Old Rose (Modified)

  There was no chance to be Xiao Chuyan's rumored girlfriend again, nor could she tease the boys who came to confess their love. Even the tasks assigned by Zheng Ruoyu began to decrease, and Zhao Zimo's days suddenly became leisurely and uninteresting.

  Fortunately, every Sunday she goes to the nursing home to chat and play chess with many grandfathers and grandmothers, and especially accompanies Grandma Fu.

  Every volunteer who comes to the nursing home not only accompanies grandpas and grandmas in activities, but also arranges for a special companion for one of the elderly. At first, Fu's grandma was not a popular choice among volunteers, as she was said to have a very quirky temper, didn't like to talk, never smiled, and rarely interacted with people. Even when her only relative, her grandson, came to visit, she would be indifferent and unresponsive.

  Fu Nainai was called "Prickly yet Charming Rose" by the other elderly people and caregivers in the nursing home. They said she was prickly because of her eccentric personality, while "Charming Rose" referred to her temperament.

  She was over eighty years old, but despite her face being unable to hide its age, her figure was slender like a young girl's, exuding an elegant and refined aura with the scent of ink, as if she had just stepped out of a grand mansion, accompanied by an air of aloofness and arrogance.

  Zhao Zimo has always been kind, compassionate and warm-hearted. She volunteered to take special care of Mrs. Fu.

  It didn't start smoothly at all. After she briefly introduced herself, Old Lady Fu carelessly glanced at her and spat out two words: "Seductress."

  Zhao Zimo was so amused that she couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Where could you find an old lady who was so prickly all over? Of course, she wasn't angry, instead, she had a flattering smile on her face, looking like she was honored: "Is Madam Fu praising me? Ah, I'm a demon! It's not that there's nothing under the sky, but it seems I've become this beautiful!"

  Fu's grandmother lived in a house with a large bookshelf, which was filled with original editions of famous Chinese and foreign works, as well as books of various styles. When Zhao Zimo applied to borrow a book for the first time, Fu's grandmother warned him coldly: "Put it back and don't mess it up."

  She nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice, with a flattering smile: "Thank you, Madam Fu, you really have a kind heart like a Bodhisattva."

  Fu's grandmother was clearly speechless at her mischievous smile, and from then on, she ignored her, treating her like air, letting her sit idly staring off into space or quietly reading a book.

  In such a situation, Zhao Zimo was also at a loss for what to do, but she persisted and refused to give up. Quietly sharing the same room wasn't another form of companionship?

  Perhaps her persistence had passed the test, perhaps it was her silly smile that left people helpless, and slowly, Mrs. Fu would get her to do some chores.

  For example: making tea.

  Fu's grandmother wanted to drink tea that wasn't ordinary, just putting a few tea leaves and pouring in boiling water would not do. She was very particular about it: loose leaves, washing the cup, filling the air, collecting the fragrance...and even the temperature of the water...

  In short, she has many requirements and she only demonstrates once.

  But this did not stump Zhao Zimo.

  Her father Zhao Qingyun is a master of tea ceremony, she is stubborn but learns things with no hesitation, although her tea-making skills are not as good as her father's, they are still not comparable to ordinary people.

  For the first time brewing tea, Zhao Zimo's movements were smooth and effortless. Grandma Fu had a hint of surprise in her eyes, but after drinking the first cup of tea, the surprise turned into delight, even admiration.

  Since then, Grandma Fu's attitude has also undergone subtle changes, and other tasks have been assigned.

  Fu Nainai didn't interact much with other elderly people, often staying in the house to write calligraphy or paint, grinding ink and mixing colors were also tasks assigned to Zhao Zimo.

  Zhao Zimo did not disappoint Grandma Fu once again.

  She is indeed gifted, her mother, Kitano Kiyomi, was a renowned painter who achieved great success in both oil painting and fine brushwork. Years ago, under the name "Kiyomi", she was known alongside another mysterious female painter "Seiso" as the "Two Clear Ones of the Painting World". Later, Seiso disappeared from the art world, leaving Kiyomi to flourish alone.

  As for things like brushes, ink and painting, Zhao Zimo was naturally not unfamiliar with them. When she was young, she was very mischievous and often went around causing trouble with Xiao Chuyan. For a period of time after getting caught for her mischief, the punishment given by her father was to help her mother grind ink and mix colors.

  However, she has always been good at finding fun in punishment. The more times she was punished, the more she enjoyed grinding ink and adjusting colors. Her mother would carefully teach her how to grind out the best ink and use pigments to mix the most realistic colors.

  Whether grinding ink or mixing colors, Zhao Zimo would never disappoint Fu Nainai.

  From then on, Fu Nainai looked at her with different eyes. Although she wouldn't show much enthusiasm towards her, her attitude had softened a lot compared to the beginning, which made other volunteers and elderly people click their tongues in wonder.

  But they understood immediately.

  Volunteers think she is beautiful, has a straightforward and lively personality, while the elderly look at her with the eyes of children, she is both beautiful and lovely, it's natural to be liked.

  Although he shouldn't be, Zhao Zimo couldn't help but feel a surge of vanity upon receiving such praise. It turned out that dealing with Old Lady Fu was such an accomplishment!

  On Sunday, Zhao Zimo brought a large stack of rice paper for painting to the nursing home. Early in the morning, Fu Nainai was not in her room, and she knew that she must have gone for a walk in the nearby park and had not returned yet. She didn't go looking for her, but just put the rice paper on the desk.

  Just about to go to the bookshelf as usual to kill time, I caught sight of the pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the desk, with a few lines of calligraphy written in bold and clear brushstrokes, like the style of Wei stele, yet with a strong and distinct personal touch, exuding an inexplicable elegance that was reminiscent of Mrs. Fu herself.

  Written by Zhou Dunyi's "Ode to the Lotus"

  "The flowers of aquatic and terrestrial plants are lovely, but numerous. During the Jin Dynasty, Tao Yuanming alone loved chrysanthemums. Since the Li and Tang Dynasties, people have loved peonies. I alone love lotus for rising from muddy water yet remaining unsoiled, washed clean by the gentle lapping of clear waves..."

  Behind, the two lines of "light scorching" were written repeatedly, and the word shape gradually became disordered. There seemed to be water marks on the words, and the ink opened up, revealing layer upon layer of shadows.

  Zhao Zimo looked at it with some surprise, guessing that Fu Nainai was most likely to forget the words here. On a whim, she sat down and picked up the ink brush that had not yet dried on the inkstone and continued writing:

  "Washing in a clear brook without being seductive, straight inside and out, not sprawling or branching, fragrance far and clearer, elegant and clean plant, can be seen from afar but cannot be profaned..."

  Writing with a brush was also one of her father's ways to punish her, but she turned it into an interest, only that she didn't specialize in practicing a certain font, completely relying on her own preferences, and over time, she became the unique "ink style" that is both elegant and steady, but at this moment, she was mischievously imitating Mrs. Fu's handwriting.

  She sat with a very standard posture when writing, her waist straight as a pen, her chest keeping a fist's distance from the desk. The morning sunlight shone through the glass window and onto one side of her body, casting an ethereal glow on her.

  She wrote with great concentration, the sunlight dancing in her eyes, the door behind her opened, she didn't notice, someone walked in, she didn't feel it, until a soft whisper came from behind: "Qīng zhuó... Qīng zhuó..."

  Zhao Zimo heard the sound and turned his head, Mrs. Fu, who had returned from her stroll, had a sorrowful expression on her aged face, her eyes seemed to be carved with a hint of sadness, she blinked, and Mrs. Fu's expression changed from sadness to being lost in thought, she didn't delve into this subtle change in expression, and smiled: "Mrs. Fu, you're back!"

  Grandma Fu's face was momentarily stunned, then slowly nodded: "What are you doing?"

  "Let me learn from you how to write with a brush!" Zhao Zimo jumped up and down, yielding his seat.

  Mrs. Fu walked up to the desk, picked up the paper filled with words and examined it carefully, with a hint of emotion and a tinge of imperceptible sorrow, she murmured: "My daughter was like you at your age, also liked to lie in the study room imitating me writing..."

  On this day, Zhao Zimo vaguely felt that Fu Nainai treated her a bit differently, and when she looked at her, her eyes would reveal a warm and sorrowful expression.

  Even until dusk, Grandma Fu still voluntarily kept her overnight, and she naturally did not refuse, sleeping safely in Grandma Fu's arms.

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