Chapter 14 — The Path of Remembrance

“This child will be terrible in the future.” Luc's father stood next to him, the expression on his face was extremely complicated. Before, he always thought that my adoptive parents were just "ordinary people working in the countryside". Now he knows that my mother is a picture book artist with works and readers. Although she is not rich or wealthy, in her field, she has a place. Luc's mother stopped by and asked my mother in a low voice. “Sister Tieu Man, that picture book series of yours…” “Five books have been published, sold on several children's book platforms.” “How are sales?” “It's not a lot, about tens of thousands of books each year.” Several tens of thousands of books. Luc's mother's eyes changed slightly. She did not understand the publishing industry, but heard the weight of the number "several tens of thousands". At this moment, the head of the jury stepped forward. It was a gray-haired old man, said to be a retired professor at the academy of fine arts. He walked in front of me. “Are you the student who painted ‘Mountain Road’?” "Yes." “How old are you?” "Eleven." He looked at the painting and then looked at me. “The goose you drew is very beautiful.” "Geese? There are no geese in this picture." "You said the picture was from the previous round. The judges saw the two pictures together, they were both in the internal system. The movement of that goose was captured very accurately, the feeling of strength was also very clear, not like a copied painting." "Because those are my geese. I raise eighteen of them." The old man laughed. "My mother paints well, and I also draw well. But my style is different from hers. My mother's paintings are warm, my paintings are fierce." “Intense?” “Has temperament.” He took a business card from his pocket and gave it to my mother. "Miss Ha, your daughter has a lot of potential. The junior class of my art academy recruits ten students every year. If she is interested, she can come try." “Is the junior class affiliated with the art academy?” "Studying on weekends does not affect normal studies. Teachers are all professors working at the academy, tuition is completely free." When receiving the business card, my mother's hands shook a little. Not stress. It's excitement. Everyone in the hall looked at this scene. Luc Uyen Dinh is also watching. She stood outside with the crowd, wearing a light blue dress, docile and quiet. But her eyes kept moving between me and the business card. On the way home that day, the two cars drove separately. I sat in Luc's father's car. The back seats are very quiet. Luc Uyen Dinh didn't say anything the whole way. Luc's mother asked me if I was happy. “Happy.” “So do you want to go to that junior class?” “I want it.” “Then we will discuss it with your mother.” "Yes." Silent for a moment, Luc Uyen Dinh suddenly spoke up. “Nien Niem's mother is really good.” She said “Nim Niem's mother”. Not "Miss To", nor "Miss Ha". Which is "the mother of Niem Niem". In those five words there is something. She has lived in the Luc family for eleven years. Luc's father and Luc's mother also treated her very well. But the five words "Nim Niem's mother" remind everyone that Niem Niem has a mother, and that mother is more excellent than what people thought. So what about Luc Uyen Dinh's biological mother? Still looking. No one knows where her biological parents are or what they are like. This question is like a small thorn, always stuck at the deepest level of everything. No one mentioned it, but everyone knew it was there. After the art exhibition, the wind in the school completely changed. Not a gradual change, but overnight. Because a parent posted a photo of the exhibition in the parent group. In the photo there is my painting, the jury chief gave me a business card, and there is also a photo my mother took with me while talking to other parents. The accompanying text was: "It turns out that the mother of To Niem Niem, Grade Three, is picture book artist Ha Tieu Man!" The parent group exploded. "Ha Tieu Man? The author of 'The Gray Donkey'? My kids like that series the most!" “No wonder To Niem Niem is so good at drawing, he has a family tradition.” "Even the junior class of the art academy is paying attention. This child's future is beyond measure." Parents read this news, children also read it. On Monday, when I went to school, I clearly felt that the number of people pointing at me and talking in the hallway had increased. But times

This is not ridicule, but curiosity and admiration. “It was she who painted ‘Mountain Road’.” “Her mother draws picture books and is quite famous.” "She also runs super fast. She won two first prizes at the sports festival." A few girls who were previously close to Luc Uyen Dinh began to proactively greet me. Trieu Giai Giai's face became increasingly unsightly. But she didn't dare say anything publicly anymore. Because the wind direction has changed. If she continues to mock me, others will feel that she is bitter with jealousy. Luc Uyen Dinh still smiled and talked to everyone as usual, it's just that the frequency of smiling seemed to decrease a bit. Unnoted. Only I noticed. It actually happened on Wednesday. In the district selection round of the English speech contest, Luc Uyen Dinh won second place in the entire district. Not first class. The first prize was taken away by a boy from another school.