Almighty painter

Chapter 135 Special Issue
In the morning, reporter Du Wen came to the Lucky Orphanage with a bag of chocolates in his hands.

Since his interview program started.

Du Wen was extremely busy. From the Spring Festival to the present, he visited a total of 31 orphanages in various urban areas in Yangon. He wrote almost [-] words in the outline alone. After handing it over to the editorial department, the response was very good. good.

After the editor-in-chief read it, he greatly appreciated it.

In particular, the photo of a local middle school student dancing with an AIDS girl is both topical and artistic, and it does not have the same ethical and political risks as some scenes recording famine and war.

Definitely one of the press's favorite shots.

If this kind of photo works well, it will be for news awards.

The editor-in-chief looked at the developed photos and laughed so hard that he couldn't close his mouth from ear to ear.

Drug orphans are a big problem in Myanmar.

After the discussion, the editorial department immediately decided to publish a special issue of Du Wen's news reports in the name of "Myanmar Mirror" a few weeks before this year's International Anti-Drug Day.

The premise is that the finished content of his report is of sufficient quality.

This is a special issue!

Even Du Wen didn't expect to have the opportunity to publish a special issue.

Paper media magazines are divided into three types: regular issues, supplements and special issues.

Supplements are more common in magazines and periodicals, and the content quality is relatively low.Special issues are different. Only important international news or various national anniversaries will special special issues be published by newspapers.

This is a special page that is much heavier than the regular front page headlines.

"Myanmar Mirror" is also the most important national newspaper in Myanmar. The newspapers it publishes will quickly reach tens of millions of people across the country. Even major political leaders may not be able to get a special issue.

The reason why the editorial department gave Du Wen this opportunity was that the cover news photo chosen by Du Wen himself was very good.

The main reason is that this year coincides with the 25th anniversary of the special issue published by the editorial department of the "Myanmar Mirror" after the Golden Triangle drug lord Khun Sa surrendered to the government that year.

A retrospective follow-up to the generational trauma of the war on drugs.

The topic of the report, the right timing, and the touching photo of the news, if there are less of the three, Du Wen could not get the opportunity to publish the special issue. It can only be said that it is the result of hard work and luck.

Du Wen is suffering and happy now.

The press release of the special issue must contain a large number of interviews with people related to the event, and the content can add up to more than [-] words. Calculating the latest submission time, his liver began to hurt.

If other journalists and writers in the editorial department whose eyes started to glow green when they heard that there was a special issue, they would also join in and follow the news with him.

Du Wen was unwilling to kill him.

Investigative journalists are very hard-working and high-risk occupations. Those who are shot, squatted, beaten, tied to a sack and sunk in a river...Nowadays, as long as you use your pen more often, there will be a special issue of running materials. If the liver hurts a little, it hurts a little.

Du Wen often visits the Lucky Orphanage these days.

This orphanage is struggling but has a good reputation. Volunteers come and go from underage middle school students to grandmas in their 70s and [-]s. The staff is very diverse.

It is convenient for him to do an exclusive interview on the character's background story.

After Du Wen came to the orphanage, he did casual work for a while as usual, and then started wandering around the yard. When he saw someone he thought was interesting, he went over to have a chat.

The chocolate he prepared is for this purpose.

When I was in school in the journalism department, the teacher taught interview tips, men handed cigarettes, women or children handed chocolates, it was easy to get closer.

The chocolates that Du Wen took were all brought back from abroad by colleagues in the editorial department, and they were not worth much. Fortunately, there was a circle of colorful foreign letters on the outside.In third world countries like Yangon, imported chocolate is sometimes more useful than Marlboro cigarettes.

He went around today and chatted a lot about Seventh Aunt and Eighth Aunt, but there wasn't much news of real value.

Du Wen was getting a little irritable, when he saw in the corner of the yard, the Dulwich middle school student who used to come here, was holding a dirty fat baby who looked like five or six years old in his arms, and was babbling head to head with the other party what to say.

This lens is not bad either.

It is not suitable to bring a professional camera for a secret interview. Du Wen first took out his mobile phone to take a few photos secretly, and then walked around pretending to be casual.

He has always been very interested in this middle school student named Gu Weijing, and has a good impression of him.

Unfortunately, this guy is usually very quiet.

Except when dealing with children, I am not willing to talk, just draw pictures by myself.

Du Wen got most of the news about the other party through the female director of the orphanage.

"Brother, brother, do you eat chocolate?" He pulled out a milk-flavored toblerone and handed it over.

Du Wen could only try to get close.

He is a rich son from a noble school like Dulwich College. He has eaten and seen it before, and he doesn't really expect his little trick of giving chocolates to be of any use.

but,

This time, Gu Weijing did not refuse as usual.

Gu Weijing took a look, and the fat boy sitting on his lap looked at the chocolate eagerly, and took the chocolate.

He tore off the tinfoil wrapper, broke off a piece, and stuffed it into the doll's mouth.

"What's the matter with this child?"

Seeing something interesting, Du Wen leaned over and started chatting.

In order to understand Gu Weijing, he randomly picked up a topic, but this fat baby really didn't look normal.

Children who develop early often begin to learn to speak at about ten months old.

At his age, he can start elementary school, but the fat doll in the other party's hand is still slurring his words indistinctly.

"His name is [Budao]." Gu Weijing sighed while supporting the fat baby.

Many orphans here were abandoned at the gate of the orphanage without even having their own names.

Burmese cultural traditions have names but not surnames, and names are more casual.

The Matriarch used to name them after flowers.

Just like the little Jasmine girl, Budao is the Burmese transliteration of Burma's national flower, red sandalwood.

"Take him to see a doctor. He was diagnosed with autism and a slight language barrier. In theory, he can achieve the same effect as a normal child through companionship and special intervention and correction treatment, but..."

Gu Weijing shrugged.

The special treatment for children with autism is actually very developed in the world, but it is very expensive.

In developed countries in Europe and the United States, a professional three-hour one-on-one autism correction class with a child expert starts at $[-], and three classes are required a week.

It is enough to make the middle class who have not bought relevant insurance feel trembling.

Not to mention Myanmar.

The language barrier is also not like Jasmine's AIDS, which has a special allocation from the United Nations. The cost of this kind of treatment is beyond the affordability of an orphanage.

We can only ask volunteers to accompany us more.

"Budao, thank you uncle who gave you chocolate?"

Gu Weijing raised the fat boy up to face Du Wen.

The little guy seemed very unwilling to talk, and Gu Weijing was not in a hurry, he reminded him patiently several times before the baby muttered something softly from his mouth.

"I want to draw a picture. It looks like you're fine now. Is it convenient to hug him?"

Gu Weijing felt that he knew the little model well enough to start writing, so he asked Du Wen on the side.

Du Wen, who wanted to get closer to Gu Weijing, did not refuse.

Gu Weijing took out the drawing board and pen, and handed back the chocolate that Du Wen gave him just now to the reporter.

"Talk to Budao for a while, and reward him with a piece of chocolate. Um... give him three at most, the dean said he is going to change his teeth." Gu Weijing gently patted the fat baby away and stretched out to grab a pen Dao's small hand began to outline Bu Dao's appearance on the drawing paper.

Also a child, Fat Doll has autism, but she is quite curious.

At least when Gu Weijing was painting, he was far less obedient than the little girl Jasmine, who always liked to grab and grab.

He painted Jasmine, and never needed other volunteers to look at Jasmine.

Du Wen tried to talk to the fat boy for a while, then wanted to give up.Bu Dao was very reluctant to open his mouth, and when he spoke, he was babbling indistinctly, so he couldn't understand at all.

"You have to talk a lot to get candy."

Gu Weijing raised his pen and said something to the fat baby first.

Then he turned his head and glanced at Du Wen, and explained: "He is asking you to eat chocolate. Be patient, in fact, you can understand what Bu Dao is saying."

"His pronunciation is different from normal children." Gu Weijing demonstrated: "Let me teach you, his retroflex sound will be 'azole' sound, plosive sound..."

Du Wen actually admired this Dulwich middle school student in his heart.

Regardless of which of the two statements is more true, the boy is really patient with all the children in the orphanage.

As a reporter, Du Wen is more aware that compared to many formulaic reports and show-like charitable donations, this kind of story full of warm details is the news that can move readers more.

"It's true that good people get good rewards. A special report in the special issue of "Myanmar Mirror" made the mayor of Yangon cry with envy."

I dare not say anything else.

This kind of high school student who can be on the cover of a major national news special issue by doing good deeds in an orphanage, even if your grades are the same as shit, you can get a full scholarship of $[-] to go to top European and American universities like Stanford and Cambridge. Very easy thing.

After graduation, there are even various NGOs (non-profit organizations) rushing to hire you with high salaries. NGO only means that the organization itself is non-profit, and the salaries of senior managers are not low.

As long as you don't make a big mistake, it is no exaggeration to say that a report will last you a lifetime.

"Hmph, it looks calm and cold. Brat, you know what I'm doing, I'm afraid you're going to hug my thigh excitedly and give thanks!" Du Wen smugly smug.

"Brother, I heard from the dean that your family runs a gallery? There is no big gallery business in Yangon, right?"

Du Wenpan talked: "Which 'Golden Village' on Diplomat Avenue or 'Guli Gallery'?"

Investigative journalists walking around the streets are no less familiar with a city than taxi drivers, especially in fields related to the cultural industry.

He casually reported the names of several of the largest galleries in Yangon.

"No." Gu Weijing shook his head.

"no?"

Du Wen was puzzled, as there were not many galleries in Yangon.

He couldn't remember a single great gallery to be credited with.

Could it be that the family business is in another city?
Wait, it's not like there's no real big business.

A well-informed reporter suddenly had a thought in his mind.

Du Wen took a small step back, and the hand holding the fat boy couldn't help but tighten a little.

"You...you are Brother Hao's nephew, right?" His expression was extremely complicated at this time.

"It's not."

Gu Weijing raised his head and glanced at Du Wen, knowing that the other party wanted to make a mistake.There is no ordinary person who is not afraid of Brother Hao, a famous underworld godfather.

"Our gallery is called Gu's Painting and Calligraphy Shop. It's on the banks of the Yangon River. Compared with the two galleries you mentioned, it does more Chinese painting business. If you are interested, you can go and have a look." Gu Weijing said casually Pulled a business for the shop at home.

Du Wen picked up his phone and searched on Google Maps.

He looked at the store introduction and display window above, and he was relieved to find that it was a small private gallery.

If the son of the underworld tycoon is keen on charity, this kind of news report is too black and humorous.

"It doesn't look like the income is very much."

Du Wen looked at the store homepage on Google Maps.

It is a very small storefront, and normally the income of such a small gallery will not be too high.

"I'm willing to send you to Dulwich College, your parents are willing to do so." He insinuated about Gu Weijing's family background.

"It's expensive, but I have a student fund, what's the problem?"

Gu Weijing was surprised that he had met this bespectacled volunteer several times, and he always seemed to be very interested in him.

"No no."

Du Wen waved his hand with a smile.

He couldn't be too satisfied with this answer. Du Wen was going to ask someone to find out if he could get Dulwich's bursary list.

It's better to be poor, or poorer.

If what this little brother said is true, a good student with excellent moral character and a scholarship will resonate with ordinary people much more than a rich man who is kind and charitable.

Gu Weijing finished the line drawing sketch in his hand, and successfully achieved the evaluation of "feeling from the heart".

In the notification tone of the completion progress of the task bar, he put the pen drawing he had drawn into a folder on the side.

Gu Weijing is now not only collecting character materials for the exhibition, but also speeding up the progress of the line drawing task.

"Uncle, why do you always come to the orphanage?"

He took out a piece of sketch paper again. There can't be only children in the orphanage. These volunteers are also model materials that need to be collected.

"Oh...my girlfriend is a DINK teacher, but I like children."

Du Wen repeated his designed resume in his mind, and said casually.

The so-called "DINK" refers to couples who are unwilling to have children.

This reason is common among volunteers in orphanages.

Gu Weijing chatted with this uncle while painting.

He always felt that what the other party was telling was not telling the truth, as if he was memorizing a script, at least he didn't really look for the uncle's character emotions in his writing.

He didn't ask too much.

Although this uncle is a bit eccentric, he always likes to get close to him.But those who are willing to come to the orphanage should not be bad people.

I'm afraid it's just a social media celebrity who just checks in and posts, only donations and help are genuine, and it's understandable.

"The painting is not bad, can you give me this painting?" Du Wen was a little moved when he saw his lifelike appearance in Gu Weijing's pen.

"If you want it, ask the dean to donate fifteen dollars or thirty thousand kyats, and this painting will be yours."

Gu Weijing didn't agree, nor did he directly refuse.

It is very common to meet audience models and ask for works during the fashion collection, and it is easy to cause unhappiness if you directly refuse.

Gu Weijing doesn't care about the money, but if you have ambitions to be a serious artist, it's not a good thing to have a lot of works before you become famous.

In order to maintain the scarcity of artworks, many great painters only put a few works on the market every year.

Gu Weijing is far from the time to think about this, but he doesn't want others to ask for it casually, just give away his paintings.

Therefore, there is only the threshold of fifteen dollars.

The first painting in my grandfather Gu Tongxiang's life was sold for this price.

The vast majority of ordinary people will not think that a middle school student's work is worth the price.This helped Gu Weijing dispel most of the requests.

"$15? The street artist who sketches people in front of the Shwedagon Pagoda only sells a painting for $2. Brother, you are so black."

really,

Du Wen was not happy to hear the price.

Fifteen dollars is not small money locally.

His monthly newspaper salary is less than one thousand U.S. dollars, which is definitely considered a high income in Myanmar. Many workers in factories near the Lucky Orphanage can only earn one-tenth of this.

But an unknown student sketch would cost him more than half a day's salary, and Du Wen still didn't want to be taken advantage of by this.

"Uncle, I didn't intend to sell paintings at first, so you don't have to buy them."

"Cut, if you don't want it, then don't." Du Wen raised his head and became arrogant.

(End of this chapter)