"No, our Lian En is just a little kid. You want him to go wandering around with you? Are you joking, Feng Ju! Besides, if I recall correctly, isn’t Chinese painting more about copying?" As soon as Feng Ju brought up the old topic again about taking Lian En out for a couple years to learn painting, Lianshan’s eyebrows tightened up, and he had a bunch of objections ready. It’s not that he thinks learning to paint doesn’t lead to big achievements or is unimportant. After all, with the position and status they, the couple, have at Number One Scholar Village and Good Taste, plus a dowry from his wife that’s large enough to scare people, even if all their kids ended up doing nothing but squandering resources, they’d still be able to live comfortably their whole lives. Their strong financial position meant that Lianshan, who’s naturally very child-focused, had no thoughts of turning his children into career-driven individuals. On the contrary, compared to so-called future prospects, he places more importance on each child’s personal interests and hobbies. If Lian En wants to do art, become a painter or something, he has absolutely no problem with it. He’s just simply worried about a twelve-year-old kid, plus Feng Ju who could probably burn a pot even when boiling noodles—a complete domestic fool... This combination just does not inspire confidence, does it? Plus, going away for two years, his studies are an issue, and the whole family missing him is an even bigger issue! Upon hearing this, Feng Ju got upset. It wasn’t easy to persuade the little disciple, and now you’re trying to throw a wrench in it? Right away, he pulled Lianshan for a long talk, from the origins of Chinese painting all the way to the current state of the art world. Lianshan listened until his head was spinning, his eyes turning into spirals, and had to helplessly admit he was an outsider before Feng Ju would stop talking. Lianshan, still clueless after being fed all this information, was puzzled: After talking for so long since early morning, how does this have any necessary relation to you, a domestic fool, wanting to take my twelve-year-old son to study and travel or whatever? Feng Ju gave him a big eye roll. "I’ve said it before, this child Lian En has talent, and at a young age has his own unique style—he’s a good seedling for painting. As long as he perseveres and keeps practicing, in time he will certainly surpass his predecessors and become a famous master." "But this child prioritizes family and relationships first, and getting into a good university to make you two proud comes second. Painting and such are ranked third along with martial arts— slightly more serious than a hobby. This is simply wasting his talent!" At this point, Feng Ju’s voice carried a bit of anger, as if a treasure was being squandered. No choice, the little disciple is stubborn, and once he sets his mind on something, he doesn’t easily change. The parents, a pair of doting ones, never play a constructive, active role on the child’s creative path. Having encountered such a promising seedling in half a lifetime, Feng Ju could only resort to a slow, intricate approach to shaping him. Unfortunately, now there was an unexpected turn where Lian En showed signs of agreeing to go out with him to explore and sketch, investing more time in painting. How could this not make Feng Ju overjoyed, eagerly taking on the task of persuading Lian En and Shuzhen? Seeing that talking about innate talent and future prospects wasn’t very effective, he quickly shifted to discussing Lian En’s psychological stress. At this, Lianshan was a bit stumped. After all, he’s not a carefree father who, seeing the child’s usually obedient and sensible behavior, assumes everything is peaceful and quiet. In fact, when he often goes to the west wing at night to cover the children with blankets and close the windows, he has seen Lian En’s face with tear stains in his sleep more than once. Some things can’t be easily persuaded away. All he can do is try his best to treat all the children fairly while being more attentive and considerate to Lian En. Neither making him feel pitied nor giving him a chance to think along the lines of "I must not be their real child, so dad doesn’t love me as much as before." Honestly, striking this balance is really quite tricky. So when Feng Ju suggested taking Lian En to change the environment and refresh his mood, Lianshan was truly intrigued. Of course, he wasn’t planning to let his son go with Feng Ju but was considering that after all these years in the Liu family village, maybe they should move the whole family to a different area? Sadly, just as this idea was brewing in his mind, his wife had already listened carefully to Feng Ju’s plan and nodded briskly. "Alright, as long as Lian En doesn’t object, I’ll leave our youngest in your care these next two years, sir!" Shuzhen said with a smile. "After all, the child is just twelve. Taking two years off won’t delay high school or university. Otherwise, with him entering university at sixteen, I worry that his young age and lack of experience might not be able to cope with the complex university life and an even more complex society." "That’s right, broaden his horizons and hone his skills now. In two years, when he comes back, we’ll definitely have a rising star in the art world. By then, with both academic and career success, wouldn’t you two as parents be the envy of everyone?" Feng Ju was indeed doing his utmost to make his little disciple focus on painting. Having gone to great lengths to persuade Shuzhen and Lianshan, he then hurriedly rushed to the train station to buy tickets. Afraid that even a short delay might allow Lianshan, the unreliable one, to sway the little disciple back and demonstrate what it means to break one’s word. Lamentably, despite being a renowned painter before the upheavals, he had now fallen to the point of being at the mercy of his little disciple, even Feng Ju sighed over his own situation. Of course, outwardly, everything was for the sake of art, for the sake of its legacy. As for art, the little ones neither understood nor wanted to. All they knew was that big brother was going to study with Uncle Feng Ju, and he’d be gone for two years! A year is 365 days, twelve months, more than seventy weeks. Two years are a really long, long time, aren’t they? With teary eyes, Xinqing and Lian Xi looked at Lian En, asking over and over again, "Big brother, what’s an academic tour, really can’t you take Xinqing and me with you? We’ll be very good and quiet. We’ll just watch while you paint, and not make a sound. Please don’t leave us, or what if in two years you come back and don’t remember us?" Seeing their small faces full of pleading and panic, Lian En’s eyes welled with tears too. "No, wherever big brother goes, he will remember our home, remember dad, mom, Chenchen, Xinzhi, Xinyue, Xiao Xi, and Xinqing, and never ever forget. While I’m not home, Xiao Xi and Xinqing, listen to your second brother and big sister, take good care of yourselves, study well, and don’t give mom and dad too much trouble." "Chenchen, when I’m not home, you’re the eldest. You must be filial to mom and dad on my behalf as well. Take good care of the younger ones, and don’t always bicker with Zhi Zhi. Remember, being a brother even for just one more minute means taking up the responsibility of being a brother. When big brother returns, I’ll check your grades, you know!"