godfather

In the evening, Shaotang rushed back after nine o'clock, and as soon as he entered the door, he hugged Xiaobei and put Meng Xiaobei in his arms to ruffle the hair on his head.

Shaotang breathed white gas from his mouth, his face was frozen red, and the first sentence he asked was: "What did you do in the exam this afternoon?"

Meng Xiaobei said: "The professor who came up with the question went crazy this time, painting a landscape!"

Shaotang frowned, stunned, with an expression on the verge of shattering: "Isn't it an exam to draw bananas and apples?!"

Meng Xiaobei hung on Shaotang's shoulder, making a dead body: "Even you know that you should take the test of drawing apples!!!"

Shaotang asked in a low voice: "Did you pass the exam? Do you want to live up to me?"

Meng Xiaobei's eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth twitched: "Cough! If most candidates are as nervous as I am, and when they enter the examination room, they always feel that their fingers are going to be paralyzed, and people are going to be paralyzed. I think I still have something to do!"

Meng Xiaobei grabbed Shaotang's hand and rubbed it vigorously: "I'll give you a warm hand, it's so cold."

……

At the dinner table, Meng Xiaobei asked Qi Liang: "Which school are you going to apply for? Are you sure?"

Qi Liang shrugged his shoulders, still looking nonchalant, a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water, he likes to do whatever he wants: "My father said, if I really do too badly in the exam and fail to enter a first-class school, he will give me a sum of money. Send me out of the country."

Meng Xiaobei: "Go abroad? Where can I go abroad?"

Qi Liang hesitated and said, "I don't want to go abroad... With my level of foreign language, I would be blind if I go out! Meng Xiaobei, if you can go back to Beijing, I will definitely not go abroad. We can still be like before. mixed together."

Meng Xiaobei nodded: "Yes."

That night, Shaotang hugged a quilt to sleep on the wooden kang, and said generously: "Liangliang, you can chat with Xiaobei!"

Qi Liang stood up quickly at this moment: "Oh, that, I have to go home."

Meng Xiaobei said: "Don't leave, stay with me all night, I will return to Xi'an the day after the exam, and I won't see you for half a year!"

Qi Liang said with a grin, "Uncle Shaotang, I won't interfere with the two of you's world, you two continue, two rooms, and do it differently."

Shaotang sneered and said, "Don't come here, Meng Xiaobei and I can live together anytime, Xiaobei misses you in his heart! Don't worry about me, I'll sleep in the living room."

A BP player on Qi Liang's waist rang.He named the three machines No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. No. 2 is for him to run business and contact customers. No. 3 is for acquaintances, relatives and friends. No. 1 is for whom. Bei, but also keep a little secret.

The person glanced down hastily, and the No. 1 machine called: [Burn the hot water, when will you go home? 】

Qi Liang's eyes flickered, he was impatient, put on his coat and went outside, where was the pot of hot water going?

Meng Xiaobei glanced at his buddy's shyness, and twitched his mouth: "It's definitely not Qi Jiandong who called you, your father won't miss you at all, and you can go wild outside as you like. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Qi Liang: "Nonsense, no."

Meng Xiaobei paused for a moment, then suddenly said loudly: "Hey godfather, after the exam tomorrow, you will drive me to Liangliang's house, I will go to his house to play overnight, and then catch the train back to Xi'an in time!!"

Qi Liang's head swelled up, and instead of showing his teeth and claws as usual, the arrogant little rooster's tail drooped suddenly, and he stammered, "You, you, you, don't go to our house...you have a house to live in. Now, live a good life with your godfather, don't bother me...I'm leaving, I'm really leaving!..."

Shaotang sat on the wooden kang, with his arms on his thighs, and a sullen smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, the big baby is doing something bad.

Meng Xiaobei yelled: "Liangliang, is that my buddy? Tell me the truth!"

Qi Liang turned his head, opened the door, and ran away with his tail between his legs!

Meng Xiaobei angrily pointed at this man's back, Liangliang must have been hiding something tricky, if I hadn't been busy with the exam tomorrow, I would be able to catch the adulterer after chasing him at his house now!

The next morning, sketch the examination room.The classrooms are sparsely populated, and there is a scene of depression in the end of winter. The situation of this year's art examination has roughly been seen.

Every art candidate who is still fighting in the examination room of Xiaowei Hutong has a generous and tragic expression on his face, or is insensitive.Some people hold a pen like a knife and prepare to kill themselves.

10-minute sketching in class four is the minimum basic skill for art students. The object of sketching is five random people in the examination room, which is equivalent to drawing one person in 8 minutes.Meng Xiaobei suddenly had confidence in himself from the moment he posed the question, he had an ethereal sense of being in the wilderness, and he could see the scenery in front of him at a glance.

He moved the easel to face the classroom window, hiding himself in the shadow of the corner, and painted the profile portraits of a group of candidates by the window.

The old-fashioned iron-primed windows in the north whistled in the fierce wind.Through the window, the sun is shining brightly in front of me, and a field of spring flowers is blooming...

After finishing the three subjects, Meng Xiaobei took another design test, so that he still had room to apply for the design department.This year's exam questions are street billboard posters with hard pens. The theme is not limited, and characters, buildings, and fonts are required.Meng Xiaobei directly used his best pen, ink line drawing, half realistic and half cartoon.The black-haired boy was walking in the reinforced concrete urban forest, with ghostly shadows looming behind him. The boy had a stern face and firm eyes, with a pair of faintly visible wings on his shoulders. A ray of hope.

……

At the bottom of the pen work, it is named "Dream Wings" with a line of artistic fonts.

It was also impossible for Meng Xiaobei to foresee that more than ten years later there would be an inspirational song on campus that would become popular all over the country from south to north, and everyone would sing it. That song was called "Invisible Wings".

Many years later, Meng Xiaobei recalled the exam, he did not underestimate the questions at all, what he undertook was all his emotions, he overwhelmed the "people's hearts".Ten years of vicissitudes, what has changed is the outer shell of the city, and what has not changed is that every young man with a dream in the concrete forest steps out his persistent belief with wandering steps.

Meng Xiaobei covered half of his face with a cotton monkey hat, and walked down the corridor with air leakage on all sides with his easel on his back, stepping on the light and shadow on the ground.A heavy burden was suddenly lifted from his shoulders, and his steps became light and light.The road ahead is still uncertain, and my own shadow on the corridor floor is slowly elongated, and the human form becomes tall and heroic, and the whole person regains confidence and vitality.

There was an old man with white hair behind him, who called him: "That classmate!...Meng Xiaobei?"

Meng Xiaobei turned around and stopped: "Who are you?..."

The one who stopped him was a well-known old professor of the Academy of Fine Arts, surnamed Hao.The professor said, "Meng Xiaobei, I want to interview you. Come in and I'll talk to you."

The Academy of Fine Arts is not the Chinese opera that Meng Xiaojing wants to take, and art students still need interviews?

The art exam papers have been sealed, and the teacher has not yet started to grade the papers. The professor has no materials to read, so he is not polite, and simply brings Meng Xiaobei's picture clip and schoolbag over, frantically rummaging through it, and found several usual exercises.The old man watched it carefully for a long time. The teacher's problem is that he likes to give opinions and educate people. After reading it, he was not satisfied. He took a post-it note, pondered out a few comments, and wrote a bunch of small notes. With a "snap", it was directly pasted on Meng Xiaobei's painting.

He closed the clip and returned it to him.

Meng Xiaobei clasped his hands tightly, not daring to read carefully the comments the professor wrote to him with a vermilion pen. The densely packed small characters made his heart tangle up.

This old professor, who looks like a Maitreya Buddha with a round head and a round brain, has a few strands of white hair on his bald head, and his earlobes are very big. He always smiles at everyone and speaks slowly: "Meng Xiaobei, I heard about you The boy's first name."

Meng Xiaobei was surprised: "...I studied in junior high school in Beijing. At that time, I took the amateur sketching class for adults in our school, but I didn't take your class."

When the professor shook his head, his smile was unpredictable, not because of the sketch class.

The professor asked: "Student Meng Xiaobei, do you still remember that there is an artist surnamed Chang in the art studio, a veteran painter, who has been engaged in animation design in recent years and has produced several animation works?"

Meng Xiaobei was taken aback.

The professor said: "The year before last, he had a work that was broadcast on TV. The response was quite good, and industry experts also recognized it. The competition in the animation industry was not too fierce in the past two years. He was lucky. This film won the Golden Rooster Award that year. Best animation design, such an award."

Meng Xiaobei nodded: "I know."

The professor said: "Old is often a student who graduated from our Academy of Fine Arts in the 70s, and was later assigned to an art studio. Moreover, he was a student in my class back then. I was very young at that time, and I was his class teacher. His grades The homework is great, No.1 in the class, we have a good relationship and know each other very well!"

At this moment, Meng Xiaobei suddenly felt cold, as if someone had thrown him suddenly, and thrown him into the cold wind and snow water outside the door.

His mood suddenly fell, and he shattered to the ground...

Fuck you hungry.

The road is narrow, my friend, are you going to die?

The old professor looked at the ridiculous expression on Meng Xiaobei's face that was changing so quickly that he wanted to scold the street, smiled slightly, with a kind face, and spoke slowly, but it seemed that he was deliberately hanging the child up and down: "My proud student, I later specially Go to my house and insist on talking to me! He said that he has a big matter in his heart, and he really can't complain to his teacher!"

"Old Chang mentioned your name to me."

"Your name is also easy to remember. I remembered it at the time, Meng Xiaobei. In the past two days, I looked at the list of reference students and found you right away. It was you, Meng Xiaobei!"

"Old Chang told me about this process. At that time, you participated in the animation design of the program group. The prototype was created by you when you were fifteen or sixteen years old. When the draft was officially finalized later, Lao Chang endorsed your name and won the golden rooster award. Award. He is old, and he is also a man of high morals and respect. He owes you something in his heart. He took the credit from the child, so he was uneasy and said that half of the trophy bonus should be given to you."

Meng Xiaobei: "..."

Professor Hao tapped lightly on the table with wrinkled palms, stroked Meng Xiaobei's pen and pencil sketches, and commented: "I see that your basic skills and skills have improved a lot compared to previous years. It’s not the same. When you were in junior high school, your thinking and vision were narrow, and your writing skills were also naive. It was better than a child’s innocence and simplicity, which just catered to the tastes of today’s teenagers, and you were opportunistic. You were smart, but not solid enough. "

"It's obviously different now. The painting is very good, even a bit 'oily', and it is more commercial. This pen line draft has been colored, you can directly submit it for publication."

Meng Xiaobei listened with bowed head, nodding constantly, wandering in his mind, it was chilly, even cotton monkeys couldn't keep out the cold.

But he also agrees with the other party's evaluation, the old man's eyes are so poisonous.

The professor continued slowly: "Also, you didn't have any animation skills before, and if you didn't have the old skills to add more later to help you perfect a script, it would be possible to rely on your own strength and one-person If you draw that set of ideas, you will definitely not get any awards, and your level is far from enough. The work is the result of the cooperation between the two of you, do I make sense? Do you agree?"

The corners of Meng Xiaobei's mouth curled up, and he bit his lip and laughed at the old guy, he had to nod whether it made sense or not!

A trace of cunning flashed in the old man's creased eye sockets, and he looked at the students with probing eyes, as if trying to peel off the shell of prudence and fear, and dig out the inner color from Meng Xiaobei's narrow single eyelids.The old man then inquired about many things and was very nagging.What do your parents do? Are you from an artistic family?How many years have you studied painting?What classes did you take in Xi'an, and what works did you publish?Who do you know in West America?

What "Autobots" did you draw? !

Back in Xi'an, remember to send me a set of Autobot comics you published!I want to see what your kid can draw.

The old man wanted to read comics with great interest!

Meng Xiaobei listened from the beginning to the end, desperately suppressing the turbulent emotions in his chest. At this time, he didn't have any resentment, and what he raised was fearless courage: "Teacher, that animation was something I drew three years ago. I was at the same level at that time. Not enough, but I have come a long way in three years, so I can come this far today, and I can see you here. The manuscripts I have drawn in the past three years are all piled up, taller than me... If I can enter this line of work, I will have the opportunity to cooperate with Teacher Chang again in the future, and the scripts he and I draw will not be comparable to the level of the Golden Rooster Awards a few years ago. I have confidence."

"I hope to be admitted."

"I want this opportunity."

When Meng Xiaobei said this, his voice trembled slightly.He is usually very stubborn and stubborn, and he is not used to bowing his head to people and saying such things.

The old guy nodded, did not comment, did not make any promises, I haven't read the test paper yet.

The admission rate is reduced this year, and the number of students enrolled in the department may be even lower than last year. Go back and wait for the news, and continue to work hard for the cultural class of the college entrance examination!You still have to pass [-] points in a single subject. Are you sure you can pass the test of your culture class? !

The old man glanced at him lightly and said with a smile.

When Meng Xiaobei came out of the school gate, his cerebral cortex produced a blank image due to excessive excitement, and the black and white phases were reversed in his head, presenting a jumping chaos.

He called Shaotang at the gate of the school, and he was confused on the phone, "The professor wanted to talk to me! That professor didn't interview any other candidates, he interviewed me!!!"

The art test is like this. The base is based on strength, and the strength is further improved, all depends on luck.Thousands of candidates from various provinces fight for dozens of places, and talented young people emerge in endlessly. There is a sky beyond the sky!There is no end to the road of pursuing art, and the standards for judging art are also very vague after learning a certain level and realm.It is difficult to judge the final good or bad of the art test results, and there is no ABCD fixed answer for the sketch paper, it all depends on the eyes and preferences of the examiners.Picking a thousand-mile horse from thousands of papers, who is whose bole?

Fate's big hand fiddled lightly over the years, causing Meng Xiaobei to go round and round on this road, taking a detour, making a big circle, and finally seemed to turn back again.

He was walking in Wangfujing, the bustling streets of the imperial capital where cars and horses flocked to and fro.At the corner of the street, the receiving crowd seemed to be waving to him.

……

Meng Xiaobei came back to Xi'an to visit his grandma and had dinner at home.

The old lady squinted her eyes from laughing, rubbed her eldest grandson's face, and asked loudly: "Does the professor like you?... Has he taken a fancy to you?!...Grandma doesn't want you to leave, she really came back to accompany grandma after passing the exam!! "

The only son stayed in Shaanxi for the rest of his life, and was unable to return to Beijing due to labor and serious injuries. If the eldest grandson can successfully pass the exam, it will be the greatest comfort to the two elders of the Meng family.Tears welled up in the old lady's eyes again, and she couldn't help wiping the corners of her eyes again.

When Shaotang strode across the threshold of his house, his two divine eyes glowed green!

The old man of the Meng family was happy, but the introverted old man couldn't say anything, so he took out the good wine hidden in the cabinet, and insisted on pulling Shaotang to drink baijiu with him.How could Shaotang be in the mood to drink with the old man?

Shaotang seized a chance and took Meng Xiaobei away from the old lady, and carried him directly into the toilet, with his back against the door.Shaotang held Meng Xiaobei's shoulder with one arm, put his other arm around his son's head, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Give me a correct sentence."

Meng Xiaobei's shoulders twitched, and he said honestly: "I can't tell you anything, it depends on whether the professor likes the "Autobot" I drew! I'll go back and pack it up and send him the manga!... You say a 60-year-old man Guy, can he like to read Japanese-style comics?!"

There is spark in Shaotang's eyes.

Mars quickly becomes a small flame.Just holding his handsome son like this, he will be hard.

Meng Xiaobei's eyes also had a cluster of flames ready to burst out.

Meng Xiaobei will return to Xi'an by train tomorrow, and we will meet again this summer.He knew in his heart that Shaotang was like a mirror.At the time of parting that year, Xiao Bei played a romantic and sensational game at the train station, singing a love song to Xiao Dae, and he sang "About Winter", so the two met in this warm and beautiful winter.

Shaotang heard Xiao Bei say a few words about the situation of Professor Hao. He was not as pure and optimistic as Xiao Bei. Could that old man really be impartial and selfless, and he would not avoid past grievances?Shaotang is not a villain at heart, but has a lot of knowledge in the work unit and in society.If you run into a narrow-minded professor, in order to save the face of former students, it is possible to directly throw Meng Xiaobei's test papers into the trash can, and send him back to Xi'an to never be admitted.

He didn't say this to his son, but he had already thought about it. If Meng Xiaobei failed the exam, he would try other tricks. The two of them are still together, living together, and facing many difficulties in the future.

Meng Xiaobei was also very concerned, and gave Shaotang a wink: Let's live here at night, the hut is empty, just the hut?

Shaotang narrowed his eyes and shook his head lightly: Your grandparents are all here.

Meng Xiaobei: Don't be afraid, my grandparents are deaf!

A smile flashed across Shaotang's eyes, and the little mole on his lips trembled: How convenient it is for us to go back to our own home...

In the evening, there was the sound of pots and pans clashing in the hallway of Meng's house, and smoke rose from the big steamer in the kitchen, steaming jujube silk cake.

It just so happened that on this day, the old lady hadn't even finished a reunion dinner yet, and someone knocked on the door.Smiling, happy in his heart, Shaotang strode over to open the door with brisk strides, slightly stunned.

The one who came that day was Xiaobei's sister-in-law, Meng Jianju, who had returned to her natal home.