After returning to the hotel, Han Rou took Xiao Qi to wash up.
After the little girl finished her bath, she exuded a refreshing aura. The strong fragrance had dissipated, replaced by a light and delicate scent of shower gel that lingered around her.
"Grandpa, I want to go out and play!" Xiaoqi said sweetly, blinking her bright eyes.
"Sweetie, wait for us at the hotel," Han Fei replied softly, his tone gentle. "There are too many people outside, you'll sweat if you play around."
"I want to go too! I want to go too, waaaaah!" Xiao Qi started to act spoiled, hugging Han Fei's leg tightly and crying loudly.
Seeing this, Xiao Liu hurriedly went forward to pick up his sister, but Xiao Qi nimbly dodged, and Xiao Liu lost his balance and sat down on the ground.
"Little Seven, your brother will stay here with you, so please don't go to the Water Splashing Festival, okay?" Little Six said helplessly.
"No! I want to go to the Water Festival! I want to splash water and play, I want a water gun!" Xiaoqi was not to be outdone, her tone becoming more and more determined.
"It's the same as your brother playing with water guns here," Xiao Liu continued earnestly.
"No! I want to go to the Water Festival! I've seen it on TV, there are so many people there, it looks so fun!"
Xiao Qi persisted, clinging tightly to Han Fei's leg, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
Han Fei rubbed his temples helplessly. Although he was reluctant, he still resolutely refused: "I can't go."
Xiaoqi pursed her lips and burst into tears.
"Auntie said the Water Splashing Festival is the most fun! I want to go to the Water Splashing Festival! Waaah, Grandpa's mean, Grandpa's bullying me!"
The cries were so plaintive and heartbreaking.
The little boy cried bitterly, his hands clinging tightly to Han Fei's legs without any sign of loosening, as if afraid that Han Fei would take the opportunity to slip away.
Seeing that there was no way to change the situation, Han Fei could only pick up the little boy who was crying his eyes out and sigh softly: "Do you really want to go to the Water Splashing Festival that much?"
Xiaoqi nodded, sobbing, "I want to go!"
The tears, carrying the scent of mint and magnolia, filled the air.
The other children in the room gradually had red eyes.
Han Chengda's eyes reddened, and he sniffed, "Grandpa, the mint smell is too strong. Can you please stop making my little sister cry?"
The third brother wiped away his tears forcefully: "It smells so pungent! Even a tough guy like me couldn't help but cry!"
Xiao Si was more refined, taking out a tissue to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "This scent reminds me of my mother, and it makes me feel down."
Xiao Wu opened his mouth and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably: "I'm so sad, I can't explain why, I'm just so sad, so sad that all I want to do is cry!"
Xiao Liu plugged his nostrils with a nasal cannula, and his emotions calmed down a little: "Grandpa, don't let my sister keep crying."
Han Rou's eyes were blurred with tears: "Grandpa, let's take Xiao Qi with us. It's rare for her to come out and play, and this is a place she has always wanted to come to. Let's grant her wish."
Han Fei was the only one present who was not affected by Xiao Qi's tears and fragrance.
"Grandpa, why don't you cry?" Xiao Liu had observed for a long time. Several times, his sister cried, and people who smelled the fragrance cried, but his grandfather was not affected at all.
Han Fei shook his head. He could clearly smell the fragrance, distinguish its top and base notes, and even discern what kind of emotions the scent was trying to evoke in humans.
Perhaps he was too rational, and in his rational analysis of the components of the fragrance, he overlooked the influence of the fragrance.
"Since you're so eager to go, then go ahead."
As soon as Han Fei finished speaking, Xiao Qi, who was crying just a second ago, burst into laughter the next.
Han Fei shook his head inwardly, wondering if the child had already learned to use tears as a weapon.
Looking at Xiao Qi's innocent face, Han Fei shook his head, thinking that he was overthinking things.
Upon arriving at the Water Splashing Festival, Xiaoqi was so excited that she danced with joy. Like a happy little bird, she couldn't wait to immerse herself in this sea of joy.
She held her older brother and sister's hands tightly, and together they ran with light steps toward the bustling area.
Xiaoqi and her older siblings picked up colorful water guns and ran through the crowded streets.
Water droplets flew up, and under the sunlight, they looked like a series of beautiful rainbows.
People dressed in colorful clothes, carrying buckets or water guns, were enjoying the grand carnival to the fullest.
"Hahaha, this is fun! Brother, chase me!" Xiaoqi's laughter was as clear as a silver bell, echoing in the crowd, as if the whole world was infected by her joy.
Joyful music filled the air, and cheers from the crowd resounded through the sky.
Xiaoqi and her older siblings were immersed in the joyful atmosphere, leaving all their worries behind. The splashing water brought a refreshing and pleasant sensation.
They leaped and frolicked in the water, fully releasing their inner energy. Their radiant smiles, like blooming flowers, blossomed in this joyful place.
Just as Xiaoqi was playing and sweating profusely, her body exuding a fragrant aroma, an elephant carrying a float slowly approached.
"Brother and sister! It's an elephant!"
Xiaoqi jumped up and down excitedly, shouting, "Wow, it's huge!"
A dazzling float, laden with fragrance and beauty, slowly sailed in, like a dreamlike boat.
The car is decorated with colorful flowers. As the car moves, the petals flutter like snowflakes, and countless petals dance in the breeze, filling the air with a rich fragrance.
"It smells so good!"
"These flowers smell so good!"
"This fragrance seems to have an emotional effect, making you feel happy from the bottom of your heart!"
The tourists were full of praise and busy taking photos to commemorate the occasion.
"Brother, look at the person sitting on the elephant, he looks like an uncle from the film crew!"
Xiao Qi looked up at the people on the elephant, tugged at Xiao Liu's sleeve in surprise, and muttered in a low voice.
Xiao Liu recognized those people as well. Apart from the director sitting on the elephant's head, he also recognized the people scattering flowers; they were all from the production crew.
He looked at Han Fei, who was smiling, and understood that this must have been arranged by his grandfather.
The fragrance of these flowers is too strong; they must have been sprayed with a lot of perfume in addition to the natural scent of the flowers.
These mixed scents masked the natural fragrance emanating from Xiaoqi.
When a large number of butterflies fluttered in, the tourists assumed they were attracted by the flowers scattered on the float and had no idea that it was Xiaoqi.
Before we knew it, the sun was gradually setting in the west, and the Water Splashing Festival was slowly coming to an end.
Xiaoqi and her older siblings left this place filled with laughter and joy, carrying with them lots of happiness and wonderful memories.
"Grandpa, can we go out to play more often in the future?" Xiaoqi asked in her childish voice.
"Grandpa will take Xiaoqi and her older brothers and sisters to travel all over the beautiful landscapes of our motherland."
Han Fei held Xiao Qi's hand in one hand and Xiao Liu's hand in the other, with his grandchildren following closely behind. He was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
In the book, their childhood was extremely miserable, and as adults they were busy with all sorts of things, with no chance to catch their breath, let alone travel.
Han Fei thought to himself that everything in the original story could not be changed, but in this life, he was determined to let the children experience all the wonderful things that they had never experienced in the book.
"Grandpa, where should we go next time?"
"You cut in line. It was your sister's turn to choose the location for the darts. You'll have to ask your sister where to go next time."
Xiao Qi tilted her head and looked at Han Rou, asking in a sweet voice, "Second Sister, where are we going next time?"
"The darts will decide; it's all up to fate," Han Rou said with a gentle smile.
As the sun slowly set, it cast long shadows of the grandfather, his eight grandchildren, and their families on the ground.
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