Chapter 158 [The Paper Kite Wind-Riding Technique]

After being dragged to lunch by the fat man at the Li family's house, the clock already pointed to two o'clock in the afternoon.

Chen Mo put down his chopsticks, glanced at the fat man slumped in the chair picking his teeth, and hesitated for a second.

Going back to work at this point is pointless; it's better to skip work and go home.

"Have your driver take me home."

The fat man paused in picking his teeth, raising an eyebrow: "Leaving already? Really nothing this afternoon? Want to stay a while longer, maybe at the brothel..."

"Some other time, something's come up right now." Chen Mo stood up and yawned. "Can I borrow your car? I'll have Master Liu teach me how to drive."

"Okay, okay, okay."

Seeing that he wasn't joking, the fat man called out towards the door, "Master Liu! Take Master Chen home."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chen Mo practiced driving in a deserted section of the road before handing the driver's seat back to Master Liu.

"Master Chen is truly an exceptional person; he learns so quickly..."

He smiled but didn't say anything after hearing the compliments from Master Liu in front of him.

In his previous life, he had been driving for several years; all he needed to do was familiarize himself with the accelerator, brake, and a few buttons.

Cars of this era did not have power steering, and the steering wheel was very heavy, but for Chen Mo, that little bit of strength was nothing.

The street scene outside the window swayed and receded, while the warm afternoon sun shone through the glass, making his eyelids feel heavy.

Finally, the car stopped at the alley entrance. Chen Mo opened the car door, sent Master Liu back, and slowly walked home.

As I approached the courtyard gate, I saw Zhou Nian through the black cast iron fence.

The little girl had her back to him and was bending over, sweeping the yard with a large broom.

Her two braids hung down, swaying with her movements.

The courtyard wasn't large; Chen Mo had replaced the floor with patterned tiles, and a gravel path ran through the middle, leading to the steps in front of the building.

She gathered the fallen leaves that had drifted down from the street and swept them carefully.

Chen Mo pushed open the iron gate and walked in, the hinges making a slight creaking sound.

Zhou didn't even turn his head, his broom still in hand: "Brother Chen is back."

Chen Mo chuckled. "Fine, now you're not even turning your head?"

Zhou Nian then turned around, still clutching the broom, and grinned at him: "Why are you turning around? There are only two people in this yard, who else could it be but you?"

"In broad daylight, what kind of thief is so blind as to choose to come when the homeowner is home?"

She paused, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, Grandpa Liu from next door came by just now."

"Um?"

Zhou Nian kept sweeping. "He stood outside the gate and asked you through the fence when you would be back. I said I didn't know. He didn't look well, didn't say anything, and left."

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes: "You don't look well?"

"Hmm, it seems like something's happened."

Zhou Nian was bending over to pour leaves when he saw him coming. He straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Under the sunlight, even the fine downy hairs on her face were clearly visible.

"You've done a good job," Chen Mo said. "Starting today, your monthly wage will increase to ten silver dollars."

Zhou Nian almost dropped the winnowing basket in her hand.

"How much?" Her eyes widened and her mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

"Ten yuan."

Chen Mo pushed open the door and ignored her, who was now in a daze.

Zhou Nian stood there stunned for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing.

As I laughed, my eyes welled up with tears.

She quickly lowered her head, blinked hard, and waited for the heat to subside before raising her head and calling out to the closed door, "Brother Chen, I'll make dumplings for you tomorrow!"

There was no response from inside the house.

Zhou Nian didn't mind. She leaned the broom against the corner of the wall, humming a little tune she'd heard somewhere, and bent down to collect the basket of fallen leaves.

The sunlight fell on her back, warm and cozy, as if it could dry up any dampness in her heart.

.....

The room was very quiet.

Chen Mo placed the two pieces of Yin talisman paper on the desk, sat in the chair for a while, and did not rush to make a move.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a square patch of light on the floor.

The faint sound of Zhou Nian humming a tune drifted from the courtyard. It was hard to hear clearly through the window, but the melody sounded very cheerful.

He reached out and stroked the surface of the Yin Talisman paper, his fingertips able to feel a faint coolness within the paper fibers.

【The Art of Flying a Paper Kite】

He had never made this type of paper puppet before, so he planned to make a small one to practice first.

The original version required Yunmeng reed paper and bamboo strips to make a frame and paste the paper surface, which was a proper paper-making craft.

But now it's different. He has the blessing of Yin energy, so he doesn't need to go through so much trouble.

Chen Mo took out a piece of Yin talisman paper and laid it on the table. He picked up a paper cutter and traced the tip of the knife across the paper.

The blade sliced ​​across the paper, making a soft hissing sound, like a silkworm gnawing on a mulberry leaf.

One cut, two cuts, three cuts.

Tiny pieces of paper gradually took shape under his knife, forming the outline of wings, the curve of a tail, and the shape of a head.

He cut very slowly, carefully considering each cut before making it.

The blade moved across the paper, turning, outlining, clean and crisp.

The cut pieces of paper were spread out on the table, wings, torso, tail feathers, head and neck, all small, sparrow-sized parts.

Chen Mo put down the knife, flexed his fingers, and began to fold.

Folding is more sophisticated than cutting.

The creases should be deep, firm, and formed in one go; they should not be folded back and forth.

He pressed down on the creases with his fingernails, pressing them down one by one. With each press, the piece of paper would stand up a little more.

The wings fold in an arc, the torso folds out... Its tail feathers curve slightly upwards.

In a short while, a kite the size of a sparrow was nestled in his palm.

Smaller than the palm of your hand, it is the original grayish-white color of the talisman paper and so light that it has almost no weight.

The wings are shaped like wings, the tail is shaped like a tail, and every crease is just right, supporting the posture a bird should have.

It just doesn't have eyes yet, and it's lifeless.

Chen Mo stared at it for a while.

He picked up that small wolf-hair brush that he hadn't used in a long time, dipped it in blood and cinnabar, and put two tiny dots on its tip.

The moment the pen tip touched the ground, the little thing seemed to come alive.

It's not actually moving, but when you look at it, you feel like it's looking at you too.

Chen Mo couldn't help but smile, holding the little kite in his palm and gently sending it upwards.

The little creature flapped its wings and actually took flight.

He went to the window and pushed it open.

The autumn wind blows in, carrying the scent of sycamore leaves from the yard.

"go."

With a thought, the little kite paused in the air for a moment, then spread its wings slightly and glided away.

Following the wind and the sunlight, it flew higher and higher, gliding farther and farther.

Chen Mo closed his eyes and shifted his perspective to that of the kite, looking down at the scenery at the entrance of East Street.

The gray-tiled houses are densely packed together, with a few narrow cracks in the middle, which are the alleys.

Someone was walking through the crack, as small as an ant...

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