Teacher Shen had heard about Jiang Yu’s grades from Teacher Hu. Back then, Teacher Hu had said that this student’s performance was ‘not bad’, but Teacher Shen had assumed that ‘not bad’ was only in the context of an art student’s standards. Not to mention, Jiang Yu’s grades had recently plummeted and Teacher Hu had sighed, expressing concerns that the child might be ruined and unable to get into college.
But now, what was she seeing? A score of 726, second place in the entire school.
This was what Teacher Hu had called ‘not bad’? This was the student who was supposedly at risk of not making it to college?
Are you kidding me, Teacher Hu?!
Teacher Shen was so shocked by the score that she blurted out, “You placed second in the midterm exams?”
Jiang Yu, however, remained calm and merely nodded slightly.
An old man nearby perked up at the conversation and quickly asked, “Second place? Jiang Yu got second place in the midterms? Let me see!”
Teacher Shen handed over her phone, saying, “I asked a teacher at school to check for me. She ranked first in the entire school for English, but her chemistry score was a bit lower.”
The old man took the phone. On the screen was a message from the teacher who had provided the results:
“Your student is seriously impressive. The other second-year students are feeling immense pressure, an art student is outranking them! I can tell several teachers are secretly scheming; their students might just cry over this!”
Reading this, the old man felt a surge of pride, his face beaming with satisfaction. Of course! After all, this was his student!
“…726 points, huh? That’s great. Who ranked first?” the old man asked.
Jiang Yu replied, “My deskmate.”
The old man was surprised. “Well, that’s quite the coincidence. The top two spots both belong to the two of you. Impressive… Do you have the report card? Print me a copy, I want to put it up on the wall!”
Everyone was stunned by this request.
Pang Yu asked, “Why would you put it on the wall?”
The old man replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “To show it off, of course! I’ll put it right by the front door so everyone can see the moment they walk in, see how outstanding my Jiang Yu is! She ranked second in the entire school!”
Teacher Shen: “…Master, do you think a report card is some kind of door guardian? Why would you stick it on the front door?”
As the old man continued rambling, Jiang Yu’s expression turned somewhat wistful. His words had stirred up memories, memories from two lifetimes ago, yet she still remembered them vividly.
Jiang Yu had always been a well-behaved child, excelling in her studies. Every time she brought home a perfect score and a bright red certificate of achievement, her grandmother would be overjoyed, patting her head fondly, her wrinkled face creasing into a smile, her cloudy eyes squinting into slits.
Perhaps it was because of these memories that Jiang Yu’s enthusiasm waned. Still, she forced herself to stay engaged and continued talking with the old man.
“…Master, let’s eat first. We can discuss the rest after the meal,” Shang Yi suggested with a good-natured smile.
Jiang Yu placed the uneaten cherries in her pocket and stood up, only to meet Lu Mingshen’s gaze. His sharp, deep eyes locked onto her, exuding an intimidating aura. She didn’t know for how long he had been staring at her like that.
Jiang Yu suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Lu Mingshen, however, quietly asked, “Did something happen? You don’t seem very happy.”
Jiang Yu looked at him in surprise and instinctively touched her face.
“You hide it well. Apart from me, no one else noticed,” Lu Mingshen said, reading her thoughts.
Jiang Yu took a deep breath and said, “I’m fine. I just thought of some old memories, that’s all.”
Lu Mingshen replied, “If you ever need help, you can come to me. I think I can help with a lot of things.”
Despite his tall and imposing presence, his voice was incredibly gentle. Jiang Yu couldn’t help but smile, this Mr. Lu was truly a kind person.
While Jiang Yu and the others were eating, at the same time, the Yu family was also having dinner.
The Yu family was wealthy, perhaps too wealthy, because despite the three of them sitting together, the atmosphere felt cold and distant. They were supposed to be a close family, yet there was a strange sense of detachment between them.
Madam Yu took a sip of soup, then looked up and asked Yu Bing, “Bingbing, what does your Teacher Shen think of you?”
Yu Bing’s hand, which was holding her chopsticks, stiffened slightly. She lowered her gaze and replied, “She probably thinks I’m quite good.”
Hearing this, Madam Yu nodded in satisfaction.
“When we sent you to the art studio, we told you, you must win over Teacher Shen’s favour and show off your talent in painting. After all, Teacher Shen’s mentor is none other than Master Cui. If you can become his student or at least get into his good graces, it would be incredibly beneficial for you.”
Mr. Yu added, “Bingbing has an exceptional talent for painting. So many art teachers have said she’s the most gifted student they’ve ever seen. Teacher Shen will definitely like her… But why are you suddenly bringing this up today?”
Madam Yu dabbed her lips with a napkin and raised an eyebrow. “Do you know who I saw at the airport today? Teacher Shen. And do you know who was with her? Guess.”
“Guess?” Mr. Yu shook his head. “How would I know?”
“It was Master Cui!” Madam Yu’s eyes gleamed as she stared at Yu Bing. “Master Cui actually came to S City… Bingbing, this is your chance! You must get him to like you, better yet, become his student!”
Yu Bing said hesitantly, “That’s easier said than done. Even if we know Master Cui is in S City, how am I supposed to meet him?”
Madam Yu responded, “That’s where Teacher Shen comes in. Aren’t you the best student at the studio? Teacher Shen definitely favours you. A top student has the right to ask for certain favours from their teacher!”
Yu Bing hummed in response. “I understand.”
Madam Yu continued, “Speaking of which, I also saw a young girl with Master Cui today. She looked about the same age as you. I wonder what her relationship with him is.”
Hearing this, Yu Bing froze, her fingers tightening around her chopsticks, turning slightly pale.
A young girl…
Could it be Jiang Yu?
After having dinner with Master Cui and the others, Jiang Yu headed home. By then, it was already 9 pm and a fine drizzle had begun to fall outside. The cold made her shiver the moment she stepped out.
Her house wasn’t far from there, just a ten-minute walk. By the time she arrived home, it was only 10 pm.
She turned on the light and walked over to her easel, reaching out to lay a sheet of drawing paper on it.
Picking up her brush, she made the first stroke on the paper.
After so many years, she had actually forgotten much of the past. Even her memories of Grandma Jiang’s face had grown blurry. All she could recall was that the old lady had been incredibly gentle and elegant, always wearing a warm smile.
Gentleness and elegance, these seemed to be the only memories she had left of her. And every time she thought of her, she couldn’t help but smile.
She vaguely remembered that Grandma Jiang’s silver hair was always neatly combed, with a single silver hairpin holding it in place. No matter the time, she was always clean and warm, carrying the familiar scent of soap.
Although her skin bore the marks of time, it remained fair. And when she smiled, her eyes would crinkle into thin slits.
As Jiang Yu’s memories of the old lady became clearer, so did the portrait she was painting.
It was undoubtedly a beautiful old woman, dressed in a blue cloth blouse, her face lined with wrinkles, yet brimming with warmth. She was smiling, her eyes filled with kindness. Her neatly combed silver hair made her look aged but still graceful.
Outside, dawn had broken. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the portrait clearly.
Staring at the painting, Jiang Yu’s expression became dazed, her eyes reflecting nostalgia, sorrow and warmth.
The morning light had fully brightened the sky when a sudden knock on the door jolted her back to reality. She snapped out of her thoughts and realised, to her shock, that it was already 8:30 am, the first class at school was almost over.
Oh no…
That thought flashed through her mind as she hurried to open the door.
The moment she did, the person outside immediately spoke. “Jiang Yu, it’s already this late, why aren’t you at school yet?”
Standing at the door were Teacher Shen and the old man, both wearing the exact same expression, as if they had just caught her red-handed.
The old man frowned slightly when he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. “What were you doing last night? You look terrible, like you didn’t sleep at all.”
Feeling a little embarrassed, Jiang Yu admitted, “I started painting when I got home last night and lost track of time. Before I knew it, I had painted through the night.”
Hearing this, both the old man and Teacher Shen finally noticed that she was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, now stained with paint.
“You can’t stay up all night painting,” the old man scolded. “You may not feel it now, but when you’re older, you’ll regret it.”
Teacher Shen asked, “What were you painting?”
The three of them were still standing at the doorway, so Jiang Yu quickly invited them in. “Just painting casually.”
Her living room was sparsely furnished, making it easy to take in the whole space at a glance. Because of this, the easel with the unfinished painting stood out prominently.
It was a traditional Chinese painting of a portrait. Jiang Yu preferred using Chinese painting techniques, rich in ink and vibrant colours. Compared to watercolour or oil painting, she found it more restrained, more subtle, like a fine piece of jade, radiating a quiet brilliance rather than flaunting its beauty.
This particular quality of traditional Chinese painting further emphasised the elegance and warmth of the elderly woman in the portrait.
The old woman in the painting gazed at the viewer with gentle, compassionate eyes, full of kindness and understanding, as if she would always forgive, no matter what.
Warmth tinged with a faint sadness.
That emotion was fully captured in the painting, affecting anyone who looked at it.
It was clearly sorrowful, yet one couldn’t help but smile.
“This painting…” Teacher Shen hesitated as she looked at Jiang Yu. She had felt the emotions in the painting so deeply that she didn’t know what to say.
Jiang Yu smiled slightly. “This is my grandma… Though, to be honest, she wasn’t my biological grandmother. She found me on the street and took me in.”
As she spoke, her tone carried a hint of melancholy and regret.
But Grandma Jiang had treated her no differently from a real granddaughter.
She used to think, if only she were truly part of the Jiang family, how wonderful that would be.
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