unique

This may be the most inconspicuous art exhibition Zhu Shen has ever seen.

Rather than saying it is an art exhibition, it is more like a vegetable market, opened in a shopping mall, where Lunjin packs and sells the paintings of painters.

Most of the people who come here are not people in the industry, but just on a whim to watch the excitement.

The crowd was crowded, and there was a lot of voices. It seemed that there was an auction of paintings in front of you.

"Have you ever seen an art exhibition before?" Zhu Shen asked Zhong Heng.

Zhong Heng tilted his head to look at Zhu Shen, remembering something, a ripple appeared in his dark eyes, and he nodded.

Zhu Shen smiled and asked: "Is it very different from here? I never thought that this place would be in such a mess."

Zhong Heng never thought about such a scene, and asked Zhu Shen: "Is there any painter you like participating in the exhibition?"

Zhu Shen asked him with a smile: "Why, Zhong always wants to buy this place and give it to me?"

Zhong Heng looked at the exhibition hall, as if thinking about the feasibility.

Zhu Shen smiled deeply, and said to him: "There are no painters I like here." His voice was a little lower, and Zhu Shen had a half-smile: "There are some painters I hate."

In such a small exhibition hall, all the paintings of unknown painters were on display. Zhong Heng only thought that Zhu Shen was joking.

Zhu Shen walked inside and stopped in front of a series of ink paintings. The paintings were so vivid that he could almost recognize the neon city wrapped in thick ink at first sight.

Looking up, the words "Floating Cloud Wanderer" catches the eye, next to the artist's personal profile.

The painter's surname is You, and his name is Sheng.In the early years, he studied under Zhang Shuowang, a master of Chinese painting, and his fellow apprentices are now all outstanding and famous all over the country, but he is the only one who still holds a ridiculous art exhibition in his hometown, which can be seen to be a bit embarrassing.

Zhu Shen pulled out the blue pendant that was often hung around his neck, held it in the palm of his hand, thought for a while, and then put it back.

He approached the person in charge of the organizer and said that he would buy this series of Nicheng ink paintings.

The person in charge was taken aback, thinking he had heard wrong.

Zhu Shen handed out a business card and looked at him with a smile.

Zhong Heng frowned slightly, for no other reason, the name printed on the business card was Wu Xu's name.

The person in charge was dizzy from the words on the business card, but Zhu Shen asked, "Is the artist here?"

The other party didn't know anything about it, and never thought that a past painter like You Sheng could still get such an opportunity.

Zhu Shen didn't mind, "When you've decided, just call the number on your business card, and someone will take care of it."

Just as he was about to leave, the person in charge stopped him: "Mr. Wu——"

Zhu Shen, who bears the title of "Mr. Wu", reacted a little slower. He didn't realize that he was calling himself until someone walked around in front of him: "Is there anything else?"

The person in charge still couldn't believe it: "Are you really planning to buy You Sheng... Teacher You's Nicheng Ink Series?"

Zhu Shen looked at him: "Is there any problem?"

"No, it's nothing..." The person in charge laughed, not knowing what kind of luck You Sheng had.

After leaving the exhibition hall and breathing in the fresh air, Zhu Shen's expression no longer looked so tense.

Zhong Heng followed Zhu Shen, Shen Mei didn't know what he was thinking.

The two are very tall, and walking on the street is actually quite right.

They both looked like one in a million, but when they were not talking, their expressions were cold, and the little girls around them just looked at them and gave up, and no one dared to bother them rashly.

The two walked side by side, the atmosphere was very dull.

Zhong Heng already has a dull character, if Zhu Shen still doesn't speak, then they really have nothing to say.

After walking out of this long street, Zhong Heng suddenly asked: "Do you often do this?"

"How?"

"Use Wu Xu's business card."

Zhu Shen nodded: "Yes, it's so convenient to use Wu Xu in this kind of occasion."

Zhong Heng thought for a while, took out two business cards from his wallet and stuffed them into Zhu Shen, saying concisely: "Mine."

While walking on the shore, Zhu Shen picked up his business card and examined it.

The black card was hot-silvered, engraved with Zhong Heng's name and position, with exquisite details and exquisite workmanship, as if what was being held in Zhu Shen's hands was no longer an ordinary business card, but a work of art.

Zhu Shen laughed out loud, the shadow of the weeping willow brushed across his face, the spots of light between the leaves were faintly revealed, and the wind blowing across the bank made the corners of his clothes sway unceasingly.Enough of laughing, Zhu Shen recruited a black-covered boat moored on the shore: "Let's go, go back."

Seeing that Zhong Heng didn't move, Zhu Shen said again: "I've accepted the business card." He stroked the clear indented characters on the business card and put it back in his pocket.

Only then did Zhong Heng board the boat.

The old man smiled at them, then quickly put the rope on the paddle and said, "Okay——Jiang——!"

Zhu Shen understood this sentence. Sitting in the boat, drinking green bud tea, he suddenly had a whim, and said to Zhong Heng, "Teach me a word of Nicheng dialect."

"what do you want to learn?"

"It's all right."

Zhong Heng looked away, looking at the spring scenery on the lake, but he looked back slightly from the corner of his eye, and only heard him whisper: "Wen En, you—"

At this time, a wave hit, and white water splashed on the bow of the boat. The people on the boat beside them laughed and shouted, making the originally silent lake become lively.

Zhu Shen looked back at Zhong Heng: "What did you just say?"

Zhong Heng lowered his head and took a sip of tea, the fragrance bloomed between his teeth, quietly hiding the seemingly indistinct bitterness, Zhong Heng said calmly: "I ask you what you want to learn."

It would be great if Zhu Shen could be more careful, then he could see that Zhong Heng was a little more nervous than usual at this time—the shoulders and arms were tense, and the knuckles of the hand holding the teacup were also white.

Then, following the aroma of the green bud tea, he swallowed the most secret words that had passed between his lips and teeth.

Zhu Shen really didn't notice it, he thought about it seriously, and suddenly pointed to his nose and asked, "What did Zhu Shen say?"

"Zusa."

Pointing to Zhong Heng, he asked, "What about you?"

"Zonghe."

Zhu Shen laughed, "It's very interesting."

Until the boat rowed to the shore, I didn't hear him ask other people's names again.

Fortunately, there are only the two of them here today.

Only Zusa and Zonghe, no one else.

Suddenly, someone at the stern of the boat raised their voice, as if they were talking to them, the voice was clear and soft, like a song.Zhu Shen leaned over curiously and poked his head outside.

Standing on the back of the boat was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with a pink skirt and a red and white wreath on her head.

Seeing Zhu Shen poking his head out, the little girl was very happy, and raised her hand to greet him, with a large ring of bells hanging in her hand, jingling.

"What is she talking about?" Zhu Shen asked Zhong Heng.

Zhong Heng glanced at him, "She said she wanted to give you a present."

The little girl chattered a lot of words that Zhu Shen couldn't understand.

Zhong Heng said something to her with a serious face, the little girl nodded regretfully, then smiled suddenly, and said a series of words to Zhong Heng.

Zhu Shen looked at Zhong Heng in puzzlement, but Zhong Heng stared away and coughed lightly.

"what are you guys saying?"

Zhong Heng said in a low voice: "It's nothing, she said that their family sells dragon and phoenix bells, and she said she would give us a pair."

May we live forever and never be apart.

"Why did she send us off?"

Zhong Heng said in a low voice: "She said you are pretty."

Zhu Shenle: "Let me just say that you haven't translated all of them. How can you not translate such important words—"

"Stretch out your hand." Zhong Heng interrupted him.

Zhu Shen didn't know why Zhong Heng was suddenly angry, shrugged, and stretched out his hand.

The girl happily untied a pair of dragon and phoenix bells from her wrists, held them in her palms, said something to them softly, and then handed her hands reverently.

The hull of the boat was swaying, Zhu Shen almost couldn't stand still, it was Zhong Heng who gave him a hand.

Zhu Shen tilted his head and smiled at him: "Thank you. How do you say thank you in Nicheng dialect?"

"Xiaxia." Zhong Heng's deep and deep voice uttered the rising repetition of words, which was indescribably pleasant.

Zhu Shen took the pair of dragon and phoenix bells with both hands, and said to the little girl, "Xiaxia."

She covered her flushed face and returned to the canopy, and the winding bells rang together.

Zhu Shen also returned to the canopy, holding a bell in one hand, as if he got something fun.The two bells, one large and one small, are hung with black thread and beads.The bell body has intricate patterns, one is engraved with dragon patterns, and the other is engraved with phoenix birds, which looks very simple.

"Which one do you want?" Zhu Shen shook Zhong Heng, and the two bells jingled.

Before Zhong Heng could speak, the old man rowing said, "This is the Dragon and Phoenix Bell."

Zhu Shen was surprised that the old man could speak Mandarin, and asked again: "You know?"

The old man smiled: "Your left hand is a dragon bell, and your right hand is a phoenix bell. Each has its own sound. Put them together, and there will be other sounds."

Zhu Shen gave it a try, and sure enough it was another voice.

Zhong Heng glanced at him, and reached for the bell in his left hand.

—but couldn’t take it away.

Zhu Shen wrapped his fingertips around the string of the bell, and with a light tug, the bell slipped from Zhong Heng's hand to his along the long string.

Zhu Shen hooked the long line and smiled at Zhong Heng: "Anyway, you got this bell because of my favor, don't you want to say something to me?"

Zhong Heng stared deeply at Zhu Shen, who hooked his mouth and bent his eyes.

"Thank you."

"I want to hear you speak Nicheng dialect."

For some reason, Zhu Shen wanted to hear Zhong Heng, who had always been aloof, speak the soft Nicheng dialect.

Zhong Heng looked down at Zhu Shen's open palm for a while, and thought he liked the bell.

This is strange, Zhu Shen has been with him for so long, but he hasn't figured out what he likes, and he has never expressed his liking.

Just when Zhu Shen was about to hand the bell to Zhong Heng, he suddenly saw his Adam's apple move, and said softly, "Xiaxia."

When Zhong Heng spoke the Nicheng dialect, his voice was deep and sweet, with all the coldness, gentleness and warmth.

Zhu Shen was taken aback, and before he could react, Zhong Heng took the bell from his hand.

A "ding ding" was transmitted from Zhu Shen's palm to Zhong Heng's.

Zhu Shen said casually, "You have to keep my bell safe."

Zhong Heng glanced at him, opened his lips, wanted to say something, but stopped.

After a long time, he said, "Yes."

Vaguely, something is fermenting, but it is still early, and there are still many things that are not clear.

Looking up, it seems that nothing has changed, and it seems that something has changed.

What remains unchanged is the reciprocating water, the river in the north of the city, and the willows on the banks of Nicheng in March. When you gently brush your face, it seems that even time is still.

What has changed?

It's a smart expression, it's the occasional breath, it's the bell in the palm of your hand that still retains the warmth of your palm, it's you who can be seen with your head tilted.

Best wishes.What's yours that I didn't keep safe?