Chapter 25
"I've made up my mind," he said as the backpack on his shoulder slipped off and fell to the ground as his arm moved. He stood in the living room on Monday.
Gao Ran looked up from the takeaway he was halfway through, with a strange expression on his face as he saw Zhou Yiheng in front of him, who looked as if he had been given an injection of chicken blood. He didn't know what he was so excited about. He was a listless person just two days ago, but how could he be so excited after just a few nights of overtime?
As Gao Ran chewed the mouthful of rice he had just stuffed into his mouth, one cheek puffed up. After swallowing it with difficulty, he asked with a choked voice, "What medicine did you take wrong?"
Zhou Yiheng excitedly sat down opposite Gao Ran and said, "I think my boss is a really nice person."
Gao Ran lowered his head, picked up the food in the bowl with his chopsticks, and asked perfunctorily, "What's good?"
"Everything is good." Zhou Yiheng leaned forward again. "Look at her. She's so beautiful. She also knows a lot about archaeology. She's knowledgeable and educated. And I've also discovered recently that my boss cares about you, but not the kind that puts pressure on you. It's that kind of care that, I can't really put my finger on, but being with her makes you feel really comfortable."
Zhou Yiheng clicked his tongue, his hands gesturing in the air, his lips curling uncontrollably into a shy yet expectant smile. His eyes gleamed with the brilliance of fond memories, and he tilted his head slightly, as if trying to find a more appropriate word to describe the scene.
Gao Ran suddenly glanced over and saw the unnatural blush on Zhou Yiheng's face.
"Easy to approach isn't right. Plain and warm isn't right either. How should I put it?" Zhou Yiheng pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable expression. "When you're with her, talking and chatting, you feel free of burdens. It's like when I was a kid spending summer vacation at my grandma's house. There was nothing to worry about all day, and I didn't have to think about anything. It was completely carefree and comfortable."
Gao Ran reached out uncertainly to test the temperature of his head, wondering if it was because he'd been thinking too much recently and burned his brain. "It's not hot, so why are you talking nonsense?"
He didn't react to Gao Ran's actions, still immersed in the scene he was imagining. He couldn't hide the joyful smile on his face. He suddenly asked Gao Ran, "Do you think we met in a past life? I always feel that being with her is indescribable and familiar. It feels like fate in a past life."
"You've read too many novels and TV series, haven't you? What's this about predestination in a previous life?" Gao Ran changed his sitting position. He couldn't understand what had happened in the past few days to cause Zhou Yiheng's attitude to change 180 degrees. He stretched out his foot and kicked Zhou Yiheng and asked, "What did she say to you that made you act like you were on steroids and give you a raise?"
Zhou Yi shook his head and said, "No, she postponed my internship."
The kicking motion turned into a more powerful kick. Gao Ran said across the coffee table, "You hit your head on the door. Your internship period was postponed, and you are still so happy?"
"She wants to train me," Zhou Yiheng answered straightforwardly.
"You ***** (more or less the same meaning, a bunch of friendly greetings) have lost your mind after working for a few days. By the way, didn't you say you would be at home today? Where have you been now?" Gao Ran pulled out a cushion from under his buttocks and threw it at Zhou Yiheng. "The man who repaired the toilet pipes has been waiting at the door for more than half an hour. I called you, but you didn't answer."
Zhou Yi was holding a mat across from me and laughing foolishly, "I went to work and went to the north of the city with my boss."
Gao Ran asked: "What work do you do on Saturday?"
"Um"
"You idiot! It takes over four hours to drive from here to the north of the city. Didn't you say a few days ago that you couldn't drive for long?"
"I'd be happy to stay for two more hours," he smiled. "On the way back just now, my boss was sitting in the passenger seat, and she was talking to me the whole way."
Gao Ran resisted the urge to roll his eyes at him, "What did she say to you?"
Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. "Tomorrow morning, move everything out of that locked room."
Gao Ran waited for a long time but he didn't say anything else. The corner of his mouth twitched, "What else?"
"No more," he smiled innocently.
Gao Ran was stunned, as if he had heard some incredible answer. He stood up silently, walked over to Zhou Yiheng, and patted him on the shoulder. "Brother, why don't you go and take a look? You only said one sentence in four hours, and you're still so happy?"
"What do you know?" Zhou Yiheng dropped Gao Ran's hand on his shoulder, but the smile on his face remained unchanged. He also stood up and picked up the schoolbag he had left in the middle of the living room. Before returning to his room, he said to Gao Ran, "It seems that the method you mentioned before might really work."
I arrived at the grocery store half an hour early, and the house was still quiet, with no sound at all.
He closed the door behind him, his slightly heavy breathing barely perceptible in the air. He put down the KFC breakfast he'd bought, his shoulders slumping, the strap of his bag making a dull thud against the desk.
"Boss, Xiao Xiao" he called a few times in the room, but heard no answer.
Warm air streamed into the house through the open French door. The courtyard door was blocked by a chair. He walked over, and as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he was greeted by a scene that left him speechless. It was like entering an antique market. The small courtyard was now filled to the brim with all kinds of rare and old items. The rising sun shone on the blue and white porcelain vases that reached about halfway up to his waist.
The delicate texture of the porcelain vase, and the birdcage displayed next to it, with its several raised bamboo joints, are different from the one I saw two days ago, which was perhaps woven bamboo or perhaps cloisonné. This one has a brighter oil color, with varying shades of amber and dark brown intersecting. The hexagonal cage has small carved decorations on each corner.
The long carved rosewood table placed under the camphor tree has a missing corner at the head and the surface is full of pits. The sunken part of the table top is waisted, and the apron is engraved with auspicious patterns.
He looked at the things in the yard and called out a few more times, "Boss, Xiao Xiao"
Still no answer.
In the cool place by the wall, a pile of old books was casually spread out. The top few pages had turned yellow, and the corners were a bit brittle, as if they would crumble into dust if touched lightly. Next to them were two stacked yellow wooden boxes, with iron corners and marks left by scratches and bumps. The copper lock hanging on the lid of the box was rusty, and there were a few spices opened and placed on the box to spread their scent. Zhou Yi picked it up horizontally, and saw small brown particles, each no bigger than the size of his little finger nail. The repeated fragrance, which had been marinated for too long, suddenly penetrated into his nostrils, making him frown.
He quickly took a few steps back and sniffed the air hastily.
After two gusts of wind, a strange change occurred. The pungent smell gradually faded, replaced by a faint, lingering fragrance. The aroma was almost imperceptible, like a fleeting illusion that made him anxious but unable to find it.
Xiao Xiao came out with a basin of water and saw Zhou Yiheng in the yard, "Here you are!"
"What is this?" he asked of the spice box in his hand.
Xiao Xiao glanced at the box packaging, "Agarwood"
“What a strange taste”
Xiao Xiao took it and looked at it, "This is going to burn, you will definitely feel uncomfortable if you smell it dryly"
I closed the lid and put it on a nearby box. She urged, "Don't just stand there. There's a yellow washbasin and towel in the toilet. Take them out and wipe your things."
Sitting on the wooden chair that was a little burned by the sun, he wet the towel with water and then wrung it dry. He picked up the porcelain bowl with light green patterns next to him and wiped it carefully from the bottom to the rim.
Zhou Yiheng asked, "Do you want all of these?"
"Yes," Xiao Xiao said.
Avoiding the pile of things at the door, Zhou Yiheng took out a small stool from the house while taking the washbasin. "So many things, are you selling them all?"
"I'm not selling them. These are all the boss's personal collection. They were piled up in the room before. I don't know why she suddenly wanted to clean them up today." Xiao Xiao muttered while wiping the dishes.
She was woken up before five o'clock, and the two of them worked together for over three hours before barely clearing half the room. Sweat soaked Xiao Xiao's black short-sleeved shirt, and sweat dripped from her hair. Strands of hair stuck to her forehead, and occasionally a few would slide into her eyes, blocking her view of the work.
"So many?" Zhou Yiheng was surprised.
"It's too much, and this is only half of the room." Putting down the porcelain vase he had just cleaned, Xiao Xiao stood up with a bitter face and complained, "I feel like my waist is going to break. The boss is still cleaning up inside. Go and see how much is left."
After briefly supporting herself, Xiao Xiao rolled her shoulders and neck, then sat down again to reach for another porcelain vase that was a little further away. These items were old and couldn't withstand prolonged exposure to the sun. Before the sun came up, she had to quickly sort them out and move them back into the room.
In the open room, sunlight streamed through the window. Fine dust particles swirled and swirled in the light, and the window frames were thick with grime. The view outside was blurry, as if through a layer of frosted glass that made it impossible to see clearly. The lamp overhead cast a pale, luminous light. Spiderwebs spread wildly in the corners, some still clinging to long-dead insects.
Yang Ye, wearing a well-worn light grey housecoat and gauntlets, was struggling to pull a scroll from a corner. The scroll seemed to be stuck in a nearby cabinet, stubbornly resisting removal. She gritted her teeth, exerting force until the veins in her forehead nearly popped out. She moved it left and right for a long time, but saw no sign of the scroll coming free.
"Boss, do you need help?" Zhou Yiheng called her in a low voice.
Yang Ye put his hands on his hips and gasped for breath.
Hearing the sound, she turned around and saw Zhou Yiheng standing at the door. Yang Ye quickly walked over and grabbed Zhou Yiheng's arm, brought him over, pointed at the scroll that had not been taken out and said, "You have to find a way to pull it out. I really don't have the strength anymore."
"pull?"
"It doesn't matter what action you use, whether you pull or tug, just don't break it." Yang Ye leaned against the cabinet behind him to rest.
Grabbing the dust-free spot on the scroll's handle, Zhou Yi pushed upwards horizontally. As the scroll was pulled out little by little, the dust raised from the surface flew towards his unprepared face.
He waved his hand, intoxicated by the smell of stale dust.
"What is this?" Zhou Yiheng saw the scroll wrapped in red cloth in his hand.
"Me, no, this is something my father left behind," Yang Ye said, removing the outermost layer of red cloth and untying the ties on the scroll. As he moved, the landscape on the scroll, which had turned yellow and changed color, slowly appeared before their eyes.
Several mountains undulate, their contours smudged with ink. The sea of clouds swirling between them seems to have come alive, slowly drifting between the mountainsides. It seems as if a stream flows from the mountains. The brushstrokes of the water have become blurred with time, but the vivid scene when the painting was first completed can still be seen.
"Boss, it turns out your father is a painter"
Yang Ye asked, "What kind of painter is this? He just casually did a few strokes, and you think it looks good?"
Zhou Yiheng said: "It's beautiful. It's much better than the paintings sold in the online live broadcast room before, those so-called famous artists' paintings are much better looking."
Yang Ye smiled softly, "Only you would say my father's paintings are beautiful."
There is a small inscription at the bottom right of the scroll.
In the spring of the 28th year of the Guangxu period, it was given to the youngest daughter Zhaozhao.
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