Borrowing Light(2)

"That's a good painting."He said, "You're a painter?"

Shen Rihui looked up and met his eyes.

"Yes, I'm looking for 'gentle' inspiration."She took the coffee, and the aroma of vanilla and coffee mixed together made her can't help but smile, "This cafe is beautiful, with gentleness everywhere."

He smiled, "I put a lot of thought into setting it up, hoping that whoever it was could enjoy a moment of peace.This is the meaning of the cafe's existence, isn't it?"

Shen Riqiu took a sip of the milk chai and watched him go back to the bar to clean up the sink, her gaze turning back to the cup in her hand, the heat traveling from the wall of the cup to her hand and flowing down into her heart, like a melodious, slow song, unintentional but warm as spring of blissful fulfillment.

"Welcome to your next visit, Ms. Painter."After asking Lin Yu, he learned the direction of the house she had rented, which was on the west side of the town.

In the evening after the rain stopped, there was still an orange-pink haze hanging in the sky, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass.There weren't many pedestrians along the way, except for a few people who were unhurriedly circling into other alleys, there was only Shen Rihui on the empty streets.

She finally stopped in front of a two-story house with fresh vegetables and fruit trees and a row of beautiful margarita chrysanthemums, and on the fence was written in English floral script: Oak House (橡木之家).

She pushed open the half-hidden fence gate and rang the doorbell, a long, soft melody of Debussy's Moonlight.

Shortly afterward, the door opened from the inside.

The door was opened by an old woman with silver hair and a kind face.Her face had the deep contours of a Westerner's, but she spoke a gentle and slow Chinese, her voice like black tea steeped at afternoon tea time, with a faint warmth.

"You are Ms. Shen, aren't you?My name is Margaret."She smiled and bent slightly, "Welcome to Oak House."

Shen Rihui nodded and responded softly, "Yes ... I'm here."

Margaret smiled and took her luggage, "You're just in time, I just baked pumpkin pie, come inside and try a piece.The room is ready for you, it's the one on the second floor, the window faces the oak tree."

She walked and talked at the same time, her steps were not fast, but steady.Shen Rihui took off her shoes and stepped into the piece of old house with the aroma of wood, behind the door was a small corridor hung with dried flowers, and on the wall there were old photographs with a black-and-white drawing of a gramophone.

"This house is many years old, my husband and I built it together when we were young, we always fantasized about having a house of our own when we were young."Margaret stopped and looked back at her, her eyes soft, "He is no longer here, but this door is still open for someone."

Shen Rihui's throat moved and she didn't say anything, just nodded softly.

She knew that she had come to the right place.

Margaret led her down the warm hallway, the waxed wooden floor creaking under her feet.The Oak House wasn't large, but everywhere was properly furnished and cozy - hand-embroidered curtains hung on the walls, cupboards were neatly stacked with teacups, earthenware jars, and glass canning jars, and there was a rocking chair by the fireside, with cushions knitted from old woolen threads in a pattern as familiar as a childhood memory.

"You're staying in town for a while, aren't you?"Margaret asked, turning back to her.

"Yes. ... The doctor suggested that I change my place of retreat and paint."Shen Rihei replied softly.

"Good place."Margaret smiled, "It's windy and several times quieter than the city."

She led her up the wooden stairs, the creaks echoing through the old house.The door to the guest room for her on the second floor was light blue, and the window looked out on a tall oak tree with a canopy that was just enough to shield it from the still receding light of late summer.The room was small, but unusually neat.White sheets, a wooden desk, and an easel by the window looked like they'd been made especially for her.

"Do you like it here?"Margaret asked.

"Love it.I like it a lot."The tip of Shen Riqiu's nose was a little sour when she said it.She didn't know if it was because of the gentleness in front of her, or the fact that the exhaustion of the journey had finally landed.