The Romance of a Young Painter

"When I saw you for the first time, I thought you were a mature and stable guy, but later I realized that it was not the case at all. Hey, there should be many people who were deceived by your appearance, right?" Fang Leye lazily fell on the bed in the living room. On the sofa, eating French fries while playing a mobile game.

"Yes, yes, I'm really sorry for lying to you." Zhou Nianjiu stuffed the empty snack bags piled up on the table into the trash can and asked, "Fang Leye, have you been playing with your phone all night? Writing a manuscript?"

"Alas, let's rest your brain properly." Fang Leye didn't even lift his head.

Zhou Nianjiu couldn't understand the fun of playing games with similar routines on such a small screen, but he noticed that Fang Leye's clothes had been worn for almost a week, so he couldn't stand it anymore and said, "You plan to stay with me until when?"

Fang Leye finally took his eyes away from the phone screen, and said in a resentful tone: "You don't mean to drive me away, I'm homeless now, dear, the cold spring has not passed yet , do you have the heart to let your best buddy in college live on the street?"

Zhou Nianjiu told the truth in one sentence: "It's obvious that you ran away from home, and you still said you were homeless. Tell me, how many times has this happened to you?"

Fang Leye blushed and said without panting: "People don't rebel against young people. A new writer like me has never left home once or twice. How can I have the nerve to do interviews in the future."

"According to what I know, your essays follow the path of silly and sweet little words, which has nothing to do with rebellion at all, and you have already reached the age where you can't be called a teenager even if you suffer from secondary illness, okay?" Zhou Nianjiu exposed it mercilessly. he.

Fang Leye held his heart and said: "Dear, when did you become so mean, and you actually learned this kind of internet language? Alas, the world is really declining, and people's hearts are not old. Time and time, your pig-killing knife, returned my innocence four years ago. Human Zhou Xiaonian!"

"Okay, don't act, you can stay as long as you want, but you have to change your clothes quickly, it's almost rotten." Zhou Nianjiu said helplessly. I don't know how a family like Fang's can raise such a freak.He is the only one of his college classmates who has been to Fang Leye's house. The place is in the military compound, and there are guards checking in and out. Not at home, according to Fang Leye, they are all from the military background, and their personalities are more rigid than each other.

"Decree!" Fang Leye jumped up and gave a military salute. If you don't look at that sloppy expression, it looks like that.

While Fang Leye was changing clothes, Zhou Nianjiu went to the kitchen. The years of living alone had taught him to cook some simple dishes. Naturally, breakfast for two was easy, including toast, milk, bacon fried eggs, and two large apple.These things were sent by Wen Juan yesterday. He spends most of his time in City S now, but he spends a few days every month in City B. First, he comes to direct the company’s work on the development of the first part, and second, he comes to have a look. My brother.

Zhou Nianjiu graduated from university last year. He likes the cultural atmosphere of City B very much. He plans to stay for a while before going back. Another reason is that he intends to find Zhou Sulan's old house back then. However, he has very few clues, except for knowing the place. Around West Hill, nothing else is known.

"Wow! Zhou Xiaonian, you are becoming more and more virtuous!" Fang Leye sat down at the dining table with a completely new look.

"Don't apply the words you use to describe the heroine of the novel to me." Zhou Nianjiu said.

"NONONO, Zhou Xiaonian, you are making a mistake. Times have changed. Now this word is used for the male lead or the second male lead. You must know that to grab a girl's heart, you have to grab her stomach first. Everyone shouted I'm fat again, girls who should lose weight all have a heart of foodie..." Fang Leye talked loudly while chewing toast.

"But you don't have a girl." Zhou Nianjiu pointed out the key point.

Fang Leye seemed to be caught by something and suddenly lost his voice. After a while, he said bitterly: "It's not because of you! Yingyingqianqian Xiao Enxi, I am not from the same country as this Zhou, I am really not gay! "

Zhou Nianjiu said: "It's as if I am the same. Also, I know that Yingying Qianqian is a former class flower. What the hell is that little Enxi?"

Fang Leye looked him up and down defensively, and said, "Don't ask me any more, with you as a handsome man, why are you chasing after me?"

Zhou Nianjiu ignored his convulsions and was eating breakfast slowly, when the mobile phone placed beside him suddenly vibrated.

"It's either Papa Wen or Brother Wen." Fang Leye said in a spirited manner.

Zhou Nianjiu opened it and couldn't help but let out an "ah".

Fang Leye had never seen him like this before, so he couldn't help looking over curiously, only to see four short words on it: I'm back.

The sender has only saved one Shenzi.

"Who is this?" Curiosity killed the cat said Fang Leye.

"An old friend." Zhou Nianjiu didn't know that there was a rare smile on his face.

This smile was caught by Fang Leye, his radar was raised high, and he asked, "Male or female?"

"Male." Zhou Nianjiu bowed his head and replied to the message.

Fang Leye continued to gossip: "Look at your face full of enthusiasm, and you still say you are not gay, that's all right, my buddies will take you out in the future, and mark you when introducing: gender male, hobby male, don't delay those who are not gay You look confused girl."

Zhou Nianjiu pushed him away and said, "Stop making trouble, he can be regarded as half of my teacher, don't think about those messy things."

Although Fang Leye moved his buttocks away, he still spoke unforgivingly: "Yo yo yo, ban Jia Fulun, I didn't expect you to be such Zhou Xiaonian."

Zhou Nianjiu rolled his eyes at him, four years of friendship let him know a truth: If you are serious with Fang Leye, you will lose.

After breakfast, Fang Leye went to catch up on sleep. Zhou Nianjiu went to find him according to the address on Shen Guangji's message. The place was near the east gate of Wanyuan Ruins Park, not too far from Zhou Nianjiu's residence. Go straight through.It was early spring, and the Wanyuan Ruins Park in the early morning was full of depression that had not yet recovered, and it looked extraordinarily cold, but Zhou Nianjiu didn't feel the chill at all. He walked forward quickly, feeling the wind under his feet.But after leaving the east gate and walking north for a while, Zhou Nianjiu was a little dazed, because the surroundings were surrounded by similar small courtyards, some with house numbers and some without.

Zhou Nianjiu was hesitating whether to call or not, when he saw a young girl in a white down jacket coming out of a house.The girl didn't notice him, she raised her head and walked around under the magnolia tree at the door, then rolled up her sleeves and climbed up the tree.

This scene made Zhou Nianjiu put down the phone involuntarily.

The girl came down soon, with a flower in her mouth, and the white magnolia set off her beautiful face, with raised eyebrows and eyes.

She is Meng Meng, Zhou Nianjiu thought to himself, some vague images flashed in his mind, and he couldn't recover for a while.

Meng Meng saw him, she took off the flower branch in her mouth, and knocked him on the head with a smile: "Where did you come from?"

Zhou Nianjiu let out an "ah" and didn't know where to put his hands.

Meng Meng laughed even more happily, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Zhou Nianjiu's tongue was a little knotted, and he couldn't help saying: "Well, Shen Guangji, does Mr. Shen live here?"

Meng Meng sized him up and said, "He's here today, come in."

Zhou Nianjiu followed Meng Meng into the door, and saw her slender figure flying into the courtyard like a butterfly.

Shen Guangji is doing Tai Chi in the atrium. He looks thinner than four years ago, but he is very energetic. He can do a set of Tai Chi smoothly, and the ultramarine cotton jacket flutters with his movements, making his figure as loose as a crane.

Zhou Nianjiu found that whether it was him or Meng Meng, both of them had a special temperament, which made people forget the commonplace.He couldn't help but glanced at Meng Meng again, she just took him into the yard and then went about her own business, without the consciousness of being the master.

Shen Guangji saw him very quickly, he immediately withdrew his fists and led him into the back room.

"I thought you would arrive later." Shen Guangji brewed a pot of Jin Junmei. Although he is a native of City B, he doesn't like Jasmine and only prefers Lingnan tea.

"I live nearby, and it's just a short walk away." Zhou Nianjiu took a sip. He usually drank plain water and couldn't taste the quality of the tea. He only felt that the tea soup was sweet and soft, with a strong fragrance, so he asked, "This one is pretty good. What kind of tea are you drinking?"

Shen Guangji told him the name of the tea, and wrapped a little for him to take back to drink.

Zhou Nianjiu was not polite to him either.

Shen Guangji said: "Last year I saw your paintings at an art exhibition in England, it was very good."

Zhou Nianjiu knew which one he was talking about. That one was one of his many paintings of clear snow in the West Mountain. It was selected as a finalist for the Turner Prize, but it didn't win in the end.

"Seeing the snow scene a few more times, I should be able to draw better." Zhou Nianjiu said.

Shen Guangji knew that Zhou Nianjiu paid more attention to his own growth than winning the award, so he didn't tell him that the Turner Award paid more attention to innovation. If his work had already won the award if he participated in other competitions, he encouraged him and said: "Then continue watching. , until the landscape is seen through."

Zhou Nianjiu nodded and said, "I will. By the way, you said you would bring back the scenery outside for me to see."

Shen Guangji smiled and said: "I remember it, but don't worry about it for a while, those paintings are put in other places, and I will bring them over next time, why don't you first talk about what you have done in the past few years."

The two were talking about each other's experiences in the past few years, and they were chatting, when they suddenly heard a tinkling sound in the yard.

Shen Guangji changed the subject and asked, "There are quite a few talented women in the Chinese Department, do you have a girlfriend?"

Thinking of Fang Leye's words, Zhou Nianjiu shook his head with a wry smile.

Shen Guangji smiled, and asked again: "What about the boyfriend?"

Zhou Nianjiu was taken aback and quickly denied it.

Shen Guangji said: "Do you need me to introduce one to you?"

Zhou Nianjiu sat up straight and quickly refused, "Stop joking."

Shen Guangji didn't seem to notice his nervousness, he pointed to the door and said: "The one just now is my niece Meng Meng, who is about the same age as you, and she is not bad, but she is used to it from Xiaoye, are you interested in taking care of our house? "

Zhou Nianjiu shook his head repeatedly.

"Shen Guangji, what are you talking about?" Meng Meng's voice came from the yard, "What care are you about my affairs, besides, it's not that this girl can't get married, she needs to rush to sell it to this silly boy ?"

Shen Guangji said: "It's becoming more and more unruly, and it's said to be called uncle, and also, to be polite to guests."

Meng Meng made a grimace at the door: "I see, uncle."

The image of the girl overlapped with the image of the smiling girl in the dream, and Zhou Nianjiu couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth.

Meng Meng took back the steps that were about to go out, and she walked in front of Zhou Nianjiu, her beautiful face brimming with youthful confidence and pride: "Let me introduce formally, my name is Meng Meng, the Meng of Kong Meng Yan Zeng, the dream of Zhuang Zhou's Mengdie. How about you? "

It's really you, Meng Meng in the dream.

Zhou Nianjiu stood up and formally introduced herself to her: "My name is Zhou Nianjiu, the Zhou of Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly, I say what a gentleman would like to say, and I will reciprocate with Qiong Jiu's Jiu. Miss Meng, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Meng Meng generously pulled Zhou Nianjiu into the yard: "Zhou Nianjiu, come and help me choose which vase goes with that magnolia."

The celadon and white porcelain enamel wares were placed in a row in the courtyard. The snap of fingers just now might be the sound of Meng Meng moving these things. Zhou Nianjiu has been to the Forbidden City several times, and he found that some of these utensils look better than those in the treasure hall. He didn't care about Meng Meng who was waiting for his reply, so he looked at each of them carefully, and finally pointed to a pastel lantern bottle and said, "Try this."

Meng Meng inserted the flowers into the vase as if she had expected it, and smiled at Zhou Nianjiu, "I also think this is the best, Zhou Nianjiu, you have a good eye."

Her smile is clean and bright.

Zhou Nianjiu thought to herself: So there really are people in this world who don't know what sorrow is. She is Meng Meng, a dreamlike Meng Meng.

Shen Guangji in the room looked at the two young people in the yard calmly, and lowered his head to take a sip of the cold tea soup.