"It's okay, Zhouzhou, don't be afraid. Auntie will teach you. We'll take it slowly, okay?"
She pulled Zhouzhou around, squatted down, and looked the child in the eye.
Then she reached out her hand and gently touched her throat, feeling the vibration of her vocal cords. She then guided Zhouzhou's little hand to gently press it against her own slender neck.
“Zhouzhou, look, the sound is coming from here.”
Zhou Qiqi spoke with great patience.
"Come on, follow your auntie, slowly inhale, and then try saying—Grandpa—Grandpa—Look, your auntie's throat is moving, right? You try it too?"
Zhouzhou tilted her little face up, watching Zhou Qiqi's lip movements intently, feeling the movements in her throat, and then tried hard and cautiously: "...Yay...Yay..."
The sound was a bit muffled and the tone wasn't quite right, but it was definitely made!
Zhou Qiqi immediately affirmed her and kissed her forehead:
"It's okay! Zhouzhou is great! It's already very similar! Come on, let's try again with Auntie, Grandpa—Grandpa—"
She planned to patiently guide her to practice "Grandpa" a few more times.
Before she could even speak, Qin Peilan, who had been waiting impatiently, rushed over.
Without any hesitation, she shoved Shen Zhenbang, who was still squatting there, aside, then quickly squatted down herself and said softly to Zhouzhou:
"Oh, my sweet baby! The word 'Grandpa' is a bit of a tongue twister, and it's not easy to pronounce it correctly! But don't worry! Come on, learn from Grandma first, 'Grandma'! Look, 'Grandma—Grandma—', open your mouth a little rounder, it's easier to say! Isn't it?"
As she spoke, she exaggeratedly mouthed the words, gazing longingly at her granddaughter.
Zhou Qiqi was amused by her mother-in-law's anxious appearance and looked up at her father-in-law, who had been squeezed to the side.
Shen Zhenbang looked both amused and exasperated, but still nodded good-naturedly at her, indicating, "I'll listen to your mother."
Zhou Qiqi understood, smiled, and followed her mother-in-law's instructions, turning to teach "Grandma".
I don't know if it's like what Qin Peilan said, but the pronunciation of "grandma" is easier to pronounce.
Zhouzhou is so clever and quick to understand. She learned from Zhou Qiqi only a couple of times before she opened her little mouth and blurted out "Grandma!"
This sound was particularly clear, and also soft and sweet.
"Hey! Hey! Grandma's here!"
Qin Peilan was overjoyed and readily agreed, her face beaming with smiles.
She glanced smugly at Shen Zhenbang beside her, her eyes clearly saying:
See, I won again, didn't I? The second one to call out, kid, was me!
What's even more heartwarming is that after Zhouzhou called out "Grandma," without waiting for Zhou Qiqi to guide him further, he put his little hand to his throat and clearly called out, "Grandpa—Grandpa—"
Now it's Shen Zhenbang's turn to finally stand tall and proud!
He quickly and loudly replied, "Yes! Yes! Grandpa's good granddaughter!"
Then, mimicking his wife's earlier actions, he looked back with a touch of smugness.
That means: Listen to this! The child called out to me on his own initiative; I didn't even have to teach him!
The elderly couple, one shaking his head and the other with his hands on his hips and chest puffed out, were like two children, arguing over who was more "favored" by their granddaughter, instantly filling the room with a joyful atmosphere.
At this moment, Shen Huaichuan returned after washing the dishes and tidying up the stove, looking at the scene with some confusion:
"What's wrong? What's making you so happy?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhouzhou ran up to him with her little steps, looked up at him, and called out in a clear voice, "Uncle!"
Shen Huaichuan was both surprised and delighted, and his cold and hard eyebrows softened instantly.
He bent down and picked up Zhouzhou steadily with one hand, even giving her a gentle spin.
Zhouzhou wasn't scared at all. She hugged her uncle's neck and let out a string of silvery laughter.
Shen Zhenbang watched with envy, his heart itching with anticipation, and he too was eager to try.
"Come on, put him down, let me, his grandfather, pick him up and spin him around a couple of times!"
He refused to admit he was getting old and, imitating his son, bent down and stretched out his right hand to try and pick up Zhouzhou with one hand.
But Zhouzhou is no longer a two- or three-year-old baby; a seven-year-old child is quite heavy.
Shen Zhenbang strained with all his might, his face turning red. When he exerted force in his waist, his brows furrowed involuntarily, clearly indicating that he was struggling. Before he could even lift the child off the ground, his movements froze.
"Ouch! My back..."
He subconsciously hummed in response.
Qin Peilan, realizing the situation was going badly, quickly instructed her son:
"Huaichuan! Hurry! Take the child over here! Your father's old back can't take this kind of strain!"
As she spoke, she rushed forward to support her husband, gently massaging his lower back with a mixture of tenderness and reproach:
"Look at you! Don't you know how old you are? You're almost sixty, and you still think you're a twenty-something young man? If you hurt yourself like that, you'll be in big trouble!"
Shen Zhenbang felt a little embarrassed by what he was being said. He stretched his back and sighed, saying:
"I'm getting old, really useless now. Back in the day, I could carry a cannon all by myself on the battlefield. Sigh, now I can barely even hold my granddaughter in one arm and spin her around..."
Seeing this, Zhou Qiqi quickly comforted her gently:
"Dad, please don't think like that! How can this be your fault? Zhouzhou is seven years old, and she's very steady! Let alone you, even I, a young person, couldn't lift her and spin her around with one arm! It has nothing to do with age!"
Shen Zhenbang knew in his heart that his daughter-in-law was trying to comfort him, but he was still a little unwilling:
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