MTL - Wildfire-Chapter 39

Tao Xiaodong is covered in dirt every day, and there is also a handful of dirt in his sweater and hat.

"Uncle Tao, drink some water." The eleven or twelve-year-old boy took two bottles of mineral water and put them next to Tao Xiaodong, talking to him.

Tao Xiaodong unscrewed it and drank half of the bottle. He was thirsty for a long time.

He has been here for several days, and the boy is familiar with him, squatting on the rock next to Tao Xiaodong, watching the hook machine work. Tao Xiaodong asked him, "Where's your father?"

"My dad went shopping with the car, do you need to talk to him, Uncle Tao?"

Tao Xiaodong waved his hand: "It's okay, just ask casually."

He was sitting on the stone, the boy was squatting, and it was cloudy and there was no sun. Men like to watch engineering work in their bones, and there are few who don't like to watch these when they were young. Tao Xiaodong smiled and asked the child next to him: "Do you like it? I liked these when I was young."

The boy also laughed, quite shyly, and said, "It's okay."

Tao Xiaodong wanted to chat with him for a while, but the phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket.

"Rhubarb." Tao Xiaodong picked it up and asked him, "What's wrong?"

"It's okay, I just had a meal with Jovi and the others, what are you doing?"

"I'll stay and watch the work on the construction site." Tao Xiaodong took another sip of water, holding the phone between his shoulders and ears, "The recording is over? What did the program team say?"

"What else can I say, it's enough to give them face. If they don't like me, I'll turn around and leave." Da Huang snorted, "Is my manager's name not loud enough?"

Tao Xiaodong smiled and said, "It's so loud."

In fact, Tao Xiaodong, the deputy director of the program group, met, had a meal together, and chatted. In the beginning, he went there with Da Huang just to meet the people there, and he had to personally see what was going on and the process. After that he withdrew.

Da Huang didn't take this seriously from the very beginning. After Tao Xiaodong told him about it, Da Huang said "Hi" and said, "You still need this kind of trivial work? What should you do?"

If Tao Xiaodong is half a businessman, then Huang Yida is a ten percent businessman. He understands tattoos, but he doesn't know how to do it, and he doesn't know how to do it. I have been with Tao Xiaodong for so many years, and everyone in the circle knows him. Talk about tattoos, talk to Mr. Tao, and talk about business, talk to Mr. Huang.

It's definitely not a bad thing for Mr. Huang to come out and sit on the judging panel. This is the founder of Dongda Field.

He is better than Tao Xiaodong at recording a live show, and he does not offend others or touch himself. As soon as the program was aired and the name was released, it goes without saying that Dongda has influence in the tattoo circle, as long as it has a status, the effect that the program group wants will be achieved. The people in the circle also understood that this was just to deal with the matter, and Tao Xiaodong was still not invited, let alone Tao Xiaodong, they didn't even have a serious tattoo artist there.

"After ten days of recording next time, I'll be back tomorrow, and I'll put on powder on the show, giving me a big pimple." Da Huang laughed and cursed, "Next time I come, I have to take care of your sister-in-law. Want to take off your makeup?"

It was too funny to say this from his mouth, Tao Xiaodong said with a smile: "I have wet wipes, next time you bring a bag."

"Wet wipes? Are they useful?" Rhubarb asked.

"Is it okay? I haven't compared it with others, anyway, it's unloading that thing." Tao Xiaodong said.

The word "makeup remover" is really hard to say. Sometimes when he goes out for events and takes photos for interviews, someone puts some powder on him. For magazine interviews, he needs to be finer, and eyebrow shadows have to be applied. After all, Tao Xiaodong is a showman, and he shows his face a lot.

The picture of them two rough men talking about this kind of topic on the phone is so beautiful. Tao Xiaodong couldn't take it anymore, and said, "That's enough, stop chattering."

The two chatted happily on the phone for a long time, as if they were sick, and then hung up the phone.

Tao Xiaodong can't live without rhubarb, and he can't live without many people. In the past, he left for a year and a half, and many people said that he lived a free and easy life. In fact, he is not free and easy at all, he is very dependent on these relationships, in addition to his younger brother, Da Huang, Tian Yi, and many close friends. Tao Xiaodong has never been a free and easy person, he is always afraid of losing, and he can't afford to lose important people.

"Uncle, isn't it cold over there now?" the boy asked him.

The smile on Tao Xiaodong's face was still there, he nodded and said, "It must be cold for you, we are used to it."

"I have never seen snow. I want to go to your north to see snow in the future." The boy said with a smile.

"Then you can take the exam and go to college. You can watch it anytime throughout the winter. There are always roadsides."

The boy thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I can't, I can't live without my dad."

Tao Xiaodong turned his head and looked at him. The farthest door the boy had ever traveled was the county town below the mountain, and this mountain was his living space all year round. Tao Xiaodong raised his hand to touch his head, touched the soil with his hand. The two laughed and didn't speak.

The boy's father is a principal. There are quite a few students in this small school on the mountain, more than a hundred in total. More than half of them are blind children.

The headmaster is fifty years old, and he has been on TV once before, and he has been interviewed by many documentaries. He himself is half-blind, low-vision disabled, and needs a vision aid. In the original documentary, he said that he needed teachers and books, and it was all due to the fact that the teachers could not hold on now. The government appropriation often fails to come, and his own money has been invested in it over the years.

The school was originally a primary school on the mountain, and the students who go to school here are the children from the village on the mountain, and a few visually impaired children from the county below. During the interview, he said that Braille paper is very expensive, and there are no Braille printers on the mountain, and several children have to take turns to touch a Braille book, and it is a bit difficult for him to teach these blind children by himself.

After the broadcast, there were indeed social donations, but at the same time, more blind children from poor families were sent up. The small dormitory in the backyard of the school was about to be overwhelmed, and he had been left to take care of the blind children in the dormitory by himself, but he couldn't take care of the blind children when there were more students.

Tao Xiaodong came for the first time five years ago and brought two Braille printers, several tons of Braille paper and many Braille teaching aids. He also built the large row of dormitory rooms behind the school.

In the following years, Tao Xiaodong's support for this place has not been cut off, because his small school on the mountain is not as difficult as it used to be.

The row of bungalows in the classroom was built by the villagers many years ago. It has been so many years that the bricks on the outermost wall have fallen off, and it looks like it could fall down at any time. This time Tao Xiaodong came to push it directly, re-covered the teaching area, and the children collectively had a holiday.

Tao Xiaodong came here unexpectedly this time, and he hadn't contacted the principal beforehand. I went to the program group with Dahuang before, it's not far from here, so I stopped by to have a look.

When I came here, I worked from morning to night every day, and I was covered with dirt.

In the evening, he lived in the teachers' dormitory of the school, and the headmaster made an empty bed for him. The sheets and pillows were specially prepared for him, with fresh starch that had not been washed.

After Tao Xiaodong took a shower in the public bathroom at night, he returned to the dormitory and received a message from Tang Suoyan.

— Have you booked your flight yet?

It's been two days since the last call, and Tao Xiaodong still can't think of Tang Suoyan.

After the initial emotions subsided, I was able to see things clearly, and I was able to sort them out from beginning to end. Tang Suoyan was passive from beginning to end that night, he was always awake.

This is too embarrassing, either because of shyness or awkwardness after doing intimate things, or embarrassment. Uncontrollable, overwhelmed, in the presence of a sober and calm man, he himself acts out a vulgar pantomime.

Tao Xiaodong sat on the small bed and replied: Not yet.

Tang Suoyan replied quickly: good.

Tao Xiaodong put down his phone and sat there silent for a while. There was also a teacher in the dormitory, a male student from the Normal University, a senior, who volunteered to teach the children English without salary.

He is a bit introverted and doesn't talk to Tao Xiaodong very much. He turned over and fell asleep, Tao Xiaodong went down and turned off the light.

Before he could get back to bed, the phone rang.

Tao Xiaodong glanced at the screen, it turned out to be Tangning.

This was quite surprising, Tao Xiaodong thought for a while, walked out, and went outside to answer the phone.

After picking up the phone, he called "Doctor Tang".

Tao Xiaodong found a rock to sit on, and there was a small night light on the side of the building. At this moment, the workers had also rested, and he was the only one outside.

Tangning called him "Xiaodong", her voice was surprisingly hoarse. He may also feel that the voice is not very pleasant, so he cleared his throat before continuing, "Did I disturb your rest?"

"I didn't rest, what's wrong, Dr. Tang?" Tao Xiaodong asked.

"Call me Tangning," Tangning said.

Tao Xiaodong said "OK", and then asked, "Do you have anything to do with me?"

With the relationship between the two of them, it is naturally impossible to contact them for nothing. The only time the two of them had contact was when they made an appointment for a meal, and it was because of Tang Suoyan.

"I shouldn't have called you this way," Tangning cleared her throat in a muffled voice. His voice was too hoarse. "It's too impolite."

Tao Xiaodong said, "It's okay, tell me what's wrong."

Tangning paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Today... I met Brother Yan."

Tao Xiaodong opened his mouth, and after two seconds, he didn't say anything, only an "ah" as he heard it.

Tangning probably didn't want to make this phone call, so he spoke slowly, "I can't tell if what Brother Yan said to me is true or not, so I want to ask you, are you two together... Bar?"

Tao Xiaodong subconsciously wanted to answer "no", but thinking about what he did that night, it was not hard to say that. Before Tao Xiaodong could utter a word, Tangning added, "I have no other intentions. I have separated from him... He is free to do whatever he wants."

Such a person who is good at chatting is also stuck now, and I don't know what to say. After a while, Tao Xiaodong only said "I'm sorry".

"Don't say that." Tangning seemed to take a deep breath, her voice was not too steady, "No one is sorry."

Neither of them spoke happily, and it was hard to say which side. Afterwards, Tangning paused for a while, and then said, "Xiaodong, I want to ask... are you planning... no, what is your plan? Do you plan to have a fresh start together, or...we will be together in the future?"

The night in the mountains is very different from that in the city. Except for the small lights in front of him and the moon above his head, Tao Xiaodong can't see anything. There are lights everywhere in the city, street lights, lights in residential buildings, and they will always stay on. The darkness in the mountains is too quiet, that kind of quietness and tranquility are hidden in the boundless darkness, and you will feel bored after watching it for a long time.

Tao Xiaodong called with his head down, and said, "Yan...I don't know what Dr. Tang thinks, let's see what he means."

"What about you?" Tangning asked directly.

Sitting there, Tao Xiaodong went back and forth with several answers in his head, and finally said the truth: "I am definitely not trying to be fresh, and you also know my profession. If I go for freshness, there are too many choices." gone."

Tangning didn't speak for a long time.

Tao Xiaodong looked up for the stars, but couldn't see them. It seems that the air in the mountains is the same thing, there may never be a place full of stars like when he was a child. It's a pity that the children don't lie outside and look at the stars now.

Tao Xiaodong didn't know where his thoughts were going, so Tangning said softly, "Got it".

Tao Xiaodong didn't know what to reply, it felt inappropriate to say anything.

Over the years, there were very few times when he didn't know how to speak, but when facing Tangning, he really felt sorry. His emotions were very complicated. He had never had any negative emotions towards Tangning, and now he had more emotions that some people couldn't express.

Tao Xiaodong said: "Then you should go to bed earlier, it seems uncomfortable to hear your voice."

Tangning said "Yes" and said, "It's okay, you should go to bed earlier, it's wasting your time."

Tao Xiaodong said, "It's too far to talk about where."

The insects make a lot of noise, but it doesn't seem noisy. In such a quiet environment, two people in an awkward situation made an embarrassing phone call. They were very polite to each other, saying good-bye politely.

It's also kind of funny.

After hanging up the phone, Tao Xiaodong went back to the dormitory, and the college student was already fast asleep by listening to his breathing. Tao Xiaodong went back to his bed in the dark, and the phone vibrated again.

Tang Suoyan: The line has been busy when I called you, so you should go to bed earlier.

Tao Xiaodong replied: I called brother Yan just now, you should go to bed early.

Tang Suoyan: I almost thought you blocked my number.

Tao Xiaodong smiled here, and replied: How can it be, what do you want.

Tang Suoyan: Replace you with me, see what you want.

It's a very common sentence, and when Tang Suoyan said it, some nerves in Tao Xiaodong's mind were about to break again. He quickly changed the subject and said: Are you busy these days?

This topic turned a bit hard, not pretty, and now Tao Xiaodong doesn't care about whether he is pretty or not.

Tang Suoyan: I'm not busy, but I'm not feeling well.

Tao Xiaodong immediately asked: What's wrong? What's wrong?

Tang Suoyan: It has been snowing for several days, and my hands hurt badly.

Tao Xiaodong frowned and asked: Does it hurt even when it snows?

Tang Suoyan: Yes.

Tang Suoyan: Cold hands.

Tao Xiaodong still frowned: Is there any medicine left? You scald your hands with a towel and apply the medicine.

Tang Suo said: No more.