The mushroom in the morning does not know the new and the new; the cicada does not know the spring and autumn
Life seemed very short, but compared to a fungus that was born in the morning and died in the evening, it was very, very long. Even if it was compared to a cricket that could only experience one summer, it was still a very long time.
When Liu Changan saw Qin Peng, he felt that he had lived long enough. But most of the time, he had another way of measuring time.
The earliest stars and the Milky Way appeared about 120 years ago, the sun and the solar system appeared about 50 years ago, the earliest living organisms appeared about 40 years ago, the dinosaurs went extinct about 7 or 8 months ago, the so-called evolution of Homo sapiens in Africa took place about 8 or 9 hours ago, the first agricultural boom took place about 50 minutes ago, the first written city appeared about half an hour ago, the modern industrial revolution took place about a minute ago, and the First World War took place about 20 seconds ago. As for all the world events that followed, they all happened in the last 10 seconds.
Liu Changan and Qin Peng hadn't seen each other for more than a few seconds.
However, Qin Peng was already white-haired. Not everyone had the same unit of time as Liu Changan. For ordinary people, changing the unit of time was meaningless.
Liu Changan looked at Qin Peng up and down. Qin Peng's hair was sparse and silver, neatly combed against his scalp, but he could see the age spots on his scalp through his hair. His skin was not so dry that it was overflowing with the aura of death. Under his skin, only thin muscles stuck to his bones. His eyes were filled with the lethargy of the vicissitudes of life. However, he straightened his body and was not dominated by the fear of approaching death. There was still a sense of toughness in his spirit.
Liu Changan held his thin hand and smiled.
"It's been more than 70 years …" Qin Peng still remembered it clearly. He patted Liu Changan's arm with his other hand, "You did it, you … you did it, you …"
Liu Changan didn't explain anything. He gently stroked Qin Peng's back to calm his breathing.
"Come, come."
Qin Peng wiped his turbid tears, grabbed Liu Changan's hand tightly, and pulled him into the study.
Qin Peng liked camellias. It was said that the old camellias in the yard were from the beginning of the 20th century. They were cut and planted, and their roots were intertwined. It was hard to tell whether they were planted later or from the old roots. They spread in the yard behind the patio.
Qin Peng's study was behind the camellia garden. Liu Changan saw a line of words written on the wall: "Camellia wears the snow for glory, has the bones of pine and cypress, carries the posture of peaches and plums, goes through spring, summer, autumn, and winter like a day, is it a god?" Furthermore, there were many varieties, ranging from light red to dark red. It was light, like powder, like rouge, like the cheeks of a beauty, like the face of a drinker, and it was deep …
This was a passage from the Idle Couple. In the past, the Qin family didn't seem to have so many camellias in the yard. It was just a little, and it couldn't be a garden. However, Ye Sijin raised some camellias, but she didn't take care of them. It could be assumed that Qin Peng lived here and planted camellias in the yard to express his longing.
Qin Peng's pace was slow, but very steady. There was probably no problem with his body for a short time. Otherwise, with his age and status, he would never be allowed to walk alone with others for a long time.
When he came to the study, Liu Changan saw an oil painting hanging on the wall. He couldn't help but be lost in thought.
"I painted this 28 years ago." Qin Peng sighed softly.
Of course, the creation of an oil painting was different from a photograph. In the painting, Qin Peng was already old. Ye Sijin was wearing a military uniform and was in high spirits. However, Ye Chenyu's age couldn't be seen clearly. Her figure wasn't as detailed and clear as the other two. It was a little hazy. When comparing Ye Sijin and Qin Peng, it felt like time had passed, but the remaining person didn't seem to be in time.
"Many paintings and calligraphy works not only condense a person's essence, qi, and spirit, but also have a flash of inspiration that only happens once in a lifetime. It's like the moment of clarity after enlightenment. Only then can a representative work be made. Just like Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion, it couldn't be written at any other time." Liu Changan admired it very much. "This painting is probably the same for you."
"At that time, I was a little lost and thought of Sister Jin and you." Qin Peng stood under the oil painting and pointed to himself. "I'm a little older than I was then."
Liu Changan didn't comment anymore. He just looked at the three people in the oil painting … When humans learned to carve marks on sand, rocks, and wood to paint, Liu Changan had painted his own appearance on the rock wall of a cave. However, it seemed that it wasn't until the invention of the camera that his true and credible appearance was left in the world. Even so, there were very few. There was probably a little in the archives of Shonan University. As for the identity of Ye Chenyu, only Qin Peng had some records.
"I heard that you have a girlfriend who is 18 years old." Qin Peng looked at Liu Changan with a faint smile.
Even Liu Changan had times when he was embarrassed.
"Yes, she's the same age as me." Liu Changan still nodded with a normal expression. Embarrassment was just a psychological state, and it didn't necessarily need to be shown.
Qin Peng threw his head back and laughed out loud.
"Don't be like this. You're going to die later." Liu Changan pretended to be angry and helped Qin Peng to sit down. He was already over a hundred years old. Didn't he know that joy, anger, and laughter were harmful to his health?
"I've seen the girl's photo. I feel that she looks similar to Su Mei when she was in her teens. Is this the reason?" Qin Peng stopped laughing. He didn't really feel that there was anything wrong with it. His brother was an extraordinary person, so naturally, he would do extraordinary things.
Liu Changan shook his head. He didn't want to talk more about An Nuan with Qin Peng. "The Su Mei in Taiwan is not Su Mei. It's Su Xiaocui. Do you know that?"
Qin Peng was stunned. He raised his hand in surprise and gestured for the tea to be served. Only then did he realize who he was facing. He patted his leg and wanted to stand up. However, Liu Changan pressed his shoulder and Liu Changan brought the tea over.
Qin Peng received the tea with both hands and frowned. He seemed to be digesting the news that Liu Changan brought. Then, he took a sip of tea and pursed his lips for a while before saying, "I don't worry about many things. I really don't know about this."
Even though the Zhu Family was invited by the Qin Family to invest in the mainland, and the Zhu Family's business was managed by Qin Peng, and Qin Peng and Su Xiaocui frequently called each other, the two of them were already advanced in age. Whether it was Qin Peng running to Taiwan or Su Xiaocui running to the mainland, it was a difficult decision to make. Because people at their age were tired and could die at the slightest problem. No one could bear the responsibility, and it could even become a political issue, triggering countless conspiracies and public opinion.
"Su Mei may not be dead. She is hiding behind the scenes."
"Sister Mei is still the same … Come to think of it, she was the only one who could make the decision to go to Taiwan. If Su Xiaocui made the decision herself, she would not have the determination." Qin Peng thought for a while and nodded. "If she did not run away at that time, I would have gone to her family's garden to take care of the old friendship."
"You raided someone else's garden, and you call that caring for old times?"
"The trend is inevitable. No one can avoid it. I just tried to keep an eye on it personally. At least, her family would not suffer too much … But I can't control what happened later. " Qin Peng sighed. "You are an immortal who has spent all your family's wealth and is no longer in the mortal world. Sister Mei is a more traditional woman after all. For a woman, the family is always more important than the country. After all, she is not a heroine like Sister Jin."
"She also made a lot of efforts at that time. Don't forget that she also made efforts to give you the money."
"Of course, we still define her as a patriotic capitalist. Now that the Zhu family is unimpeded in the mainland, it is the return of that time." Qin Peng smiled. "The third daughter of the younger generation of the Zhu family is also 18 years old."
Liu Changan pretended not to hear him teasing his big brother.
"If Su Mei is still alive, I am afraid she is also old. Otherwise, she would not hide behind the scenes." Qin Peng was very clear about Su Mei's character. "She still thinks of you. She does not want you to see her old appearance … Even if she does not know where you are and whether you will see her appearance."
"It is hard to say."
"Also, it is hard to say." Qin Peng nodded meaningfully, then looked up at his oil painting.
Liu Changan also followed his gaze to the oil painting and fell on Ye Sijin's face.
"Back then, Sister Jin and I used the identity of husband and wife as a cover to carry out the task. You do not know about this, right?"
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