Of course she knew this. Not only she, but even Su Ling, the little maid, probably knew. Xiao Liu tossed her head proudly and said, "Sure I do. Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Am I right?"
Those phoenix - shaped eyes stared at her, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Just as Xiao Liu was feeling puzzled, he said indifferently, "Wrong. One needs to devote both body and soul."
Xiao Liu blinked her eyes. She whispered, "But I'm not wrong either. Without brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, how can one paint?"
He looked at her quietly and said calmly, "You're not wrong. But if one's body and soul are scattered, one can never create good paintings." After a moment, glancing at the books in front of Xiao Liu, he added, "You've memorized so many books. Do you know what you've actually memorized?"
Xiao Liu was stunned. She had indeed memorized a lot of books, but nothing had really left an impression on her. She bit her lips and shook her head.
"Painting is the same. Painting is about intention. When the intention arrives, the brush follows. How can one start painting without intention? Am I wrong?" He looked at Xiao Liu. Those phoenix - shaped eyes seemed to have peered into the depths of her heart as he spoke softly.
Xiao Liu nodded blankly, then quickly shook her head and said, "You're not wrong..."
He couldn't help but smile. His incredibly beautiful phoenix - shaped eyes sparkled with spring charm, and a wisp of black hair on his neck fluttered across his face in the wind, which even stunned Xiao Liu.
"Then go and fetch the brushes and paper. I'll wait for you in the pavilion." With that, he turned around and left, leaving behind only a red figure.
It took Xiao Liu a long time to come to her senses. She just felt that the red - clad young man looked extremely good - looking when he smiled.
After reacting, she quickly rummaged for the brushes and paper, then rushed out of the door, scaring the little maid Su Ling who was about to enter.
"Third Miss, where are you going?" Su Ling blinked her bright eyes, looking at Xiao Liu's back as she ran away with the brushes and paper in her arms, and shouted.
Xiao Liu replied without turning back, "I'm going to paint!"
Su Ling widened her bright eyes and quickly lowered her head, biting her finger.
When did the Third Miss become so diligent? The master would be so happy!
Xiao Liu carried the brushes and paper and walked around the courtyard to the pavilion. From afar, she could see the red figure behind the fluttering pavilion curtains.
That ethereal red figure seemed to have noticed her too. He raised his head and looked at her. His incredibly beautiful phoenix - shaped eyes were as faint as smoke. That glance was like a fleeting moment that didn't seem to belong to this world.
Her embroidered shoes tapped gently, and her hair fluttered in the wind. A flash of joy quickly crossed her eyes, and she quickened her pace.
From then on, Xiao Liu and he were inseparable, whether it was learning to paint, reciting poems, or just playing around.
Those always - lukewarm phoenix - shaped eyes gradually faded away imperceptibly, and finally turned into a vague form, lingering on a sunny day...
The surroundings were completely dark.
Suddenly, a golden glow shone down, and then light gradually appeared before her eyes.
Su Xiaoliu was stunned. She turned around and saw that the darkness under her feet was spreading outwards and finally turned into a green mountain.
Su Xiaoliu looked up. It was drizzling, and the mountains were full of flower branches. All the flower branches were still in bud and hadn't bloomed yet. A red figure was slowly walking in the flower field. His long black hair was loose behind him, and a red string gently tied the end of his hair. His red robe fluttered gently in the wind.
Who was he?
That red figure walked quietly and didn't seem to notice her appearance.
Su Xiaoliu opened her mouth. Before she could speak, everything under her feet changed and spread outwards again, and then turned into a familiar place, a familiar courtyard.
Where was this again?
Until the green mountain and the red figure completely disappeared, Su Xiaoliu looked around and suddenly froze.
The deep courtyard, the willows, the cooking smoke, the lotus pond, and the rockeries... All were familiar to her.
Was this... the Dai Mansion?
A small figure flashed by in front of her eyes. Su Xiaoliu looked down.
She saw a little girl, about five or six years old, wearing a pink - yellow silk dress and looking like a little maid. She was crying and running anxiously towards a certain place.
"Third Miss... Third Miss..."
Who was she? Third Miss?
That small figure soon disappeared from sight.
A familiar young face quickly flashed through her mind. Her almond - shaped eyes trembled slightly, and Su Xiaoliu suddenly remembered.
Was that... the young Su Ling?
Su Xiaoliu quickened her pace to follow. But suddenly, the grass under her feet changed.
The blue sky and the bright sun disappeared in an instant. Instead, it was a gloomy sky. Dark clouds hung low, and thunder rumbled from time to time. The strong wind blew the willows, and the wooden windows made a huge noise.
All this was so depressing that it was hard to breathe.
With a loud "rumble" of thunder, torrential rain poured down instantly. The servants of the Dai Mansion quickly quickened their steps to take shelter from the rain. But Su Xiaoliu lowered her head and found that there was no rain on her body. Why was that...
"Master! Master!"
Suddenly, the urgent shouts of the servants, the sad cries of the women, and the whimpers of the children rang in her ears.
"Third Miss..."
Su Xiaoliu blankly raised her head and found that she had come to the familiar house without knowing when.
The heavy rain hit the bluestone steps. People were walking in a hurry. Everything was in a mess.
In an instant, the surroundings changed again.
Su Xiaoliu found that she was standing in the familiar room. The bed was surrounded by people. It was her young father, mother, eldest sister, and second sister...
On the sandalwood bed, a little girl with a heart - shaped face was sleeping quietly. Her weak face was covered with fine sweat, and she was tightly closing her eyes in pain. That was her when she was a child.
Su Xiaoliu found that she had no impression of all this at all. It was as if this memory had disappeared. She looked at herself lying on the bed and gently clenched her fists.
Why could she see these? These things had happened more than a decade ago...
Everything in front of her gradually faded away, and she was back outside in the torrential rain.
Not far away, a red figure came into her sight. Su Xiaoliu bit her lips and looked up.
It was a young man in red. His long black hair was loose. His eyes were lowered, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow. Only half of his side face could be seen. Just that half gave people a sense of peerless elegance.
He was quietly kneeling on the bluestone steps, letting the rain hit his body. The rain ran down his hair and soaked his elegant red robe. His face couldn't be seen clearly. The servants walked by him in a hurry, and none of them even glanced at him.
"Feng... Yufei..." Su Xiaoliu looked at the embarrassed red figure in the distance and murmured.
Several fragmented scenes quickly flashed through her mind, but she couldn't grasp anything.
"Inside the house and outside the house. That's you and me," a peerlessly enchanting red figure slowly walked towards her from the distant white mist. His pleasant voice seemed to come from thousands of miles away. "The debt I owe, I will surely repay."
Su Xiaoliu was stunned. She turned her head and looked. Before she knew it, her almond - shaped eyes gradually widened.
Su Xiaoliu looked down at the red - clad young man kneeling on the bluestone steps, then at the enchanting red figure who had walked not far from her.
Feng Yufei...
The enchanting red figure stopped. He was wearing a dark red robe embroidered with gorgeous peonies. His long black hair was casually scattered on his shoulders. On his jade - like face, his red lips were slightly raised. His charming phoenix - shaped eyes were smiling as he looked at her, and the rain didn't even wet him.