Spiral Bread (Continued)

Murong Qing stared at Si Ming for a while, then took a step back and slowly closed the basement door.

"Vortexes eventually concentrate at a single point. The top absorbs external energy, while the density at the tail becomes incredibly high. The vortex force commonly used in martial arts techniques actually utilizes the same principle."

Holding a chocolate spiral bread in her hand, Hongdou concluded, "So, the larger end is the head of the bread, and the smaller end is the bottom."

Normally, Si Ming would definitely have complained, but now he has lost his vitality and become an immortal, unresponsive to external stimuli, and can only lie on the table in a daze like a salted fish.

Hongdou didn't seem to mind, and continued, "But for some reason, no one agrees with what I'm saying. And the most interesting part of the Hongdou bread, I think, is the concave navel-like part in the middle, but unfortunately, everyone says they can't understand it either. They say things like, 'No wonder you're a great artist, your thinking is so different from ordinary people,' or 'This is a realm that ordinary people can't understand.' Actually, it has nothing to do with being an artist. When I tell this to children, they all say I'm absolutely right. It's so strange! Why is it that children can understand things that adults can't?"

As she spoke, she began to eat her bread, probably because she assumed the larger end represented her head, thus avoiding the chocolate spilling out from the smaller end.

Si Ming responded to these words, slowly saying, "Because adults rely on logic, if something is beyond the realm of logic, they will refuse to understand it and replace it with the unknown. Children, on the other hand, don't rely on logic, and even if something is beyond the realm of logic, they will use their imagination to fill in the gaps. Conversely, if something is within the realm of logic, adults will firmly believe it and believe that it must be the result they expect, while children are more likely to accept other possibilities."

His gaze fell on the sketchbook also placed on the table. The subject of the sketch seemed to be a rusty old chimney. Hongdou drew many sketches from several different angles, all crammed onto the same page, divided into four sections.

Noticing Si Ming's gaze, Hongdou began to explain her drawing, "I saw this when I went to buy bread. I really liked its rusty look, so I tried to draw it."

"What does it look like when it's rusty?"

"Hmm, I prefer things that are a little dirty or flawed to Jingjing things. I think that kind of beauty in imperfection is quite nice."

Hongdou reached out and turned to the next page of the sketchbook. It was a leaf depicted from various angles, with a missing corner at the tip, and it was also a bit deformed and yellowed. This time, it was divided into more sections, nine in total.

Even someone like Si Ming, who has absolutely no artistic talent, could appreciate the value of this painting. After seeing the nine squares of leaves, a three-dimensional model of the leaves immediately appeared in his mind, as if they were truly floating right in front of him, without any blind spots or shadows, and could be appreciated from any angle.

In his past life, when Si Ming looked at the works of those so-called masters, he would sometimes think, "Why does something so simple cost so much?" "It must be used for money laundering." "I can't see how amazing it is at all." "I could draw it exactly the same if I copied it." But because he felt that he was an amateur in art, he would only be ridiculed if he said it. So he would just keep these thoughts to himself and keep his distance. "You guys brag all you want, I'm not going to join in."

However, Hongdou's works are genuinely impressive and impactful to laymen like him. Even paintings he doesn't understand leave him with a sense of awe and wonder.

"This is the level of skill that goes beyond mere imitation."

"Hehe, this is my only specialty."

Receiving the praise, Hongdou smiled happily. She turned to the next page, which was still blank, so she picked up her pencil and said, "However, if it's just about drawing it realistically, it's not that difficult."

"Of course you can say that. It's like asking why so many people don't understand calculus, which is clearly just the most basic introductory knowledge in the eyes of a math genius."

"I don't understand math very well either, but when it comes to drawing, you just draw what you see. The most important thing is observation. If you don't look at anything and only imagine, you'll only draw things that others can't understand, like this."

Hongdou's pen danced swiftly across the white paper, creating drawings that resembled those of elementary school students: oval faces with exaggerated, misplaced features, somewhat like traditional minimalist comedic comics such as "Sanmao the Vagabond," "Oolong Courtyard," and "Old Master Q."

However, Si Ming felt that if Auntie Liu were to sell Hongdou's painting, it might be interpreted in various Impressionist ways, such as the huge eyes representing the character's anger, and the crooked mouth being a ruthless mockery of the world.

But Hongdou clearly didn't cherish this "impressionist masterpiece." After finishing it, she casually tore it up, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the nearby trash can. She then said, "Only by observing clearly can you paint without distraction. For example, if I want to paint Xiao Ming's eyes, I can't not know what Xiao Ming's eyes look like. I can't just rely on imagination. Nothing else matters. Just see clearly what you want to paint, and then paint it."

Hongdou kept talking, but it didn't affect her drawing at all. It was as if her hands were intelligent beings that could move on their own. She quickly drew Si Ming's eyes, and in no time, the pattern expanded like a vortex into the entire face. Her movements were unimaginably fast.

"Yeah, that's roughly the feeling."

Hongdou stopped what she was doing and showed the sketchbook to Si Ming. The faces in the sketchbook were so lifelike that it was hard to believe they were drawn by the same person as the previous ones.

"Your drawing looks simple, but it's actually not that simple, is it?"

"No, anyone can paint this kind of picture. As long as you put your mind to it, you can do it. The real difficulty lies in the technique."

Hongdou thought for a moment, then took back her sketchbook, turned to a new page, and began to draw.

This time, her movements were completely different from before; it wasn't drawing or outlining, but rather, if I had to describe it, it was painting.

Without following any rules of drawing, and without even drawing an outline, as Hongdou's hand swayed from side to side, the paper seemed to undulate accordingly, and through the varying shades of the pencil, the pattern slowly emerged.

Her movements were precise and flawless, without a single mistake, almost like a printer, making it seem as if she wasn't creating anything, but rather printing out an existing image.

However, Si Ming knew very well that this was impossible, because Hongdou had drawn a picture of him eating a chocolate spiral bread, and the last time he had eaten a chocolate spiral bread was probably several years ago, and he was certain that he had never eaten a chocolate spiral bread in front of Hongdou.

Unlike Hongdou, who starts biting into the bread from the larger end, Si Ming in the painting swallows it from the smaller end, which is exactly Si Ming's habit when eating spiral bread.

How did you know I would eat like that?

"Because I've been observing Xiao Ming, I know Xiao Ming 'll eat like this, at least that's what my Xiao Ming told me."

"..."

Hongdou put the drawing aside, then leaned close to Si Ming's back and breathed into his ear, saying, "Xiao Ming, well, since the class monitor has already misunderstood, let's just go with the flow. It's better than letting them misunderstand for nothing."

Si Ming was silent for a moment, then said, "So, how would you imagine me to react in a situation like this?"

Hongdou hugged Si Ming tightly with both hands.

A moment later, she released her grip, took a few steps back, and carried away the warmth.

Si Ming stood up and said, "I'm sorry, it's not that I'm choosing anyone, but at this time, Murong Qing needs me more, so... from now on, I will agree to whatever you ask."

He didn't turn around, or rather, he didn't dare to turn around, afraid that he would soften his heart if he did.

"Yes, I'll wait for Xiao Ming... just like before, no matter what, I'll be here waiting for you."

The voice that came from behind was incredibly obedient.

Si Ming smiled bitterly to himself, for the kindness of a beautiful woman is the hardest thing to bear; the ancients were right.

He had a vague feeling that if he were to leave the basement so easily, he might really hurt the girl behind him, even though she would surely greet him with an innocent smile and a happy heart the next time they met.

What is something I can do right now?

Si Ming glanced around, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately grabbed the sketchbook on the table and began to draw.