embrace the moon

The wind on the bank of the Qinghe River was fresh and cool, and it blew freely and carelessly on the body, but it was a little cold, and a layer of goose bumps blew up.

"Look at that." Gu Yu raised his finger and pointed to a person who was drawing in front of him, "That person is sketching."

Jian Qiao stood still and looked carefully from afar.A young man who looked to be in his twenties was sitting by the river, coloring with a paintbrush, silent on the deserted river bank.

He walked a little to the side, glanced at the man's drawing board, and nodded: "It looks like the color is pretty good."

"There are many people who know him, but very few people know him personally," Gu Yu said, "That is the benchmark of young domestic painters."

Jian Qiao was a little puzzled: "What?"

"Old Chen, you don't know, do you?" Gu Yu asked.

...Old Chen?

The Bai Yueguang who is extremely lonely in his heart, the idol he pursues in his heart is not inferior to Monet's.

"How is it possible?" Jian Qiao glanced at the man's drawing board again, "Old Chen mainly paints oil paintings, but this...should be watercolor?"

"He knows everything," Gu Yu said. "He and grandpa are friends who have forgotten the year. We get together occasionally and talk about things I don't understand. I won't admit it. I don't know much about him, but I know he is very special." Great, if you want to catch up with him, you have a long way to go."

Jian Qiao frowned: "I don't want to catch up with him, no one can catch up with him."

Lao Chen has never disclosed his appearance, and he hardly expresses his comments or comments. Even his real name is rarely known. He is an artist who only supports the sky with his works.

"Do you want to know his name?" Gu Yu asked.

"If I found out, I would be prying into his private life." Jian Qiao said.

"I don't dare to talk nonsense about others, but you can." Gu Yu said very naturally and smoothly, as if it was a matter of course.

Jian Qiao looked at him and was stunned: "...Huh?"

"Because the younger generation of oil painters now, the only thing he can see is the bright moon," Gu Yu thought for a while and said, "But if you paint Chinese paintings now, you may still be ranked behind Xu Manyi in his heart—yes No, Xu Manyi is his only student."

"Xu Manyi is actually his student? No wonder the technique is so similar," Jian Qiao turned his head, staring at the figure motionless, still in disbelief, "Is he really Lao Chen?"

"Really. Let's go over and say hello to him." Gu Yu said.

Jian Qiao immediately took two steps back, looking as if Lao Chen was going to eat people, and said nervously: "No!"

"I told him that you are Mingyue. He must be very happy. He has wanted to see you for a long time." Gu Yu continued to persuade him.

Jian Qiao still frowned, and said uncomfortably, "No, no."

Gu Yu couldn't stand it anymore, and grabbed him: "Let's go!"

"No!" Jian Qiao pulled him in the opposite direction, "Can't...can't disturb him!"

"Don't be afraid," Gu Yu continued to tug at him, "I'll be with you."

Jian Qiao struggled to break free, feeling like she was about to cry: "It's really not possible..."

Seeing that he was so persistent, Gu Yu had no choice but to give up and let go of him, but Jian Qiao was still exerting force on the other side, and his hand was released all of a sudden, he couldn't stand still, took a step back, and fell to the ground with his ass .

Gu Yu hurried over to pull him up. When the two of them were standing up, Lao Chen heard the movement and turned his head to take a look. After just one look, he turned back and continued to draw his own work.

Gu Yu hurriedly apologized: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Jian Qiao patted the ashes on his butt, looked at Lao Chen's profile, and said worriedly: "He saw us."

"...Huh?" Gu Yu turned around and took a look. Old Chen was lowering his head to adjust the color, looking very focused, "No."

"I see!" Jian Qiao said in a panic.

"No," Gu Yu still insisted on what he saw with his own eyes, and suddenly felt something was wrong, "Why are you so nervous?"

"You have asked me this question several times, is it interesting?" Jian Qiao asked him back.

"You like Lao Chen?" Gu Yu asked tentatively.

Jian Qiao pursed his lips and said nothing.

"Do you like him?" Gu Yu asked again.

Jian Qiao finally couldn't take it anymore, and broke down: "Yeah, I like it very much. If your idol sees you in such a mess, can you bear it?"

"Aren't you pretty?" Gu Yu looked him up and down, "You looked even better before you wrestled."

Jian Qiao sighed: "I'm not ready! What should I say when I see him, what will he say, how should I answer, should I be serious or easy-going, I don't know. If I think ahead If you think about it..."

He stopped talking halfway, sighed again, didn't bother to explain further, and asked, "Do you understand?"

Gu Yu shook his head sincerely: "I don't understand. You are usually pretty good, and you are a bit like him, so you don't need to prepare."

"Anyway, I just don't see him now!" Jian Qiao said angrily in a low voice.

"Okay, see you there." Gu Yu patted his back to help him calm down, "Don't be angry, it's all my fault."

"I'm not angry, and I don't blame you," Jian Qiao explained, "I'm just nervous."

"Understood." Gu Yu patted his shoulder, "See you."

The two were talking, when a thin and tall figure walked over, with calm brows and eyes, the tip of the nose and the corners of the mouth were cold just right.

Old Chen Cong put down the box, took out a painting from the drawing board, and handed it to Gu Yu: "Here it is for you, long time no see."

"Huai Ling... Uncle?" Gu Yu withdrew his hand from Jian Qiao's shoulder, was stunned, and stretched out his hand to take the painting in a daze. It was true that they hadn't seen each other for a long time, so long that he almost didn't know that he should leave him What is it called? He looked at the drawing paper in his hand, a little suspicious, "Give it to me?"

Lao Chen pointed to Jianqiao next to him, and smiled faintly: "You can give it to him."

Jian Qiao stared straight at him, froze in place, without saying a word.

Lao Chen carried the drawing board on his back, picked up the box, and prepared to leave.Gu Yu grabbed him and said in a hurry, "Don't go yet! That..."

He was also a little nervous all of a sudden, for some reason, his tongue couldn't be straightened out.Gu Yu pointed to Jian Qiao: "This is the bright moon."

"Hello." Jian Qiao said quickly, not knowing what he was doing in his head.

"Hello," Lao Chen looked at the two children in front of him and couldn't help laughing, "Am I cannibalistic?"

"He... saw you nervous, and I saw him nervous and I was also nervous," Gu Yu explained, "What...you finished painting? Are you going back?"

Old Chen nodded.

"Then..." Gu Yu thought for a while, "Uncle Huai Ling, goodbye."

Lao Chen didn't answer, nor did he move.The two children in front of him remained motionless, looking at him obediently.The three of them stalemate for a while, the scene is not awkward, but a little subtle.

"How old are you?" Lao Chen looked at Jian Qiao and asked.

"19 years old." Jian Qiao replied.

"It's so small," Old Chen said, "Want to come to my house?"

"...Ah?" Jian Qiao responded in a daze.

Old Chen smiled: "I am very interested in you and Shu Mu."

For some reason, they followed Old Chen in a daze, walking along the street.An hour ago, Lao Chen was still Jianqiao's unattainable idol. An hour later, he saw a real person and went to his house?

Gu Yu hugged Lao Chen's painting kit, Jian Qiao walked beside him, leaned closer and whispered: "I feel like I'm dreaming."

"If I hadn't held this, I would have pinched your little arm until it was blue, purple, red, and swollen to show the truth now." Gu Yu said.

Jian Qiao was too lazy to talk to him, and asked, "What did you call him before?"

"Uncle Huailing," Gu Yu replied, "his name is Chen Huailing."

"Why is he called Uncle? He is still very young." Jian Qiao felt aggrieved for his idol.

"It's not a question of age, it's a question of seniority. He is the junior of grandpa, and my elder, of course he is called uncle." Gu Yu said.

"Then what should I call him?" Jian Qiao asked.

"I don't know," Gu Yu thought about it seriously, "Senior?"

They thought all the way to no avail.It takes about twenty minutes from the bank of Qinghe River to Lao Chen's house.When he reached the stairs, Lao Chen opened the door and walked in.

His house looks like a noble man's house, mahogany furniture, dim light, retro and gloomy, but in addition to ordinary furniture, there are some religious decorations, all kinds of paintings hanging on the wall are basically lamas , temples, prayer flags, etc., which look so mature and natural, should be painted by himself.There are several scriptures on the table - "Ksitigarbha Sutra", "Lotus Sutra", "Heart Sutra"...

He believes in Buddhism, Gu Yu and Jian Qiao didn't think much about this matter.

Gu Yu and Jian Qiao sat upright on the sofa, and Lao Chen also sat down: "Gu Yu, go make tea."

"...Huh?" Gu Yu was startled, why would he order the guests as soon as he came?Moreover, when Lao Chen called his name, it was so smooth and natural, as if calling his own son, he couldn't help sighing, "Are you so comfortable?"

Old Chen rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and smiled: "I've seen you play in the mud, so why are you so restrained?"

It also makes sense.

...Hey, don't keep emphasizing the matter of him playing with mud, okay? ?

Gu Yu got up and went to the front of the display rack, took down the tea leaves and started making tea.There was a box of snow mountain tea written on it, but he hadn't tried it before. He basically drank soda at home, where would he know how to drink tea? Old man Gu drank it all by himself.

As soon as he left, Jian Qiao and Lao Chen sat staring blankly, without saying a word. Jian Qiao felt that he was so nervous that he was numb, his head could not think, and he could only stare at the floor in a daze.

After a while, he felt that the atmosphere was really not right, and asked, "Senior, don't you have anything to ask me?"

"Call me Lao Chen, you can call me Uncle just like Gu Yu," Lao Chen replied, "I don't want to ask you anything, but I want to hear something from you."

Jian Qiao blinked and fell silent.say somethingAbout his three meals a day?It's too inappropriate.

He glanced up at Gu Yu who was making tea in the kitchen, hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice: "Uncle Huai Ling, if someone you care about hurts you, do you still hope to get it back?"

"Lost and found?" Lao Chen repeated his strange question.This kid didn't even ask about painting, he didn't ask about him, and he didn't talk about himself. Instead, he asked such a nonsensical question.

Lost people hurt you, are you willing to accept their return?To Lao Chen, this question was too cruel.

Even though the lost people made him bruised and bruised, he desperately hoped that they would appear again and again in countless late nights, even if everything happened again.

It sounded like this question was not just for him, Lao Chen felt that Jian Qiao was also asking himself.

Who doesn't have a lost person?

"What do you mean by caring? Is it love or hate?" Lao Chen asked him back, "Substituting love for hate, drinking poison to quench thirst, what's the difference?"

Jian Qiao lowered his head, looked at his fingertips, and said in a deep voice, "I don't know how things will develop, and I'm not qualified to take care of them. I just feel a little sad for him sometimes."

Old Chen understood: "Gu Yu?"

Jian Qiao turned his head to look at the figure pouring water in the kitchen, and nodded.

Old Chen Moran said again: "Tell me about yourself."

Jian Qiao thought for a while, and decided to say it: "I have something in my heart that I have hidden for 14 years, and I can't let it go for a moment, but I can't tell others."

Old Chen said: "Since you can't say it, let's draw it."

"What about you?" Jian Qiao asked, "What you don't want to say, would you like to let others draw it for you?"

Old Chen remained silent, looking at the cloudy sky outside the window, the gray clouds enveloped the whole world.

"I haven't checked your information carefully," Jian Qiao said, "What others say may not be true, so I don't believe it. But what I believe is, should you give yourself an exit, even a small gap?"

Gu Yu came out with a tray, stooped to pick up the teapot, poured tea into the cups, and placed them in front of everyone.

Gu Yu heard them chatting about some very professional things, talking about oil painting, Chinese painting, and even connected with Shu Mu on the spot to discuss it together.Jian Qiao asked some questions, but he sat aside and couldn't understand them, so he picked up the book under the coffee table and read it.

What he was holding was a collection of poems, "Gu Cheng's Poems and Gu Cheng's Paintings". After opening it, he could see some pencil sketches in it, which seemed to have a sense of time.

He read a few pages, raised his head and carefully looked around Lao Chen's house. The quieter he looked, it could even be described as dead silence. Everywhere revealed indifference and depression.In such an environment, people will unconsciously slow down their steps and slow down their speech.It's like Jian Qiao's gentle and soft voice, just like coaxing a child to sleep, it sounds very hypnotic.

Gu Yu took out his phone and turned on the recording.

Acrylic paint...Van Gogh...Monet...Pele...Turpentine...Hasn't this question been asked once?There's none? ...Impressionism...New works...Lao Chen's voice is as hypnotic as Jian Qiao's...

"Gu Yu?" In the dimness, he felt someone calling him, and then someone patted his shoulder.

"Gu Yu?" Jian Qiao called out again.

"Huh?" Gu Yu woke up suddenly and sat up straight.

"Let's go, it's getting late." Jian Qiao said.

Gu Yu wiped his face, closed the book and put it back in its original place, put the phone in his pocket, stood up, and waved to Old Chen: "Then, Uncle Huailing, let's go, I will visit you next time."

Lao Chen nodded and sent them to the door.

They didn't take a taxi immediately after they walked out of the old Chen's community, but walked back to the bank of Qinghe by the same route. The night gradually fell, and the light became dim and ambiguous.

They walked side by side, and after Autumn approached step by step, it was rare to hear cicadas and frogs when walking on the street.The sky is between dusk and starlight, giving people the illusion that there is no end to the road.

"Grandpa and Yi Xianghan are going to the capital to attend an art forum tomorrow, do you want to see him off at the airport?" Gu Yu asked.

"Okay," Jian Qiao agreed, "When?"

"The plane at three o'clock in the afternoon may leave at one o'clock." Gu Yu replied.

After talking about this matter, both of them were silent again, unable to find anything to say.But for them who have been together day and night for nearly two months, they are no longer as unfamiliar and awkward as before.Now I feel that walking side by side, even if there is nothing to say, silent, each thinking of their own, is very comfortable and at ease.

Jian Qiao's right hand was hanging by his side, clenched his fist lightly, rubbing his fingertips lightly on his palm over and over again.

"You didn't feel excited when you met your idol today." Gu Yu said.

"I'm so scared," Jian Qiao laughed, "I have to jump up and down to look good."

Gu Yu laughed: "I don't mind if you cry bitterly."

Jian Qiao let go of his right hand, and finally asked, "Gu Yu, can you stop eating Haidilao?"

Gu Yu didn't quite understand what he meant, he jumped up against the evening wind by the river, and asked doubtfully, "Why?"

"There is no reason," Jian Qiao said, "Look, there are many other delicious foods besides Haidilao in this world, so you don't have to keep thinking about it. You can also eat Malatang, Chicken Pot, Bobo Fish, and Milk Tea pot……"

"There are many things more worth pursuing than Haidilao. There is still a long way to go," Jianqiao explained patiently, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Gu Yu paused, then nodded with a vague understanding: "...Understood."

"Really understand?" Jian Qiao confirmed.

"I don't know," Gu Yu sighed, "But after hearing what you said, I'm really hungry now."