The Gao Jianfu Cultural Memorial Hall is located on Zhuzi Road, Yuexiu District, which is actually not very far from Chen Zhu’s home.
However, this is also the first time for Chen Zhu to come here because it is so inconspicuous.
It's right next door to a dusty residential building. If it weren't for the bold characters "Gao Jianfu Cultural Memorial Hall" written on the plaque, it would be easy to miss it.
It is said that this was rebuilt on the former residence of Master Gao Jianfu, so the area is not large, only about 1,000 square meters.
1000 may seem like a lot, but in fact it is 50*20, which is not even comparable to a lecture theater at CUHK. What’s more, this memorial hall is divided into two parts: front and back.
In front is the exhibition hall, and in the back is a small courtyard - the place where Gao Jianfu practiced painting, named "Spring Sleep".
However, when the front and back are divided like this, the memorial hall looks even smaller.
The exhibition hall is crowded with various paintings, as well as an introduction to Gao Jianfu's life.
Chen Zhu took a rough walk around and found that there were "Flowers and Birds", "Ladies", and "Countries and Mountains", but there was no "Flowers" that Zheng Wenlong liked.
It is estimated that paintings of this type are relatively valuable, so they were not exhibited or were not donated at all.
The tour only lasted a few minutes, and there were very few tourists. Chen Zhu only saw a mother with her child.
The mother was introducing the life of Gao Jianfu and the meaning of those paintings to the child, but the place was too deserted and the child kept clamoring to go out.
The mother had no choice but to carry her child out.
After the mother and son left, the empty memorial hall suddenly became quiet. Except for Chen Zhu, there was only an old man guarding the door.
Guangzhou is not that cold in winter, but he is still wearing heavy cotton clothes and sitting on the bench with dull eyes. His aging appearance echoes the lonely memorial hall.
Chen Zhu went over and said hello twice: "Uncle, uncle..."
The old man looked over in confusion. It seemed that he hadn't communicated with anyone for a long time. His lips moved and he didn't know what to say.
Chen Zhu sighed. The superior guidance department of this kind of memorial hall should be the district cultural bureau before the merger.
However, the Cultural Affairs Bureau is a very poor unit, and even organizes some activities so that it can leave as much money as possible to give year-end bonuses to serving civil servants.
How can there be any funds to repair an exhibition hall for a deceased painter?
Therefore, the establishment of this memorial hall should be funded by others.
Perhaps after it was completed, the leaders of the Cultural Affairs Bureau used the reason of "overall management, formation of synergy, and creation of a model" to find ways to use the memorial hall for their own use and count it as their own merit.
As for this old man, he was probably a temporary janitor randomly assigned by the bureau.
It will not exceed 500 yuan a month, which is an explanation to the sponsor of the memorial hall.
Chen Chu, who came out of a big dyeing vat, naturally knows all about these methods.
Chen Zhu stood in the narrow passage of the memorial hall and sighed, then turned around and went out to buy rags, brooms and mops.
When he came back, he began to wipe every display cabinet carefully.
At this time, a glimmer of curiosity flashed in the old gatekeeper's eyes.
But he didn't come over to inquire about anything. He quietly watched this stranger cleaning from the front exhibition hall to the small courtyard at the back.
The next day, the "Gao Jianfu Cultural Memorial Hall" opened as usual.
There are still very few tourists.
The old gatekeeper is still there.
He found that the guy from yesterday came over again, but this time there was an extra person behind him.
A beautiful girl.
The old man rubbed his cloudy eyes, this girl is so beautiful!
Her long burgundy hair shines in the sun, she is tall and graceful, her pink eyes are slightly upturned, and her eyes are flowing like aged wine.
Because she looks exquisite and fashionable, the clothes she wears are actually not very high-end. It is a common pair of jeans and a casual sweatshirt set for female college students, plus a peaked cap.
But she feels like a model when she casually matches her outfits, and her artistic aura seems to be overflowing.
"Coincidentally", she also brought a drawing board and stand.
This guy is dressed by Chen, and the beautiful girl is naturally a cosplayer.
Guangmei's final exam just ended yesterday, so Yu Xian also had a holiday. I heard that Director Chen was working as a cleaner here, so I came over to accompany him right away.
As expected, I will be with you for the next seven days.
Fortunately, Professor Lu had to ground Song Shiwei during the winter vacation, otherwise Chen Zhu would have been unable to explain his sudden disappearance for seven days.
As for why Yu Xian brought a drawing board, she had to participate in the "Spring Festival Cup" calligraphy and painting competition jointly organized by the Provincial Department of Culture and the Communist Youth League when she returned to school after the winter vacation.
The final is live painting, so you have to practice every day to maintain your touch.
"Fu Gao Jian is your ancestor."
Chen Zhu squatted down to help set up the bracket, and said jokingly: "I didn't expect you to come here for the first time. Does this count as bullying the master and destroying the ancestor?"
"What do you know~"
Yu Xian reached out and pinched her boyfriend's ear.
"I'm not very clear about some things, but the inheritance of the painting school is very complicated."
Yu Xian spread the white color on the drawing board, shook his little head and said, "Professor Guan sometimes sighs when talking about the grievances and grievances between the previous generation and the previous generation. She doesn't let us ask more about these things."
Chen Zhu nodded slightly to express his understanding.
Professor Guan did not allow these disciples to ask more questions, probably to protect the reputation of the seniors of the painting school or their family members.
If the century-old painting school has no differences and disputes, it would be better to believe that the sun rises from the west.
The simplest point is that Master Guan Shanyue clearly has a daughter, but she is not currently at the helm of the Lingnan Painting School.
Of course, those collections were not left to her, but to Professor Guan Yongyi, who had more outstanding qualifications.
Professor Guan was unmarried and had no children. He devoted his energy to art all his life, which also proves that Master Guan did not make a mistake back then.
"But... this is a good thing for Sister Cos. She will have less family resistance in her future succession."
Chen Zhu's thought of "using the heart of a villain to judge the heart of a gentleman".
In fact, whether it is Professor Guan or Yu Baobao, their artistic pursuits are very pure, and only ordinary people like Chen Chu can be so utilitarian in their thinking.
"I'm going to do something."
Chen Zhu put away these miscellaneous thoughts and walked to the small yard to take out the cleaning tools.
Yesterday it was just a general cleanup, but today he started to work on some nooks and crannies.
"Director Chen, do you really not want my help?"
Yu Xian followed him to the small courtyard and stood under the eaves with a graceful voice and asked.
"Forget it, we men have to do this rough and tiring work!"
Chen Zhu refused loudly.
Although he said it loudly, he actually glanced at the old man guarding the door from the corner of his eye.
Chen Zhu was not sure if he had anything to do with Professor Guan, and was worried that the old lady was the "insider" planted here.
She didn't agree to let Yu Xian help. Chen Zhu didn't want to delay the process of "attacking" Senior Brother Zheng Wenlong just because of a little laziness.
"Okay~, then come over and take a rest when you are tired."
Yu Xian didn't expect so many twists and turns, so he placed the drawing board and bracket on the steps in the small yard.
While facing Chen, he concentrated on practicing.
In the winter in Guangzhou, the sky is high and the clouds are clear, and the memorial hall is sparsely populated. If it weren't for the noise made by Chen mopping the floor, it seems that one can hear the rotation of the earth.
Occasionally, a gust of draft blew through the hall, and Yu Xian's long, black eyelashes trembled. The yellow-flowered wind bell trees planted in the yard fluttered all over her body.
When she noticed it, she reached out and picked off the small yellow flower on her shoulder and placed it gently on the drawing board. When she raised her head, she found that her boyfriend was wiping the floor with his butt raised.
"Is this Director Chen who does housework?"
Yu Xian held up his chin with one hand, tilted his head and watched silently, and couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth.
If there are people here who like photography, they will definitely think this is a beautiful composition.
Warm sunshine.
An old studio from decades ago.
A girl with an oval face.
A young boy sweating profusely.
There was also an old man sitting at the entrance of the memorial hall, staring blankly at the young man and woman.
For a moment, there was a feeling that time was reincarnating in this small courtyard.
After a while, the oval-faced girl suddenly remembered something and took out a water cup from the small cloth bag she carried with her.
Unscrewing the lid of the cup, he first tested the temperature with his lips, then waved and softly shouted: "Director Chen, come and drink some water."
"Okay~"
Chen Zhu promised, but was unwilling to move.
Normal people seem to have a bit of procrastination, and Chen Chu is no exception.
Even though he knows his girlfriend is waiting for him, he still has to finish the task at hand obsessively.
Three minutes later.
"Chen Zhu, come and drink some water!"
The girl's tone changed from delicate to a little bit aggressive, and she started to call her by her full name.
"Come on, come on!"
Chen Zhu didn't dare to delay any longer, so he quickly dropped everything he was doing and ran over.
It seems that if it slows down a little bit, "Labor and Capital Shu Daoshan" may be about to appear.
The old man at the door grinned. It turned out that no matter what time, young people bickering was always the same pattern.
"I won't drink the hot water, let it cool down."
Chen Zhu also had to find an excuse for his procrastination.
The girl with an oval face stood under the eaves, holding a water glass in one hand and akimbo with the other.
The slender waist is like the bow of a violin, elegant and full of vitality, exuding a unique oriental female beauty.
"I've tried it a long time ago! It's warm!"
Yu Xian said angrily, with a tone of "I've been in love for so long, and I don't know what you're used to?"
"Hehe~"
Chen Zhu smiled sheepishly, took the water glass and took a sip.
It's a bit sweet, as if the sweetness of the cos sister is also mixed into it.
"What did you draw just now?"
Chen Zhu happily drank a few sips and then asked.
"The clouds are very beautiful today, I just want to record them."
Yu Xian pointed to the sky, curled his eyes and said to his boyfriend.
"Really? Let me see."
Chen Zhu leaned over and took a look.
The painting in his imagination should be under a blue sky, dotted with a few marshmallow-like clouds.
In fact, he still underestimated his girlfriend, especially after Professor Guan's gradual guidance and development, his talent was fully demonstrated.
I saw on the rice paper of the drawing board, layers of clouds, thick or light, representing mountains, rocks, seas and peaks, majestic and majestic.
Obviously there are only two colors: black and white, but in the thick ink brush strokes, the thousands of gestures change like a miraculous thing, making it look like a powerful freehand Chinese painting.
Chen Zhu was secretly frightened as he watched.
Last time I was at the Guangmei Painting Center, Yu Xian's "A River of Spring Water Flows East" gave people a sense of depth and story that extended out of the picture.
This time, with only a few strokes, that "artistic conception" once again appeared on the paper.
"What do you think?"
Yu Xian put the other end of the paintbrush against his chin and waited expectantly for Director Chen's comments.
"I can only say it's okay."
Chen Zhuo said calmly: "That means I didn't choose to be an art student, otherwise Professor Guan's closed disciples wouldn't be able to take your turn."
"Goose goose..."
The oval-faced girl was amused and laughed.
The crisp and sweet laughter is like a sporadic fire, bringing a warm light to this cold memorial hall.
…
When it was almost time for lunch, Chen Zhu was thinking about what the two of them should eat when he suddenly saw the old man guarding the door taking out an aluminum lunch box from somewhere.
There was no microwave or gas stove, so he opened it with a bang. Inside was cold rice with a few pieces of pickled radish.
"Director Chen..."
Yu Xian held her boyfriend's finger and shook it slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
"I know."
Chen Zhu nodded, indicating that he knew what to do.
After a while, Chen Zhu packed three meals at a nearby fast food restaurant.
Two copies were for me and Yu Xian, and the other was for the old man who looked after the door.
Uncle was surprised and felt even more embarrassed when he saw the hot lunch box delivered to him.
Maybe it was because he had been guarding this "uninhabited" memorial hall for so long that he didn't know how to respond to other people's enthusiasm.
However, Chen Zhu didn't say anything, just smiled in a friendly manner, put down his lunch box, and started having lunch with his girlfriend.
"Sister Cos, my dried tofu is spicy and I can't eat it."
"Really? Let me try it."
"Isn't it spicy?"
"Emmm... Director Chen, do you want to think about it? It may be because you are too weak."
"Our tastes are so different, what should we do in the future?"
"Idiot! I'm sure I'll eat light food with you, maybe you want to suddenly have a stomach that can eat spicy food!"
This old courtyard with yellow flowers and bell trees finally has a hint of life and human atmosphere.
It seems like a hundred years ago during the Republic of China, the wife wearing a cheongsam called out softly to her husband who was copying in the studio: "Father Gao Jian, let's eat."
…
Chapter completed!