Chapter 236

Aunt Qi was captivated by Shen Shen’s adorable appearance and couldn’t bear to let go of the child.

Her own grandson was already in elementary school and lived with his parents. Seeing such a small child now naturally made her very fond.

Shi Tingyu chatted with Aunt Qi for a while longer. Aunt Qi’s husband, Professor Qi, taught at the university, and Aunt Qi usually helped out at the staff daycare. However, given her age, Professor Qi wanted her to rest at home since their family didn’t lack money.

But Aunt Qi didn’t agree. She found staying home alone boring. Unlike the countryside, where neighbors could chat about daily life, everyone here was busy with their jobs. There was no yard or garden to pass the time, but at the daycare, she could meet a few people to talk to, making her days less lonely.

Now seeing Shi Tingyu with a child made Aunt Qi happy, thinking she’d have someone to talk to in the future.

Shi Tingyu mentioned she would also send her child to the daycare when she had classes. Aunt Qi smiled and said, “Don’t worry about your classes. I’m there most days and can help look after your child.”

Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo thanked her repeatedly. Knowing someone at the daycare would keep an extra eye on their child gave Shi Tingyu peace of mind.

Shi Tingyu had considered bringing Lijian, their large dog, to help watch the child. But since Lijian was a big dog and the daycare was full of children, other parents might be worried, even if they knew the dog was harmless. Not wanting to cause any concern, she abandoned the idea.

Seeing it was almost lunchtime, Aunt Qi left. Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo went to the cafeteria to eat.

The school cafeteria food wasn’t as good as the army’s, but it was decent. It couldn’t compare to home-cooked meals, but some dishes were quite tasty.

While they were eating, Professor Qi and Aunt Qi came to the cafeteria and joined them.

Professor Qi was delighted to see Shen Shen, played with the child for a while, then asked Shi Tingyu about her teaching assignment.

“So, Shi, what subject will you be teaching?”

“I’ll be teaching oil painting to first-year students in the Fine Arts Department.”

Professor Qi pondered for a moment and said, “That’s not a heavy load. However, you might need to lead some outdoor sketching trips later, which can take a while.”

Shi Tingyu hadn’t been aware of this. While she had done outdoor sketching during her studies abroad, she wasn’t sure how it would be managed here, given the current situation in the country. She’d have to follow the school’s arrangements.

However, the first-year curriculum wasn’t too demanding, mostly foundational work. She had classes about three days a week, with the other two days off. As long as she didn’t neglect her duties, she didn’t need to be at the school all the time.

Currently, it was a six-day workweek, but she expected it to become easier when it eventually shifted to a five-day workweek.

At the lunch table, most of the conversation was between Shi Tingyu and Professor Qi.

After lunch, Professor Qi offered to show Shi Tingyu her office. “Which office is yours? Let me take you there.”

Shi Tingyu appreciated his kindness. As a new teacher, having a well-connected senior to introduce her around would help her get settled.

Shi Tingyu’s office was on the second floor of the Fine Arts building, in a shared office with four people.

At the moment, only two were inside; the other had gone to rest after lunch.

When they saw Professor Qi, they greeted him warmly.

Shi Tingyu was surprised to see how respected Professor Qi was in the Fine Arts Department.

Professor Qi introduced Shi Tingyu to the two teachers. “This is the new oil painting teacher for the first-year students. She worked with me and Old Tian on this year’s college entrance exam questions and grading.”

Hearing this, the two teachers were visibly surprised and then became much more welcoming.

Teachers like them hadn’t even come close to being involved in setting exam questions. That their new colleague had, indicated a high level of expertise and possibly achievements they weren’t aware of.

The two teachers were Wei Huai, a man around forty years old who taught Artistic Human Anatomy, and Hu Min, a woman around thirty-five who taught Chinese and Foreign Art History. Both taught first-year students.

This meant that they would be teaching the same cohort of students as Shi Tingyu.

Seeing them getting along well, Professor Qi left with a sense of reassurance.

Shi Tingyu organized her desk, placing her cup, pens, notebooks, and other items. Lu Weiguo had initially offered to help, but she declined. First impressions were important when meeting new colleagues. To avoid gossip, it was best for her to handle these tasks herself. Otherwise, once they left, people might start saying the new teacher was pampered or lazy. She wasn’t afraid of such comments, but they would be annoying.

Of course, there was also the possibility that no one would say anything, but it was always better to be prepared for the worst.

Seeing he wasn’t needed, Lu Weiguo felt his presence made things awkward, so he took Shen Shen to look at the artwork displayed in the hallway.

The walls of the corridor had display boards at intervals, featuring outstanding student works. Many colorful oil paintings caught Shen Shen’s eye, as he was very interested in bright colors.

At two-thirty, the last teacher arrived in the office.

Shi Tingyu looked at the newcomer, a man about thirty years old, slender, and slightly taller than Teacher Wei. Among the staff, he seemed relatively young.

The newcomer was momentarily surprised upon seeing Shi Tingyu.

She greeted him with a smile, “Hello, I’m Shi Tingyu, the new oil painting teacher.”

He introduced himself, “I’m Huo Qiang, I teach Drawing to the first-year students.”

Then, he smiled and said, “I’ve heard of you, Teacher Shi. One of the winning works in the Jinling Clay Sculpture competition was guided by you.”

Shi Tingyu smiled, surprised he knew about her.

What Huo Qiang didn’t mention was that he had read about her in the newspaper. She was a young painter who graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, and the first Chinese to hold a solo exhibition in the U.S. before turning twenty.

As an art professional, he kept track of such news.

Wei Huai and Hu Min exchanged a knowing glance. It confirmed their impression that this new teacher, Shi Tingyu, was indeed capable. They were aware of the clay sculpture competition, but hadn’t realized she had guided one of the winning pieces.