Chapter 15: Learning from a master

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Learning from a master The next day, Feng Yiping remembered that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival and that he was going to have extra lessons with someone, so it didn't seem right to go empty-handed. But after rummaging through his desk several times, he really didn't have anything to bring. He had to think of something, preferably a little trinket to bring to their little daughter.

So he dragged Xiao Zhijie along, as the kid had some pocket money, and they went to the school tuck shop run by the PE teacher's family. He asked him to pay and help out, and they discussed what to buy.

The small shop was a bungalow covered with asbestos shingles, backed by the school wall. To Feng Yiping, this kind of place was equivalent to the Louis Vuitton and Armani boutiques of later times. At this stage, anything that had to be bought with money was a luxury to him, and it was fine with him if he didn't go in once a year.

In the middle was a glass cabinet, and behind it against the wall was a row of wooden shelves. The things on display were stationery, tobacco and alcohol, other daily necessities, some snacks, and some small toys. To be honest, there were not many types of goods. Apart from anything else, some of the better snacks were packaged biscuits, and the rest were mostly packaged in plastic bags, such as melon seeds, twisted doughnuts, and weird-flavoured beans.

However, the smell that filled the store still makes Feng Yiping think of it after all these years. The first thing you notice is the smell of tobacco. Of course, it's not any good tobacco. Discerning old smokers will find it harsh and pungent, but it's a smell that Feng Yiping is familiar with from his village elders, and he finds it very nostalgic. Then there's the smell of alcohol, the smell of sugar, the milky smell of biscuits, the spicy smell of the weird-tasting beans, and so on. In short, it's very full of life and very enticing, which is why it makes him so nostalgic.

Feng Yiping couldn't help but narrow his eyes and take a few deep breaths. Fortunately, the proprietress behind the counter was bowing her head and writing in her account book, and Xiao Zhijie came in and went straight to the snacks, so he didn't notice him.

Xiao Zhijie took a pack of broad beans for one yuan. Something for a few cents is of course the choice for students like Xiao Zhijie who have pocket money to come to the canteen. As for other things that cost a few yuan, they also have to weigh their options for a long time before they make up their minds to buy them. He tore it open on the spot and poured a handful into Feng Yiping's hands. The spicy-sweet broad beans were the first snack Feng Yiping had eaten apart from meals since being reborn, and it felt extraordinarily different.

When choosing things, Xiao Zhijie immediately fell in love with the water pistol hanging on the wall, but Feng Yiping was not satisfied. Yes, children like water guns, but parents absolutely hate them. They get the kids all wet, make the house wet and mess up the outside of the house when they accidentally spray someone. And when you go to the supermarket to buy milk for the kids, there are water guns attached to the milk. Sometimes there are seven or eight of them at home, which is a headache for Xiao Zhijie and Zhang Yan. Of course, Xiao Zhijie, who is still a child, can't appreciate this yet.

After some arguing, Feng Yiping made the final decision, and Xiao Zhijie paid 2.5 yuan for a box of colour pencils. Of course, parents hate these colour pencils too. After buying them for their son for the first time, they found that he had coloured everything on the walls, chairs, tables, sofas, books and clothes in the house. It took a lot of effort to clean up the mess, and just the cost of cleaning everything would have bought dozens of colour pencils.

However, there were no other options in the store. After all, the coloured pens could at least keep the children busy, allowing them to trace patterns from picture books, which was better than water guns.

Xiao Zhijie was a bit of a fan of authority, and on the way back to the classroom, he said, 'Getting along with Teacher Zhu is the same as getting along with Teacher Wang. Then next semester, why don't you be the monitor?'

Feng Yiping laughed a little, speechless. This is the result of thousands of years of traditional cultural influence. Of course, it's great to have a position of power after you start working! But for now, what's the point of being a class leader in junior high school? You have to spend extra time, and it doesn't get you extra points on tests. Sometimes you're reduced to being the teacher's lackey, and you can offend your classmates.

But this also explains why, in his first year of secondary school, Xiao Zhijie was appointed class leader and made the student council. It seems that he must have had his parents go to the class teacher and do some serious lobbying.

The two of them stayed on the playground, finishing the bag of broad beans before returning to the classroom. At this time, Xiao Zhijie's classmate, Zhang Qiuling, the daughter of the vice-principal, also returned from lunch, and Xiao Zhijie hurriedly returned to his seat.

Feng Yiping looked over to Huang Jingping on the other side of the aisle and wanted to laugh again. It turned out that the person who had always said he liked Huang Jingping now seemed to have a special feeling for Zhang Qiuling. This was teenage love!

Feng Yiping finally thought about it and decided to take the unopened jar of pickles with him and put it in his school bag.

The homeroom teacher and his wife were both working, so they were allocated two adjacent rooms with a door cut into the wall between them. This room, which doubled as a living room and dining room, was packed with a dining table, a TV cabinet, and a small bamboo bookshelf. On an office desk sat a two-speaker tape recorder, textbooks, notebooks, and several exam papers.

There was of course no decoration or anything, but the wall in the living room was covered in white paper with a poem written on it. Feng Yiping looked at it and it was Su Shi's 'Red Cliff', and in the rest of the space, there were a few drawings of bamboo. Honestly, Feng Yiping couldn't tell if it was good or not, at least he couldn't tell what was good about it, he could only say it was okay, the characters weren't ugly, and the drawings weren't ugly either. Of course, these decorations should be a bit out of place in this room, but they are, after all, a reflection of their attitude towards life and their taste.

By the time Feng Yiping arrived, they had already finished eating. The homeroom teacher, Wang, was sitting at the table, braiding her daughter Yanzi's hair, who was over three years old. Zhu was sitting next to her, watching. Feng Yiping said hello, and Wang Yumin responded indifferently, continuing to busy herself with her daughter.

Teacher Zhu looked at the colour pencils he had brought out and joked, 'Oh, how thoughtful, you even brought a present?'

Feng Yiping smiled and said, "It's the first time I've come here, and it's also Mid-Autumn Festival, so this is a little gift for Yanzi. And there's also this jar of pickles, you can season it as you like, my mum is quite good at pickling.'

Wang Yumin put down the comb and, while shoving the two items into Feng Yiping's school bag, said to her husband, "What did you say to Feng Yiping?'

Feng Yiping of course refused, and Wang Yumin said, 'I don't know why you want to learn painting and music. Logically, you are too busy with your regular classes to have time to learn these. Even if you were originally doing well and had a good foundation, you will be under pressure next year. But since you want to learn, I won't stop you. You have to be clear in your own mind and make sure that you learn well in the six regular classes and arrange your time well. Your own home pickles are fine, but where did you get the money to buy coloured pencils? Take them back!'

Teacher Zhu first complained from the side, 'What's wrong with extra-curricular classes? Are they not worth learning? We have been taught since childhood to develop ourselves in an all-round way in terms of morality, intellect, physical fitness, aesthetics and manual skills, haven't we, Yiping?'

What could Feng Yiping say? He could only say, "Ah!'

Seeing Wang Yumin telling Feng Yiping to return the colour pencils, he hugged Swallow and said, "Forget it. You know Wang's wife's temper. She won't let you return something you've paid for.'

Wang Yumin thought about it and agreed. The PE teacher's wife was notorious for never spending a penny. Asking Feng Yiping to return the money was really putting him in a difficult position.

Teacher Zhu then said, 'Since you've brought it, I'll take it. In fact, I'm very pleased that you did this, which shows that your family has good education and you are very sensible. You must remember this truth: no matter how good your grades are, whether you go on to study for a master's or a doctorate in the future, or even study abroad, as a person, academic performance is only part of the picture. Am I right, Wang Yumin?'

Wang Yumin said, 'Yes, you are slowly growing up now and you also need to learn how to behave. However, when you come to your teacher's house, you don't need to pay attention to these things. Remember? In the future, if you get into a good university and find a good job, that's when you can come to see your teacher again with a gift. Your teacher will be very happy to see you!'

All I can say is that Teacher Zhu really knows how to live. Wang Yumin is truly worthy of being the class teacher. Feng Yiping nodded in agreement and then took the opportunity to hand the colouring pens to Swallow, 'Swallow, these are the colouring pens your uncle gave you. Shall we draw together?'

Hearing him say this, Teacher Zhu smiled, and Wang Yumin exclaimed, 'Feng Yiping! What uncle?'

Well, it seems that he can't pretend to be older. Feng Yiping said to Swallow, 'This is what my brother brought for you. Shall we draw pictures?'

But after this little incident, the atmosphere, which had just become a little serious, became lively again.

Yan Zi looked at Wang Yumin with a finger in her mouth – well, this confirmed who was in charge in this household. Wang Yumin nodded, and only then did she reach out to take it, without saying thank you, and scampered over to the desk to find some paper. She knows how to draw on paper, not bad!

Wang Yumin was over there teaching her daughter, 'What did you forget to say to your brother?'

Yan Zi turned her head and said in a baby voice, 'Thank you, brother!'

sitting at the table, Mr Zhu asked Feng Yiping, 'Why do you want to learn painting and music?'

Feng Yiping thought for a moment and said, "When I went to my grandmother's house during the summer holidays, my third grade cousin drew a picture. I thought it was very childish, but the picture I drew was actually quite similar to his. At that time, I felt very ashamed and embarrassed.'

Both Mr Zhu and Mr Wang laughed. Mr Zhu said, "Wang Yumin, don't laugh, what you drew was actually quite similar to what Swallow drew.'

Wang Yumin thought about it and realised that it was true.

'Is that the only reason?' he asked.

'Also, I personally feel that drawing can develop our observation skills and make us pay attention to the beautiful and detailed things. For example, when I write about scenery, I see it and think it's beautiful, really beautiful, but when I'm asked to write about it, I don't know where to start and what I write always sounds awkward. After learning to draw, at least this aspect is still helpful.' Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Well, that's something Wang Yumin likes to hear.

Teacher Zhu couldn't help but take another look at Feng Yiping. He had a shabby haircut, was yellow and skinny, and his face was pale from lack of food. His seersucker shirt was passable, but his blue denim pants and cloth shoes showed that his family couldn't afford sandals. A typical child from a rural family, at this age, he already has some manners and knows how to interact with others and speak.

'And music?'

Feng Yiping thought for a moment and said, 'Among the textbooks I was given, I can at least understand all the others, except the music textbook. I can't even read the staff paper. I'm a competitive person, so I want to learn it too.'

This reason was of course a bit far-fetched, but his students' attitude of not admitting defeat in their studies was still commendable, so they didn't pursue it further.

'So how far do you want to learn?'

Feng Yiping had already thought about this, 'For music, I want to be able to read the staff, sing with the staff, and then roughly write down the score of a new song when I hear it.'

Teacher Zhu rolled up his pant leg again and patted his knee with his hand, 'It's not difficult to read music, but it's not easy to write it down when you hear a song. And what else? So you have higher requirements?'

Feng Yiping said, 'No, it's just like what you did in class. You can quickly sketch the outline of a person and vividly draw his clothes. Besides, if I draw a Santana, no one will see it as a logo.'

'Puff,' the two in-laws laughed again, and Feng Yiping laughed along with them.

Teacher Zhu said, 'Quick and vivid, well, your requirements are not too high.'

Wang Yumin said, "Logo, Santana, I didn't see it, you even know about cars.'

Feng Yiping hurriedly said, "No, it was my uncle who told me when he came back from the provincial capital, and I only know those two car names.'

'I understand your request,' said Mr Zhu. "In that case, if you have time, I'll ask you to come over. I think in a year or so, I should be able to meet your request." He glanced at Wang Yumin. 'If you still can't learn it well after a year or so, there's nothing I can do about it. By the time you reach the third grade, your teacher Wang will not let you spend any more time learning these things no matter what.'

Mr Wang didn't say anything, as if he hadn't heard, but they all understood that this was a tacit agreement.

Feng Yiping quickly said, 'Then it will be hard on Teacher Zhu!'

'Not at all! Remember not to bring anything next time, but bring some dried sweet potatoes, persimmons and chestnuts from home. Teacher will still accept them!'

Wang Yumin quickly added, 'Feng Yiping, your teacher Zhu was just joking. As long as you promise to do well in the regular classes, the teacher welcomes you to learn these things with Zhu. You don't need to bring anything, and your teacher Zhu is looking forward to having someone sincerely learn these things with him. Remember.'

In the end, Feng Yiping thought that he would be taught to draw still life first. Teacher Zhu said to him without any hesitation, 'You think too highly of yourself. You haven't even learned to walk, and you want to run? Draw the lines first!'

'Fine, draw a line first. This is also something that looks easy but is difficult to do. After half an hour had passed, Feng Yiping still hadn't got the hang of it. Wang Yumin walked into the bedroom and took out two oil-paper wrapped mooncakes. 'Okay, it's time for self-study. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Take these two mooncakes with you,' she said, and stuffed them into his school bag.

Feng Yiping did not refuse, stood up and said thank you, teacher, and then greeted Swallow, 'Swallow, brother is going to class!'

This time Swallow did not need to be told, and said, 'Goodbye, brother!'