Rebirth of top photographers

Chapter 119 Those lives carried by photography (4K with color)

December is here quietly, and the weather in South China is getting colder and colder.

Chen Pingsheng stood on the white snow and looked up at the third floor, which should be the kitchen. There were various red animal window papers stuck on the glass, but there were no rules, as if they were put on randomly by children.

The 9-story old-fashioned building with elevator in front of me is located in Heping Community in the city center.

I heard from the driver that this place was built in the 90s and was the most famous real estate left over from that era. It was also where Li Jianghe and his wife lived.

"Ding dong." He rang the doorbell of the crimson door.

A burst of hurried footsteps came from inside, and with the creak of the door, Li Jianghe, wearing a blue sweater and a white shirt, poked out of the door.

"Teacher Li." Chen Pingsheng greeted.

"Xiao Chen, here you go, come in." Li Jianghe invited him into his home.

Chen Pingsheng took off his shoes and put them under the shoe cabinet, put on the gray cotton slippers he had prepared long ago and stood up. He saw a large living room with photo frames of different sizes on the wall.

Li Jianghe took him to the sofa in the living room and said, "Sit down, I'll get you some water."

"Okay." Chen Pingsheng nodded, took the camera bag off his shoulder and placed it on the table.

Then he looked up and looked around. The furniture in the living room was mainly red.The antique wooden coffee table, the soft sofa with red wooden armrests, and the warm yellow lamps dotted on the walls all seem to reflect the exquisite Chinese aesthetics of the owner of the house.

And in the photo frame that I hadn’t looked at carefully before, there were actually different dried flower products placed there.

Chen Pingsheng curiously walked closer to the wall and found that the dried flowers in the photo frame seemed to have been specially treated and still maintained their tender posture. The different colors of red, white, and yellow set off each other, making them look particularly beautiful, like a piece of flower arrangement art.

"My wife did this, how about it?" Suddenly, Li Jianghe's voice came from behind him.

Chen Pingsheng turned his head and praised: "It looks beautiful, like a real flower."

"Right." Li Jianghe smiled and handed the cup in his hand to Chen Pingsheng.

"I also thought it looked good, so I asked Master to put it in a photo frame and hang it on the wall." Li Jianghe looked at the dried flowers on the wall and smiled, but his eyes seemed to be caught in some unexplainable emotion.

"It should have been hung up earlier." He said.

Chen Pingsheng did not respond because he did not know what words to use to respond.In other words, in the face of this kind of relationship that has lasted for decades, as a young person, he is not qualified to respond to his elders.

"Let's go, I'll take you to meet my wife." Li Jianghe's emotions came and went even faster.

"Yeah." The two of them walked from the living room to the master bedroom.

The bedroom door was always open, but what came into view was not the wide bed edge and old-fashioned quilt cover that Chen Pingsheng remembered.

On the contrary, the bed inside was unexpectedly small, as small as a single bed, and it had the armrests of a hospital bed on the edge.

Looking at the bed again, an aunt wearing a dark green cheongsam is lying on the bed. Her hair is thick and black, and the wrinkles on her face are deep, but it is not ugly, but has a special beauty after the baptism of time.

She seemed to be sleeping, her eyes were closed tightly, her hands were subconsciously placed by her side, and there was an unread book at her hand.

It has a gray cover with four words printed on it, "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

"Auntie?" Chen Pingsheng asked in a low voice.

"Alzheimer's disease." Li Jianghe sighed and said slowly: "The doctor said it is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. There is no way to treat it, but to slow it down."

Chen Pingsheng didn't know what to say, comfort?What words can be used to comfort an old man's sadness over his loved one's illness?

optimism?Expressing optimism about life at this time is just another injury to him.

So when the words came to his lips, they turned into a slight sigh. It was obviously inaudible, but it seemed to be heard by the aunt on the hospital bed.Her eyelids moved a few times, then opened completely and looked at the two of them.

"Old Li?" The aunt's expression was a little confused. She seemed to remember Li Jianghe's appearance, but she only remembered part of it. However, the decrepit old man in front of her couldn't be compared with her memory.

"Xiujuan." Li Jianghe came up to her, sat beside the bed, took her hand over, put it on his leg and stroked it slowly, as if he wanted to drive away those nightmares and diseases for her.

The aunt no longer had any doubts. She felt reassured by this familiar movement, which made her put down her guard and close her eyes again.

"Crack."

It was the sound of Chen Pingsheng’s camera shutter.

"Xiao Chen, you have also seen this situation." Li Jianghe waited for him to finish filming and said: "I have been busy with work. I don't have much time to spend with her. I thought that after I retire in two years, I can be with her. Go outside and take pictures. I didn’t expect that she can’t get out now.”

The old man looked at his wife, and a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth: "She used to be a furniture designer. She has a pair of skillful hands and especially likes to make her own furniture. And when she was young, she liked flower arrangement and classical Chinese beauty. So the interior and exterior of this home are all designed by her. Every decoration is bought by herself or modified from old objects. Isn’t it quite unique? "

Chen Pingsheng nodded: "I think Auntie's aesthetics are very good. Whether it is color or style, they are very unified."

"Yes." Li Jianghe said with emotion: "It's a pity that she can't remember it now."

After saying that, he put down his lover's hand, turned around, and came to the window.There are several plants placed there. Judging from their growth status, they should have been well maintained.

Li Jianghe picked up the small kettle on the edge of the window sill and watered the plants. In the process, he wiped his eyes with his hands, as if he was fascinated by the dust.

"Wow."

Perhaps hearing the sound of water, the aunt suddenly opened her eyes and turned to look at Li Jianghe.

Chen Pingsheng immediately raised his camera, pointed it at the two people, and pressed the shutter.

"Crack!"

Another photo was recorded forever.

After that, Chen Pingsheng did not just photograph people, he also hoped to record the entire family.

So he came to the living room and took pictures of the works hanging on the wall one by one.

Li Jianghe followed him, watching him take pictures and telling him stories about these things.

"Look at this lamp. It's the same as the desk lamp from the Republic of China. She bought it from the secondhand market. It was already broken and could no longer be used. But she was unwilling to give in and bought the light bulb and wire herself to save the lamp. Alive." Li Jianghe stood in front of the cupboard, touching the white retro lampshade with a nostalgic look on his face.

"And this screen was also restored by her. This place and this place were broken before and couldn't be seen."

"She also built this shoe cabinet by herself. She went to her third uncle who knew carpentry in the countryside and worked on it for a week."

While listening to Li Jianghe's explanation, Chen Pingsheng suddenly became lost in thought, so much so that his voice became muffled.

In fact, what the old man said is not important, is it?What's more important is that he has a channel to talk to, giving him a place to share the things in his heart.

He is acting as a listener at this time.

So Chen Pingsheng didn't say anything and only occasionally asked questions.Otherwise, he spends most of his time taking photos.When he reached the kitchen, he said, "Teacher Li, where are your other family members?"

The red window sticker on the glass looked like it was put on by a child while playing, but he didn't seem to see any trace of his children's life from the room.

Sure enough, Li Jianghe was silent for a moment when he heard this topic and said: "They are too busy. Some are abroad and some are in the capital. I have come back to see it before, but this disease is the same everywhere. They want to We were sent to the capital, but I didn’t agree.”

He looked at the environment in the house built bit by bit by his lover's hands. He couldn't help but rub the texture of the wall tiles with his left hand, and said: "This is the place she is most familiar with and loves most. If she leaves here, the disease will be more difficult." Cured."

"So when I am at work, a nanny will take care of her. I can only stay with her on weekends."

"Understood, what about these?" Chen Pingsheng pointed to the window glass.

"Oh, she put it on herself. Sometimes when she is awake, she will cut some window grilles to practice her skills to prevent her body from stiffening." Li Jianghe laughed as he spoke. From his expression, there was no trace of injury at all. pain.

But Chen Pingsheng felt heavy in his heart. He felt that the camera he held in his hand had turned into a huge weight, as if it was about to sink into the center of the earth with his heart.

This is an invisible responsibility.

It is also the life carried in these photos.

"Can Auntie come out?" But he was not afraid of this challenge, because what he had to do was no longer just shooting.

"Yes, but you have to help me." Li Jianghe did not refuse.

"No problem." Chen Pingsheng put down the camera and the two of them returned to the bedroom. After waking up the aunt, the two of them helped her walk to the living room.

The aunt's expression was a little dazed at this time. She watched them busy and had no reaction. She just stared blankly in front of the dried flower art made by her own hands hanging on the wall.

After she was put on the chair, she came back to her senses, looked at Li Jianghe's face, and remained silent for a long time.

"Is this okay? Teacher Li?" Chen Pingsheng put the camera in front of the two of them and looked at his aunt with some worry. He felt that her body was swaying and she was about to fall down at any time.

"It's okay. It's hard for her to move on her own, so she has to rely on others to help her. But she knows how to sit still, you see."

Li Jianghe said and let go of his lover's hand. Sure enough, his aunt's body did not shake and she sat firmly on the chair.

The aunt's eyes have been looking at Li Jianghe, never leaving for a moment.

"Okay, Teacher Li, you can sit next to Auntie." Chen Pingsheng lowered his head and looked at the electronic screen.

Li Jianghe sat back on the chair and used his body to form a support for his aunt, allowing her to lean against him more comfortably.

"Teacher Li, smile a little."

One of the two people was expressionless, and the other could not make any expression. Chen Pingsheng could only ask Li Jianghe to smile.

"Okay, let me smile." Li Jianghe grinned, looking unnatural.

Chen Pingsheng decisively gave up the idea. After thinking for a few seconds, inspiration suddenly came to him: "Teacher Li, look at Auntie too."

"Look at her?" Li Jianghe turned around and met his aunt's eyes.

At this moment, the corners of Auntie's mouth curved slightly, as if she was smiling!

"Crack!"

Of course, Chen Pingsheng would not miss such a scene and pressed the shutter directly.

After taking the photo, he looked at the photo and found that he was right. There was indeed a little smile on the corner of the aunt's mouth.

"That's great." Chen Pingsheng also laughed, feeling like he was being healed.

In the following time, Chen Pingsheng kept recording the daily life of the couple, although most of this daily life was detailed scenes of Teacher Li Jianghe taking care of his lover.

For example, he is cutting his lover's nails, feeding his lover, and holding her hand to show her past photos.

The aunt was also unexpectedly cooperative and didn't speak. Although her behavior was a bit dull and dull, she still tried hard to look at the things and people in front of her, trying to find the corresponding memories from the old drawer in her mind.

Chen Pingsheng was immersed in such a warm atmosphere and was unwilling to miss any move.On the other hand, he is also trying his best to suppress his sense of existence and create his own space for Li Jianghe and his aunt.

It wasn't until the lights came on, the warm yellow light illuminated the kitchen glass, and the red window grilles reflected different brilliance under the light, that the shooting finally ended.

"Bah." Li Jianghe turned off the stove switch and walked out of the kitchen with a few home-cooked dishes.

"Are you hungry?" He asked Chen Pingsheng with a smile.

Chen Pingsheng, who was eating fruit, smiled and responded: "It's okay."

"I'll feed her first. If you're hungry, just eat." Li Jianghe kindly asked him to eat first.

However, Chen Pingsheng refused: "It's okay, I'll wait for you."

Li Jianghe nodded and entered the bedroom with the prepared porridge and vegetables.

After he had fed his aunt, the two of them came to the table in the living room and sat down to eat.

"Xiao Chen, when will the photos come out?" Li Jianghe gave Chen Pingsheng a rib and took a bite of rice.

Chen Pingsheng took it gratefully and said thoughtfully: "You can come out in three or four days, but I will make a photo album for you, so it will look more convenient."

"Okay, I actually want to make it into a photo album." Li Jianghe sighed: "The main thing is to let her see it, maybe her illness can be better."

"Well, I hope." Chen Pingsheng nodded, and at the same time, he wished in his heart that his aunt's illness could be relieved.

"Has Brother Chen's photo been released?" Li Jianghe continued to ask.

"Mr. Chen's photo has been sent to him." He replied.

"Okay, that's fine."

After a brief chat, only the sound of swallowing and the collision of chopsticks echoed in the living room.

After dinner, Chen Pingsheng did not stay here much.

He listened to Li Jianghe standing at the door saying goodbye and walked down the stairs step by step.

After coming out of the corridor and walking to the street that had been cleared by the property management, Chen Pingsheng looked back at the third floor behind him.

The place was still filled with warm yellow light. The red window grilles could not be seen clearly under the dark sky. Only a figure could be seen busy in the kitchen.

Chen Pingsheng turned around and headed home along the roadside.

(End of this chapter)