Fang Fei's hand was fine, and Shao Ling's condition was also optimistic.
Cao Youning needed to be observed in the hospital for a day, and Qin Ci volunteered to stay and accompany him, while the others went their separate ways home.
Everyone still left by train, but their moods were completely different from when they arrived.
Luo Yu was with everyone this time, but he was much quieter. He was holding his motion-sensor vehicle, gazing out the window at the scenery flowing against the current, and after a long while, he finally said, "I feel it's getting harder and harder. This time, the fate of the whole group is in the hands of another group of people. This is too passive."
Fang Fei moved her left wrist, the purple color gradually fading, and the pain was also lessening: "And we're also forced to role-play, which is also very passive."
At this time, there were few people in the carriage, and the few people sat together so that their conversations wouldn't be heard by outsiders.
Shao Ling, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them at this moment: "I'm thinking, can we filter out useful information from the things we experienced in each painting, and could this information, when combined, be related to an important clue about 'entering the painting'?"
"But what kind of information can be considered useful?" Wei Dong said, "Is it filtering out a main theme from each painting? Like in 'The Journey,' is time the main theme?"
"What about 'The Burning Rhinoceros at Sea'? Is the main theme an illusion? Or our joys and sorrows?" Luo Jin also felt it was difficult to figure out the main theme.
At this moment, Mu Yiran was using his laptop to look up information: "Bi Di, as a photographer, has always been dedicated to photographic documentation of historical sites, especially interested in historical relics."
"No wonder, 'The Journey of Lanterns' is neither ancient nor modern..." Luo Jin said.
"When Bi Di was 13, he won a city-level photography award. During his summer vacation, he visited his uncle, who worked in archaeology, and photographed some precious fish fossils there. It was these photos of the fish fossils that won him the award." Mu Yiran's eyes were fixed on the computer screen. "It was that award-winning experience that made Bi Di determined to become a photographer."
"So his signature is on those white fish fossils?" Luo Yi listened to this information, and combined it with the various hardships depicted in the painting, suddenly feeling somewhat helpless, even ridiculous.
Just a photographer's bizarre ideas had formed an unbreakable world, where any distorted unreality could exist openly, imprisoning all those who entered the painting, forcing everyone to follow his pace.
"After Bi Di was diagnosed with a terminal illness, he was very unwilling to accept it because a very important photography exhibition was being prepared," Mu Yiran said. "Some of his works before his death were related to time, as if he longed to let time stand still a little longer."
This coincided with some of Mai Peng's previous statements. Bi Di had great ambitions for photography, so his physical decline made him extremely desperate, which is why he came up with this "absolutely fair concept" of time loops.
"Is this a coordinate graph?" Ke Xun looked at Mu Yiran's computer screen. "Add this painting, and it becomes two complete letters, TN. Is this really an abbreviation for something?"
"Probably an abbreviation for TNND," Wei Dong said seriously.
Everyone smiled, but there was an lingering sadness in their smiles.
"Hurry up, we have to find out what's going on with the paintings at the next art museum. Even though the art collectors are trying their best to keep it from us, there seems to be some other force working against it," Shao Ling seemed to have learned a lot from this painting, such as "hurry up"—"No matter what, we have to try, even if it's just to figure out the theme of the exhibition."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The next step was to divide the work and find out more about the next art museum, trying to learn as much as possible about those damned paintings.
Qin Ci's call came through to Ke Xun's phone. Ke Xun answered with a strange expression: "You mean, he left the hospital early? Without even saying goodbye? Oh, he left his WeChat."
At that moment, everyone's phones rang simultaneously. They opened the "Into the Painting Theory" group and saw a new member—Ning Shi Shi Jie.
Ning Shi Shi Jie left a long message in the group—
Thank you all for your unwavering support, especially Ke Xun and Mu Ge, who didn't abandon me in this life-or-death situation.
But I'm sorry, I might have to disappoint you all.
Just now at the hospital, I tried to contact Mai Shen and the others. They're still there. They said they got separated from me at the art museum and couldn't reach me by phone.
You probably can't imagine how relieved and desperate I felt when I received their call, hearing Mai Shen, Sister Xi, Lu Heng, and Xiao Yu's voices.
They were still worried about me, asking where I was.
But who knew that I was the only survivor among the five of us! I can't believe that the other four will leave me, leave this beautiful world, in the next few days!
I've made up my mind, to let them die without regrets! I'm going to go with them to a place we've all always wanted to go, with our cameras, to capture the scenery we've always longed for! No regrets in this life! I'm
sorry I can't go with you, because there are more important people who need my company.
Please forgive my willfulness and cowardice.
Good luck to you!
...
Wei Dong was about to leave a message when he found that the other person had already left the group.
The only connection everyone had with these people, Cao Youning's WeChat, was now completely severed.
Cao Youning's departure weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
"Everyone has the right to choose how they leave, and maybe this is the best for him," Shao Ling said.
"That means we're still eight people, and the next painting will welcome five newcomers," Wei Dong scratched his head. "I thought this group was the best; their performances were fantastic, a hundred times better than mine back then. Ugh... this damn painting."
The atmosphere on the bus was somewhat somber. Everyone divided up the research tasks and booked tickets to City C in advance, as the next art museum was in that city.
When they arrived at their destination, City B, the weather seemed to suddenly turn much colder. They felt a chill on their faces and realized that snowflakes were falling.
This weather once again mirrored the world depicted in the painting.
Fang Fei stamped her slightly cold feet: "Whenever it snows, I crave dumplings." As if intentionally trying to lighten the mood, it was truly a challenge for the usually quiet Fang Fei.
"That's easy! Come to my place, and we'll make dumplings!" Ke Xun extended a generous invitation.
Everyone looked at each other, making sure they all had time.
Only Luo Cheng stammered, "Um...brother, you and my brother-in-law aren't going to have any alone time?"
"No matter how many circles we draw in this world, we'll always be in our own little world," Ke Xun smiled slightly.
"Okay, then let's go eat dumplings! I love radish and mutton dumplings the most! They're good for keeping warm in winter, what about you guys?" Luo Cheng hugged his New Spring Motion-Sensing Car tightly and sneezed.
"Your name is Radish, and you eat radish filling?" Wei Dong teased, "There used to be a girl in our class named Yu Lan who never ate magnolia petals! And there was a boy whose surname was Niu and whose zodiac sign was Ox, and he never ate beef!"
"Then let me ask you, Dong-ge, do you eat winter melon?" Luo Yi retorted.
"This winter is not that Dong~" Wei Dong looked at Fang Fei, "What kind of filling do you want? I'll go buy some when we get there!"
Fang Fei: "It's the three-delicacy filling, chives, shrimp, and wood ear mushrooms."
"Hey? I love that filling too~" Wei Dong laughed, "What about you guys? Are you two eating dumplings?"
Zhu Haowen and Shao Ling: ...
Shao Ling: "I like vegetarian ones, zucchini and eggs or carrots and eggs are fine."
Zhu Haowen: "I like meat ones, lamb and scallions, pork and scallions, beef and scallions are fine."
"Not many people, but the tastes are quite diverse." Wei Dong looked at Mu Yiran and Ke Xun standing together, "Ke'er just likes the old-fashioned pork and cabbage, what about Mu Laoda?"
Mu Yiran: "Same."
Ke Xun smiled: "What a coincidence, even the tastes are the same."
"Add more ginger?" Wei Dong asked reluctantly.
Mu Yiran: "Hmm."
"Dip it in vinegar with a couple of drops of mustard oil?" Wei Dong asked, "I don't believe it, such a weird way of eating..."
Mu Yiran: "What a coincidence."
"Oh my god, this is a match made in heaven."
...
So, the group went to Ke Xun's house in Z City, bought all sorts of ingredients, and then went back to make dumplings.
"Keep it simple, there are too many varieties, just divide them into meat and vegetarian." Fang Fei stood aside watching Ke Xun chop chives.
"No, no, everyone must eat something to their liking, this can't be ambiguous." Ke Xun laughed, "Brother Qin even ordered a mackerel filling..."
Luo Yiran couldn't help at all, and was about to pull Zhu Haowen aside to play some games, but saw that the other was kneading dough. Although his movements were a bit clumsy, he managed to knead the dough together, and after a while, it actually looked pretty good.
When Luo Jin noticed Mu Yiran peeling shrimp, he voluntarily joined in making dumplings: "Being with everyone like this feels like being a family, even closer than relatives."
"Relatives? Those are really dispensable people," Fang Fei said, shrugging as she cracked eggs.
"We've all read each other's last words, who else has a relationship like ours?" Wei Dong chopped cabbage with great enthusiasm. "Is President Shao crying?"
"Don't mind me, I'm chopping scallions..." Shao Ling wiped away her tears, turned away, and sneezed twice.
"What kind of conspiracy do you think the next painting will be? It has everything: text, religion, history, even animal protection. This time, it gave us a taste of time. What about next time? What do you think the painting will do next?" Wei Dong started squeezing the water out of the cabbage.
"Now that time is over, shouldn't it be space?" Luo Jin began to speculate boldly.
"By the way, are you taking Xinchun next time? I'm really curious what Xinchun will become in the next painting." Wei Dong asked seriously.
"I can't bear to part with her, Xinchun is fine as she is." Luo Bo grated the radish, almost wiping his hand, "As long as she's outside the painting, that's good. It would be troublesome if she couldn't get out."
Everyone fell silent for a moment. As long as she's outside the painting, that was truly a heartfelt truth.
"I just checked the weather forecast," Ke Xun changed the subject, "There will be heavy snow in City C in those days, everyone must dress warmly and not get cold! We don't know what the situation will be like inside the painting, so try to be prepared."
"Haowen, what are you doing?" Wei Dong suddenly shouted, "Why did you let the dough rise? We're eating dumplings, not steamed buns!"
"I see my mom always puts baking powder in it..." Zhu Haowen said innocently.
"..."