Chapter 101 Fan Zhicheng
After staying on the farm for two days, the third day should be the time to return home.
Xiangbei arranged the farm work, and a group of people patted their chests and promised: "Director, you can rest assured to take your wedding leave and spend time with Section Chief Tao. We promise to manage the farm well."
So, Xiangbei and Tao Nanfeng began their honeymoon leave.
I brought Xiang's father and mother back to Jiangcheng, and the whole family moved into a new house in Yuanhou Village.
Tao Shouxin was reluctant to let his daughter get married because he was afraid of separation. Now that Tao Nanfeng has gotten married, he lives in Yuanhou Village, which is only a dozen minutes’ walk away. His in-laws take good care of his three meals a day, and he has gradually adapted to the situation.
Tao Shouxin wrote a piece of calligraphy and hung it in his bedroom. The three big characters "Taoranju" were written in a vigorous and powerful style.
The floor exudes the scent of pine wood, there is a bunk bed in the middle, a desk on the north side faces the bamboo forest, and a Luohan couch on the southeast wall where one can sit or lie down. There are all kinds of Huanghuali furniture, and childhood days seem to overlap here.
It happened to be summer vacation, so Tao Shouxin simply moved all the manuscripts and materials over, ready to concentrate on compiling "A Record of Folk Houses in Northwest Hubei".
Tao Nanfeng and Xiangbei lived in the east room, which was separated from the three elders by a main room. They were free and happy, full of affection and they wished they could stick together every day.
The two of them wandered around Jiangcheng in their spare time.
It's hot in Jiangcheng in summer, but young couples hold hands and ride on the tram with long braids, stroll along the Yangtze River, watch performances and drink iced green bean soup in the no longer bustling Minzu Park, and search for the most authentic hot dry noodles and fried noodle nests in the old alleys with small buildings in the deep lanes.
Going north, I felt like I had entered a colorful new world, a world completely different from the countryside. Only by holding Tao Nanfeng's hand tightly could I avoid going the wrong way.
——It turns out that big cities are so prosperous. It turns out that Tao Nanfeng's childhood was so lively.
For two people from different cultural and family backgrounds to become the closest couple, they still have a long way to go before they can achieve true soul harmony.
On this day, the two of them were out for a day and entered the campus from the west gate side by side.
Walking along the camphor road, under the quiet shade of the trees, Tao Nanfeng took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "It's really hot."
The sun sets and the sky is filled with colorful clouds. The setting sun was still struggling with its remaining heat, peeking out from between the trees and slanting down from Tao Nanshan's shoulders, stretching her shadow very long.
Xiangbei lowered her head to look at the ground, and a tall figure blocked her way and enveloped Tao Nanfeng.
Tao Nanfeng seemed to sense something, turned around and looked at him, smiling: "Aren't you hot? Still looking for the sun."
Xiangbei shook his head and looked at her intently, his eyes full of tenderness: "I have been doing farm work since I was a child, and after joining the army, I trained under the scorching sun. I am not afraid of the sun."
A feeling of heartache surged up, and Tao Nanfeng took the initiative to reach out and hold his hand, gently shaking it.
Xiangbei understood her thoughts and knew that she was worried about him, and his eyes darkened. If we weren't outside, I would really like to kiss her hard until both of us can't breathe.
The two were newlyweds, looking at each other tenderly, when they suddenly heard a weak voice beside them: "Um...Excuse me, are you Tao Nanfeng?"
Tao Nanfeng looked in the direction of the sound.
The setting sun shone through the gaps between the trees and fell on the young man in front of him. He was wearing a khaki short-sleeved shirt, with short bangs hanging down to his eyebrows, rippling peach blossom eyes, and a slightly long face that was extremely beautiful and eye-catching.
It was the first time that Tao Nanfeng saw such a handsome man and he couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
Xiangbei frowned slightly, stood beside Tao Nanfeng and asked, "Who are you?"
The man's head and face were covered in sweat, but even so, the sweat on his face made him look even more charming.
He looked at Tao Nanfeng: "I am Fan Zhicheng, and I have some information I want to give to Professor Tao Shouxin. But I have been to the school several times, and there is no one at Professor Tao's house. I have seen your photo in the newspaper. You are Tao Nanfeng, right?"
Fan Zhicheng?
She was deeply impressed by this name. He was Fan Zhicheng, the educated youth who had worked in a farm in northwestern Hubei for twelve years, who did not finish his first year of high school and failed the college entrance examination, but who dared to recommend himself to Professor Huang Jiafa for postgraduate study.
Tao Nanfeng nodded: "I am Tao Nanfeng."
Upon hearing this, Fan Zhicheng finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
Tao Nanfeng was dazzled by his smile, blinked and said nothing.
It was also the first time that Xiangbei had seen such a handsome man. He lacked masculinity, but had a kind of neutral beauty, a kind of beauty that was gentle yet tough.
Fan Zhicheng took out a package tightly wrapped in oil paper from the schoolbag he was carrying on his shoulder and handed it to Tao Nanfeng.
"I received the admission letter. I am really grateful! Without Professor Tao's recommendation, I would never have returned to Jiangcheng for graduate studies. I heard that Professor Tao is compiling a book on folk houses in northwestern Hubei. Here are some line drawings I made on the farm. I hope they can be useful to Professor Tao. Please pass them on."
Tao Nanfeng took the package, thought for a moment, and said to Fan Zhicheng: "Wait for a while at the gate of my yard. My dad will be home soon."
Fan Zhicheng happily agreed.
Tao Nanfeng and Xiangbei returned to Yuanhou Village and handed the package to his father who was writing furiously at the desk: "Dad, this is what Fan Zhicheng gave you. He said it was information about residential buildings in northwestern Hubei."
Tao Shouxin opened it and saw that the small picture album was bound into a book and was made to look like a large comic book. Notes are written with a brush in the blank spaces of the painting.
"The Tujia stilt houses in western Hubei are built along the mountains and water, facing west and east, and are semi-stilted buildings with a very beautiful appearance."
"The roof is covered with thatch or fir bark, with eaves that point upwards, and the corridors are decorated with dragons and phoenixes, which are exquisitely carved."
"The wooden pillars support the upper and lower floors. The upper floor is for living, and the room is ventilated, dry and moisture-proof; the lower floor is used to keep livestock or store sundries."
Tao Shouxin was more and more pleased as he read, clapping his hands on the table while praising: "The information is well-collected, and the illustrations are exquisite. Just put them directly into the book. Fan Zhicheng is a good guy, and it seems that he likes painting."
Tao Nanfeng reminded him, "Dad, I asked him to wait at the door. Do you want to go see him? If you don't want to see him, I'll let him go back."
Tao Shouxin stood up: "Yes. I'll go see him."
Seeing Tao Shouxin walking out, Liang Yinzhen hurriedly called out, "Old Tao, are you coming back for dinner?"
Tao Shouxin had been sorting out materials the whole afternoon. Now he smelled the aroma of rice coming from the kitchen and felt a little hungry. He didn't say anything polite: "Eat, leave some for me."
Liang Yinzhen wiped the water off her hands on her apron and nodded gently: "Okay, I'll wait for you to come home for dinner."
Tao Shouxin liked the atmosphere of this home very much and went out with a picture album. Tao Nanfeng chased out and asked, "Dad, do you want me to go with you?"
Tao Shouxin waved his hand and said, "See you when school starts. You should just stay with Xiangbei. I'll be back after I talk to him. Fan Zhicheng is Huang Jiafa's graduate student and I'm not in charge of him."
Tao Nanfeng washed his face and hands and sat in the main room to enjoy the fresh air.
The bamboo forest behind the main door is very quiet and peaceful, and the breeze blowing through the hall takes away the summer heat.
Xiang Yongfu squatted under the eaves and smoked his pipe as usual. He looked at the vegetable patch in the yard that had just sprouted green shoots and sighed, "It's good here, but it's too hot. It's cooler on Xiufeng Mountain~"
Xiangbei changed into a comfortable cotton vest, revealing his strong shoulders and arms. He waved a palm-leaf fan and said, "Dad, this new house needs someone to live in it. When Nanfeng and father-in-law have their summer vacation, we will all go back to the mountains to live."
Liang Yinzhen took out a long knife from the kitchen and handed it to Xiangbei: "There is a watermelon that has cooled down in the well. Go and fetch it and cut it for Nanfeng to eat. You guys are going out in such a hot day, don't get irritated. If you get a boil on your face, you will see what you will do."
This well was discovered when the yard was being renovated. After asking someone to clean up the rotten leaves and dead branches, we pumped water from it and found that the water was clear and sweet. It was indeed a sweet water well!
As there is no municipal water or electricity in the village, this well is extremely precious.
The watermelons were bought from the village. Liang Yinzhen put the watermelons in a bamboo basket, hung it with a long rope with a hook and soaked it in the well. It is cool and delicious in the summer and very refreshing.
Tao Nanfeng took a bite of the watermelon, and his internal organs felt cool, and his eyebrows curved: "Hmm... delicious!"
Liang Yinzhen said as she ate, "Uncle Six in our village grows watermelons and sells them secretly. I'll buy a few more and put them under the bed. I guess your father won't be back for a while, so eat some watermelons first to fill your stomach."
Tao Nanfeng asked vaguely: "Mom, how do you know that my dad will have to wait for a while before coming back?"
Liang Yinzhen liked to hear her call her "Mom" the most, and she smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed into slits.
"When your father left, he took a notebook with him. It was filled with words and drawings. How could he finish reading it in a short time? It would definitely take a long time."
Tao Nanfeng chuckled, and two black watermelon seeds sprayed out.
Liang Yinzhen quickly handed her a shallow bowl and said, "Spit the seeds here. I'll dry them and fry them later. They'll be delicious."
Living with the gentle and virtuous Liang Yinzhen, Tao Nanfeng felt that the missing maternal love was made up and his heart was warm.
She took the shallow bowl and spat the melon seeds in her mouth into the bowl. The watermelon is very juicy and sweet.
Liang Yinzhen was not wrong. Before Tao Shouxin left, he said he would be back soon, but in fact, it was nearly two hours later and it was dark before he returned to the village.
Fortunately, it is getting dark now, otherwise Xiangbei would have to go to pick people up with a flashlight.
As soon as Tao Shouxin came back, Liang Yinzhen was busy setting the table. Anyway, the weather is hot, so the cooked food doesn’t cool down that quickly.
Laba beans with poached eggs, water spinach with garlic, cold cucumber salad, fried tofu with peppers, and a loofah and minced meat soup are the daily dinners for farmers in summer.
Tao Shouxin took the new rice from his daughter, with excitement in his eyes.
"Nanfeng, Fan Zhicheng will be your senior brother from now on. Although he is a member of the Huang family, his research topic overlaps with mine. He will come to help me organize the manuscript during this period. I will let him work in my office."
Tao Shouxin never mentioned the house in Yuanhou Village to anyone, and naturally he would not bring anyone here.
"After chatting with Fan Zhicheng, I learned that his grandfather is the famous Jiangcheng painter Fan Dajiang, and his father is the comic artist Fan Daoxin from the Jiangcheng Academy of Fine Arts. He has been practicing calligraphy since he was a child and loves to draw comics. He has a solid foundation and can easily draw architectural line drawings. He is a good seedling! Huang Jiafa fought for him to get an exemption from the test, which is worth it."
"Nanfeng, although you have a high level of architectural design and rich practical experience, your artistic skills are still a little lacking. Recently, you and Xiangbei have been hanging out outside all day, so Dad will assign you a task. Put on your drawing clip and go to the old residential buildings in Jiangbei to draw a set of line drawings of old houses in Jiangcheng."
Tao Shouxin praised Fan Zhicheng endlessly. Tao Nanfeng and Xiangbei looked at each other and a bitter smile appeared on their faces.
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