Chapter 446 Qi Moxun is my father
When the iron gate of the kindergarten opened, Xuanyuan Ge was standing under the old camphor tree.
The setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting tiny spots of light on the trouser legs of his custom-made suit.
Most of the parents who came to pick up their children were wearing sneakers and windbreakers.
In his hand was a kettle printed with cartoon patterns, and between his fingertips was a black leather handbag, the corners of which were as crisp as an unopened brick.
It just... feels a bit out of place.
He looked around and then at himself.
There was a hint of embarrassment in his expression.
He began to doubt himself.
Would dressing like this embarrass the child?
Xunxun was walking at the end of the team, carrying a backpack with a dinosaur pattern. Chen Hanxing had an unexpected meeting today, so he asked Han Lingcui to help look after her.
Han Lingcui knew that Xuanyuan Pavilion was coming.
As a mother, although she knew that she would no longer be destined to be with this man, he was still Xunxun's father, and she didn't want her child to lose his father's love like this.
So, let Xunxun decide for herself.
…
The five-year-old boy stopped and looked over the crowd at Xuanyuan Ge.
He didn't rush over like other children, but just stood there, his fingers unconsciously picking at the dinosaur teeth on his schoolbag.
"Xunxun."
Xuanyuan Ge walked towards him, his voice an octave softer than at the board meeting, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
"Miss Shen said you wanted to do pottery today? I know there's a studio nearby."
Xunxun raised her head, and her eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids.
His eyes were like Han Lingcui's, with light brown pupils, but he had the same calm expression as Shen Hanxing.
"The teacher said we can't just follow others."
His voice was crisp, yet filled with unquestionable seriousness. "But Mom said you can go if you promise to take me home before seven."
Xuanyuan Ge's Adam's apple rolled slightly.
"I promise."
He stretched out his hand, wanting to help Xunxun take off her schoolbag, but stopped in mid-air.
Last time at the kindergarten gate, he wanted to hold the child's hand, but Xunxun dodged as if burned, with her little brows tightly furrowed.
"Qi... Dad said we can't hold hands with people we don't know well."
Xunxun took off her schoolbag and handed it over.
The backpack strap was a bit long, so he tiptoed to lift it up, revealing the bulging bag of drawing paper inside.
"I made a mask in craft class today, and the teacher said it looked like Black Panther."
He paused and added, "Dad likes Black Panther the most. He says Black Panther is very powerful and very quiet."
Xuanyuan Ge took the schoolbag and found it heavier than he had imagined.
He looked down and found an Ultraman pendant in the net pocket on the side.
One of its arms was missing, probably repaired by Qi Moxun. It was wrapped with transparent tape several times, and it became a unique mark.
The pottery studio is in an old alley, and the bluestone pavement is shiny from being trampled on.
Xuanyuan Ge was walking in front and heard the sound of searching footsteps behind him. They were small but steady, not jumping around like other children.
Unexpectedly, the child is so young.
But very calm.
He is very much like the heir of Xuanyuan family.
At this moment, he suddenly understood Jiang Shutong's thoughts.
Anyone who sees Xunxun can't help but like this child.
I want this child to stay with me.
“The potter’s wheel here is for children only.”
The shop owner was a young girl wearing glasses. She smiled and waved at Xunxun. "The little rabbit Mr. Qi brought you here to make last time is still in the kiln. Would you like to see the semi-finished product?"
Xunxun's eyes lit up, but she turned to look at Xuanyuan Pavilion first, as if to confirm her authority.
This understanding beyond his years was like a fine needle, gently piercing Xuanyuan Ge's heart. He nodded: "Go, I'll wait here."
The owner lowered his voice as the child ran towards the display.
"Mr. Qi comes every week and helps the children make pottery and paint. Sometimes he just sits by the window for an entire afternoon, watching the children play."
She paused, looking at Xuanyuan Pavilion, "Are you... a relative of Xunxun?"
"I am his father."
Xuanyuan Pavilion's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the clay powder floating in the air.
The owner was stunned.
Although the gossipy heart is already stirring.
But I still held back
It's just too hard to endure.
Xuanyuan Pavilion looked at Xunxun's back.
The child was standing on tiptoe to reach the semi-finished product at the bottom of the display stand, his little arms stretched straight, his schoolbag thrown on the rattan chair next to him, and his dinosaur tail raised high.
The sunlight shone in through the dormer window, giving his body a gilded edge, like a wet oil painting.
"What are we doing today?"
Xunxun ran back holding the half-formed rabbit. The clay rubbed a little dust on his nose. "The teacher said that before throwing a potter's wheel, you have to practice kneading the clay first."
Xuanyuan Ge followed him to the workbench and clumsily picked up a piece of gray clay.
When his fingers touched the cold, moist mud, he suddenly remembered that Han Lingcui always said that his "hands that are used to holding a pen cannot do rough work."
At that time, she was sitting on the carpet in his office, cutting her finger while removing the tape from a package. He pinched her fingertip and applied iodine, but she laughed at him for being "more nervous than a doctor performing surgery."
“Rub it like this.”
Xunxun placed her small hand on the clay, palm facing downward, and drew circles with her wrist. "Dad Qi said we need to get the bubbles out, otherwise it will explode when it's fired."
Xuanyuan Pavilion imitated him, but ended up molding the clay into crooked shapes.
Xunxun smiled with her lips pursed, her eyes curved into crescents, but she didn't laugh like the other children did. She just picked up the clay in his hand and said, "I'll teach you."
The child's palm was warm, covering the back of his hand like a docile little animal.
Xuanyuan Ge paused for a moment, and let the small hand guide his big hand to turn the clay.
The mud gradually became smooth under the hands of the two men, like a tamed cloud.
"alright."
Xunxun loosened his grip, looked at the round ball of clay, and nodded like a little adult, "You can start throwing the pottery."
The potter's wheel started to turn, making a slight buzzing sound.
Xunxun stood on a small stool, his little hands stained with clay, concentrating on holding the two sides of the clay piece, and gently lifting it up with his fingertips.
Xuanyuan Ge stood by and watched the lump of mud slowly rise in the child's hands and turn into a crooked cylinder.
"Is this a cup?" he asked.
"It's a pen holder for Mom."
Xunxun's nose was stained with dust again. "Mom's pen is always messy."
Xuanyuan Pavilion was silent.
"Do you want to try it?" Xunxun turned her head to look at him, there was no rejection in her eyes, only a calm invitation.
Xuanyuan Ge stepped onto another bench, and his suit pants were stretched tight when he sat down.
He imitated Xunxun's way of holding the clay, but just as he was about to apply force, the clay ball tilted to one side like a spoiled child.
Xunxun sighed and shook his head like a little adult: "Be gentle, like petting a kitten."
He held Xuanyuan Ge's hand again, a little harder this time, almost pressing his fingers into the right position.
"Yes, just like that, slowly going up..."
The child's voice was childish, but it revealed unquestionable seriousness.
"Don't worry, my dad Qi messed up the first time too. He made the mud into pancakes."
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