The child recoiled a little, timidly shrinking behind the stairwell corner.
After a moment, she cautiously peeked out again.
Seeing that Qiao Nan hadn’t left and was still waving at her, she hesitated before stepping forward.
Qiao Nan finally had the chance to observe her closely.
She looked about six or seven years old, wearing somewhat old Miao clothing.
She was very thin, her exposed arms and legs like reeds.
Her skin was a healthy wheat color from prolonged sun exposure, and her face was pointed and small, making her eyes appear exceptionally large.
Due to shyness, there was a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.
But she was actually a very pretty child.
“What’s your name?”
Qiao Nan asked.
“Mingda.”
“Is it the Mingda from Mingda Mountain?”
Qiao Nan had heard from locals that Fengxi Village was built against a mountain, and the largest and highest peak was called Mingda Mountain.
Mingda nodded slightly.
“That’s a beautiful name,” Qiao Nan praised. He then pointed to his drawing board, “Would you like to be my model?”
Mingda didn’t quite understand what being a model meant.
She tilted her head, looking at him with some confusion.
Qiao Nan rephrased it in an easy-to-understand way, pointing to the camphor tree downstairs, “You sit over there, and I’ll draw a portrait of you. In return, how about I give you a small box of paints?”
This time, Mingda understood.
She grinned and nodded vigorously.
Qiao Nan tucked the wild fruits into his pocket, picked up his sketchpad, which he hadn’t put down, and went downstairs with Mingda.
After having Mingda find a stone stool to sit on, Qiao Nan took off the flower crown from his head and placed it on her.
He then sat on the ground and began to concentrate on sketching.
He held the sketchpad with one hand and a pencil with the other, his fair fingers still stained with unwashed oil paint.
As his wrist moved flexibly, a rough outline quickly appeared on the sketch paper.
A simple sketch could be completed in about twenty minutes.
Qiao Nan finished his last stroke, took the drawing from the sketchpad, and waved to Mingda, who had been diligently sitting upright and still, “Okay, come take a look.”
Hearing him say he was finished, Mingda finally dared to move.
She ran to his side, looking at the drawing with gasps of admiration.
The little girl in the painting was so beautiful, she didn’t even look like herself.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, I like it.”
Mingda nodded vigorously.
“Then it’s yours,” Qiao Nan rolled up the drawing, tied it with a string, and handed it to her.
He then opened his paint box, “You can choose a color as your reward.”
This time, Mingda didn’t refuse or run away.
She chose the small box of “lemon yellow” paint that Qiao Nan had offered her yesterday but which she hadn’t taken.
Qiao Nan also gave her a paintbrush as an extra gift.
After quietly saying “thank you,” Mingda cherished the drawing and paint as if they were treasures and left.
She didn’t go far.
There was an old, faded gray wall less than fifty meters ahead.
Perhaps too impatient, she tied the rolled drawing to her waistband, squatted by the wall, carefully dipped her brush in the paint, and began painting on the gray wall as if it were her canvas.
Her expression was very solemn, and from the details, one could see she was diligently imitating how Qiao Nan painted.
Even though the gray wall was just roughly coated with lime, its plaster peeling and mottled, with small red paint advertisements sprayed on it, she still treated this “canvas” very seriously.
With her as the starting point, the leaden sky and gray-green mountains stretched endlessly into the distance.
Beneath the gloomy firmament, everything was shrouded in dimness.
Only Mingda, and the lemon-yellow sun she painted, became the sole bright spots in the world.
Qiao Nan’s gaze lingered on that splash of bright yellow, giving rise to a strong, surging desire to capture this very moment in a painting.
He took out his phone to record this moment, then hastily laid out new drawing paper, picked up his pen to sketch, striving to capture this soul-stirring scene.
It was also at this moment that he suddenly understood why, in the current era dominated by Impressionism and Abstract art, Lai Ying consistently adhered to hyperrealism.
Every figure in his paintings placed extreme emphasis on realism.
It was said that he even used a magnifying glass when painting, striving to ensure every stroke deviated not at all from reality.
The painted figures were vibrant, comparable to photographs.
Previously, although Qiao Nan liked his works, he didn’t quite understand this aspect.
A painter’s brush should express emotions and stories, not merely show off high-fidelity techniques.
But at this very moment, he suddenly understood.
What Lai Ying reproduced was never just the figures themselves, but the long song of time hidden in the corners of their eyes, their brows, and every brushstroke.
During his video call with Pei Xu that evening, Qiao Nan couldn’t contain his excitement.
He sat on his bed, his phone propped on the bedside table, practically gesticulating to Pei Xu about his newfound insights, “Before, at school, Old Li always said I had enough technique but lacked emotion, no style of my own. Honestly, I didn’t quite agree until today.”
***
“But now I understand. I’ve seen a different world, and suddenly I know what I should paint,” His eyes were bright, like stars twinkling in the night, “Old Li said he’s planning an exhibition with a Miao ethnic theme. If we can create works he’s satisfied with during this sketching trip, we can participate in the exhibition together. I want to try.”
For students who hadn’t yet graduated, this was a rare opportunity and a huge challenge.
After all, Old Li’s pickiness was well-known.
Pei Xu watched him intently, his heart silently stirring.
Qiao Nan today was different from the Qiao Nan of days past; he possessed an exceptionally captivating radiance.
Like a larva finally accumulating enough strength, beginning to try to break out of its cocoon.
He was transforming.
And yet, Pei Xu wasn’t by his side.
The young man he had nurtured should have broken out of his cocoon and transformed into a butterfly in his own hands.
***
The next day, Pei Xu called Zhao Bo into his office.
“I recall two years ago, the company responded to a call and funded several poverty alleviation projects. Were any of them in the mountainous areas of Guizhou North?”
Zhao Bo had previously handled the poverty alleviation projects. He thought for a moment, “Yes, there was one in Ying’an.”
Although not in Ziyun, Ying’an was right next to it, not far away.
Pei Xu pondered for a moment, then said, “Contact the local person in charge in Ying’an. Tell them we want to add another sum for poverty alleviation, the funds from my personal account… However, to ensure the funds are properly allocated, I’d like to personally inspect it.”
Zhao Bo was startled, “You’re going to inspect it personally?”
He was about to explain that corporate sponsorships usually interface with the local poverty alleviation office, and every sum would have clear accounts, so there wouldn’t be any problems.
But then he suddenly remembered, Guizhou North… Young Master Qiao seemed to be in Guizhou North right now.
Vaguely, he seemed to grasp something and didn’t offer any more explanations, immediately saying, “Okay, I understand.”
Pei Xu nodded, “Do it as soon as possible. You and Peng Yi will come with me to Ying’an then.”
The arrangements for the Ying’an inspection were finalized three days later.
In the early morning of the fourth day, Pei Xu, accompanied by two assistants, flew to Guizhou North.
He hadn’t informed Qiao Nan of this trip beforehand.
After arriving in Ying’an, he spent a day on inspection.
Afterwards, he declined the enthusiastic hospitality of the local reception staff, left Zhao Bo to handle the follow-up matters, and drove with his second assistant, Peng Yi, to Fengxi Village in Shitai County after purchasing daily necessities in the city.
They departed at noon, taking turns driving, and arrived at Fengxi Village by evening.
It was a rare sunny day, and the evening sky was filled with sunset clouds.
The fiery clouds unfolded like an oil painting, breathtakingly beautiful.
Pei Xu got out of the car and entered the village to find him.
As he stepped onto the stairs, he heard a familiar voice say, “It’s getting late. We’ll continue teaching you tomorrow.”
Pei Xu turned his head at the sound, and immediately saw Qiao Nan.
He was wearing a dark blue short jacket and shorts, which appeared to be local Miao ethnic attire.
The lapel-less short jacket was loose, adorned with embroidered patterns on the sleeves, and many rhombus-shaped silver pieces dangled at the cuffs; the straight-leg trousers were three-quarter length, ending mid-calf, revealing a slender, beautiful calf and delicate ankle bones.
The wind blew his short jacket backward, and he was like a butterfly spreading its wings against the wind, lightly walking on the boundary line between day and night.
To his left were the fiery, burning sunset clouds; to his right, the already darkened deep blue sky.
Amidst the alternating light and shadow, the small silver pieces at his cuffs swayed and clinked with his movements, producing a clear and melodious “ding-dong” sound.
The silver sequins reflected the sky’s light, like stars surrounding him.
Pei Xu stood rooted to the spot for a long time, watching him walk far away, before he called out “Qiao Nan” in a husky voice.
His heart thumped, wanting to go forward and grab him; yet his body remained still, looking at him from afar, as if waiting for him to come towards him.
A sound that shouldn’t have been there came from behind him.
Qiao Nan froze for a moment, then hesitantly turned around.
“Brother?!”
His expression shifted from confusion to surprise, then he ran towards Pei Xu with full joy, throwing himself into his arms, “Why are you here? I told you I wasn’t that delicate.” He complained with both surprise and delight: “And you didn’t even tell me beforehand.”
Pei Xu caught him.
He slowly tightened his arms, holding the young man captive in his embrace, bowing his head to deeply inhale his scent, “I happened to have some business in Guizhou North, so I thought I’d come see you along the way.”
Qiao Nan didn’t believe him, “Xu Nan doesn’t have a branch company in Guizhou North. What business do you have here?”
Pei Xu smiled, “Actually, there’s a poverty alleviation project in Ying’an. I could have come or not. But I wanted to see you, so I came.”
Qiao Nan’s eyes curved in a smile.
He took Pei Xu’s hand and walked towards the stilt house, “Actually, I missed you a little too.”
“How many days are you staying here? Old Li took us into the mountains to sketch yesterday; the waterfall on Mingda Mountain is especially beautiful. I’ll take you to see it!”
His steps were light, his face full of smiles, his chattering voice more joyful than the birds in the mountains.
Pei Xu lowered his eyes to their clasped hands, suppressing the surging emotions, and said gently, “The company has too much going on. I have to leave early tomorrow morning.”
Qiao Nan froze, a little disappointed, “So soon? Then we can’t see the waterfall together.” However, his disappointment only lasted a moment, and he quickly brightened again, “Then you’ll sleep with me tonight!”
Pei Xu looked at him gently and softly said, “Okay.”