Every morning after the successful golden wedding banquet, when the first rays of sunlight gently fell on the Jiang family's tranquil and warm courtyard, Jiang Yan would always appear in the courtyard on time to begin his daily sugar painting practice. The small courtyard seemed like a palace of art. The grandchildren, like a flock of cheerful little birds, brought small stools and gathered around Jiang Yan, their eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation, watching intently as he used a copper spoon to unleash his creativity on the stone slab, drawing all kinds of wonderful patterns.
"Grandpa, let's draw a dragon today!" Xiaotang's clear voice rang out like a silver bell. She waved her hands excitedly, her eyes full of longing for the dragon. In her imagination, the dragon was a majestic and divine creature that soared through the clouds. How fun it would be to see Grandpa draw a dragon so lifelike.
"No, draw a phoenix!" Nianzu immediately retorted, his voice filled with a hint of urgency, "The phoenix is so beautiful, Grandpa, please draw a phoenix!" In Nianzu's heart, the phoenix symbolizes beauty and auspiciousness. The colorful feathers and elegant posture deeply attracted him.
Jiang Yan watched the two little guys bickering, their faces flushed with anger. He couldn't help but smile and shake his head, his eyes full of doting. He said gently, "Today, Grandpa will draw something different. I'll draw your grandma."
"What does grandma look like?" Pan'er tilted her head curiously, her eyes full of doubt. In her innocent world, grandma had always been the kind and loving elder, but she had never imagined that grandma would appear on the slate in the form of a sugar painting.
Jiang Yan smiled, his eyes becoming more gentle. He gently turned his wrist, and the copper spoon in his hand seemed to be endowed with magic. Amber sugar syrup slowly flowed out along the tip of the spoon, drawing a graceful figure on the stone slab. The figure outlined by the sugar thread was graceful, and the kingfisher hairpin in her hair was even more lifelike, as if swaying gently in the breeze. "Your grandmother is like this, there is always light in her eyes, like a flying phoenix. In my heart, she has always been the most beautiful." Jiang Yan's voice was soft and firm, and every word was filled with deep love for Su Jinli.
Su Jinli stood quietly in the corridor, taking in the entire scene. Listening to Jiang Yan's description of her, her heart was filled with sweetness, as if enveloped by a warm current. Fifty years had passed, and time had left its mark on their faces, but Jiang Yan's love for her had not diminished in the slightest. He still held her in his heart, like a rare treasure.
Grandchildren learning to paint: inheritance in sugar painting
"Grandpa, I want to draw too!" Xiaotang raised her hands high, her eyes full of desire. She couldn't wait to try and create magical patterns with sugar syrup like her grandfather.
Jiang Yan smiled and handed her a small copper spoon, reminding her, "Be careful of the heat, take your time." He knew very well that children are curious about the unknown, and was happy to guide them to explore.
Xiaotang carefully scooped up a spoonful of sugar syrup and, imitating her grandfather, tried to draw her imaginary phoenix on the slate. However, the sugar syrup didn't seem to obey her command, and the resulting lines were crooked and far from the phoenix she had imagined. "Grandpa, my phoenix looks like an earthworm!" Xiaotang exclaimed in frustration, looking at her "work."
Jiang Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing. He said affectionately, "It's just like the one your grandma drew back then! The one your grandma drew back then wasn't very good either."
At this time, Su Jinli walked over with a smile, gently pinched Xiaotang's face, and said, "Grandma's dragons back then looked like earthworms! But, this is just the beginning. You'll get better with more practice."
"So grandma can't draw well either!" Nianzu opened his mouth in surprise. In his mind, grandma had always been omnipotent, but he didn't expect that grandma also had bad drawing skills.
"Of course," Su Jinli raised her eyebrows slightly, with encouragement in her eyes, "That's why you want to learn from grandpa. As long as you work hard, you will be able to draw beautifully one day."
Jiang Yan and Su Jinli smiled at each other as they watched their grandchildren diligently learning to paint sugar paintings. Their gazes met, and it felt as if they had traveled fifty years back to that youthful and beautiful afternoon. Back then, they had bonded over a sugar painting. Now, that small sugar painting had become a family legacy, a testament to their undying love and a symbol of their beautiful hopes for their grandchildren.
Filial Piety: The Tenderness of the Abacus and the Sword
Recently, Si Yan was thinking about preparing a special gift for his parents. He took great pains to create a sugar-painted phoenix out of pure gold and happily presented it to Su Jinli.
"Mother, look at this golden phoenix! It's even more precious than the real thing!" Si Yan said proudly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation for his mother's praise. He felt that a phoenix made of such precious materials would surely make his mother happy.
Su Jinli looked at the glittering golden phoenix, but gently pushed it back, saying, "Vague! No matter how valuable it is, it can't compare to the sugar phoenixes your father painted. In my heart, every sugar painting your father made is filled with deep affection, which can't be bought with any amount of money."
Nian Li couldn't help laughing and said, "Si Yan, don't waste your energy. Mother only has Dad's sugar paintings in her heart. After so many years, you still don't understand Mother."
Siyan touched the abacus in his hand aggrievedly and muttered, "I just want to show my filial piety..." He really didn't understand why his mother didn't like the gift he had carefully prepared.
"Filial piety can't be calculated with money," Su Jinli tapped his abacus lightly and said earnestly, "It has to be felt with the heart and expressed with actions."
Jiang Yan nodded in agreement: "Your mother is right. The value of a gift is not about the price, but the thought behind it."
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