Chapter 11 — The Path of Remembrance

"The main thing is that before, I wasn't familiar with how to give questions here. Now I'm used to it, so I know how to do it." Luc's father was silent for a moment. “You mean you didn't know it before, but you didn't know how to take the test?” “Almost.” The car was silent for a while. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Luc Uyen Dinh bowing his head. She was looking at her phone, but the screen was blank. She just didn't want others to see her expression. The Luc family learned about the city-level children's art exhibition from the school's announcement. The homeroom teacher sent a general message, saying that the school had a student chosen to participate in a citywide exhibition, hoping for parents' support. That evening, Luc's father asked me. “Nien Niem, have you been nominated to participate in the city's art exhibition?” "Yes." "When did it happen? Why didn't you tell your parents?" “First I won first prize in the district competition, then I was nominated.” “You never mentioned the district level competition?” I took a look at him. Last time grandma came to dinner, the whole table talked about Luc Uyen Dinh's English speech contest. No one asked me if I had any activities. At that time, I didn't want to talk. But now that I've been asked, there's nothing to hide. “The competition is not a big deal.” “First prize is not a big deal?” Luc's father was a little excited. “This child, even if he has good news, he doesn't know how to share it.” Luc's mother next to her also said: "That's right, Niem Niem. If you have any activities in the future, you must tell us. We also want to come and watch your exam." "Yes." Luc Uyen Dinh came down from upstairs to pour water. Hearing our conversation, she stopped at the top of the stairs. "Is Niem Niem about to participate in a city-level art exhibition? That's really good." "It's still not sure if you'll be selected. You have to submit your work first and get it approved by the jury." "I will definitely pass. You draw so beautifully." Having finished speaking, she poured water and went upstairs. The sound of footsteps was very light. During the time preparing for the city exhibition, every day after school I went to the art room to paint. Ms. Ton helped me choose the topic, still "Your House", but this time she asked me to change the way I expressed it. "The goose you drew last time was very good, but that was a conceptual expression. The jury of the city exhibition prefers a complete story. Can you draw a picture with a story?" “What story?” “My story.” I thought for two days. Then start drawing. The picture is divided into two halves. On the left is a house on the mountain. Gray Gray stood in front of the yard gate, his mother painted by the window, a flock of white geese walked on the small path. The colors are warm, yellow and orange, like an autumn afternoon. On the right is a school in the city. A little girl stood in the last row of the classroom, outside the window were gray buildings. Cool colors, blues and grays. The intersection of the two halves of the picture is a winding mountain road. When she saw the sketch, Ms. Ton stood for a long time without speaking. “What are you going to name this painting?” “I still haven't figured it out.” “Or is it called ‘Two roofs’?” "No." "Why?" “Because there is only one house.” Ms. Ton looked at me. “So what do you want to call it?” I think. “Just call it ‘Mountain Road’.” Ms. Ton smiled. "Okay." During the two weeks I was painting, Luc Uyen Dinh was not idle. She is also preparing for an English speech competition. She unsurprisingly won first place in the school selection round, followed by the district competition. Because of this, grandma made a special trip. During the meal, she only discussed the content of the speech with Luc Uyen Dinh. "Uyen Dinh, is your pronunciation correct? Should I hire a foreign teacher to correct it for you?" "Don't worry, the teacher said there's no problem with my pronunciation." “Have you chosen a topic yet?” “Okay, the topic is ‘My Dream’.” Grandma nodded with satisfaction. Luc's mother interjected: "Mom, Niem Niem's paintings were also nominated to participate in the city-level exhibition." Grandma said "oh" once. “Drawing, it's a hobby, not like a serious competition.” Luc's father said: "Mom, art exhibitions are also serious competitions, and they are also at the city level." Grandma looked at me. “Has exam performance increased?” “Recently I ranked first

nineteen in the class.” "Nineteenth? How many people are there in the class? “Thirty-six.” Grandma didn't speak anymore. In her eyes, the nineteenth rank was no different from the last rank. Luc Uyen Dinh sat next to him, eating quietly. She doesn't need to say anything. With grandma here, she doesn't need to say anything. I bowed my head to eat. Hands clenched chopsticks. It doesn't matter whose position you carry. The important thing is that I can steadily put food into my mouth. The gym teacher came to me to talk. “To Niem Niem, next month the school will hold a sports festival. I signed up to run eight hundred meters and four hundred meters.” “Do you have to run in both subjects?” “My record of eight hundred meters is at the top of my class, four hundred meters is probably not bad either.” “But I have to prepare for the drawing competition.” “What day is the drawing contest?” “Next Saturday too.” “The sports festival is next Wednesday. No overlap.” I have no reason to refuse.