The square is very lively. Many people have already collected their umbrellas and are walking on the circular steps of the square.
Chen Xing also put away his umbrella.
He looked up at the sky and stretched out his hand to feel if there were any raindrops.
It always felt like there was still drizzle in the air, but I really couldn't feel anything anymore. Only the thick water color in the air and the moistened marble floor of the square gave the entire environment a cold tone.
Chen Xing stood at the entrance of the square. On both sides of him were circular steps that continued to go down. The steps were very long. You could say that he was a step going down, or you could say that he was a seat to watch the stage at the front.
This kind of seating occupies more than half of the circular square, and there is a stage in front of it, and a monument-like thing behind the stage.
Like a monument, like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
It's very ancient Roman style.
This square reminded Chen Xing of the Roman Theater.
Stone buildings last longer than wooden ones. Over the course of thousands of years, time and wind will at most erode some of the carvings on them. As long as there is no war, such a square can survive for almost another thousand years.
No one could advance the war into France before it surrendered.
That’s why there are so many ancient buildings in France.
In addition to people, there are a lot of pigeons here. There are people selling corn, bread and other things next to Chen Xing, and there are many street performers performing in front.
Foreign street performers feel quite profitable.
The felt hat of the street singer Chen Xing approached was already full of euros, and there was a lot of money in it. The singer probably sang very hard because of this.
The song is very classic.
Casablanca.
This is a song that was written decades ago. Its popularity is world-class, and everyone in the English-speaking area or who likes to listen to English has heard it.
The literal translation of the name is also very nice.
Casablanca.
During the interlude of the song, the singer also played a simple dance while playing the guitar. The dance movements were very handsome like Latin dance.
"Without your sigh, the kiss would be meaningless."
"Please come back to me in Casablanca."
"As time goes by, I love you more and more every day..."
After a song ended, a dozen people standing around applauded together, causing the pigeons around them to look up at the same time. It seemed that they could also hear the sound.
People with change donated generously, adding a little more euros to the already overflowing euros.
Chen Xing also gave some change.
The street artist relies on this money to make a living. If everyone who listens to his singing goes to whoring in vain, the final result will be that the singer changes careers and never sings again. Five euros is equivalent to Chen Xing's support for him.
He went to a stall on the side and bought a hot dog. Chen Xing found a dry place to sit down.
The height of the stairs is just right for sitting down. It seems that this square was definitely used as a stage in the past, and these stairs were used as seats.
As soon as Chen Xing sat down, several white pigeons surrounded him.
"Ah... I don't have anything for you guys. Do you want hot dogs too?"
The pigeons cooed.
Of course they didn't understand what Chen Xing was talking about, they just instinctively felt that this creature was very close and not dangerous.
"Really?" Chen Xing asked again.
Then he pinched some hot dog buns with his fingernails and fed the first pigeon, but Chen Xing soon discovered that this didn't work. As he started feeding, more pigeons gathered around Chen Xing's feet.
Just when Chen Xing didn't know what to do, suddenly, all these pigeons took off.
Not only those around Chen Xing, but also the pigeons on the edge of the circular steps a hundred meters away were flying. The white pigeons in the entire square were like balls shrinking inward, and they collectively flew towards the monument in front of the square. But there are only a few places on the monument that can stand. Half of the pigeons have stopped, and the other half can only continue to fly.
They flew around the monument, then widened their range and flew over the heads of countless tourists.
Round, round, and round.
It was as if a waltz was being performed, and some kind of piano music seemed to appear amidst the exclamations of the tourists.
So neat!
Many pigeons fell out of the team midway, and then stopped and returned to normal. The first few leading pigeons were the worst. They kept flying for a long time. Only when they saw that there were no other pigeons around did they think of resting and fall to the ground to preen their feathers.
Chen Xing subconsciously looked for the camera.
But he soon remembered that he had brought his own camera, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
If this scene was not recorded, there would be no point in coming to Rouen this time, and I would have to slap myself on both ears when I got back.
Sitting down again, Chen Xing has learned the lesson now. He can only eat food by himself and cannot feed it to the pigeons. Otherwise, when another large group comes, I don’t know if there will be a scene like before to save me again.
Holding a hot dog in his right hand and eating it, Chen Xing stretched out the index finger of his left hand.
He whistled.
Bai Gezi, who was still arranging his feathers, looked at Chen Xing, then stared at Chen Xing's hand for a while, and then he really did what Chen Xing thought in his mind, fluttering his wings and jumped up, and grabbed Chen Xing's hand.
Tsk...it hurts a little.
But this feeling is kind of amazing.
There were other tourists beside Chen Xing. When they saw a pigeon standing on Chen Xing's hand, they came over and asked, "What? How did you do that, handsome guy?"
These pigeons will only eat what is on your hand and will never come near anyone else.
The only way to get close to them is to put your fists on the ground, so that the surrounding pigeons think you are holding food in your hands, and they will come over on their own, just to eat something.
"I don't know either." Chen Xing said.
He held something in his right hand and touched the pigeon's head with the back of his hand, but it didn't fly away. The female tourist who asked Chen Xing just now also wanted to reach out and touch it, but the frightened little guy stepped on it. Chen Xing's fingers flew away quickly.
"Why!!!" The female tourist collapsed a little.
Her best friend beside her quickly comforted her.
Everyone else can touch the pigeons, why can't she?
Chen Xing said he was helpless and ran away quickly.
There are many food trucks on the street next to the square, selling pizza and burgers. Summer is coming, and there are also a lot of ice cream trucks. He originally wanted to go directly to the Church of Joan of Arc, but he spent two hours wandering on this street.
But when he came to the Church of Joan of Arc, he realized that being famous is not as good as meeting.
This is just a typical Protestant church with an ordinary interior, but a very unique appearance.
He originally thought that this place should be a popular attraction. Joan of Arc is so famous. There should be everyone in China who loves to play games and read books. However, it turned out to be an unpopular attraction with not many tourists.
It's far behind Rouen Cathedral.
After staying here for a day, Chen Xing took the train directly to Paris on Sunday afternoon.
…………
"Brother is back!"
Chen Xing opened the door with the key and said, but the result was that the landlord glanced at Chen Xing, and then went to read the newspaper with his reading glasses. Aunt Lizi said very politely: "Welcome, you went to Giverny, how do you feel?"
Chen Xing suddenly thought of his inspiration.
"I like it beyond imagination, the feeling of being surrounded by flowers."
After he finished speaking, he ran upstairs.
Fortunately, he didn't remember it. As soon as Aunt Lizi reminded him, Chen Xing wanted to pick up the pen and start drawing immediately.
When they arrived on the third floor, Chen Xing knocked on the door.
"Hedwig, hello? Hedwig."
Wearing a set of white pajamas, Hedwig opened the door and took a peek, then asked, "What's wrong?"
"Can I borrow your easel?"
"ah?"
"I want to paint, can I borrow your easel?"
Hedwig still didn't understand why Chen Xing, a student of photography, suddenly fell in love with painting. Do you want to change your major when you come back from playing for two days?
But since Chen Xing wants to borrow it...
"Okay." she said.
She wanted to help Chen Xing take it out, but as soon as she turned around, Chen Xing came in, startling Hedwig.
Chen Xing looked at her room.
It was very clean this time. There was nothing else on the bed. The quilt was lifted and there was a book next to it. Although it was not dark yet, the lamp on the bedside table was still on.
"Thank you." Chen Xing said, "Can I just paint here? I guess I still have something to ask you for."
"Is this okay?"
Chen Xing knew her temper and said with a smile: "If you don't want to, just refuse."
But Chen Xing has already sat down.
Hedwig felt helpless.
But I don't find Chen Xing annoying, which is really strange.
There were several easels in Hedwig's room, two of which had paintings on them. Chen Xing didn't move it. He found an empty one and asked, "Is there a new canvas?"
"No need to go to such trouble, just shovel out what I drew during practice."
She found a small shovel and shoveled away the paint on a painting, leaving paint residue on the floor.
This is the disadvantage of having the studio and bedroom in the same place. It is impossible to clean them, and the smell of paint will always be there. Over time, people who love cleanliness will not take care of them often.
I only clean it once in a while when I can't stand it anymore.
Chen Xing didn't know much about the early preparation or post-production of oil painting. He could only watch Hedwig busy. The white and extremely conservative long skirt and pajamas could not cover her figure. Chen Xing glanced at it several times before finally moving his eyes to her. Paint on.
We are all adults, and there is nothing wrong with adults watching things adults should watch.
But if you have thoughts about your roommate, wouldn’t it be awkward to meet him often in the future?
Unless you have a serious relationship.
Chen Xing looked at Hedwig's painting.
Hedwig studied classical oil painting, but the modern classical oil painting method is different from that of hundreds of years ago. One of her paintings shows a woman walking out of the subway and looking at the painting.
The other one seems to be a dance party?
During the dance, a drunk man was lying on the table, and people were looking at him.
When you stand in front of the painting, you always feel like people are looking at you.
But it wasn't a very weird feeling. At least Chen Xing felt it was very real, just like the reappearance of his own memories.
"Okay," Hedwig said.
Chen Xing took out the draft he had drawn, sat on a chair and recalled the scene at that time. Gradually, that feeling came again, that indescribable desire to create. Driven by this feeling, Chen Xing used Hedwig's paint again.
He's still... so rude.
She sat on the bed, but she couldn't read the book anymore, so she kept staring at Chen Xing's paintings.
The speed of creation is so fast.
However, the turning of the lines is a bit stiff, but the technique is okay. Hey, how did you draw this?
Chen Xing's alternative creative techniques made Hedwig feel so magical.
After a long time, Chen Xing moved his head and arms, but he bumped into something. He looked back and saw Hedwig holding her chest and taking a few steps back. Chen Xing suddenly understood and asked:
"Are you okay?"
"No!"
Chen Xing smiled, turned around and asked while painting: "How can a talented student like you look at the paintings of a novice like me?"
"You're not a rookie, you're also very capable." Hedwig replied sternly.
She couldn't understand how many of Chen Xing's lines were drawn. Although she couldn't understand them, her skills were still very good. What Chen Xing lacked now was her proficiency. She needed to paint for a while and change some bad habits. Well, at least I can draw like myself.
"What do you want to draw?" she asked.
"There is a picture I saw when I was traveling. At that time, I saw someone placed a bubble machine in a flower house. Coincidentally, a child picked up a lot of flower petals of various colors. He threw the petals into the sky. Throw it together with the rising bubbles. I think that kind of picture is very beautiful."
Hedwig tried her best to think about it, but she couldn't imagine how beautiful it was.
At this time, Aunt Lizi asked the two of them to go down to eat. She agreed and said to Chen Xing: "You can take the shelf away when you go out. I want to change clothes."
No matter how much Chen Xing likes to tease Hedwig, he has to leave now.
Shrugging.
"See you downstairs."
Shah Rukh had something to do today, so it was just the four of them having dinner. Aunt Lizzie made it very rich because Chen Xing was back. Each of them had a piece of steak that looked very tender and juicy. It was still there when it was placed on the plate. Sizzling oil blossoms.
When talking about Western food, steak will definitely come to mind.
But in fact, even the French rarely eat steak in their daily lives.
At the dinner table, Uncle Feida asked: "Where did you go this time?"
"As far as Monet's Garden and Rouen, I don't have enough time and I can't go further. But this time I encountered something in Vernon that moved me very much."
"What is it?"
"I met……"
He told the story about Franz, especially the first time he saw those photos, from being inadvertent to being moved. His writing talent greatly improved his language organization. At least Uncle Feida and Aunt Lizzie were touched. Franz's pity reminded them of their own children.
Hedwig remained silent.
But this feeling of silence was different from what she had before.
Aunt Lizzie soon noticed and asked, "What's wrong with you? Hedwig?"
"No, this is a very good father..." She sighed and said, "I'm done eating."
After that, he went back to the room.
Uncle Feida asked in confusion: "What's going on?"
"It should be her father's business?" Aunt Lizzy didn't know either. Hedwig never told anyone about their family's affairs.
However, she knew that Chen Xing and Hedwig had an unusual relationship, so she signaled with her eyes a few times.
Come on, can you still eat in this situation?
(End of chapter)