Chapter 23 A Virtuous Father is a Thing of Pride
The result of the little ginseng spirit's outrageous remarks was the loss of her father's gentle embrace and removal from the list of fashionable items.
After the noisy firecrackers subsided, Pei Yiyan brought out new dishes, set out bowls and chopsticks, placed a soft cushion and pillow in the baby chair, tested it to make sure it wasn't uncomfortable, and then confidently put his daughter in.
The house is fitted with one-way glass that provides excellent privacy, so there's no need to worry about the little monsters being spied on.
After settling everything in, Pei Yiyan sat down and said, "Alright, let's eat."
“”
"What are you staring at? Don't you like today's food?"
He had been busy all morning without even having a sip of water. The little brat was being picky about food. Pei Yiyan had a sour face, and just as he was about to speak, Xixi slowly raised her paw.
"Daddy, I'm a little monster."
"So what? You can't be picky about little monsters."
Pei Yiyan, realizing what Xi Xi meant, paused for a moment, his eyes slowly moving and landing on her two sticks.
He stiffly put down his rice bowl.
When Xixi turned back into a little monster, she didn't have five fingers, only a pair of slippery sticks like noodles. She could use them to whip people, but she couldn't hold chopsticks or spoons.
Pei Yiyan: "You wouldn't be thinking of...?"
Plump and white like a glutinous rice ball, Xi Xi raised her head, the ginseng whiskers on her head swaying back and forth, her mouth wide open: "Feed me!"
Pei Yiyan's lips twitched. The child usually ate on his own and was very well-behaved. He had zero experience feeding the child, just like feeding a baby.
He felt that feeding him would damage his image as a cold and strict father.
Pei Yiyan's eyes flickered, and he hesitated before saying, "Aren't your ginseng roots quite flexible? Can't you use them as hands to eat?"
"Of course not!"
Xi Xi stared with her big, dark eyes and argued vehemently, "Daddy, that's Xi Xi's hair! Girls' hair smells so good, how can you use it for eating? It's so unhygienic!"
Pei Yiyan hesitated.
"Didn't you always teach Xixi to be hygienic and not to pick up chicken droppings to play with?"
Pei Yiyan: !
The old lady downstairs raised a brood of chicks. Every few days, she would pack up the chicken droppings and throw them in the trash can. Stray dogs would often dig them out and make a mess of the droppings. One day, Pei Yiyan came home from school and saw Xixi playing with the chicken droppings.
The dried chicken droppings were crispy and crunchy, and the dog ate them one after another. The little dad suddenly felt dizzy and shouted.
Aunt Liu, who was engrossed in her conversation, suddenly snapped out of her daze, exclaimed "Oh dear!" and rushed over, swatting the chicken droppings out of the little girl's hand and apologizing profusely to him.
Pei Yiyan had nightmares for several nights in a row, dreaming that his daughter and the dog were fighting over chicken poop to eat. After eating it, the dog chased him all over the neighborhood, wanting kisses. When he woke up, he was covered in sweat and still in shock.
Xixi hasn't been allowed to go out for a week, and the little girl is crying and heartbroken. Her dog friend hasn't had the crispy chicken droppings she carefully selected for several days, and must have forgotten about her.
In the end, Pei Yiyan saved the day by buying dog food and canned dog supplies, thus establishing a strong cross-species friendship between the little girl and the dog, and the matter was barely put to rest.
Painful memories were stirred up, and the old father decisively picked up the bowl and spoon: "Open your mouth and eat."
Pei Yiyan bought a unit in a building with one apartment per floor. The other residents in the same building had already put up Spring Festival couplets and hung up red lanterns, welcoming the Spring Festival in a festive atmosphere.
The pot was bubbling away, and the sweet aroma of rice porridge filled the entire kitchen. Thin wisps of steam cast faint patterns on the glass window.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Making a paste."
"Is the paste tasty?"
"It doesn't taste good." Pei Yiyan stirred the spoon, the steam blurring his face. "This isn't for you to eat, it's for putting up Spring Festival couplets."
Xi Xi's head was full of questions, and she was curious about everything new: "Why do we put up Spring Festival couplets? Where do we put them up?"
"It's a custom to put up Spring Festival couplets during the New Year. They're pasted on doors and windows." Pei Yiyan's ears wanted a rest, so he lazily dismissed the child, "This is none of your business. Go ride your rocking horse."
Xi Xi turned and slipped out of the kitchen.
Pei Yiyan turned his head suspiciously to look at him, wondering if he was going to do something bad.
The quieter the living room became, the more suspicious he became. A moment later, the little girl came running in with her short legs, holding something in her hand.
"Dad, use this."
Pei Yiyan looked down and saw that it was a small solid glue stick, and the packaging was still very new.
The little girl popped the lid open and waved the glue stick like she was showing off a treasure: "Daddy, this is sticky, it sticks things really well!"
Zhou Yi majored in early childhood education in college. Neither of her two sons has any artistic talent; they are impatient, have bad tempers, and always come in last place in craft classes.
During her stay there, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Xixi was very skillful and had not inherited her father's terrible handicrafts at all.
Origami is easy to learn; she can easily make little rabbits, origami cranes, and little frogs. Even if the finished products have some minor flaws, they don't detract from the overall beauty. Zhou Yi was deeply moved and bought a bunch of craft tools to teach her how to make creative crafts.
Back then, every time Pei Yiyan came home, he would see scraps of paper all over the floor and the grandfather and grandson having a great time.
These solid glue sticks are okay for sticking small cards, but they're not very good for pasting Spring Festival couplets; they tend to fall off over time.
Paste sticks better and lasts longer. He remembered that when he was very young, Zhou Yi would get up early every New Year's Eve to make a small bowl of paste, and the Spring Festival couplets pasted with it would not fall off for the whole year.
Pei Yiyan: "It's too small to stick, put it back."
"Ah," Xixi said, looking at the glue stick that was thicker than her finger. "It's not small."
"The Spring Festival couplets are taller than you, and what you're holding is only a tiny thing."
"Okay then." After confirming the size, Xixi put the glue stick into her pocket, her bright black eyes looking at him expectantly. "Daddy, are you tired? Do you need Xixi's help?"
Pei Yiyan narrowed his eyes. A child's unsolicited kindness must be a trap: "What do you want?"
"XiXi wants to protect you!"
"Grandma told you to take a good rest during your vacation and not to overwork yourself, otherwise it will be bad for your brain."
Pei Yiyan was stunned, just like someone who was about to show off his cat punch to a two-legged creature, but instead got fed a mouthful of freeze-dried cat pee.
He deserves to die.
Big Mimi pulled out her phone with a straight face and shoved it forward: "Choose whichever rocking horse you like."
Xi Xi, suddenly bathed in the glow of her father's love: Oh no, Daddy's such a tightwad!
After putting up the Spring Festival couplets, a thorough cleaning is still needed. The boy, who usually wouldn't even bother to pick up a fallen broom, put on a dust hat and wore old clothes. He carried a mop and worked hard. He took off the bed sheets and duvet covers, washed and dried them, and put on brand new four-piece sets. He lit mugwort incense in the house to disinfect and sterilize, getting rid of the old and welcoming the new.
Instead of wasting words explaining to a child what Chinese New Year is, Pei Yiyan decided to let her experience it through action. He revived all the rituals that had been forgotten and thoroughly taught her by example.
After taking a bath that evening, Pei Yiyan sprawled out on the bed, realizing that spring cleaning was more tiring than exercising. No wonder Qiu Ming complained every New Year's Eve.
Should we buy a robot vacuum cleaner?
The floor at home must be clean every day because he doesn't want his eyes to be stinged by his child's dirty soles anymore.
Pei Yiyan closed his eyes, lost in thought, when the warm little dumpling rolled into his arms and pulled his arm over to use as a pillow.
"Xixi, turn off the lights."
"Okay."
A thin, soft ginseng root emerged from the top of the little dumpling's head, stretched out, reached the light switch on the bedside table, and pressed it.
The room suddenly went dark. Pei Yiyan adjusted the blanket and prepared to go to sleep.
In the quiet atmosphere, the little ginseng-whiskered dog cautiously peeked out.
Snap! The bedroom was suddenly illuminated as if it were daytime.
*Snap*, it got dark.
Five seconds later, it lit up again.
Either you die in silence, or you suffer from insomnia in silence.
Pei Yiyan, unable to bear it any longer, opened his eyes and met the little girl's bright, piercing eyes: "What are you doing? Are you itching for a beating in the middle of the night?"
Xi Xi was astonished.
Hey, Dad didn't scold her, he even cared about her.
Dad's temper has improved.
Xi Xi's chubby face was fair with a rosy glow, and she replied shyly, "It doesn't itch. There are no bugs on Xi Xi."
"Who asked you that?" Pei Yiyan was half-asleep and had no energy to argue with his daughter, so he threatened her, "If you dare to use your ginseng rootlets to do anything funny again, like turning the lights on and off, I'll wrap your head in a cloth every night and pickle ginseng slices in it!"
This scare successfully frightened the little ginseng spirit, but it only worked for one night. The next day, Xixi came back with a vengeance, but this time she didn't bother the lamp; instead, she bothered her father.
"Dad, are you sleepy?"
"Sleepy."
"So, can you sleep?"
"nonsense."
Xi Xi: "Then I'll sing you a song to lull you to sleep."
Pei Yiyan: "Sing if you want to."
Pei Yiyan didn't care what Xixi sang; the little girl's voice was as delicate and sweet as milk candy, so he'd just treat it as white noise to help her sleep.
"Ah, this person is my mother, ah, this person is my mom."
Pei Yiyan felt a chill run down his spine, all sleepiness vanished, and he blankly covered the child's mischievous mouth, saying, "That's enough, thank you."
"Dad, Xixi..."
She hasn't finished singing yet.
The second day of the Lunar New Year.
As migrant workers returned home one after another, the streets were packed with people, and the county's only amusement park was so crowded that there wasn't even room to stand.
After seeing videos of people in the same city, Pei Yiyan became even more reluctant to take Xixi out.
The child had been sitting on the rocking horse at home for three days, and his bottom was almost worn smooth, but he still had plenty of energy.
Pei Yiyan had a premonition that if he didn't release the little monster from its cage, he wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep during the entire winter break. He decided to dig a hole and end it all!
That afternoon, the high school student's father finally opened the door.
Most of the children in the neighborhood had gone to visit relatives, so only a few children were playing in the playground.
"Xi Xi!"
"Xixi is here."
"Xixi, Happy New Year! I'm so happy to see you."
Pei Yiyan had long witnessed his daughter's popularity, so he consciously stepped aside before the little ones surrounded him.
A good father should be like a bodyguard, striking when the opportunity arises and acting as if the person is dead the rest of the time.
"Happy New Year! Here, please have some strawberry cake made by my dad!" The daughter snapped her fingers. "Dad, here we go!"
Are you going to unleash the dogs?
Pei Yiyan, the servant and bodyguard, had his jawline taut and moved his legs with great difficulty.
He silently presented the pre-portioned strawberry cakes to the children one by one, his hat brim pulled low, but it was no use. The little chibi kids didn't care about your social anxiety, grabbing your thighs and peeking out openly.
"It's delicious, thank you Xixi's dad!"
"What a beautiful cake! I love sweet strawberries the most."
"It smells so good! (▽ ) It smells so good!"
With her hands behind her back, legs spread wide, and head held high, Xixi basked in the compliments of her friends, giving her father a satisfied look behind her.
Having such a virtuous father is a real source of pride for her; she should bring him out to meet people more often in the future.
"Dad, they're praising you. Just stand up confidently and confidently."
Pei Yiyan: Please shut up.
A little girl took a bite of cake, glanced at Pei Yiyan, and whispered shyly in Xixi's ear, "Xixi, is your dad really not a big star? He's so tall and handsome, even more handsome than Ryder."
The boy, with his exceptional hearing, smiled slightly, his posture becoming increasingly upright and slender.
What was that child's name again, Star or Moon?
OK, from now on, put more strawberries in her cakes.
The father's little daughter asked in confusion, "Really?"
Xi Xi scratched her head: "My dad won't let me watch Ryder anymore. He's super domineering."
Little Star: "That's nothing, Xixi. I'm so envious of you. Your dad is fair-skinned, handsome, and smart. He can also make delicious cakes."
Xixi politely replied, "No, Xingxing, your dad is great too."
Her eyes sparkled: "Really? What do you think is so good about my dad?"
"Well."
The little monster conjured up the image of a dark-skinned, chubby middle-aged man in its mind.
"He," Xixi hesitated for a long time, swallowed, and lowered her voice a little, "He must be a big eater, right? My dad eats very little every day. Grandma says he has a small bird's stomach, all show and no substance."
?
Pei Yiyan looked over with a puzzled expression and sneered.
What a brilliant move! He's got both Dad and his friend in one fell swoop, and he doesn't want either of them anymore.
In the distant city of Beijing, Zhou Yi: Achoo!
Rubbing her nose, she sighed. "My little granddaughter must be missing me."
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