Chapter 119 Plant Dyeing

Zhang Yuandong really felt that his children might have changed at some point. They were so cute when they were little, but why are they so annoying now?

This feeling reached its peak after Xiao Liu successfully tricked them into calling him "Dad" with a piece of White Rabbit candy. He looked expressionlessly at his two children surrounding his correspondent and performing the "fatherly love and filial piety" act. In his heart, the veins on his cheeks were clearly visible from the grinding of his teeth. He thought he shouldn't have brought this brat back home after get off work.

He was just about to call the two children back when he saw Lingling secretly turning her head and looking at him with a cunning look. He was stunned for a moment. This expression showed that she was up to something bad!

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard Lingling say with a smile: "Since you are our father, do you have to play games with us?"

Xiao Liu raised his wrist to check his watch. Seeing that it was only a little after ten o'clock, he smiled and said, "Of course you can, but not for too long. I still have to go to the cafeteria to get food."

"That's fine. My mom said today is National Day and she's made some delicious food. You can just come to my house for lunch!"

Xiao Liu didn't take the child's words seriously, and jokingly agreed, then asked: "Then what game shall we play?"

Wanli pointed to an empty space downstairs and said, "Let's have a competition to see who is stronger! Let's have a stone moving competition. Whoever moves the stone here first wins! But Lingling and I are too young, so we can form a team of two and you can form a team by yourself, okay?"

When Xiao Liu heard this, he thought it was quite simple and agreed readily. But he didn't expect that the "stones" the two children were talking about were actually the stone tables and stone benches not far away.

He had heard that the two children were very strong, but he didn't take it seriously. After all, they were just children. How strong could they be? But when he saw the two children lift a stone bench together and walk back effortlessly, he was stunned!

This stone bench must weigh more than 20 kilograms. These two children are not even five years old, but they lifted it so easily. How much strength do they have to have? Seeing how relaxed they were, Xiao Liu even suspected that they didn't need two people to lift it. One person could easily lift it!

He tried moving another stone bench, and although he was able to lift it, it was already very strenuous for him to move forward with it, let alone move it as easily as the two of them did.

But men never give up. He forced himself to follow the two children and moved the stone bench over with great effort. The brother and sister applauded: "Little Liu's father is awesome! Little Liu's father is awesome! Little Liu's father is really strong. He can lift such a big stone by himself!"

Little Liu wiped the sweat off his forehead and pretended not to care: "Hey, no big deal! Your father is very strong!" Before he could finish boasting, he saw the two little radishes running to the other side, saying: "Then let's continue the game!"

After hearing this, Xiao Liu's legs went limp.

There is always a price to pay for bragging, and Xiao Liu realized this problem today. When he finished moving the second stone bench, his legs were shaking. Fortunately, there were only four stone benches and a stone table here, otherwise he would have made a fool of himself.

But he was proved to be too naive. After the two children saw that they had finished moving the stone benches, they started to think about the stone table. They used all kinds of sweet words to trick him into moving the big stone table with them. Little Liu shook his hands repeatedly. He really couldn't move it at all. Not to mention that he was so tired after moving two stone benches that he couldn't stand steadily. Even if he was in the best condition, he couldn't move it!

Xiao Lingling was still chattering: "Dad Xiao Liu, I know that stone table is very heavy. We will move it with you and not let you do it alone!" Xiao Liu was even more afraid. It would be fine if he couldn't lift it. If he lifted it and it suddenly fell down and hit him, he would not be responsible. He looked to Zhang for help many times, but got no response.

Lin Yue came down with a large wooden basin and saw Lingling and Wanli, two naughty kids, fooling Xiao Liu. She shouted, "Lingling, Wanli, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you to clean up there? Why did you move the stone pillar here?"

The two of them shrank their necks and whispered, "But this place is too dirty. Aunt Zhang and the others just left. There are not only melon seed shells but also thick phlegm here. We are afraid that you will find it dirty, so we want to move you to another place..."

Xiao Liu seized the opportunity and quickly said, "It's okay, it's okay. I'll clean it up here and it will be done in no time!" After saying that, he ran to find tools.

Lin Yue hit Zhang Yuandong lightly and said, "You two kids are bullying others and you don't do anything about it!"

Zhang Yuandong said sternly, "Their physical fitness is too weak. We need to tell their company commander to increase the intensity of future training."

Xiao Liu happened to pass by the couple. When he heard what they said, he staggered and almost fell.

After the area was cleaned, Lin Yue instructed Zhang Yuandong to move the stone benches back. Xiao Liu was annoyed when he saw the leader's effortless appearance but actually putting on a show. He even suspected that if the stone benches were not difficult to carry, he could really carry them one by one.

Lin Yue put the big wooden basin on the ground and said to Xiao Liu with a smile: "Xiao Liu, don't go to the cafeteria to eat today. Stay for lunch. I've cooked a lot of dishes. You can eat with us."

Xiao Liu already knew that his sister-in-law had good cooking skills, so when he heard about such a good thing, he agreed without hesitation.

Lin Yue didn't say anything more. She asked Zhang Yuandong to go back and take care of the two little ones. She spread one of Zhang Yuandong's torn raincoats on the stone table, and took out the cloth from the basin and spread it on top. This cloth was the defective cloth she bought last time. She planned to make a set of clothes for each of the children, and she had already cut the pieces.

Xu Xiaodi looked down from the corridor on the third floor and saw that Lin Yue had already started to prepare. She called out to Lin Yue loudly from upstairs: "Wait for me, I'll be downstairs right now, don't start yet!"

After saying that, she hurried downstairs. When Lu Zhiguo heard what his wife did, he was so scared that he ran out of the house and chased after her, reminding her from behind: "Go slowly, I'll help you walk!"

Seeing Xu Xiaodi coming downstairs, Lin Yue smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm waiting for you." He turned around and took out two small aluminum basins from the big wooden basin. They were filled with flowers and leaves picked by the two children in the morning, soaked in alum water.

There are no other flowers in this season, and the most common ones are chrysanthemums. Lin Yue smiled and said, "Mom wants to put autumn on your clothes, where should we start? Then let's print this chrysanthemum on Lingling's skirt first!"

Ling Ling pouted and said unhappily, "I don't want it. I don't like chrysanthemums. I want the leaves I picked myself on my skirt!"

Wanli pretended to be indifferent and said, "Why don't you put these flowers on my clothes?"

Lin Yue found it funny. Her son loved flowers and plants the most since he was young. He used to like picking flowers in the wild when he was in Xiaotian Village. But he had to put on a serious face and pretend that this matter had nothing to do with him.

She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll design it for you!"

She placed a large red chrysanthemum on a piece of fabric, and placed a few large leaves underneath. She pointed to Wanli in words that a child could understand: "How about printing it like this for you? When it's done, this will be the position of the back."

Wanli was a little puzzled: "Mom, but shouldn't Huahua be placed in the front? She can't be seen from the back."

Lin Yue smiled and said, “Put it in the front as well, but put a smaller one.”

Wanli didn't quite understand, but he believed in his mother's judgment, so he nodded and stopped talking.

Zhang Yuandong had come down at some point and was standing by, watching, holding a child in one hand.

Lin Yue smiled at him and took out a small hammer. One end of the hammer was wrapped in cloth so that she wouldn't have to worry about tearing the cloth. She carefully placed the big chrysanthemum again, knocked it carefully a few times to get a feel for it, and then repeatedly knocked on the chrysanthemum until every pattern on the petals was clearly visible.

The chrysanthemum had stuck to the cloth. She carefully tore it off and saw a vivid red chrysanthemum blooming on the white fabric.

Wanli and Lingling exclaimed in unison, Xu Xiaodi and her husband and Xiao Liu also praised it, only Zhang Yuandong was relatively calm, because he had seen Lin Yue's finished product in the space before. However, this was the first time he saw Lin Yue take action, and he was still very shocked.

Lin Yue followed the same method and printed two long leaves around the chrysanthemum.

After dyeing the fabric, Lin Yue spread the front of the shirt on the table and printed a chrysanthemum leaf on the chest. She looked at it, took out a pen from Zhang Yuandong's shirt pocket, drew a small ladybug next to the leaf, and said to Wanli, "When I finish the clothes, you can keep this ladybug and color it yourself."

Wanli's eyes sparkled with excitement. He pulled his mother's sleeve and said, "Mom, please sew the clothes tonight. I want to wear them tomorrow!"

Lin Yue agreed with a smile, and Ling Ling also said anxiously: "Mom, mom, there is still mine!"

Lin Yue smiled and said, "You can't do without it, but we have to eat soon. I'll finish dyeing your shirt first, and we can continue with the rest after dinner. How about that?"

The two children were still a little reluctant, but they nodded and urged, "Mom, I want the biggest leaf!"

She was referring to a taro leaf running in the alum water. It was a blessing for her to find such a green and tender taro leaf in this season. Lin Yue nodded, and following the pattern of Wanli's clothes, he also copied the taro leaf onto the back of the clothes, and drew the outline of a few water drops on the leaf with a pen, waiting to draw the details after the clothes were washed.

On the front of the dress, she drew a small daisy and confirmed with Lingling again: "Do you really want a ladybug? I can also draw you a butterfly resting on the petals."

Lingling was in a dilemma for a long time. She wanted a ladybug like Wanli, small and cute! But she also wanted a butterfly. Flowers should be surrounded by butterflies! Finally, she struggled and asked, "Mom, can I have both?"

Lin Yue shook his head: "No, that would make the wine too messy."

Ling Ling said sadly: "Okay then, I choose butterfly."

The butterfly Lin Yue painted was very beautiful. Even without color, it had a special charm. More and more people gathered around, exclaiming in admiration. Xu Xiaodi also looked at it with great interest. She shook Lin Yue's sleeves like a child and whispered, "Lin Yue, when I finish making clothes for the child, can you help me paint on them too?"

Lin Yue agreed with a smile.

Unexpectedly, someone in the crowd murmured in dissatisfaction: "What is she showing off for? She can even make clothes for children on the street! She is so talented, why hasn't she become a teacher?"

Lin Yue glanced over and met the eyes of a woman accurately. She glanced away coldly and ignored him. She put away the remaining cloth, called Xiao Liu to go home for dinner.

Lin Yue ignored it, but that didn't mean Zhang Yuandong didn't care. He turned around and whispered something to Xiao Liu, then left with the child.

Xiao Liu was still thinking about the meal made by Lin Yue, but he was assigned a task at the critical moment. He was very unhappy. He glared at the woman fiercely and turned away.