Why not include him in Chapter 35, which addresses a major problem?
The bathroom in my house was finally ready to use after being left to air out for a few days.
Zhao Shuyi was very happy.
She boiled water herself, left the child next door for Xia Mulan to watch over, and then took a refreshing bath.
Actually, she can wash it on her social media too.
But the space was always outdoors during the day, and even though she knew no one could see her, she still felt very uncomfortable.
She used to feel very awkward washing herself in the wooden tub in the house, but now that she has this bathroom, it's much more convenient and makes her feel safe.
She took a nice, relaxing shower before going next door, where Xiao Liang was looking at a picture book drawn by Zhao Shuyi with Xia Mulan.
It's actually just a very simple story about a little rabbit's adventures, mostly stories that Zhao Shuyi had heard before.
The little rabbit thought of herself as a chivalrous rabbit, and her dream was to travel the world. So she said goodbye to her parents and left home.
The little rabbit's first stop was a little tortoise who wanted to race with the animals. The little rabbit was too proud and arrogant, and lost the race.
The little rabbit was very sad, but everyone comforted him, so he rallied and resolved to be a humble little rabbit from now on, and then continued his journey.
His second stop was the home of Little Gray Rabbit and Little Black Rabbit. Grandpa Rabbit gave each of them a cartload of carrots.
The little gray rabbit was overjoyed. He thought he would have an endless supply of carrots and wouldn't have to work anymore, and that Grandpa would definitely give him more when he ran out. The little black rabbit, however, thought that the carrots Grandpa gave him could be used to grow new carrots, so he would have a continuous supply. Therefore, he asked the little rabbit to help him plant carrots…
As soon as Zhao Shuyi reached the door, she heard Xiao Liang's childish voice.
She discovered that Xiao Liang was exceptionally intelligent; he could recite almost everything she had explained to him verbatim.
Although he is not talkative, he is willing to study and has the potential to be a good student. It's just a pity that the next ten years will not be a good time for him to study, so his parents need to nurture him properly.
She stood at the door for a long time without disturbing the two people inside.
Zhao Shuyi only went inside after the child stopped.
She patted Xiao Liang's head and praised him generously, "Our Xiao Liang is so smart! You remembered everything after Auntie explained it only once. How can you be so amazing?"
Xiao Liang smiled a little shyly, then looked at Xia Mulan and smiled even more bashfully.
Xia Mulan seemed reluctant to radiate coldness towards the child, her expression gentle.
If Zhao Shuyi hadn't seen her dark face just two days ago because of her leg problem, she would have really thought she was a gentle person.
"Comrade Zhao, Xiao Liang told me that you drew this story?"
Zhao Shuyi nodded, "I thought there wasn't much fun for the child, and I didn't want to go to the city myself, it's too far and too roundabout, so I thought I'd draw some stories for him so he could learn to read by himself."
How long did it take you to draw these?
Zhao Shuyi's mind raced.
What's the meaning?
Could it be what she's thinking?
“Sister-in-law, you know I’m usually very busy. I have a lot of stories in my head, but I’m just too slow at drawing. I squeeze in time every day. Look, the children can already recite them backwards, but I still haven’t been able to draw the next part of the story.”
After she finished speaking, she looked at the other person with some trepidation.
Xia Mulan looked up, twitched the corner of her mouth, and said, "You saw through me."
Zhao Shuyi: "..."
So you noticed!
Since they had both figured out what the other person meant, Zhao Shuyi decided not to hide it anymore.
She asked, "Would you be willing to help with the drawing? You can come up with your own story, or I can provide you with some inspiration."
Xia Mulan thought for a moment and then said, "I want to hear your story."
Zhao Shuyi: "How about this? I'll provide you with text stories, and you can choose one from them. Writing a story is much faster than drawing one."
"Can."
When the other party agreed, Zhao Shuyi felt a strange sense of relief.
Perhaps this is a breakthrough.
Zhao Shuyi glanced at the other person's tightly covered lower body, but didn't dare to look any longer.
She wasn't entirely lying; she had indeed been very busy these past few days and hadn't had time to go out and look for herbs.
The scar removal cream I had planned to use seems to be a long way off.
She can't offer much physical help, so she'll focus on emotional support first.
Spiritual fulfillment is the most important thing.
"I'll go get you some paper and pen first. You can try it out. We can discuss the story content. Actually, you can draw not only for children, but also for soldiers in the army. You can draw some interesting content and submit it."
"I don't want to," Xia Mulan interrupted her, her attitude turning cold immediately.
Zhao Shuyi's smile faded as she realized she had inadvertently brought up a topic she shouldn't have.
Instead of apologizing, she automatically ignored the topic and said, "Would you be willing to draw some anti-abduction stories?"
Xia Mulan raised her lowered eyes, her gaze filled with a weariness and bitterness that shouldn't be present at her age.
Zhao Shuyi pretended not to notice and explained, "I knew a reporter before. She was almost abducted on a train in broad daylight. We talked a lot. She said she hoped to publish some related stories to help more people, but I was really too busy, so I didn't contact her."
Being busy was one thing, but Zhao Shuyi also had other concerns.
She worried that her future identity would become a target of attack and cause trouble, since the understanding of culture and art is subjective.
Xia Mulan is different; she is a hero, so no one dares to falsely accuse her or label her. She just needs to be careful.
"You can share your thoughts. My drawings aren't as cute as yours, but they're still okay."
Zhao Shuyi was somewhat surprised, as she rarely heard her affirm herself, but she didn't show it.
However, she herself is not very good at drawing; she just draws simple cartoon sketches, which are cute but lack technical skill.
Instead of grabbing paper and pen, she sat down and told the other person some stories she knew about preventing abduction and fraud.
After listening to her, Xia Mulan remained silent for a long time. "I'll give it a try."
"Okay." Zhao Shuyi felt that as long as there was any change, there was hope.
As a result, Xia Mulan gave her a big surprise.
The other person is not just good at drawing, her drawing skills can be described as divine.
At least Zhao Shuyi had never seen anyone in real life who could paint so well.
"Sister-in-law, you draw so well! Could you draw a picture of me and Xiaoliang? It doesn't need to be too complicated, just a few simple strokes. Draw us reading together, so we can keep it as a memento, okay?"
Xia Mulan nodded, and with a few quick strokes, she drew it.
It's so similar, not in terms of facial features, but in the overall feel.
Anyone who knows her and Xiao Liang will know that the drawing depicts the two of them.
"Sister-in-law, you're amazing! My drawing is like a college student and a kindergartener compared to yours. I'm going to take it back and hide it away."
"It's not that exaggerated."
"Yes!" Zhao Shuyi nudged the well-behaved Xiao Liang. "Xiao Liang, do you think Aunt Xia's drawing is beautiful?"
A small highlight, "Beautiful."
"Would you like to see Aunt Xia's beautifully drawn stories?"
"think."
Zhao Shuyi looked at Xia Mulan's painting again and said in a coquettish tone, "I want to."
Xia Mulan knew perfectly well that the girl was just trying to make her happy. She should harden her heart; she didn't want to cause trouble for others and hoped that everyone would stay away from her.
But there's just nothing she can do about these people.
How could you possibly be fierce to a child who comes in looking at you with such pitiful eyes?
Every word Zhao Shuyi said and every action she took was a way of comforting herself, while maintaining just the right balance. No matter how cold she was, Zhao Shuyi wouldn't get angry, and she wasn't an unreasonable person.
There's another one...
Thinking of that person, Xia Mulan suppressed the smile on her lips.
Zhao Shuyi paid attention to her emotions, only talking about things that made her happy, and immediately changing the subject when she saw that she was feeling down.
-
In the military office, Gu Yan, who had been promoted to deputy regimental commander, fell into deep thought as he looked at the letter sent from Beijing.
The letter contained information he had gathered from his investigation over the past six months regarding the Zhao family and related matters.
Gu Yan asked someone to help investigate not because he didn't believe what Zhao Shuyi told him, but because he was worried that their arrangements might not be thorough enough given the changing situation.
Now that Zhao Shuyi is his wife, he should consider her and her family more.
Furthermore, according to Zhao Shuyi, someone wants to harm the Zhao family, and she suspects that Gao Zhiyun is behind it. He definitely wants to find out the truth about these things.
What did he see?
The Gao family was reported, and coincidentally, it happened on the same day Zhao Shuyi left Beijing.
Along with the Gao family, another person was also reported. That person was Zhao Shuyi's best friend. Did Zhao Shuyi know about this?
With mixed feelings, Gu Yan returned home.
When he got home, he could smell a sour and spicy aroma even before he reached the gate of the yard.
His wife is really getting more and more used to the tastes of Yunnan Province.
The tangy and spicy aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water.
If he wasn't mistaken, these were the mixed mushrooms from the mountain that he had bought this morning.
It smells delicious.
Gu Yan temporarily put aside his doubts and pushed open the courtyard gate to go inside.
When he returned home, Tsai Ming-liang was as enthusiastic as ever, running over to hug his leg as soon as he saw him.
"Uncle Gu".
Gu Yan picked him up and asked, "What did you do today?"
Tsai Ming-liang pointed into the room.
"What?"
"in."
The kid is already getting creative.
Gu Yan followed the direction of his finger and saw a painting on the desk in the room.
The painting depicts two people reading a book, one older and one younger; they are clearly Zhao Shuyi and Xiao Liang.
Why not include him?
"Did Auntie draw this?"
Tsai Ming-liang nodded and then shook his head.
"What does this mean, yes or no?"
"It was drawn by Aunt Xia."
Gu Yan was quite surprised, "Aunt Xia from next door?"
Tsai Ming-liang then nodded firmly.
Gu Yan looked at the painting thoughtfully for a while before putting it down and carrying the child into the kitchen.
He felt that his wife might actually be able to help the organization solve a major problem.
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