In the gallery, the light was a bit dim.
Wang Gu held the painting, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
In the backyard, in front of the door, the old man trembled even more severely.
Ye Bei just stood quietly.
He looked back faintly, in those deep eyes, there were no waves, they were very calm.
The old man in front of him looked kind, he combed his hair very carefully, without a trace of messy, but the silvery-white hair was still clearly visible in the dim light. In his slightly sunken eye sockets, a pair of dark brown eyes quietly revealed about the years and the transformation of life.
If his outline was not so similar, who would think that this old man, eighty years ago, was handsome, versatile, as countless beautiful women lined up in a long line, boldly pursuing him alone throughout the Ancient Street?
"You…" Looking at Ye Bei, he slowly stretched out his hand, his mouth was half-sound before spitting out such a word, all his pupils were shocked and unbelievable, but there was still a lot of hesitation in his eyes.
"Old Master, why are you here? I have good news, that painting is found. Look, it's in my hand now. I've seen you tried to paint it many times, it's very similar to this painting. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it." When Wang Gu saw the old man, he ran over with the painting quickly, his voice excited, with some mist around his eyes, he was clearly crying with joy.
But when Wang Gu stretched out the painting in front of the old man, he did not expect that the old man would actually slowly push it away, without even looking at it. Those eyes were still on Ye Bei.
"It's me." Ye Bei looked at the old man, and when the atmosphere in this gallery was extremely silent, he spoke softly.
His words were not much, just simple two words, his voice was hoarse and a bit young, but it was extremely deep.
After the old man listened, his trembling body was shaking more and more at this moment.
It seemed that at this moment, he went straight through countless hours and returned to eighty years ago.
He was wearing a blouse, sitting at the door, painting for a young girl.
A young man in a white gown came with small steps, stood with his hands behind his back, he did not speak, he just watched quietly.
The youth looked indifferent. Those eyes were like the void which contained countless stars and countless stories.
But now, when the old man saw Ye Bei again, he only felt that the two images were magically overlapping.
There seemed to be an illusion of a thousand years instead.
"Guest, my name is Wang Xiu, penname is Winter Jasmine. I don't know whether the guest is here to paint for himself or buy paintings?" That day, Wang Xiu was very young and personable. When he spoke, his voice was clear and confident.
"I need a portrait of one person." The youth in the white gown spoke softly.
"Oh?" Wang Xiu was puzzled.
"I will narrate, you will sketch." The youth said flatly.
"Difficult!" After Wang Xiu understood the meaning, he looked thoughtful and cautious.
"Accept?" The youth in the white gown asked.
"Accept." Wang Xiu nodded earnestly after pondering for a few seconds.
The memory of that year, at this moment, became extremely clear.
Standing in the gallery, Wang Xiu's trembling body could not stop shaking.
The air almost solidified at this moment.
Wang Gu was a little unclear about this, but in any case, he still held the scroll tightly though he did not know what to say.
After a long time, Wang Xiu finally recovered.
He raised his head and looked at Ye Bei again, he sighed softly, "People who are very similar also exist. Guest, are you a descendant of that person? He once said that a hundred years later, he will definitely come to see me."
"I am that person." Ye Bei opened his mouth and looked at Wang Xiu who had been eroded by the years, his eyes were indifferent to the extreme. His eyes did not have any wave as he made another statement, but when his sentence fell, the gallery was instantly occupied by a kind of sadness.
Wang Xiu did not speak, staring straight at Ye Bei with his dry eyes.
Doubts, at loss, ups and downs…
He was thinking.
He could not believe it and did not dare to accept it.
There was no trace of age on the face of the old friend 80 years ago, even his voice and clothes were exactly the same as before.
Could it be that the years are fake? In this world, could it be there is someone who is unbound by time?
"Old Master, and this gentleman, what are you talking about? How do I feel that I don't understand at all? And, where did this painting come from?" Wang Gu beside him could not help it anymore, he opened his mouth and broke the silent atmosphere.
Ye Bei was silent, he did not make any special actions.
The corners of Wang Xiu's wrinkled eyes trembled a little, "Little Gu, you go to the backyard first, I have something to ask the guest."
"Old Master?" Wang Gu became more puzzled.
"Go!"
"Yes, father." Wang Gu did not dare to talk anymore, he put the painting on the table near that. In his heart, Wang Xiu was not only his father but also the one who disciplined him the most severe. Even though he was already nearly 70 years old, when facing this father of his, he did not dare to disobey.
When Wang Gu left, only Ye Bei and Wang Xiu were left in the gallery.
Wang Xiu looked at Ye Bei and spoke slowly, "Guest, my name is Wang Xiu, penname is Winter Jasmine, I don't know if the guest is here to paint for himself or buy paintings?"
The words were the same, but the sound was completely different from the clearness of the past.
"I need a portrait of one person." Ye Bei said lightly.
"Oh?" Wang Xiu shook his body and put one hand on the table, trying to stand firm.
"I will narrate, you will sketch."
After hearing this, Wang Xiu was finally determined and he no longer had any doubts.
"It's really you! Eighty years ago, that day, after you left with the painting, I repeatedly trying to paint that painting every day, but no matter how hard I work, no matter hard I paint, I can't draw that painting again with that perfection, why is that?" When he said this, Wang Xiu stared at Ye Bei. Compared to that painting, Ye Bei's unchanging appearance was undoubtedly more amazing for him.
"I'm looking for this answer too. If I'm not wrong, about the person in this painting… I have a hunch that in the near future, the girl in the painting will appear at No. 32 Ancient Street." Ye Bei did not hide it and said calmly.
"The girl in the painting? Eighty years…" Wang Xiu stared at Ye Bei blankly. Eighty years ago, he had a foreboding of everything? This was too strange.
However, Wang Xiu understood that there were some things that he did not need to know.
"Whatever, guest, since you are here again, Winter Jasmine has only one thing to ask for." Wang Xiu was serious.
Ye Bei nodded, he did not wait for Wang Xiu to tell what was the matter, he agreed directly.
Wang Xiu had lived for a long time, he was already over a hundred years old.
Ye Bei looked at his old face and immediately judged that he had run out of time. So since he had a relationship with him, he could not refuse.
"Why don't you ask about it?" Wang Xiu was surprised.
"Paint a picture." Ye Bei replied lightly.
Wang Xiu grinned, his old face revealed a rare smile.
Think about your own faults during the first half of the night, and the faults of others during the second half.
No. 32 Ancient Street.
In the inner courtyard, Wang Gu walked back and forth, his eyes full of doubt.
"Who is that young man? How did he meet the Old Master? Over the years, the Old Master has always been behind closed doors. Even many neighborhoods in the Ancient Street do not know that the Old Master is still alive, and I have never seen that person in the past either…" He muttered softly in his mouth.
"That painting… what's going on with it? Is it possible that that young man is a descendant of the owner of the painting?" His brows frowned as he became thoughtful.
"Also, what on earth will the Old Master and that young man talk about?" When Wang Gu said this, he raised his head from time to time and looked in the direction of the small wooden door, but he did not have the guts to go in without the Old Master's permission.
…
In the gallery.
The light was dim, Wang Xiu's hands trembled as he continued to lit a few more candle lights, the place was illuminated extremely brightly.
Ye Bei stood quietly as he looked at the painting in front of him, while Wang Xiu was quietly preparing the ink.
In the painting, there were a few small rural houses, a few dead trees that had just sprouted, and a few ancient people.
When looking at this painting, Ye Bei's thoughts drifted away leisurely.
In a house's study room.
A boy was gently grinding ink beside Ye Bei, his actions were serious and meticulous.
Ye Bei was in a long gown as usual; he sat in front of a desk with a brush in his hand. His eyebrows were handsome and his complexion was calm.
He moved the brush and words fell.
Line after line, the style of the words was peaceful and natural, and the gesture was subtle and stable as if they were born with a sense of perfection.
"Master, what are you writing?" The boy stopped, and when Ye Bei finished writing, the boy asked curiously, he knew very few words.
"Orchid Pavilion Preface." Ye Bei spoke, his voice was indifferent.
"Master, these words are so beautiful… I want to write such beautiful words in the future too!" The boy's voice was full of admiration and awe.
Ye Bei picked up the word and muttered softly, "This word is for you."
"Really?" The boy was overjoyed.
"Yeah." Ye Bei nodded, he let out a light smile and said lightly, "After this word, there is also a painting, I will give it to you today too."
"Thank you, master, I will grind the ink for master." The boy was overjoyed even more.
While grinding ink seriously, the boy would also look at Ye Bei's painting from time to time.
It was a story of a meeting of Winding Stream Party. With Ye Bei's graceful movements and strokes, the boy became more and more surprised as time went on. The picturesque scenery was quiet and peaceful. (A/N: A winding stream party is an old Chinese custom in which the participants wait by a winding stream and compose poems before their cups full of rice wine float down to reach them.)
The depiction of trees, buildings, and characters were all extremely sophisticated.
When the whole painting was over, it was elegant and beautiful in the splendor and subtly, showing the green landscape with an extremely real and lifelike picture.
"Master, this painting is so beautiful. Just looking at it, I can hear the sound of mountain streams and bamboo leaves stirring as if my whole person is integrated into this painting, and it's extremely quiet and tranquil." As Ye Bei stopped his movement, the boy fully expressed his thoughts.
"The painting was made with Orchid Pavilion Preface; I will give it to you today." Ye Bei's expression was indifferent, he glanced slightly and gave the painting to the boy casually.
"Thank you master for the reward; I will not let master down in the future." The boy took it carefully, like a heavenly treasure.
And many years later, this boy made great achievements in the calligraphy world, the later generations called him the "Sage of Calligraphy".
The collection of Orchid Pavilion Preface, with a pure heart and a sharp brush in the three points.
But there was no trace of the painting, in later generations, people often copied it based on fantasy.
That boy's name was Xizhi, his surname was Wang, his nationality was Han, his penname was Danzhai.
"Such a pity." After a long time, Ye Bei regained his senses and sighed slightly, his eyes faint.
When Wang Xiu heard this, he said, "Guest, the world only knows that Wang Xizhi has written the Orchid Pavilion Preface but does not know that there's a painting along with it too, it's a pity, it's been too long, where did that painting go? No one knows, now this one was bought by ancestors with at a large sum of money, and it was made by posterity according to the preface."
"En." Ye Bei said lightly.
He did not intend to tell the truth. Whether it was the Orchid Pavilion Preface or the painting, he moved a lot of hands and feet in later gears to cover up everything.
"Guest, that ink has been polished." Wang Xiu muttered.
From the table, Ye Bei picked up a brush, he took a step forward and moistened it with ink.
Afterward, he found a piece of paper cloth and placed it on a wooden board, with a calm expression, he sat down in front of the wooden board with a graceful movement.
The brush in his hand moved, the words appeared.
Wang Xiu crouched on the side, watching carefully.
"Orchid Pavilion Preface!"
When the tree characters 'Orchid Pavilion Preface' appeared, Wang Xiu's expression was shocked, his pupils kept dilating.
Those three words were vigorous and powerful, full of the long years, if not for the new ink, it was definitely more real than the original.
In a blink of an eye, ten minutes passed.
Whoosh!
Everything was done.
The brand new Orchid Pavilion Preface was created.
Ye Bei took the paper cloth away without even looking at it, he put it aside and picked up the brush again, smeared it with ink, then he laid a piece of paper cloth again. This time, Ye Bei was going to paint.
Green mountains and green water, magnificent forests and bamboos…
The outline of the painting became clearer and clearer.
Next to him, Wang Xiu's body was already sluggish, those eyes were full of incredibility and shock.
"Guest, this is… the original painting of Orchid Pavilion Preface?" The moment Ye Bei started the movement of his brush again, Wang Xiu could not help it as his voice trembling, then he stepped forward, rubbing his eyes, staring at the painting without blinking. His dry eyes became brighter, his voice also vividly revealed excitement.
"Yes, if you think it is. No, if you think it's not." Ye Bei threw the brush aside, left his hand from the painting, and stood quietly in the gallery, continuing to observe the paintings handing on the wall, his eyes tranquil, without any waves.
But it could not be applied to Wang Xiu.
He could not calm down at all. That rickety, old body quickly picked up the two pieces of paper.
Regardless of whether Ye Bei was nearby, he found a magnifying glass and looked at it carefully by candlelight.
In the gallery, it fell into silence again.
Hu, hu…
Only the occasional heavy breathing of Wang Xiu could be heard.
After a long time, Wang Xiu raised his head, his body arched, and his hand holding the magnifying glass could not stop shaking.
"Guest, have sir… ever met the ancestor Danzhai?" His voice was very soft, with hesitation, also with a bit of anticipation, and the way he called Ye Bei had also changed from 'you' to 'sir'.
"Yeah." Ye Bei said lightly, which was regarded as an answer.
"That…" Wang Xiu wanted to ask more.
But before he could let out the second word, Ye Bei leisurely continued, "He was my attendant."
Wang Xiu held the paper cloth and slowly loosened it. In the gallery, the needle fell silently.
If you want your children to have a peaceful life, let them suffer a little hunger and a little coldness.
Comentario de párrafo
¡La función de comentarios de párrafo ya está en la Web! Mueva el mouse sobre cualquier párrafo y haga clic en el icono para agregar su comentario.
Además, siempre puedes desactivarlo en Ajustes.
ENTIENDO