chapter xi - the little angel

　　Hearing Xu Peidong's appreciation, all the people in the audience looked at the painting, only to see the cloud color is pale, the grass even horizontal to the sky, dispersed rice paper ink spot intermittent, like a curtain of depression rain, shrouding the whole world. 　　In all fairness, for an eleven year old girl, have this painting skill is already considered good, visible this period of time is really hard work. 　　...... But isn't this a clear statement that her previous hard work of copying scriptures and reciting Buddha is all nonsense? 　　Xu Shanran glanced at her mother, He's face was still with a smile, only the side of the Gui mother look a little worried, seems to want to understand the joints. 　　After that, He felt her line of sight, busy glancing at her, her face unknowingly brought out some worry. 　　Xu Shanran smiled at her mother, then withdrew her gaze as if nothing was wrong. 　　She had always been sure that her mother loved her very much. 　　But she and her mother hadn't always been free of arguments. In her last lifetime, especially when she was still young, they were actually always angry about Xu Danqing. 　　The nastiness between her and Xu Danqing was frankly just that. 　　She felt that the other is a concubine, but more than their own father's favorite, although the mother loves himself, but also to the other is pleasant, there is something will not fall on the other; the other side, feel that they are obviously the eldest sister, but also more to the father's favorite, but they have to be in the first concubine on the head of the first mother, although the first mother of their own pleasant, but always like a layer of membrane like close and not far from it. 　　When she was young, Xu Shanran could not understand her mother's attitude towards Xu Danqing. 　　She even felt, like many people, that her mother was weak and not a qualified mother of the house. 　　It was only when she grew up and encountered so many things that she finally realized that sometimes things really couldn't be seen that way. 　　Xu Danqing and Xu Danyu were a pair of twins. 　　When the mother married into the state government, five years nothing, and finally selected the honest and good birth of Zhou's out, pointing to each other to give birth to a child to carry to their knees to raise. Was selected out of the Zhou's also really competitive, just close to Xu Peidong, but a month pregnant, until the time of delivery, but also a birth of twin children, then a good word. 　　Mother will be this pair of twins are carried to their room to raise. 　　But perhaps the death of a child's heart heart instead of wide, no longer thinking of praying to the gods and Buddha also no longer drink those bitter tonics of the mother but in the third year on the top of her, and then wait for her to be born, Xu Danqing is just clueless four years old on the top of the mother and around the servants may be more or less aware of the change in the attitude of the mother and the servants around the ...... and then after that, the two of them After that, the two of them have always been face and heart disagreements. 　　She also remembers that her mother had spoken to her about Xu Danqing twice a long time ago. 　　Her mother should have wanted her to get along with Xu Danqing. 　　But she was so aggravated at the time that the matter was left unsettled. 　　In fact, as she said to Lin Shixuan that day. 　　It is a cat, a dog, raised for so many years, hurt and lost will be sad for a while, not to mention a living, talking and laughing person? 　　Perhaps there are mothers who are indeed thunderous, who can't see the sand in their eyes, who can't see the commoners' sons and daughters hanging around in front of them. 　　But her mother had never been like that. 　　Her mother was not powerful, her mother was gentle and kind, and when she saw a live animal injured, she would send her maid up with medicine to see if she could save it for a while. 　　Those powerful master mothers were indeed very good, but her mother was also very good like this. 　　Even if her mother was too gentle, too kind, she didn't ask her to suffer a little bit of harm when she was growing up, and she didn't let her father freeze in the cold, letting her father spend a little more effort on chores around the house. 　　Mother is good like this. 　　Xu Shanran thought. 　　If possible, mother should be happier, happier again. 　　"What is Shanran thinking about?" Xu Peidong's voice suddenly rang in his ears. 　　Xu Shanran raised her eyes, and saw that her father had already put down the scroll, walked over to the right hand side of the kang and sat down, and was raising his hand to touch her hair. 　　Xu Shanran didn't move, letting her father look at her for a while, and only said, "I'm thinking about the painting after I got the sentence, "I'm really getting better." 　　"Your sister's painting is not bad, good sister's son has nothing to do but practice more." Xu Peidong laughed. 　　Xu Shanran raised her lower lip, "But sister's drawings aren't as good as mother's." 　　Only after the words left her mouth, Xu Danqing's gaze shot over like a sharp sword, followed by the voices of both Xu Peidong and He: 　　"Huh?" 　　"Ouch!" 　　After a shout, He slapped Xu Shanran's arm and said in genuine shame and anger: "You child, what nonsense are you saying! Mother can't even read a few big words, how could she possibly know how to draw!" 　　Being young is still very beneficial ah! While lamenting in her heart, Xu Shanran ignored He and turned her head to ask Mama Gui innocently, "Mama, you were watching when Mother and I were painting, which one do you think is prettier?" 　　No wonder the old saying goes, "A jacket is the warmth of one's own home, and a daughter is the kin of one's own home," Gui mother happily answered, "Mistress, you don't have to tell me, although I don't know much about painting, your painting is really good, and my heart is especially bright when I look at it!" 　　Xu Shanran got these words, and turned her gaze to her mother, with a look of "See, I'm not wrong, am I? You're still accusing me". 　　He, who loved her daughter like her own life, obviously couldn't stand this kind of gaze, plus Xu Peidong beside her was also interested, repeatedly asking mother Gui to find out the paintings, and He could only watch helplessly as mother Gui rummaged through the boxes and cages to retrieve the scrolls that had been put away separately - in fact, just from the fact that this was packed up individually, it was clear that He also loved his paintings at heart. In fact, just from this separate packing, one can tell that He is also quite fond of her own paintings in her heart of hearts. 　　The scroll that was not properly framed because it was in the mountains and only temporarily stored in a box was brought to Xu Peidong. 　　Xu Peidong took the thing, because was aroused interest, but also specially ordered the maid to go to bring pots of water to clean hands, to his own wife smiled: "Mrs. and I married for so many years, I or the first time to see Mrs. handwritten, must be valued, must be valued." 　　He's all red in the face, mouthing and don't know what to say. 　　Speaking, the box opened, rolled up scrolls out and then unfolded. 　　Xu Danqing has long stretched his neck a glance over, the heart is first an angry, followed by a laugh, can not help but think secretly: the little girl in order to be different with me is really nothing to worry about, that piece of messy red and green is to use the finger to draw on it? This which is called painting? 　　Thoughts just turned here, heard Xu Peidong "oops". 　　See, came ...... She was waiting for Xu Peidong to scold the other party for fooling around, but she heard: 　　"This painting is good ah!" Xu Peidong's tone was full of surprise. 　　He also really did not expect Xu Peidong actually said so, she said: "Master do not need to ...... I know my own level, that day is unable to argue with the good sister's child before casually painted ......" 　　"No, no," Xu Peidong waved his hand, "When has madam seen me bamboozle in poetry and painting? If it's good, it's good; if it's bad, it's bad; there's nothing to be secretive about. To say skill, madam is indeed the level of a child's scribbling, but madam does not know the brush, this is also a reasonable thing ......" 　　Speaking, Xu Peidong put the painting on the kang table, with a paperweight, he shuffled down to the kang, pulling the distance, changing directions to look at the painting, for a while, and then sincerely praised: "Indeed not bad, this painting is not good, but the mood of the sparse and broad, quite a charm ah. That's what Gui Zhi just said, looking at it makes one's heart bright." 　　After saying this, Xu Peidong sat back on the kang and looked at it carefully for a while, then mused, "Your wife dipped her finger in the paint and painted it, didn't she? I see that the colors are brilliant, is it possible that madam used rouge to mix the water? Although only grass flowers in the painting, but no coloring of the stone is also visible, not for a long time to look at the break can not be so free." 　　Because Xu Peidong is a talented man, He can not read a lot of words, although the two men have been married for many years, but also respect each other as a guest, He can talk to Xu Peidong is mostly things at home, but Xu Peidong which is the nature of those who are tired of listening to the minutiae? Therefore, for many years, the conversation between the two is superficial, mostly some of the daily "clothes can be enough", "food can be good" and so on, just a few words will be finished. 　　This is one of the few times that Xu Peidong focused on asking questions. 　　He more or less a little embarrassed, also answered one by one: "The pen holding the hand soft ...... is indeed rouge ...... place is the back of the Daci Temple, good sister child daily walks on the path, that day I see the sun set, the grass somehow The also changed a color ......" 　　Xu Peidong nodded: "The grass some Western painting details, the sky is what I just said the charm. But Mrs. do not know anything, these rules and regulations are not important, I have been learning to paint for so many years to see the painting are only know the hundreds of can be arbitrary, did not think that today Mrs. fell to me a lesson." 　　Said, Xu Peidong more and more look like, a stack of greetings to his side of the boy: "joy? Huanxi? Quickly come in, you take this painting to find me often look for when the master properly framed, master I will bring to participate in two days Yan Dao brother organized poetry." 　　He was still happy, but she was startled and quickly stopped, "How can this be? I don't know anything about drawing by hand!" 　　Xu Peidong laughed and waved his hand, "It's this 'not knowing anything' that I want!" And spirit, "Mrs. do not worry, those who know a little, are only envious of the part, then if my husband won the first prize, Mrs. credit can be great!" 　　Couples talk to each other, hear greetings from the outside a small step ran in Huanxi in the porch probing the head, Xu Shanran followed the other position to look over, not only saw this will make fun of the boy, but also in the back of the other side to see commanded a group of people will be placed things in the courtyard of the Ren Chenglin. 　　The smile on her lips deepened a bit. Following that, she turned her gaze back again, just in time to see Xu Danqing sitting across from her, seeing that the other party was still looking blearily at the painting, the handkerchief in her hand already rubbed out of shape. 　　If the gentle and kind-hearted He was one type of a dominatrix, then the Jiang of the Wyvern Abbot's House must be another type of dominatrix. 　　Shao Jin was lying on his own bed. 　　He was struggling to keep his eyes open, everything in his vision had heavy shadows, and there were always voices coming from near and far in his ears. At a very early stage, he had once been confused by such voices, but even if he was as stupid as a pig, after having learned his lesson so many times and chewing on so many empty mooncakes, he should have known that these voices were not much different from the tiny immortal music on the edge of the sky. 　　--Just listen, you'll lose if you take it seriously. 　　For the first five years of his life, he had always felt that he had a great responsibility to save the world, and after five years, he had begun to think that it didn't matter if he was a man, a woman, or a transvestite, he was begging for a little angel to come down from the sky and save me. 　　But the plan to save the world was obviously dead, and the cherub seemed out of reach. 　　I can't live this life anymore. ...... 　　Shao Jin stared wide-eyed at the tent on his head. 　　He couldn't see clearly anymore, but he didn't dare to close his eyes, he always felt that he couldn't open his eyes anymore after he closed them, not to mention that it wasn't easy to close your eyes when there were a thousand knives twisting your stomach and intestines. 　　The thoughts in his mind drifted, thinking a lot, but also as if he thought nothing at all. 　　I don't know how long it took, but Shao Jin's eyes suddenly touched the table, and he saw several small, white, round buns on a round porcelain plate. 　　Buns? Why didn't I realize it before? 　　Is it time to deliver the food? Did they come and go? 　　He thought in a daze, only to feel the sweet and tantalizing smell of the buns on the end of his nose, which in turn lured him to laboriously get up from the bed, and after tripping and falling twice in the short distance, he finally touched the edge of the table! 　　Eat one! 　　Nonsense, definitely eat one ...... No no no, it's such a small bun, why don't you just eat all of it? Although the portion is as small as ever, it's always a better way to pad the stomach than the usual clear soup! 　　...... Well, it's just a bit hard, chokes the throat, and has a strange metallic flavor ...... "Quack!" 　　"Croak!" 　　I don't know where the frog's cry came into Shao Jin's ears. 　　Like half-asleep, half-awake, conscious but unable to move, Shao Jin's entire body was frozen for a while, before he regained control of his body with a body full of cold sweat. 　　He was much more awake, and the heavy shadows in his eyes had faded quite a bit, but of course what was clearer was the hunger that had taken control of every cell of his body. 　　Then he got a good look at the round, white buns on the table. 　　His breath stopped for a few seconds. 　　Immediately afterward, he suddenly bent down, opened his mouth, and stuck his fingers into his throat to forcefully clasp the eye of his throat for a while, before he was able to get what was stuck in his throat, stained with saliva and blood, back out. 　　This is still far from the end, his hand holding the table trembled so much that he could not hold up his own body, and slid down to the floor, nothing of the stomach was tugged by the desire to vomit, and finally spit out only gastric juice and bile, yellow and green liquid from the mouth to the ground the moment, the organs in the abdominal cavity as if they were being tugged by the left and the right, torn in two halves. 　　Shao Jin's breathing was a little rough, he managed to suppress his desire to vomit, sat down on the floor, panting heavily, his eyes drifted around aimlessly, turning from the indoor furnishings that were all exquisite, and finally resting on the thing that was gouged out from his own throat. 　　The object had bumped twice on the floor since it had fallen to the ground, keeping its flat-bottomed-at-the-bottom-boat-shaped-at-the-top position steady, but compared to its brother, who was still laid out on a tabletop tray, it was somewhat deformed in appearance, with a few prominent teeth marks visible on it. 　　It was a thumb-sized silver dollar. 　　Shao Jin looked at the thing fixedly for a moment, and pooh-poohed a mouthful of spittle towards the side. 　　The spittle was red and landed on the lichened floor, quickly seeping in and out of sight. 　　"Croak!" The frog that jumped onto the table called out to Shao Jin again. 　　Shao Jin, who was sitting on the floor, tilted his head and looked at the frog on the table, and after a moment, he held on to the chair and got up from the floor again, sat back down with some shaky hands, and pointed at the frog and muttered to himself: 　　"...... Hey, there's no need to send a frog to mock me without a little angel, right?"