Chapter 226

Hearing the commotion, Team Leader Wang came over.

Seeing that the person in charge had arrived, Lu Weiguo moved to the door.

Team Leader Wang had been with the workers at the front and ran all the way over, arriving slightly out of breath.

After listening to the teachers nearby explain what had happened, Team Leader Wang looked at the two teachers who had been arguing and kindly advised, “There’s no first place in literature. We can all express our own opinions, and any disagreements can be discussed calmly. We’re not young anymore, so let’s not get too worked up and risk our health.”

The two teachers calmed down, realizing that time was tight and their arguing wasn’t helping. They compromised and found a middle ground for the exam topic.

However, the once harmonious atmosphere had grown a bit tense, no longer as relaxed as when they first arrived.

Seeing that the situation had been resolved, Lu Weiguo went to retrieve his son.

He thought it was quite intimidating when these scholars got angry.

From a distance, Shen Shen saw Lu Weiguo’s tall figure and reached out his little hands towards him.

Lately, his favorite thing was being carried around by his dad.

Lu Weiguo’s height made baby Shen Shen feel like he was towering above everyone, which thrilled him.

“Is everything sorted?” Shi Tingyu asked.

“Yes, the two teachers had a disagreement while setting the exam questions, but Team Leader Wang is there now, and it’s all settled.”

Saying this, Lu Weiguo lifted Shen Shen up high, making the baby’s laughter echo far and wide.

He loved playing the “lift up high” game.

It made looking down at his mom from up high so much fun.

Watching her son being lifted by Lu Weiguo, Shi Tingyu couldn’t help but feel the disparity in their heights.

After Lu Weiguo left with the child, Shi Tingyu, Professor Qi, and Professor Tian exchanged awkward but polite smiles.

Professor Qi said, “It’s normal to have disagreements when setting exam questions. If we ever face a decision we can’t agree on, we can vote on it. The majority decision will prevail.”

Shi Tingyu and Professor Tian nodded in agreement.

It was already November 5th, and Shi Tingyu suggested speeding up the process.

“We have a preliminary selection, so students need to send in their work. We should aim to finish setting all the questions by the 15th to allow time for submissions.”

Professor Qi and Professor Tian agreed.

Not all art students had ready works; many would need to create new pieces, which would also need time to be mailed in.

Within a week, they finalized all the questions.

For those advancing to the final selection, the exams would include drawing, sketching, and creative work.

The drawing exam would be a portrait.

The sketching exam required drawing nine poses: three static poses, three looping poses, and three action poses. The action poses needed to capture the model dribbling a basketball.

The creative work exam topic was “Accepting Re-education.”

This topic was very characteristic of the era. Shi Tingyu initially disagreed with it, but the other two teachers outvoted her.

It wasn’t that they insisted on this topic, but higher-ups had certain requirements.

Shi Tingyu had suggested other topics with a “try and see” attitude, but there was nothing she could do when they didn’t get approved given the prevailing circumstances.

After finalizing the questions, they reported them to Team Leader Wang.

Team Leader Wang took the questions to the workers for printing.

Meanwhile, Shi Tingyu and the others started tidying up and cleaning.

They didn’t overlook any scraps of paper.

Every piece of paper, whether rough drafts or otherwise, was collected for submission.

When Team Leader Wang returned, he told the three of them, “Make sure to rest while you can. The initial selection works from the candidates will be mailed to the Nanjing Art Academy first. They will then be delivered here one carload at a time. You’ll be quite busy then.”

The three exchanged glances, seemingly able to foresee the endless stream of packages coming their way.

On November 15th, the initial selection questions for the art exam were released, prompting art students from all over to get busy.

Many students were unsatisfied with their practice pieces and began creating new works.

However, the more anxious they became, the less satisfactory their new works turned out compared to their usual practice pieces.

Han Wei, living in the family quarters, experienced the same problem.

Upon learning that the initial selection required them to submit their own works, he started drawing anew.

But after finishing his piece, Mrs. Han thought it didn’t look as good as his usual works.

That evening, after Captain Han came home, he was asked to evaluate the drawings.

Scratching his head and looking troubled, he said hesitantly, “Well, you all said the portrait of me that Xiao Wei painted earlier was good, but I thought it didn’t resemble me much. Now you’re asking me to judge these, and I really can’t say.”

He had lost confidence in his aesthetic judgment after the previous incident.

Mrs. Han was nearly infuriated, “This is a major event in our son’s life. Just tell me which one you think is better.”

Captain Han felt a bit aggrieved. Swallowing, he hesitantly pointed to one of the sketches, “Th-this one?”

Mrs. Han was exasperated, “Clearly, the one next to it looks better. Why do you always pick differently from me?”

Captain Han: …

“I told you, I can’t tell.”

Mrs. Han decided not to rely on Captain Han anymore, “Fine, I’ll ask the neighbors to take a look tomorrow.”

Han Wei could have made the decision himself, but at this point, he felt like he had lost his aesthetic sense from looking at too many drawings.

The next day, Mrs. Han called the neighbor ladies to their yard to review her son’s drawings.

Mrs. Zhang was among them.

Han Wei’s drawing skills were quite good. If Shi Tingyu were present, she would definitely say his work would pass the initial selection without issue.

However, the college entrance exam was highly significant for the candidates, and everyone was extremely cautious.

The neighbors started discussing animatedly.

A few of the ladies, their eyes flickering, pointed to a less satisfactory drawing and said, “I think this one is good. Didn’t Xiao Wei learn a lot from Teacher Shi? It should be fine.”

Mrs. Zhang glanced at the drawing they pointed out and instantly knew they were not being sincere.

That drawing was an older work of Han Wei’s. The paper had yellowed a bit, and compared to his recent works, there was a noticeable difference. Even a layperson could see the disparity in quality.

Mrs. Han nearly spat blood in anger upon seeing their choice. Were they serious?

Anyone with eyes could tell that drawing wasn’t good.

So, the drawing laid out in the yard, the one they pointed to, had been placed in the corner—it was one they had already discarded.

“You all should go rest. I think you’ve strained your eyes working on clothes all night.”

Everyone was savvy enough to catch the sarcasm in her words and awkwardly took their leave.

The remaining few felt a bit embarrassed.

Mrs. Zhang spoke up, “Sister, let me be honest. The college entrance exam is a big deal. It’s best if you make the decision yourselves. People’s hearts are hidden, and family will always look out for their own.”

Mrs. Han took her words to heart and sighed, “You’re right. It’s better to let Xiao Wei decide for himself. Even if he can’t pick the best one, at least he won’t pick the worst.”

Finally, Mrs. Zhang and the others bid farewell and left.