said that my portrait was a different person. ”

Lao Wu said: "Like me, don't look at the blood you see on the operating table every day, I have never dreamed of colors." ”

Shui Hong thought for a while and said: "I dream, it seems that sometimes I watch color movies, sometimes I watch black and white films. ”

Zhou You said again: "Ah Ni, if you dream of any color in the future, try to draw it and send it to me according to your memory after waking up, okay?" ”

"Okay."

Ah Ni rode onto Zhou You's knees again, and hooked his neck and dangled it. Zhou You felt a burst of girlish breath rushing to his face. His knees felt A'Ni's body heat, and there was too much enthusiasm flashing in her black grape-like eyes. Maybe the next time he comes to Suzhou, she will be a mature and charming woman. How he wished that it was Shui Hong who was snuggling up to him at this moment. He imagined it like this, and let Ah Ni entangle his intimacy.

Lao Wu said: "Ah Ni is a piece of chewing gum, sticking to you, you can't shake it off, in the past, she stuck to me every day, and now it's sticking to her big brother again......"

Ah Ni said happily: "When the eldest brother is gone, I will ask for my father again." ”

Shui Hong said on the side: "Xiao Zhou, you are leaving tomorrow, after you leave, how can we tutor Ah Ni to paint?" ”

"In addition to painting more, she has to look at more paintings. It's best to hang some good and famous paintings in her room, I'll send her some, and I'll send her some of my paintings. After a long time, the aesthetic eye and taste will be smoked out. Later, she set up her small room into a painting oven, full of paintings on all sides, and smoked and roasted Ah Ni into a small painting duck. ”

"That's great." Ah Ni was delighted. But as soon as she thought that Zhou You was leaving, her eyes immediately turned red, and tears flowed down her eyes.

Zhou You touched her hair and said, "Ah Ni, don't cry, my little sister, my big brother will often come to see you in the future." Come every year, okay? Every time I see you in the future, you will be a year older, or in a few years, you will grow into a big girl. I really thank you, without you, I would have come to Suzhou in vain, and I might still be running around. You gave me a beautiful little sister and made friends with your parents, which is very important for me to draw in the future......"

Rainbow got up and walked into the kitchen.

The more she cried, the more sad she became. She whimpered and said, "I'm going to Beijing with you, can you take me to Beijing?" ”

Lao Wu didn't expect that in just three days and four paintings, Ah Ni already had such deep feelings for Zhou You. He took Ah Ni off Zhou You's lap and said:

"Ah Ni, it's still early, and there is still a while before eating, didn't you just say that you dreamed of colors and a good painting? How about you go upstairs and draw it? Your big brother gave you such a good painting, you should also give your big brother a painting. Go for it, go draw it. ”

When Ah Ni heard this, she wiped her tears and nodded, and immediately jumped off the sofa and ran upstairs like the wind.

Lao Wu said to Zhou You that he bought a lot of live fish and shrimp when he got off work today, and wanted to set up a banquet for him, and now he wants to go to the kitchen and prepare dinner with Shui Hong, and Shui Hong can't be busy alone.

Zhou You began to pack up. In addition to the dirty clothes, the luggage consisted of painting supplies such as painting boxes and cameras. But although his bags were simple, the more he organized, the more chaotic he became, like his own messy mind, and he couldn't find anything. He stared blankly at the sketch of the water alley, looked at it for a while, and finally decided to give it to Shui Hong. He solemnly wrote his name in the lower right corner of the painting, and at that moment, he felt as if he had left his soul to Shui Hong. He stared at the two portraits of Shui Hong and Ah Ni again, what he couldn't take away was Shui Hong, and what he took away was Ah Ni. Then it was as if the rainbow had been split into two halves, he took half of the rainbow and stored the other half in this castle temporarily, and one day, he would merge the two rainbows into one.

At dinner, Ni had no interest in the table full of good dishes. She said that she was about to finish painting, so she hurriedly ate a few bites of food, touched half a drink with Zhou You, and ran upstairs to paint again.

Lao Wu enthusiastically introduced the dishes on the table for Zhou Youyi one by one. He said that the style of Su cuisine is light and simple, but the "process" of production is very particular, and the common people usually eat, even if it is a vegetarian dish, it is very exquisite, such as sesame soy sauce fragrant dried shreds mixed with maran head, stewed cauliflower soft-shelled turtle...... He said the names of more than a dozen dishes in one breath and took the trouble to explain the cooking process to him. Zhou You agreed absentmindedly, listening more and more confused. He excused himself to get on the bus tomorrow, and the wine was only symbolically a few sips. I knew that the delicacies on the table were all the craftsmanship of Shui Hong, but there was no taste in my mouth, and I didn't know what I ate.

The last thing Shui Hong served was a dish of lettuce soup, which was served in four small blue flower soup bowls. Lao Wu explained that this lettuce is produced in Taihu Lake, and is accompanied by bamboo shoots, mushrooms, chicken and ham, and its taste is refreshing, smooth and delicious. Zhou You stared at the fine porcelain soup bowl in front of him in a daze, holding the spoon, but he couldn't bear to move. It was like a pool of turquoise water, with water lilies floating and fish sipping lotus leaves and spitting out pearl-like bubbles. It is also like a beautiful picture of the south of the Yangtze River. Even if it's a soup, it's still bright. He finally scooped up a spoonful of blue waves and brought it to his mouth, only to see that the pieces of jasper-like lettuce were slightly curled, like miniature lotus leaves that only showed sharp corners in early summer, and the essence of the sky and the earth in the river and lake were hidden in the leaf core.

Zhou You picked up the soup bowl and poured all the lettuce soup into his stomach in one go. He didn't want to chew them up, lest he destroy the artwork of the goddess of Taihu. As the custard slid down his throat, he caressed a piece of silk fabric, wrapped around his body and mind, and took it for himself from then on.

Zhou You didn't know what to say to Lao Wu and Shui Hong, his throat was choked, and he couldn't spit out a word of thanks.

After about an hour, Ah Ni walked down the stairs. She didn't run down, but put her hands behind her, stood hesitantly at the top of the stairs, and quietly beckoned to Zhou You. Zhou You walked towards her, she handed the painting behind her to Zhou You, turned around and ran upstairs.

Without waiting for Zhou You to sit down, Lao Wu and Shui Hong had already leaned their heads over. Zhou You hurriedly opened the painting. It was a cardboard card folded in half, like an invitation, and a brilliant color rushed to the face, shaking people's eyes. The composition is very chic, as if it is divided into two paintings, one left and one right—the one on the left, showing a girl in a pink shirt and pants, standing on a small bridge and shouting. Two large flat-painted pieces of pink and emerald green, with a small river on a blue-black background in the background. The combination of two incongruous colors has a strong effect of modern art. The characters are drawn in a naïve and concise manner, and the lines are clear and definite, but the girl's expression seems to be very unhappy.

The one on the right is a man and a woman. The man was handsome and tall, dressed in a blue trench coat, and next to him was a girl in a big red gauze dress, one hand hooked around his neck, and one hand of the man was holding her waist. In the background is a flat-painted golden sun, surrounded by flowers blooming and all the colors jumping violently. The expressions of the two figures were joyful and happy, and the wreath on the woman's head was unusually dazzling.

The three of them did not speak for a moment.

After a while, Lao Wu frowned and said, "...... Don't...... Could it be that this is a love letter written in pictures? This kid ...... This kid is too precocious......"

Shui Hong said thoughtfully: "Don't forget, when she celebrated her thirteenth birthday, someone sent her flowers. There are also male classmates who have written poems for her......"

"That'...... Then she shouldn't ...... It shouldn't be so straightforward to express Zhou You. She was also a little too anxious......" Lao Wu glanced at Zhou You and looked very excited. "It's not surprising that she likes Xiao Zhou, in the end, maybe it's a good thing, but ...... But it's still too early......"

Zhou You listened and felt a little awkward, so he hurriedly interrupted Lao Wu and said: "Actually, judging from the picture alone, this painting is very good. You see, her painting language is very expressive - the clothes she painted for Little Ani are pink, while the big Ani wears a big red gauze skirt. She chose bright red, which shows that her feelings are strong. Generally speaking, girls who can dream of colors are mostly precocious and amorous. If you look at it again, the concept of this painting is also very distinctive, it is actually a series of paintings, and the time span is almost six or seven years apart. But as soon as you go from left to right, time naturally skips by. She knows how to use this method to express her wishes, which shows that Ah Ni is very artistic and imaginative. In addition, although she has not been exposed to many modern painting schools, she is self-taught about the language of modern painting, and her paintings are a bit like the style of the modernist master and Jewish painter Chagall, and the pictures are full of childlike fun, fantasy and lyricism. Chagall is one of my favorite modernist painters, not at all, but he draws on the strengths of each school......"

Lao Wu listened patiently to him finish the painting, and then asked Zhou You: "Then look, what should I do now?" ”

Zhou You replied dryly: "Let her continue to maintain this style and keep painting." ”

"I, I don't mean painting, I mean...... This kind of affection for her painting ......," Wu added.

Zhou Yu was speechless for a while. He habitually turned his face to look for Shui Hong, but Shui Hong quickly looked away. He noticed that Shui Hong's face had turned pale and his breathing was a little short. There was a faint phosphorus fire in his eyes, and it was extinguished in an instant. She sat down on the couch, picked up a cup of tea and drank it, and just took a sip when she choked on it for some reason and coughed loudly. Lao Wu walked over to give her a beating on the back, and she brushed Lao Wu's hand away. After sitting silently for a while, he whispered, "I want to ...... Ah Ni's feelings are actually very pure, but also quite delicate and fragile, Xiao Zhou, you have to be careful to love her, don't let her be too disappointed all of a sudden, she will not be able to stand it......"

Zhou You leaned on the windowsill, his two hands holding his back, and his whole body was cold.

After a while, Ah Ni finally came down from upstairs, walked up to Zhou You, and asked timidly:

"Big ...... Brother. Do you like the paintings I gave you? ”

"Hello...... Like. ”

"Will you take it back to Beijing?"

"Yes."

"Just hang in your room, looking at me every day?"

"Of course."

"That'...... Are you willing to wait for me to grow up? ”

"You're going to grow up and grow into a big Ni who's as beautiful as your mother." Zhou You nodded.

Ah Ni hugged Zhou You at once and kissed him on the face. The tender little lips were like suction cups, firmly sucking on Zhou You's face. Tears of joy flowed from her crystal eyes, and dew dropped, falling into Zhou You's palm. She cried and laughed at the same time, as if she had completely forgotten that there were her parents next to her.

Zhou You gently untied Ah Ni's arm, carried her to the sofa, stroked her hair and said, "Ah Ni, you are still too young, when you are a little older, you will understand many things." Come on, don't cry, the big brother is leaving tomorrow, let the big brother sing you a song! ”

Zhou You looked at Shui Hong in confusion and sang in a deep baritone:

I'm a wolf from the north,

Walk in the endless wilderness.

A terrible north wind blows,

The yellow sand swept by.

I can only clench my cold teeth,

A long howl or two.

Not for anything else,

Just for the legendary beautiful grassland......

The song is desolate and sad, like the whimper of a lone wolf on the cold snowfield in the north, floating across the distant Yangtze River and echoing above the vast Taihu Lake in the confusion of the moonlight. Shui Hong had no time to dodge, and her tears finally burst out of her eyes. In front of Zhou You, her husband and Ah Ni, she flowed down in a plop.

The next morning, Zhou You went out with his travel bag and a painting box on his back. He refused Lao Wu's family to take him to the station, and he didn't even let Lao Wu call a taxi for him. At the gate, Zhou You shook hands with Lao Wu and Shui Hong in turn, and laboriously untied Ah Ni's little hand on his arm, wiped away her tears, and then walked to the intersection alone to wait for the car.

The sky was as gloomy as it had been when he came, and the water alley was still smoky. The silent old houses and the trapezoidal stone pier on the bank of the stone barge river fluttered slightly in the light and shadow of the river. Zhou You didn't know if he would come again.