Extra (I) Xie Cheng's Diary

My name is Xie Cheng and I am five years old.

My great uncle said that I could walk sideways in the capital and he would take care of any problems I encountered. But my grandmother said that my great uncle was sick. People walk vertically, and those who walk sideways are crabs.

My father was the Shao Yin of Jingzhao, and my mother was the chief of Dali Temple. They were both very busy, so I played with my grandmother and grandfather every day. In the afternoon, my mother would pick me up to go to my grandfather's house, and after my father came back, she would take us home together. The time we spent together as a family was so short.

So after I got home I wanted to be with my mother, but my father wanted to coax me to go to bed early every night. I think not only my uncle has a problem, but my father too. Who goes to bed at the right time?

I asked brother Suishun, as well as sisters Miangmiu and Maomao from aunt Shuyan's family, and they all said that their fathers were like this. Well, it seems that all fathers are like this.

Today is the third day of June. My father came to coax me to go to bed again, while my mother hid aside and laughed.

——

"Li'er, it's getting late. Go to bed with Qingdai."

Xie Cheng glanced out the window at the sky which was not yet completely dark, silently put down the pen in his hand, and stood up with the "diary" he had just written in his pocket.

"Mom, my daughter is gone."

Shen Yuan looked at her daughter's aggrieved face and instantly forgot what she had just agreed with Xie Hui. "It's still early now. Come play with your mother for a while."

"Thank you. We have to be on duty during the day, so we should spend more time playing with our little one at night. How can we, as parents, always think about ourselves?"

Xie Hui looked at the two faces, one big and one small, that looked very similar, and in the end he couldn't say no. Although he had heard his wife's words yesterday, the day before yesterday, and the day before yesterday.

"My dear daughter, let me teach you how to paint."

Shen Yuan and her daughter were sitting at the desk drawing, while Xie Hui was grinding ink for the mother and daughter, always ready to wipe the girl's face and hands.

"Mom, you draw so beautifully."

Shen Yuan lowered his head and kissed his daughter's soft face, "Our Li'er is also very good at painting, even better than when mom was a child!"

Xie Cheng immediately said happily: "I know, my grandfather told me that I take after my mother. I am better than my father!"

Shen Yuan glanced at Xie Hui. The man who was grinding the ink was obviously using much more force, as if he had a grudge against ink. He had to coax the younger one, and also the older one.

"Your father is not good at painting, but he is good at other things. Your father is very good at martial arts. Everyone has his or her own strengths, do you understand? In the future, you should not use your strengths to compare with others. We are all different."

"I know, mother."

The couple took turns drawing, reading and playing games with their daughter, and by the time the hour of Hai came, the child finally fell asleep.

Xie Hui saw that Shen Yuan had hair stuck to the corner of her mouth, so he reached out to help her brush it off. However, Shen Yuan rolled to the innermost part of the bed like a frightened bird, leaving Xie Hui at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

He asked playfully, "Why are you so afraid of me?"

"I ran to three villages in a row today. I am really tired."

Xie Hui reached out to brush away the hair from the corner of his wife's mouth, and then tidied it up, "What do you think I want to do? Or do you actually want to..."

"Don't ask me questions that you already know the answer to!"

Xie Hui smiled and held his wife in his arms. He was not a beast and would not think about that all day long.

"Did you know that Zhou Zhongan is getting married?"

Shen Yuan raised his head in shock, "What? With whom?"

"Who else can I go with? I've been struggling for so many years, and there's no one else."

"Miss Su? But if they were in love, they wouldn't suddenly get married after so many years, right?"

Shen Yuan had met Su Ciyin at Weng Weng's school last month, but she didn't mention getting married at that time. In the past few years, Shen Yuan often went to the school and talked to Su Ciyin.

"It was just decided. It was Miss Su who first proposed it. She must have been annoyed by her family. It was the same with Zhou Zhongan. The two of them hit it off immediately. But I think it might not be that simple..."

So many years have passed, how fierce can he be? He failed to push it in previous years, could he not bear it this year? At least in Xie Hui's opinion, Zhou Zhongan was definitely not like that. After being friends for so many years, he could see that the boy was actually quite happy.

——

Xie Hui was right in his guess, Zhou Zhongan was indeed happy about it. Three years ago, Su Ciyin couldn't stand her parents' urging and nagging anymore, so she simply moved out of her home in a fit of anger. Except for the clothes on her body, she didn't take anything from the Su family, including the maids. She had been teaching in the school and was paid, so at least she had no problem supporting herself.

One time, when she was returning home from school, it was already dark at night, and she met a drunk man following her on the road. Zhou Zhongan happened to be passing by with his men patrolling the street, and he chased the man away. After a few interactions, the two became familiar with each other.

Although Su Ciyin always had a cold look on her face when facing Zhou Zhongan, Zhou Zhongan actually got used to it and even felt uncomfortable if he wasn't looked at like that one day.

Zhou Zhongan only seemed unreliable, but he was actually a good person. He did a good job as the Junior Magistrate of Jingzhao, and even did better than Xie Hui in some aspects. After all, his personality was more suitable for dealing with ordinary people. As time went by, Su Ciyin could see the good in him, but neither of them said anything, and they just dragged on for several years.

As for why they suddenly wanted to get married, outsiders had no idea.

But the two of them did act quickly. Shen Yuan heard about this from Xie Hui when he was in the third grade of junior high school. When he was thirteen, he received invitations from Su Ciyin and Zhou Zhongan. The wedding date was three months later. However, Shen Yuan thought it was fast, but the Su and Zhou families did not think so.

Especially Zhou Zhongan's mother, who has never given up on letting her son get married for so many years and has always been preparing the betrothal gifts. Even if Zhou Zhongan said he wanted to get married in the morning, Mrs. Zhou could arrange everything in the afternoon.

On the day off, when Shen Yuan talked about this with his friends, Yan Siyu was very emotional.

"What a talented man and beautiful woman, very good! I am very pleased!"

Yan Siyu is now the director of the Marriage Matchmaking Department. She is rated the best every year and has received plaques from the people. When the former director resigned, he specifically said that Yan Siyu must be his successor.

Yan's parents have now completely let it go. Previously, they were still determined to introduce a man to their daughter, but Yan Siyu introduced other girls to them, and they were both quite suitable. After marriage, they lived in harmony. Even now, they bring New Year gifts to thank them during festivals...