"Yes, it's Sister Zhao."
Zhou Qiqi nodded. She and Shen Huaichuan had already planned that they wouldn't go to the hospital tomorrow, but would instead have Sister Zhao take her and Zhouzhou to the city to find Teacher Wu.
If it doesn't work with Teacher Wu, I'll have to go to the Children's Palace to find Teacher Ji.
I don't know when this will be finished.
It would be better to have Sister Zhao retrieve it for us, and then call Zhang Guoqiang to discuss any issues later.
Upon hearing the name "Sister Zhao," Zhang Guoqiang's expression instantly turned sour.
Remembering the last time he took Zhou Qiqi to catch a donkey cart, he almost sat on dog poop. Luckily, Sister Zhao lent a hand, or rather, she picked him up in a princess carry.
He's a grown man, yet he couldn't even stand properly, and a woman picked him up and casually tossed him onto a donkey cart. It's shameful just thinking about it.
The next day when Sister Zhao came over, even though it was a bit chilly, he still made a point of changing into a short-sleeved shirt, wanting to show off his not-so-obvious shoulder muscle lines.
But Sister Zhao didn't even glance at him. She carefully put the sack of sample clothes into the truck bed, raised her donkey whip, and left, leaving Zhang Guoqiang standing there in the wind, stunned.
The autumn wind blew by, and he shivered from the cold, but there was nothing he could do.
At the entrance of a two-story courtyard in the north of the city, Zhou Qiqi gently adjusted the new scarf around Zhouzhou's neck and whispered some instructions.
"We're almost there. Don't be nervous. Draw however you want. We're just here to give it a try. It's not a big deal whether we get selected or not."
Along the way, the two of them bumped into at least seven or eight children about the same age as Zhouzhou, each carrying art supplies, presumably all there to take the entrance exam for Teacher Wu's class.
Previously, Teacher Fei had said that the competition was fierce, but Zhou Qiqi hadn't taken it seriously. Now, she was truly experiencing it firsthand.
After entering the house, the two were led directly to a small art studio. There were already more than a dozen parents and children inside. Teacher Wu had not yet appeared, and a young assistant was setting up the art supplies in front of them.
The parents chatted in small groups of two or three.
"Hey, did you hear? Teacher Wu just said yesterday that he only has enough space at home and can only take on one more student at most!"
"Really? My Lele is probably in trouble then. I heard a formidable person is coming today!"
Who is it?
Just then, a middle-aged woman wearing a beige wool coat and sporting a perm walked in, leading a chubby little boy.
The little boy was about seven or eight years old. He was carrying a small professional drawing board on his back and a large toolbox with Japanese writing on it.
The mother and daughter walked in with their heads held high and chests puffed out, not even glancing at anyone else.
The inquisitive parent gestured with their chin towards that direction.
"Look, it's him, Yu Yang. I heard he won the Golden Child Star Cup in B City, the capital. He's destined for great things! This spot is probably his!"
As they were talking, another person who looked like a teacher walked in and shouted loudly.
"Teacher Wu's car broke down halfway and he won't be back for a while. I, as the teaching assistant, will temporarily lead today's exam. Children, please find a drawing board and sit down. Parents, please move to the back."
As soon as the words were spoken, the parents rushed forward, all looking for seats near the front.
Zhou Qiqi did not move.
She set up three rows of drawing boards and chose the middle seat in the last row for Zhouzhou, standing behind him herself to make the child feel safe.
Before leaving, she patted Zhouzhou on the shoulder again.
"Like I said, draw however you want, don't think about anything else, just treat it as drawing for fun at home."
Just as she finished speaking, Yu Yang's mother, who was sitting in front of Zhouzhou, patted her son on the shoulder.
"Yangyang, don't panic. You won first prize in the 'Golden Child Star Cup' in the capital. Unlike these country bumpkins who have never seen the world, this spot is definitely yours! Draw well and show them what 'professional skills' really mean!"
Although the voice wasn't loud, Zhou Qiqi was right behind and heard it clearly.
She pursed her lips speechlessly and took two steps back.
Seeing a stool in the corner of the classroom, she thought that since the exam would be over soon anyway, she might as well move a stool and sit down to wait, so as not to have to stand and suffer like the other parents.
But after taking only a few steps, they heard a sharp, shrill scream.
"Hey, what are you doing? You've drawn on my clothes!"
Zhou Qiqi quickly turned around and saw Yu Yang's mother pointing at Zhouzhou and scolding her. Zhouzhou was obviously frightened and stood there blankly without moving.
"Speak up! Are you mute, child? How rude of you!"
As Yu Yang's mother got more and more excited, she raised her hand to push Zhouzhou's shoulder.
Zhou Qiqi rushed over in three steps, pulled Zhouzhou into her arms, grabbed her wrist tightly, and asked with a frown.
"Comrade, can't we talk this out? She's only six years old, what does she know?"
Yu Yang's mother, with her long, wavy hair, glanced sideways at Zhou Qiqi.
"What happened to the child? She stained my clothes with a pencil! These are brand new clothes I just bought at the Capital Department Store!"
Where did you get it dirty?
Zhou Qiqi raised an eyebrow and asked in return.
Yu Yang's mother quickly pulled her sleeve over; when she stepped back, Zhouzhou's pen tip had indeed been pointing towards her sleeve.
Upon closer inspection, the off-white sleeves were spotless, without a single stain.
At this moment, Zhouzhou held up her colored pencil. When she picked it up, only the end of the pencil was sticking out; the unsharpened tip was facing inwards, so there was absolutely no way it could have gotten anyone's clothes dirty.
Faced with the facts, Yu Yang's mother raised her eyelids slightly and said casually, "I made a mistake."
Then we prepared to walk to the back.
Zhou Qiqi quickly reached out her arm to stop her, her tone crisp, "If you've made a mistake, apologize to the child."
All the parents had moved to the back, and since they were in the last row, and the noise they made was quite loud, it quickly attracted the attention of the other parents, and everyone gathered around.
They all watched with expressions of amusement as Zhou Qiqi stopped Yu Yang's mother from apologizing.
Yu Yang's mother felt a little embarrassed and said awkwardly.
"It's such a small matter, is it really worth making a fuss about?"
"You have already answered this question by your own actions."
Zhou Qiqi had a gentle smile on her lips, but her tone was incredibly firm, and she looked over with intense eyes.
"Apologize."
With so many parents watching, Yu Yang's mother couldn't save face, so she could only lower her head and squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth.
"sorry."
Zhou Qiqi had no intention of making things difficult for her. After hearing her apology, she lowered her arm and gently comforted Zhouzhou.
Are you alright?
Zhouzhou was just a child who had been protected at home by her family and had limited experience, but she had a good mentality and was not affected. She smiled at Zhou Qiqi and shook her head gently.
At this moment, the teacher at the front of the studio clapped his hands and said loudly.
"Alright, everyone quiet down. Now let's begin the first exam: still life drawing."
As he spoke, he pointed to the apples on the table.
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