The literary club applied for a classroom from the school as a venue for literary exchange meetings. There are quite a lot of people coming to the club, and even more people like Li Xian come here to join in the fun. The name Cui Fu seems to be somewhat famous among the students. Although Lu Ning and Ying Caiyi don't know it, they are It's a minority.
After saying hello to the classmates they met in the club, the three of them found a seat in the back row and sat down. Li Xian just wanted to see what the original author looked like in real life. She didn't have the fanatical energy to chase stars, but she was just a little more excited.
The meeting started at ten o'clock, and at nine-thirty, the president of the literary club came in and reminded everyone about etiquette and other issues. Of course, this is actually quite redundant. Most people here come here to see celebrities. How many of them would not follow etiquette?
When it was close to ten o'clock, the long-awaited Cui Fu finally walked into the classroom.
First of all, he looked very young, in his early thirties at most, and he had a literary temperament on his face. After entering the room, he smiled and said hello, then walked to the blackboard and wrote his name.
"Hello everyone, I am honored to be invited to be here today. Maybe some of you have not heard of me, but my pen name is Cui Fu, which means Fu in poetry and song. My works are now somewhat famous, most likely "Mo Zhong". Of course, I am a screenwriter and a writer. Today I am here to meet you. In addition to sharing some of my own experiences, I also want to make friends with you through literature and imitate the literati of ancient times."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone started clapping, and it seemed that the president was leading the way.
"Don't be so polite. Then, I'll do the first half, and we'll talk about the second half. Follow this process..."
Cui Fu turned on the projector and started showing the slides. He has good eloquence, and the four words "gentle and elegant" can indeed describe him. The stories told are all interesting things experienced during the creative process, and they are not boring.
However, Li Xian soon felt a little bored and yawned quietly from behind.
"What's wrong?" Lu Ning looked at her.
"This guy... is pretty handsome, but he's not my type... I'm not interested in literary creation."
"Then you pester us to come together." Ying Caiyi said angrily.
"Isn't this just out of curiosity? It's not a good idea to leave now... No one can notice if I squint secretly for a while, right?"
"This is an early hour for you, right?" Ying Caiyi glared at her, "Forget it, stop snoring."
"Okay."
After about forty-five minutes, Cui Fu finally finished his story, and many people still seemed to be a little unfinished. At this time, the president stood up, took a package from the corner, and placed it on the podium.
Cui Fu said with a smile: "As a gift, I brought you ten hardcover copies of "Mo Zhong". If you want, I can also write a message for you on the title page. Of course, the carrying capacity is limited, so we only draw Ten lucky classmates.”
The president said from the side: "Everyone, there are numbers behind the seats in the classroom. Check it out yourself. We will use this number to draw a lottery. Teacher Cui will use a random tool to select the person who can get the book! Don't mess up!"
Lu Ning turned around and glanced at the number of her seat, No. 97. Since it was in the back row, the number was quite large. Li Xian was also poked awake by Ying Caiyi. The two people were No. 95 and 96.
"Everyone, after confirmation, Teacher Cui is about to draw a lottery!" The president clapped his hands, then twisted his face and said with a smile, "Teacher Cui, can you please?"
"Okay, if you find an empty seat, you can draw it again. There are one hundred and ten chairs in the classroom... The random number tool is ready." Cui Fu opened the random number tool, and the ten grids on it were beating rapidly with numbers. Close your eyes and click ten times quickly.
Some cheered, some sighed with regret.
"Hey, Lu Ning, you're here!" Ying Caiyi saw the "97" that popped out at the end, and patted Lu Ning excitedly, "Go up and get it back."
"Okay, okay." Lu Ning smiled, stood up and walked to the front.
Ten hardcover books had been taken out and placed on the table. Lu Ning glanced at them casually, but suddenly saw a familiar text.
Not words, but symbols, the same symbols as those on the shredded paper that I saw in Professor Gong's office before. Although they do not have the effect of directly causing the distortion point phenomenon, they can be seen to come from the same source.
These symbols were printed on the cover in an ink style and became part of the background.
Lu Ning remained silent for the time being. The fact that she did not observe any distortion points meant that they had lost their effect just like the one she had recycled. Moreover, this book was printed in such a large quantity and it must have spread to various places. If something was going to happen, it would have happened long ago. .
"This classmate, would you like me to write something?"
Soon it was Lu Ning's turn.
After pondering for a moment, she said to Cui Fu: "Please write, [To, don't forget the way home]."
"Oh, it's really special. It seems that my classmates must like their home very much." Cui Fu quickly wrote on the title page, closed the book and handed it to Lu Ning.
"I also want to ask...who designed this cover of yours? It's very stylish."
"Haha, I commissioned a famous artist to draw this. After all, "Mo Zhong" is my favorite work, and I don't want it to have any flaws. I'm very satisfied with this cover, which condenses the charm of the story, and also Without losing elegance and style.”
"Ah...I wonder if I can ask for the painter's contact information? Because I also like this style, and I may be in need of invitations recently." Lu Ning said with a smile.
"Since it's a business, of course there's no problem. However, the price of this invitation may be quite high, so students should think carefully about it." Cui Fu took out his mobile phone, quickly found a phone number, and reported it to Lu Ning, " This is the business contact number. When you tell the other party your requirements, be sure to ask about the price."
"I know, thank you."
Lu Ning returned to her seat with the book, and Ying Caiyi came over to take a look and praise her. Li Xian was not very interested. Seeing that the exchange meeting was about to start, she planned to leave and go back. Ying Caiyi saw that she was not very interested, so she also planned to leave.
"I'll take a look." Lu Ning did not go with her two friends. It was rare that she found a clue. She planned to continue to see if there would be any follow-up events.
The subsequent discussion became more lively, and people familiar with it naturally gathered around, and some even started reading books. Some brave people went over to chat with Cui Fu and soon discovered that Cui Fu was actually very approachable and experienced when asked about creative matters. He was worthy of someone who had written several works at such a young age.
"Why did Teacher Cui come to our place?" someone asked. Lu Ning immediately pricked up her ears after hearing this question.
"I came here to collect materials." Cui Fu said with a smile, "I have been imagining a new work recently and need to know some things about the local customs and customs, so I came here. I will take the car to Shenyue Town at two o'clock this afternoon. You know that, right?"
"You know, I went there to play around when the freshmen were admitted."
"But there are tourist attractions like this in ancient towns almost everywhere, right? You should have visited quite a few."
"Traveling and collecting materials are not the same thing. Every place has its own folk customs. When you travel, you usually eat some snacks and take pictures of the beautiful scenery. But for me, I also have to chat with the locals and ask what is available in each place. Folk customs, special legends. In fact, these are very interesting." Cui Fu said.
"Writing a book is so tiring..."
"No, if you think about it, you can stick to your interests and travel at any time. Isn't this a very pleasant thing?"
"So where have you been? Do you have any interesting experiences you can tell us?"
"This...that's a lot. What do you want to hear?"
Lu Ning walked over at this moment.
"Teacher, can you tell me... about the inspiration for the book "Mo Zhong" and where you have been for this? I am very interested."
Lu Ning's words immediately gained approval from the people around her.
"Yes, yes, we really want to know too!"
Cui Fu smiled, picked a travel story and started telling it. His travel experience is slightly different from that of a normal traveler. He has visited many different people's homes, but he is more like a reporter. The whole story sounded to Lu Ning as just a relatively new interview, until the end...
"The gentleman enthusiastically stayed with me to enjoy the local delicacies, and also showed me a calligraphy and painting, which he said was a precious legacy left by our ancestors. It was this painting that laid the foundation for my conception of the whole story. Perhaps You never thought that there would be such a fascinating painting."
"What...is it like?" someone asked.
"The painting is divided into upper and lower parts. The upper part shows the mountains, rivers and various forms of human life, while the lower part is written in cursive script without any inscription. I think you must have seen many famous paintings in the album, but this painting...how to describe it?" Cui Fu He showed a fascinated expression, "It's a pity that I can't take pictures. The scenery above seems to be real. No matter how you think about it, it is a masterpiece that can be painted by everyone."
"The protagonist in your story is looking for such a lifelike painting, but...the teacher's story shouldn't be finished yet, right?" a student asked.
"Indeed, Mo Zhong only told one stage of the story, but before I wrote the next story, I wanted to go back and look at the painting again."
"Can you tell where the old man lives?" Lu Ning asked.
"Well... you can, but if you want to visit each other, you must be prepared. Friendly communication with the locals is a must, hahaha."
Lu Ning left the classroom with satisfaction after getting the address.
=
Painter Mao Yizheng is good at ink painting and oil painting. Of course, in today's era, he also knows how to use computers to assist painting. Lu Ning checked this person on the Internet. She was about the same age as Cui Fu. From her painting skills, she couldn't tell how good he was. She could only say that the public works were quite beautiful.
As for the place where the old man lives, it is called Zhiyu Town, which is one province away from the province where Lu Ning University is located. It takes about two hours to get there by train. There is no information about this town on the Internet. I can only see its name on the map, but I am sure it really exists.
Lu Ning's classes are relatively few, and now is not the most intensive time. If she wants to, it's okay to spare some time. But now I just have a little doubt. Does she really want to travel across provinces for this?
The answer came out quickly - Lu Ning was not the kind of person to treat any suspicion in her heart as an illusion. If she didn't check everything clearly, she would probably not be able to rest at ease. After she made a quick decision, she sent an email to her class teacher to ask for leave. Lu Ning's midterm exam results were very good. The class teacher also knew about her physical condition and quickly approved the leave. Anyone else would have had to go to the school doctor to issue a certificate, but Lu Ning was spared this trouble. Immediately afterwards, she purchased a train ticket to the province and city in Zhiyu Town online.
When packing her luggage, she didn't hide it from her roommates. Li Xian simply told her to pay attention to safety. While Ying Caiyi said goodbye, she was a little envious of Lu Ning's freedom to act immediately when she thought of it.
Early on Saturday morning, Lu Ning took the backpack she packed and got on the train to Zhiyu Town.
There was nothing much to say about the ride. After she got off the bus at the city train station, she followed the directions on her mobile phone's navigation to find the bus to Zhiyu Town. By the time they arrived at their destination, it was already past three in the afternoon. After Lu Ning got off the car, she was slightly shocked by the scenery here.
Of course, the place where Cui Fu drew his materials is also beautiful. This town is built on the mountains and has beautiful scenery. For Lu Ning, he could even add the words "thousands of auspicious energy". The whole town is full of vitality, and it is estimated that just living here can extend his life.
Of course, mid-November is no longer the peak tourist season. There are few tourists in the town and people are going about their daily work. This is not the kind of town that completely imitates ancient times, but the new buildings are not like skyscrapers. Apart from some necessary air conditioners and the like, there are few supplies of modern society outside.
A river flows from the mountains and passes through the town, adding a bit of a water town feel to the place. Although there is tourism here, it is not a scenic spot. No one sells tickets or maps. Lu Ning can only rely on the map on her mobile phone to find the way, and ask some townspeople who are washing clothes and playing chess on the roadside for directions.
However, when she asked about the old man's address, the townspeople sadly told her that the old man passed away in May this year. His son and daughter came back to pack his things, and the house was ready to be sold. It's just that the houses here are not particularly easy to sell. They are currently only doing short-term rental business. If Lu Ning wants to take a look, he might want to see if there is anyone there.
After Lu Ning thanked him, she walked towards the house where the old man once lived. Whether there is anyone or not, it does not prevent her from seeing the house.
