Chapter 52: Cosmic Latte (4) In the adult world, most...
Lin Xia clearly remembers receiving the news of her grandfather's passing just as the May Day holiday began in 2012. The college had originally planned a study tour in Jingdezhen, but something unexpected happened, so Lin Xia took leave and returned to Wangchun overnight.
Nothing had gone as planned. At the beginning of the year, Lin Haisheng's condition worsened again, requiring several ICU visits and numerous critical illness notices. In April, Lin Haisheng's condition stabilized somewhat, and he expressed a desire to return to his old home in Wangchun Forest Farm. Determined to fulfill his father's wish, Lin Xuedong, despite He Ping's strong objections, hired a car and a driver to bring Lin Haisheng back from Beijing to Wangchun.
At that time, Lin Haisheng was already at the end of his life and there was no way to save him. Half a month later, he passed away.
With Lin Haisheng's departure, all the conflicts accumulated in the Lin family over the years finally exploded like a bomb with a lit fuse.
First, it was Lin Haisheng's death. He Ping blamed Lin Xuedong for forcing Lin Haisheng back to Wangchun, delaying his treatment. Lin Xuedong accused He Ping of instigating Lin Haisheng to run around in recent years, which aggravated his condition. Both sides insisted on their own opinions and put all the blame on each other.
Second, it’s money.
Lin Xia later realized that in the adult world, most conflicts stem from money. Or perhaps she had already understood it, but was just unwilling to admit it, and always felt in her heart that her relatives were an exception.
Lin Haisheng's own retirement salary was substantial, and through Liu Kairen's manipulation, the market value of his calligraphy and paintings soared, allowing him to accumulate considerable savings over the years. Before his death, he left behind a notarized will, the contents of which are quite intriguing.
He gave his houses in Beijing and Beidaihe to He Ping and left his cash to his son Lin Xuedong. However, he instructed Lin Xuedong to burn all his most valuable calligraphy and paintings a few days before his death.
No one was satisfied with this will.
Zhao Qianyi and He Ping had an argument at the funeral. When the argument got so heated, they started fighting and were eventually separated by the mourners. It was a very ugly scene.
At that moment, Lin Xia stood there blankly, bewildered, unsure how to react to everything that had happened. It was the first time she had seen He Ping with such a ferocious, hysterical expression, as if the gentle and considerate woman who had stood beside Lin Haisheng before was all an illusion. It was also the first time she had heard her mother curse someone with such filthy, vicious language, and for a moment, she couldn't even recognize her.
Later, the matter went to court, and both parties went to court to question the validity of the will, whether He Ping had the legal status to be gifted the property, and whether the destruction of the calligraphy and paintings was Lin Haisheng's original intention, or whether it was an act of Lin Xuedong that went against Lin Haisheng's wishes.
The two families kept cursing at each other for as long as the lawsuit lasted. At the end of the first court session, He Ping and Zhao Qianyi nearly came to blows outside the courthouse, but were stopped in time by Lin Xuedong. Zhao Qianyi scolded He Ping for being shameless and seducing a man old enough to be her father. He Ping retorted mercilessly, "Your good daughter is secretly seducing my son."
By then, Lin Xia had already returned to Beijing for school. Zhao Qianyi had called her several times, harshly questioning her relationship with He Chuan. He Chuan was far away, and their relationship had been operating in secret. With no evidence, Lin Xia simply insisted that He Ping's lies were nonsense and that she knew nothing. Zhao Qianyi was helpless, but she was furious and practically made Lin Xia swear to never have anything to do with anyone named He before the matter was finally settled.
Lin Xia wondered if He Ping knew about her and He Chuan's affair, how much she knew, or when. Perhaps it was just pure speculation, with no evidence. Otherwise, she would have seized on the incident and made a big fuss, attacking Zhao Qianyi and Lin Xuedong. But she didn't, seemingly just mentioning it casually. He Chuan faced a similar situation. He Ping ordered him to forbid any further contact with the Lin family, or else she would sever her mother-son relationship with him.
The lawsuit lasted for more than half a year, and the final judgment was to execute the will. Both the plaintiff and the defendant were extremely disappointed with the result. Since then, He Ping and Lin Xuedong's family have completely broken up and have never had any contact with each other again.
Lin Xia and He Chuan knew from the beginning that there would be no day when their families would coexist peacefully, but they never imagined that things would eventually turn into this dead end with no way out.
Even if they could really escape from here, go abroad together, and leave their parents' control, could they really never come back and give up their relatives and family for love?
Is this appropriate? Is this wise?
From then on, Lin Xia's heart inevitably began to waver.
......
Lin Xia and Qu Na walked around until the art museum closed, and then went to a nearby commercial street for dinner, where they had Chaoshan beef hotpot.
Guangdong's culinary customs differ significantly from those in northern China. The soup base is plain water, the beef is freshly cut, the dipping sauce is shacha sauce, the utensils are scalded with hot water before eating, and any remaining bone spurs are placed on a small plate rather than on the table. These subtle differences are beyond the reach of even the most comprehensive encyclopedia; only by experiencing life in a foreign land can one truly understand them.
While eating, Qu Na was still talking to Lin Xia about calligraphy, painting and exhibitions.
"They say there are 100 pieces of calligraphy and painting, but it's obvious that a third of them are just filler. But at least there are authentic works by XX and XX, so I'm content. Do you remember the late Ming and early Qing dynasty calligraphy and painting exhibition we saw at the Palace Museum in 2015? Treasures were piled up like they were free. Back then, we laughed at the Palace Museum's tacky and aesthetically pleasing exhibition layout. Now, it's impossible to see such authentic exhibitions."
Lin Xia also recalled that incident and found it a bit amusing: "Isn't it a bit unfair to compare the Shenzhen Art Museum with the Forbidden City?"
"True, but even if we can't compare it to the Forbidden City, it's still far behind the Tsinghua Museum. Do you remember the Qi Baishi exhibition during our third year of graduate school? The line outside was so long, luckily Senior XX got us tickets..."
"It wasn't Senior XX, he had already graduated by then. It was XX's junior, she worked in the student union."
"Yes, it was her. She was XX's girlfriend at the time..."
When I recall those days, there are always endless topics to talk about.
After Lin Xia came to Shenzhen, whenever she chatted with her undergraduate and graduate classmates, they would always recall the past.
Tsinghua University has left such a deep mark on them that it will never be erased in their lifetime.
Or to put it another way, those years in college are the highlight of life for most of them, so they will definitely be remembered for the rest of their lives.
The two of them talked about a lot of things, and Qu Na finally concluded helplessly:
"There are really too few good exhibitions in Shenzhen, and even if there are tickets, they are very expensive. Everyone is busy with work and has no time to enrich their spiritual world."
Lin Xia agreed: "Yes."
This city is a city of workers. There is no life, no entertainment, and no history. There are rarely children and old people on the streets. There are only workers rushing around, burning their youth, dedicating their lives, and building one tall factory tower after another, made of steel and concrete, and brightly lit.
Shenzhen speed is a technical term. Burdened with mortgages, car loans, five social insurances and one housing fund, we are desperately rushing forward.
"By the way, let's go to Hong Kong next month!" Qu Na suddenly remembered something. "I saw online that there's a very good exhibition in Hong Kong next month, featuring Titian and Wu Guanzhong. I remember you're quite fond of Titian, too. What do you think? Do you want to go?"
When Lin Xia heard the word "Hong Kong", she was slightly stunned.
Shenzhen and Hong Kong are so close, they couldn't be closer. There's even a Sino-British Street in Yantian District, with Shenzhen on one side and Hong Kong on the other. Getting visas here is incredibly convenient. Lin Xia has several friends and colleagues who love shopping and go almost every week or two, returning the same day. Places that once seemed so far away are now within easy reach.
But Lin Xia has been here for more than three years and has never been there once.
"I quite like Titian."
Lin Xia picked up a piece of hot pork belly with chopsticks, dipped it in the rich sauce, and said slowly,
"But we'll be very busy starting next month and may not have time. Isn't that the case with you guys?"
Qu Na's work is much busier than Lin Xia's. Their company pursues a wolf culture and overtime is rampant. Even the time to go out on this day is squeezed out, as she still has to go to work tomorrow.
As soon as these words came out, the light in Qu Na's eyes dimmed:
"Yeah, it's the end of the year and I'm so busy, I don't have time."
It was like stepping from the romantic world into the reality of firewood, rice, oil and salt. The two of them were silent for a while.
They rarely talk about work when they meet, because when they do, they just complain. When they first started working, they couldn't wait to complain to everyone they met, but after a few years, they just didn't bother talking anymore. They think the whole world is the same: stupid bosses, weird colleagues, all the same, no difference.
After eating in silence for a while, Qu Na suddenly said:
"I want to change jobs."
"Change," Lin Xia said without paying much attention. "Where do you want to change jobs to?"
Changing companies is common in their line of work, and the better the resume, the higher the salary increase.
Qu Na shook her head and said, "I don't want to work in an internet company anymore. It's too tiring."
“Yes.”
"At least you're professionally qualified. Look at me? I don't know what I'm busy with every day. Do you know how long it's been since I last picked up a paintbrush? I started studying art at the age of five, nearly twenty years ago, and it's almost all in vain now."
Those who study art for more than ten or twenty years and are admitted to Tsinghua University of Fine Arts must have talent, hard work, luck, and passion—none of which is lacking. But reality is always cruel. Ideals cannot be eaten. It is not impossible to find a job after graduation, but how many people can ultimately turn their passion into a career?
Lin Xia sighed softly: "Even if the majors match, it may not be a good thing."
Her undergraduate major was considered unpopular nationwide, with very limited employment opportunities. About 90% of graduates changed careers, and the rest either taught at universities or worked in factories in southern China, with few promising careers. Furthermore, given her allergies, she couldn't even find a job that was 100% related to her major.
Her current job is at least a return to her original intention, which is painting, which she has loved since childhood. However, she increasingly feels that treating her passion as a job is actually a kind of pain.
People's energy and inspiration are limited. Every day, for the sake of tasks and customer needs, they produce some utilitarian shit that they don't even approve of, which drains all their inspiration and creativity. After get off work, they don't even want to pick up a pen or open the drawing software. They just feel physical disgust.
Lin Xia has forgotten how long it has been since she created her own work outside of work. Recently, she discovered a terrifying fact: her love and interest in painting have gradually faded.
Qu Na wondered, "Did we do something wrong? Are we not good enough?"
Lin Xia shook her head: "The idea that you can live the life you want by working hard is probably a false proposition."
It is a scam jointly woven by schools, parents and society, which has deceived generations of naive children who firmly believe that studying can change their destiny.
Qu Na took a sip of the cold lemon tea and said viciously:
"If I win the lottery, I'll quit this crappy job right away."
"Yeah, it's great to have money," Lin Xia chuckled. "In fact, the root of many troubles is because of this."
Money can't solve all problems, but it can at least solve most. This is an eternal truth. Money gives you a way out and options, which is why so many people become ferocious and unscrupulous for money.
Look, she finally accepted this truth and became the kind of adult she once disliked.
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