Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Asexuality

The process of holding the Great Wall Painting Exhibition abroad is stagnant, but the promotion of Dumu Painting Workshop in China has made great progress.Lao Suan and the others contacted the Bund Gallery in Shanghai to warm up for the exhibition in Europe by means of a "single-wood painting exhibition".It is easier to do things in China as they are said to be done, omitting a lot of red tape such as communication and review. The paintings to be exhibited are finalized by both parties using online emails, and then they start packing and shipping.At first, I thought it was easy for contemporary art to go to the world, but it was difficult to go to the whole country. I didn’t expect to go to Europe to hold an exhibition.

Among the paintings to be transported to Shanghai for exhibition is a portrait of Zhou Xin. The young man in the painting still looks like a few months ago, youthful, healthy, and clear-eyed.But it was the increasingly gloomy Guzi who helped Zhou Xin nail Gao Chun's portraits into the wooden boxes. Together with other painters in the workshop, he moved those wooden boxes onto the truck one by one.The truck was rented from a moving company, and Gu Zi and several younger painters sat in the car along with the painting, while Zhou Xin and the elderly Lao Suan were taken care of and sat in the cockpit.On the way to the train station, Lao Suan asked about Zhou Xin's marriage, and expressed surprise and concern about the suddenness of this matter.

"I heard that you are getting married, so suddenly, is it true?" "Really." Zhou Xin replied. Apparently, Lao Suan saw it, and there was no smile on Zhou Xin's face.Lao Suan may have heard the relevant rumors a long time ago, so he stopped asking further questions. "Is the date fixed? What can I give you?" "No." "We are so familiar, you are welcome. Tell me, you haven't bought anything yet, let me give you something practical." Zhou Xin After being silent for a while, he said, "Thank you, Lao Suan. You are my teacher and my senior. I know everyone cares about me." Lao Suan smiled, trying to relax Zhou Xin's heavy tone: "Of course , are you our little sister?" But his relaxation was immediately interrupted by Zhou Xin, whose attitude at that moment suddenly became simple and straightforward.

"Give me some money, if you ask me something practical." "Oh," the old sour was stunned for a moment, "How much do you need?" "Any amount is fine." The old sour wanted to ask something more, and opened his mouth He stopped his mouth again, and finally just nodded and said, "That's good." On this day, the painters went to and from the workshops at the station, and they were busy until very late, and they didn't leave until nightfall. Zhou Xin and Gu Zi stayed in the last vacated workshop for a private conversation.These days Zhou Xin has been avoiding communicating with Guzi, but this time she was the first to speak: "Guzi, can you let my mother stay with you for a while? I need a while." Chapter 17 Sexless (2)

"Where are you going to live?" Gu Zi put the topic in place, "You and Gao Chun, where do you live?" Zhou Xin was silent for a while, and replied: "The house that Gao Chun rented is too small. Personally, I can’t live in it. Anyway, marriage is a major event in life. It’s not fair to Gao Chun to get married in such a small house. Because this matter can only be handled by me now, so I have to take care of him. I want to rent another A house." Maybe Gu Zi heard it, Zhou Xin only said that it was unfair to Gao Chun, not about herself, as if this marriage was just for Gao Chun and had nothing to do with herself.Gu Zi was silent for a while, and asked: "What else do you need to do to get married, are you ready?" Zhou Xin said: "Rent a house, hold a banquet, and buy two clothes for Gao Chun. Underwear, and a coat, he even has one You don’t even have a newer dress.” “What about you, what do you need? Don’t you buy new clothes when you get married?” Zhou Xin nodded, and for some reason, gave a rare smile: “Yes, I have to, too. Buy clothes that can be worn at the wedding. I have returned the clothes that Lu Ziqiang gave me before. I have to buy a wedding ring for me and Gao Chun. There is always this ceremony in marriage.” Gu Zi also He smiled appropriately, but the smile was more forced than Zhou Xin's.He said: "The wedding rings are all bought by the man. They should be bought by the man and given to the woman." Zhou Xin subconsciously organized her schoolbag, and she said, "Gao Chun is penniless. What did he buy?" .Since it’s just a ceremony, it doesn’t matter who buys it, as long as you have it. It’s impossible to buy expensive ones.” Guzi was silent for a moment, deliberately changed his tone, and asked in a very businesslike manner: “Are you sure you don’t want to participate in the Shanghai Art Exhibition this time? Went?" Zhou Xin said: "No, I'm going to do the marriage by myself now, there are so many things I can't handle." Guzi smoked, and said after a long while: "This art exhibition doesn't have mine. Works, I don't have to go." Seeing Zhou Xin expressing his gratitude with a vague smile, Gu Zi asked again: "When the time comes, can I attend your wedding?" Zhou Xin looked at Gu Zi without saying yes or no.Between the two, I no longer know what else to say.In those few days, Zhou Xin rushed to the hospital every evening as usual to take care of Gao Chun in place of Master Li or Fang Yuan. After Gao Chun had breakfast at noon the next day, she left the hospital to prepare for the wedding.She measured Gao Chun's shoulder width and trouser length with a tape measure, and went to the mall to choose a complete suit for Gao Chun to wear for the wedding.In front of the counter of medical supplies in the shopping mall, her eyes stopped for a long time on a wheelchair. The wheelchair was folded and stuffed in a corner. It was not difficult to see from the dust on it that it had been accumulated for a long time.Zhou Xin didn't come forward to ask the price. What she wanted to buy later was her and Gao Chun's wedding diamond rings. The pair she chose was relatively cheap, and the two rings cost less than 5,000 yuan.Even so, when the pair of diamond rings were put into the bag, her purse was completely empty.

Coming out of the shopping mall, Zhou Xin went to the Dumu Painting Workshop, where the painters were busy drawing a huge panorama of the Jinshanling Great Wall on the scaffolding set up.On a large picture table by the door, there are wedding gifts from everyone. From blankets and bedding to pots and pans, they are all simple and practical daily necessities.Although many gift packages were covered with dazzling red happy characters, exaggerating the lively wedding theme, the atmosphere in the workshop at this time was not at all joyful.The painters were all busy painting, and no one turned around to express the usual celebration of this atypical marriage.

Millet is not there. Only Lao Suan staggered over, handed his gift to Zhou Xin himself, and said in a low voice: "Take care of yourself." Then he turned around and staggered away again.Zhou Xin lowered his head to look at his hand. It was an exquisite paper box. He opened the lid and saw that there were two brand new towels inside, one blue and one pink, which were bright and eye-catching.Zhou Xin took out the pink towel and put it under her nose to sniff gently. At this moment, she saw a thick wad of cash exposed under the towel.Zhou Xin raised her head, and she noticed that the painters on the scaffold had stopped their brushes at some point and looked back at her. The silence condensed in the familiar eyes was so strange.When Zhou Xin returned to Gu Zi's house, Gu Zi was not there. He asked the aunt who took care of his mother, and found out that Gu Zi came back in the afternoon, moved some of his own things, and never came back.Zhou Xin seemed to have expected something, and immediately went to Guzi's house to have a look.She guessed right, Guzi moved away her bedding.The aunt's conveyance confirmed the judgment that Zhou Xin had vaguely in mind for a long time.

"He said he rented a house outside, and he asked me to clean it up for you. He said that you can live in this room. This room is old, but it is big enough to be a new house after decorating it. "This room is really big enough, Zhou Xin looked up from the double bed with the quilt emptied, and looked around Guangsu's four walls, all the photos of her and Guzi that had been hung up had been removed. , The light-colored imprints left on the wall are extremely bleak. On the second day, Zhou Xin and his aunt began to decorate the new house. Double Happiness characters were hung on the wall to cover up the traces left by the photos. The newly bought bedding was spread on Guzi's spacious bed, which instantly refreshed the color of the whole room.The hot water pot and tea set are all sent by the painters, and they are placed on the table and cabinet one by one, creating a comfortable atmosphere of home.Decorating a new house is a happy thing, but the smile on the auntie's face quickly faded away in Zhou Xin's silence. She couldn't understand why Zhou Xin was so calm at such a happy moment, just like decorating a room for others. His office moves mechanically, and he looks exhausted.

The day of great joy finally arrived. On the morning of the marriage registration, Zhou Xin, with the help of Master Li, put on a new dress for Gao Chun.On this day, Zhou Xin herself also wore new clothes and trousers, and tried her best to dress in accordance with the rules.When Zhou Xin took off the old shirt for Gao Chun, he saw the green colored glaze again. The colored glaze was worn close to Gao Chun's chest. The shape of the heart made Zhou Xin feel a little jealous, and felt that it didn't match the atmosphere of today.Because no matter what, on this "good day and auspicious day", it seems that there shouldn't be another ambiguous heart that is so intimate with Gao Chun.She took a breath and said to Gao Chun: "Today, let's go to register. Don't wear this heart. I'll put it away for you." This is my heart, and I have to wear it." Chapter Seventeen Sexless (4)

Zhou Xin was silent for a while, stopped talking, and helped him put on his shirt and then his coat.She pushed Gao Chun out of the ward in a wheelchair. On the faces of the two newlyweds, there was no common smile, only their own numbness.Master Li was going to accompany them to the Civil Affairs Bureau, but Zhou Xin tactfully stopped him when he got into a taxi at the entrance of the hospital. Zhou Xin said: "It's okay, Master Li, you don't want to go, I can do it myself." Zhou Xin is indeed able to do it by herself, and with the help of the taxi driver, she can completely carry Gao Chun in and out of the car.Their grand attire made the driver's eyes puzzled, and the place where they went seemed to have made a clear explanation.It was probably the first time for Gao Chun to enter a place like the Civil Affairs Bureau, and Zhou Xin had been there a few days ago to consult and register.When the staff of the Civil Affairs Bureau put a marriage registration form in front of the two of them, they couldn't help being a little puzzled, unable to understand why the couple who got married were so silent.She probably thought that they needed to carefully review the contents of the registration form, so she gave a routine explanation of the terms in it, but she soon discovered that they were more like thinking about their own thoughts, sitting opposite each other without listening.

"Do you think there is anything you don't understand?" The civil affairs cadre's explanation was dismissed hastily, "If not, you can just fill out this form." There are pens prepared at the marriage registration office, and the pens are placed in the Between the two, neither of them stretched out their hands, and the scene seemed a little weird.The civil affairs cadres looked at them suspiciously, wondering why they were still hesitating.Her gaze was so oppressive that Zhou Xin took the pen first, and began to write ink on this white paper for life.When Zhou Xin filled out the form, Gao Chun kept staring ahead, not paying attention to Zhou Xin's actions around him, let alone looking at the form that was equally important to his life. He seemed to be thinking about something intently, and seemed to be silently counting the sound of Zhou Xin's strokes.He didn't look around, but he could feel that Zhou Xin had finished filling out the form, he could feel that she handed the form to the civil affairs officer for review, he could feel that the form returned to Zhou Xin's hand later, and Zhou Xin began to sign the form.He knew that when she finished signing, it was his turn. She's done signing.It's his turn.She gave him the pen. He also signed. He signed his name on the white form.He understood before signing that when he signed the name, the formalities would be completed.He and Zhou Xin, after his last stroke, became husband and wife, an official husband and wife in the legal sense. A pair of red marriage certificates was placed in front of the couple, and the civil affairs cadre said a routine blessing: "I wish you a happy new marriage and a long life!" Zhou Xin had to smile reluctantly to express A polite thank you. She said, "Thank you." The civil affairs cadre habitually turned to look at the man, and Zhou Xin also glanced sideways at Gao Chun.The corners of Gao Chun's mouth moved, as if he wanted to give a thankful smile, but at that moment he seemed to hear something, he seemed to hear the familiar melody, he heard his favorite "Ice and Fire Love" floating above his head .His eyes dimmed, and the corners of his mouth opened slightly, showing a fascinated smile. Zhou Xin also laughed, maybe it was just because she saw the smile on Gao Chun's face that she tried to cooperate and showed corresponding joy.That beautiful piece of music may have come from the rehearsal hall of the Children's Palace. This day is also the official rehearsal of "Ice and Fire Love". Not only are all the students of the dance class sitting around the court, but also many parents. At this moment, Gao Chunzheng was sitting in a wheelchair, following the lingering notes, and was pushed out of the gate of the marriage registry by Zhou Xin.None of them spoke, they silently looked at the pedestrians coming and going on the street. Among the pedestrians, there were pairs of young men and women who were helping each other, leaving bright marks in their dull eyes. Perhaps, in the eyes of passers-by, they are also a happy couple! He who is sitting in a wheelchair and she who is pushing a wheelchair are a couple, and they are walking home across the wide road.The first thing Zhou Xin does when he becomes a wife is to bring his husband home! This is the first time Gao Chun saw his new house.Zhou Xin felt it. Gao Chunyi was pushed into the room, and his always gloomy gaze finally had some positive direction. He looked around slowly, his eyes couldn't tell whether it was curiosity or fear.The hall and bedrooms are well-arranged, although they are simple and elegant, they are full of fresh air after all.But the red fresh air was obviously limited to the symbolic meaning, and did not arouse enough pleasure on Gao Chun's face. At first, Gao Chun probably would never have imagined that Gu Zi's big and simple house actually housed his "first night" of bridal chamber flowers and candles.On the first night he entered this "home", he and his wife Zhou Xin sat side by side in front of his mother-in-law's bed.Although what they were facing was a typical face of a vegetative person, that insensitive face after all represented the only surviving blood relative of the two.This seemed to be a necessary ceremony, and the atmosphere was solemn. Even the aunt who had been taking care of Zhou Xin's mother retreated far away to the door without making a sound. Zhou Xin said: "Mom, I'm getting married. His name is Gao Chun, he is about my age, he is very nice and handsome. He used to help me a lot, and he broke his body because of me. I decided to marry him and take care of him. Him, so he can have money for medical treatment, and he can return to normal life after healed. You told me since I was a child that a drop of water is rewarded by a spring, so I know you will not object to your daughter’s words Decided." Zhou Xin stopped, as if she had finished speaking, her mother's eyes turned to the sky, her head trembled slightly, as if she was very excited, but also seemed to be shaking her head. Perhaps, it was just an unconscious tremor of a vegetative state, a kind of helplessness. Controlled muscle rhythms. On the mother's self-colored quilt, there was a small red box. Zhou Xin opened the lid, and there were two rings, one large and one small, inside.Zhou Xin took out the big one, pulled Gao Chun's right hand, put the ring on his ring finger, and then waited for the other hand to put the remaining ring on her finger. Her waiting hand became dull for a moment, and finally lifted up tremblingly, picking up the remaining ring.Gao Chun raised Zhou Xin's right hand, and slowly, somewhat clumsily, put the ring on her finger. The mother on the bed was indifferent, and the two who promised each other for life also avoided looking at each other. Only the aunt who stood at the door of the mother's bedroom had some faint tears in her eyes, which shone brightly for a moment. That night, Jin Kui went to Fang Yuan's residence again.This time she finally knocked on Fangyuan's door, but it wasn't Fangyuan himself who opened the door, but the chubby man had a similar outline to Fangyuan, which made Jin Kui subconsciously scream when the door opened. "Old Fang, is Fang Yuan here?" "Fang Yuan?" The chubby man asked with a question mark on his forehead, "You have found the wrong door." "Does Fang Yuan live here?" "No. I just moved here too." Chapter Seventeen Sexless (6) "Then do you know where the people who lived here moved to?" "I don't know, you can ask the landlord, we don't know." In the room, a woman with heavy make-up combed her hair and asked: "Who is it?" At this time, the fat man had already closed the door.Jin Kui went downstairs silently, and could vaguely hear the loud noise of the woman in the door: "Why are you closing the door, you don't know her, why are you afraid that I will see her? Let me tell you, you have lied to me more than once!" Xin and Gao Chun held their wedding the day after they received their marriage certificate.For Chinese marriages, registration is just a formality, and the auspicious occasion of a big wedding mainly refers to the wedding.The wedding was arranged to be held in a cheap and high-quality restaurant. All the artists who came to congratulate him were the artists from the Dumu Workshop. There were criss-crossing cups and gladiatorial fights under the big red happy words, and the voices were overflowing. The party of the artists must be inseparable from the carnival. Fang Yuan was the only person representing the man's relatives and friends to attend the wedding. Although his impromptu congratulatory speech was some clichés such as "we will be married forever, we will be together for a hundred years", but he also said it warmly and sincerely.Speaking on behalf of Zhou Xin's relatives and friends was the elder brother "Lao Suan" of the painting workshop. Compared with Fang Yuan's congratulatory speech, it was the same blessing, but concealed some hidden comfort. "Zhou Xin is the little sister of all of us, the youngest. We really did not expect that she would determine her own life earlier than most of the big brothers in our Dumu Painting Workshop. Of course, getting married and starting a family is only a part of life , especially for an artist who takes art as his life, it may only be a small part. I believe that with our Zhou Xin's talent, we will create particularly exciting works in the future. Ah, of course, we also wish Gao Chun He can heal his legs soon and return to the art stage he loves. In short, we should all wish them happiness! Be happy, everyone, for our little sister’s brave choice, we should toast her!" The painters raised their glasses in response , The words of congratulations and admiration came one after another.Gu Zi was the only one who did not join in the celebration. He drank the bitter wine in his glass silently and looked at Zhou Xin who was also quiet. But no matter what, on this wedding night, Zhou Xin always had a smile on his face. Under her demonstration, Gao Chun also maintained the cooperation of the occasion. When asked by everyone to drink a cup of wine with the bride, there were some long-lost smiles on his face to complete this moment that should be complete. From then on, the atmosphere relaxed and the scene became lively. The painters chatted with each other, talking about the old things, and the difficulties and successes, luck and wonders of the journey to the Great Wall.The scene unexpectedly left out the main characters of the wedding banquet, the bride and groom.Even Fang Yuan and Lao Suan and others got lost in chatting, talking about interesting people and anecdotes in the entertainment industry, which made Lao Suan laugh endlessly. The bride and groom were able to calm down, but the quiet bride and groom seemed uneasy instead.Of course Zhou Xin felt Gu Zi's gaze from across the table, no matter how peaceful that gaze was, it was like a knife on her face, so she had to look away and try her best to cater to the left and right.Just at this moment, the groom Gao Chun was about to go to the bathroom, so she got up and pushed him to leave the table, and walked out the door.