No. 32 Ancient Street.
There was a century-old stop.
The name of the shop was very simple. There was a small plaque next to it with the world "Gallery" written on it.
Decades ago, this place was very famous throughout the Ancient Town, countless dignitaries came here every day to spend a lot of money for painting.
Because of the mastery of the painter inside, each painting was very precious, they were very real and lifelike.
But with the development of technology, with the advent of cameras, video games, and mobile phones, the demand for portraits had decreased.
Until modern times, the door of this shop had long been unpopular and unattended.
Even the coachman, when he saw the storefront of this shop, he was full of puzzlement.
"Sir, I know a very good photography studio, the quality is much better than here. Everything you want will be guaranteed and it is cheaper there. As for this place, the efficiency is not good, the fee is expensive and it's not cost-effective." The coachman persuaded Ye Bei according to his own thoughts.
"Just stop here." Ye Bei did not explain much, he just said lightly.
"Okay, sir." The coachman was no longer wordy, knowing that it would be annoying to talk too much, and there were indeed some people who liked ancient paintings. But the coachman felt that he would not appreciate that kind of art in his lifetime.
The cart stopped and Ye Bei paid him.
The coachman left quickly. Soon, he met another guest and he enthusiastically talked with that guest like he did to Ye Bei earlier, he praised the beautiful environment of the Ancient Town, introduces the local customs, told some small stories, and had a great chat with the guest. As for Ye Bei, he had become a passerby in his life.
…
Ye Bei stood at the gate of the shop.
The old man wearing reading glasses did not notice him at all, he was still painting seriously.
Ye Bei did not bother him either. He just stood behind, watching quietly.
The painting was huge. The pictures inside contained mountains, rivers, huts, and old trees.
The color was bright and soft.
When looking at this painting, Ye Bei felt that his state of mind became more and more peaceful.
However, the only thing that made Ye Bei feel a little regretful was that the old man did not paint with the ancient brushes, but with the latest paintbrush. Consequently, in the painting, it seemed that there was always a missing conception of life and art.
Time passed quietly, Ye Bei stationed there for two hours.
On the side of the street, the tourists passed by, wave after wave.
Some people stopped, some just looked sideways.
However, those people might only be curious occasionally and would leave after staying for less than ten minutes.
Three hours later.
The sky was getting a little dim. The setting sun went to the west, many lanterns were lit on both side of the street, however, what was lit inside the lantern was no longer a candle, but a modern electric bulb. Compared with the silence of the dusk, now in the Ancient Town, it was completely reversed, as the evening looming, more tourists came, the Ancient Town became even more noisy and lively.
The old man finally drew a round of golden sun on the painting, that was the finishing touch.
Then he stretched out the paper carefully and sealed it up with tools.
He pushed the reading glasses at the corner of his eyes. Then he stood up and stretched his waist, feeling that his body was very old now, and his body ached badly.
After a long time, he turned around and saw Ye Bei who was standing behind, he saw that white gown. In his cloudy eyes, some surprise appeared, then he was full of vigilance.
"Sir, the shop is closed now, if you want a painting, please come back tomorrow." His voice was not polite at all.
After all, in the eyes of this old man, even though Ye Bei was dressed in retro, he was very young. In this era, few young people came to buy paintings, so instead of wasting time with this young man, it was better to close the shop and rest earlier.
"I'm not here to buy paintings, I'm just here to appraise paintings." Ye Bei's voice was flat. He looked at the old man, from the outline, the old man looked familiar.
If Ye Bei was right, this old man should be the offspring of that old man.
"Appraise paintings?" The old man was a little puzzled, frowning slightly, "Sir, you must have come to the wrong place. Our gallery is only responsible for painting, not for appraising. If you want to appraise paintings, you should go to experts who are more knowledgeable, this place is not suitable."
"Don't you need to look at the painting first?" Ye Bei was still very indifferent. When he was speaking, he ignored the old man as he stepped forward and walked directly into the store.
"Sir, it's closed." The old man blocked him and quickly followed, "Sir, we are really closed today. I'm old and can't paint anymore, if sir really wants a painting, please come back tomorrow."
As his voice fell, a breeze blew by.
The door of this shop closed automatically.
Inside the gallery, a candle was lit and the walls were covered with various paintings.
There were people, beasts, mountains, water, and all kinds of beautiful sceneries.
When the old man came after him, Ye Bei stopped looking at the paintings.
When seeing the old still wanted to drive him away, Ye Bei revealed the scroll in his hand.
When the beautiful person in the painting was presented in front of the old man, his body directly stopped.
Then, his body trembled violently and those old eyes went wide.
The gods did not know, the ghost did not realize, his hands unknowingly reached out to take the picture.
The old man slowly spread out the painting. He put his reading glasses on again and observed it earnestly. There was still a lot of water mist gradually overflowing from the corner of his eyes. After a long time, he said in a hoarse voice, "Yes, it really is… I did not expect that after so many years, I still have a chance to see this painting again, this is my old master's wish."
His voice murmured, when he said this, the old man's thoughts floated far.
"These are defective products, defective products!" In the gallery, a middle-aged man violently tore paintings to pieces, his voice was angry.
"Why? What can't I draw that picture anymore? I remember it very clearly…" In that same gallery, the old man had a hoarse voice and burning eyes.
"Little Gu, the thing that I'm most proud of in my life is that painting. But since then, no matter how I remember or copy, I can't make that same painting again. I just want to see that painting again, just once and my life is worth it! That is my most perfect and proudest work…" In the gallery, two old people were sitting face to face, the atmosphere was silent.
After a long time, this old man came back to his senses, his eyes were hot when he looked at Ye Bei.
"Sir, can you sell this painting to me? You can give out any conditions." He spoke slowly and expectantly.
Hearing this, Ye Bei looked away from the paintings on the wall and quietly looked at the old man in front of him.
"Wang Gu, how is your father?" After a long time, Ye Bei spoke slowly, his voice was low.
The old man was a little surprised. He did not understand why the young man in front of him knew his name. In his impression, he was sure that he had never seen him before.
Creak!
When Wang Gu was about to inquire, a small wooden door connected to the backyard of this gallery was suddenly pushed open.
An old man with gray hair and shaky stature standing in the doorway, all his eyes were on Ye Bei.