Whether I see him or not, I don’t see him, but he wants to come and see me…
"Is it you?" The man was wearing rain boots, carrying an empty bucket, and holding up a flashlight, shining the white light on Wen Zichuan's face.
"...Yu Ming?" Wen Zichuan was backlit, so he raised his hand to block the glaring light. From the voice, he knew that it was Yu Ming who came.
Yu Ming seemed to be more worried about disturbing the people in the house than he was, and hurriedly pulled him to the open space on the side: "Why did you come to Jiqing?"
The explanation was a bit complicated, so Wen Zichuan simply kept it simple, "I'm... on a business trip."
Yu Ming has always been cold and direct: "Want to see him?"
Wen Zichuan was so scared that he dared not say a word. He suppressed his pounding heart and said, "If it's inconvenient, then..."
“It’s really inconvenient.”
"……sorry."
"Cheng Sizhou was diagnosed with severe depression. Did you know?"
"Severe...depression?"
Wen Zichuan knew what severe depression was. He stretched his neck to look out the window, trying to see some clues, but Cheng Sizhou was still painting quietly. Apart from looking a little haggard, he looked no different from before.
"It seems you don't know." Yu Ming shook the water out of the empty bucket, tossed it aside, and sat down on a stone block by the field. "If he wasn't severely depressed and showing signs of schizophrenia, unable to work and live normally, he wouldn't have been sent here to recuperate."
"What's wrong with him?!" Wen Zichuan didn't dare to let Yu Ming look up to talk to him, so he found a place not too far away and sat down.
Yu Ming's eyes were as cold as a knife. Although the man opposite him was very humble, he still pierced him twice. "When you two went to visit the Lantern Festival, I could see that you two were together."
Wen Zichuan lowered his head, pinching his right hand with his left hand, and then pinching his left hand with his right hand. In fact, when Yu Ming said that, he was still in unrequited love with Brother Zhou, and Brother Zhou did not agree.
But that's all in the past.
"Men being together is inherently unethical. If you two could keep it a secret for a lifetime, you'd be a master at it. But how did it become so public? Now everyone knows that Cheng Sizhou likes men, including his parents' colleagues and friends, his master's and his mistress' colleagues and friends, and everyone at Dengbo!" Yu Ming's voice grew increasingly harsh as he spoke. "Do you know what this means? He's socially dead!"
After talking to Xu Jiaxuan on the phone, Wen Zichuan had already anticipated the seriousness of the matter.
Although he was mentally prepared, he was still frozen in place by Yu Ming's words. He pinched his finger bones so hard that he almost broke the joints.
There are many homosexuals in the entertainment industry where he is, and no one thinks that liking the same sex is a strange thing. Sometimes they are even encouraged to pursue love bravely.
However, he and Cheng Sizhou live in different circles after all, and are two types of people who should not interact with each other.
He regretted not trying his best to stop Xu Jiaxuan when he proposed to help him break up Cheng Sizhou and He Mengpian. He should have foreseen Xu Jiaxuan and such things, but he was kidnapped by his own inner demons and was complacent that as long as everyone knew that "Cheng Sizhou likes men", he would not be arranged to go on blind dates with other girls endlessly.
Wen Zichuan was more hypocritical than he had imagined. On the surface, he wished Cheng Sizhou happiness in this world, but secretly, he couldn't stand him showing any intimacy with anyone, even if it was just "based on emotion but within the bounds of propriety."
"You don't need to apologize to me, or say that. I believe you are not such a stupid person. You obviously like him and yet put him in such a situation."
"He was stabbed in the back..."
"Not only that, the doctor said he's been in this condition for quite a while. He's been showing signs of depression since March, when he was taking care of Master. Didn't he also hit his head a little later? That's also caused by not getting enough rest. The long-term lack of rest, coupled with this incident, has caused his condition to become so serious."
After Yu Ming's explanation, Wen Zichuan was even more speechless. If they hadn't been too passionate that night, Cheng Sizhou wouldn't have hit his head due to overwork.
"What did the doctor say? There's a cure, right?"
"The doctor recommended staying away from his original living environment, so Mrs. Lin thought of me. Xu Yang and I took turns watching him take his medicine and eat. It's better than staying away from the lights."
Wen Zichuan couldn't bear to look away. Under the light in the house, Cheng Sizhou was facing the window, concentrating on painting his picture.
In fact, as long as he looked up, he could see the person outside the window, and the two of them could look into each other's eyes and meet again after a long separation.
"Do you still want to see him?" Yu Ming asked this question for the second time.
The word "want" lingered in Wen Zichuan's throat for a long time, and when it was about to burst out, he swallowed it back.
"Gone," he forced himself to say, suppressing the pain in his heart. "Since his condition has improved here, please take good care of him."
"No need to ask, Cheng Sizhou is my junior fellow apprentice." Yu Ming never gave him a good look from beginning to end.
Wen Zichuan stood up, moved along the shadow of the eaves to the window, looked at it again and again with reluctance, and finally took out his mobile phone, reached into the windowsill, and took a picture.
Because he was too nervous, the photo was even a little blurry, but he still put the phone into his pocket as if it were a treasure. After thanking Yu Ming, he left the porcelain kiln area.
The next day, Wei Jing took them out for a stroll, planning to buy some beautiful porcelain to decorate their new home.
They originally wanted to go to the "Porcelain Street" across the street, but Wei Jing heard from Wei Xiaoming that there were many family workshops in the porcelain kiln area, and the things they sold were definitely better looking and cheaper than those in the shops.
In order to cheer up his godson, President Wei temporarily changed his plan, and a group of people went to the porcelain kiln area in a mighty procession.
This trip to Jiqing was a short one, so Lan Qin and Xie Bing did not accompany them. To ensure safety, they brought four bodyguards and two assistants. They were all dressed in bright and beautiful clothes and wore sunglasses. Anyone who saw them would have no doubt that they were a group of nouveau riche bosses.
However, although Jiqing is small, the people in the town are not ignorant.
Ci Nan is famous for its porcelain. It has been producing tribute porcelain since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The furnaces have been burning continuously since then. There have been no shortage of prestigious people coming here to order and purchase porcelain in considerable quantities in every dynasty.
Wei Jing's style was the most attractive. As soon as he entered the porcelain kiln area, someone came forward to "present treasures".
The craftsman, who was about forty years old, came over holding a large blue and white vase, saying that it was an imitation of the shape and patterns of Ming Dynasty vessels. He first introduced the origin and then the production method. He also said that there was only one such pair in the world. He spoke eloquently for almost ten minutes, which was difficult for Boss Wei, as he listened carefully without interrupting.
"Is it an imitation of Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain?" Wei Jing squinted and took a look.
"Yes, it's a rare Ming blue and white porcelain handed down from generation to generation." said the craftsman.
"What a pity, they are imitations after all. How much are two pieces for a pair?" Wei Jing is a businessman, and it is his style to ask the price first.
"Boss, you have good taste." The craftsman made a "three" gesture.
Three hundred thousand. A pair of blue and white porcelain vases.
Wei Jing nodded, but had no intention of continuing the conversation. He looked around a few times, then raised his leg and was about to leave.
"Hey! Boss, don't go! If you don't like it, we have something else!" The craftsman trotted after him.
"You said it was a replica. Which one did you imitate? Do you have the original?" Wei Jing asked casually. Of course, he didn't believe that he had any authentic ancient items.
The craftsman was anxious. The "three hundred thousand" offer obviously didn't faze the big boss. He hurried forward to stop them and said, "Yes, yes, yes! The originals are my family heirlooms. Otherwise, how could you dare to say they are the only pair in the world?"
Wei Jing finally stopped talking: "Have a cup of tea and chat while you drink."
When the craftsman heard this, his eyebrows lit up: "Okay! No problem!"
The arrival of such an important guest alarmed the neighbors, who gathered around to see what was happening.
Wen Zichuan, who was mixed in the crowd, seemed to be expecting to see something, but also afraid of seeing something. He pinched the nose clip of the mask unnaturally, and stood aside with his eyes and nose in his mind.
They wanted to see the real Ming blue and white porcelain, which was an antique that was hundreds of years old. The craftsmen were unable to produce this heirloom, so they had to let their disciples entertain Wei Jing and his party first, and then they would go to invite their father in person.
As soon as the old man came out, he was about to beat the unfilial son with his cane, saying that he could sell imitations at any price, but the things passed down from ancestors could not be sold!
"Old man, a gentleman doesn't take away what others love. He didn't say he wanted to sell it, and I had no intention of buying it." Wei Jing drank his tea and was exceptionally kind. "Things passed down from our ancestors, if they're just stored in a warehouse and gathering dust, wouldn't that be an insult to them? Take it out today and let everyone see what's so good about it. It'll also help promote your stuff. Isn't that better than just letting it gather dust?"
When it comes to social skills, I'm afraid that all the people present together cannot match Mr. Wei. Wen Zichuan saw that he made the old craftsman's expression waver with just a few words. After all, no matter how good the craftsman is, he has to make money, and no one can resist money.
"I'm not showing it to you, not because I don't want to." The old craftsman sighed and waved his hand. "Go, Third Brother, show us the heirloom. Your distinguished guests will know it at a glance."
The old craftsman does have a pair of Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain vases. Judging from their size, they are half a person's height, with bright glaze and vivid patterns. They are indeed rare and fine products.
The only problem is that the bodies of the two porcelain vases have varying degrees of damage, and the damage is so large that it makes these valuable antiques difficult to sell - if they are sold at a higher price, no one will buy them; if they are sold at a lower price, they will not be satisfied.
Wei Jing looked at the damaged area and smacked his lips in pain. Finally, his eyes moved around Wen Zichuan again, and the meaning was self-evident.
Cheng Sizhou isn't here right now. If he were, he'd certainly say that while the country encourages "keeping treasures among the people," the complexities of private inheritance and inadequate preservation methods can lead to more or less damage to cultural relics. Therefore, it's recommended that heirloom cultural relics be donated to cultural relics bureaus or museums for official custody.
"You need to find a way to repair this pair of blue and white porcelain!"
"Yeah, yeah, no matter how generous the boss is, you can't buy a pair of broken bottles back home. Even if they are antiques, it's unlucky!"
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, and the old craftsman was so angry that he grabbed the ground with his crutch and shouted at the people around him: "Who doesn't know how to fix it?! If the missing piece was there, it wouldn't be your turn to complain!"
"Where is the missing piece? Why is it gone?"
"My grandfather's grandfather was lost back then! How do you think we can make up for it?"
Everyone finally understood why the old craftsman was so hesitant to buy the heirloom, because the porcelain vase was already broken when it was passed to him.
He was arrogant and proud all his life and cared a lot about face. If he hadn't seen that Wei Jing was indeed extraordinary and eloquent, he would not have taken them out easily.
"It can be mended!" someone in the crowd shouted, "Hasn't the kid from the old Yu family returned? He spent seven or eight years in Dengyuan studying with a national-level master! Give it a try!"
Wei Jing frowned and quickly grasped the key point: "National Master?"
The man shouted, "Yes! You know the Dengyuan Museum? They have a Master Jiang who specializes in porcelain restoration!"
Wei Jing laughed when he heard this. Could it be that he had run into someone he knew again? Master Jiang had so many disciples. Teacher Cheng ignored him, so didn't he run into Teacher Yu again?
The excitement here was not over yet, so everyone urged the old craftsman to carry the porcelain vase to Yu's house to let the boy from the Yu family see whether it could be repaired.
But to go to the Yu family, he would have to meet Cheng Sizhou. Wen Zichuan wanted to find a reason to go back to the B&B first. Unexpectedly, after the crowd left, there was a person under the eaves of the opposite house who stared at him. Just one glance, and he could no longer move.
——Cheng, Si, Zhou.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
