Chapter 24 — The Path of Remembrance

As I passed by carrying the tray, I stopped for a moment. Luc Uyen Dinh did not look at me. She looked at the bowl in front of her, the rice in the bowl was almost untouched. I put down the tray and sat across from her. She raised her head. Seeing that it was me, she was stunned. “Why are you sitting here?” “There is space here.” “Aren't you afraid of what others will say?” “Were you scared?” She didn't speak. I started eating. Silent for a moment, she also picked up her chopsticks. We didn't say anything, just sat across from each other and ate the entire meal. After eating, I stood up. “Uyen Dinh.” "YES?" "How others see you is their business. But what you have done, you yourself understand clearly." Her expression changed. “What do you mean?” "Who told others to destroy your paintings? Who told others to dig up plagiarized articles. Who promoted rumors that you cheated. I know it all." Her chopsticks stopped. "I didn't come to bring up the old story. I came to tell you that I know. From beginning to end, I knew." “But I choose not to prosecute.” "It's not because I'm generous. It's because investigating these things takes too much time. I have more important things to do." “But you have to remember one thing.” She looked at me. "My current situation is not because of you. It's because I spend too much time dealing with you and don't take the time to be myself." “If from the beginning you had only seriously played the piano, studied well, and not done those roundabout things, now you would still be a good friend, a good student, and a good class president in everyone's eyes.” “It was you who made me look like I am today.” Having finished speaking, I picked up the tray and left. When I walked out of the cafeteria, Lam Tieu Ha was standing at the door waiting for me. “What did you say to her?” “Say what needs to be said.” “Aren't you afraid she'll cause trouble with you again?” “Now she can't even take care of me and can't cause trouble with me.” Lam Tieu Ha pushed her glasses. “Do you know that the whole cafeteria saw you sitting across from her eating today?” “If you see it, you see it.” “Everyone will feel that you are very generous.” "I don't care about what other people feel like I am. I only care about how I feel about myself." “So what do you feel you are?” I think. “An artist who knows how to ride a donkey.” Lam Tieu Ha burst out laughing. After laughing, she said one sentence. “To Niem Niem, you are the strangest friend I have ever made.” “You too.” That afternoon after class, Trieu Giai Giai stopped me in the hallway. Her expression was completely different from before. No more arrogance, no more innuendo. There's just something I've never seen on her face. Blench. “To Niem Niem.” "YES." “That painting… I destroyed it.” I looked at her. “The pieces of paper with your vocabulary were also taken by me.” “I know.” “Have you known for a long time?” “I'm not stupid.” She bowed her head. “Did Uyen Dinh tell you to do it?” She hesitated for a long time. "He didn't directly say 'go destroy her paintings'. He just said 'recently Niem Niem keeps going to the art room, refusing to study. I'm afraid her paintings won't be chosen, on the contrary, it will hurt her self-esteem'." “Then you imagine the rest.” “I thought I was helping Uyen Dinh.” “So do you feel like you can help her yet?” Trieu Giai Giai raised her head, her eyes red. “To Niem Niem, do you hate me?” I looked at her red eyes. “No regrets.” "Why?" "Because you're just a goose being led by someone else. The goose doesn't know what it's doing, but the person raising the goose knows." “I'm not a goose…” “So what are you?” She couldn't answer. “Trieu Giai Giai, don't do anything like that again in the future, no matter who tells you to do it.” “I know.” "As for your relationship with Uyen Dinh, think clearly for yourself. Whether it's a real friend or a follower, you choose." She stood in the hallway and didn't chase after her. When I walked out of the school gate, the sun was setting. The clouds on the horizon are dyed orange-red. Like the sunset on the old walnut tree in my painting. The interview notice for the junior preparatory class of the high school affiliated with the Provincial Academy of Fine Arts has arrived. The first Saturday of next month. My mother came from the countryside and prepared with me. Mom stayed at Luc's house for three days. During these three days, my mother helped me watch movies

Collect the work, adjust the layout and talk about the colors. Mom didn't teach me techniques. She is helping me find my own voice. "Nim Niem, your paintings don't need to be like anyone else's. You just need to paint the world you see." “What is special about the world you see?” "My world has donkeys, geese, mountain roads, and stars. Other children don't have these things." “Other kids have pianos, trips abroad, designer briefcases.” "Those things can be bought. Your donkey can't buy them." I laughed. “Mom, Gray Gray is not a limited edition.” “For Gray Gray, you are the limited edition.” This sentence makes my nose sting. On the day of the interview, the campus of the Provincial Academy of Fine Arts was very large. Rows of sycamore trees follow each other, their leaves sparkling in the sunlight. The interview is divided into three parts. The first part is a realistic drawing on the spot, drawing a designated still life.