House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 45 - The Young Woman Of The Flower Shop

Today, Jiangchengis having a light drizzling rain. This is not surprising as the city is locatedin the south of the Yangtze River. It is a city that is warm and rainy. Itbegan to rain, but this gave the city some kind of poetic and picturesque charm.

Of course, Xixiwas not as strong as her father, and the spring rain was cold. In the morning,her father added an extra thin blouse to the her.

StreetCornerʼs Coffee Shop has quietly opened. Yang Yi, who doesnʼt like the hustleand bustle, and does not understand the common custom, didnʼt do a grandopening. He even chose a weekend free time to hang a simple wooden signboard, whichis considered the opening ceremony.

This hasalso led to no one knowing it. There have been no customers coming to thecoffee shop for two days since its opening…

Itʼs justthat Yang Yi doesnʼt care.

The sky isdark, but the coffee shop is as warm as a home. The soft yellow lights slightlylight up every corner. Itʼs as warm as if sitting around the fire in the winternight, perfect for friends to have a quiet conversation.

However, infront of the bar, Yang Yi turned on the extra bright incandescent lamp. He wipedthe cup tirelessly while he smiled as he watched his daughter draw.

Xixiʼs smallfigure sat high, leaning over the clean and spacious marble bar, carefullyusing her colored crayons to draw the image on her mind on the white paper.

After awhile, the little girl looked up and said happily, ”Papa, look, how is mydrawing?”

Yang Yi hasbeen watching. Xixi has improved after he taught her a few tricks earlier. However,the painting is still very abstract.

”Good!Is this an elephant you drew?” Yang Yi gave her a thumbs up and asked,pointing to the animal on the paper, which was as round as a pig, but had along nose.

”Yes!”Xixi said happily, ”The mother elephant has a long nose.”

”Yourdrawing is really great!” Yang Yi smiled and rubbed the little girlʼshead.

Afterreading those parenting books, Yang Yiʼs ideas have changed.

Before, hestill thought that Xixiʼs painting was a little awkward, so he wanted to teachher how to draw!

However,there is a book that says: ”Learning to draw too early makes childrenunable to draw…”

Childrenbetween 0 and 7 years old are in an important period of right-braindevelopment, and a very important part of right-brain development is ”to usethe transformation and expression of drawing to improve the right-brain healthand the formation of divergent thinking. Therefore, in this period of time,children need to express their imagination and association freely, and cannotbe constrained by fixed drawing style, but should be fully expressed in richcolor experience and non-stereotyped drawing changes.” (TN: Let thechildren develop their own drawing style/s and not have others teach them aspecific drawing style, so that they can freely express themselves.)

If Yang Yiteaches Xixi his drawing skills and ideas, then the development of her rightbrain will be affected!

Startled ina cold sweat, Yang Yi restrained his impulse to teach Xixi how to draw.Instead, he changed his impulse to support and encourage her, so that thelittle girl can freely use her imagination to draw what she wanted to express.

Moreover,her drawing was also good!

Yang Yibegan to learn to appreciate and praise: ”The elephants you draw are socute, and they look so happy!”

Xi Xi smiledhappily, and she became more motivated. She lowered her head again and continueto draw.

At thistime, the wind chimes at the door rang, and someone pushed open the door. YangYi noticed this, and subconsciously looked toward the door. But that person didnot come in, and just let a little boy through the door to shelter from therain.

”Hello!”He couldnʼt see that person through the curtain, but Yang Yi heard a gentlefemale voice, as soft as the drizzle outside.

Why donʼtyou come in? Yang Yi didnʼt understand.

Looking atthe nervous look of the little boy, Yang Yi had to come out of the bar. Xixi jumpeddown from the chair, hold his fatherʼs hand, and hid behind her father. Shepeeped out her little head and look at that little boy who should be five orsix years old.

Yang Yilooked out of the door curiously. There was a young woman with a clear face.She should be young. She was a little embarrassed. She was holding an umbrella,but her hair was messy. Her clothes were half wet because of the rain. Hershoes were also muddy. Mud spots even splashed on her white stockings. Her petiteand helpless appearance made people feel pity.

But Yang Yi didnot have any reverie. He asked, ”Hello, why donʼt you come in?” (TN:Reverie: be lost in wild and fanciful thoughts)

The youngwoman looked up at Yang Yi apologetically and said, ”Iʼm sorry, Iaccidentally stepped on your flowers just now and didnʼt pay attention to it.”

Yang Yididnʼt care. He waved his hand and said, ”it doesnʼt matter. If you wantto take shelter from the rain, come in. Itʼs not a big deal!”

But theyoung woman was still a little embarrassed and sheepishly said, ”My shoesare very dirty and thereʼs a lot of mud on them. Can I trouble you to bring mewith a basin of water first?”

”Itdoesnʼt matter if itʼs dirty. Iʼll wipe it later.” Yang Yi looked at theshoe prints left by the little boy a moment ago. Although it was only rain water,it still made Yang Yi feel uncomfortable. Anyway, it was already dirty, so itdidnʼt matter at all. He will just have to do a lot of sanitation later…

”Forgetit. Iʼll take you upstairs.” Yang Yi thought about it, shook his head andsaid, ”Thereʼs only a toilet downstairs, itʼs not good to wash there.Thereʼs hot water upstairs.”

Withoutwaiting for the young woman to object, Yang Yi picked up the big umbrellahanging behind the door, opened it, bent down to pick up Xixi, then smiledfaintly, and said, ”Letʼs go!”

”Oh, oh,ok, thank you! Is this your daughter?” The young woman was being arrangedby Yang Yi. She was a little shy and blushed. She pulled up her son andfollowed suit without saying any words.

The distancefrom the back of the shop to the courtyard upstairs was not that far, but YangYi actually got a lot of information from the other party.

The youngwomanʼs name is Yan Xiaopei, and her sonʼs name is Yan Yingkai. It can be seenfrom their surname that Yan Xiaopei has been divorced, and her son follow hersurname. Obviously, her ex-husband did something unthinkable that made her soresentful.

Of course,Yang Yi was not interested and did not ask questions.

Today, YanXiaopei was so embarrassed because her son went to a piano lesson, and Yan Xiaopeibraved the rain to pick him up. But when passing by the door of Yang Yiʼs shop,she did not pay attention to the road, and she stepped on the edge of theflower bed and stepped in the mud.

”Isyour coffee shop newly opened? I donʼt think Iʼve seen it before?” WhenYan Xiaopei came in, she was determined not to wear the muddy shoes. Yang Yihad to settle the two little ones first, and then brought her slippers.

”Um.”Yang Yi nodded.

Yan Xiaopeiwas shy at first, but now she seems to be a talkative person after gettingfamiliar with him. She followed Yang Yi while holding her dirty shoes:”Oh, I opened a flower shop at the east gate of the school.”

”EastGate? Business should be hot, but what happens when you come out of the store?”Yang Yi remembered the shops at the east gate he had seen before and askedsomewhat curiously.

”Thereare two college students working part-time in the shop. Moreover, on rainydays, only few people come out.” Yan Xiaopei said softly.

Upstairs, Xixiwas sitting face to face with Yan Yingkai across the coffee table. The littleboy was a little introverted and kept his head down in silence. Xixi was also shy.She was fidgeting, peeking at the little brother and looking at the stairs.

Fortunately,her father came back and Xixi couldnʼt wait to run over and hold her fatherʼsleg.

_____

TN: Thereʼs an authorʼs note at the end of the chapter. Kind of a spoiler. It stated that she was only a minor character and will have no relationship with the MC.