Chapter 127 Painting
Zhao Xiheng clapped her hands and, speaking slowly and deliberately, taught Zhizhi to speak, "Baby, learn from me."
Zhizhi looked up at Zhao Xiheng's face, her dark, bright eyes blinking rapidly.
"Father, Father..."
Zhao Xiheng did not mean that she did not want Zhizhi to call her "Mother" first.
But Wei Li would be very jealous, wouldn't he? Considering his pregnancy, during which he suffered from vomiting and depression, she reluctantly gave him Zhi Zhi's first time with someone.
Zhao Xiheng leaned closer to Zhizhi and, with exaggerated mouthing, repeated, "Ah-ye~"
Zhizhi looked at her mother, clapped her hands to indicate that she knew how to do it, and then opened her mouth, "Ya ya~"
She has four tiny, round teeth, just beginning to emerge. She drools when she talks, but she's very cute.
Zhao Xiheng rubbed Zhizhi's face, which was as round as a glutinous rice dumpling, and wiped her drool. "No, it's Daddy!"
I've been learning for over a month now. When Zhizhi was six months old, she would yell "ya ya ya ya" at Wei Li endlessly.
Now, at over seven months old, she's still just babbling.
Zhao Xiheng repeated it several times. Zhizhi was very patient with her mother and kept following her, "Ya ya ya ya".
Suddenly, Zhizhi's eyes lit up, and she shouted at the top of her lungs behind Zhao Xiheng, "Ya ya!"
Zhao Xiheng was startled and turned around to see Wei Li entering.
His hair was still wet, he had just taken a shower, and his whole body was steaming with white vapor. He was wearing a long cloth on his head. When he saw the mother and daughter looking at him, he subconsciously blinked and took the cloth off his head.
Being so slovenly set a bad example for the child. Wei Li tugged at his collar to cover the tattoo. "What's she babbling about?"
Zhao Xiheng never taught Zhizhi how to greet people in front of Wei Li. She didn't want Wei Li to know that she had secretly taught Zhizhi, so that when Zhizhi called him, she wouldn't feel any surprise!
Although Wei Li always calls Zhi Zhi a little rascal, and Zhi Zhi never asks Wei Li to hug her, the two of them still have a very good relationship.
Every afternoon at a certain time, Zhizhi would be bent over and leaning against the window waiting for Wei Li to come back. If Wei Li didn't come back, she would have a long face with a pout. Wei Li would complain about her, but at the same time, he would hold her and refuse to let go.
"She's just yelling nonsense. You keep an eye on her. I'm going to take a shower." She didn't want to explain further, afraid of giving herself away, and hurriedly went to the stall.
Zhizhi stared at Wei Li, then exclaimed, "Ya ya, ya ya."
Wei Li picked her up and nibbled at her cheek, "What are you yelling about again?"
Zhizhi struggled, but her father's body was stiff and not as comfortable as her mother's embrace. She kept calling out, "Nannan! Nannan!"
Wei Li picked her up and tossed her around in the air a few times before she started giggling.
"I've been teaching you for so long, why are you still mumbling? Are you that stupid?" Wei Li put her down, checked that Zhao Xiheng was indeed not behind him, and instructed her word by word, "It's Mother!"
"Muttering!"
...Wei Li was so angry that he paced around the room, extremely agitated.
But then he thought, if Zhao Xiheng knew that Zhizhi would call her first, she would probably be overjoyed. With that thought in mind, he suppressed his temper and taught Zhizhi to speak while keeping an eye on whether Zhao Xiheng would come out or not.
"Nan nan!" History repeats itself. Zhi Zhi stared intently at Wei Li's back, and this time it was Wei Li's turn to tremble.
Sure enough, Zhao Xiheng appeared. Wei Li coughed twice and began to pretend, "Zhao Shiliu, the first person you should call out to is me, understand? I am your father!"
He couldn't let Zhao Xiheng know that Zhao Shiliu's first call of her name was the result of someone deliberately guiding her, otherwise the surprise wouldn't be as great!
Zhao Xiheng smacked his head. "Stop calling me Zhao Shiliu all the time, it sounds awful!"
Wei Li protested, rubbing his head, "Isn't her name Zhao Shiliu?"
Zhizhi sat on the mattress, drooling and making incessant "ya ya" noises.
Wei Li cupped Zhao Xiheng's hair and frantically rubbed it dry for her, only to be met with her dissatisfaction: "I'll dry it myself."
"No need to be so polite, I'll wipe it for you."
Zhao Xiheng slapped his hand away, "Who's being polite with you? You've made my hair all frizzy, it'll get tangled in a minute."
Is she such a polite person?
Wei Li had no choice but to give up and sat down sullenly to the side, propping his chin up as he watched her dry her hair, occasionally handing her a comb and hair oil. "Chen Ruojiang said that the cherry blossoms and pear blossoms are in bloom, on a small hill not far away. It only takes an hour by carriage to get there. They are very beautiful, and many young lovers have gone to play there."
He wanted to go too!
"I'm free recently, are you free?" Zhao Xiheng was a little tempted.
"Yes, yes." He nodded. What could be more important than watching the flowers with his wife once a year?
Even if he lives to be a hundred, he will only have seventy-nine years left. In this lifetime, he can only watch the flowers bloom for seventy-nine seasons with Zhao Xiheng.
Flowers in this world, each time you see them, you see one less time.
"Shall we go together tomorrow or the day after?"
"Okay, okay." Wei Li thought to himself that he would pick out a few of the prettiest flowers for her to wear, "How about we wear matching outfits?"
When dignitaries travel, the mountain is usually sealed off, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. But Wei Li doesn't want that. Who would he and Zhao Xiheng be showing off in those clothes? He can put flowers in Zhao Xiheng's hair without anyone seeing it.
"Then we need to bring diapers for Zhizhi, a small pot of warm water..." Zhao Xiheng counted on her fingers. Sure enough, there were many more things to consider when traveling after having a child.
Wei Li's smile crumbled, just like Zhi Zhi who had been waiting for her father to come home for so long. "Why did you bring her? Wouldn't it be better if the two of us played together?"
If Zhizhi cries or wets herself, the scene won't be pleasant to imagine.
"Are there parents who would abandon their children to go play? That's so irresponsible."
Wei Li wanted to say something more, but Zhao Xiheng's threatening gaze made him swallow his words.
His lips were so pouty they could practically hang an oil lamp on them. Sometimes, he really wanted to shove little Zhao Shiliu back in, regretting his youthful ignorance. If only…
"Yay!" Zhizhi, still half asleep, held up her little toy and gave it to Wei Li.
Children can sense adults' emotions.
Looking at the cloth tiger in his arms, Wei Li suddenly felt a lump in his throat and his eyes welled up with tears.
He never said anything like "put Zhao Zhizhi back" again.
The flowering season is so short, the family of three couldn't wait to pack their things and go to the small hill full of cherry blossoms and pear blossoms the very next day.
It was spring planting season, so there weren't too many people enjoying the flowers and sightseeing. Most of the visitors were couples, parents with their children, and a few artists were there to sketch.
The warm spring breeze and the babbling brook create a beautiful scene.
The air is filled with the delicate fragrance of cherry blossoms and pear blossoms.
In the unfamiliar environment, Zhizhi no longer resisted Wei Li's hug and subconsciously hugged his neck tightly.
The family of three looked wealthy, seemed to have a good relationship, and were all good-looking.
Hmm... this combination is quite eye-catching.
Wei Li glanced at a tree, then grabbed one of its flowering branches, preparing to pluck a branch for Zhao Xiheng to wear.
If possible, I'd also like to give Zhizhi a couple of flowers to tuck into her short, bushy hair...
He couldn't help Zhizhi with his left arm, so he pulled down hard with his right hand. The entire branch trembled and tilted, and the flowers fell all over them like rain.
A beautiful woman amidst a shower of flowers—such a scene is beautiful, but it's also rather silly.
Wei Li looked around and, seeing that there weren't many people, explained to Zhao Xiheng, "I just wanted to pick a branch."
He let go, and the branch bounced upwards, sending up another shower of blossoms.
Once is already quite foolish, twice is downright foolish.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wei Li stood up straight, but his ears turned a barely perceptible red.
He raised his hand, gathered the few flowers that had fallen on Zhao Xiheng's head, and then carefully placed them one by one in her hair. He then pinned the last flower to Zhizhi's temple.
Zhao Xiheng stood under the tree with him, feeling a little embarrassed and blushing, and patted the flowers off him.
A young man in a blue robe and turban secretly glanced at them several times. He was fair-skinned with a slightly pointed nose, as if he wanted to go up and talk to them, but he didn't dare to.
"What are you doing, sneaking around like that?" Wei Li frowned, pulled him out, and scolded him.
There are also those who become angry and embarrassed when outsiders see them doing something foolish.
The young man bowed hastily, saying in a flustered tone, "I'm... I'm sorry..." He continued, his voice slightly stiff, "My name is Liu Heling, and I'm a painter. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I apologize for disturbing your family, but I would like to request permission to paint a portrait of you. I apologize for my rudeness, and I hope you will forgive me..."
He bowed again with great sincerity.
"Aren't you from here?" Zhao Xiheng felt that the young man spoke stiffly, and his language and mannerisms were unlike those of a person from the Great Zhou.
Liu Heling nodded, "Yes, I came by boat from the other side of the sea to study painting in this land. The teachers here are all very good. I admire the culture here and hope to live here."
Did they come from the other side by boat?
Those were the Japanese.
Pingzhou has a diverse population, with many people from other countries settling there.
To avoid being looked down upon, these people often change their names to Han Chinese names.
Wei Li didn't care where he was from; he retorted, "Painting? You said you'd paint for us?"
"Yes!" the young man nodded earnestly. "Please give me this opportunity, I beg you!"
"Do you need money?" That was all Wei Li cared about.
"No, no, no, of course it's free. I cherish the opportunity to paint for everyone. The teacher said it's a good experience for me." The young man bowed to them again.
After receiving approval, he untied the book box behind him and took out all his tools.
The three people sat under a lush cherry blossom tree, surrounded by fallen petals and green grass, creating a scene of serene beauty.
Wei Li, who had never been painted before, appears somewhat stiff and reserved. (qingchang)
Once the young man was ready, he called out to them, "I'm going to begin!"
Zhao Xiheng tugged at Wei Li's sleeve, "Relax a bit." She tried to start a conversation with him, "Did you often encounter people from the East or the Xianbei in Pingzhou before?"
Wei Li then gradually relaxed her facial muscles and replied, "There used to be some, but fewer. Recently, it seems there are more. Many of them came here after the hurricane and have settled down. Some have also come here to study. Chen Ruojiang said he has received a lot more travel permits recently."
As long as there are no bad intentions, it is good.
Zhao Xiheng breathed a sigh of relief. When a place is peaceful and stable, it will naturally attract people from other places. This can probably be considered a sign that Pingzhou is getting better and better.
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