At night, the boy would hold me like a bully, his legs and feet pressed against me, and he would sleep and breathe lightly. Although I was still afraid of him, my guard was also relieved little by little, because compared to the previous year, life was heaven at this time. There are no days and nights of training, no cold-faced and intimidating commanders, and no amazing punishments after physical competitions.

But on this day, I saw my master's eldest son enter the door with a solemn face, and he glanced at me for the first time. Then he glanced at the boy, he thought for a moment, and said to me, "Little bamboo pole, you go into the house." ”

"Little Bamboo Pole" was another name he gave me, because he hated my codename, A. In addition, he forcibly ordered me to call him Brother Cheng. I obediently walked back to the house and closed the door. After a while, the boy pushed the door in, it was impossible to see one or two from his expression, he approached me, took my hand and squeezed it in his palm, and said in a low voice: "Little bamboo pole, the temporary separation is to pick you up after one day when you are strong, and wait for me to come back." ”

I didn't understand what he meant, but when I saw the chief shortly after, I had an epiphany.

The chief looked me up and down with his indifferent and cold eyes as always, and then nodded at the old man and said, "Say hello to Old Chu on behalf of my leader, and I will take the people first." The old man bowed his head.

Over the course of a year, from the age of four to five, I learned to be obedient, especially to my superiors. So I followed without any whispers, but I couldn't help but look back when I walked more than ten meters away, I wanted to see what the boy's expression was. But he was stunned when he touched that face, and he stood in an inconspicuous corner behind the old man and his sons, looking harmless, and even a little cringe. But the moment he touched my gaze, his whole person changed, his eyes were shining, and his face was mature and calm that did not belong to his age.

In the afterglow, the chief paused, and the boy's face suddenly changed back to its original appearance, as if what I had just looked back at was just an illusion.

The return trip was still on the boat, and since I got on the boat, the commander has looked at me with thoughtful eyes, but he did not ask about the experience of nearly a month. He didn't ask, so naturally I wouldn't take the initiative to say it, I sat there in a daze, and the boy's face kept flashing in my mind.

Life is not static, and since this return, the chief is still strict and majestic, but the physical requirements for me are not as harsh as they used to be. On this day, a woman came, and the chief introduced her as a painter and taught me to paint from today.

I don't know why, but I don't need to say anything, just obey. Later, I remembered that this woman was also standing in the crowd during the competition that day, and she should also be the instructor on the island. Relatively speaking, she is not as strict as her superiors, and it may be that I have a talent for painting, and basically she can complete the tasks she assigns. By the second month, the course was no longer just about drawing, but about giving me two almost identical drawings or photos to find out the differences.

None of this seems to bother me, because I can capture the details of a painting at a glance, and it's easy to see the difference when I look at the same paintings. And after the instructor found out about my ability, he had a time requirement. These trainings don't bother me, it's the night that bothers me. As soon as you close your eyes, all the paintings you have seen during the day will be presented in your mind one by one, and not only that, but also some unfamiliar images will be derived, the pictures are very chaotic, and all kinds of different faces are shaking.

After many days on end, my spirits became sluggish and I was caught dozing off by the instructor several times during training. Naturally, this matter could not escape the ears of the chief, and I was called under the tree, and there was no angry reprimand with my head and face, but just staring at me with cold eyes. It took ten minutes for me to feel my scalp tingle before I heard him say in a deep voice: "Once every six months, if you don't have the skills you can get, do you want to be punished again?" ”

I froze, looking up at him silently.

The chief sneered: "Do you deserve the second punishment or go to the wolf cage?" A, the rules on this island are always survival of the fittest, even if you have a talent in something, but if there is no follow-up, then you can only accept to be eliminated. ”

So in the past few months, he asked the instructor to teach me to draw and identify the details of the pattern, because he wanted me to be good in other aspects? My heart fluttered slightly, and I felt a little unconvinced. At this time, the female instructor explained: "In the first year, you were a newcomer, so I gave you enough time to train, but you failed. If it weren't for the fact that you could come out of the wolves alive and make the leader a little impressed, you might have been taken away by Chu Lao to fend for yourself. ”

Hearing this, I was inevitably moved, hesitated and said uncertainly: "I don't mean it, I don't know why I can't sleep all night, the paintings I have seen during the day will interfere with me, and there will be some messy pictures." ”

The commander and the instructor looked at each other, and the instructor asked, "What picture?" Illustrate. ”

I can't describe it, because it's too messy, but both pairs of eyes are staring at me, and I can only recall from memory: "I saw an old man with gray hair, walking back and forth, sometimes making a stroke on the drawing board; There is also the back of a young woman, who sits in front of the window with an easel next to her......"

"What shape of an easel? What color is the curtain? ”

I pondered my mind and replied, "The triangular shape of the easel, the curtains are...... No, there are no curtains. ”

There was a gasping sound overhead, and the instructor said in a lost voice: "How is it possible? The chief's eyes sharpened, and he asked, "What's wrong?" Instructor: "Brother Ting, you may not know, in order to make the paintings more intuitive, the paintings I took out to make teaching materials were all made by my father a few years ago, and I copied them in recent years, and there are slight differences, unless I am myself, not only can I find out this detail, but she can even imagine the habits of my father and me when painting, as well as the details of the scene, I don't know...... Is this considered talent? ”

"It's not a figment of the imagination." I say. Attracting the attention of the two again, he muttered and said his thoughts after thinking about it in every way: "The reason why there is the first scene is because some of the brushstrokes are incomplete, many of them are intermittent, and its power is converging freely, so that the fused picture does not produce a sense of disobedience, but has a kind of alternative beauty." The second scene is because it looks like the same painting, but there are some delicate brushstrokes that belong to a young woman; The outline of the paper shows the impression of the triangular easel behind it. ”

"And what about curtains? Why are there no curtains? The instructor asked.

"Because women put delicate thoughts into their paintings, they naturally don't pay attention to the external senses." After saying that, I felt speechless, and such a unique analysis from the mouth of a five-year-old child would be unbelievable. But I'm not sure if it's because I'm dominating the words in the paintings, or if it's just my own subjective feelings.

All I knew was that the instructor's eyes turned into astonishment when he looked at me, and even the commander was thoughtful. That lecture ended in silence, but the instructor didn't show up the next day, but the commander threw me a picture. The photo is an indoor scene, the tables and chairs are a little messy, the vase on the table is also upside down, and the chief said coldly: "Give you half a day to look at this photo, and in the afternoon I will listen to you describe the scene derived from the photo." ”

For the first time, in the early morning, the chief gave me a quiet space to be alone. With my adult thinking and cultivation, and I have learned to draw pictures myself, this photo is really not difficult for me at all. But I can't rely on this method to generalize, close my eyes and go back to the roots, and let the images in my head wander. This noon, I was rewarded with a piece of beef because I analyzed the photo in the most logical way possible beyond the photo.

The chief looked at me with a rare surprise in his eyes.

So far, I have done my homework every day, and I have added this ...... "looking at pictures and talking". The photographs have also changed from a single environment to various murder scenes, and if I make a mistake, the chief will correct it and analyze the case for me. By the time I tested the competition again, I was still ranked last in terms of physical fitness, but at the suggestion of my commander, I was able to perform this skill of "looking at pictures and talking" in front of the leader and the others, and finally the group of people turned from their original contemptuous gaze to amazement.

The leader left the chief alone, and the painter instructor looked very happy on the way back to lead me: "A, this time you are very sorry for Brother Ting, half a year ago, when Brother Ting proposed to go to Chu Lao to pick you up, the leader was still opposed. It was Brother Ting who insisted and promised that he would let you do something within half a year, and the leader relented. I was slightly moved, and I turned my head in disbelief, was she talking about the commander who didn't smile like a cold machine?

She was immersed in her own thoughts, and she didn't notice my surprised gaze, and said comfortably: "It's the first time I've seen Brother Ting care so much about his apprentice, just like that kid, he should be the strongest one on the island." On that day, you were put in a wolf cage, and the leader sent the child to Brother Ting, but when he turned around, he left the person to his assistant for training, and occasionally went for a random inspection. Where will it be like for you, and patiently explain the details of those cases to you. ”

I can see that my instructor seems to be interested in the chief, and when he talks to me about this, his face is peachy, and there is envy in his tone. After that day, I also observed the subordinate commander in particular, and finally came to the conclusion that the instructor was thinking too much.

The sun and the moon change, and I waste time in painting. I can't find a reason, why this painting is like never waking up again, staying in childhood, but time seems to be compressed, and the dazzling eyes have grown from five years old to ten years old, and I have learned to be sad at a young age.

The big tree in front of the door was withering for some reason, and the chief ordered it to be moved twenty meters to the left to the sun. So I left a large open space there, but I was still used to sitting under the same tree, looking up at the sky in the distance. Nobody knows, and I've been hoping that a promise I once made would be fulfilled.

The one who made the promise was...... The boy. I have never forgotten him, and I will keep in mind his words before parting: The temporary separation is to pick you up one day when you are strong, and wait for me to come back.

This sentence is like an imprint engraved in my heart, which cannot be erased, and will be turned out from time to time, so I always look forward to him appearing in front of me the next moment. There was a movement behind me, I turned my head tactfully, for a moment, the past and the present overlapped, I watched the chief stride over, asked in a cold voice, I hesitated to answer, and slapped me to the ground.

Finally, the shadow has reached this place, and it has finally touched the outline of reality.

I have a vague premonition that it's almost over, whether it's a dream or a painting, it's almost over. As if to confirm this premonition, the shadows are heavy, two years of rapid flight in, I roundabout between the mountains and forests, to the place where the trees are gradually thinning, a long figure in black clothes seems to be standing in that clearing, subconsciously approaching to see clearly, but only one step, the man turned his head and scolded viciously: "Get out!" "The visual impact hit my brain like a laser, and I froze in place like petrified, because the boy who looked back had blood-red eyes.

There have been countless nights when my mind was full of such a pair of red eyes that slowed my nerves in the dark, so much so that I longed for it. The greedy gaze lingered on that face, it was him, it was really him, even if the contours changed and the facial features were deep, but I would not admit that I was mistaken, after seven years, he finally came to me.

But why is that gaze ...... Apart from the ferocity, I can't find a hint of familiarity? Nervously approached, he asked softly, "Who are you?" He tilted his head to look at it, his eyes were as sharp as a knife, his bloody eyes were full of demonic energy, and his expression was three points provocative and seven points ill-intentioned, but he still looked at strangers with a look.

I tentatively spoke again: "Outsiders are not allowed in this place, so you should leave quickly." "To tell you the truth, I have seen a fishing boat unintentionally docked, and the fishermen were detained in an instant, and it is not my concern what the outcome will be. But my eyes were fixed on his face, trying to find the slightest hint of suspicion or even hesitation, but I was disappointed.

He sneered almost arrogantly and empty-eyed: "What the hell is there such a broken rule, Lao Tzu wants to come, what's the matter?" ”

I lowered my eyes and recognized the facts: this person I have been studying for seven years does not remember me. Even at this moment, I didn't know what kind of emotion this loss should attribute, and I felt sad at that moment. Instead, anger swelled up, and he coldly dropped the warning and wanted to leave, but he didn't want to be attacked from behind.

Instinctively counterattacked, only to react when I made a move, I still had a dagger in my hand, and when I saw that he was unrelenting, I was also angry, and I didn't say a word and planned to fight him. Over the years, even though my physical fitness is not among the best, the chief said that I should make up for my weaknesses with my strength, and if my strength is not enough, I will be fast, fast and accurate! It is the key to defeating the enemy.

When I pulled his clothes open with a horizontal knife, I couldn't help but secretly rejoice, but the next second he grabbed the white blade empty-handed, regardless of the hand injury. I was so shocked that it was too late to let go, and I was punched in the stomach by him. This punch almost killed me, it hurt so much that my eyes were full of stars, my stomach was like churning, I looked at the tall silhouette for me in a blur of vision, and scolded in my heart: Bastard, you didn't fight me seriously before!

He took the dagger and compared it to my face, and his attitude was contemptuous: "Little girl, don't be with me, you don't know where you are when Lao Tzu is crossing?" I stared at the angular face, wondering if I had recognized the wrong person, and gritted my teeth and asked him his name, but I listened to him word by word: "Chu Gaocheng, Chu of Chu State, high mountains and flowing waters, and the city of the Eternal City." If you want to call me back, come to Chucheng, I'll wait for you. "He struck the soft behind my ear with the hilt of his knife without mercy, and in the moment of my drowsiness, I felt like I was falling into an ice cellar.

Even if I never asked him for his name back then, just by the words Chu and Cheng, I was sure that it was him. <