Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Part 2

Zhou Pingan suddenly choked, then started coughing violently, his entire face red, and he kept saying while coughing: "I, cough cough, I think, cough cough, I think."

Liu Guizhi was stunned for a moment, then slapped her son a few times: "Why are you so anxious? Take a deep breath before you talk."

Zhou Pingan took a few deep breaths, suppressed the itch in his throat and said loudly: "Uncle Shen, I am willing. I want to learn painting from you!"

Liu Guizhi looked at Shen Moer helplessly. She had asked Shen Moer for help before, wanting to get her son an apprenticeship in an embroidery factory, and had also agreed to let Shen Moer teach her son painting. Now her son suddenly said that he wanted to learn painting from Shen Shaoyuan. This, it seemed that they did not trust their daughter's ability and wanted to climb up the social ladder and learn from her father.

Shen Moer didn't think it was a big deal. Her father didn't make much achievements in serious matters, but he was very talented in recreational activities such as playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. In addition, he was born into a noble family, and the people he learned from since childhood were either great scholars of the time or famous calligraphers and painters. When he grew up, he also interacted with literati with outstanding achievements in calligraphy and painting. Of course, his own level was not inferior to these people.

It's just because he has the title of a prince and likes to cling to the emperor, some of them are self-righteous and look down on his behavior. Otherwise, judging from his calligraphy and painting skills alone, her father can actually be regarded as a famous artist in Daliang.

Back then in Daliang, many people wanted to become her disciples, but her father never agreed. His father always said that royal relatives like them were most afraid of complicated personal connections.

The fact that the father and daughter have always been favored by the emperor is actually related to their extremely simple network of connections.

As a prince and a princess, they were not very close to their maternal family because their mother died early, and the person they were closest to was the emperor himself. How could the emperor have any suspicion of such people?

Who knows whether those who want to become disciples come here to learn painting or for Shen Shaoyuan's identity?

Shen Shaoyuan never mentioned it, and Shen Moer thought he didn't want to accept a disciple. Unexpectedly, after coming to this world, her father fell in love with Zhou Pingan.

Shen Moer thought about it carefully and felt that Zhou Ping'an was indeed more suitable to learn painting from her father. All she knew were some painting techniques, which had the form but not the spirit. She could teach a child who had no painting foundation to draw embroidery patterns, but if she really wanted to be an expert in this art, she couldn't teach him.

Zhou Ping'an obviously really likes painting, so it would be best for him to learn from Shen Shaoyuan.

Shen Moer patted Liu Guizhi on the shoulder: "It's good to learn from my father. Only by learning from my father can you learn real things."

Otherwise, how can we say that Zhou Ping'an is suitable to learn from him? He can really see her father's level.

Liu Guizhi hesitated to speak. Of course it would be good to learn painting from Shen Shaoyuan. In fact, according to Liu Guizhi's idea, it doesn't matter who the child learns painting from, as long as the child likes it.

However, Shen Moer agreed to give Zhou Ping'an a chance to take the apprenticeship exam. If he follows Shen Shaoyuan and doesn't have a job in the future, won't he still have to go to the countryside?

How could Shen Shaoyuan not see Liu Guizhi's thoughts? "Our factory promised to give me an apprenticeship quota. I can choose the candidate myself. The salary is the same as other apprentices in the factory. I can be a temporary worker for one year. Whether I can be a regular worker later depends on my ability."

Liu Guizhi slapped her thigh and said, "That's great!"

No matter whether he is an apprentice, temporary worker or regular worker, their family does not need Zhou Ping'an's salary. As long as he can have a job, can support himself and does not have to go to the countryside, Liu Guizhi will be satisfied.

Shen Shaoyuan: "Okay, it's better to do it today than to wait for a day. Bring your child tonight to become my disciple."

This was the first time in his life that Shen Shaoyuan wanted to take in a disciple, so naturally he would not do it casually. If it were in Daliang, there would naturally be a very complicated and grand ceremony for him to formally take in a disciple with his status. Now that he has come to this world, of course, everything is kept simple, but the necessary steps still have to be followed.

So that night, Zhou Ping'an brought the four gifts that Liu Guizhi had hastily prepared for him, and Liu Guizhi dragged Zhou Xingwang, who had a confused look on his face, to the Shen family to become their apprentice.

Shen Shaoyuan had already brewed tea, and Shen Moer instructed Zhou Pingan to serve the tea. Shen Shaoyuan drank the tea and handed Zhou Pingan a slender wooden box: "Actually, propaganda paintings are not what I am good at. I am good at more traditional painting methods, using a brush. This is a brush, you keep it well, and you can use this brush to paint when you have learned something in the future."

After a pause, Shen Shaoyuan showed some disdain: "Before you finish learning, just buy one from the supply and marketing cooperative."

Zhou Ping'an heard that the pen should be extraordinary, so he held the wooden box carefully and said "yes" solemnly.

What he was thinking in his heart was that those propaganda posters outside were actually the kind of thing his master was not good at. If his master could draw the propaganda posters so well even though he was not good at it, then how good would he be when drawing the kind of thing he was good at!

Shen Shaoyuan added: "I have a bad temper, and I don't have any other requirements for my apprentices, the only thing is to be obedient."

Zhou Ping'an immediately nodded heavily: "Master, I am very obedient."

Zhou Xingwang, who was standing aside and watching this scene, felt extremely complicated. His son suffered a lot when he was young, and both he and his wife felt guilty towards their child, so they had actually been somewhat indulgent towards him all along.

This child is sensible, but he is definitely not obedient.

If he is unhappy, he will pretend that he didn't hear anything I, his father, say.

From childhood to adulthood, how could this kid have ever been so humble and submissive in front of Zhou Xingwang?

But after thinking about it, Zhou Xingwang quickly felt relieved. At least there was someone who could keep him under control. This was a good thing.

Zhou Xingwang thanked Shen Shaoyuan solemnly: “Brother Shaoyuan, thank you so much. Not only are you willing to teach my naughty son, but you also found him a job.”

Shen Shaoyuan smiled: "He didn't say that he was very obedient? Don't worry, if he doesn't listen, I won't teach him. As for the work, whether he can do it smoothly depends on his own ability. So, how much he can learn and whether he can get this job depends on himself."

Zhou Xingwang didn't expect Shen Shaoyuan to say that. After a moment of shock, he shook his head and laughed, "Okay, if he doesn't listen, don't teach him. It's up to him."

Zhou Ping'an carefully opened the wooden box after returning home. The box was made very delicately, but the wood was actually ordinary. However, the pens inside did look different from the ones tied together with a rubber band in the supply and marketing cooperative.

However, Zhou Ping'an had never seen many brushes, so he couldn't tell what was different about this brush.

Zhou Xingwang and Liu Guizhi were even more confused.

If you ask her to tell whether the meat is good or the fish is fresh, Liu Guizhi can tell you one, two, three, but if you ask her to tell whether the pen is good or not, she will only say, "It's OK as long as it can write, they all look the same."

Zhou Xingwang knew that there were good and bad pens. For example, different brands of fountain pens were different in how they were used. But when it came to writing brushes, he couldn't even write calligraphy well, so he had no idea whether a brush was good or not.

Finally, the couple agreed: "Since your master told you not to use it before you have mastered it, then you should keep it well."

Liu Guizhi directly gave Zhou Ping'an ten yuan and asked him to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some pens, ink, drawing paper and so on.

Liu Guizhi was very happy that her child was able to find a job before graduating. She thought that her son would be able to earn his own salary in the future and would not have to ask her for money. This time, Liu Guizhi gave the money particularly readily and willingly.

Shen Shaoyuan drank a cup of tea, gave away a brush, accepted an apprentice, and then acted as if nothing had happened and continued reading his comic strip.

He has recently become obsessed with reading comic books, such as "Heroic Little Eighth Route Army", "The Chicken Feather Letter", and "Railway Guerrillas", many of which were snatched from Xu Weiguo's youngest son Xu Chang.

This child is just like his father, a generous and righteous person. Ever since he once brought comic books to the kiln factory's publicity office and was favored by Shen Shaoyuan, he has almost "lent" all of his comic books to Shen Shaoyuan.

Fu Mingze has gotten used to it now, probably because he was so poor that he almost starved to death in the past, and now his father-in-law has a kind of open-mindedness and goes with the flow, as if he doesn't care about anything... No, to be precise, it should be that he doesn't care about anything except his precious daughter.

Even if he accepted an apprentice, it seemed to be just like what he said, whether the apprentice could learn well was his own business and he didn't worry about it at all.

In this regard, his wife is actually not much worse. Although she is busy all day long, Fu Mingze always has a feeling that she seems to be training soldiers for herself who can help her fight. Once these soldiers are trained, she can live comfortably.

Fu Mingze was well aware of the principle of seeing through something but not speaking it out loud, but he had never discussed this issue with Shen Moli.

Shen Moer didn't know what Fu Mingze was thinking. Her father always did things according to his own pleasure, and she never cared about him.

On Monday, Shen Moer went to school. Almost everyone in the school was talking about Teacher Fei Lin. On the way to the office, Shen Moer heard several students sighing, "Teacher Fei Lin looks gentle and kind, so how could he be an enemy spy?"

Compared with the students, the teachers in the same office who work with them day and night are naturally more shocked, and their expressions are all in disbelief.

Kong Meijuan grabbed Shen Moer and almost screamed with her soul: "How could this happen, how could Teacher Fei be an enemy spy?!"

Without waiting for Shen Moer to continue, she continued to talk to herself: "Do you know that he was the one who reported the old technician in the textile factory? He was learning erhu from a master in the opera troupe. The master's sister-in-law was the wife of the old technician in the textile factory who died early. It was through this relationship that he knew the relationship between the old technician and the Chao family. Then he accidentally found out that a batch of antique calligraphy and paintings left by the Chao family were in the hands of this family, so he asked Sun Yaozu to raid their house."

"That family is related to the wife of the youngest son of the Chao family. When the Chao family fled overseas, they couldn't take the calligraphy and paintings with them. The Chao family's youngest daughter-in-law was cautious and thought that this family was honest, so she entrusted the things to them."

Shen Moer didn't expect the truth of the matter to be like this. This family was loyal to the person who entrusted them with the task, but they didn't expect that this would bring disaster upon themselves.

However, the commune police station and the commune revolutionary committee did a really poor job of keeping secrets. How come it was that only two days after the person was arrested, all the twists and turns in the case had already been spread outside in such detail?

Kong Meijuan looked at Shen Moer with complicated eyes: "Also, didn't I pick up a piece of your waste manuscript paper that day? Actually, it wasn't you who dropped it, it was Teacher Fei, uh, no, it was Fei Lin who dropped it."

"He picked up all the waste manuscripts you threw away. It is said that he had seen the costumes of the leading actors in the opera troupe and knew how precious the embroidery was. People 'outside' like this kind of inherited things the most. He planned to steal the manuscripts and use them to buy them."

Shen Moer really found it a little unbelievable: "Those waste manuscript papers can also be sold?"

Most of the people “outside” have never seen anything good.

Kong Meijuan: "It should be possible, otherwise he would have nothing to steal. However, it is said that he wanted to steal your finished manuscript at first, but he didn't know that you always carried your bag with you and the manuscript paper with you, so he really couldn't find a chance, so he could only start with the waste manuscript."

"Hey, I really didn't expect Teacher Fei to be such a person!"

Shen Moer twitched her lips and said sincerely: "No matter what, you are worthy of the reputation of being a gossip."

Kong Meijuan: “…”