Chapter 123 Photography
He then said to Lu Mingyue, "Hurry up and eat, it's still warm. Your dad and Huo Feng have things to do at the military camp. Yuexian will go to work after eating. How about I take you out for a walk after we finish eating?"
Hearing her say that, Lu Mingyue pulled up a stool and sat down, replying with a smile, "Mom, then I won't stand on ceremony. The smell of food makes me hungry. Let's go after we finish eating."
Seeing that she had relaxed, Zhong Yulan was also happy. "Okay, then after you finish eating, we'll change our clothes and go."
Yao Yao showed the snowman her father had made for her to her grandmother, Zhong Yulan, who praised it highly.
"I didn't know your dad was so skillful. It's a pity that the snowman won't be preserved once the sun comes out. If only we had a camera."
As she spoke, Zhong Yulan suddenly remembered, "Second brother, don't you have a camera? Quickly find it and take a picture of Yao Yao."
Huo Zheng bought a camera when he graduated. He used it a few times and then used it again, but he didn't need it in the military camp, so he left it at home. It's probably in a corner now.
Hearing his mother say that, Huo Zheng turned around and went back into the house. After rummaging through drawers and cabinets, he finally found the camera.
I checked and found that the film inside was still there, and none of the small parts were damaged. I took a picture of it from the outside and the result was pretty good.
Huo Zheng wiped the camera clean, walked into the yard and called out, "Yaoyao, come here, Daddy will take a picture of you."
Yao Yao carefully held the melting snowman and stood at the doorway, taking a bright and cheerful photo.
When Leilei and An'an saw their younger sister taking pictures, they rushed over.
Leilei didn't forget to straighten his crooked cotton hat, and then held up the little snowball he had just made.
The two pounced on Huo Zheng, one after the other, grabbing at his clothes.
"Dad, I want to take a picture."
"Uncle, I want to take a picture too."
Huo Zheng smiled and adjusted the camera angle. "Stand up straight, get closer, and look at the lens."
After finishing her breakfast, Lu Mingyue leaned against the door frame, watching the children huddled together, and called out with a smile, "Leilei, don't block your younger siblings, stand a little forward, Yaoyao, give me a smile."
With a click, the camera captured the image of the three children.
An'an couldn't hide her smile, Lei Lei grinned as he held up a snowball, and Yao Yao tilted her head, revealing two little tiger teeth, while holding her beloved little snowman.
Huo Zheng looked at the photos in the camera and nodded in satisfaction. "Once they're developed, I'll give each of you a copy to put in your room."
The children cheered immediately and surrounded him, clamoring for another picture.
After taking pictures of the children, Huo Zheng smiled and waved to Zhong Yulan and Lu Mingyue, "Mom, you and Mingyue, come over here too, I'll take a picture of you two."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yulan immediately raised her hand to straighten her clothes and then reached out to smooth Lu Mingyue's hair back.
"You have to take good pictures, don't make my face look round like before."
When Huo Zheng bought the camera, the whole family was in a state of great excitement. Zhong Yulan even made a new outfit for the photo shoot.
Unexpectedly, the photos showed people who looked either fat or crooked, making her purchase of the clothes a complete waste.
Lu Mingyue was amused by her mother-in-law's actions and took her arm, saying, "Mom is beautiful to begin with, she looks good no matter how you take a picture."
Huo Zheng adjusted the focus and looked at the two people in the lens.
Zhong Yulan wore a relaxed smile, and even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes conveyed a gentle warmth.
Lu Mingyue leaned against her, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.
He pressed the shutter, capturing the scene in his lens.
Zhong Yulan leaned over, glanced at the photo in the camera, clapped her hands and said, "This one is good, much better than the last one. I'm going to put this photo with the children on the living room wall when it's developed."
Lu Mingyue replied with a smile, "Next time we'll buy more film so we can take pictures anytime at home, it'll definitely be more lively."
Zhong Yulan thought it was a good idea and nodded repeatedly: "That's a good idea."
That's right. They can capture the kids playing around and the adults making dumplings and setting off firecrackers on camera.
When the children grow up and look at these photos, they will remember the lively and joyful days we have now.
She turned to Huo Zheng, who had just finished taking photos, and said, "Second brother, did you hear that? Remember to buy a couple more rolls of film next time. Don't be stingy. We need to save the fun for our family."
Huo Zheng smiled and agreed, "Okay, Mom. We'll go to the photo studio later to buy a few more rolls of photos and ask if we can expedite the printing."
Zhong Yulan smiled from ear to ear, "Okay, it's settled then. Once the photos are developed, I'll tidy up that empty wall in the living room and put up photos of our family there so that visiting neighbors can see how lively our home is."
After the snowball fight in the yard, the three children's cotton-padded trousers were mostly wet at the cuffs, with snow particles still stuck to their legs. As soon as they entered the house, the snow melted into watermarks.
Seeing this, Zhong Yulan quickly pulled the three children towards the room: "Quickly change your wet clothes, it will be troublesome if you get cold."
Lu Mingyue followed along, took out the clean cotton pants she had brought from her luggage, and changed the child into them with Zhong Yulan.
Yao Yao's new pants are embroidered with small flowers, while Lei Lei's are navy blue.
Lu Mingyue also made one for Huo Li'an, with a style similar to Lei Lei's.
Huo Li'an was very happy and immediately changed into it.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Leilei ran over and pulled Huo Li'an's new pants to compare with his own: "My brother's are the same as mine, so we'll be brothers from now on."
Yao Yao clapped along with her. Lu Mingyue felt a warm glow in her heart as she watched the three children laughing and playing around the new cotton pants.
As soon as they put them on, the three children were already eager to go out, but Zhong Yulan stopped them with a smile: "Don't rush, let's wait until the car is brought over."
As they were talking, a car horn sounded at the gate of the courtyard.
Huo Zheng pushed the door open and came in, holding the car keys in his hand: "I borrowed the car. Dongzi happens to have a spare Jeep, so it's convenient to borrow it for a few days."
Zhong Yulan peeked out the door and muttered, "Dongzi is still the most reliable. That official car at home is really inconvenient; people always stare at us when we go out."
Huo Zheng nodded with a smile: "That's right. With this car, we can go out and wander around for as long as we want, it's very convenient."
Lu Mingyue finished braiding Yao Yao's hair and said with a smile, "Then let's hurry up and go. The children are waiting to go to the department store."
Huo Zheng picked up the backpack he had prepared, which contained warm water and snacks.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, Aunt Li was also going home, and today happened to be the last day, so Zhong Yulan gave her a day off.
After locking the gate, Huo Zheng opened the car door, and Lei Lei and Yao Yao rushed to sit in the back seat, excitedly peering out the window.
Lu Mingyue sat in the passenger seat, turning her head to look at the children's smiling faces, then glancing at Huo Zheng driving beside her, her heart filled with anticipation.
I wonder what Beijing was like in the 1970s.
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