Under Shen Jiaru’s ‘comforting’ words and Wang Jian’s persuasion, Ju Lei stepped down graciously with the face-saving exit provided by the others, his expression softening a bit.
Hua Jie did not make things difficult for the organizers either, smiling as she thanked Ju Lei for his advice, “Thank you, Teacher Ju, for your guidance.”
Thanks could be given freely, but apologies were absolutely out of the question—she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Fang Shaojun had the uncompromising temperament of a spoiled heiress; she pursed her lips and didn’t say another word to Ju Lei. Not waiting for everyone to settle the matter, and finding no room to unleash her sharp tongue, she turned back to her seat and continued drawing with Lu Yunfei.
With that, the matter seemed to be settled. Ju Lei and the other elders dispersed, some continuing their conversations, others returning to enjoy the scenery.
Shen Jiaru stayed behind to provide detailed explanations on the students’ paintings. He examined each one carefully and discussed them one by one.
Occasionally, he would add a few strokes to demonstrate alternative compositions and techniques, broadening the students’ horizons.
Sun Qian, noticing that Shen had begun giving one-on-one instruction as soon as everyone dispersed, quietly moved closer, straining his ears to learn from the sidelines.
Listening to Shen Jiaru’s remarkably egalitarian tone and dialogue style, he felt a pang of envy.
Teacher Ju never consulted them like this, nor asked why each brushstroke was made or each composition designed as it was.
Teacher Ju would authoritatively tell them what was wrong, instructing them on how to do it properly. He might occasionally explain his reasons, but more often than not, he did not bother to explain the rationale behind what was right and what was wrong.
In the past, Sun Qian thought they were just too dim, that the teacher wanted them to figure it out on their own. Now, however, he began to internally criticize the teacher’s lack of patience and even started to doubt whether Teacher Ju truly understood many things himself; perhaps he was just relying on extensive experience and intuition to judge right from wrong, without a solid logical chain to support his decisions, thus really unable to articulate the reasoning?
The breach of trust was like an ant hole in an indestructible dam—
With just a bit of doubt, it could swiftly collapse all trust.
Sun Qian’s admiration for Teacher Ju suddenly began to crumble.
He was listening intently to Shen Jiaru’s words and devoutly noting them down, thinking about reviewing and pondering over them thoroughly once he got back, to fully understand.
From a distance, without meaning to look back, he saw his senior apprentice tilting his head, eavesdropping on Shen Jiaru’s lecture while furiously jotting down notes.
Circling back to see for himself, he confirmed that Sun Qian indeed was recording exactly what Shen Jiaru was saying.
Anger and shame instantly enveloped Ju Lei. In a fit of rage, he fiercely slapped Sun Qian on the shoulder and shouted:
“Go paint over there!”
His own student, so humbly listening in on another teacher’s lesson—this ‘other teacher’ being Shen Jiaru, the thorn in his side. Wasn’t this a slap in his face?
Startled by the slap, Sun Qian saw it was Ju Lei and quickly covered his notes with his hand, but it was clearly too late.
Seeing that he couldn’t hide his actions, he reluctantly carried his drawing board to the spot Ju Lei had pointed out and started to draw anew.
Never mind, eavesdropping for a bit wasn’t going to bring about any significant improvement.
He wondered if he could become pen pals with Hua Jie, perhaps asking her about painting from time to time, and send her gifts occasionally as thanks.
Thinking thus, Sun Qian resolved to ask Hua Jie for her address during dinner today.
His family owned a jewelry store, after all, abundant with various gold and silver items. If he sent her something from the trinkets his parents gave him every year, he could manage a gift a month for a year.
He hoped that gifts might persuade Hua Jie to correspond more about painting, helping him improve.
But then again… he was also her competitor, wasn’t he?
Would she really be willing to help him?
…
In the following days, Shen Mo read through four books, revisiting his favorite “Han Feizi” once more.
Invited by Yao Nan, he played several rounds of Dota at an internet cafe, driving Yao Nan to tears.
Every other day, he’d play a few games of basketball at the youth center, then swing by the Dahua furniture store to chat with Father Hua and help out with some work.
Each time he returned home, he felt a bit miserable.
When Shen Jiaru was around, he resented him for being an incompetent father, feeling as if having this father was no different from not having one at all.
But now that his real father was gone, he realized that even if there wasn’t any practical difference, the psychological impact was profound.
Originally, when his father was around, he still felt very stable inside.
Now, this house truly feels empty, chillingly desolate.
The aunt comes every day to tidy up the house and cook three meals, but she’s not around the rest of the time.
He eats alone, takes walks alone inside and outside the house to digest his food, reads alone in the study.
He could shout or make a racket, and no one would complain about the noise.
It’s like being on a deserted island; he even worries that one day his house will turn into a blizzard-stricken lodge, and he’ll step outside to find the whole neighborhood devoid of people.
On the afternoon of the 12th, he sat alone in the study, staring blankly at the clock in front of him for five minutes.
Then suddenly, he picked up the phone and dialed the number for Dahua Furniture.
He knew Mother Hua was at the shop today.
“Hello?” It was indeed Mother Hua who answered.
He’s not great with faces, but he is very sensitive to people’s voices.
“Auntie, it’s Shen Mo,” he said, his voice a bit tense since he hadn’t spoken all day.
“Oh, are you coming over today? Let’s have dinner together tonight?” Mother Hua’s voice immediately warmed up.
Shen Mo pursed his lips, then said softly:
“Auntie, I feel like having carp soup.”
It was a very calm voice, but paired with such a request, it oddly carried a hint of whining.
After speaking, Shen Mo couldn’t help but blush.
He looked up at the ceiling, feeling a bit lost. What was he doing?
Asking for meat from Hua Jie’s mom?
He’s not even a relative, with no blood relation…
“Haha,” Mother Hua’s laughter came through the phone, “Alright, come straight to the shop later, I’ll go back and start cooking. You can ride your uncle’s motorbike to the house.”
“Don’t go back tonight, Hua Jie’s room is vacant, I’ll change the bedding for you, and you can sleep at our house.”
“It’s the holiday anyway, you can play with the dog, play with the birds at our place, and avoid traveling late at night.”
“…Okay, then Auntie, I’ll set off now,” Shen Mo tried to make his voice sound normal.
“Okay, I’ve noted it down, come over,” Mother Hua said, and then hung up the phone.
“…” Shen Mo put the handset back on the phone.
It felt like being pampered…
He paused for a moment, then suddenly started to smile.
Stretching his arms in a lazy yawn, he turned and walked back to his room to change his clothes.
After a couple of steps, he even raised his arms as if to make a basketball shot, jumped up, and mimed shooting the ball.
Then he pretended he scored a three-pointer and pumped his arms in celebration.
His steps grew lighter and lighter.
…
…
After several days of traveling around for inspiration, the group’s numbers dwindled.
Visiting guests and jury members from other places gradually left, and Teacher Bai Qingquan took a flight back on the 12th. Qiu Yuan and others returned to their posts, starting the final burst of work after the New Year.
Those who remained were mostly teachers with their own students and the competition organizers, aside from the top ten children in the contest.
Hua Jie, busy running around all day, was tired from painting and traveling, but the beautiful scenery and a deeper understanding of Beijing’s various cultural environments enriched her experience—
The teachers provided commentary and analysis along the way, pointing out the details and beauties of various architectures, explaining why the landscapes they saw and painted were beautiful, including clever design and reasoning behind them, as well as the historical and cultural beauty of each site.
Hua Jie felt her knowledge expanding significantly, thinking that if she stopped painting and went for a tour guide certification, she probably wouldn’t starve.
These days, as she traveled, she collected various small things—
Liu Bi Ju pickles to bring home and eat with porridge along with her parents.
Small figurines from museums; she planned to buy a few, some for Bian Hong, and some for Liao Shanshan.
There was also one specifically picked for Shen Mo, a stubborn, stern-faced little penguin that suited him perfectly.
She even plucked a yellow leaf that hadn’t fallen off in the cold winter from the Forbidden City, pressed it between sheets of drawing paper to preserve it. She planned to give it to Shen Mo, telling him that this was the most perfect leaf she had picked for him among thousands in the Forbidden City.
She gathered many such little things.
Peace charms from Yonghe Temple, copper coins from Panjiayuan, a comprehensive collection of various question banks from Beijing Xinhua Bookstore, old Beijing cloth shoes from a street sale, a one-year subscription to “Beijing Cartoon” comic magazine, a beautiful collection of nude photography, bestsellers not yet available in Jinsong Market, small cloisonné snuff bottles, Beijing opera facial masks…
With so many items to bring back, Shen Mo will surely be thrilled to own each one.
She’s been so good to him; surely he’d feel embarrassed to mention “Sakura Communication” in front of her anymore, perhaps even feel that he’s somewhat repaid for the lessons he’s taught her, hehe!
Although he has also given her many gifts, and all of them quite valuable.
But now, in terms of quantity, he probably can’t beat her, hahaha.
On the 14th, Wang Jian led everyone to celebrate the Laba Festival with Laba rice and Laba garlic.
That evening, Mother Hua almost cried on the phone. It was the first time Hua Jie had spent Laba Festival away from home, and the first time Mother Hua had been separated from her daughter for so long during such a festival, making her miss her daughter even more.
Fortunately, Hua Jie’s trip with her teacher was coming to an end, and she would soon be reunited with her daughter.
By the 15th, the journey was finally nearing its end.
Wang Jian led the top ten winners on a sketching tour, with all expenses covered. Thus, the prize money was a minor matter; the experiences gained during these days were far more precious.
Everyone thanked the Qingmei Biennale competition organizers and bid a temporary farewell to Wang Jian, agreeing to meet again at the new year’s exhibition before going their separate ways.
At year’s end, even in cities not as cold as Jinsong City or with as long winter vacations, it was time for final exams, and Beijing was no exception.
All sectors were at the stage of KPI reporting and year-end summaries, and diligent housewives had even begun planning how to celebrate the new year.
Shen Jiaru had already asked Zhao Xiaolei to book the return tickets for six people, including plane and train tickets, for the 15th. He gave the children a holiday, allowing them to roam freely if they wished.
Qian Chong arranged to meet childhood friends for a meal, ice skating, and singing. Fang Shaojun also arranged to meet her old teachers and classmates for a meal, and Lu Yunfei quietly took his drawing board and went out to sketch again.
Shen Jiaru was a bit worried about Hua Jie, visiting Beijing for the ‘first time’. He asked if Zhao Xiaolei should accompany her, but Hua Jie insisted she was absolutely fine on her own and then set off with her backpack.
She withdrew a substantial amount of money from the bank, pocketing it, and carried a fully charged phone given by Shen Mo, ensuring she could contact him anytime if needed.
She started her morning by exploring all the furniture stores around Wangfujing to understand the market, then sketched some furniture designs, and the morning passed quickly.
She found a place for Japanese cuisine at noon, then began a thorough shopping spree in the afternoon.