-Excerpt from Daomu Biji: Zang Hai Hua (Tibetan Sea Flower) Chapter 7, translated by my-otp-list
“With one glance, you could tell the oil painting isn’t created by a professional. It depicts the profile of a person in a very ordinary, even slightly clumsy, manner. From the peeling of paint and the shades of colour, it seems to have been here for a long time.
The subject of the painting is a young man. I never really comprehend Western painting, but their so-called painting principle must be, to a certain extent, the same as Chinese painting’s. Although it’s poorly portrayed, the style carries a unique vigour.
I don’t understand where this feeling comes from. The person in the painting is wearing the Lama’s clothes on his upper body, together with a Tibetan robe below. As the paper of this oil painting has entirely turned from white to grey-yellow, I totally can’t tell if the background is the setting sun or the rising dawn.
This is a prime example of poor painting skills, however, the use of colour is quite bold, which gives out the painter’s strong perception of art.
Even so, I still couldn’t appreciate anything about this painting. The thing that I find most astounding is I actually know that young man.
Yes, looking at the man’s features and facial expression, I have absolutely no doubt.
It must be him.
I wouldn’t know how he appears here, for there is really no reason for this person to be in Motuo, let alone in a clumsy oil painting in Motuo.
This is a portrait of Men You Ping.
At first, I furiously try to deny it because the whole situation is too peculiar. I might have mistaken. After all, it’s a painting, not a photo. Many details in the painting are fuzzy; perhaps that gives me a sense of recognition.
However, I find myself unable to move my eyes. All the details of the person are telling me: he’s remarkably familiar, especially his eyes. I‘ve never seen anyone who has the same eyes as Xiao Ge. Pangzi used to say that Xiao Ge’s gaze looks like it has nothing to do with anything, and that few people could live without any connection to this world like him.
Yet, the young man in the painting has that same gaze.
I stare at the painting for a long time. My intuition can feel it — this person is definitely Men You Ping.”
-Excerpt from Daomu Biji: Zang Hai Hua (Tibetan Sea Flower) Chapter 7, translated by my-otp-list
“With one glance, you could tell the oil painting isn’t created by a professional. It depicts the profile of a person in a very ordinary, even slightly clumsy, manner. From the peeling of paint and the shades of colour, it seems to have been here for a long time.
The subject of the painting is a young man. I never really comprehend Western painting, but their so-called painting principle must be, to a certain extent, the same as Chinese painting’s. Although it’s poorly portrayed, the style carries a unique vigour.
I don’t understand where this feeling comes from. The person in the painting is wearing the Lama’s clothes on his upper body, together with a Tibetan robe below. As the paper of this oil painting has entirely turned from white to grey-yellow, I totally can’t tell if the background is the setting sun or the rising dawn.
This is a prime example of poor painting skills, however, the use of colour is quite bold, which gives out the painter’s strong perception of art.
Even so, I still couldn’t appreciate anything about this painting. The thing that I find most astounding is I actually know that young man.
Yes, looking at the man’s features and facial expression, I have absolutely no doubt.
It must be him.
I wouldn’t know how he appears here, for there is really no reason for this person to be in Motuo, let alone in a clumsy oil painting in Motuo.
This is a portrait of Men You Ping.
At first, I furiously try to deny it because the whole situation is too peculiar. I might have mistaken. After all, it’s a painting, not a photo. Many details in the painting are fuzzy; perhaps that gives me a sense of recognition.
However, I find myself unable to move my eyes. All the details of the person are telling me: he’s remarkably familiar, especially his eyes. I‘ve never seen anyone who has the same eyes as Xiao Ge. Pangzi used to say that Xiao Ge’s gaze looks like it has nothing to do with anything, and that few people could live without any connection to this world like him.
Yet, the young man in the painting has that same gaze.
I stare at the painting for a long time. My intuition can feel it — this person is definitely Men You Ping.”
-A tiny excerpt from Daomu Biji Extra: Rain Village Diary - Garden Story, Chapter 13, translated by my-otp-list
“Since then, this tiny garden had become our tiny piece of lottery ticket. As I woke up every day, I pulled out a ruler to check if the moss had grown any bit thicker, and Pangzi even gave a name to each of the waterweeds, hoping that they would be blessed with plenty of offspring.
It turned out, one’s happiness and accomplishment could really just be this simple.
Men You Ping simply gazed at us two. Our garden had lots of moss, while his garden had both of us and all four seasons.”
- A tiny excerpt from Daomu Biji: Chong Qi(Reboot), Chapter 141, translated by my-otp-list
“What is so important about me? I’m but the man who would one day say goodbye to Men You Ping while he keeps on living, the man who keeps Pangzi from getting married and growing rich. I made Xiao Hua go bankrupt, caused Xiuxiu to part with her loved one and forced my parents to live constantly in fear that I might go down Third Uncle’s path. I’m far from being worthy of the name ‘No Evil’ that my grandfather gave me.
But that first half of my life, albeit lost, was truly incredible. I’ve seen countless wonders of the world and had the most amazing companions with the greatest stories to tell. We sang on the cliffs, chanted the sutras in the snow-capped mountains, clanged our wine cups at the Gobi dessert and watched the moon from above the sea.
