Understanding and communication
As a province with a high number of college entrance examination candidates in China, evening self-study is a nightmare that all high school students cannot escape.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, although the remaining heat of late summer is still poisoning the earth, the early autumn breeze brings a hint of coolness to the night.
As a god, Yu Zhi had not felt heat or cold for a long time. The cool breeze made her turn around a few times out of curiosity, but she was affected by her now "weak" body and sneezed several times before she stopped.
Yu Zhi pulled her school uniform jacket closer and walked from the teaching building towards the school gate.
The newly built school is very large and is jokingly called a "royal garden" by students, but it does not look empty at this moment.
Hundreds of students formed a long stream, moving towards the door in an orderly manner. Parents stood on tiptoe with their hands behind their backs, stretching their necks to look inside the door, fearing that their children would miss their gaze.
Yu Zhi recognized her mother Tao Xiaochun in the crowd at a glance.
It had been five hundred years since we last met, but when we met again there was no feeling of strangeness at all, as if our souls were entangled with each other, ignoring the span of time and space, so inseparable and touching.
But compared to the woman in my memory who always had a stern face, treated me gently but was also harsh and nagging, she seemed a little older.
I vaguely remember that she had just dyed her hair a few months ago. She looked at herself in the mirror for a long time with her big waves, but the next day she tied her hair into the most convenient bun again - to make it easier for work.
"I shouldn't have wasted this money."
After that, this sentence became her mantra for a month.
But now, there are some silver threads in the dark brown hair.
Compared with other students in the class, Yu Zhi's family is not wealthy, and can even be described as "difficult".
A long time ago, my father failed in his business and the family was burdened with heavy debts. As the saying goes, my mother lost her stable job not long after and had to run for a living.
They moved to the old town and no longer had the energy to enrich their spiritual needs, or even to maintain the most basic family relationships.
Careful budgeting, work, fatigue and quarrels became her whole life after junior high school.
Thinking about it now, she was indeed very ignorant at that time. She put the root of all problems on the word "money", naively thinking that as long as she worked hard to make money and afford the expenses of the studio and university, everything would be fine.
It was not until a long time later that she and Lin Yuan met again in Parnaki and became each other's half-master. She watched him grow from a young boy under her protection, and one day he suddenly told her: he was going to adventure far away.
"I can't live under your protection forever. My parents were like you, but I have to leave one day. I want to see the world. I want to know how far I can go and what I can do without any help from anyone - just by myself."
"I will be back." As he left, he smiled and said to himself, "I am your Knight of the Temple, now and forever. When I become stronger, then..."
Lin Yuan's words were blown away by the wind and did not reach her ears. But at that moment, Yu Zhi's heart miraculously resonated with her parents far away on Earth.
She suddenly understood why her parents repeatedly prevented her from choosing the path of art.
Just like her worry about Lin Yuan's long journey - they were all afraid of the invisible future.
Her parents had never been exposed to painting and did not understand its prospects, but they knew how much effort it would take to succeed in this path.
But even so, in the face of the huge mountain called "talent", day after day of hard work becomes worthless.
Her parents were just like that. They thought that by learning from those who went into business, they would be able to get rich by relying on the dividends of the times, but in the end they lost everything.
They saw their own ordinariness clearly, and hoped that she could see her own ordinariness clearly, and not continue to cherish dreams about the future while stumbling and falling and getting hurt.
Business can take off by relying on the wind, but what about art?
Study like an ordinary student, take the college entrance examination, and then take the postgraduate entrance examination and the civil service examination... Although it is still hard, countless people have proved that this path is correct and stable. And this is also the best future that her parents have imagined and fought for for her with all their blood and tears.
"What are you doing standing here like an idiot?"
A familiar female voice interrupted Yu Zhi's melancholy. She had walked to her mother's side without knowing when. The woman, who had been busy all day, took her schoolbag and put it on her shoulder naturally, regardless of her own fatigue. She touched her hand and frowned slightly: "Look at your cold hands. Don't take advantage of the high temperature during the day and not wear a coat properly. With your body, if you get sick, how many days of classes will you miss?"
The mother was still nagging like she remembered. She didn't care if Yu Zhi was listening or not. She just expressed her emotions unilaterally. At the end, she said, "I made soup for you. Go back and have a bowl to warm you up."
Yu Zhi followed Tao Xiaochun out of the crowd. She nodded obediently when she heard the voice, with deep nostalgia emerging in her eyes.
In Parnaki, the woman would occasionally speak to herself in such a gentle tone. Usually, she had received a reward from the man, or had just won a great victory in the struggle with other women in the harem. At this time, even for her "unpromising" daughter, she would not hesitate to show her kindness.
But more often, it was to show her loving motherly side in front of her father, the king, who was high and mighty, in order to gain the king's appreciation and favor.
In an island country that is feudal and extremely patriarchal, even worse than some clan-based countries, the only two roles of a "princess" are to arrange marriages and to serve the gods.
The former still has a glimmer of hope, while the latter...
Yu Zhi let out a breath of trembling air.
Even though five hundred years had passed, and even though she was later promoted to a "goddess", Yu Zhi still could not remain calm and recall that memory.
Perhaps it was because both of her family-related memories were not so good, and even tragic, that after reuniting with Lin Yuan, she unconsciously placed all her expectations for family on Lin Yuan.
The moonlight tonight was not bright. She sat in the back seat of the electric car, holding her mother's waist with both hands and resting her face on her back. The forty-year-old woman was thin, but she was taller than any god in Parnagi.
The road to home is long and far, but it is not lonely.
The wind at night was strong and cold, yet extremely warm.
It took her five hundred years to finally learn to reconcile with herself.
...
There's always a lingering odor in the corridors of old residential areas, and the dim corridor lights seem to have been taken out of a horror film set, flashing an eerie rhythm under the crackling sound of electricity.
Yu Zhi used to feel deeply disgusted and inferior about all of this. She didn't dare let her classmates know that she lived here. Moreover, because of the lingering odor, she became the object of exclusion and ridicule in her first year of high school.
Returning home after a hundred years, everything she had originally disliked was now full of charm, making her relax involuntarily.
Tao Xiaochun took out the key from his pocket, skillfully turned the anti-theft lock, carefully pushed open the door, and walked in with Yu Zhi.
"Your dad is already asleep." She lowered her voice and said, "Be quiet when you drink your soup. Your dad has to go on a long trip at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Don't disturb him."
Yu Zhi nodded, and sat down with Tao Xiaochun in the restaurant. She watched the woman turn and walk to the stove, and scoop out a bowl of hot soup from the rice cooker that had been warmed all night.
Yu Zhi smelled the familiar salty scent in the air - it was winter melon and salty pork soup.
Winter melon in summer and autumn and radishes in winter and spring are the most common ingredients on the Yu family’s table.
The soup that she had long been tired of drinking in the past became the taste she missed most in Panaki.
Tao Xiaochun sat opposite Yu Zhi, watching his daughter drink soup with a smile on his face. He observed Yu Zhi's every move with his eyes, gradually showing some undisguised appreciation.
Who says my daughter is not outstanding?
Tao Xiaochun thought proudly in his heart: Look at her temperament and manners, she is even more beautiful than the ladies from wealthy families in TV dramas.
Yu Zhi didn't know what her mother was feeling at the moment. Compared to the posture she had maintained as a goddess for the past five hundred years, she now drank the soup voraciously. It was just that the habit she had been forced to develop over the years made her gestures unconsciously more graceful. At the same time, she was thinking about something crucial, which prevented her from noticing the change in her mother's expression.
It was not until the bowl of soup was finished and her body finally warmed up that Yu Zhi had the answer in her mind.
"Mom." She put down the bowl in her hand and whispered softly, "There is something I want to tell you."
"What?" Tao Xiaochun was in a good mood and spoke in a pleasant tone.
"I went to see Teacher Wang today."
Tao Xiaochun naturally knew who "Teacher Wang" was referring to. Since his daughter was struggling to paint, Teacher Wang even called home directly, hoping that they would consider Yu Zhi's future carefully.
The smile in Tao Xiaochun's eyes faded a little, and before she could put on her usual teaching tone, she heard Yu Zhi say: "I told her that I won't change classes."
The unexpected answer made Tao Xiaochun suddenly stunned. Although it was a long-awaited answer, she knew Yu Zhi's temper and had already prepared for a long-term tug-of-war with Yu Zhi.
They had a huge fight over this matter a few days ago, so how come they changed their minds so suddenly now?
Before Tao Xiaochun could be happy, Yu Zhi said, "But mom, I don't want to give up painting just like that."
"When you get into college, you can paint however you want. Mom won't stop you." Tao Xiaochun subconsciously brought out the answer she had used to deal with every argument in the past: "You are a student now. Since you have given up the art exam, you should get into college first."
"I know." Yu Zhi nodded: "But I want to try again, one last time."
Tao Xiaochun frowned: "Aren't you not going to the art class?"
"Teacher Wang said that her studio will have a spot for a provincial competition in a few days, and I want to give it a try."
Yu Zhi knew what her mother's attitude would be, so she used Wang Shuyue as an excuse to temporarily divert the conflict. As for the competition, it was not something she made up. Wang Shuyue had mentioned this to her before she traveled through time, and Yu Zhi had always kept it in mind.
As expected, Tao Xiaochun immediately said, "You have to focus on studying now, how can you have so much time to paint?"
"Mom, I know you are doing this for my own good, so I gave up on transferring to the art class. But I don't want to give up my dream just like that. Even if it makes me see clearly how big the gap is between my talent and others', it will completely make me give up the idea of painting. I want to participate in this competition, for the last time." Yu Zhi looked into Tao Xiaochun's eyes, seriously and sincerely.
Before saying these words, Yu Zhi had already guessed how her mother would react.
From a rational point of view, the best way to deal with this matter should be for her to submit the painting without telling her parents first, and then after the results are out and she has received the corresponding money, she can reveal everything and tell her parents: You see, I am very talented in painting.
But after thinking it over again and again, Yu Zhi decided to tell her thoughts completely.
She didn't want to use this kind of boastful and even somewhat "retaliatory" approach. She knew her parents would praise her over and over again for her achievements and be happy for her sincerely, but would sigh and lament in the dead of night: We almost ruined our daughter's life.
Yu Zhi hopes that her parents can participate in her life choices, even if she is the one secretly fueling all this, at least she wants her parents to believe that their daughter's future success is inseparable from their careful consideration at every stage of her life.
"Just consider it as letting me completely give up the desire to paint," this sentence hit Tao Xiaochun's pain point.
Painting in college was just an excuse she used to appease Yu Zhi. Her plans for future postgraduate entrance exams and civil service exams had already been arranged. How could she waste time on painting that had nothing to do with the college entrance exam?
If Yu Zhi could completely give up the idea of painting, then spending some time participating in the competition wouldn't seem like a big deal.
It would also help her see her own talent and the evils of society. Behind this level of competition are all social connections, how could someone like you with no background win the award?
Tao Xiaochun thought about this and thought about it seriously for a long time. Finally, he nodded and said vaguely: "Wait until your father comes back from his long journey, and I will discuss it with him first."
Seeing that Tao Xiaochun finally gave in, Yu Zhi curved her eyebrows and smiled sincerely.
"good."
...
Yu Zhi originally intended to keep it simple and show off her skills, painting as fast as possible to qualify for the competition. But when she returned to her room and put the pen tip on the drawing paper, the endless inspiration made the pen in her hand have thoughts and was no longer under her control.
Yu Zhi simply emptied her mind and left everything to her subconscious and the paintbrush.
In the silent room, the only sound is the delicate rustling sound of the brush hitting the paper.
The sky suddenly brightened, and the gentle sunlight sneaked into the house through the gaps in the curtains, turning into a naughty elf jumping on the desk.
Spots of light illuminated the sleeping face of the girl, then swirled and landed on the covered canvas, and the brilliant colors instantly brightened the dim room.
On the canvas, a girl in a goose yellow dress is leaning in her mother's arms, sleeping soundly.
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