Golden Branch

"...Cousin, the colors you mix are amazing!"

Wang Heng knelt beside the desk, watching Xie Yanzhi mix the colors eagerly.

Anyone who has studied painting knows that painting is not just about painting techniques, but also about controlling colors.

The same is true for Chinese painting.

The same paint, the same ratio, but still because of different personal aesthetics and abilities, different colors cannot be mixed.

The same orange color, the same yellow + red, but the final effect will vary depending on the painter.

Wang Heng has been learning painting since she was a child and is quite talented. Wang Mian also helped her to improve her modern painting skills.

However, when Wang Heng saw Xie Yanzhi painting, she was quite impressed by the first step - color adjustment.

"Ajiu likes it?"

Xie Yanzhi smiled gently, looking at Wang Heng with gentleness and patience in his eyes.

He is the most perfect brother that the world imagines. He is well-read and talented, but he is not arrogant. He is patient and tolerant towards his "sister" who is not as good as him.

Don’t get angry because the other person is “stupid”, and don’t be unhappy because the other person is not the person you want.

Wang Heng felt what it meant to be "the highest good is like water" in Xie Yanzhi.

He really seems to be able to tolerate everything.

Wang Heng had always had a naughty and bad-tempered little bully by her side since she was a child. She was used to being "emotionally stable" (patience is the key to success). Suddenly, she had an extremely gentle and tolerant "brother". Wang Heng felt novel and enjoyed it at the same time.

Who is not a child?

Who doesn’t want to be pampered and tolerated?

She was so pitiful. When she was still a child, she met a bully. She couldn't cry or get angry. She had to pretend to be stupid and force herself to smile!

Comparing it with Xie Yan's work, Wang Heng suddenly realized that Lou Yu was really bad in the past and had really made her suffer a lot of grievances.

"like!"

Wang Heng nodded vigorously, and a hint of childishness finally appeared on her round little face.

"Okay! I'll teach you!"

Xie Yanzhi's eyes were full of tolerance, and he said softly, "There are also rules for color matching."

"Gamboge plus vermilion makes orange. Orange with a little rhodonium makes orange-red!"

Xie Yanzhi took a brush, picked up a few clean small plates, and demonstrated them to Wang Heng one by one.

His control over colors is really amazing.

With just a few strokes, Wang Heng can mix the color she needs.

"This orange is so bright!"

Wang Heng's big round eyes seemed to be shining with stars.

Her attention was drawn to the colors.

The smile lines on Xie Yanzhi's lips deepened. He discovered that Wang Heng not only looked a little childish, but also had a childish heart.

So, very good!

They are not contaminated by worldly things, do not have so many prejudices and greed, and still maintain the innocence of a child.

Xie Yanzhi could not feel any emotions such as sympathy, pity, sigh, etc. towards Wang Heng.

He, Xie Yanzhi, was a talented man who was good at poetry and painting, not a poor man whose fiancée was taken away and whose official career was cut off.

God knows, in the past few months, Xie Yanzhi has always been pitied and regretted by others. He doesn't show it on his face, but he is tormented in his heart.

He came from a prominent family, was talented, handsome, and ambitious, but he was unlucky.

First his country was destroyed and his family was ruined, then he suffered the humiliation of having his wife taken away, but he could not show any dissatisfaction or resentment.

In order to maintain his usual calmness, his heart has already been broken into pieces.

The attention from people around him, even if it was well-intentioned, made him feel painful and suffocated.

Finally, Xie Yanzhi met a girl like Wang Heng who was innocent and had a pure heart.

She and he would only talk about elegant things about painting.

She would not pity him, nor would she feel sorry for him.

In her incredibly clear eyes, he could not see any negative emotions that would make him unhappy, only pure admiration and praise.

With Wang Heng, Xie Yanzhi felt true peace and regained the pride of being a talented scholar of the Xie family!

"Jiu Niang likes this color?"

Xie Yanzhi felt particularly relaxed both physically and mentally.

He liked this feeling, and as a result, Wang Heng's little flesh didn't seem so annoying anymore.

"Ok!"

Wang Heng did like it, but she thought Amian would like it even more.

Thinking of Amian, Wang Heng picked up the brush and dipped it in the orange paint dish.

Wang Heng gently turned her wrist, and the brush made a very smooth circle on the drawing paper, and then an oval orange appeared on the paper.

Wang Heng drew a few more round oranges.

She then chose dark green and added a few leaves on the orange.

After drawing these, Wang Heng tilted her head and thought for a while, then drew a bamboo basket.

"A basket of big oranges, Amian will definitely like it!"

Wang Heng thought to herself and wrote a few words on the drawing paper - Big oranges, big profits!

Xie Yanzhi raised his eyebrows: "Great fortune? Great luck? Good luck?"

Although this word is a bit straightforward, it is also a lucky word that makes people happy.

Xie Yanzhi felt more and more that Wang Heng had a childlike nature, lively and cute.

Well, as for this oversized body—

Xie Yanzhi remained calm, his eyes quickly sweeping across Wang Heng's double chin that was prominent because she lowered her head, and he began to plan secretly.

……

"A Mian, look, this is my new painting of Daju Dali."

Now that Wang Heng has a new work, she naturally wants to give it to her friends as soon as possible.

She called Amian over and they first appreciated the painting together. If Amian was satisfied, she would ask someone to frame it.

Wang Mian knelt beside Wang Heng, with the two little sisters almost head to head.

Wang Mian looked at it carefully and praised sincerely: "Jiu Niang, you draw so well!"

Who says Chinese painting can only be freehand and not realistic?

Jiu Niang’s paintings are so lifelike.

At most, it just adds a layer of filter to make it look more beautiful and artistic.

"Especially the color, it's so realistic, it's exactly the same color as orange!"

Wang Mian praised them out loud, but in his heart he was amazed for the Nth time: Our charming ancestors are so amazing.

Even in ancient times when conditions were limited, people were able to create works that would shock future generations.

Such a bright color is actually extracted just from "nature"?

It has not undergone any chemical processing.

"Isn't this color pretty? My cousin taught me!"

Wang Heng raised her chin slightly, feeling proud and pleased.

Xie Yanzhi is not just a pretty face, but a man of real talent and knowledge.

He is also down-to-earth, gentle and sensible.

They are totally unlike the "best" relatives that Amian mentioned.

No self-righteousness or moral kidnapping.

There is no greed or desire for quick success.

He did admire Mr. Shen Du, but he did not rashly use Wang Heng to curry favor with famous scholars.

He is calm and elegant, and he possesses the heritage and character of a true aristocratic family.

It is not deliberate arrogance or pretense, but a kind of nobility and pride that flows from the bones.

Wang Heng saw another kind of gentleness, elegance and gentlemanliness in Xie Yanzhi.

His demeanor can even neutralize his femininity.

There is no negative energy, only gentleness.

Wang Mian: ...something's wrong! Something's really wrong! Honey!

Wang Mian looked at her best friend who was talking non-stop and suddenly realized the problem:

"Um, Jiu Niang, you, you like Mr. Xie very much?"

Although Xie Yanzhi is Wang Heng's cousin, in ancient times, cousins ​​and brothers were the best combination.

Moreover, Xie Yanzhi and Wang Heng were very distant relatives, and the blood relationship between them was almost negligible.

They, they can get married.

Perhaps because she already had a tacit fiancé, even though Wang Mian thought that the thirteen-year-old Wang Heng was just a junior high school student, she would understand that Wang Heng was indeed ready for marriage.

Xie Yanzhi is four years older than Wang Heng. Although he is a high school student, he is old enough to be a father.

They... they...

Where is the little pervert?

He and Jiu Niang are childhood sweethearts.

Lou Yu is indeed dark-hearted and paranoid in his actions, but he is really good to Jiu Niang.

The two of them get along so naturally, intimately and tacitly.

Could it be that the childhood sweetheart is no match for the one who comes from heaven?

Uh...the problem is, my childhood sweetheart Lou Yu is not normal.

Jiu Niang suddenly changed her heart, does Lou Yu know?

Does he allow it?

A person with such a strong possessiveness as Lou Yu would never allow his "private property" to be taken away by others!

The villain in Wang Mian's heart has begun to tremble.

"I like it! My cousin's character, talent, and appearance are all excellent!"

Wang Heng raised her head and smiled sweetly.

He still seemed to have a childish look on his face, but a light beyond his age flashed in his eyes.

She's not a real child.

Without parents or elders around, Wang Heng knew from a young age that she could only rely on herself.

She only looks "innocent", but in her heart, she is precocious, intelligent, and even selfish!

Wang Heng always remembered what her mother said to her:

To love others you must first love yourself.

If you don’t have enough brains, just trust your feelings.

Whenever you feel uncomfortable or unhappy when interacting with someone, you should stay away from that person.

In Wang Heng's view, everyone around her is very capable.

Either he is a naturally intelligent monster like Lou Yu, or he is a divine disciple who has had a miraculous encounter like Wang Mian.

She herself is not smart, has no talent, and her luck doesn't seem to be that good either.

When she had no choice, she could only put herself in a difficult position.

Play dumb and pretend everything is fine.

If given a choice...she would follow her heart.

Lou Yu is very good, but too domineering.

Xie Yanzhi, although he has some selfish motives, his merits outweigh his flaws, so he is definitely worth a try!

Wang Mian saw that Wang Heng didn't seem to understand what "like" meant, and his lips moved, wanting to say something to remind her.

But when the words came to his lips, Wang Mian swallowed them back.

Jiu Niang, you are still young!

She has not yet awakened to love, she has not yet come to her senses.

She said that she liked Xie Yanzhi, and should just treat him as a brother, not a lover!

This kind of thing is really hard to expose.

When Wang Mian touched Wang Heng's clean and bright eyes, he always felt that talking to her about "adult" topics was polluting a child!

Uh, how about waiting a little longer?

Jiu Niang has grown up, and Lou Yu is growing up too.

Wang Mian suddenly thought that during this period, Lou Yu entered puberty and became weird and awkward.

He also seemed a little cold towards Jiu Niang.

Could it be that childhood sweethearts really can’t escape the curse of “growing up”?

Not only did Jiu Niang have a "new love", but even Lou Yu——

Wang Mian's mind was full of messy guesses.

She couldn't figure it out, but she also knew that this kind of thing was not something she, an outsider, could easily interfere with!

"Sense of boundaries! You have to have a sense of boundaries!"

"Even if they're your best friends, you still have to know your limits and respect each other!"

Wang Mian desperately told himself in his heart.

However, Wang Mian never expected that this storm of "fickle people's hearts" could also affect the "innocent" her!

Oh, by the way, she is not the only victim, there is also Zheng Shisan!

……

On this day, Wang Heng came to Lou's Fort as usual.

Well, Wang Heng went to Lou’s Fortress, not necessarily to look for Lou Yu.

Lou Yu is not only a fourteen-year-old boy, but also the head of the Lou family's eldest branch, Shen Du's student, and Yang Rui's confidant.

He had to manage the entire fort, study, and complete the "homework" assigned to him by Yang Rui.

Lou Yu is very busy, very busy.

In addition, Lou Yu encountered "growing pains", and he became a little pretentious.

In the past, if he had some free time, he would look for Wang Heng, and the two of them could spend time happily even if they just sat and chatted.

Now, Lou Yu is very frugal with words. Unless it is absolutely necessary, he is unwilling to say a word, so there is no such thing as "chatting".

Especially the embarrassment of that day and the shame and anger one morning, which made Lou Yu always feel embarrassed to see Wang Heng.

Lou Yu reduced his meetings with Wang Heng.

Anyway, he has Zhao Jinniang, A Man and others. He knows exactly what Wang Heng does every day and what happens in Wangjiazhuangzi!

He wouldn't feel strange even if they didn't meet.

Wang Heng was even more perceptive. She sensed Lou Yu's discomfort. Although she didn't understand why he was like this, she chose to "respect" him.

If you don’t want to meet, then don’t meet!

Anyway, she has Amian and her cousin from the Xie family. If all else fails, she can always find Zheng Shisan to play with.

A few days later, Wang Heng missed Zheng Shisan's cooking skills, so she brought Amian to Lou's Fort.

Yes, Zheng Shisan is in Lou’s Fort.

In the past few years, Wang Heng has indeed taken care of Zheng Shisan's food, clothing and daily expenses, and also given her a monthly allowance, and even a shop and dividends.

However, Zheng Shisan did not live in Wangjiazhuangzi.

She is Lou Yu's cousin. Even though Lou Yu has never looked at her directly or cared about her, according to her status, she should still live in the Lou family.

In the past few years, Zheng Shisan and Zheng Shiliu have been living in the guest house of Lou's fortress, which is the courtyard where Madam Lou once lived.

After Madam Lou and others left, Zheng Shisan and Zheng Shiliu were the only two guests left in the huge courtyard.

Zheng Shisan knew that Wang Heng loved to eat and that she had worked in the kitchen before, so he asked someone to renovate the small kitchen in the guest house.

She imitated the big kitchen in Wang Mian's home and made the small kitchen in the guest house look very "professional".

There are stoves and ovens... Zheng Shisan not only learns from Wang Mian, but also learns from the chefs of the Lou and Wang families.

She would also pay out of her own pocket to invite chefs from the southern border to combine the specialties of the north and south and all over the country to make more and more delicious food.

Wang Heng: ...Although she is just my best friend, she really cares about me.

Wang Heng didn't lack the food, but what she valued was Zheng Shisan's kindness.

only--

Wang Heng arrived at the Lou Clan's Fortress today and encountered some "unpleasant" situations...