Fenghuang Town, Ancient Street.
After the rain, the sunlight fell from high above and spread on the neatly paved slate, constantly reflecting the crystal clear luster.
On both sides of the street, willow trees and flower pots were planted.
Spring was blooming!
Wickers had always grown in the timeliest manner, those willows hung in the river and in the water, swaying with the wind, swaying in circles, and at the same time, some catkins like snowflakes flew freely in the air.
Ye Bei was dressed in white, holding a scroll in his hand, enjoying the scenery quietly.
After a long time, a cart ran by.
Seeing the cart, Ye Bei waved and the coachman pulled the cart to a stop.
The coachman was a middle-aged man with dark skin and a yellowed towel around his neck. When he looked at Ye Bei, he was taken aback for a while, but then he showed a pair of neat white teeth, "Sir, do you want to take a ride? The price is twenty yuan, the destination in only around the Ancient City."
"Okay." Ye Bei gave a light hum, agreeing.
Raising his foot, he got into the cart seat with a somewhat rusty movement, his eyes were not on the coachman, but on the quaint scenery of this Ancient Street, he spoke gently, reporting a specific location, " No. 32 Ancient Street."
"Okay, sir!" Since the business was here, the coachman was very enthusiastic, selling his legs hard, but still trying his best to keep his body stable, trying to make the guests sit more comfortably.
As the cart trotted a hundred meters, the coachman always felt that he should say something.
This was his tradition as a coachman, chatting with customers more to pass the time.
"Sir! Are you from a foreign country? But your dress is really peculiar. Although the buildings in this Ancient Street are imitated in ancient style, many people come here to travel, all wanting to view the history of our country, but I don't see anyone dressed like you." The coachman spit wildly.
Ye Bei squinted and didn't answer as if he hadn't heard.
His eyes were all on both sides of this Ancient Street.
As the cart progressed, the buildings that imitated the classics kept moving behind them.
Ancient Town!
From the outside, although it was very old, in the eyes of Ye Bei, it still had the former and familiar appearance.
On both sides of the street, there were fewer villagers who set up stalls.
More facades and modern costumes all over the street.
"Handmade pendants! Ten dollars each!" Some women yelled hard.
"A tour map of the Ancient Town, five yuan a piece... Sir, do you want it? Sir..." There were children, holding a stack of maps, and asking everybody.
"Is there anyone who wants to stay in a hotel? I can introduce you to some, it can be much cheaper..." There were also some middle-aged aunts who looked a little sneaky, and always came to the ears of tourists from time to time and popped out such a sentence.
Ye Bei leaned on the cart.
Hearing these sounds in his ears, his eyes became more and more indifferent.
This world has completely changed, and it would never go back to the time it once was. The years were so merciless. Every hundred years, those familiar scenery and familiar people would disappear, leaving him alone.
Ye Bei quietly watched...
His thoughts could not help but drift away.
A hundred years ago!
This ancient town was a real ancient town.
The streets tiled with bluestone slabs, and the lakeside guardrails stacked with natural bricks.
That day, it was also spring.
In the ancient town, green tree warblers and sparrows flew by from time to time.
Wearing a white shirt, Ye Bei walked quietly on the streets of the ancient town.
On the roadside, there were mostly villagers who were selling clothes, candies, and performing acrobatics.
Ye Bei walked to a gallery.
There was a master inside. He was a young man wearing plain clothes and holding a brush.
"Guest, do you want a portrait?" Seeing Ye Bei, the young man was painting a girl with a focused expression asked softly.
Ye Bei didn't answer.
He just watched quietly...
The young man's drawing skills were very good, and the young girl was lifelike with a smile on her brows.
A full hour passed, the painting was finished, the girl took the portrait, admired it by herself, and then left with satisfaction.
"Guest?" The young man turned his gaze on Ye Bei, and his voice was somewhat puzzled.
"I dictate, you paint!" Ye Bei uttered four words calmly.
"Of course, that's fine too… There is no painting in this world that I can't draw." The young man was full of confidence.
Ye Bei's eyes were indifferent, even after hearing the affirmative answer, there was no slight fluctuation on his face, "That's good..."
That day was the most words that Ye Bei had ever said in his life.
Relying on memory, he tried to remember it seriously and slowly narrated...
The young man's eyes condensed and attentive, did not dare to be careless.
That painting took six hours to paint.
When the painting was finished, the young man was already drenched in sweat and was about to collapse... But, looking at the masterpiece blooming from his hands, and at Ye Bei's perfect face, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Guest! Is she your wife?" the young man asked curiously.
Ye Bei took over the painting, "It's just a deceased who has only three sides..."
Ye Bei stopped answering questions and prepared to pay the painting fee, but the young man refused, "It is an honor to be able to make such a beautiful portrait in this life... This first-class work was completed by the guest official and me. How can I charge you money?"
"All right." Ye Bei stopped being polite, and rolled up the drawing paper.
"Guest, if you have free time, please come back. I would like to paint again for the guest." Seeing that Ye Bei was about to leave, the young man spoke.
"Okay! After a hundred years, I will come back again..." Ye Bei left leisurely, leaving only such a sentence.
The young man who heard this was at a loss. He felt that how would he be alive in a hundred years... Gently shook his head, he entered the store, closed the door, and fell asleep on the kang. (A/N: The Chinese kang is an ancient integrated home system for cooking, sleeping, domestic heating, and ventilation. It is still widely used today in nearly 85% of rural homes in northern China.)
The memory stopped here.
Ye Bei retracted his gaze, glanced at the scroll painting in his hand, and whispered to himself, "The old man should be there!"
The coachman talked for a long time, and when he heard Ye Bei say such a headless sentence, he felt that the young man in the cart was even more strange.
However, this did not affect his interest.
While wiping the sweat from his forehead, he continued to introduce, "This Ancient Street has a history of hundreds of years, and there are also many foods here. And the most special thing about Ancient Street is the beauties here. During the holidays, everyone will wear special ethnic costumes and sing and dance. The scene is beautiful! And sir, you are here at the right time... Three days later, it is the Spring Equinox. At that time, the Ancient Street will hold a folk dance party, and I heard that there are antique auctions as well, a lot of foreign people will come."
"Ok!" Ye Bei was noisy by these voices, and finally, he spoke and responded.
The coachman was overjoyed. He thought that this boy must be interested in this information and he wanted to continue telling it.
But Ye Bei didn't give him a chance, he just reminded him softly, "No. 32 Ancient Street. It's here!"
Not far ahead, there was a gallery.
At the door, on a small bamboo chair, sat an old man in his seventies.
With gray hair and reading glasses, he was using a paintbrush to create a beautiful spring mountain landscape.