Chapter 126 Post-Wedding Extra: Yuan Yuan (Part 2)

1.

When Zhou Yuan started kindergarten, her father began teaching her to write.

Zhou Chong held her little hand, taught her how to hold a pen correctly, and then wrote down "Zhou Yuan" stroke by stroke.

"This is our baby Yuanyuan's name. Come on, would you like to try it yourself?"

"good."

Little Yuanyuan nodded, her chubby little hands gripping the long pen, struggling to draw back and forth on the paper. The sunflower on the pen swayed back and forth, as if searching for the direction of the sun.

"Daddy, Yuanyuan's name is so hard to write." Zhou Yuan tried to draw a few strokes, then turned her little face down and bit the sunflower on the pen.

"Hmm, it is a little difficult. Let Dad teach you to write it again."

Zhou Chong then held Zhou Yuan's little hand and wrote on the paper stroke by stroke, "This character is Zhou, and Dad's surname is also Zhou. This character is Yuan, which means beautiful wish."

Zhou Yuan blinked and asked seriously, "Is it the wish I make when I close my eyes, blow out the candles, and pray to the gods in the sky on my birthday?"

As she spoke, she closed her eyes and blew on the pen in her hand, as if there were a real candle in front of her to blow out.

Zhou Chong smiled and patted her head. "Yes, it's the wish you make. You're so smart, baby."

Little Yuanyuan opened her eyes, giggling and showing her bright white front teeth, "Then Daddy, what does Zhou mean?"

"Zhou is our surname. If we want to form words with it, such as anniversary, cycle, and age, they all mean a period of time. For example, one week means one week."

Zhou Yuan listened in a daze, "Time, wish... Yuan Yuan's name is so hard to understand."

Zhou Chong chuckled and gently rubbed her serious little face. "As long as Yuanyuan knows that you are the most beautiful wish that your heavenly grandfather helped your parents fulfill, that's enough."

Is that what you mean?

"Yes, that's what I mean."

Zhou Yuan thought for a moment, pursed her lips, and nodded. "Dad, I understand. I want to write my name again."

“Okay, write it again.” Zhou Chong took out a new sheet of white paper. “When you’re done, take it to Mom and show her how amazing Yuan Yuan is.”

Zhou Yuan gripped the pen, her cheeks puffed out, "Yuan Yuan is amazing!"

2.

The year after Zhou Yuan learned to write her own name, she became a proud primary school student.

She didn't know why she was honored, but her grandparents and maternal grandparents all said she was honored.

Okay, then she's very honorable.

On my first day of school at Lincheng No. 1 Primary School, several older students on duty were standing at the school gate.

They all had two stripes on their shoulders and a red scarf around their necks.

Zhou Yuan held her parents' hands and secretly glanced at them several times. Even after entering the school gate, she couldn't help but look back.

"What is Yuanyuan looking at?" Jiang Wan turned around and looked back.

Zhou Yuan tugged at Jiang Wan's hand. "Mom, those older brothers and sisters wear ties around their necks just like Dad, but they all wear red ones. Why does Dad never wear a red one?"

Zhou Chong raised an eyebrow, squatted down, tugged at his tie, and patiently explained, "Dad, this is a tie. Theirs isn't; they're wearing red scarves."

"Isn't a red scarf a necktie?" Zhou Yuan blinked and asked, puzzled.

“No, that’s not true.” Jiang Wan also squatted down. “Many people can wear ties, but only Young Pioneers can wear red scarves. Once Yuanyuan joins the Young Pioneers, she can wear a red scarf.”

"Young Pioneers..." Zhou Yuan bit her lower lip, thought seriously for a moment, "Is joining the Young Pioneers an honor?"

"Yes, it's an honor."

Little Yuanyuan suddenly realized.

It turns out that it was because they wore red scarves that they felt honored.

But she didn't have a red scarf to wear yet.

Zhou Yuan's little brain clicked, and she thought of something else. She quickly tugged at Zhou Chong's hand, "Dad, buy a red tie."

Zhou Chong was taken aback, then chuckled, "It's not appropriate for Dad to wear a red tie to work."

“But it’s very honorable,” Zhou Yuan said with a serious expression.

Jiang Wan couldn't hold it in and kept laughing while covering her mouth.

"Mom, what are you laughing at?" Zhou Yuan looked at Jiang Wan in confusion. "Don't you want to see Dad wearing a red tie?"

Jiang Wan laughed for a while before finally managing to suppress her laughter.

"Actually, Daddy has worn a red tie before. There are photos of it at home. When you get home from school, Mommy will look at the photos with you, okay?"

Zhou Yuan raised her eyebrows happily, "Okay, Dad will watch it with us too."

Zhou Chong and Jiang Wan exchanged a glance, then chuckled and agreed, "Okay, we'll watch it together tonight."

3.

Today, the Chinese teacher assigned homework—

I'll write a diary entry when I get home.

Little Zhou Yuan sat at his desk, opened his grid notebook, and struggled to bite his pen.

The teacher said that a diary is a record of what happens each day.

But she attended school all day, and her teachers already know what happened to her. Why do they still make her write a diary and hand it in to the teachers?

Yuanyuan doesn't understand.

What she found even more incomprehensible was that there was nothing to record about a boring day of classes.

She rested her head in her hands and racked her brains for a long time, but she really couldn't think of anything worth recording about the day.

She sat blankly in the chair for a long time until her bottom started to hurt.

She simply put down her pen and ran to the living room to eat glutinous rice balls.

"Yuanyuan, have you finished your homework?" Jiang Wan peeled back the rice paper and handed the small glutinous rice cakes inside to Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan was taken aback, then quickly stuffed the glutinous rice ball into her mouth, her big eyes darting left and right.

Jiang Wan could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression. "Haven't you finished your homework yet? Why are you out eating snacks if you haven't finished your homework?"

“Mom…” Zhou Yuan pouted and pitifully tugged at her sleeve, “There’s only Chinese homework left, and I don’t know how to do it.”

"Why can't you write?" Jiang Wan asked.

"I don't know what to write." Zhou Yuan rested her chin on her hands and sighed heavily.

He looked very distressed.

When Zhou Chong came out of the study, he saw his beloved daughter looking dejected and sighing, and he immediately felt a pang of heartache.

"Yuanyuan, what's wrong?"

Jiang Wan looked up at him and said, "Your daughter said she doesn't know how to do her Chinese homework."

"Where don't you know how to write?" Zhou Chong walked over, rubbing his wrist. "Let Dad see, and Dad will teach you."

Zhou Yuan ran back to her room, then ran out with the blank grid notebook in her hands.

"The teacher said we have to write a diary entry." Zhou Yuan picked up her pen, then put it down again. "Dad, have you ever written a diary?"

Zhou Chong was taken aback.

Jiang Wan looked at him and smiled, "Dad wrote a thick diary."

"Really?" Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed Zhou Chong's arm and shook it back and forth. "Dad, can I see your diary and learn how to write it?"

Zhou Chong was so overwhelmed by her swaying that he had no choice but to lead the little one to the storage room.

Jiang Wan smiled, patted her hands to clean off the glutinous rice flour, and followed the two upstairs.

A blanket was laid on the bay window of the storage room. Zhou Chong sat there holding his daughter, while Jiang Wan leaned against him, her chin resting on his shoulder, as they looked at the yellowed diary in his hand.

"Dad, who is she that you wrote about here?"

"It's Mom."

“When you and your mom were in school, everything was so boring. Every day was just exams and homework.”

"Yes, but Dad is happy every day."

"Mom too."

"Then Yuanyuan will be happy too."

May your wishes come true every year on this anniversary.

—The End—