Shen Chen Club is a kind of Jiangnan villa rarely seen in Hong Kong city. The buildings in the courtyard are connected on floors, with white walls and black tiles. Stepping into it seems to block the hustle and bustle of the city and feel a long-lost peace and tranquility.
"Mr. He, long time no see!"
As soon as the three of them entered the hospital, they saw a well-dressed, tall and thin man waiting. He seemed to be a manager or something.
However, he knew He Tianran, but He Tianran did not know him.
The tall and thin man stepped forward with a flattering look on his face and explained succinctly that He Panshan and Bai Wenyu had been here early in the morning, so he specifically asked him to lead them over when he saw the three of them.
After the explanation, he didn't waste any more words and began to lead the way respectfully. Of course, during the process, he also asked the three of them if they had any taboos for other dishes in today's crab feast, their preferences for dim sum, and what they wanted after the meal. No need to arrange spa treatments or anything.
After several people finished answering, the manager walked forward very wisely, keeping a close distance from the three of them.
"How many times have you been here? This manager seems to know you very well."
Wen Liang couldn't help but ask.
He Tianran recalled:
"I haven't been here a few times. When I was a kid, my grandfather liked to take our whole family here to watch movies and eat crabs. When we got a little older, my dad held one or two annual meetings of company executives here. But later on, his company became more and more popular. Da, once my father died, he didn’t come much anymore.”
In fact, He Tianran didn't say anything else. It's a place like this, which covers such a large area, and has been open for nearly 30 years in a prosperous area close to the city center where every inch of land is precious. It's really the only place like this. It is said that this piece of land was related to his grandfather, but he was not very clear about the reason, so he kept it secret.
The tall and lanky man led the three people to the three-sided ancient stage located on the central axis of the building. The stage's foundation was one meter high. There were four large buckets on the four corner pillars, and four large horizontal beams on the big bucket. To form a huge box, below the box is an open performance area.
On the stage at this moment, opera singers were singing a tune that was very unfamiliar to young people.
When Wen Liang saw the play being performed, her beautiful eyes trembled, and she suddenly felt a little dazed. Then she forced her eyes away from the stage, and unexpectedly she saw a couplet with red calligraphy on the left and right of the stage, writing a letter——
Playing out the joys and sorrows of separation and reunion, how can it be that the present is nothing like the past?
Watching the praise and criticism, there are always people in the drama.
…
The manager who led the way subconsciously thought that these young people did not understand drama, so he specially explained it and took credit by the way:
"This is Kun Opera. The actors on the stage are all Liyuan leaders we specially hired. In the past, Mrs. He liked to listen to Kun Opera the most. Today Mr. He has booked the performance. No one will disturb us during the family banquet."
He Tianran also looked at the stage. He still had vague memories of it from his childhood, so he blurted out: "The Peony Pavilion?"
The manager nodded: "Yes, it seems that Mr. He and the others will be here in the afternoon as soon as Xunmeng comes out!"
Under the stage, in an empty seat, He Panshan had already seen the three people walking slowly. He touched Bai Wenyu who was fascinated by the show with his arm, then raised his hand and waved to the three people.
Bai Wenyu drew his attention away from the opera story, looked at the three people approaching, and stood up with a smile on his face.
"mom."
After not seeing his mother for a long time, He Tianran walked up to Bai Wenyu with a reserved expression. Although for the latter, in reality, the two had not seen each other for more than a year, but for the boy, this was already a lot of memories. years...
Even if he was as cold-blooded as him, even if he had a lot of dissatisfaction with Cao Aiqing before, it can be seen that seeing this long-lost relative, his heart surged uncontrollably.
Bai Wenyu opened her arms and gently hugged He Tianran into her arms. She was naturally very happy to see her son again. She thought that when she left, her son was only as tall as herself, but now he is more than a head taller than her. , even for a hug, he had to bend down slightly to put his head on his shoulder.
Bai Wenyu was filled with emotion and patted He Tianran's back gently:
"Naturally, you haven't changed so much since I last saw you. You have really grown taller and grown up this year. You are no longer the little kid you used to be."
When the two girls behind him saw this scene, they fell silent and neither of them wanted to disturb him.
After a moment, He Tianran gently broke away from his arms. Facing Bai Wenyu's questioning eyes, he quickly gathered his emotions, turned around, and introduced to her:
"Mom, this is Wen Liang, my girlfriend. We were classmates in high school. Now she also goes to the same university as me, majoring in acting."
Bai Wenyu nodded slightly, crossed her hands and placed them naturally in front of her lower abdomen. She took two steps and faced Wen Liang.
"Hello, aunt!" Wen Liang smiled and greeted cheerfully.
"Xiao Wen, Tianran's father told me about you before, and we finally met today. No wonder Tianran likes you. You are such a beautiful girl. Sit down quickly, don't stand."
"Um!"
Bai Wenyu looked Wen Liang up and down. She didn't see the kind of mother-in-law who hit it off with her daughter-in-law-to-be. Of course, she didn't have the kind of disgusted eyes and sarcastic words that started to deliberately make things difficult for her when they first met. This woman just smiled slightly, retaining her four points. Talk and laugh with sincerity and three points of enthusiasm.
"This is...Cao Aiqing, Mom, you should have met..."
He Tianran skipped the words, and he didn't seem to need to say anything more about the relationship that had developed between them.
Bai Wenyu glanced at his son reproachfully, and then asked Cao Aiqing softly:
"Xiao Cao, let's sit down and watch the show first. Let's chat and have some snacks together. The waiter just said that the crabs are still a little undercooked."
"There's no rush, Sister Bai."
Cao Aiqing smiled calmly. At this moment, the two women were standing together, and their temperaments and expressions were really similar.
Several people sat down one after another. He Tianran sat next to He Panshan and finally shouted:
"dad."
"Okay, just call someone."
He Panshan picked up the Pu'er beside him and took a sip, as if he didn't care much whether He Tianran's son called him. On the contrary, after Wen Liang sat down, he called him "Uncle He" playfully, making him smile. , he immediately joked:
"Xiao Wen, I had a drink with your dad a few days ago. Good guy, is he usually controlled by your mother? You have to beat people when you persuade them to drink, and you have to beat people when you drink too little. It's obvious that you have such a good drinker. I want to I drink a bar, but I'm afraid of getting drunk. The awkward look on my face makes me happy just thinking about it now. Not to mention, drinking with your dad is really fun."
"Really? What happened next? Who won?" Wen Liang asked.
When He Panshan drank with his father, it must have been about her and He Tianran's affairs. He hadn't been home recently and didn't know what the outcome would be, so how could the girl not be concerned about the follow-up to this matter?
He Panshan gave up and said: "Oh, your mother was also there at the time, and we all stopped. If you want to ask who will win, it's really hard to say..."
"Don't be afraid. Uncle He, I will help you date my dad when you want to drink when you have time next time."
"Tsk tsk tsk, you're sensible."
Wen Liang was very transparent and did not let He Panshan's problems fall to the ground. The two of them chatted about everyday things, and the scene was very pleasant.
"natural."
"Mom, what's wrong?"
He Tianran's attention was focused on the conversation between his girlfriend and his father. He originally thought that his mother would also follow the conversation between the two and ask questions. After all, what they discussed was also related to his love life, but the people around him Mother seems to have her own plans.
"I heard from your dad that you were admitted to the film school with the top score in your major?"
"um, yes."
"Why did you suddenly think that you want to learn directing?"
This was just an ordinary question from a mother. He Tianran was used to it and didn't even think it was strange. But at this moment, Wen Liang and Cao Aiqing, two outsiders, clearly felt a strange feeling in their hearts.
"In the beginning, I really liked movies. I thought it was a wonderful thing and wanted to try to learn and understand it. But now I am in a state where the more I learn, the more interesting it becomes, and I also want to engage in work related to it in the future..."
He Tianran gave an answer simply.
Bai Wenyu paused for a moment, and then she nodded in agreement. The gentle expression on her face did not change, and she said three words in a tone of interest that remained:
"Any more?"
In an instant, both girls realized what the strange feeling in their hearts was...
It was oppressive.
During the conversation with He Tianran, Bai Wenyu was obviously so amiable, and his tone remained brisk, as if it was a straight line, without any fluctuations. However, this change made people even more flustered...
It's like when you were in class when you were a kid, and the teacher asked someone to get up to answer a question. You didn't want to answer, but she caught your eyes, walked straight over, called your name, and asked you to answer. When you finally managed to hold back the answer, she I didn’t tell you whether it was right or wrong, but asked you again in a pleasant manner:
"Any more?"
Anyone who has experienced this situation knows that when you hear these three words, it is almost equivalent to being dissatisfied with the answer. If you say no, it will definitely be a dead end, and most people will choose to rack their brains. Complete the answer.
And this period of thinking is often the most painful...
He Tianran lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. Bai Wenyu did not rush him, but just looked directly at his son and waited quietly.
The lyrics on the stage were melodious and melodious, but among the five people in the audience, only He Panshan seemed to be aloof and focused on watching the show.
He Tianran was stunned and didn't know how to answer.
He wanted to use his future love for movies to answer his original intention, but this seemed to be very tricky.
He wanted to use his current experience to summarize some inspirational words and express his pursuit of dreams, but without Wenliang's advice at that time, it seems that he would not choose this career now...
The boy's mind suddenly became confused. It was not that he had no answers. On the contrary, he had many answers in his heart, but none of them seemed to be the "standard answers" that his mother, Bai Wenyu, wanted.
Bai Wenyu did not continue to embarrass his son, but smiled kindly and said:
"You, this is still the same as when I was a kid. When I ask you what you like, I always give you an answer with a flash of heat in my head. It takes three minutes, but if I dig deeper, I can't explain the reason."
He Tianran didn't argue about this. His mother was still as gentle and gentle as he remembered, even if his performance was not so unsatisfactory.
But all this, from the perspective of outsiders, is a completely different story. This is completely the disappointing statement of a mother who has no choice but to do anything.
He Tianran is such a smart person, and he has done everything in his power. It is impossible for him not to notice this...
Wen Liang was very confused. Perhaps this was really a habit of thinking developed by He Tianran when he faced Bai Wenyu.
Cao Aiqing and Wen Liang had the same idea, but she knew better, because last time in the car, Bai Wenyu mentioned to her that He Tianran learned piano when he was a child, which made her understand a little bit about the motivation behind it... …
Smart children are certainly reassuring, but He Tianran was always very clumsy when learning things as a child, but stupid children always get some extra companionship and care.
Wen Liang wanted to say something for him, but he swallowed his words again. Bai Wenyu asked He Tianran again, if other people stepped forward to help him at this time, it would only make the sensitive him more embarrassed...
"But naturally, since you are the director, mom will test you. What is the story of "The Peony Pavilion" that is being performed on stage now? What is the truth in it?"
Bai Wenyu changed the topic and continued to ask.
He Tianran looked at the actor on the stage and sighed and expressed his love. He couldn't help but lower his head, smiled awkwardly at the corner of his mouth, pursed his lips and said:
"In short, Du Liniang had a dream about Liu Mengmei, and the two fell in love at first sight, but in fact they had never seen each other in real life. However, even so, Du Liniang was lovesick and fell into depression. And after she died, she discovered that there really was a person like Liu Mengmei in the world. She entrusted Liu Mengmei with a dream and told her life story and causes, which led to the famous inscription of the whole play, called..."
At this point, He Tianran paused, Bai Wenyu wondered why he stopped, and Cao Aiqing, who had not spoken until now, felt something in his heart and couldn't help but help him slowly answer -
"Love doesn't know where it starts, it goes deep; hate doesn't know where it ends, but it becomes entangled and wandering."
This sentence is exactly in line with Cao Aiqing's state of mind at the moment. The so-called true love of young people does not know how it happened, and the love is as deep as the sea at once; resentment, no one knows when it will come to fruition, and it is entangled.
But what He Tianran wanted to express was a little more than this, because there was another sentence in the inscription of "The Peony Pavilion"...
"Wherever love comes, the living can die and the dead can live. Those who are alive but cannot die, and those who die and cannot be resurrected are all not caused by love."
The warmth and coolness on the side spoke in a low voice.
At this moment, the actors on the stage are also singing gracefully——
"Occasionally, my heart seems to be in love, beside the plum tree. Such flowers and plants are loved by people, and life and death are according to people's wishes, so it is sad and painful, and no one complains. When you are ready to fight, your soul is fragrant, and it is rainy and plummy, and you are a beautiful girl. See you."
(End of chapter)
