Gu Tongxiang walked two steps with soy milk in his hand and walked into Old Man Wu's art shop next door.
"Old Wu, Old Wu"
The yard of the literary store covers an area slightly larger than that of Gu's Book Gallery. On the ground, against the walls, there are various All kinds of stones, whether green or green, gray or gray.
Some stones were cut in half, and some stones had been left there for a long time and were covered with a layer of green moss.
Old man Wu’s shop is filled with miscellaneous things.
Phoebe bracelets, coins, rare stones, and cultural clothing are all selling points, but nothing particularly high-quality.
Ten years ago, when stone gambling was popular, Old Man Wu used his connections to contact his nephew who was working as a steward in the mine. Through his connections, he obtained a batch of jadeite rough stones.
This old neighbor has his own business experience.
He sold stones to foreign tourists on the Yangon River to cut and play with, but he never understood these stones.
Old man Wu said that cutting a stone can make you poor and make you rich, but what you cut is gambling.
Selling stones is a long-term success, and what you are selling is business.
Relying on this shrewdness in business and the diligence unique to Asians, Old Man Wu has accumulated a lot of wealth.
It has always been one of the best businesses among the shops on this street.
There are often European tourists with chains hanging around their necks, Buddha beads on their bowls, stones in their arms, and a traditional Burmese dress robe "Longji" being stood up by the smiling old man Wu. Thumbs up, sent out the door.
Once upon a time, Gu Tongxiang could only curl his lips and complain, what kind of damn dress is this, which is neither foreign nor earthy, while stretching his neck in front of his house and getting jealous.
Strange.
Old man Wu seems to have no intention of doing business today.
The gate to the courtyard was unlocked, but it was very quiet. There was not a single customer, and the light box on the signboard was not lit.
"Meow"
When Gu Tongxiang walked into the yard, only a big orange cat lying in the corner next to a Honda 250 scooter meowed, which scared him. Jump.
"Oh, Ngawang is here, I didn't take you with me today for the scriptures"
The big cat recognized who this old man was, and had no interest in running over to act cute, so he turned over body, facing Gu Tongxiang with his butt.
Licking his paws, he played with the small non-venomous snake he picked out from somewhere in the grass by the river.
Although Ngawang has gained weight, has rounded his claws, and is unable to pounce on birds, as a street bully by the Yangon River, he can still kill a small snake with ease. < /p>
Gu Tongxiang got vaccinated and forgot about the pain. He looked at Awang's fat butt and clicked his tongue twice.
"Old Wu, where is Old Wu? Why don't you open the door today and fool the ghost guy?"
Gu Tongxiang walked up toIn front of the house, he patted the door and said, "By the way, let me tell you this, your cat is leaving for our family's sake."
He remembered that his grandson and his wife were talking a while ago. He asked if he could help bring Old Man Wu’s cat over to him when we play chess next time.
It is more convenient for elders to talk about this kind of thing.
During this period of time, Old Man Wu basically didn't come over to play chess. Gu Tongxiang happened to drop by and told him all about it.
There was no reply from the door.
Several minutes passed.
Standing in front of the door, Mr. Gu was already ready to take out his mobile phone and make a call to see if it happened that Mr. Wu had gone out yesterday and failed to come back.
The sound of belated footsteps came from the room.
"You can take it away if you want. Alas, when a cat makes noises and wants to eat imported cat food every day, it has become spoiled and spoiled and is no longer a good cat."
< p>Old man Wu's vicissitudes of life and melancholy voice sounded from the door.A bang.
The iron door of the cultural and entertainment shop was opened from the inside. Old Wu looked at his housekeeper with an expression that said, "How can a beautiful woman be a thief?" He was reluctant to catch mice. The eating cat glanced at it and sighed deeply.
"Alas."
Old Wu Tou's unshaven face, hair as messy as a chicken coop, his desolate temperament, and haggard figure gave people the impression of The dead snake under Ngawang's paw.
"Hey, what's wrong with you, Old Wu? It's such a hot day, and I don't have the air conditioner on at home, so I'm not afraid of heat stroke."
Gu Tongxiang saw that his old neighbor became a stranger after not seeing him for a few days. I was shocked when I saw this ghostly appearance.
This is still the smart and capable old neighbor.
Gu Tongxiang feels that he is getting younger and younger these days.
But the neighbor who used to be so coquettish among the old ladies seems to have aged ten years.
Old man Wu looked at Gu Tongxiang, nodded slightly, turned around, and walked back slowly like a ghost.
"If you haven't had breakfast, come and drink some soy milk. My daughter-in-law made it freshly."
Seeing the other party's appearance, Gu Tongxiang felt embarrassed to show off the insect-leaf fragrant wood. Yes, he put the thermos cup on the counter and said with concern.
The curtains were drawn indoors, the air conditioner was not turned on, but the desk lamp was turned on.
The air was filled with the smell of cigarette smoke, which was very unpleasant. Beside the ashtray full of cigarette butts on the desk, there were a few pieces of manuscript paper and various invoices scattered. It seemed that Lao Wutou had not slept all night. Doing these things.
Old man Wu sat on the sofa without speaking, staring at the thermos cup in a daze for a long time.
Then he took out a box of cigarettes and a lighter from the sofa cushion, took out the last two cigarettes and handed them to Gu Tongxiang.
"No."
Gu Tongxiang waved his hand, glanced at the number of cigarette butts in the ashtray, frowned and said, "Old Wu, stop smoking. You smoked so much in one night. Much, be careful NicoDing poisoning. ”
Old man Wu seemed not to have heard anything.
He just took one in his mouth, lit it, and took a deep breath.
"What a serious situation. ”
The good mood in Gu Tongxiang’s heart was completely gone.
He just received a WeChat message from Old Man Wu asking him to come over, but the specific matter was not stated.
Gu Tongxiang originally thought that this matter was just a matter of filling in two materials.
Looking at the reactions of the neighbors, it might be more serious than he expected. /p>
Old man Wu nodded.
“If there is an audit, I may not be the permanent director of the Yangon Painting and Calligraphy Association. Gu Weijing's membership may also be revoked. "
He blew out a smoke ring and said with a hollow expression.
"You are right that the audit audit came to investigate a small government office like the Yangon Painting and Calligraphy Association. "Gu Tongxiang was shocked.
"Who says it's not the case? I started receiving notifications two days ago, and when I realized something was wrong, I was completely stunned. "Old man Wu also looked like he had seen a ghost.
Although the Yangon Painting and Calligraphy Association is a subordinate unit of the city's cultural department, it is actually a semi-official, semi-public welfare organization.
Permanent directors like Mr. Wu do not receive a salary.
Only a certain amount of money is allocated for academic seminars in Yangon.
There are so many bureaucracies, and all kinds of power relations are intertwined.
I have never heard of the rectification movement, and the rectification movement came from any art association.
And the National Calligraphy and Painting Association is not rectified, such as Mandalay. Other city art associations did not punish him, but they only punished him here.
Old man Wu pointed at the manuscripts spread out on the table.
"It said that someone reported me for using power for personal gain. It passed." I was selling places in the Calligraphy and Painting Association through personal connections, and was suspected of misappropriating public funds. I was asked to explain every issue clearly. Otherwise judicial proceedings may be initiated. ”
“Brother Gu, tell me the truth. Did your family offend someone? There is something wrong with this matter from beginning to end. ”
Old man Wu turned his head and looked at the neighbors.
The cigarette butt in his mouth was flickering, and his eyes were flickering.
He is a permanent director of the association. In 2016, it was impossible to say that it was as clean as water, but this kind of association was not of a lucrative nature.
At most, it was just taking public fruits home and using public gas cards for yourself. It’s just a trip with public funds in the name of holding a seminar.
Myanmar’s corruption index ranks in the bottom 30 all year round.
Every time you go to a train station, you will encounter police extortion, and he, Old Man Wu, is not even a mosquito among them.
The investigators who came to visit this time clearly hinted at him. Just explain him clearlyGu Weijing's application form for membership was just approved this year, and he received gray income.
The investigation will be over soon, and there will definitely be no big problem with him.
That’s all.
If Old Man Wu still couldn't figure out the twists and turns of the doorway, he would have spent so many years in the market in vain.
"Old Wu"
Gu Tongxiang looked ugly.
He realized the risks almost immediately.
For my grandson now, the Yangon Painting and Calligraphy Association is not a member of the Myanmar National Association. At most, it is just the icing on the cake.
It doesn’t matter whether you have it or not.
But if you are accused of using power for personal gain, exchanging benefits, or forging connections to get into higher education, it will be a big scandal that will affect your entire life.
He immediately thought of Brother Hao who came to visit him during the Spring Festival.
After such a long period of peace and harmony, Gu Tongxiang thought that the matter was over.
"This matter"
"No need to talk about it, it has already happened. There is no point in talking about it. I just want to inform you, brother."
Old man Wu saw Gu Tongxiang hesitated to speak, so he waved his hand gently, "I am clean about this matter, and so are you. Check it to the end of the world. A Shwedagon Pagoda project and Cao Xuan's qualifications for painting together are enough to join the association. ”
“Those idiots”
When he mentioned this, Old Man Wu became angry and chewed his cigarette fiercely. “Several directors are acting unconscionably. When I went to talk, they insisted that Cao Xuan was willing to paint with your grandson because the national project provided this platform. It was like playing a friendly match with a football star. It could be anyone else. It was not Gu Weijing’s own ability and it was not suitable for him. Relevant terms for highlighting achievements and breaking the rules for membership."
"Bah, co-signing and friendly competition are the same thing. That doesn't explain the problem enough."
Old man Wu puffed out a smoke ring, " Anyone can do it. Why don't they just go and lick their faces and get close to them? Mr. Cao will look at them one more time with a black heart, bastards, and say that I am using power for personal gain. Why don't they check the person who said these things and see if they have any shame in private? "It's just money"
Old man Wu spat a few words, knowing that being ruthless here would not solve any problems.
The anger was released.
He shook his head in disinterest.
"Don't worry, we have been neighbors for so many years, and I have watched him grow up. I will not destroy him. Even if these people want to bite him, they can at most just cancel him. It's just a membership. I'm sorry, I wanted to help you, but I made a mistake."
"For the rest, I was supposed to quit this year's board of directors. It’s very cautious. The association will spend a lot of money, and every item will be signed by several directors. At most, they want to get me down and throw me into the account with these trivial things.”
Old man Wu twisted out the cigarette butt in the ashtray and spit outSay a word.
“It’s difficult.”
Though he spoke forcefully, the loneliness in his expression was unstoppable.
Old man Wu has been proud of his status as a permanent director for so many years, and suddenly his official hat is gone, and he may still have a lot of troubles.
Who can not be sad?
"Brother Gu, I called you here today. In addition to the membership issue, I mainly want to remind you that this matter is in deep water. While they are checking me, another person from the association came here. Jiang Long. There is clearly someone behind him."
"What?" Gu Tongxiang asked.
"Last week there was a new member on the list of the association. He is not much older than Gu Weijing. That's all. I heard that the Yangon Painting and Calligraphy Association is just a springboard for him to step on casually. I'm going to the National Artists Association."
Old man Wu licked the corner of his mouth.
“Our Yangon nomination list this year has two nominations for each permanent director. I know that several colleagues will nominate this person.”
“Why is his father a general? ”
Gu Tongxiang was very unconvinced.
It is not that he is bragging. He is looking for young art students all over Myanmar. Gu Tongxiang believes that he cannot find anyone better than his precious grandson.
"No reason, just because he signed a contract with a big gallery, the kind that is famous internationally." Old man Wu shook his head slightly, "Listen, he is no older than Gu Weijing, and he has this What else is it if you don’t have hands and eyes that know the world?”
“The famous gallery, Gagosian Ace” Gu Tongxiang asked incomprehensibly.
"That's not the case. What are you thinking about? If we can have a painter signed by Gagosian here, the mayor will have to meet him personally and praise him to the sky. A god with this kind of career, what the hell? It’s a waste of time to mess around in the Yangon Painting Association. He should be the president.”
Old man Wu, who was originally in a depressed mood, was amused by the imagination of his old neighbor.
"I heard it is a gallery called the Three-dimensional Universe Art Center in Seoul, South Korea. It is a serious international gallery. It is very powerful. The galleries our Vice President Miao signed in Paris are not as good as this one. How big is the scale of the three-dimensional universe?"
"Is it okay to be recommended to the National Painting Association to pre-sign a contract if you sign with a gallery?" Gu Tongxiang looked a little strange.
"What gallery are you looking at? Ordinary galleries are not good, at least not too different from the Three-dimensional Universe Art Center." Old man Wu looked sideways and smiled sarcastically, "I know you are anxious. , but you have to pay attention to methods when you are anxious. Gu’s calligraphy and painting shop like yours will definitely be useless, don’t be angry, this is the truth.”
Afternoon, on the other side of the city.
In the small studio,
the air conditioner is running quietly and silently, bringing a cool breeze to the city that has completely entered summer.
On the light rainy night when I returned from the botanical garden, there was still a hint of coolness in the evening breeze.
In the blink of an eye, it was overWithin a week, the temperature had risen completely like the mercury meter reading under the armpit of a patient with high fever.
Even the birds are fumigated to death by the sauna-like high temperatures during the day in the tropical monsoon climate.
Standing by the window, I could occasionally hear the sound of the birds spreading their wings in the orphanage yard. I looked at it carefully, but there was no trace of any feathers.
The girl in a burgundy short skirt was leaning on a sofa with bean bags on the floor, her knees together, and her ankles resting on a small footrest, revealing the slim curves of her thighs under the skirt.
"Sleepy."
The girl blinked hard.
Today, Baixiang Primary School organized a visit to the city government building. Jasmine went with her on a spring outing, so Gu Wei didn’t bring the cat with him when he passed by.
The two fun sources of vitality are missing, Jasmine and Awang.
The atmosphere in the studio immediately became quiet. After painting all morning and having lunch, Sakai Katsuko was obviously a little sleepy in the afternoon.
The sleepy Miss Sakai is also very cute, like a lazy little sparrow leaning on a branch outside the window. The sofa is her big tree.
He leaned his head crookedly, and his eyelids fell down, and gradually became a small gap.
Then he suddenly opened his mouth vigorously, shook his head, took two sips of coffee, turned two pages of the book, fluffed his feathers, and woke himself up.
But a few minutes later, he began to yawn again under the cover of sleepiness.
"If you feel tired, you should go back to the hotel to rest today."
Gu Weijing stood by the easel.
Although the girl looked very soft and cute in this way, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Miss Sakai started to repeat this cycle for the fourth time, he couldn't help but say... Sound reminder.
"I want to finish this painting today. It will take quite a while. I guess by the time I finish it, it will be dinner time at least."
"Well, forget it. I won’t lie down here, otherwise I will really fall asleep soon."
Sakai Katsuko reacted and realized that she was talking to herself. She straightened up and put her feet on the floor. of paper cups of coffee.
Katsuko tidied her hair, put her hands behind her head, and did a few movements that were probably in the national aerobics of Japanese middle school students to make her blood flow faster.
“I’m going to take a short rest, and I’ll be fine after I’m tired in the afternoon. In the afternoon, I’ll write a draft for the girl who read the poem to the cat, so hurry up, the art exhibition is getting closer and closer. Just in time, We'll go back after we finish dinner together."
Mrs. Sakai kept a close eye on Katsuko.
Her daughter and her boyfriend are not allowed to behave too intimately in school, so Shengzi always cherishes the time they spend together on weekends.
I don’t want to waste a single second.
She took the backpack, put the book in her hand, took out the sitch, and prepared to open it.Two games of Super Smash Bros. to boost spirits.
Just at this time.
The mobile phone in the mezzanine vibrated when a new message was received.
"Ah."
Sakai Katsuko just glanced at the lock screen.
The girl suddenly covered her mouth with the back of her hand and let out a low exclamation.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Weijing's attention was attracted by Miss Shengzi's cry, he stopped painting and walked over, asking curiously.
"It's the review reply from the editor of artibasiae forwarded by my father."
Katsuko Sakai sounded a little nervous. Please remember to collect it, the latest and fastest website is free to read without anti-theft