As soon as Shen Jiaru returned home, he went straight into his studio. He began by documenting the color schemes he saw in Hua Jie’s work today and analyzed the feelings these color combinations evoked.
Then he experimented with mixing colors and making strokes, easily replicating on paper the sophisticated color schemes developed by designers over the years, which Hua Jie had memorized.
As a devoted artist, he got hold of a gem of future wisdom and could not stop experimenting and playing with it.
It wasn’t until Shen Mo finished school and the housekeeper called for dinner that Shen Jiaru finally left the studio.
Sitting at the dining table, he occasionally glanced at his son.
The boy was his son’s deskmate, and Shen Jiaru wondered if their casual chats ever touched upon their fathers…
Seeing his dad staring at him, Shen Mo initially thought it was because he had been called to the school today. After a couple more bites, he couldn’t hold back anymore and said:
“Was what the guidance counselor said today too much?”
“Huh?” Shen Jiaru was momentarily taken aback, remembering that he had visited the school because of his son. He quickly gathered his thoughts and said perfunctorily:
“Just behave at school, and don’t get into trouble.”
“What if someone bullies me?” Shen Mo huffed.
Shen Jiaru, thinking about his son being a new transfer student at City No.1 Middle School and how easy it was to be ostracized, especially with his face blindness, said:
“Don’t bully others. But if someone bullies you… don’t hit them too hard.”
“There won’t be any fatalities,” Shen Mo promised his father.
“That’s good then,” Shen Jiaru said, visibly relieved.
“…,” the housekeeper cleaning up the kitchen.
She looked back worriedly at Shen Mo, concerned about how the child might turn out under such an educational environment.
What does ‘no fatalities’ mean anyway?
What kind of parenting is that!
…
After the father-son interaction, Shen Jiaru returned to his studio.
He strolled from the second-floor studio to the first-floor studio, then down to the basement studio. An hour later, he was back in the large studio on the first floor, having reviewed the paintings of his three students.
Each had their own strengths, each had their own talents.
But… in terms of fundamental skills, none are as solid as Hua Jie.
In the bold use of colors, they also fall short compared to Hua Jie.
However, in artistic accomplishment, Hua Jie also has significant shortcomings. Even if she learns painting from him, she might not necessarily become a top-tier artist.
But if he doesn’t take her as an apprentice…
To leave such a unique child alone, especially at the age of 15, her potential for future development should be very high…
Tossing and turning over this for a while, he then thought of the girl carrying her painting board, traveling all the way to Jinsong Vocational School in search of a good teacher.
She must be very ambitious, and her proactiveness in learning to paint is very high.
Ah, how could he not give such a child a push?
And having encountered her so many times, perhaps it’s fate…
Finally unable to sit still any longer, Shen Jiaru left his studio for the first time before midnight, stomping up to the third floor, and for the first time in three years, he knocked on the door of his son’s study.
The moment Shen Mo heard the knock, he almost thought he was hallucinating.
He paused for several seconds before getting up to open the door, staring at his father in disbelief.
This was so strange!
It was extremely unusual!
Why would his dad leave the studio and come to his door???
Was it going to rain red?
Or was the studio on fire?
…
Shen Mo was about to run back to put on a coat and then rush downstairs to find a fire extinguisher when he suddenly saw his father pull out a sketchbook.
“?”???
Shen Jiaru’s sketchbook was filled with various rough sketches and some life drawings.
While they might not showcase his full skill level, they did reveal some professional nuances.
Shen Mo looked at the sketchbook, then back at his father, still full of question marks.
“Um…” Shen Jiaru was somewhat awkward, sitting at his son’s desk as if he was the one being called in for a talk.
He wasn’t very good at this part—discussing matters with his son.
“…” Shen Mo.
Ever since he discovered he had face blindness over a decade ago, his father had given up on teaching him to paint. Was he now thinking of giving it another try?
Did he want to rekindle his son’s love for painting by looking through the sketchbook together?
“Painting isn’t for me.” Seeing his father struggle, Shen Mo took the initiative to speak up first.
“It’s not that…” Shen Jiaru took a deep breath and got straight to the point, “This sketchbook, try to look at it with Hua Jie and get her to comment on it.”
“Hua Jie?” Shen Mo raised his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting his father to mention her name.
“Yes, I want to hear her thoughts on my drafts, life drawings, and some of the color elements recorded in this sketchbook,” Shen Jiaru explained.
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Shen Mo was still confused.
His dad? And Hua Jie? How do they know each other?
“This sketchbook is like a test I’m setting for her. If her comments align with my thoughts, I might consider taking her as an apprentice.”
“But if it’s not satisfactory, then let’s not disturb her.”
“Knowing that there was a chance to become my apprentice and not succeeding could be a blow to her; it’s unnecessary.”
“So just make up some excuse, look at it and chat with her, and then write down what she says.”
This girl was still Shen Mo’s deskmate, and he didn’t want to affect his son’s relationships with his classmates because of this.
“She wants to become your apprentice, to learn painting from you?” Shen Mo was still trying to figure out how these two knew each other.
“No, no, she doesn’t even know about me. I saw her drawing that portrait for you and then her mural at school today, and I heard she was looking for a suitable teacher, so I got this idea.”
Talking more with his son, Shen Jiaru suddenly found his rhythm in the conversation and settled more comfortably in his chair, his words flowing more smoothly.
Looking at the beginnings of his son’s beard, a strange, tender affection swelled in his chest, and a smile unknowingly appeared on his face.
“So you’re saying, you’re the one who wants to take her as an apprentice on your own accord?” Shen Mo hit the nail on the head.
“Nonsense!” Shen Jiaru’s emerging smile vanished instantly:
“How many people beg to be your dad’s apprentice, and your dad doesn’t even spare them a glance? The apprentices I have now, each one came from far and wide just to learn painting from me.”
“I’m worried I might not take a liking to Hua Jie in the end, getting her hopes up only to let her down, which is why I don’t want to audition her directly.”
“Otherwise, if she knew, she’d definitely come knocking on my door begging me to take her as an apprentice.”
“Then if I firmly refuse, she’ll ask you for help every day. Wouldn’t that be awkward for you?”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Shen Mo said indifferently.
“Take this!” Unable to continue the conversation, Shen Jiaru abruptly stuffed the sketchbook into his son’s hands.
“…” Taking the sketchbook, Shen Mo looked down at it.
His dad, secretly setting a task for Hua Jie… almost like a spy.
“Make sure you relay her comments to me word for word,” Shen Jiaru instructed uneasily.
“Got it!” Shen Mo replied impatiently.
As Shen Jiaru turned to leave, he paused, awkwardly patted his son on the shoulder as a way of thanking him for his help and expressing a father’s care for his son.
As Shen Mo looked up from being patted, Shen Jiaru quickly withdrew his hand as if it were hot, nodded, and then left the study.
“…” Shen Mo stared at the door, deep in thought.
Suddenly, his dad was starting to speak his language.
And this common language… was his deskmate!
…
…
Just before the evening self-study session, Hua Jie had already finished all her homework.
The harder one studies, the more familiar one becomes with the knowledge, and the faster one can solve problems.
Since the start of the school year, Hua Jie had been diligently working through every workbook she bought, not only completing all the school assignments seriously but also thoroughly working through the test papers distributed by the school and the question banks she purchased herself.
Having written so much, she could often discern the line of questioning from the beginning of a problem, knowing how to solve it without needing to read it through.
In the adult world, hard work might not necessarily pay off and can even lead to nothing but trouble.
But school is different. Here, things are purer, and the rules are simpler: study hard, whether you’re smart or not, and your efforts will always yield some form of reward, no matter how small, reflected in your grades.
During the first period of self-study, Hua Jie had already begun memorizing the lesson she had just learned that day.
She found that memory could actually be trained and strengthened; after starting to study hard, she noticed a significant improvement in her memory.
Ten minutes later, having thoroughly understood and repeatedly read the lesson, she could recite it almost completely.
At the 20-minute mark, she handed the textbook to Shen Mo and began reciting from memory.
Shen Mo, holding the textbook, looked serious.
Although she stumbled a bit in the middle, she managed to recite it smoothly a few minutes later.
“Did I make any mistakes?” she asked nervously.
“Correct.” Shen Mo nodded in satisfaction, glancing at her before handing her the book and patting her head as a reward.
“Are you my parent?” Hua Jie jokingly tapped her head, rolling her eyes at him.
“Have you been getting more and more impolite with me lately?” Shen Mo’s big hand landed on her shoulder, giving her a sideways glance with a hint of threat.
“No, big brother, you’re just imagining things.” Hua Jie imitated the tone from “Young and Dangerous,” smiling ingratiatingly.
Shen Mo’s lips twitched at her teasing, withdrawing his hand.
The little potato was dressed warmly, and as his hand touched it, it felt soft like a sweater.
Aren’t you hot?
Reaching into the desk, he handed her a pair of earphones:
“You’ve been doing well lately, understanding all the content in class. Here’s a reward for you.”
“What’s this?” She raised an eyebrow, slowly reaching out to take it.
“Little potato bun.” Shen Mo, annoyed by her dawdling, simply reached out and plugged the earphone into her left ear, close to him.
It wasn’t until the earphone was in place, and his thumb touched her soft earlobe, that Shen Mo realized this gesture might have crossed a line.
His heartbeat quickened suddenly, but he forced himself to remain calm, casually withdrawing his hand as if nothing had happened.
Then he patted the desk, “Listen lying down.”
With that, he plugged the other earphone into his right ear and leaned against his desk with his back to her.
Hua Jie stared at the back of his head before turning to lie down on her own desk. Even though her ears were already wearing earphones, why did she have to stick to the desk? Did it sound clearer the closer she got to the recorder?
With a click, Shen Mo pressed the play button, the tape whirring, and eerie sound effects filled the earphones, followed by a deep voice narrating:
“Li Li and Xiao Bin are classmates…”
“On the way home, there’s a graveyard…
“That night, there was no moon, the sky was pitch black…
“Look at her shoes…”
The classroom was quiet, with only the sound of classmates flipping through books and the faint scratching of pens. Outside the window, the cold wind whispered like a ghost.
Shen Mo and Hua Jie sat motionless, back to back, lying on their desks. In their ears were terrifying and eerie ghost stories, causing them to startle occasionally, both trembling in fear without planning it.
The story continued, occasionally startling Hua Jie, who involuntarily gasped, then worried about disturbing her classmates’ studying, she had to clench her small fists over her mouth.
At first, she kept her eyes closed, but because she became too immersed and scared, she had to open them wide, staring at the classmates studying in the room to alleviate her fear.
Shen Mo’s cassette played Zhang Zhen telling ghost stories, vaguely remembering it being popular during school days, but now forgetting the content entirely. Yet listening to it now still felt thrilling.
She listened intently, unaware that Shen Mo had already straightened up his body at some point.
Leaning against the windowsill, the heater below warmed his back. Despite having earphones in his ears, his gaze fell on the girl who occasionally flinched and shivered while listening to the horror stories.
With her short hair soft against her face, curled up with fists against her cheeks, she looked like a small hamster being watched by a malicious cat, easily startled by any movement, which somehow seemed pitiful.
One couldn’t help but want to rush over from behind, wrap her up in a coat, mess up her hair with both hands while protecting her, teasing her gently…
Shen Mo’s hands twitched, tempted to suddenly grab her shoulders, just to hear her scream.
But he forcibly restrained himself, afraid she might cry from fright, and if she wet herself, it would be even worse…
It wasn’t until a ghost story finished that Shen Mo lifted his head from the desk before her.