NOVPUB
Chapter 367: 357
Shen Yunfang blinked her eyes; she had indeed said those words as a precaution, never expecting that they would now be used to silence her.
"So it seems like a good idea, right? This way, you can give everyone a lesson or two in English every evening during self-study. It won’t be too late and won’t interfere with your child’s sleep, and you don’t need to worry about safety when going home at night. I will arrange for two or three boys from our class to escort you and your child home every day. What do you think?" Xu Guoqiang immediately sorted things out and thought it through.
Shen Yunfang was at a loss for words. If you’ve said it all, how can I object?
However, she still hesitated, "But monitor, I think that with such a big school, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a teacher who can teach English. Why do you insist on me teaching it?" A few days ago, there was a foreigner who had come looking for her, but her conversation with William in the hallway was brief; they had discussed matters in the department head’s office.
"We don’t know if there are other teachers who can teach English, but we all know you are excellent at it and can converse with foreigners without any barriers," Xu Guoqiang said with a grin. "Class 5 students said they saw you having a meal and chatting with a foreign friend. That’s why we decided it must be you."
"What? They saw me eating and chatting with a foreigner?" Shen Yunfang racked her brain; she had dined and talked with William and Joseph, but those two times were only seen by Dai Zhifei and his group at a street restaurant, "Is Dai Zhifei a student in class 5?" Shen Yunfang asked.
"Yes, student Dai Zhifei is the study committee member of class 5," Xu Guoqiang confirmed.
Oh, that explains it, it seemed that those people had been doing some publicity for her, just that she didn’t know what their purpose was.
"Monitor, I really don’t have time at night. Recently, I’ve been working on an illustration book for my child..." Shen Yunfang still didn’t want to agree. Every evening was her dedicated time to work hard on her drawings; she was hoping to finish before the holidays. If she agreed to the monitor’s proposal, she definitely wouldn’t be able to complete it.
Xu Guoqiang took the sketchbook that Shen Yunfang was holding and laughed, "It’s just drawing, isn’t it? Ma Liang in our class is a little expert at drawing. Whatever you want to draw, just tell him, and he will be able to get it done for you in no time."
"Ma Liang can draw?" Shen Yunfang was somewhat surprised; she didn’t have much impression of him, only knowing that he was a very shy boy and quite young. She wondered why someone talented in drawing would choose this major.
"That’s right, he handles every issue of our school newspaper single-handedly. Let me tell you, his father is a famous painter, and he’s had this skill ingrained in him since he was young. Unfortunately, a few years ago, his father was labeled a ’rightist’ and tormented to death. He was so terrified that he didn’t dare to draw anymore. It was only recently that our classmates accidentally discovered his talent and forced him to overcome his psychological blocks and start drawing again. You might think he hasn’t been drawing for several years, but his skills are impeccable, and his drawings are beautiful," Xu Guoqiang, fearful that Shen Yunfang would disagree, kept praising him.
Ma Liang’s talent for drawing was indeed astonishing, but compared to the more critical skill of English which couldn’t feed or clothe them, students valued it less. This was why they were not following Ma Liang in learning to draw, but instead, they wanted Shen Yunfang to teach English.
"Is that so? It seems he really is quite good. But would he be willing to help me with the drawings?" An idea flashed through Shen Yunfang’s mind.
"No problem, as long as you agree to teach the class, I’ll take care of persuading him," Xu Guoqiang promised boldly.
Shen Yunfang suddenly flashed a toothy smile, "Comrade Monitor has thought of all the problems in advance and has even come up with proper solutions. If I kept making excuses, it would be too inconsiderate."
"Hahaha, I’m glad you’ve agreed. I am, after all, serving the class," Xu Guoqiang laughed heartily, feeling a sense of accomplishment at having resolved the issue.
The two agreed to start with a trial lecture the next evening. If both sides felt it was workable, then they would continue; if not, then no one would hold it against the other.
As for the drawing, Ma Liang would communicate with her about it.
Indeed, during the first class break the next day, a timid, tall boy approached Shen Yunfang.
"Vice class leader, I am Ma Liang." After Ma Liang said this, he lowered his head and remained silent.
Shen Yunfang was at a loss for words. They were in the middle of a large class—hundreds of students in the room—and here he was, standing next to her like a timid wife, which was bound to stir up unnecessary speculation.
"Oh, so it’s Ma Liang. The class leader sent you to see me, right? Sit down, sit down. Let me tell you about your task," Shen Yunfang slightly raised her voice, making sure those around could hear her.
Luckily, Shen Yunfang preferred to sit at the back of the class, and since she didn’t board and often kept to herself, the seats around her were empty. Shen Yunfang gestured for Ma Liang to sit beside her.
Ma Liang obediently sat down.
After noticing that not many people were paying attention to them anymore, Shen Yunfang took out an album of drawings she had prepared the day before from her bag and handed it to Ma Liang.
"I want to create an album of drawings like this, something educational yet accessible for children. Do you think you can draw it?"
Ma Liang took the album, opened it, and his eyes widened. He remained silent for a good while as he looked through it.
"Can you draw this? Are you able to?" Shen Yunfang pressed.
Ma Liang looked up with sparkling eyes, "Did you draw this?"
"Oh, yes, I did." Why did everything feel different all of a sudden? Shen Yunfang thought to herself as she looked at the glowing young man in front of her.
Ma Liang, having received a definite answer, immediately went back to studying the drawings, "This style is really novel; it indeed can capture a child’s interest at first glance. The storytelling is also simplified and easy to understand, making it perfect for enlightening children," while speaking, he nodded his head, "However, your style is quite immature, and there’s much room for improvement."
Shen Yunfang was taken aback—did he just know how to speak or what? He was clearly criticizing her drawings.
"So, can you produce drawings like these or not?" Shen Yunfang asked, slightly annoyed.
Ma Liang didn’t respond immediately but looked through the album once more from start to finish before saying, "I’ve never drawn in this type or style before, but I can give it a try." His reply was confident.
"Good, here’s a blank one for you. Fill in the drawings on each page according to the text, and keep the style consistent with mine," Shen Yunfang handed over a blank album she had prepared the night before.
She had distilled the story and written a simplified Chinese version at the bottom of each page, leaving the top for Ma Liang to illustrate. Once Ma Liang finished the drawings, if everything went well, she planned to add English below the Chinese text. It would then be ready to hand over to Joseph, and whether he would choose to include the Chinese in the final printed layout was his business. Of course, she personally didn’t think Joseph would include the Chinese text.
When Shen Yunfang signed the contract, she had sold only the English text copyright to him.
Ma Liang left contentedly with the blank album in hand.
