Turning Back from the Wrong Path (Short Story)

　　With summer vacation fast approaching, it's the peak season for parents to find various extracurricular classes and tutoring for their children. The advantages of this are twofold: firstly, working parents feel more at ease leaving their children with teachers, alleviating concerns about childcare at home; secondly, it fosters children's interests, allowing them to learn a skill or specialty, improving their overall quality, taste, and refinement – a consensus and trend in today's society for raising the next generation and preparing them for social competition.
　　Zhu Ming and Fang Liang live in the same unit of Building 7 in the staff and family dormitory of the Provincial People's Hospital, and their fathers are doctors in the same department. Fang Liang's father is the chief physician of internal medicine. Their children are both in the third grade at Donghu Primary School; Zhu Ming is in Class 2, and Fang Liang is in Class 3. They are inseparable, always together on their way to and from school, and are very close friends. However, their personalities are quite different: Zhu Ming is quiet, steady, and meticulous, while Fang Liang is enthusiastic, outgoing, and lively. Both have excellent grades and are interested in art. Zhu Ming's father enrolled him in the Beilei Art Class at the Municipal Children's Palace two years ago. With the help of a friend's introduction, Fang Liang's father enrolled his son in the art class taught by teacher Chen Hong at the Provincial Children's Activity Center. It is said that although they are not in the same class, they are taught by famous teachers with distinctive characteristics. Both of them studied very hard and received praise and encouragement from their teachers.
　　After the summer vacation, Zhu Ming and Fang Liang's respective children's art classes arranged half-day training every day, for a total of more than 20 consecutive days of classes. This was a great opportunity for children to enrich their summer vacation, increase their artistic literacy, and improve their painting skills. However, what was unexpected was that Fang Liang, who had been studying at the Provincial Children's Activity Center for two years, suddenly wanted to transfer to the Beilei Art Class 3 (2) at the Municipal Children's Palace. The reason was that his maternal grandmother had to go back to her hometown for some business, and the Municipal Children's Palace was close to home, so Zhu Ming's grandmother could take him and Fang Liang to school together.
　　In fact, things were not as simple as Fang Liang's parents said. It turned out that there were more than 20 medical staff and their families living in the family building of the Department of Internal Medicine of the Provincial People's Hospital. To facilitate communication, a WeChat group called "Angels" was established a few years ago. Besides work-related communication, information sharing, and mutual assistance, the group also shares photos and videos of the children's learning and social activities. Indeed, Zhu Ming's mother, Shen Huizhen, frequently posts pictures of her son's artwork from the city's children's palace art class in the group, attracting likes and praise from colleagues and family members. A few days ago, Ms. Shen reported the good news that Zhu Ming had won first prize in the city's children's art competition and showed pictures of his work. It looked quite good; the picture was clean and full, the colors vibrant, drawing a wave of praise. This made Fang Liang's parents envious and admiring. Having seen their son's artwork, they felt that although he studied under renowned teachers, his paintings were not as good. They said Zhu Ming's figures looked like people, and his animals looked like animals. Fang Liang's paintings, on the other hand, appeared particularly rough and childish. They didn't look like paintings, but rather like random scribbles, lacking any aesthetic appeal. Therefore, when colleagues asked him to post some of his children's artwork, he always made excuses, saying that the teacher hadn't returned the assignments yet.
　　Anxious, Old Fang always praised Zhu Ming to his son, saying he was smart, studious, and diligent in his drawing, and that his portraits looked so pleasing and beautiful when printed. His son, however, was very dissatisfied with his father's praise and dismissed it dismissively. When pressed, he would retort, "Do you even know what children's art is? That's just copying pictures. Maybe even corrected by the teacher! That's adult-like fake children's art, not real children's art." Old Zhu always disagreed with his son's answers, firmly believing that a good painting was one that was beautiful, accurate in form, clean, and award-winning. To outsiders, his son was shrewd and capable; he felt his son was more intelligent than Zhu Ming. So why weren't his paintings as beautiful as Zhu Ming's? The reason, he thought, was probably the teacher's teaching level. If Fang Liang could also learn to draw in Zhu Ming's class, he would definitely draw better than Zhu Ming. Therefore, he considered transferring Fang Liang to another school. He heard that Old Zhu was very familiar with the teacher, and given his position as the head of his department, it shouldn't be too difficult for Old Zhu to pull some strings with the teacher and transfer Fang Liang to the Children's Palace for the summer vacation. So he discussed this idea with his wife, Liu Qiong, who shared the same sentiment. She was more concerned about the opinions of his colleagues and friends. Why was there such a big difference between the students, even though they were all taught by renowned teachers? Her husband, Lao Fang, was also Lao Zhu's superior, and he felt embarrassed if his child wasn't as good as others. However, Liu Qiong reminded Lao Fang, "Before switching shifts, it's best to discuss it with your son and listen to his opinion."
　　"I don't think it's necessary to tell him," Lao Fang replied. "He's still young and doesn't have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. He lacks a sense of urgency. It's not too late to tell him after we've made arrangements. Then he'll understand that his parents are doing this for his success."
　　The next day after work, Lao Fang asked Lao Zhu to go home together. As they walked downstairs side-by-side, Lao Fang shared his thoughts with him. After listening, Dr. Zhu readily agreed to Director Fang's request, saying, "No problem. I'll call and contact Teacher Liao right away. I think with my relationship with Teacher Liao, adding one more person to the summer art class shouldn't be a big problem. Besides, they're good friends who go to and from school together; having a companion means they can study and take care of each other. Why not?" Dr. Zhu promised to help because his superior had asked for his help, and he didn't want to miss this opportunity to build a relationship with his superior. Also, the hospital had allocated a spot for the internal medicine department during the upcoming professional title evaluation, and he wanted the director to recommend him among the two qualified candidates for senior physician. Dr. Zhu and Teacher Liao met by chance during a medical appointment. One night, Teacher Liao's mother suddenly suffered a heart attack and was in critical condition, requiring immediate hospitalization. Dr. Zhu Qihuai happened to be on duty, and thanks to timely treatment and meticulous care, the mother's condition improved and she was discharged after a week in the hospital. During this time, they learned that they were both from Jishui, and the two became friends. When Dr. Zhu learned that Teacher Liao was a renowned children's art teacher at the Municipal Children's Palace, he entrusted his son, Zhu Ming, to Teacher Liao, asking him to nurture him well.
　　As expected, Dr. Zhu swiftly and efficiently arranged for Fang Liang to enter the Municipal Children's Palace and informed him that classes would officially begin on July 5th. After all the formalities were completed, Director Fang told Fang Liang, "Because his maternal grandmother is busy with farm work and needs to help his uncle's family with household chores, there's no one to take him to and from school. His parents are also very busy with their hospital work, so they've used their connections to find someone to help him transfer to the painting class at the Municipal Children's Palace, which is closer to home." Fang Liang listened without expression, looking quite helpless. He seemed particularly reluctant when he heard that Zhu Ming's grandmother would be taking them to class every day. Although his parents were colleagues in the same department and neighbors living in the same building, having played together since childhood, his father had recently been praising Zhu Ming and belittling himself in front of Fang Liang, which he found very annoying. The fact that they would be in the same class from now on made him feel somewhat pressured and unhappy.
　　After breakfast on July 5th, Liu Qiong, Fang Liang's mother, led him to the Zhu family home. Zhu Ming and his grandmother were waiting for them at the door. Liu Qiong handed Fang Liang to Zhu Ming, instructing them to get along well, study hard, and listen to their teachers. After giving these instructions, Liu Qiong hurried downstairs, got on her electric scooter, and rushed to work at the hospital. Zhu Ming's grandmother led Zhu Ming and Fang Liang on the No. 10 bus for three stops before getting off. At the Children's Palace, Zhu Ming tried to hold Fang Liang's hand to enter the classroom together. However, Fang Liang didn't react, appearing indifferent, and silently followed Zhu Ming into the classroom. "Hello, teacher!" Zhu Ming politely greeted, then introduced Fang Liang to the teacher. Teacher Liao asked everyone to quiet down and began introducing the new student, Fang Liang, to the class. "Classmates, starting today, we have a new student in our class. His name is Fang Liang." "The children applauded enthusiastically to welcome her! Teacher Liao arranged for them to sit at the same table.
　　After introducing the new classmates, the teacher began the lesson. Using a remote control, a children's drawing titled 'Happy Concert' appeared on the screen. The teacher introduced the topic by telling a story: 'The weather is especially nice today. Look at the bright red sun in the upper left corner, showing most of its smiling face, giving the whole picture a sunny feeling. Right now, in the forest, a happy concert is being held. The children have all prepared various talents. The little rabbit takes out a flute and plays it earnestly. The birds perch on the branches and begin to sing, while the other animals listen with great enjoyment.' The picture was drawn with a pen and colored with crayons. There is a blue sky, brown trees with outstretched branches, and green grass covered with bright flowers. In the foreground on the right, a little white rabbit wearing a red dress holds a bamboo flute and plays a beautiful folk song. On the left, a little kitten dances to the music. In the background, a little black bear cheers and encourages everyone with great enthusiasm."
　　The whole scene was lively and cheerful. Now, the teacher will review the steps and methods of painting: First step: composition and sketching; second step: outlining with a water pen; third step: coloring with crayons; fourth step: finishing touches. The teacher showed a video of the painting process. After the demonstration, the teacher assigned homework: today, everyone should copy this painting. The students started drawing on the A4 drawing paper the teacher had given them. Only Fang Liang sat in his seat, looking around curiously at everyone. The teacher walked up to Fang Liang and asked with concern, "Fang Liang, is there anything you don't understand?" "No!" Fang Liang stared intently at the teacher's example painting, as if he was thinking about something. A few minutes later, he began to draw. Soon, he added a panda with its back to the picture in the foreground and right corner. The panda was holding a baton in its right hand, conducting everyone in singing. After looking at it, the teacher asked him, "There's no panda in the picture." Fang Liang said, "With so many animals singing at the same time, without a conductor, the concert would be chaotic!" After hearing his explanation, the teacher didn't say much, just frowned and walked away.
　　In the second lesson, many children had already progressed to the Goujian stage. The animals, trees, and flowers depicted in the drawings were all in the form of simple cartoon drawings. The teacher asked them to remember the characteristics and patterns of various animals as they drew. The children obediently remembered the teacher's instructions, not daring to deviate in the slightest. Fang Liang, however, was in a new environment for the first time, with unfamiliar classmates and a strict teacher, and everything seemed very uncomfortable. This emotional state affected his drawing; it was difficult to make a complete picture on the paper, and he made many corrections. Frustrated, he simply stopped drawing and looked at Zhu Ming, who was drawing carefully beside him. If Zhu Ming had just been watching him draw, it would have been fine, but inexplicably, he deliberately found fault and made trouble, saying this was wrong and that was incorrect. Sometimes he would even scribble on Zhu Ming's paper. Zhu Ming could no longer tolerate it and angrily pushed Fang Liang hard, but the push caused Fang Liang to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Immediately, Fang Liang got up from the ground and swung his fist at Zhu Ming, causing chaos in the classroom. The teacher quickly came over and stopped Fang Liang's violence. To avoid escalating the conflict, the teacher had Zhu Ming sit in the back to do his homework.
　　After settling Zhu Ming, the teacher went to Fang Liang and bent down to provide him with individual guidance. Fang Liang outwardly nodded in agreement with the teacher's guidance and demonstrations, but inwardly he harbored strong resistance. The root cause was that Teacher Liao's teaching methods were completely different from Teacher Chen's methods at the children's activity center. Before class, Teacher Chen often showed students award-winning children's paintings from both international and domestic competitions for discussion. These paintings reflected the children's heartfelt feelings and experiences, expressed directly and authentically with their own hands, brimming with childlike charm and emotion.
　　Teacher Chen frequently encouraged children to use their imaginations freely, express themselves boldly, and complete their assignments and creations independently.
　　However, here, Fang Liang felt particularly repressed. Drawing was restricted to certain methods; the teacher gained parental approval by having children imitate the rules to create "decent paintings." The children, in turn, mistakenly believed that drawing was simply about blindly copying instructions—either copying the entire painting or combining various practiced parts. Otherwise, the teacher would accuse the student of not observing carefully, not paying attention in class, being arrogant, and acting on their own initiative. This is completely different from Teacher Chen's gentle and pleasant tone.
　　This adult-oriented standard for judging children's art has led to the distorted development and vicious competition of children's art training institutions. These so-called excellent works have become capital for parents to show off their children's intelligence and ability. It has also fostered a bad atmosphere in children's training institutions of complacency, opportunism, and pandering to parents' vanity. In order to increase their reputation, attract excellent students, and generate more profits, some institutions even have teachers or parents directly paint and polish the students' entries.
　　Fang Liang's unconventional ideas and bold expression in the painting process are the result of his long-term educational influence and training under the guidance of the renowned teacher Chen Hong at the children's activity center. These advanced concepts and methods in children's art education have injected strong vitality into the reform of children's art education. She has accumulated rich experience in long-term educational practice, influencing and inspiring a large number of young teachers dedicated to children's art education. Fang Liang's parents wouldn't understand these things. Like most parents, they didn't grasp the true purpose and meaning of children's art education, blindly pursuing the utilitarian aspects of painting, emphasizing bright and beautiful images, and accurate and realistic depictions. They even transferred him to a different school without his consent, causing him distress in adapting to different teaching methods and, more seriously, psychological harm.
　　After the last class, Zhu Ming's grandmother came to pick up the two children. Seeing Zhu Ming's cold face and Fang Liang's indifference, the grandmother sensed some conflict between them. What she couldn't understand was how their best friends, who were usually so close, could suddenly become enemies on their first day of class together. The grandmother asked Zhu Ming what had happened, but he didn't answer. Seeing the situation, the grandmother figured there was no point in asking Fang Liang further. The two children silently followed their grandmother on the bus back to their respective homes. That afternoon, when Zhu Ming's parents returned from work, the grandmother reported on the morning's class and raised her questions, asking them to investigate. Zhu Ming's father thought for a moment, then gestured to his wife and grandmother to keep quiet, saying he wanted to speak with Zhu Ming alone to understand what
　　had happened. Old Zhu knocked on Zhu Ming's door and entered his room, sitting down beside him and quietly asking about the morning's events. Upon seeing his father, Zhu Ming seemed overwhelmed with grievance, tears quickly falling. He said, "While doing my homework in class, I didn't provoke him. Fang Liang didn't do his homework and inexplicably scribbled on my drawing paper, so I angrily pushed him, and he came over and hit me." Hearing his son's account left Old Zhu bewildered. What should have been a happy first day of school with his good friend had turned into an unpleasant farce!
　　Just then, the phone rang. Old Zhu picked up the receiver and heard Fang Liang's father's voice. "Old Zhu, I just got home and asked Fang Liang about class. He yelled at me, saying he'd never go to class there again. I asked why, and he said there was no reason, he just wouldn't go. So I wanted to ask you, do you know what happened between them?" “Oh, Grandma Zhu told me that they might have had an unpleasant incident in class. I just spoke with Zhou Ming separately to find out what happened, and he said the two of them argued and even fought in class.” Zhu Ming’s father truthfully told him everything he knew.
　　Old Fang put down the phone, and his wife anxiously asked, “What did Old Zhu say?” “He said he didn’t know the specifics. Apparently, the two children fought in class, but he didn’t say why they fought.” “They’ve been very good friends since they were little, and they’ve never had a quarrel, let alone a fight.” His wife said, puzzled. After a pause, Old Fang said thoughtfully, “Fang Liang kept shouting that he would never go to the Children’s Palace to learn painting again. Could it be that he has some kind of grudge with the teacher? So he couldn’t take it out on the teacher, and instead took it out on Zhu Ming.” “Your analysis makes sense. Our children have strong personalities, and once they’ve made up their minds, it’s hard for others to change them. I think you rushed to change his class without getting Fang Liang’s consent beforehand, which may have made him unhappy.” "Maybe I should go talk to him properly later and see how to resolve this."
　　After dinner and washing up, Fang Liang's mother, Shen Huizhen, came to his bedroom. She handed him a glass of water and asked with concern, "Was it particularly difficult to adjust to taking a class in a new place today? If you have any complaints or grievances, feel free to tell me. Don't keep it to yourself. I'll see if I can give you some advice to help you get through this." His mother's care and comfort gradually eased Fang Liang's hostility towards her. Finally, he spoke his mind: "You've all told me that Teacher Liao is a renowned teacher, and that learning painting from her will definitely yield results in a short time. But after attending her class today, I found it particularly uninteresting." "Why was it uninteresting?" his mother asked. "She always tells us we can only do this, not that. If I add something to the picture or change the color, she gets upset, saying I'm acting on my own, which makes me very frustrated. At the children's activity center, Teacher Chen always encourages us not to blindly imitate, but to imagine and express ourselves boldly based on our own understanding and feelings. She is always very patient in guiding us, inspiring us to think about expression. Methodologically, she encourages us to use exaggeration and distortion. Teacher Chen doesn't criticize us easily, and unlike Teacher Liao, she doesn't make changes to students' paintings at the drop of a hat. Teacher Chen often says that children's paintings should reflect children's characteristics and nature. Painting like adult paintings is like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, and it's counterproductive." The mother listened attentively to her son's story. She realized she rarely had such an equal, face-to-face conversation with her child, discussing their views on a particular event. Hearing the heartfelt words of her nine-year-old son today made her realize that children today are much smarter and more mature than we were in our childhood. Although Fang Liang's actions seemed simplistic and crude, hurting Zhu Ming and being somewhat disrespectful to the teacher, the root of the problem lies with us parents. We shouldn't disregard our child's feelings and thoughts for our own selfish gain, making decisions on our own and creating this awkward and passive situation. "Fang Liang, your father and I should apologize to you. We made the decision to transfer you to a different school and class without consulting you beforehand, leaving you unprepared and struggling to adapt to the new environment and situation. We don't blame you. But the harm you caused Zhu Ming is unacceptable. You must apologize to him properly tomorrow and ask for his forgiveness. Can we continue to be good friends?" After a moment of silence, Fang Liang nodded in agreement.
　　"The most pressing issue now is how to arrange your summer studies. Can you still go to school with Zhu Ming tomorrow?" His mother calmly discussed the matter with him. "I still want to go back to Teacher Chen's school. She has a lot of confidence in me, and my leaving must have disappointed her. I don't want to hurt her. Please rest assured, you and Dad, I will study hard and bring back a big prize to show you." Fang Liang seemed to understand his parents' thoughts; he was full of confidence, which comforted his mother. After leaving Fang Liang's room, Shen went to the bedroom. Dr. Fang put down his book and eagerly asked, "How did your talk with him go?" Shen recounted the entire process to Old Fang: "We handled this matter hastily and irrationally. We didn't consider things from the child's perspective, didn't we?"
　　Old Fang nodded in agreement: "Well then, I'll call Teacher Chen right now and ask her to let the child continue studying in her class." Old Fang said urgently. "Then contact Teacher Chen quickly, be sincere. Tell her that Fang Liang said I won't go anywhere else except for Teacher Chen's classes." "Okay." Old Fang immediately dialed Teacher Chen's mobile number. "Are you Teacher Chen Hong?" "Yes, you must be Director Fang." "Yes, I'm sorry to bother you again!" "What is it?" "It's about my son Fang Liang's art lessons. Before summer vacation, Fang Liang's grandmother decided to go back to her hometown at the last minute, and there was no one to pick him up. So I asked someone to help me arrange for him to attend Teacher Liao's art class at the Municipal Children's Palace near our home. But after only a few days, he started throwing a tantrum, insisting on going back to your class. We had no choice but to swallow our pride and come to you again to ask for your help. Of course, we know this will put you in a difficult position, but we really have no other choice. Fang Liang admires you very much, and these past few days he's been crying and saying that he feels very comfortable and happy in your class, and he's made great progress!"
　　“I know Teacher Liao. She is indeed a very dedicated and good teacher. She is always meticulous and responsible in her work, and has a good social reputation. But I think that someone with Fang Liang's extroverted personality might find it difficult to adapt to her traditional teaching model. Logically speaking, my enrollment is already very high, and the place vacated by Fang Liang's departure will be filled quickly. Fortunately, it's only been a few days since the summer classes started, and I haven't agreed to accept any new students yet. Besides, Fang Liang is a bright and quick-witted child. I really miss him after he leaves. Since he's determined to study hard here, I'll make an exception for him. Please let him come over as soon as possible, okay?” “Okay, thank you, Teacher Chen.”
　　During the entire summer vacation, Fang Liang stayed at his uncle's house at Jiangbei University to focus on his studies. The university is close to the Provincial Children's Activity Center, and his uncle's school was on summer vacation, so he could sometimes pick him up and accompany him. After this class change incident, Fang Liang cherished his precious time for learning even more and actively participated in children's painting creation. His painting, “You Are My Sun,” participated in the 10th International Children's Art Competition and won the silver medal, fulfilling his solemn promise to his parents and teachers.