Ning Anmiao walked along the street, looking at the colorful little things on the roadside. The more she looked, the happier she became. She always felt that this was a manifestation full of a sense of age.
Colorful ropes, wind - up frogs, foot - operated sewing machines...
Perhaps these things had already been eliminated in the big cities with a fast pace; but in this small town, they still existed in this way.
Allowing them to last forever in the years.
As Ning Anmiao walked, she saw a shop with a glass door. The signboard of the shop read "Yesterday Photo Studio".
She thought the name was very interesting, so she stepped in.
There were no customers in the shop, nor any clerks. There was only an old man wearing reading glasses, gently wiping the lens of a camera with a cloth.
"Hello," she said softly, afraid of disturbing the old man.
The old man looked up, squinted his eyes at the customer who came in at the door, and said in an old and hoarse voice, "Welcome. What kind of photos do you want to take?"
Ning Anmiao looked at the layout of the photo studio and then found that it was a film photo studio.
She walked over curiously, stared at the black films placed under the counter, and couldn't help asking, "Excuse me, are these all photos taken with films?"
The old man was stunned at first, looked at her clothes up and down, and then said firmly, "Are you a tourist, girl?"
Ning Anmiao nodded. Her attention was all on those films, and it was obvious that she was very interested in them.
"If you're here for tourism, the photographing equipment you bring is much better than that in my shop. At the very least, taking photos with your mobile phones will also look very nice," the old man said while his hands didn't stop. "These are all old things. Taking photos is slow, developing them is slow, and the success rate is low. You young people don't like them."
As he said this, there was a hint of regret in his words.
Ning Anmiao said in a gentle voice, "Grandpa, could you tell me how to use a film camera?"
She was really interested and really eager to learn.
Seeing that she was so persistent, the old man finally put down what was in his hand, slowly took off his glasses, and carefully examined the girl in front of him.
"Really want to learn?" he asked uncertainly again.
This girl was really likable. She was so delicate, and her eyes seemed to be filled with light.
Ning Anmiao nodded with a smile. "Yes, I really want to learn. If you don't mind, please teach me."
This was an area she had never touched before.
Ning Anmiao had always been very interested in learning new things, and she also had a lot of patience and perseverance.
Moreover, her intuition told her that the old man in front of her was very kind.
The old man lowered his eyes, picked up the walking stick leaning against the counter, walked to the back while leaning on it, took out a camera, and then slowly walked out of the photo studio.
Seeing Ning Anmiao still standing in the shop, he called out to her, "Girl, come out."
Only then did Ning Anmiao realize that he was going to take a photo of her. She pushed open the shop door and walked out, standing on the roadside.
The position where she stood had small stalls full of a lively atmosphere and people coming and going behind her. The evening sunset shone on her body like gilding, shining on her side face.
It was like being shrouded in a layer of afterglow.
The old man trembled as he pointed the camera at her and lifted it up.
Ning Anmiao didn't know when the shutter would be pressed, but she still showed a big smile at the camera, and beautiful light was reflected in her eyes.
"It's done," the old man said as he carried the camera back to the photo studio. Ning Anmiao followed closely behind.
She thought she could see the film of her own photo, but she was told that in order to get the best developing effect, the film had to stay in the darkroom for a while before the photo could be developed.
She wouldn't be able to get this photo until at least half a month later.
Disappointment flashed in Ning Anmiao's eyes.
"But I can take you to the darkroom to learn how to develop other photos," the old man said quickly when he saw that the little girl was a bit unhappy. "You can try it yourself."
"However, you can't bring things like mobile phones for lighting into the darkroom, and you can't be careless. Otherwise, all the customers' photos will be ruined."
Hearing this, Ning Anmiao grinned, quickly walked over, and followed the old man into the darkroom.
---
When they came out of the darkroom, it was really dark outside.
Ning Anmiao picked up the mobile phone on the counter and saw that Yin Yiyan had called her several times.
"Thank you, Grandpa. It's been a very pleasant experience today. My friend is looking for me. I'll come back to pick up my photo in a few days," Ning Anmiao said politely before leaving.
The old man smiled. Although his expression was a bit tired, he was satisfied. "It's rare to see a young person like you who wants to learn this. I'm also very happy today."
"Don't worry. I'll definitely develop your photo well. Remember to come and pick it up then."
When saying this, the old man's eyes looking at Miaomiao were filled with kindness and affection.
Sometimes, the encounter between people is like a gift.
...
After leaving the photo studio, Ning Anmiao quickly called Yin Yiyan back.
"Oh, you finally answered the phone. If you didn't answer the phone, I would have called the police," Yin Yiyan's voice came immediately. "Where did you go to play? You didn't answer the phone. It would be very hard to find you if you got lost in this place."
Ning Anmiao felt a bit guilty. She explained a couple of sentences to her and then quickly returned to the hotel.
---
In Shanghai.
When replying to Ning Anmiao's message, Lu Yan was in the car on his way to Jiangcheng.
While driving, Song Qin was still worried about his boss. "Mr. Lu, do you think Mr. Ning will have a good talk with you this time? I feel that his character is extremely stubborn."
Lu Yan closed his eyes and said in a calm voice, "It was the old man who called me on his own initiative."
Two days ago, Lu Yan received a call from Ning Zhijing.
He didn't know where the old man got his contact information. Anyway, the content of the call was very simple and straightforward. The old man just said to come over on a certain day during this period and not to tell Miaomiao.
Just during the period when Ning Anmiao and Yin Yiyan were out traveling, he would go and meet the old man.
"Ah? What will he say to you? Will it be the same as before, asking you to separate from your wife?" Song Qin wasn't very optimistic.
Lu Yan pursed his lips. He was also uncertain.
In this world, if there were people that Lu Yan couldn't figure out, then besides Ning Anmiao, it was probably Ning Anmiao's father.
Lu Yan also knew clearly that even if the other party said the same things as before this time, he had to go and deal with it.
"Let's go and see first," Lu Yan closed his eyes and raised his hand to rub the space between his eyebrows. "Did you bring the gifts I asked you to prepare in advance?"
"Don't worry. They're in the trunk. Everything is arranged."