Chapter 54
Lin Qinhe glanced at Tao Xi who was still sleeping soundly on the bed, walked quietly to the bedroom and closed the door before answering the phone.
"Qinhe, a colleague of Tao Jian told me that he saw Tao Jian at Hannan Hospital yesterday afternoon." Su Yun said on the phone.
Lin Qinhe walked into the living room and asked, "Is he alone?"
Su Yun said: "The employee only saw Tao Jian and was going to ask him a few questions, but Tao Jian looked unhappy and left in a hurry without saying anything."
Lin Qinhe thanked Su Yun, and after hanging up the phone, he planned to call Tao Xi to get up, but Tao Xi had already come out of the bedroom, standing there with her hair messy, looking at him blankly with her swollen eyes.
Lin Qinhe couldn't help but laugh, walked over and raised his hand to ruffle Tao Xi's hair, and said, "Go wash up quickly, breakfast is ready."
Tao Xi nodded slowly and walked into the bathroom. The moment he saw the mirror, his face instantly fell. He leaned in front of the mirror and saw that his double eyelids had become swollen and wide. No wonder Lin Qinhe laughed just now.
It’s over. How can I face people in the afternoon?
He quickly washed up, and had a hearty breakfast with Lin Qinhe in the restaurant. He then applied ice packs to his eyes for a long time until Lin Qinhe said that the swelling was gone. Only then did he and Lin Qinhe spend time together on the sofa.
Tao Xi found the TV remote control and was about to turn on the TV when he heard Lin Qinhe ask him, "What time do we go to Grandpa Qiao's place this afternoon?"
He put the remote control aside and said to Lin Qinhe, "Normally it's two o'clock, but today Grandpa Qiao wants to take me to see a senior painter, so I have to go there at one o'clock."
Ever since Qiao Henian knew that his son wanted to apply to schools abroad, he had been looking for opportunities to take him to meet some famous painters.
Lin Qinhe said: "Then I'll take you there this afternoon."
Tao Xi agreed, and after hesitating for a while, she asked Lin Qinhe, "Don't you have to go home to attend the birthday party this afternoon?"
"No." Lin Qinhe frowned for a moment, then quickly relaxed and gave a concise answer.
Tao Xi pretended to be indifferent and said "Oh", but she felt somewhat happy in her heart. She picked up the cup of water from the coffee table and took a sip of water to cover up the upturned corners of her mouth.
"Come with me to your grandparents' house next Saturday."
Tao Xi's heart skipped a beat, and the hand holding the cup paused as Lin Qinhe continued, "Grandpa Fang is going back to his hometown to worship his ancestors this week. He won't be back until the 30th. They will gather together to celebrate New Year's Day on the evening of the 31st."
Lin Qinhe's tone was very calm. This was a plan he had thought over again and again. He didn't want to drag it out too long to avoid complications. His competition would also end on Friday the 30th, so he could use this week to make some preparations.
Tao Xi lowered his eyes slightly, holding the cup with both hands, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cup wall, and did not answer quickly, but asked Lin Qinhe: "Can you tell me about my grandparents?"
He had only seen the two elderly people once from a distance across the ward door. In that brief impression, his grandfather's hair had turned mostly white, and he wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses around his neck, looking very serious. His grandmother had her hair in a bun, and wore a cheongsam made of exquisite fabric. She was intellectual and elegant, with the temperament of an artist.
"Okay." Lin Qinhe began to give him a detailed introduction.
His grandfather Fang Zuqing was a professor at the School of Life Sciences at Wenhua University and was also the dean before his retirement. He trained many outstanding students and was a leading scholar in the field of life sciences in China. His grandmother, Ye Yurong, was a well-known ballet dancer when she was young. She had won many awards in dance competitions and had many students. Both elderly people can be said to have many students.
Tao Xi listened silently, and suddenly felt that she was very close to and yet very far away from her grandparents.
He kept his head down until Lin Qinhe reached out and gently held his chin, asked him to raise his head, pinched his cheek, and said to him: "They will definitely like you."
Tao Xi rested her chin on Lin Qinhe's palm, raised her eyes and asked, "Really?"
Lin Qinhe said firmly: "Of course, no one would dislike you."
Tao Xi knew that Lin Qinhe was comforting him. He suppressed the anxiety on his face, rubbed his chin in Lin Qinhe's palm, and said with a smile: "I'm not RMB."
He finally agreed to go to his grandparents' house with Lin Qinhe next Saturday.
This was something he had to face, and he alone.
The snow finally stopped today. After lunch, Tao Xi followed Lin Qinhe out and saw the community garden covered in snow. Many children were making snowmen on the snow. His hands were itching and he wanted to play too, but there was not enough time, so he had to look away and follow Lin Qinhe outside.
Lin Qinhe glanced at the children making a snowman and said to Tao Xi, "You can go skiing during the New Year's Day holiday."
Half of Tao Xi's face was wrapped in a scarf, revealing a pair of bright eyes looking at Lin Qinhe. Just as she was about to say "OK", the light in her eyes suddenly dimmed.
When he thought about meeting his grandparents on the 31st, he got so nervous that his stomach started to cramp.
Lin Qinhe put Tao Xi's hand in his pocket and said, "Don't think about this matter all the time. Everything will pass naturally."
Tao Xi exhaled and said "hmm".
The two of them drove to the entrance of the Qiao family's villa. After getting off the car, Tao Xi couldn't help but jump onto the edge of the flower bed, leaving two deep footprints on the fluffy snow, and asked Lin Qinhe: "Where are you going this afternoon?"
Lin Qinhe reached out and held Tao Xi's arm, led him down from the edge of the flower bed, and said, "I have to go back to my uncle's house. I'll pick you up when you're done."
Tao Xi nodded, walked into the Qiao family's villa on the snow, and turned around and waved to Lin Qinhe before entering the door.
Lin Qinhe watched Tao Xi close the door before turning around to hail a taxi. On Christmas Day, even the taxis were playing Christmas songs. The driver casually asked, "Where are you going?"
"Hannan Hospital."
"The road may be a little congested today, and it just snowed, so I won't drive too fast."
"It's okay." Lin Qinhe said, took out his cell phone and planned to call Su Yun, but received a call from Luo Zhengyin first.
There was a faint noise of voices coming from the other end of the line, indicating that the villa was very lively. Luo Zhengyin seemed to have walked away. After answering the phone, he said:
"Qin He, aren't you coming back this afternoon? The birthday party has already started, and there are many of your classmates and friends. Lele's grandparents are here too, and they asked me why I'm not here."
Lin Qinhe looked out the window with a calm look and said, "I have something to do this afternoon. Please say hello to Grandpa Fang and Grandma Ye for me."
There was a sound of a door closing on the other end of the phone. Luo Zhengyin seemed to have closed a door, and the noisy voices were immediately cut off. She hesitated for a moment and said in a very soft voice:
"Qin He, although I know you will be unhappy about this, today is Lele's birthday after all. From midnight till now, you haven't called him once, not even a happy birthday. He asked me where you were, and I didn't know how to tell him."
Lin Qinhe held the phone in silence, his heart suddenly filled with a deep sadness.
His mother felt unacceptable just because she didn't say happy birthday to Yang Duole. So what would she think if she knew that Fang Sui's real child had been living a very hard life in a remote mountain village for so many years and no one had ever said happy birthday to him today?
At that moment he even wanted to question Luo Zhengyin, but he knew that this poor woman had never really gotten out of depression from beginning to end. She lived in obsession all her life, and simply transferred her obsession from a dead person to another wrong person.
Lin Qinhe finally said: "The gift for Lele is on the desk in my room. Please give it to him for me."
"We're here." After the driver parked the car near Hannan Hospital, he handed the printed QR code to Lin Qinhe.
Lin Qinhe said "No thanks", then took out his wallet, took out some money and handed it to the driver.
The driver took the money in surprise and joked, "Young people now pay with their mobile phones. There are almost no people like you who pay in cash."
Lin Qinhe didn't respond, just said "thank you". He lowered his head to look at the photo in the transparent layer of his wallet, closed the wallet, opened the car door and walked out.
Tao Xi followed Qiao Henian into his old car. Qiao Henian carried the parrot cage and played with the parrot for a while. When he found that the parrot had nothing good to say, he threw the cage to Tao Xi and asked, "Have you submitted the drawings for the competition?"
Tao Xi hurriedly took the cage, and the parrot scolded him as a "little bastard". He quickly said, "It was submitted a long time ago. It seems that the first round of selected works will be publicly displayed online soon."
Qiao Henian turned on the radio and played an old tune. He hummed along for a few times and said nonchalantly, "You will definitely have no problem in the first round. Old Zhong said so last time. He was a judge in the previous session."
Tao Xi finally calmed down the cursing parrot and joked, "Thank you grandpa for bringing me to see Senior Zhong. If I win the prize, I will use the prize money to buy you a parrot that can praise people."
Zhong Qiu Sheng is a long-time friend of Qiao Henian and a senior member of the Calligraphy and Painting Association. He came to visit Qiao's home the previous Sunday, and Qiao Henian brought Tao Xi to meet him.
Qiao Henian laughed and scolded, "This rascal is just imitating me. If that bastard Tang Yatou had been more obedient, my parrot would have won the community civilization award."
The car drove to a private courtyard on the outskirts of the city. Qiao Henian took Tao Xi to meet his old friend Zhong Qiu Sheng. Zhong Qiu Sheng had met Tao Xi last time and had a good impression of this kid. He smiled and patted Tao Xi on the shoulder and said, "My useless grandson is here today too. His name is Zhong Shan. He is about the same age as you. Go play with him."
Tao Xi looked outside the courtyard through the floor-to-ceiling glass and saw a boy in a thick down jacket timidly making a snowman in the snow.
He replied "OK", and knowing that the two old people wanted to drink tea and chat in the tea room, he put on his shoes and went out.
Qiao Henian and Zhong Qiusheng sat down in the tea room. Zhong Qiusheng was considered a half-master of the tea ceremony. The tea room was elegantly decorated and all the utensils were valuable. He slowly brewed the tea, poured a cup and handed it to Qiao Henian, saying:
"Your student is indeed very similar to your previous female student named Fang. I was a little surprised when I saw her last time."
Qiao Henian was not used to the tea-making and tasting routine, so he drank the tea in one gulp. Under Zhong Qiusheng's angry gaze, he sighed and said, "It's a pity that my female student passed away early. I have also seen her son. Professor Fang once tried every means to send him to me to learn painting. I let the child draw a few strokes, and I could see that the child did not inherit any of his mother's talent, so he refused to accept him."
He has always been impartial and just. Many of his friends' children who wanted to study art sent them to him, but if he felt that the children were not capable of studying art, he would never accept them, for fear of ruining his reputation.
"That's a pity. My mother's talent can't be inherited." Zhong Qiusheng stopped pouring tea for Qiao Henian and sipped the tea slowly. "But it's hard to say whether it's inherited. My grandson didn't inherit anything from me."
Qiao Henian got angry when he talked about his grandson. After scolding his granddaughter with his old friend, he suddenly remembered the main reason why he came here, and said in a flattering manner: "You haven't forgotten what I told you last time, right? It's about the recommendation letter."
Zhong Qiu Sheng snorted and laughed: "You really worry too much about your students. Your recommendation must be enough, but you have to drag me into it." He said this but put a letter that he had prepared long ago on the table.
Qiao Henian took the letter, read it from beginning to end, nodded with satisfaction and thanked him.
Tao Xi picked up a big snowball on the ground and placed it on the snowman's body. Zhong Shan, who was standing by, quickly inserted the carrot he had prepared long ago into the snowman's head, then handed two grapes to Tao Xi and said with a smile, "You can put on the eyes."
Tao Xi shook his head, his face cold: "You do it yourself, I'm going into the house."
Out of respect for Zhong Qiu Sheng, he greeted the man named Zhong Shan in a friendly manner. As a result, he spent the entire afternoon building three snowmen and did not even have time to visit the Zhong family's gallery.
Tao Xi walked towards the villa on the snow, asking Lin Qinhe where he was on the phone. Lin Qinhe quickly replied, "Almost there."
He lowered his head to look at his phone, unable to hold back the smile on his face, when suddenly a hand grabbed his arm. Zhong Shan came up to him and said with a big smile on his face, "Friend, add me on WeChat."
Tao Xi showed no expression: "I don't have WeChat." He thought this man was a little strange. When they were making a snowman, he always looked at him with an ambiguous look.
"..." Zhong Shan glanced at the WeChat interface on Tao Xi's phone, and wondered if he could be more careful in refusing.
At this time, the sound of footsteps on the snow was approaching. Tao Xi turned around and saw that it was Lin Qinhe.
It was almost dusk and the sky was a little gloomy. Amid the snow-covered pine forest in the yard, Tao Xi felt as if the whole world was lit up. He broke free from Zhong Shan's hand and ran quickly on the snow to Lin Qinhe.
"You are not almost there, you have already arrived." He said to Lin Qinhe with a smile. If there were no outsiders around, he would pounce on Lin Qinhe and throw him into the snow.
Lin Qinhe glanced at Zhong Shan who was walking over, then looked at the three shapeless snowmen not far away, and asked Tao Xi, "Can we go back now?"
Tao Xi nodded and said, "I'll just go and tell Grandpa Qiao and Grandpa Zhong."
"Lin Qinhe?! Why are you here?" Zhong Shan looked at Lin Qinhe in disbelief, then glanced at Tao Xi, "Do you know each other?"
Zhong Shan went to the same junior high school as Lin Qinhe, so it was impossible for him not to know this famous genius, and the elders of their families also had interactions, but he was not familiar with Lin Qinhe.
Lin Qinhe took off his scarf and handed it to Tao Xi, saying calmly: "I'll take him home."
Zhong Shan was so shocked that his mouth opened wide, and he didn't react for a long time. When he reacted, the two people had already walked away side by side.
Tao Xi said goodbye to the two old people before following Lin Qinhe back to their home. However, Lin Qinhe didn't say much on the way. If Tao Xi asked a few questions, Lin Qinhe would answer, but he was not in a very good mood.
When they returned to the community, it was already completely dark. On the way through the garden, Tao Xi suddenly said to Lin Qinhe: "Let's build a snowman?"
Lin Qinhe paused, then continued walking forward, saying indifferently, "There's not much snow left."
It didn't snow much during the day, so there wasn't much snow left in the garden. Some places were frequently trampled on, and the snow was even a little dirty.
Tao Xi ignored Lin Qinhe's words, and directly held Lin Qinhe's hand, taking him to a secluded corner where the snow was still clean.
He squatted down, picked up a pile of snow with both hands, pressed it into a small ball with his palms, and said to Lin Qinhe who also squatted down: "This is the head, I have made it."
Lin Qinhe also picked up a pile of snow, made a bigger snowball, held it in both hands and placed it on the snow, then looked at Tao Xi.
Tao Xi placed the small snowball he had made on the big snowball, picked up a few small branches and a few small stones, and put eyes and hands on the snowman. He picked up the small snowman from the ground and said to Lin Qinhe:
"Give it a name."
Lin Qinhe looked at the snowman with crooked eyes and a slanted mouth, frowned, and said, "It's too ugly, forget it."
Although it was disliked for being ugly, Lin Qinhe still took the snowman back and carefully placed it in the freezer. Tao Xi saw Lin Qinhe quietly opening the refrigerator every day to see if the snowman had melted.
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