Bai Wenxi wrung the water out of her skirt under the scorching sun. Unconsciously, her hand grasped Jiang Beihuai's palm.
It was an instinctive gesture of dependence. Jiang Beihuai was overjoyed, and the raging irritation in his heart instantly subsided.
He held back his smile and helped Bai Wenxi wring out the water from her skirt.
Taking advantage while playing innocent, he said, "So, don't do things that might cause misunderstandings in the future."
His short hair, damp with sweat from his hurry, glistened like water in the sun.
"Look, you even accidentally got your skirt wet. Fortunately, the sun is strong, so it can dry quickly. Otherwise, you might catch a cold in the wind."
He was being unusually long - winded, but Bai Wenxi found it quite pleasing. There was a sweet tickle in her heart.
She gathered her long hair behind her head and simply tied it up with a hairband.
Her beautiful forehead was fully exposed under the blue sky and the vast sea. Jiang Beihuai stared blankly at her smooth skin.
The two looked into each other's eyes. Although the embers of last night's bonfire had died out, the memories it left still carried warmth.
Jiang Beihuai coughed and raised his hand to cover his eyes. "What are your plans for this morning?"
Tiny beads of sweat had emerged on Bai Wenxi's porcelain - white cheeks. A drop of sweat rolled into her eye, and she blinked her eyelashes vigorously.
"Could you do me a favor?" She twisted Jiang Beihuai's arm and pleaded coquettishly. "I still want to go to the old house and take a look."
Jiang Beihuai was stunned. "Where can we find suitable tools here?"
He sniffed and his clear eyes sparkled with confusion. "I went there to check yesterday. The holes in my clothes were scratched by thorns."
"The house has been in disrepair for a long time, and half of it has collapsed. Moreover, it's overgrown with weeds. What do you want to go there for?"
Bai Wenxi felt extremely uneasy. Ever since she got close to this island, she had a strange sense of premonition in her heart.
The once - beautiful place for art creation had been deliberately neglected and had fallen into such a dilapidated state.
Of course, she could just stay here safely and wait for a passing ship or a rescue boat.
Both Yu Ning and Detective Min knew that they had come to Moon Island, so they didn't have to worry about being trapped here.
But there was an inexplicable thought constantly repeating in her mind. Bai Wenxi took a deep breath. It would be good just to take another look at the wooden house.
"I'm not willing to give up. I still want to go there. Dad used to bring my senior brothers and sisters there to paint. There are a lot of old things left in the house. I want to take them away."
Jiang Beihuai hated to see Bai Wenxi immersed in memories. He took his wife's hand and pulled her closer to him.
He tucked her loose hair behind her ear. "I understand. I'll make your wish come true."
Since there were no suitable sharp tools around, Jiang Beihuai had to pick up two thick branches from the woods.
He hated to let Bai Wenxi suffer, so he took the lead, pushing aside the vines and branches in front to clear a path for her.
The artificially - built trestle had rusted due to lack of human activity. The specially - made pebble path had been pushed apart by the gnarled roots of old trees.
Although the journey ahead was tough, Bai Wenxi just held onto Jiang Beihuai's hem and followed closely behind him, feeling at ease.
After breaking several tree sticks, they finally reached the studio in the center of the island.
Jiang Beihuai was covered in dust. Bai Wenxi covered her head with his coat, only showing her eyes.
The wooden house in front still vaguely retained the outline built by everyone in the studio back then.
The wood had been eroded by wind and rain and had never been repaired. Half of it had already collapsed.
The scorching sunlight on the island shone directly into the room.
The layout at the door was still the same as before. There were even a few oil paintings hanging on the easels in the corridor.
However, the erosion of rain and the exposure to the sun had long washed away the colors and made the canvas peel off.
Bai Wenxi gently touched the mottled wooden door. There was a bunch of withered wildflowers hanging on it.
The petals had long turned to mud. Only the dark - brown flower stems were still stuck to the door.
The door creaked intermittently as it was slowly opened.
Bai Wenxi faced the sunlight and saw the layout of the room clearly in the flying dust.
It was still the same as it was back then. Rows of easels were neatly arranged, and the students' paintings were placed on the display stands in order.
Only the sculpture area in the southeast corner had been smashed to pieces by the collapsed wooden beams.
Jiang Beihuai covered Bai Wenxi's nose and mouth and frowned, looking suspiciously at the scattered sawdust on the ground.
He was worried. "Will it collapse again after we go in?"
The wooden house was so corroded that it was on the verge of collapse. Many beams of light shone through the holes in the walls onto the ground.
Bai Wenxi carefully pushed aside the overturned chair and walked to the desk.
She turned around and waved her hand. "It's okay. Come here. As long as we don't touch the collapsed walls and wooden columns, it'll be fine."
This desk was where Father Bai liked to stay the most. Whenever he brought students to Moon Island for art creation, he would write a log every day to record his daily life.
Bai Wenxi had watched her father's back under the dim yellow light since she was a child until she grew into a young girl.
After her mother passed away, she was reluctant to revisit this place. She could no longer see her father's back bending over the desk. It had become a taboo that Bai Zhongxun couldn't mention in front of his daughter.
She placed her palm on the desktop, leaving a clear palm print.
Bai Wenxi closed her eyes and lowered her head. She couldn't help but blame herself. If she hadn't been so stubborn and indulged in those sentimental memories.
If she had properly inherited her mother's inheritance, perhaps Moon Island would never have become the desolate place it was now.
Jiang Beihuai put his arm around Bai Wenxi's shoulder and gently rested his chin on her black hair.
"After we go back, hire a professional team to take good care of Moon Island." Jiang Beihuai encouraged and comforted her. "From now on, just don't waste your mother - in - law's efforts."
Bai Wenxi nodded. Holding back her pounding heart, she slowly pulled open the rotten drawer.
Father's log was quietly lying at the bottom of the drawer. There was also a photo of her mother.
Jiang Beihuai swept the dust out of the drawer with his hand. He was very surprised. There were also many notes and letters from students to his father - in - law.
Actually, he didn't have a good impression of Father Bai. At first, he had also heard from his grandma that Bai Wenxi had actively chosen the Jiang family because of her father's debts.
Later, after having a few in - depth conversations with Yao Chunmei, he even sneered at his father - in - law for choosing such a woman.
However, a man who could be truly loved by his students must have his merits.
The leather cover of the log had stuck to the wooden board of the drawer. Jiang Beihuai had to take the whole drawer apart before he could barely pull out the log.
Bai Wenxi cherished the log and hugged it in her arms. Jiang Beihuai protected her head with his hand and led her out of the wooden house.
He deliberately broke the branches to clear a space for her outside the house.
The two of them got their heads close together, and Bai Wenxi opened the log. Since the year her mother passed away, Father had indeed come to Moon Island less frequently.
[The weather is sunny today. I took the students to paint on the beach for a whole day. When the kids fell asleep at night, I still couldn't fall asleep thinking about Xingfei.]
Just by reading the logs, Bai Wenxi could truly feel the deep affection Father had for Mother hidden in his heart.
[I really want to have a chat with Wenxi. Someone wants to build an art exhibition on Moon Island and turn it into a systematic base for landscape painting creation.] Father's writing paused obviously here.
[The child gets sad when she mentions her mother. I think a person's energy is limited. I'd better manage Starry Art Museum well. We'll talk about the Moon Island art creation base later.]
Bai Wenxi regretted and shed tears. She didn't dare to read anymore and roughly flipped through a few pages.
Jiang Beihuai suddenly stopped her hand and pointed at a name, looking puzzled.
"Why is this person in the log?"