paddock

Vice President Zhang couldn't sit still anymore, and stepped forward to pick up the pen.He looked back and forth with the pen carefully, his hands trembling.His good friend is still so young, handsome and small, it can't be seen that he is in his thirties.

Friends have always been shy, can't stand compliments, and blush when they are praised.

Most of the time, friends are always immersed in making pens, and when they are not making pens, they write or draw.Such a quiet person will not hurt anyone, and never quarrels with others.When he went there, he saw the painting carved by his friend on the corn stalks, and the painting was still so good.But in such a day, there is no pen, no paper, no light—no future, no arms to swim with, no night battle with lights on, every face is strange, every face is ferocious, and the night is quiet In the dream, there is no trace of light and beauty in the dream.

Will be afraid, even the strong and brave person will be afraid when facing the boundless ordeal that makes people breathless-not to mention that his friend is so introverted and so quiet, it is already very tiring to persist for so long up.

But for a long time, he was thinking that if he could be one day faster—if he could be one day faster, he would be able to bring his friend back—one day sooner, he would see a real person.Only one day away!Only one day away!The "Wuxi brush" they had loved so much disappeared from the world.

Maybe there are Wuxi brushes that can be made in the world, but no one is willing to look for them, and even deliberately avoids news of them.They are all afraid, afraid to think of those things, afraid to think of those people, afraid to think of those difficult and painful years, and even more afraid to think of those years of joy and worry-free every day.

The joy of the past cannot be repeated, but the pain of the past is always in my heart.

So the more joyful the memory, the more vivid the pain.

Hurt by touch!

Vice President Zhang held back his sadness.If you don't want to look for it, it doesn't mean you can ignore it when you see it.He knew this kid Yuan Ning, and he would never have come to his house if something happened, and bringing such a pen to his house was obviously not just for him to see.Vice President Zhang said, "Where did you find it?"

Yuan Ning told Vice President Zhang everything about meeting the old man, and specifically explained the situation in the old man's home.

If there is no such adopted son, although the old man's current residence is a little narrow, it is not impossible to continue to live.But the old man has provoked such a scum, and if he continues to live there, he may still be harassed.This kind of person is not a big treacherous and evil person, he is cowardly to outsiders, a typical nest, grabs and catches for a while, chases and can't drive away, worry!

Vice President Zhang understood: "Don't worry, I will find a way." After thinking for a while, he already had an idea, "A few years ago, the association got a project fund, which was used to support traditional skills. The economy of the province is good this year. , The funds given are also generous. Wuxi pens have been lost in the market for a long time. If the old man is really the successor of Wuxi pens, I can prepare materials for him and apply for project approval. At that time, the funds and housing will be settled by the association. "

Yuan Ning said pleasantly: "That would be great!"

"Little slick!" Vice President Zhang rubbed his head, and cursed with a smile, "Is this the idea you came to me for?" Yuan Ning must have known his thoughts on "Wuxi Pen" and knew that he was familiar with it. The project approval process of the association brought him a pen to find him.He is really a little ghost, and he has lived a fine life at a young age!

Yuan Ning smiled.

Having settled a matter of concern, Yuan Ning stood up and said goodbye to Vice President Zhang, and silently left the pen he brought with him to Vice President Zhang.

Vice President Zhang sat on the sofa, his whole body seemed to be trapped in the sofa, motionless, like a sculpture.After a while, he reached out to pick up the Wuxi brush and looked at it carefully.

Compared with the pen made by my friend, this one in front of me seems to be a little bit bigger, mainly because the barrel of the pen is slightly bigger, and the nib of the pen is all orchid-style, as white as a magnolia that has not yet bloomed and is about to bloom.Every vellus hair has been carefully selected and neatly packed together, making the tip of the brush look round and plump, but when it reaches the tip, each vellus hair is tightly gathered as if alive, forming a sharp and plump shape. Nice nib.

The appearance of my friend quietly making a pen suddenly came before my eyes again.They used pens made by their friends, and they became interested in making pens, but after seeing it once, they gave up and didn't even want to touch it!The business of making pens requires too much patience and meticulousness. When friends start making pens, they often don't move around for a whole day.

At that time, they always laughed and joked: "We don't have to wait until decades later, we already know what you will look like when you are old-it must be sitting there quietly all day long and doing your own work, and no one shouts. If you don’t listen, you won’t respond to anyone looking for it, and you don’t even remember to eat or sleep.”

Friends always say that he likes to make pens, and every time he makes pens, he feels that the world becomes smaller, there are not so many grievances and entanglements, and there are not so many sad things.As long as he is focused and serious enough, he can get what he wants--my friend also said that he only discovered after he grew up that in the outside world, you will not be rewarded if you pay, nor will you be able to get what you want if you work hard. Get things done.

That's why I prefer to write quietly.

It's just that he doesn't know that sometimes the tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop, and sometimes people can't help themselves in the situation.

Vice President Zhang's hands trembled slightly.At least he brought him back, he brought him back from a far away place, so that he wouldn't turn into a solitary soul wandering in a lonely foreign land.

Vice President Zhang put on his coat and said to his wife, "I'll go out!" He had to do something immediately, otherwise he would be driven into unbearable pain by the knife stuck in his heart.

Vice President Zhang took the address left by Yuan Ning and went straight to the narrow bungalow where the old man and the little girl lived.The time on the road seemed to be infinitely elongated by an invisible hand, so long that he could clearly recall the appearance of every strand of his friend's hair.He got out of the car and walked along the winding alley. When he was about to reach the destination, the first thing he saw was an old osmanthus tree not far away.It was a Four Seasons osmanthus plant, which also bloomed in winter, but it bloomed less, and it was faintly remembered, and it was not obvious mixed in the stagnant air in the deep alley.

There was an old man sitting there with his back straight. His hair was cut very short, but it still couldn't cover the graying of his temples.The old man's back was facing Vice President Zhang, so Vice President Zhang couldn't see the old man's appearance clearly. He only saw a tool bag at his feet, and his hands were slowly busy.

Time suddenly stopped, as if returning to more than 20 years ago.The same is true of friends, who carry a tool bag with them, and start making pens when they walk to a place where they can sit down, quietly immersing themselves in their own world, as if pouring all the joy and sorrow into that little on the nib.

"Grandpa!" The child's crisp voice broke the silence in the alley.Vice President Zhang looked up and saw a little girl running towards the old man, anxiously grabbing the old man's hand and looking left and right, "Uncle doctor said you can't move this hand for a few days!"

"I didn't move, I didn't move." Being caught by the little girl, the old man's voice was not very confident.

The little girl looked at the old man with red eyes.

The old man's eyes were also red, and he mumbled, "I really didn't move, I just wanted to see if the knife needs to be sharpened."

Vice President Zhang took a deep breath, and the air that was so cold that it was about to freeze the lungs penetrated into his lungs, bringing him back to reality from that dream-like memory.Gone, that person is really gone, the future that appeared in the original joke is destined to stay in the joke and will never come again.

Vice President Zhang stepped forward and explained his reason for coming.The old man didn't study much, and he didn't know much about policies. After hearing Vice President Zhang's words, he was still taken aback for a while, not quite understanding what was going on.

Vice President Zhang told the old man in as concise and clear language as possible: "As long as you are willing to cooperate with the association's arrangement to participate in some activities, such as representing the association to participate in the exhibition at the cultural center open day, such as representing the province to participate in Huguang over there on March [-] and September The Mengtian meeting that may be held on the [-]th of the month, as to whether to sort out the method of making pens and apply for a patent, or whether to find someone to pass on the skills of Wuxi brushes, it all depends on your own ideas. Of course, I really hope that Wuxi The method of making Xibi will not be lost." He looked disappointed, "I don't know if you know Wu Tongqi? He is my friend."

The old man froze for a moment, shook his head and said, "I don't know each other. During the war, our Wu family was divided into several branches. Our branch could not learn the skills of our own family. Later, we had to disperse, so we learned the law from the older generation. come down."

In the face of the ruthless war, no one knows whether they can survive, so the skills that have been kept from being peeped by the side branches have been passed on to them like fire seeds, in order to leave enough seeds in the chaos of war—as long as the seeds There is still one left, and it will be able to take root and sprout again in the future.

Vice President Zhang felt even more uncomfortable after hearing the old man's words.There is nothing more heartbreaking than a seed that took root, sprouted, and was uprooted just as it was about to grow.Vice President Zhang's tone was slightly heavy, and he sighed and said, "I hope you will consider my words carefully. If you are willing to participate in this key support project, I will come to pick you up in the next year to the house allocated by the association."

The old man looked anxiously at his granddaughter, and then at the sincere face of Vice President Zhang. His dry, shriveled mouth trembled a few times, and finally nodded: "I am willing to participate." Such a good thing It fell from the sky, making him a little at a loss.In the past, the skill of making pens was their ability to eat, so can they still rely on it to eat now?The old man repeated in a murmur, "I am willing to participate."

New Year is coming soon.

Yuan Ning's third year at Zhang's family has finally officially passed.After running around with Mr. Zhang's relatives, and then went to the capital to see Yuan Bo's new home, Yuan Ning finally had time to catch his breath.

At this time, Vice President Zhang led the old man and the little girl to the door to thank Yuan Ning.