Chapter 128 Toothache
Unlike ordinary painters, the young man sketched the outlines of the three people briefly, telling them they could relax, and then gradually added the details.
He was very quick; in less than half an hour, he had handed the portrait to the three of them.
Wei Li was slightly displeased when he saw this, "It's clearly not exactly the same."
Zhao Xiheng secretly pinched his waist to shut him up.
No one in this world can perfectly recreate things exactly as they were. It's already quite impressive that it captures both the spirit and the form in such a short time, and it's free.
To be honest, this young man's drawing is already quite good. The character's features are clear, and although the lines are simple, they are very vivid.
The young man bowed repeatedly, saying, "My skills are still lacking, please excuse my poor performance."
"Sir, you are so young, yet your painting skills are already remarkable. Given time, you will surely achieve great things," Zhao Xiheng praised him with a smile, making the young man blush.
Wei Li nudged Zhi Zhi's waist, as if understanding, and struggled to find Zhao Xi Heng to hug her, making it impossible for her to talk to the young man.
He did it on purpose; he's an ingrate; he just didn't want Zhao Xiheng to chat happily with other men.
Realizing he had perhaps disturbed the family, the young man quickly packed up his things and said goodbye, "I hope to have the opportunity to paint for you again sometime. I'll take my leave now."
Zhao Xiheng hurriedly calmed the child down, then nodded hastily, "Goodbye, sir."
Once everyone left, Zhizhi stopped making a fuss, obediently biting her finger and looking at Wei Li.
Wei Li turned his head away, as if to say, "Don't look at me, I don't know anything."
"You think you're so capable? She kindly painted for our family, did you instigate her to cause trouble?" Zhao Xiheng pinched his waist hard again.
When muscles are relaxed, they are not hard. Wei Li was caught off guard and was pinched right in the face, causing him to gasp.
"So what if I was the one who encouraged him?" He was exposed, so he simply gave up and said, "Who told you to joke around with him and praise him for his unlimited potential? Can't you spend more time praising me instead?"
Wei Li was initially very firm, but later her tone became weaker and weaker, "It was clearly just the two of us who came to have fun, and it was fine if we brought Zhizhi along, but you still have to give your time to that kid."
"So what if painting is free? He's standing on my land, and his sky is under my roof..."
Oh no! Zhao Xiheng looked around, covered Zhizhi's eyes, tiptoed, and gave him a light, quick kiss on the lips. "Is that okay?"
Wei Li's voice stopped abruptly. He subconsciously twirled the grass on the ground with his toes, then looked at the sky, suddenly covered Zhi Zhi's eyes, and leaned down to kiss her.
"Actually, that kid's drawing is quite good," Wei Li said softly after the two parted ways.
He's just jealous. Everyone in the world can write and draw, except him.
How could Zhao Xiheng not understand his little scheme?
He slapped him on the forehead and said, "You're quite something."
She didn't expect him to be skilled in every martial art; he's a human, not a god.
After the painting dried, it was hung in a place in the room where it could be seen at a glance.
Wei Li specially found a nail and hammered it in himself. He looked at it from a distance and was very satisfied that it wasn't crooked.
This was the first time their whole family had their portraits painted. They were all neatly arranged, dressed in matching clothes under a pink and white peach tree. The more you looked at them, the more endearing they became. "How about we paint another one together next year?"
"Great!" Zhao Xiheng also liked this kind of warm and cozy thing.
“Then draw one every year.” Wei Li held up the claw hammer, thought for a moment, and then made the request.
As I said before, he'll live to be a hundred at most, so of course he'll paint portraits with Zhao Xiheng every year. He won't leave them to Zhizhi; he'll take them all to his coffin so he can look at them every day even as a ghost.
Spring planting has begun this year. Shen Du'an, as the newly appointed Registrar of Pingzhou, has written down in detail the planting method of rice, ducks and fish coexisting, and then circulated it to various counties for implementation. He also visits various counties from time to time to inspect and provide guidance.
The girls' school at the foot of the mountain was completed in February of this year. Although Wei Li was stingy and wanted to save money for Zhi Zhi, he still had considerable assets and was not stingy with the investment in the construction of the girls' school. Therefore, the newly built girls' school was particularly lavish, after all, Zhi Zhi would be studying here in the future.
Sun Zhaoxun's appointment as Taichang Doctor and headmistress of the Women's Academy undoubtedly gave all the women in Pingzhou a great boost. They sent their children there, hoping that their daughters could achieve success like the men.
As for the matter of borrowing people from Hua Shang Le to mine coal, there has been progress, and this winter, we will be able to use coal mined by Pingzhou itself.
It was probably because Wei Li and Zhao Xiheng kept urging Zhizhi to speak, putting too much pressure on her. She was not very familiar with saying "Father" and "Mother" and got them mixed up, sometimes calling out "ya mum" instead.
The situation in Qingzhou is not good. Wang Fengjiang was assassinated by his younger brother, and a new round of struggle has begun for the throne of Qingzhou. To be honest, if Wei Li wants Qingzhou, this is indeed a good opportunity. If Youzhou hadn't declined and Jizhou hadn't been weak, and Wei Li hadn't been temporarily unable to get away, Qingzhou wouldn't have been safe and sound until now.
But he couldn't bear to leave his wife and children at home. He could tell the difference between his family and that small, run-down place, and he made a promise not to go out for the next few years.
But opportunity knocks but once, and Zhao Xiheng knew this well. That night, she hooked Wei Li's finger around hers.
Wei Li understood what she meant, and without raising her head or struggling, she said, "I'm not going. If I go, I won't be able to come back for a month."
“Once this period is over and Qingzhou settles down, there will be no more opportunities to take advantage of you. You will be away for more than a month,” Zhao Xiheng continued to persuade.
Wei Li suddenly opened his eyes, turned over to face her, and pouted, "I still don't want to leave."
He was struggling with this decision. If he could conquer Qingzhou, he could take Zhao Xiheng and Zhizhi to see the osmanthus blossoms this autumn, incorporate the military households of Qingzhou into his own forces, and fight against the Xianbei sooner. But he was reluctant to give it up.
But Zhao Xiheng was right. Now was a good time. During the hurricane, Wang Fengjiang did not take precautions or appease him, which had already severely damaged Qingzhou. Now that the struggle for the throne is fierce, he can take over most of Qingzhou in less than two months while minimizing the casualties of his soldiers.
Wei Li finally understood why some people become indecisive and effeminate after they have a family and children. Reason and emotion are sometimes in conflict.
"Let me think about it some more." He rolled around like a pancake, from one end of the kang to the other, his hair a mess, pressed against the soft pillow. "Zhizhi is six and a half months pregnant now. If I hurry, I'll be back when she's seven and a half. The rest will be handled by Chen Ruojiang and the others..."
He felt it was a good method.
Wei Li counted on her fingers, then felt annoyed again.
He was heartbroken when he was separated from Zhao Xiheng for several months last time. Now that Zhao Shiliu is here, he is doubly heartbroken. But if Zhao Shiliu grows up a little more, he still won't want to leave.
He opened his arms wide towards Zhao Xiheng, "Come here, wife, give me a hug."
Go quickly and come back quickly. If it really doesn't work out, and you don't want to anyway, just run back in a couple of days.
Zhao Xiheng snuggled into his arms. "Mmm, I'll hold you for a while." When he comes back, Zhizhi will definitely call for him.
Wei Li kissed her cheeks several times.
People are more impulsive at night. Once he made up his mind, Wei Li's defenses were breached again the next day when Zhi Zhi came running over to drink milk.
If they don't want to leave, can't Qingzhou take the initiative and merge with them themselves?
But between going for a month and going for who knows how many months, Wei Li could only reluctantly choose to go for a month. When he came back a month later, Zhi Zhi shouldn't have changed too much... right?
To minimize the sadness of parting, he deliberately chose to leave while Zhizhi was sleeping. Zhao Xiheng couldn't wait to kick him out, saying, "Hurry up and go, stop dawdling, come back soon."
To be honest, his trip was to quell a rebellion, not to fight a war, so there was no danger and she wasn't too worried.
Wei Li, shameless as ever, left a big kiss on her face. "I'm leaving now, I'll be right back. Think of me often, don't forget about me while you're busy taking care of the kids."
"You're only going for a month, do you really need to give me so many instructions? Just go!"
He was more boisterous than Zhao Zhizhi. Once he left, the huge house felt exceptionally empty. Zhao Xiheng looked at Zhizhi sleeping peacefully and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and unease.
She poked Zhizhi's little face and whispered, "Get up, you're making a fuss."
Dog Egg's two kittens were left behind, the little black cat with a white head named Baldy. It trotted in, curled up in a sunny spot, and basked in the sun. Dog Egg and his wife were nowhere to be seen; after all, spring had arrived, and it was the season for animals…
My baby is less than six months old and doesn't have this sweet trouble yet.
The baby in the cradle, the kitten sleeping, life was peaceful and serene, but the more peaceful it was, the more heartbroken and distressed Zhao Xiheng felt.
When Zhizhi woke up, she turned over and saw her mother beside her. She didn't find it strange, since Wei Li was often not home during the day, but he would definitely come back before sunset.
It was almost lunchtime, and Zhizhi and Tutu were perched on the windowsill, peering through the glass window, waiting for Wei Li to return.
Zhao Xiheng looked at Zhizhi's round little bottom, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Zhizhi, eat rice porridge."
Hearing her voice, Zhizhi turned around, made two "ah ah" sounds, and then pointed outside, "ya ya!"
She was probably asking why Wei Li hadn't returned yet, and that she wanted to wait for her father to come back for dinner.
Children have short memory spans, but if they repeat the same thing over and over again, it can form a habit. For example, when eating rice cereal, there is always a man next to them.
Zhao Xiheng couldn't hold back any longer; her eyes reddened, and she wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
If Wei Li goes to fight in another place in the future, and Zhi Zhi can run and jump by then, she should stand at the door waiting for him and ask him why her father hasn't come back yet.
The thought of this scene made Zhao Xiheng feel even more heartbroken.
I'm so miserable, when will this ever end?
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