lerbook Chapter 450 When You Are Old
Chapter 450 When You Are Old
Chapter 450 When You Are Old
Under Wang Han's skillful control, the conversation on stage smoothly transitioned to the topic of Ni Ping's painting venue.
Ni Ping maintained a smiling expression throughout, recounting that her painting space was only three square meters, while also incorporating the popular inspirational quotes of the time.
"Where is three square meters?" Wang Han frowned, gesturing with one hand in the air, and said, "This three-square-meter studio—"
"Yes, it's the biggest house in our family, where my son does his homework. It's sunny and the table is huge. It's the place I've always dreamed of for drawing."
Ni Ping paused, glancing around at the packed audience below the stage.
Then, half-jokingly, he continued speaking to Wang Han:
"Then the best place to stay is where my mother lives. Neither of them can be kicked out. The only one who can be kicked out is myself."
"Where did we send you?" Wang Han asked curiously.
Ni Ping smiled and replied, "In the bathroom, I'll put a big plywood board over the large bathtub that none of us in the family will ever use again. Xiaoqian bought me a blanket for sixty yuan."
Upon hearing this, Wang Han immediately turned around and looked at Xiaoqian, who was walking towards the guest seats below the stage, and jokingly said, "Xiaoqian is really generous."
"No, what do you usually draw in the bathroom?" Tian Yuan asked, then immediately added with a serious grin, "What kind of shower gel—"
“Draw some soap,” Wang Han said, gesturing as if he were making a drawing motion.
"toothbrush."
The name Tian Yuan popped out of his mouth, and as soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Wang Han suddenly steered the conversation back on track with a serious expression, raising his voice and saying, "Here's the thing, shall we bring up a drawing board—come on, bring it up."
At his command, the young prop crew members who were waiting immediately sprang into action.
Immediately, one person carried a wooden table onto the stage, while another person held up the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper).
"Grandma is painting for us on the spot," Wang Han said, turning to look at them as they carried their things onto the stage. Then she turned to Ni Ping and teased, "I've never painted in such a nice place before!"
“Really,” Qian Feng agreed.
Wang Han gestured towards the ceiling and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "What a huge art studio!"
“How big is this table? Look how long it is, it’s four tables long!” Tian Yuan chimed in with a humorous response.
After the props team had carefully arranged the tables, Ni Ping calmly stepped forward and helped lay out the canvas.
Wang Han stood beside her, watching her busy herself, and then asked another question: "Can you give the painting away after it's finished?"
Ni Ping was busy fiddling with the canvas at the moment and didn't immediately respond to his words.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Wang Han immediately raised his head, raised his eyebrows at the rather quiet audience, and gestured with his lips.
It's like throwing a pebble into a calm lake.
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the audience, with amusing shouts coming one after another, and some even yelling at the top of their lungs, "Everyone gets a share!"
"Grandma, hurry up and start drawing! We can't wait!" A sharp girl's voice was particularly loud, standing out amidst the noise.
With a mischievous smile, Wang Han said to Ni Ping, "Look at how supportive our audience in Hunan is! Look!"
Ni Ping, with one hand gripping the canvas and the other holding the microphone to her mouth, said half-jokingly, "Oh dear, I've discovered that the audience in Hunan is particularly greedy. They know my paintings are valuable, so they keep asking for them."
Upon hearing this, Wang Han immediately spoke in a Beijing accent, loudly saying, "Of course, Rongbaozhai, you are here."
After some arguing, Ni Ping picked up her paintbrush, bent down, and painted a rooster looking back on a long canvas, followed by a group of waddling chicks, with the words "Strive for progress every day" on it.
Yu Huan looked at the painting from the side and commented that it had some merit, but not much, and was still some distance from professional art standards.
Even though holding an art exhibition at Rongbaozhai is a great honor, Ni Ping's fame undoubtedly accounts for the majority of the reason.
Wang Han and Ni Ping each held up a corner of the canvas, displaying the painting to the main camera and the audience below the stage.
Ni Ping held the microphone to her mouth, comparing Wang Han to a large rooster in a painting and the others to chicks, and then launched into a long, rambling speech about the difficulties of being a host, thus elevating the discussion.
Although Generation Z certainly won't buy into this, inspirational quotes still have a market these days, at least making it difficult to criticize her painting skills based on this painting.
After Wang Han finished her topic, he suddenly shouted towards the audience: "Xiaoqian! Stamp it!"
"You didn't bring it, put your fingerprint on it!" Xiaoqian immediately shouted at the top of her lungs.
Ni Ping dipped her index finger in the red paint on the self-painting plate. Sensing that the device hadn't received Xiaoqian's voice, she lowered her head and pressed it onto the signature, repeating with a light laugh, "Didn't bring it. Press your fingerprint. Xiaoqian said, 'Didn't bring that.'"
At Wang Han's suggestion, a 64-year-old woman, the oldest person present, was chosen to give the painting away.
Then, taking advantage of Ni Ping's identities as a writer and actress, they chatted and laughed for half an hour, digging deeper into her life.
After discussing Ni Ping's extensive experience as a host, Wang Han seemed to remember something and suddenly turned to look at Yu Huan, who was standing at the very edge.
He raised an eyebrow and called out humorously, "Boss."
"Eh." Yu Huan immediately realized.
Realizing it was his turn, he smiled and replied to Wang Han, "This is just a nickname given to me by netizens. You can just call me by my real name, Yu Huan."
Wang Han waved to him, but said with a smile, "Look, Teacher Ni Ping is here today. It's such a rare and great opportunity. Don't you want to learn from Teacher Ni Ping? After all, you might really develop in the direction of hosting in the future."
Yu Huan walked slowly to Wang Han's side, a half-joking smile on her lips, and said, "Don't put me on the spot! Teacher Ni Ping is a leading figure in the hosting industry. Her casual remarks just now, which only touched on a few key points of hosting, have already benefited me greatly. I'm already secretly delighted."
As soon as he finished speaking, the audience burst into laughter.
“You shouldn’t just be secretly happy. You need to absorb these valuable experiences, like a sponge absorbing water, and suck up all of Teacher Ni Ping’s wisdom into your head.” Wang Han paused, then humorously added, “I’m curious how your nickname ‘Leader Brother’ spread in the community? Is there some special experience behind it? Tell us about it.”
"That's a long story."
"You can say whatever you want, as long as you don't start from the womb," Wang Han said with a smile, patting Yu Huan on the shoulder.
Upon hearing this, Yu Huan couldn't help but chuckle and said, "It's not that bad."
"Then hurry up and tell us, don't keep us in suspense!" Tian Yuan interjected.
Yu Huan nodded and said methodically, "Then I'll keep it short. I started as a proofreader in the editorial department. About half a year ago, the newspaper set up a new media department, and I was selected as the acting deputy director through a competitive process. Afterwards, at the request of the leadership, I filmed two short videos for the department. After these videos were uploaded online, the result—"
"As a result, he became famous overnight because he was so handsome." Wang Han suddenly had a look of realization on his face.
Yu Huan smiled broadly and said, "The short film did indeed cause quite a stir online. Since then, many netizens have started calling me 'Brother Boss'."
Wang Han immediately raised his hand, turned around and pointed to the big screen, uttering four words in a rhythmic tone: "Please watch the short film."
This is a fan-made mashup, already humorous and funny, but it seems even funnier in this context, eliciting bursts of laughter.
Finally, the person playing the 'leader' on the big screen was revealed, and Yu Huan's handsome face was captured on a still image.
During the rehearsal, they only went through the process briefly. Ni Ping, who was standing on the other side of Wang Han, watched the short film and felt that "Brother Leader" was probably a person of real power and a real leader.
At first, I thought Wang Han was really going to recruit him to be a host, but at the time I just thought it was for the sake of the show.
Ni Ping's curiosity was immediately piqued, and she was the first to ask:
"Hey boss, how long have you been working at the newspaper?"
"I joined Jiangnan Morning Post through campus recruitment, and I've only been working here for about half a year," Yu Huan answered truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Ni Ping was immediately surprised, her eyes widening as she exclaimed, "Wow! Only half a year! So young? You seemed so composed, I thought—"
“If you’re not composed, you can’t be a leader!” Wang Han raised his voice a few decibels, making a particularly humorous digression, and all the supporting characters chimed in.
Yu Huan smiled gently and then said, "When I first started working at the newspaper, my parents were quite unhappy about it."
"Oh? What's wrong with you?" Wang Han looked at Yu Huan with a face full of curiosity.
“My parents are both high school teachers, and in their minds, they wanted me to become a teacher too,” Yu Huan explained.
Wang Han nodded and said, "Oh, that's truly a scholarly family, an intellectual family!"
In this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, Yu Huan said in a light tone, "My parents repeatedly told me to take the teacher qualification exam. After I got the certificate and was about to graduate, I quietly got a job at Jiangnan Morning Post through campus recruitment."
“Working at the Jiangnan Morning Post isn’t bad at all! Just kidding, it’s a provincial newspaper, a department-level unit! It’s on the same level as our station.” Wang Han pointed at Yu Huan with his thumb up, looking at the main camera, and said seriously, “Just kidding, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. Our leader is truly young and promising!”
Yu Huan smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute, then held the microphone to his mouth: "Brother Han, you flatter me!"
Wang Han, however, still asked curiously, "Which subject did you apply for with your teacher's qualification certificate?"
"For Chinese, I'm a humanities student, and I'm mainly good at rote memorization."
Upon hearing this, Wang Han immediately raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh ho! Anyway, when I was in school, what I feared most was that the Chinese teacher made us memorize things by rote. Every time I couldn't memorize them, I had to stay after school."
“Most Chinese teachers are also homeroom teachers, so they’re even more afraid,” Qian Feng interjected with a smile.
Tian Yuan chimed in, "The main concern is getting the parents called in."
“That’s right,” Wang Han nodded. “But on the other hand, being good at rote memorization is also a good skill. Take hosting for example, we need to know a lot of knowledge and information by heart in order to be able to use it at will. If we can use historical allusions, poems and songs appropriately when hosting, the effect will be very different.”
Ni Ping, who was listening nearby, half-jokingly chimed in: "Hey Wang Han, are you still thinking about poaching him to your station?"
Wang Han immediately coughed loudly and whispered into the microphone, "Let's talk in private, let's talk in private."
Amidst bursts of laughter from the audience, Wang Han turned to look at Yu Huan and said with a smile, "How about you recite a poem or song for us?"
“Okay.” Yu Huan readily agreed. “Then I’ll recite a poem.”
"What poem?" Tian Yuan asked curiously.
“Modern poetry,” Yu Huan replied, turning her head to look at the beautiful figure wearing a baseball cap and mask in the audience, and then added, “It’s ‘When You Are Old’ by the Irish poet Yeats.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Han felt not only unfamiliarity and confusion about the author and the title, but also a sense of surprise.
Wasn't it supposed to be a recitation of Hai Zi's "Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms"?
This kid is so unpredictable!
However, inadvertently following Yu Huan's gaze...
Wang Han had noticed the girl sitting between Sister Ru and Zhao Zhongxiang long ago; she was wearing a hat and a mask, which was quite conspicuous to him.
After pondering the topic 'When You Are Old' for a moment, I immediately smiled knowingly:
"Then please begin."
Yu Huan nodded slightly and took three steps forward unhurriedly.
Soothing piano music began to play softly.
Yu Huan closed his eyes, letting his thoughts settle for a moment. Once his mind was calm, he tilted his head back slightly, his gaze shifting from the slightly glaring lights to Lin Yourong in the audience.
The audience was packed, but in Yu Huan's view, it seemed as if only Lin Yourong existed.
The couple just stared at each other from a distance.
"When you are old, with gray hair and a heavy heart."
The deep, magnetic voice was captured by the microphone and amplified by the speakers, resonating throughout the entire studio and lingering in everyone's ears.
As Yu Huan began his recitation, the stage lights gradually softened, and a spotlight enveloped him, as if draping him in a soft glow.
"I sat wearily by the fire, took down this book, and slowly read it, dreaming of the look in my eyes from back then."
"Your gentle charm and deep, mysterious shadows."
Accompanied by beautiful piano music, Yu Huan's voice became increasingly gentle and profound.
How many people loved your fleeting, ephemeral beauty?
I loved your beauty, with either pretense or true affection.
"But one man loved the pilgrim spirit in you, loved the sorrows of your soul and the marks of time on your face."
His gaze remained fixed on Lin Yourong.
When she finished reciting this part, Lin Yourong suddenly raised her hand, moved the back of her hand under the brim of her hat, and gently wiped her eyes, seemingly becoming a little tearful.
Upon seeing this, Yu Huan unconsciously smiled and slowed down her recitation, her voice becoming softer and gentler.
"Bending over and stooping by the stove hood"
"He was lost in thought, muttering to himself."
How does love fade away, and how does it ascend the mountains?
"How did you hide your face among the stars?"
The words fell silent.
After a few breaths, Wang Han confirmed that the poem had been recited and took the lead in clapping.
Instantly, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause, as if it had been set ablaze.
(End of this chapter)