Chapter 221: Work or Class? (Two in One)
Thanks to the outstanding performance of Fang Wei, Cailing and Zhiyi, the studio completed its enrollment plan three days later.
Originally, Wen Susu only planned to recruit 20 students, but she did not expect that the parents of the students who visited the studio were very willing to sign up. Unable to refuse such kindness, she had to expand the enrollment to 30 people.
The studio is very big, and with three teachers, it is more than enough for only thirty students.
It is a little bit tiring, but if you calculate it this way, this art studio can actually make a small profit?
Twenty of the students were in the basic sketching class, and these students had no basic painting skills. Then ten students with a certain foundation in painting signed up for the watercolor class.
According to the different courses and students' schedules, Wen Susu also developed a corresponding course schedule. Each of the three teachers only teaches one or two classes a day at most, which is quite leisurely and relaxing.
After the enrollment task is completed, the next step is to officially start classes.
It was not until the first day of class that Wen Susu finally got up early and went for a morning run with Fang Wei and the other two.
"hu~hu~"
"Sister, is this okay? Do you want to take a break?"
"hu~hu~"
Wen Susu was running at the back. In order to wait for her, Fang Wei slowed down a lot and ran in front of her not too far or too close.
When I looked back, the pretty girl was already sweating profusely, her face was flushed, and she was staggering as she ran, as if she was going to fall down at the next second.
The movements are certainly not standard, but the outfit is quite professional.
Long hair tied into a ponytail, professional running shoes, professional running shorts and T-shirt.
As if there was a huge delay, it was a long time after Fang Wei finished asking the question before she replied breathlessly:
"How far... huh... is it still far...?"
"The total distance is 2,500 meters. We should be about halfway through now, almost 1,200 meters!"
"..."
One thousand two hundred meters!!
The longest distance Wen Susu has ever run in her life was the 800-meter physical test in college!
Hearing that she had already run 1,200 meters, she suddenly felt as if all her strength was exhausted. She slowly stopped, put her hands on her waist, relaxed her body, waved her hands, and said after a while:
“I can’t do it anymore… I can’t do it anymore… I can’t do it anymore… Let’s take a break…”
"..."
It was so funny. I had never seen her exercise on weekdays, but this morning she was full of confidence and wanted to run with them. I thought she was so awesome!
"Sister, you can't hold on after only running 1,200 meters?"
"Huh... How can we handle this? Why don't you get tired?"
Wen Susu looked up and saw Fang Wei was also sweating a little, but it was midsummer after all, so it was probably hot. However, he looked relaxed and didn't even breathe hard.
Not to mention Cai Ling, she and Liu Zhiyi were running in the front, their steps as light as a jumping bird, and she looked left and right leisurely.
What surprised Wen Susu the most was Liu Zhiyi.
I clearly remember Zhiyi as a weak and quiet girl! How come she can run so fast?!
Maybe Zhiyi is not as good as Fang Wei and Cailing, but her endurance and physical strength are obviously much better than hers!
“Because we run every day.”
"... Zhiyi also runs every day?"
"Yes, when we were on the island, she and I would go for a morning run every morning and then go to the beach to watch the sunrise."
“Watch the sunrise!”
"Have you ever seen the sunrise on the island?"
"Seen……"
Sunrise and sunset have always been an indispensable beauty in photography and art. Wen Susu had naturally gone to see the sunrise and sunset on the island, but she had not gotten up early to run to the beach to watch the sunrise like they did.
I think it would be a unique experience to have such a vigorous exercise and then watch the sunrise, right?
"You guys are quite interesting!"
Wen Susu recalled: "I remember when I was in the first grade of junior high school three years ago, the essay I asked Zhiyi to write on the blackboard was about sunrise, right?"
"Yes, she had just started jogging with me in the morning at that time. I still remember it."
"of course I remember."
After resting for a while, Wen Susu regained her breath and said regretfully, "I haven't tried getting up early in the morning to run and watch the sunrise..."
"You can see it now! Over there!"
"Eh?"
Wen Susu, who was dizzy from running, was stunned for a moment, and followed Fang Wei's gaze to look at the Huangpu River beside her.
As a ray of morning light broke out at dawn, the whole city seemed to wake up from a deep sleep. The wind blew from the east, and the river water rippled. A red sun appeared between the red glow in the sky and the gaps between the tall buildings.
The buildings on the Bund look particularly spectacular in the morning light. The skyscrapers in Lujiazui sparkle in the rising sun, with their glass curtain walls reflecting dazzling light.
The Oriental Pearl Tower, a landmark building, is also bathed in the rising sun. The lights on the tower gradually go out, replaced by the warm light of the sun. The entire tower seems to be coated with a layer of gold and shines brightly.
The surface of the river nearby seemed to be covered with a golden carpet, glittering with the waves of the river.
The sunlight also fell on her, Fang Wei, and the two girls in front who stopped and leaned against the fence on the shore.
Having grown up here, Wen Susu has been to many places specifically to watch the sunrise, but she has never seen the sunrise in her own city. This is the first time in 26 years!
The Huangpu River, the Bund, the Oriental Pearl Tower... showed their most charming side in the glow of sunrise. She felt the charm of this city for the first time from a different perspective, like an outsider.
"Sister Susu~~Sunrise over Shanghai~~!"
The girls in front turned around and called her, pointing at the rising sun in the east with a smile.
Wen Susu suddenly understood why Fang Wei and the other two were so obsessed with getting up so early to run.
"……Oops!"
Wen Susu thought of something and slapped her forehead in annoyance.
"what happened?"
Just as he was wondering, the sunlight had already dyed him golden.
"I forgot to bring my camera!! I should have taken some photos to record it!"
"..."
……
Fortunately, in addition to photography, Wen Susu can also paint.
This is the incomparable benefit of photography, projecting the beautiful scenery in your mind and then painting it. It may be a little distorted compared to sketching, but after being embellished with emotion, such a painting will have a more unique emotion in it.
Get up early, do some exercise, and bask in the sun, and all your sleepiness will be gone.
After running, Wen Susu returned home, took a shower, changed into fresh and clean clothes, and started a new day. Suddenly, she felt that her life was so fulfilling.
She thought that inviting Fang Wei and the other two to the city to play would change their lifestyle, but she didn't expect that their lifestyle did not change, but her own lifestyle was changed by them.
I’m tired of sandwiches for breakfast, so I’ve switched back to my usual breakfast foods: steamed buns, soy milk, fried dough sticks and white porridge.
Cailing and Zhiyi love drinking milk, so Aunt Wang prepares a glass of milk for them every day.
If you are not used to drinking pure milk, you may easily get diarrhea, but if you drink hot milk after boiling it, it won’t happen and it will be more fragrant.
Cai Ling picked up the milk in the glass and took a sip, and her mouth was covered with white milk stains. She stuck out her tongue and rolled them, and her mouth was clean again.
"It's decided! From now on, I will run with you guys every morning!" Wen Susu said after eating the steamed bun in her mouth.
"...Sister, you said this four or five days ago." Fang Wei reminded.
"I, I'm serious this time!"
"Oh, so you weren't serious?"
"you shut up."
Under the table, Wen Susu kicked him angrily.
"Can you hold on? I ran more than two kilometers today and took two or three breaks."
"Of course I can persist! As long as I am determined to do something, I can persist! Didn't Zhiyi persist for three years?"
Liu Zhiyi: “Ah?”
No, why do you use me as a teaching material? When it comes to sticking to morning jogging, Cai Ling is more like a jack of all trades compared to me!
If you get up early, you can really have a lot more time.
After the four of them had breakfast, they came to the store to work together. It was only eight o'clock, a full hour earlier than the scheduled working time.
Starting today, the studio will officially start classes.
Fang Wei Cailing's task of distributing flyers to recruit students also came to an end.
"Sister Susu, we don't need to recruit students now. What will our next job be?" Cai Ling asked curiously.
"It's also an important mission!"
Listening to Wen Susu's words, Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi both stood up straight, looking like they would do whatever the boss told them to do.
"first!"
"..."
After waiting for a long time, Wen Susu didn't say the next sentence.
In fact, Wen Susu couldn’t think of what task to assign them for a while!
"First of all...! Every day when the shop opens and closes, you have to help clean up the studio! You should be the regular duty students!"
"All right!"
The studio is also a place for classes, but it is different from taking turns on duty in school. We can't let the students who pay to come to the studio for classes be on duty. In fact, there is not much work to do except cleaning, and for the three of them, it is not considered part of their job at all.
"What else?"
"..."
Don't force me to exploit your labor!
"Ahem, and there is... Cai Ling!"
"To!"
"You will be the administrative assistant of our studio from now on!"
"Ok, administrative assistant?!"
Xu Cailing was stunned. Just by hearing it, she knew it was an awesome job!
"Can I really..."
"of course can."
“So what does this administrative assistant do?”
"On weekdays, you are responsible for receiving visiting students or parents, answering consulting questions, and managing student files. If there are any activities in our studio, such as sketching, you can help me organize them."
Fang Wei blinked his eyes. Isn’t this the front desk?
Xu Cailing's blood boiled after hearing this, and she nodded repeatedly, "Yes! I promise to complete the task!"
"Then it's... Zhiyi!"
“Here, here!”
"Zhiyi, you will be our assistant teacher from now on!"
"Ah? Teacher?"
Xu Cailing, who was standing by, was also amused when she heard this, and she called her with a giggle, "Teacher Liu~!"
"Sister Susu...what should I do on a daily basis?"
"Zhiyi, you usually assist our lecturers in classroom management and help maintain classroom discipline, such as preparing teaching materials and arranging the studio, and then taking attendance and collecting student feedback."
It's so funny, what's the difference between this and being a squad leader!
Liu Zhiyi had never served as a class leader in school. When she received such a task, she was a little nervous and afraid that she would not do well.
"I-I will work hard!"
"Okay, then finally...Fang Wei!"
"here I am."
Wen Susu crossed one hand to her chest and pinched her chin with the other hand. She stared at him for a long time, which made Fang Wei feel uneasy.
"...Sister, what should I do?"
"Well, Fang Wei, from now on you will be the mobile team of our studio! Your mission is very difficult! I will tell you what I think of in the future! Remember to be available at any time!"
"..."
Isn't this just a job as a handyman?!
No, sister! When I was in school, I was a class monitor for you and I was doing odd jobs. When I was working for you, I was still doing odd jobs?!
"Why, do you have any objections to the boss's arrangement?"
"Of course not! I love doing odd jobs... No, I love the mobile team!"
Fang Wei thought that if he could draw and design, he would definitely design an icon for the mobile team, and that icon would be a cow or a horse!
As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Susu snapped her fingers and suddenly thought of assigning Fang Wei a task.
"Mobile Team Fang Wei, if you have time recently, please help our studio run social media! For example, post our studio's dynamics, student works and other content on Tianya and Tieba as a promotion for our studio. You should be able to use a computer, right?"
"Know a thing or two."
"That's it!" "Sister, why don't you just create a website? It's very simple to just create a promotional display page. Just rent a virtual server and buy a domain name."
"You, you still understand this?!"
“…I read it on a computer book.”
Of course Fang Wei understood. After being a programmer for so many years, it was too easy to just make a display web page.
In the future, even people who don’t know programming or code can use various free templates on the Internet to build a company homepage.
However, the Internet is not well developed nowadays, and many people think that this is a very difficult thing, which is really a blind spot in knowledge. But precisely because of this, having a website homepage of your own looks a lot more advanced.
"Is that so? Then I'll give you a chance to practice! It's completely different to understand the book and operate it. Try it yourself, and if you want to spend money, just tell me!"
"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"
Wen Susu didn't really think Fang Wei could create a web page, and since she had nothing else to do anyway, she let him tinker with it himself.
After assigning these seemingly insignificant and dispensable tasks to Fang Wei and the other two, Wen Susu finally talked about what she really wanted them to do:
"The next task is for all three of you to complete! If you don't complete it well, your bonus will be deducted! It will be counted towards your KPI!"
"Sister Susu, what is K-Pi Ai?"
"…Uh, that's what performance appraisal means! It's the same as grades!"
Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi immediately became serious after hearing this.
"In addition to the task just now, the three of you will learn painting with the students in the studio every day from now on!"
"……what?"
Not only Cai Ling and Zhi Yi were stunned, even Fang Wei was stunned as well.
"Learn to paint...? We...?!"
"Yup!"
Wen Susu snorted, "This is different from the art class we had before. This is your job now! You all should study art well! Whether you like it or not!"
"So, do we have to pay tuition?"
"No, I'm still paying you."
"...!!"
Oh my god! Not only do I have the opportunity to learn painting from Teacher Wen, but I don’t have to pay tuition and I can also get a salary?!
Fang Wei and the other two were stunned. When they thought about it, other students had to pay two to three thousand yuan to sign up for painting lessons. The difference in treatment was huge!
"Sister Susu, you are so nice~! I love you the most!"
"Hey, do you want to learn?"
"miss you!"
"Do you like painting?"
"like!"
Fang Wei also smiled and understood Wen Susu's intentions.
Perhaps this was what she had thought of a long time ago. Going to work or taking a summer job were not as good as her being their real art teacher.
Different from most students in the studio who study painting for art examinations, Fang Wei's students study painting just for the sake of learning painting and experiencing the summer life they have never had before.
Wen Susu was ready a long time ago.
She opened the cabinet and took out three sets of painting supplies, including pencils, charcoal crayons, erasers, sketchbooks, watercolor books, paint boxes, drawing boards, etc.
"These are your painting supplies. Remember to study hard!"
"Yeah! Thank you, Sister Susu~!"
I never thought that I would have the chance to learn painting again. Fang Wei and the other two took good care of the painting supplies in their hands, not only because they were expensive, but also because of Wen Susu's kindness.
"Okay, put everything away, and then let's clean the studio together!"
"it is good!"
The four of them started cleaning together.
At 8:40, the students who had class this morning arrived at the studio one after another. Some came by themselves, and some were brought by their parents. They all carried backpacks and their own painting supplies.
Xie Yuxin and another newly recruited teacher, Mr. Ye, also came.
The huge studio is divided into three corners, with each teacher teaching several students respectively, and the main focus is simplicity and precision.
It was no different from the start of a normal school term. The students first introduced themselves to each other and the new classmates, and then Wen Susu introduced the studio and talked about the course process and arrangements.
Fang Wei and the other two naturally learned together with Wen Susu.
Although she mainly teaches advanced watercolor and oil painting classes, before these two classes started, she also helped teach the basics of sketching.
Including Fang Wei and the other three, there were eight students listening to her lecture. Some were in high school, and some were in junior high school. They were all about the same age, and all had zero basic knowledge.
Fang Wei and Cai Ling knew that they were there to attend the class, so they sat at the back consciously. In fact, the seats in the studio were not arranged in rows and columns, but with Wen Susu, who was giving the lecture, as the center. In front of her, they sat in a fan-shaped manner, and the students could find their own seats at any angle.
"... Then let me first introduce to you the tools we need for sketching."
Wen Susu's lectures were very detailed. She stood in the front in a long dress, with an elegant temperament and a pleasant voice. As there were few students, everyone listened very attentively.
First, the drawing tools were introduced, and then the principles of sketching were explained, including concepts such as lines, shapes, shadows, and how to observe and express the structure of objects.
Originally, Fang Wei and Cai Ling Zhiyi both thought that they had no talent for painting, but now they found that they could understand it and could keep up when practicing with Wen Susu.
It turns out that concentration and interest are the greatest talents.
Among them, Liu Zhiyi listened the most attentively.
She has always been accustomed to expressing her imagination with words. She couldn't help but feel excited just thinking about being able to illustrate her novels and draw the scenes she imagined in the future.
"...Then let's start practicing with simple geometric shapes!"
Wen Susu picked up models of spheres, cubes, cylinders, triangles, etc. on the table and asked everyone to observe the shapes of the objects. Then she brought the lights and screens over to show the changes in light and shadow of these geometric bodies under light from different angles.
Everyone started practicing. Wen Susu walked down with her hands behind her back and explained and instructed each student in detail.
Cai Ling looked to the left and saw that Fang Wei was drawing a triangle. She looked to the right and saw that Zhiyi was drawing a cylinder. So she chose a sphere and started drawing.
The imagination is beautiful, but when it comes to writing, the hand and the pen are not very obedient.
There was no ruler or compass, so it was difficult to draw a straight line, let alone a circle. So I just drew and erased, and drew again.
"Don't rush to wipe it."
At some point, Wen Susu stood behind the three of them.
"Hey, the lines aren't drawn well..."
"It's okay. Draw lightly first, and then adjust little by little. It's easier to find the feeling if you keep the traces. Otherwise, it will be difficult to put pen to paper if you keep drawing and erasing."
"That's it..."
"When drawing lines, relax your wrist a little, don't be too tense... Yes, that's it, be bold in your strokes."
Learning to paint is not something that can be done overnight. Even though these are just simple geometric shapes, it is not easy to paint them to a level that can be called "good".
Painting, like calligraphy, is something that can really train a person's character. An anxious person cannot do this well.
You always need to be patient and calm down, and over time, this will become a person's temperament.
This is true for the so-called arts of calligraphy, chess, and painting. The process of practice is also a process of slowly shaping a person's temperament.
……
When you focus on something, time passes quickly.
Two hours passed by unknowingly and it was already past eleven o'clock in the morning.
"Okay, that's all for today's class. See you tomorrow~!"
"Thank you, Teacher Wen!"
The students in the studio packed up their things and left.
Fang Wei and the other two finally stopped writing, looked at the drawing boards in front of each other, and couldn't help laughing out loud.
"Hey Cailing, is that a ball you drew? Why is it so flat?"
"Ahhh, light and shadow are so difficult! Don't blame me! Your triangle drawing is not that good either!"
"That's much better than your ball!"
After they finished talking, they looked at Liu Zhiyi who was standing beside them. The girl was still shy and didn't want to show herself to them.
"Oh my god! Zhiyi, your cylinder is so well drawn! It really looks three-dimensional!"
Fang Wei and Cai Ling were stunned and came over to take a closer look at Liu Zhiyi's painting. Perhaps it was far inferior to Teacher Wen's work, but at least compared with other students in the studio, her imitation was quite good.
Wen Susu also praised after reading it: "Zhiyi's painting is very good! He is very talented! His observation is very detailed!"
“No, no…”
"Fang Wei Cailing, you guys are pretty good at drawing!"
"Really? Sister!"
"Really? If you practice more, you will definitely get better at drawing!"
After that, Wen Susu gave some pointers on their homework, such as lines, light and shadow, etc.
People are always good at making progress from positive feedback. Fang Wei, Cai Ling and Zhi Yi suddenly felt that their painting skills had improved a lot.
When it was almost twelve o'clock, Aunt Wang also came to deliver the meal.
After dinner, we rested in the store.
Wen Susu set up a small room as a lounge, and used a bunk bed just like in the student dormitory.
Fang Wei was embarrassed to sleep with a group of girls, so he just went to his desk to take a nap.
Taking advantage of the lunch break, Fang Wei turned on the computer.
The configuration of the computer is pretty good, at least much better than the one in Liu Zhiyi's home.
He downloaded some programming software and searched for some material templates on the Internet.
The Internet was not well developed in those days, and information was very limited, but the Internet management was also quite loose. When browsing the Internet, some exciting windows would pop up if you were not careful...
This is indeed the primary productive force of mankind!
Fang Wei didn't click on it to see. These days, it's really easy to get a virus by clicking on any URL link.
I haven't written code for a long time. The things that were engraved in my bones back then still seem a little unfamiliar when I pick them up now.
Nowadays, programmers are still quite valuable. As long as you know a little bit of programming and computer operation, you can find a good job.
Someone rang the doorbell at the store.
Turning around, it was Xu Caiwei.
He quickly put down the work in his hands, stood up and went to open the door.
"Are you at work?"
"Yes! Sister Caiwei, are you taking a break today?"
"Hey, yeah! Come to see you guys! I guess it won't bother you, right?"
"How could that be! Sister Caiwei, you brought so many cups of coffee!"
"There are six of you, so you brought six cups. Where are Cai Ling and the others?"
"I'm taking a nap in there. It's almost time to wake up."
Xu Caiwei was on vacation today, and their class happened to have just started, so she came over to visit them.
Cai Ling was very happy when she saw her sister, and the two sisters chattered loudly.
Wen Susu also smiled and said, "Why don't we give you a day off this afternoon? You can go play with Caiwei."
"Teacher Wen, no need! Don't let them be lazy! I just came here to visit the class!" Xu Caiwei said hurriedly.
She doesn't have anything to do anyway, so it would be nice to come and see how her younger brothers and sisters work.
It wasn't until the afternoon class started that Xu Caiwei was stunned when she saw Cailing, Fang Weizhiyi and the others sitting in the classroom with drawing boards and paper.
"Are you guys at work or in class?!"
“Going to class is part of work!”
"??"
(End of this chapter)
