Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Everyone was painting something related to Lan Village.
Tutu painted summer in Lan Village. Li Zekai and Wheatley painted the Lan Village in winter. Feifei chose to paint the fall in Lan Village.
When Tao Jingyuan came to serve them some tea and snacks, she glanced at their paintings. They were all very beautiful.
[It takes at least two to three hours to complete a painting. The little ones are so patient.]
[Itâs been an hour, and no one has left their seats. The children are amazing, especially Feifei and Doudou. Itâs impressive how such young children can concentrate for so long without getting distracted.]
[Half of the online viewers have left. Do you all not enjoy watching?]
[Itâs not that we donât enjoy it, but right now, itâs hard to see anything. Itâs boring just squatting in the livestream room and staring at someone painting for hours.]
[There are definitely many people hopping around. Everyone voluntarily chooses the parts theyâre interested in.]
âJiejie!â shouted Li Zexin. His voice reached the kids before he did.
âBrother Xinxin, Iâm here,â said Li Zekai happily.
Among the children immersed in their artwork, Li Zexin spotted his little brother at a glance.
Li Zexin greeted Feifeiâs parents and walked to the group of children.
âIs that the big stone at the entrance of the village? It looks so real.â Li Zexin praised Doudouâs painting.
Doudou nodded.
He then praised the other children and finally walked over to his brotherâs side. âThis is our courtyard. The tree looks so alive!â Li Zexin gave his little brother a thumbs-up.
âBrother Xinxin, did you come to call me home for lunch? We decided to eat at Feifeiâs house today. You came just in time. Can you tell Daddy and Auntie Lin that I wonât be home for lunch?â asked Li Zekai.
âWellâ¦â Li Zexin glanced at Tao Jingyuan.
Tao Jingyuan smiled warmly at him. âXinxin, why donât you join us for lunch here? I have all the ingredients ready. I just need to cook them. Itâll be done before you know it.â
âAuntie Tao, I was at Xiao Yiâs house. Weâre having our lunch there. I just came to call Jiejie. He might prove to be troublesome if we leave him here.â
âI see. Then⦠next time, come to our house for a meal. Also, Jiejie is very well-behaved. He is no trouble at all.â
âThank you, Auntie Tao. Iâll be leaving now.â Li Zexin planned to discuss test questions with Xiao Yi before lunch so that he would have time to play in the afternoon.
âJiejie, weâll be at Xiao Yiâs house,â said Li Zexin before leaving.
âOkay. Goodbye, brother.â
[Jiejie is so well-behaved.]
[The parents of the families are so kind. They always invite the children to their houses and donât mind at all when they stay back to eat meals with them.]
[It would be great if the Festival Group would set up more cameras in the crowded houses. Thereâs only one camera, and itâs hard to see everyoneâs faces.]
âYou guys take your time. Iâm going to cook.â Tao Jingyuan patted her sonâs head.
âOkay, mom.â
After another half an hour, Li Zekai was the first to finish his painting. He jumped up and lifted the palette in his hand. Before he could declare that he was done, the paintbrush and palette slipped from his hand and struck his face.
The children were shocked.
âJiejie, are you okay?â Everyone put down their brushes.
Li Zekai checked to see if his painting had been ruined. Luckily, the painting hadnât been marred. He got too excited and stood up too quickly.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
âJiejie, you look like a big cat with colorful fur.â Feifei pointed at Li Zekaiâs face and laughed.
Doudou knew it was impolite to laugh at others, but she couldnât help it.
Wheatley noticed that paint had stained Li Zekaiâs clothes. âLook, even your clothes are colorful now!â
Li Zekai looked at himself in the camera.
The paint had gotten on his face, his clothes, and his hands. He was sad to see his down jacket stained. He had begged his father to get the jacket. His father had refused to buy it at first because Li Zekai liked to crawl on the ground and his white clothes got dirty too quickly.
But nowâ¦
Li Zekai laughed along with the others. After a while, his face darkened. âI wasted the pain and spoiled my clothes.â
The online viewers who were still watching suddenly saw a colorful face on the screen and moved their phones backward.
[I was scared to death. Itâs just Jiejieâs face!]
[It was an accident. Jiejie knocked over the palette.]
[This type of paint can be washed off. Jiejie shouldnât be upset. Just wash it off with warm water.]
[Jiejie keeps looking at his clothes. Is he unhappy because theyâre dirty?]
[Probably. Clothes can be washed. Add some detergent, and it will be as good as new.]
Li Zekai saw the comments and smiled. âSo⦠these clothes arenât ruined? Thatâs great! â
[Indeed, he was worried about the clothes.]
[I didnât expect our little friend to be this concerned about cleanliness.]
Hearing the commotion in the yard, Tao Jingyuan walked out of the kitchen. She then brought out a thermos of hot water, a basin, and a face towel. She mixed the hot and cold water to make it lukewarm. She soaked the face towel and gently wiped the paint off Li Zekaiâs face.
âThank you, Auntie Tao.â
âWear the clothes for now. If you take them off, youâll catch a cold. You can change when you get home. This paint washes off very easily.â
Li Zekai felt more at ease
âOkay.â
[Lawyer Tao is so gentle.]
[Iâve always been a fan of Ms. Tao. When she is working, she is so focused and efficient. But at home, she is so gentle with her kid.]
[Me too. Iâve seen Ms. Tao in âNot Guilty.â Itâs like she is a completely different person when she isnât working. I admire her so much.]
Tao Jingyuan went back to the kitchen. For lunch, she prepared cheese and mashed potatoes, egg custard tarts, scary-looking corn, and cartoon-shaped steamed buns for the children.
Zheng Kuo saw his wife enter the kitchen. âIs everything alright?â
âJiejie knocked over the paint palette. The kids are having a great time. Is the egg mixture ready?â
âItâs ready.â
Tao Jingyuan placed the custard tarts one by one into the oven. She only knew how to make some simple desserts.
A fragrant aroma filled the air, and the children in the yard wrinkled their noses.
âI can smell butter. I love butter,â said Wheatley.
âAnd thereâs cheese.â
The children suddenly felt hungry. They gathered at the kitchen door and looked inside.
âI see custard tarts.â
âIs that cheese?â âTheyâre all my favorite things to eat.â
âI love them too!â
âIâm so excited.â
Tao Jingyuan saw their eagerness. âYou little gluttons! Just give me thirty minutes and the food will be ready. Wait in the courtyard, alright?â she said with a smile.
âOkay!â
The children returned to their seats..