Chapter 68: Seeing the Words

Lu Qing chuckled, not in a hurry, ready to boil the frog in warm water, slowly, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Sister-in-law is not in good health, so I naturally can't let her work hard."

Even Chu Mingzhou felt uncomfortable hearing him calling her sister-in-law, and suspected that he had other intentions.

After dinner, Lin Anan was pulled aside by Chu Minglan, "Sister-in-law, I bought the red paper that my brother asked me to buy. Brother Zihuai said you should make paper-cuts this year. Take a look at this paper and see if it works."

"You want to cut paper-cuts?"

Lin Anan took out the large stack of red paper and touched it.

The color is bright, the paper is strong, and there are subtle flashes of gold in the bright red, which looks very nice.

"No problem. I'll try."

Lin Anan said she would give it a try, but she was not sure. The original owner was an expert at cutting paper-cuts, but she was not! Although she had memories of paper-cuts in her mind and was quite skilled at it, it was just empty talk.

Lin Anan took a knife and cut some paper, then started to operate based on her memory.

The scissors at home were a bit blunt, so she just picked up the tailor's scissors and cut, and it was surprisingly smooth...

Chu Minglan sat nearby, resting her chin on her hands, watching eagerly.

Lin Anan cut out a character for "Fu" and then a character for "Shou" with a longevity peach. After cutting the two, her hands became more skilled.

Chu Mingzhou came in after drying his hands, glanced at her, said nothing more, and went on to cut the red paper for the couplets.

"Mingzhou, remember to write a few couplets for me as well." Lu Qing requested.

Chu Mingzhou hummed lightly without looking up.

Lu Qing looked at Lin Anan again. The third piece of paper Lin Anan had cut had not yet been untied, so it was still unclear what it was.

"Sister-in-law, what are you cutting?"

"You'll know if you open it and take a look."

Lu Qing was really not polite and just opened it.

"This... pig?"

"Puchi~" Lin Zihuai and Chu Minglan laughed out loud together.

That’s right, the third picture Lin Anan cut out was of Zhu Bajie holding the Jade Rabbit.

1975 was the Year of the Rabbit. A single rabbit was quite monotonous, so Lin Anan wanted to do something fancy to practice her skills, so she came up with "Bajie Flying to the Moon".

The three paper-cuts are not big, but quite exquisite.

If a professional looks at them, he will definitely find that the techniques of these three paper-cuts are very different. The first one is crude, the second one is skilled, and the third one is proficient.

After being shocked, Lu Qing sighed twice, "Sister-in-law is really versatile, even her paper-cutting skills are so good. But then again, are all the women in your Su City so talented?"

Before Lin An'an could answer, Lin Zihuai spoke first, "That's right, the women in our area are all very beautiful and very capable. My sister is in poor health and can't do farm work, so she has learned a lot and knows a lot.

Like our Tongtong, that's really amazing! Not only is she beautiful, but she's also very independent. Although she can't play any musical instrument, she has very good grades. If she can go to college, I guess her grades will be better than my sister's. Not to mention the far future, just look at her current position in the bus company, how many people are vying for it......"

Lin Zihuai started praising Jiang Tong as soon as he opened his mouth.

Lin Anan's eyes darkened and she felt extremely depressed!

After hearing what Lin Zihuai said, Lu Qing curiously asked, "This Tongtong you mentioned has also come to the northwest?"

"Yes, she works at the Northwest Bus Company. She's currently a ticket seller, and she runs the route that goes through our military region. She came to the Northwest specifically to take care of me and my sister. She's very loyal, right?"

Lin Zihuai's tone was filled with pride.

Lu Qing was about to say yes, but he saw that Chu Mingzhou and his wife both looked unhappy.

Lu Qing realized that there might be something wrong here, so he quickly swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and turned to look at Lin Anan and Chu Mingzhou, "Not only do I want the couplets, I also want these paper-cut window decorations!"

Lin Anan nodded and forced a smile, "No problem, do you have a pattern you like? I'll cut it for you then."

Lin Zihuai wanted to take this opportunity to ask Lu Qing if he could let him take Jiang Tong to the art troupe to watch the rehearsal...

"Zihuai, come here and help me cut the paper."

Chu Mingzhou interrupted him again, put down the knife, handed the job to Lin Zihuai, and began to pour ink and prepare the brush.

"Oh well."

Lin Zihuai didn't think much about it. When his brother-in-law asked him to cut some paper, he went there immediately. It was not a big deal.

Lin Zihuai walked over, picked up a knife, and carefully cut the paper according to the size Chu Mingzhou had previously cut.

Chu Mingzhou said casually as he poured the ink: "Zihuai, the affairs of the art troupe are confidential. Although you are a substitute performer, you must keep it confidential."

Lin Zihuai was stunned for a moment, and then he realized what his brother-in-law meant. "Brother-in-law, can't I tell my family?"

"cannot."

Lin Zihuai nodded and gave up the idea of bringing Jiang Tong into the art troupe. "Oh, so that's how it is. I understand."

Chu Mingzhou didn't say anything else. He concentrated on fiddling with the brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write couplets on the cut red paper.

Lin Anan stood beside him and watched carefully.

His brushwork is vigorous and powerful, and every stroke reveals a calm and majestic feeling. The big characters appear on the paper with a strong sense of style.

No wonder they say seeing the person through words, beautiful handwriting really adds points!

But what he wrote... was particularly new to Lin Anan.

"The Party brings spring breeze to the fields, and the rising sun shines on thousands of homes."

"The spring breeze brings warmth to thousands of families, and the policies that benefit the people make them happy."

"The five grains are abundant and the harvest is abundant, and the party and the people are prosperous and celebrating the peace and prosperity."

Lu Qing was very generous in his praise, almost non-stop, "Mingzhou, your handwriting is still so good, it exudes a sense of spirit and energy, no wonder my grandfather likes it so much."

Chu Mingzhou kept working, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he just hummed lightly.

Chu Minglan also came over, tilted her little head next to Lin Anan, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, many people in the compound praise the couplets that my brother writes every year. They all hope that my brother will write a few for them. It's very popular."

Lin Anan smiled and touched Chu Minglan's head, "Of course, your brother's handwriting is so beautiful, who wouldn't like it?"

Chu Mingzhou finished writing a couplet, put it aside to dry, and then wrote another one.

During the entire lunch break, except Chu Mingyu, no one else took a nap.

When the time was almost up, I returned to the army.

Lin Anan herself came to the art troupe for rehearsal, but she only had two programs, one for accompaniment and one for solo. It didn't take her long to figure them out, especially the solo. She didn't even need a accompaniment for practice.

"An An, come and help me check this dance performance, 'The Happy Milkmaid'. Is the beat wrong?"

"An An, take a look at this short play 'Asking about Suffering in the Deep Mountains'. Isn't the light and shadow effect you just mentioned a little off?"

"An An, come here for a moment..."

In fact, Lin Anan herself didn't know what was going on. She was supposed to be on the stage, but inexplicably she was called backstage to give orders. Not only did the director of the rehearsal department Bailing ask her for advice, but even the director of the art department He Min asked her for advice.

When Lin Zihuai came off the stage after an afternoon of rehearsal, Lin Anan was sitting in the leadership seat pointing and commenting, drinking hot milk with her left hand, turning a small fountain pen in her right hand, and occasionally drawing on the paper.

He Min: "An An! Thank you so much, but we don't quite understand the stage play you mentioned. This is a show after the Spring Festival. By then... I have to accompany the Northwest 37th Regiment to the Martyrs Cemetery. It has special significance."

Lin Anan nodded heavily, "It's okay, I'll go back and think about it tonight, will Sister He be there tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes, it must be!"