After sending their eldest sister, Chen Chunhua, to school, Chen Xihua and the others resumed their daily lives.

The third sister, Chen Meihua, spent the entire summer practicing dancing at home. Since she hadn't started learning from a young age, she was indeed a little behind. However, she was just working on her physique. The third sister said she wants to study acting, become an actress, and a star in the future.

Chen Xihua didn't stop her; she let her third sister make her own choice, and besides, it was something she couldn't stop.

People have already asked Chen Meihua if she should sign with an entertainment company, saying they want to take her to act in movies.

However, the person's origins were unknown. He couldn't say the name of the entertainment company, what kind of movie they were going to make, or who the director was.

Chen Meihua refused, and she always remembered what Xiao Wu had said: she couldn't act or become a star before high school. Otherwise, her company's profit sharing would be cut off again.

Two days later, Chen Xihua and Chen Xiaoliu came to Old Man Qin's house for the last time during the summer vacation to learn calligraphy. They had to go back to school the next day.

"Xi-ya, are you interested in learning traditional Chinese painting? I'll teach you!" Chen Xi-hua, who was practicing calligraphy, suddenly paused in her hand holding the brush when she heard Old Man Qin's seemingly random words.

She looked up at him in surprise and asked, "Teacher, you can also paint in the traditional Chinese style? How come I've never seen you paint before?"

Chen Xiaoliu also raised his head, put down the pen he was writing with, and looked at Old Man Qin with curiosity! His hand was a little tired, so he could take a break.

"Didn't you design a piece of clothing with ancient Chinese elements a few days ago? I think the painting wasn't good enough. If you knew traditional Chinese painting, the effect would be even better!" Old Qin felt a little awkward under the curious gazes of the Chen siblings, but he quickly recovered and offered an explanation.

"Teacher, don't you only like calligraphy? You only recently learned traditional Chinese painting on your own?" Chen Xihua became more and more curious. She had known Old Man Qin for so long and had never discovered that he knew traditional Chinese painting. There was not a trace of painting in the teacher's home.

"I learned it from my university professor." Old Qin remained silent for about half a cup of tea's time, as if recalling something, before slowly uttering a sentence.

"A university professor? A professor at a university in the provincial capital?" Chen Xihua suddenly remembered that Old Man Qin had graduated from a university in the provincial capital and stayed on as a professor.

But at this moment, Old Man Qin fell silent again.

Calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, Southern Province University, professors and teachers…

"I remember now, teacher, do you know Master Zou and Professor Ye?" Chen Xihua had suspected Old Man Qin when she met Zhou Qingqing in the provincial capital and heard them talk about Master Zou and Professor Ye. However, she was looking for a shop at the time and didn't think about it further.

"Professor Ye? I don't know him." Old Qin scoffed.

He said he didn't know him, but he denied it too quickly. Chen Xihua felt that Old Man Qin had given himself away without being asked.

But she noticed that Old Man Qin's face had just turned dark, and there was obvious disgust and disdain in it.

Then, cautiously, he asked another person, "What about Master Zou?"

"Master Zou... Master Zou, he was my teacher." Old Qin's voice was a little low as he murmured, his words filled with respect, remembrance, and pain.

Sure enough, there was a connection. Chen Xihua felt this was expected.

However, why hasn't Old Man Qin painted traditional Chinese paintings for the past twenty or thirty years? Is there an inside story?

"And then?" she asked gossipily.

"And then what?" Old Qin looked closely and found that Xi Yatou and Chen Xiaoliu had already moved small stools and sat down in front of him, looking like they were listening to a story.

He couldn't care less about being sad anymore, and glared angrily at Chen Xihua and her brother. But then, Old Man Qin suddenly didn't want to say anything more.

"Teacher, please tell me! If you don't, I won't be able to write calligraphy or learn to paint. I'll keep asking you questions; I'm so eager to know!" Chen Xihua rested her chin on her hand, staring intently at him. How could Old Man Qin keep her in suspense?

Chen Xihua and Old Man Qin stared at each other, while Chen Xiaoliu looked at his fifth sister and then at Old Man Qin. After a few minutes, Old Man Qin finally spoke.

"Alright, I might as well tell you. My teacher passed away almost thirty years ago, Master Zou..."

Old Qin probably also wanted to talk to someone. He must have been keeping it all inside for a long time, and it must have been painful for him, but no one had asked or listened to him before.

So this time he didn't hide anything, and told the whole story in detail.

It turns out that when Old Man Qin was admitted to Nan Province University, he was taken in as a disciple by Master Zou and studied calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting.

Master Zou did have many students, but he only formally accepted two apprentices: one was Ye Jichang, who became his disciple first and specialized in traditional Chinese painting, and the other was Old Man Qin, who studied calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting.

Old Qin not only excelled in calligraphy, but also in traditional Chinese painting, even surpassing Senior Brother Ye, who specialized in traditional Chinese painting.

Senior Brother Ye is a bit competitive, and he was worried that Senior Brother Ye would feel uncomfortable or would often compare himself to others, asking who was better at traditional Chinese painting. Old Man Qin never mentioned to outsiders that he also studied traditional Chinese painting, only saying that he studied calligraphy.

Master Zou didn't concern himself with his disciple's affairs.

So no one in the school knew that Old Man Qin could paint traditional Chinese paintings. After Master Zou passed away, outsiders thought that only Old Man Ye had inherited Master Zou's traditional Chinese painting skills.

Two or three decades ago, during that special period, both Master Zou and Old Man Qin were reported for having books that were not allowed to be read at the time, such as historical classics.

Master Zou was sent down to the Northwest, where he died of illness a few months later. Old Man Qin, on the other hand, was sent down to Shanghe Village, where he stayed for two or three decades as the village's principal.

In fact, both Master Zou and Old Man Qin later found out who had reported them, and Master Zou had already written a letter to sever ties with him. However, Master Zou passed away soon after.

Old Qin also did not return to the provincial capital for various reasons.

"Teacher, how can that person still be a professor?" Chen Xihua asked, her heart heavy with confusion.

“Exactly.” Chen Xiaoliu also looked indignant. Although he didn’t quite understand what “special period” meant, he knew that the person’s actions were wrong.

"Why can't you do it? In that environment, it was common for anyone to report anyone else, or for anyone to want to report someone." Old Man Qin wasn't actually angry about this, because in that environment, you couldn't say who was right and who was wrong.

He was angry because that person, as the teacher's first apprentice, made such a choice. If an outsider had reported it, he wouldn't have felt anything. Moreover, the teacher had died because of it.

Chen Xihua then remembered that when she asked if she wanted to go through the apprenticeship ceremony, Old Man Qin said that even if she became an apprentice, he would still do it if she wanted to betray her master and ancestors.

Okay, we've found the reason why Old Man Qin didn't want to go back to the provincial university, but Old Man Qin is from Beijing, so why didn't he go back to Beijing later?

Now that Old Qin can open up and talk about his time at the provincial university, he must be homesick.

"Teacher, did you ever think about going back to Beijing?" Chen Xihua thought to herself and asked directly. She noticed that Old Man Qin seemed a bit awkward and was afraid that he wouldn't bring it up unless asked.

"I'm just a teacher. Wherever I am, I'm a teacher. Why do I have to go back?" Old Qin surprisingly kept quiet about this matter.

He even tapped Chen Xihua's head with his hand; that little rascal, trying to trick him into revealing information.

Chen Xihua and Chen Xiaoliu both stood up, pouted, turned around, walked back to their desks, and began to write, both with expressions of regret that they hadn't had enough.