After being forced to debut in metaphysics, I became popular

Yan Shixun could tell that when Zheng Shushu mentioned that Zheng Tiantian was afraid of fire, his original simple face could not restrain his anger and distorted for a moment.

In addition to the love and pity for Zheng Tiantian, there is also anger at this matter.

Yan Shixun couldn't help guessing whether it was something that happened that year that caused Zheng Tiantian to be afraid of the flames, and also made Zheng Shushu, who loves his sister, have such a complicated expression.

Like, a fire that burns everything down.

If Zheng Tiantian was in the house at the time and their parents died in the fire, then all of Zheng Shushu's reactions seemed to make sense.

The scorched black and fire marks on the walls have gradually faded, and it seems that the fire has passed for some time.

It also matches what Zheng Shushu said about the time when he learned carpentry.

However, Zheng Shu was obviously unwilling to bring up this topic.

He only said that Zheng Tiantian was afraid of fire, then he laughed again, and turned to pick up the kettle on the stove, ready to pour water for Yan Shixun to make tea.

But the forced smile on Zheng Shu's face still revealed his original emotions.

Yan Shixun kept silent, but he saw all this in his eyes.

He pretended to be chatting casually, and said with concern: "It's so cold in winter, don't freeze to Tiantian. Didn't Master Zheng consider taking Tiantian to see a doctor? You can't go on like this forever."

When mentioning his sister, Zheng Shushu always showed more emotions than at other times.

It was as if his usual simple face was just a mask, covering up all his truth and restraining himself.

Only on the topic of Zheng Tiantian, Zheng Shushu felt real.

Hearing Yan Shixun's words, Zheng Shushu's original movement of picking up the kettle stopped.

He stared blankly at the stove in front of him, and the flames were jumping and reflected in his eyes. In the room where no one spoke, only the sound of crackling firewood was left.

After a long time, Zheng Shushu slowly shook his head and said with a sigh: "It's useless."

"Tiantian, she... in this life, this is the only way to go."

Zheng Shushu's voice choked up: "Blame me, blame me for not protecting Tiantian and mother well, it's my fault."

Yan Shixun saw that when Zheng Shushu talked about Zheng Tiantian and his mother, his psychological defense was already on the verge of being defeated, so he took advantage of the victory to pursue and did not miss such a good opportunity.

However, he didn't act too eagerly, but he didn't show too much eagerness. Instead, he showed sympathy and curiosity like ordinary people when they heard about other people's tragic experiences.

Yan Shixun sighed, got up from the chair and walked to Zheng Shushu's side, raised his hand and patted his shoulder: "You take good care of Tiantian, she looks like a good child."

"However, what happened back then? Don't give up hope so early, go to the hospital, maybe there is still time."

Yan Shixun didn't expect Zheng Shushu to tell the whole truth as soon as he asked, after all, in the shadow puppetry, Zheng Shushu was not even a real person, so how could he trust Zheng Shushu for no reason.

Therefore, while speaking in a low and concerned tone, he carefully observed Zheng Shushu's expression.

Compared with language, the clues brought by body and environment are closer to the truth.

Yan Shixun found that when he mentioned the events of the year, Zheng Shushu's expression was extremely painful, as if he had fallen into the memories of the past.

However, when Zheng Shuxun heard Yan Shixun said to go to the hospital, he was completely unmoved.

Under what circumstances would a brother who loves his sister react like this?

——Zheng Shushu knew very well that Zheng Tiantian was afraid of the fire, and the hospital couldn't solve it.

No matter how you say this village has experienced a period of golden age, it has a lot of contact with the outside world, and Zheng Shushu also came to settle here from outside the village, so there is no such thing as not leaving the village all his life and not knowing about the hospital.

Fire overcomes gold, gold overcomes wood.

Zheng Tiantian... the daughter of a family of carpenters, who is closely related to wood and afraid of fire.

Yan Shixun came to a conclusion in his mind, guessing that Zheng Tiantian's psychological problems were not caused by the fire that year, but that he was afraid of fire because of his wood attribute.

This should also be the reason why when Zheng Shushu led him into the yard, the house was pitch black.

There is no electricity in the village, and the most primitive way of lighting and heating is still used - flame.

Yan Shixun didn't directly ask Zheng Shushu to verify his guess.

He didn't disturb Zheng Shu, who was obviously lost in memory, but took this opportunity to quickly observe the surrounding environment.

As a carpenter's workshop, there are more wood and semi-finished products than in the living room.

It's just that the semi-finished products here are different from those in the yard or living room.

This place is more like a processing factory for those dolls with living mouths and eyes in the yard.

Thanks to this, Yan Shixun was able to see the original structure of the dolls outside so intuitively.

It was the first time Yan Shixun heard of wood carvings with living mouths and eyes. Before that, his impression of wood carvings had always been that of a huge piece of wood shavings carved in one go.

But now he saw that Zheng Shushu's method was not what he thought before, but the method of splitting and combining.

Just like being a living person, first build the skeleton, then fill it with flesh and blood, and finally cover it with a layer of skin.

Although the pile of wood is still a pile of irrelevant ones, in Yan Shixun's mind, he has quickly judged their original function and where they should exist based on the mortise and tenon joints and sections left by those semi-finished products. And put these parts together in my mind, and simulated the entire assembly process in real time.

Then, even Yan Shixun, who had seen the carving process of other carpenters, couldn't help but marvel at the exquisiteness of this skill.

Reconstruct the limbs and body on top of the bones, and after assembling the other parts such as the head and arms that have been carved, then carve the texture on it like a real person's skin. On the carefully carved facial features, even the eyebrows and eyelashes are clearly rooted, The small details of chapped and peeled lips are not overlooked.

Because of this, the face of each doll is completely different, each with its own distinct identification points.

Yan Shixun also saw the upper body of one of them placed on the table, which was carved of an old man.

Although his face has not been fully sculpted, his thin and unkempt hair, unkempt beard, wrinkles on his face, and old-fashioned and wrinkled clothes, these small details not only indicate the age of the old man, but His uncomfortable situation is also shown, vividly.

Yan Shixun marveled at Zheng Shushu's superb skills, but at the same time realized that Zheng Shushu's observation ability is meticulous, and he may also have a thorough understanding of people's mentality.

Otherwise, Zheng Shushu would not have carved the old man so vividly.

Aside from the weirdness of the Zheng Shu brothers and sisters, not to mention the current situation, this is also the first time Yan Shixun has had such close contact with such superb skills that can be called incomparable.

When he faced Zheng Shushu's works, he suddenly felt that his own soul was also touched.

This is something that machines can never replace.

In the long-term carving, the craftsman not only poured all his efforts and energy into each stroke, but also melted his own understanding of the work and the world into each stroke, which is equivalent to blending his own soul into it, endowing the original life The works of objects are filled with vitality.

Wood can be divided into cold and warm, and so can people.

During the long time with the trees, the craftsman accurately grasped the characteristics of each kind of wood, and brought the special wood into the work, so that the characters and animals shown are more like living creatures. new life.

Yan Shixun originally only planned to see the situation of the studio clearly when Zheng Shushu wasn't paying attention, but he didn't expect that he would be attracted by these semi-finished products instead, and didn't notice that Zheng Shushu had come to his senses.

Zheng Shushu was also very happy to see that Yan Shixun was very interested in these works.

It's like a person who is high-spirited and widowed, and finally meets someone who can understand what he wants to express.

"Mr. Yan is also interested in woodcarving?"

Zheng Shushu pointed to the bust of the old man Yan Shixun was looking at with a smile: "This is still a semi-finished product. I originally wanted to finish it today, but now it seems that the construction period will be delayed."

"After this work is finished, will Master Zheng still put it in the yard?"

Yan Shixun felt a little regretful: "If it is transported out of the village, more people can see it..."

"No."

Zheng Shu smiled easily, but his eyes were full of emotion: "It is destined to be lost, so what's the use of letting so many people see it?"

Yan Shixun looked at Zheng Shushu in surprise.

He had heard similar words from another inheritor before.

According to what Bai Sanshu said, Master Bai, the eighth-generation descendant of Southwest Shadow Puppet No. 20, has the idea of ​​making the shadow puppet disappear.

Zheng Shu also wants to lose his skills...

He clearly said before that he inherited his ancestral woodworking skills after losing interest in shadow puppetry.

After experiencing so many life changes, the craftsmanship inherited from his father's generation should have been a fishing line to pull Zheng Shushu up from the abyss, so that he would not be lost in pain and despair.

However, Zheng Shushu said so firmly that he would let the ancestral craftsmanship be lost.

Even if Zheng Shushu has no descendants, and he has no plans to let Zheng Tiantian learn carpentry, then he can take on apprentices. As long as he thinks about it, there are many ways to pass on this craft.

But Zheng Shushu refused to think about it all, determined to lose it.

And what surprised Yan Shixun the most was that the two inheritors had the same idea.

On the poster he saw in the museum at that time, except for Zheng Shu and Master Bai, the other five shadow puppets had died many years ago, and even turned into ghosts, manipulated by the people behind the scenes to live in the shadow puppetry. Here, the painful punishment has no end in sight.

But the two who were still alive said in unison that they would lose their respective inheritances... Is it a coincidence?

Or is there a connection between these two people that he still doesn't know?

Yan Shixun concealed his doubts very well.

Even though he was full of doubts, he couldn't see it from his face. He was still smiling and listening to Zheng Shushu's introduction to the wood carvings that filled the studio.

Listening and listening, Yan Shixun also noticed that there was a certain deviation between Zheng Shushu's character and his guess about Zheng Shushu.

Perhaps, Zheng Shushu was so enthusiastic because no one could talk to him for a long time, and no one could listen to him introduce these woodcarving works with pride and enthusiasm, and listen to him explain the difference between each technique.

He is full of talent and should have become a carpenter respected by everyone and become famous, but he is willing to be trapped in this small village and live with his sister in a house that once had a fire.

Maybe Zheng Shushu was also lonely, but he couldn't even say such things to anyone.

When Zheng Shushu was talking to the wood carving, Yan Shixun quietly watched Zheng Shushu, and slowly figured out this person from every subtle expression on his face.

In the shadow puppet museum, besides the posters, Yan Shixun also saw the introduction of several shadow puppet masters in magazines back then.

At that time, Master Bai once mentioned that in order to improve the Southwest Shadow Puppetry and learn from each other's strengths, he invited a carpenter to the village.

But later, on the poster, both Master Bai and Zheng Shushu, who was much younger than now, looked gloomy and silent.

But now after the death of those shadow puppet masters, Zheng Shushu standing in front of him is much more cheerful and happy than at that time.

It was like letting go of the heavy things in life, and the original despair and pain turned into relaxation and hope for the future.

Yan Shixun didn't know if this was the change brought about by Zheng Tiantian, but when he looked at the half-length old wooden sculpture, he suddenly realized——

This old man... seems to be somewhat similar to Master Bai in the previous poster?

Because Zheng Shushu has not completely carved out the old man's facial features, and Yan Shixun himself has not seen Master Bai himself, only saw the face of Master Bai printed on the poster many years ago, so it adds a lot to the identification difficulty.

But no matter how people age and how their appearance changes, the direction of the bones remains the same.

Brow bone, bridge of nose, jaw...these can all be used as evidence to identify a person.

"Master Zheng, is this old man someone you have met?"

Yan Shixun asked casually: "It's so realistic, as if this person really exists. If it was carved out of imagination, then Master Zheng's skills are really beyond my cognition , Carpenters can reach this height.”

Zheng Shu quickly waved his hand in denial.

On the issue of carpentry, he was more sincere than Yan Shixun expected.

"It's not as powerful as Mr. Yan said haha, my father and ancestors can do it, but I can't."

Zheng Shu said: "These are people I have met many times. According to the saying in your city, there are models."

"The most important thing about woodcarving with live mouth and eyes is lifelikeness. In order to make the five sense organs move, it is necessary to make the woodcarving and the real person reach the same proportion and state, and simulate the movement trajectory of the real person, so that the mechanism embedded in the woodcarving will not appear. Caton's question."

Speaking of this, Zheng Shushu felt a little guilty: "It's my fault that I was too playful when I was young, and I didn't settle down to learn it with my father. Later, I wanted to learn it, but I didn't have the opportunity. I could only figure it out from the leftovers. I can’t do anything without a real person to compare such high-level and low-level things. Compared with the skills of my ancestors, I am really ashamed.”

Yan Shixun: ...Master Zheng, do you know what Versailles is?If even this kind of skill is shameful, then what are other master carpenters :)

Yan Shixun felt that Zheng Shushu and Zhang Dabing must have something in common to talk about, these two people who did not know about Versailles.

Fortunately, Yan Shixun also discovered the characteristics of Zheng Shushu, as long as he talked about professional issues with him, he would be extraordinarily sincere.

So Yan Shixun decisively changed his strategy, started from carpentry, pretended that he was interested in carpentry, and naturally asked Zheng Shu a lot of questions.

For example, this unfinished wood carving is indeed carved by Master Bai.

Not only that, but all the puppets with living mouths and eyes in the yard were carved by villagers.

Most of them are dead and were carved by Zheng Shu many years ago.There are also some, Zheng Shushu missed the time with them in the past, so he carved them into wood carvings to commemorate.

"But, Master Bai doesn't see outsiders much anymore?"

Yan Shixun said regretfully: "Unfortunately, we were going to visit the shadow puppets. It's a pity that we couldn't see the inheritors of the shadow puppets with our own eyes. Master Zheng, you used Master Bai as a model to make woodcarvings. Now you can Did you see him?"

"I can."

Zheng Shushu raised his head and thought for a while, then pulled the chair beside Yan Shixun and sat down, holding hot water in one hand, his cheeks were illuminated by the red fire.

The two of them stood guarding the warm stove, drank hot water, and heard the crackling sound of firewood burning in their ears. In such an environment, they even looked like old friends sitting and chatting with each other.

"If Mr. Yan wants to see Master Bai, it happens that I will go to Master Bai's house tomorrow, and Mr. Yan can go with me."

Zheng Shushu asked curiously, "Mr. Yan is so interested in shadow puppets?"

Yan Shixun shook his head: "I just feel that whether it is Master Zheng, you or Master Bai, it is a pity that the culture that has been passed down for so long is lost. Who would like to see good things destroyed in front of their eyes? What a pity gone."

"Because it's time."

Zheng Shushu said: "Since Mr. Yan is an exorcist, he should also have a family tradition or a teacher's inheritance, right? I thought that Mr. Yan would understand this feeling."

"Each era has its own culture, and things that are out of the era, or that are inherently a symbol of sin... there is no need to continue to survive."

When Zheng Shushu said this, even the wrinkles on his face were tensed.

Although he was particularly enthusiastic when talking about woodworking before, it can be seen that he really loves his craft.But at this time, when talking about letting his skills be lost, he seemed extraordinarily cruel and inhumane.

Compared with rationality, he is more like depression after extreme anger.

Yan Shixun pursed his lips, because Zheng Shushu's words reminded him of how angry he was when he was a freshman at Binhai University many years ago when he heard the news of Li Chengyun's death.

No matter how rational a person is, he cannot always maintain absolute rationality and calmness.

As long as people are not machines, they have their own concerns and weaknesses.

In Yan Shixun's former world, the only person who stopped was Li Chengyun.

Whether it is the client whose life was threatened by ghosts, or the classmates or neighbors around him, for Yu Yan Shixun, they are just passers-by.

He is very clear that the relationship between them will not be too deep, they meet by chance, and they will leave immediately.

But Li Chengyun is different.

In that market, Li Chengyun smiled and squatted down in front of him as a young boy. From that moment on, he had a home and a place of peace of mind.

Yan Shixun's untouchable softness is Li Chengyun.

When the news of Li Chengyun's death reached his ears, he only felt that at that moment, the whole world lost its need for existence.

Yan Shixun thought about avenging Li Chengyun, but Li Chengyun died in the way he insisted on. He knew that he would die, but he never wavered, and moved towards the inevitable end.

Apart from burying Li Chengyun's bones, Yan Shixun didn't even have anything he could do for Li Chengyun.

Li Chengyun didn't even leave him a word.

The last sentence between them was on the day of the Lantern Festival. Li Chengyun stood at the gate of the courtyard, looked at Yan Shixun's figure before leaving home for school, rolled up his sleeves and smiled and said to this disciple that next year he would give it to him with his own hands. He makes Yuanxiao to eat.

Definitely next year.

must……

Since then, Li Chengyun's death has become Yan Shixun's unmentionable pain, and even because of this, Binhai University has also been included in the range that he does not want to remember. It will spread all over the world.

After finishing Li Chengyun's funeral with Zhang Wubing, Yan Shixun sat in the empty courtyard, and for a moment, he thought about giving up and becoming a ghost exorcist.

He knew very well that he was venting his anger.

But he couldn't restrain himself.

Under the intense grief, Yan Shixun even attributed the Tao they practiced to the cause of Li Chengyun's death, and the thought of "let's just let it be lost" flashed by.

Although he quickly packed up his emotions, he didn't let himself waver for too long.

When he returned to Binhai University again, he could no longer see anything wrong. No one knew that he had experienced such painful and shaken times, and even irrationally blamed all the factors around Li Chengyun's death.

But now, Zheng Shushu's words brought back Yan Shixun's memory.

"My master...is an admirable exorcist."

Yan Shixun lowered his eyelashes slightly, and said in a low voice, "Master Zheng, you are right, I do have a master. When my master died many years ago, I also thought about letting the person who caused my master die This power was lost, and I was so angry that I didn't want it to continue to be passed on, and all the orphaned ancient books were simply burned."

"My master died to protect others, but for me, among the master and others, I want my master to live. What do other people have to do with me? They didn't teach and love me, I Why protect them? This is not the right cause and effect."

Yan Shixun slowly shook his head: "But I soon discovered the extremes of my thinking."

"After Master's death, even if I didn't want to become a teacher, I could only be my own. I was still young at that time. In fact, I hadn't learned many things. I had to face the cruel world without any precautions. No one would protect me from the wind and rain. , and no one would stand not far away and guard me when I was exorcising ghosts, and when I was exhausted or invincible, they would help me, and then wobbled and carried me home."

"Sometimes the ghosts I have to face are too strong, far from what I could handle at that time. However, behind me there are only weak people who need to be protected, and there is no way out."

Yan Shixun blinked his eyes, under the bright fire, those sharp eyes sparkled with complex eyes.

When Zheng Shushu was like a clam with its shell opened, revealing his weaknesses, Yan Shixun took advantage of the victory and pursued him, wanting Zheng Shushu to reveal more information when his emotions were stimulated, so he told his own experience Come out, I want to use this to resonate with Zheng Shu, so that he can say more while empathizing.

But what Yan Shixun didn't expect was that even though he was doing it out of reason, when he talked about Li Chengyun, he still moved his true feelings.

It was indeed a difficult time.

Li Chengyun left too early, and Yan Shixun's departure was completely forced.

When the ghost exorcists of the same age were still hiding behind their master to observe, Yan Shixun was already walking alone among the ghosts. If he was injured or encountered danger, the only one he could rely on was himself.

During that time, Yan Shixun grew rapidly and became stronger.

Every time he grows, there are extra scars on his body, and behind every experience, there are his injuries and pains.

On a night of heavy rain, after killing all the evil spirits in the haunted house, Yan Shixun came out of the gate indifferently with bloody wounds all over his body, when he happened to see another master scolding his disciple.

However, even though the master was furious, he did not forget to hold an umbrella for his disciple.

Yan Shixun stood there watching for a long time, letting the heavy rain wash away the blood on his body, until the pair of master and apprentice disappeared in the rain, he turned indifferently, supported the wall enduring the severe pain, and moved home step by step.

He is an evil ghost to the bone, but every ounce of his strength has grown in actual combat.

The heaven and the earth gave him the ultimate talent and the corresponding dangers, and he practiced his own way and brought this talent to the extreme.

Even now that many years have passed, Yan Shixun is far stronger than any ghost exorcist, no ghosts can easily hurt him, he can walk between yin and yang with ease, and the ghosts retreat.

He can even bring up old events in a lighthearted tone during small talk.

However, the pain he had experienced was also real.

Zheng Shushu didn't expect Yan Shixun to have such an experience. When he heard him say it in the most shallow words without paying attention, Zheng Shushu was stunned for a long time.

He looked at Yan Shixun, but suddenly saw another person in this young and determined exorcist.

The man was wearing a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, standing outside the courtyard gate, smiling and shouting, Brother Shu.

The man knew what he had done, but when he was full of guard and anger, he looked at him calmly, without any contempt or condemnation.

It seems that the things he has done are justified.

So, when the man said, "Brother Shu, come and help me, let's do this together", he nodded without hesitation.

He is very clear that his hands are covered with blood. Even if he has no regrets, he still knows what public order and good customs should be. No matter what the reason is, what he has done has gone far beyond the scope of the world.

But the exorcist looked at him, but there was nothing strange in his eyes.

Still clear and pure, idle clouds and wild cranes.

The man said with a smile, where the Tao is, even if there are tens of thousands of people, I will go there.

The man said, Brother Shu, there is always a glimmer of life left in the world, don't give up.

The man said, Brother Shu, you still have another choice... help me to hold up the world that is about to fall.

So, even though that person had been away for a long time, he still followed what that person had said to him, stayed here, and guarded everything.

Zheng Shushu looked at Yan Shixun in a trance. After a long time, he suddenly asked, "Mr. Yan, what is your master...'s last name?"

Yan Shixun raised his eyebrows in surprise, but still told the truth: "My master's surname is Li."

Zheng Shushu's eyes widened instantly, and even his breathing stopped.

There was an instant silence in the room.

Zheng Tiantian didn't know what to do in the living room and didn't make any sound.

As a result, in the whole house, although the fire was burning brightly and warmly, it still fell into dead silence.

The two looked at each other, and neither of them spoke for a while.

Zheng Shushu's eyes were complicated, and he seemed to have a lot to say.

But he moved his mouth, but as if he remembered something, he glanced to the side, but couldn't speak.

At this moment, the gate of the courtyard was knocked, and a noble and gentle male voice came from outside.

"Mr. Yan, are you here?"

Xie Lin knocked on the door with his fingers, and stood outside the door waiting patiently for a response: "Mr. Yan, dinner is ready, it will get cold if you wait any longer."

The two people in the studio also broke away from the weird atmosphere just now.

Yan Shixun smiled and nodded slightly to Zheng Shushu: "It seems that my friend came to look for me."

He stood up unhurriedly: "Thank you Master Zheng for accompanying me around the village, and for telling me so much carpentry knowledge, which is very interesting."

Zheng Shu also stood up, "I'll see you off."

The gate of the yard opened slowly.

Xie Lin looked up instinctively, but he didn't see Yan Shixun's figure. Instead, he met the wooden dolls who were looking over neatly in the yard.

Standing in the darkness, those dolls looked like real people at first glance, but their stiff bodies still revealed something wrong, and the brain automatically replaced the dolls with dead bodies.

Xie Lin's hairs stood on end immediately, and surprise appeared in his slightly widened eyes.

Yan Shixun is not here... Who opened the door for him?

It wasn't until Xie Lin felt that someone was looking at him and moved his gaze down that he realized that it wasn't as scary as he imagined.

The one who opened the door for him was a little girl who was no higher than his waist height. Because of the height of his eyes, he didn't notice her existence at first.

The girl looked up at Xie Lin with a focused and serious gaze, without moving away a bit.

Xie Lin thought of his sister for a moment.

This child is very similar to his sister... But, if his sister is still alive, she is already a big girl now, instead of maintaining the appearance of a child.

After losing his younger sister, Xie Lin has recognized and missed his younger sister many times over the years. When his depression was at its worst, he even did something like seeing a young girl and thinking that she was his younger sister.

Auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, and inability to distinguish reality from imagination.

Xie Lin has experienced all the worst situations, and he can no longer trust his five senses.

Especially after experiencing a huge stimulus, the possibility of relapse is very high.

——For example, they were in distress this time.

Xie Lin felt that his dream about his sister was a sign that his illness was about to recur.

Therefore, Xie Lin, who knew his situation well, shook his head with a wry smile, thinking that he might need to see a doctor after he went back, and he couldn't always have hallucinations like this, thinking that all the girls of similar age were his sisters.

Thinking of this, Xie Lin sighed in his heart, feeling guilty for this little girl.

Although she didn't know what she thought just now, it would be impolite and offensive to others to regard others as her younger sister casually.

Xie Lin squatted down in front of the little girl, his eyes were at the same level as her, and he said softly, "Hello little sister, may I ask if your family has a big brother as a guest? I'm here to look for him."

Zheng Tiantian's arms holding the little puppet gradually tightened, and her immature palms even turned white with force.

She had always had a sweet smile on her face, but now there was no smile, and her lips were tightly pursed.

Xie Lin was outside the door, and Zheng Tiantian was standing inside.

It's just a threshold, but the distance is too far.

Xie Lin looked at the little girl who didn't speak, and remembered that even he was startled by the wooden doll in the yard. He couldn't help complaining about the little girl's parents in his heart, thinking that the other party was really incompetent, how could he let the young child living in such a depressing environment.

He was more introverted as a little girl, so he didn't think too much, but talked to her patiently with a smile.

At this time, Yan Shixun and Zheng Shushu also came out of the room.

Yan Shixun saw the two people at the door at a glance.

A noble and mature man, and a young and innocent little girl.

The two looked really like brother and sister, very warm.

Even Zheng Shushu was taken aback for a moment, and then he called out "Tiantian".

Zheng Tiantian looked back at her brother, said "brother", and then reached out to Zheng Shushu, as if asking her brother to hold hands.

Zheng Shushu quickly walked a few steps over, bent over, and took Zheng Tiantian's hand with a smile.

Seeing this, Xie Lin also stood up, smiled and nodded to Zheng Shushu: "Your sister is very cute."

Yan Shixun was about to walk over with his long legs, but the corner of his eyes suddenly swept to the corner of the living room.

On the wall behind the high pile of debris and wood carvings, there are several paintings.

One of the paintings, which had been eroded and mottled due to humidity, caught Yan Shixun's attention.

... The human figure outlined with a few ink blots in the painting is deeply familiar to him.

The man in the painting puts his sleeves up and smiles lightly, the corners of his long gown fluttering behind him, like a crane spreading its wings, but he is firmly stepping towards the unknown distance.

But what moved Yan Shixun the most was the inscription on the side of the painting.

The pen is free and easy, and the dry pen is free and easy, forming a romantic life of idle clouds and wild cranes.

Although part of the paper has been rotted and blackened due to moisture, it is impossible to see what was originally written.But Yan Shixun still recognized it, it was clearly...it was his master, Li Chengyun's handwriting.

Zheng Shushu's name was mentioned in the inscription, and his attitude was very friendly, saying "Brother Shushu".

Li Chengyun liked to travel around and make friends widely during his lifetime. No matter where Yan Shixun followed him, he would meet his friends, and he also saw scenes where he quickly made new friends and made each other confidantes.

Compared with Yan Shixun, who is a lone wolf, Li Chengyun has friends all over the world, and it seems that there is no one Li Chengyun does not know.

Yan Shixun asked Li Chengyun before how many friends he had. Li Chengyun thought about it, laughed and replied, as many stars in the sky, as many gravels in the river, he has as many friends.

So later, Yan Shixun also gave up exploring this issue.

But Yan Shixun still didn't expect that Li Chengyun knew Zheng Shushu!

And judging from this painting, it seems that Li Chengyun did not unilaterally regard Zheng Shushu as a friend, Zheng Shu also had a deep friendship with Li Chengyun.

Yan Shixun knew Li Chengyun's painting style, this painting was not drawn by Li Chengyun, the opening and closing trend is more in line with Zheng Shushu's carving style in woodcarving.

One portrait, one inscription, the relationship between these two people is so deep that they are definitely not acquaintances.

In the inscription, some of the words Li Chengyun left to Zheng Shushu also made Yan Shixun wonder what happened here back then.

The inscription said: Brother Shu, let's go and say goodbye. I wish you a long life, but keep the heaven and the earth.

Yan Shixun frowned slowly.

Why did his master leave such words to a carpenter back then?

But now, one of the two is dead, and the other is in the shadow play.

It's not a normal situation by any means.

"Mr. Yan, Mr. Yan?"

Xie Lin was about to bid farewell to Zheng Shushu's siblings, but when he looked up, he found Yan Shixun standing not far away in a daze.

Only then did Yan Shixun come back to his senses.

Before Zheng Shushu looked over, Yan Shixun took one last look at the painting, and then walked over as if nothing had happened.

"Mr. Yan, if you want to see the shadow puppets, Master Bai's house is right behind. He should not be asleep yet. If you want to go, go early."

Just when Yan Shixun was about to bid farewell to Zheng Shushu, Zheng Shushu suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the side and back, asking