Chapter 9 — The Path of Remembrance

Then her smile returned. “Okay, I will tell you for you.” I turned around and left. When I got out of the corner, Lam Tieu Ha was standing there waiting for me. She didn't say anything, just walked beside me. Coming up the stairs, she suddenly said something. “I found out something for you.” “What?” "There are cameras at the end of the hallway in each classroom. But surveillance videos are only saved for seven days." “What do you mean…” “If you go to the staff room now and ask to see the camera, you can still see the video of Trieu Giai Giai entering the classroom after class yesterday.” I stood on the stairs. Going up is the classroom, going down is the teaching room. Lam Tieu Ha looked at me. “Nien Niem, are you going?” Going away means tearing each other's faces apart. If you don't go, you will have to suffer in vain. I spent two weeks drawing that picture. Gray's eyes, mother's profile, father's back chopping firewood, white geese lining up. Every stroke is seriously drawn by me. It was crumpled into a ball and thrown into the trash, lying with a pile of old newspapers. My feet walked downstairs. Arriving in front of the staff room door, I raised my hand to push the door. The door opens into a small slit. A voice rang out inside. It's Ms. Phuong talking to the head of the teaching department. "To Niem Niem's story doesn't need to be taken too seriously. It's normal for children to lose things, maybe she did it herself." “But she said another classmate took it.” "If there is no evidence, you can't say it casually. Furthermore, Trieu Giai Giai is Mr. Trieu's son. I also know that Mr. Trieu once sponsored a corner of the library for the school..." I stood outside the door, my hand still on the handle. Every sentence and every word inside fell into my ears. The head of the teaching department pondered for a moment. "What about the camera? If you open it, won't it be clear?" Ms. Phuong said: "What is the need to do that? It's a small matter between children, growing up is not good for anyone. To Niem Niem just moved in, doesn't have a stable place yet. If relationships with classmates become tense, that's the most disadvantageous thing for her." "Her painting has entered the next round, which proves that it's okay. Why is there a need to bring up the old story?" The department head said "that's right", then moved on to another topic. My hand left the doorknob. I turned around and leaned against the hallway wall. Lam Tieu Ha stood at the beginning of the hallway, looking at my expression she understood everything. She stepped forward, lowering her voice. “Don't they show it?” I shook my head. "It's not that I don't want to see it, it's that Ms. Phuong doesn't want to see it." Lam Tieu Ha pursed her lips. “Trieu Giai Giai's father used to donate things to the school.” “I know.” I went upstairs. After taking two steps, I stopped again. “Lin Tieu Ha.” "YES?" “Thank you.” “Thank you for what?” "Thank you for telling me all this. You're the only person in school who tells everything straight." She froze and pushed her glasses away. "Because I was also bullied and no one helped me. So I don't want you to have to suffer alone." That night, I locked myself in my room. I called my mother, but she didn't answer the phone. Maybe mom is drawing. I hung up the phone, opened the tablet, and started drawing my new entry. This time, I didn't draw Gray Gray anymore. I want to paint a picture for everyone to see. I still haven't figured out what to draw. But I know one thing. I didn't come to this school to make fun of you. I also did not come to be a stepping stone for Luc Uyen Dinh. I am To Niem Niem. I used to ride a donkey, herd geese, and chase a disobedient goat in the mountains. There are very few things I can't keep up with. Never before. It took me five days to paint the new painting. Don't draw Gray Gray, don't draw mountain slopes, and don't draw houses. I drew a goose. A large white goose stood high, its neck straight, its wings slightly spread, its mouth wide open as if calling to the whole world. At its foot is an area of gray high-rise buildings of the city. From a distance, that goose looks like it's standing on all the roofs. No one can reach it, but everyone can hear its sound. When she saw the sketch, Ms. Ton said nothing and stood in front of the painting for five minutes. In the end, she only said two words. "Enough." The next round takes place on Saturday. The exam venue is located at the district cultural house, there are twelve participating schools, each school has three to five seats

t take the exam. I was the only fifth grade student in my school who made it to the next round. The works are framed and hung on display boards. The jury looks at each photo in turn. I stood next to my picture, my uniform buttons neatly buttoned, my shoes brushed clean. Next door is a sixth grade boy, drawing a horse, which is also quite beautiful. He tilted his head to look at my painting. “The goose you drew is really hot-tempered.” “It was inherently hot-tempered.” “Have you ever raised geese?” “Eighteen children.” He looked at me like I was an alien. The jury has five people. When they walked in front of my painting, I heard one of them speak softly. “This use of color is very wild.” Another teacher continued. "Wild, but very true. Look at the movement of these wings, she really used to observe real geese." “Fifth grade?” "That's right." “Which school?” Ms. Ton stood next to her and said the school's name.