Chapter 275: 90: Quancheng Water Family Chapter 275 New Ideas, Hanfu Made of Paper-Cutting

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Fine."

Old Man Gu didn't want to slight his granddaughter-in-law, so he lifted his teacup to clear his throat and began speaking at once.

His experiences were more thrilling than anything on television, and many details were known to no one but himself.

Guben had heard it before, but still listened with great interest.

The others' emotions rose and fell with his narration, and at the most perilous moments, exclamations rang out without cease.

The babies joined in the clamor, mimicking the adults' expressions and shrieking in their little voices.

Old Man Gu watched with delight, feeling utterly content.

The whole family was harmonious, chatting and laughing, warm and beautiful.

——

After Old Man Gu's counsel, Lin Xiyu finally made up her mind to call the Principal and politely decline his kindness.

The two-year leave-without-pay period had ended, so Guben specifically accompanied her to Shanghai to formally complete her resignation.

Once everything was settled, Lin Xiyu watched a passenger jet roar overhead and let out a long turbid breath.

"Let's go home."

Guben finished the boarding formalities and smiled, extending his hand to his beloved wife.

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu smiled contentedly and entered the cabin beside him.

The couple went and returned on the same day.

When they entered the house, the babies playing in the yard saw Daddy and Mommy and scrambled over from the bamboo mat.

The couple smiled at each other and went to meet them together.

——

Before New Year, Old Man Gu fell ill, and Wu Meng's plan to open another training class fell through because Lin Xiyu was far away in Sanya and they hadn't been able to rent a shop.

Hearing that Lin Xiyu had completed her resignation, Wu Meng had the idea again, and taking the opportunity of visiting with her daughter, she brought up the old matter; this time, before Lin Xiyu could answer, Guben spoke up and agreed to it.

He already had a plan: not only to open a new training class, but also to set aside a separate classroom as a venue for public welfare activities, recruiting students interested in paper-cutting for free.

This would allow his beloved wife, like Hu Nainai, to select talented children from among them as her personal disciples, passing down this craft.

Wu Meng feared he might go back on his word, so she confirmed it again and again, and only truly felt reassured after receiving a firm promise.

Guben did what he said: he personally handled the selection of the teaching venue and even designed and planned the renovation himself, striving for perfection.

——

The training class hired teachers and recruited students, proceeding step by step, while Lin Xiyu calmed herself to prepare her application as an Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor.

An Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor required not only years of experience but also her own innovation and influence.

How to innovate to make paper-cutting more charming, how to better integrate local customs into paper-cutting art so more people could understand Quancheng culture—these were the issues she had to seriously consider at present.

On Children's Day, good news came from the Youth Palace.

Since Hu Nainai's passing, there was a vacancy in the paper-cutting project's inheritance, so the authorities relaxed the conditions, and the required years of practice were no longer as strict as before.

Lin Xiyu had previously carried out public welfare activities at the Youth Palace, teaching children paper-cutting, receiving foreign friends, and contributing to the inheritance of local folk culture; therefore, her years of practice could be counted from 93 when she became Hu Nainai's disciple.

That is to say, from 93 to the present, her years of practice could already be counted as fourteen years, and after the relaxation, she now qualified to apply as an Inheritor.

The surprise came too suddenly, truly catching people off guard.

After the shock came great joy; the whole family was happy for her, and Guben supported her wholeheartedly, taking care of all the trivial matters so his beloved wife could pursue her dream without distraction.

——

In June, Daming Lake had green willows and blooming lotuses, the most beautiful season of the year.

Guben and his wife were also in high spirits, and taking advantage of the fine weather, they took the babies to the park.

The four babies sat in two side-by-side strollers, Pingping and Anan in one, Xixi and Lele in the other.

The two strollers moved side by side, and the four delicate, jade-carved little babies attracted the attention of many visitors.

"You two families are really something, having twins both times."

Someone, unaware of the circumstances, came over smiling and struck up a conversation with the nanny pushing the stroller.

"We're not two families, we're one family."

Grandpa Gu shook his palm-leaf fan, quite proud: "One birth, four treasures, all born to the same mother."

"Oh my, quadruplets!"

"That really is rare."

"It's my first time seeing quadruplets."

"Don't say that about you; I'm quite old myself, and it's also my first time seeing them."

"The four babies are so pretty, with big, watery eyes—just looking at them is delightful."

The charm of the quadruplets was indeed endless; as soon as Grandpa Gu said one birth, four treasures, the area around the two strollers was crowded with people.

That sense of rarity surpassed even seeing movie stars.

"Hee hee."

Dabao Pingping was a lively type; the more people, the happier he was.

Hearing others praise him, he became even more excited, waving his arms and legs and grinning nonstop.

"Is this a boy? His arms and legs look thicker than the little girl's, and he's really sturdy."

One visitor was so taken with him they couldn't bear it, practically wanting to snatch him away and take him home as their own grandson.

"Yes."

Old Man Gu, while fanning mosquitoes away from the babies, blocked those hands that were itching to grab them.

"I still think girls look prettier; she's really delicate."

Others genuinely loved pretty little girls, staring at Xixi and Lele's pink, jade-like little cheeks, unable to look away.

"Hehe."

Xixi was also a carefree sort, not at all shy of strangers; someone staring at her didn't faze her, and she slapped the baby carriage with her little fat hands, very happily.

Lele was a little afraid, timidly reaching out a hand toward Daddy.

Guben quickly bent down and picked Lele up.

Lele wrapped his arms around Daddy's neck, shrinking into his embrace like a little quail.

Lin Xiyu subconsciously looked toward Anan, and sure enough saw that Anan wasn't smiling, his little face all scrunched up and very serious.

Lin Xiyu bent down and picked Anan up too.

Anan's big, bright black eyes clearly showed delight, snuggling against Mommy with a very affectionate manner.

"The personalities of these four children really differ too much."

Old Man Gu fanned himself with a fan and looked at Anan with some feeling.

"Lele is close to Daddy, Anan is close to Mommy."

Nanny Liu Jie smiled and echoed: "The two children are impartial, each sticking to one."

"Lele is a girl, pampered from a young age, so being a bit timid is nothing."

Old Man Gu was a little worried: "Anan is a boy; with this personality, he won't be likable when he grows up."

"Anan is still young, no rush..."

Liu Jie added: "I think Anan is a very well-behaved child, easy to look after."

"I think so too..."

Nanny Xu Jie also smiled and said: "Compared to Anan, Pingping is much more mischievous; if you don't watch him for a moment, he crawls out of sight and scares people half to death."

"Fortunately, there's a yard at home."

Liu Jie wholeheartedly agreed: "Otherwise he'd scare someone into a heart attack."

"Sigh."

Old Man Gu laughed helplessly: "So I'm saying my eyesight is poor, or that Anan is more likable."

"Both children have their strengths, right?"

Xu Jie said what she knew Old Man liked to hear: "Pingping is energetic, has athletic cells; when he grows up he can be an athlete. Anan can sit still; in the future he can study hard, do scientific research, be a scientist—one literary, one martial, and you, Old Man, will be completely satisfied."

"I love hearing that."

Old Man Gu was indeed very happy hearing it, the wrinkles on his face blooming into a chrysanthemum.

—

The family walked forward chatting and laughing, when Lin Xiyu's attention was suddenly drawn by a song playing from a small shop in the park.

"Wide sleeves fluttering, where are you now? After many vicissitudes, after much wandering, the garments fade, finally becoming a lost sound; I wish to return to Han and Tang, and play again the jiao, zhi, gong, Injury, and yu."

"Wearing Han family clothes, reviving the land of rites; I wish to return to Han and Tang, and compose again the glorious chapter of a flourishing age. Why fear the long and difficult road? Look at the sons and daughters of Huaxia."

—

"What song is this?"

She was drawn by the singing, and a beautiful scroll unbidden floated up in her mind.

Girls in hanfu, waving folding fans, chatting and laughing, playing and frolicking in a garden of lush grass and clusters of flowers.

"Return to Han and Tang?"

Guben knew something about this song: "It seems to be a song created by someone advocating the Hanfu Revival; I saw it on the news before..."

"Hanfu Revival?"

Lin Xiyu was stunned for a moment, and said somewhat vexedly: "How come I've never heard of it? These days I've been busy looking after the children at home, and I don't even know what clothes are popular on the streets now."

"Hanfu won't become popular overnight."

Guben, who had worn hanfu when accompanying her to film a documentary many years ago, felt deeply: "That thing is too troublesome to wear, and too hot in summer; wrapped up on your body you'd get a whole body of heat rash. How could it be as cool as wearing a T-shirt?"

"Depends on the season."

Lin Xiyu had a different view: "Spring and autumn are fine, not cold not hot; it's still worth trying."

"You want to wear it?"

Guben, addicted to spoiling his wife: "I'll buy you a set."

"Are there any for sale?"

Lin Xiyu's eyes lit up.

"As long as you want to wear it, there must be."

Guben took the chance to coax his wife into happiness: "If there's nothing suitable, we can find someone to make one to order."

"I'm not saying I want to wear it myself..."

Lin Xiyu smiled: "Just now when I heard the song, I suddenly had a bit of inspiration; perhaps it will help with designing paper-cutting patterns."

"Get inspiration from listening to a song..."

Guben flattered very smoothly: "My wife is just smart."

Lin Xiyu acted coyly annoyed: "Don't you ask what kind of inspiration? You just started praising."

"Whatever my wife thinks is right."

Guben still wanted to quip a couple more lines, but Lin Xiyu glared him back with a look.

"Alright."

He smiled helplessly, adopting an all-ears posture: "What inspiration? Wife, you speak, I'm listening."

"You say..."

Lin Xiyu smiled slyly: "How about using paper-cutting to cut out a set of Hanfu?"

"Ah?"

Guben rarely let out a surprised exclamation; seeing his wife's face change, he immediately corrected himself: "Okay, absolutely doable."

"Really?"

Lin Xiyu narrowed her eyes, looking at him teasingly.

"Really."

Guben didn't even blink, answering very smoothly.

"Then it's settled..."

Lin Xiyu nodded: "Another day the two of us will go to a Hanfu shop and look around, buy a few sets back."

"Really cut it? Can that thing be worn?"

Guben's mouth reacted faster than his brain, accidentally blurting out his inner thought.

"Didn't you say it was doable?"

Lin Xiyu frowned, glaring at him displeased.

"Cough cough."

Guben laughed awkwardly: "I... that wasn't..."

"Hmph."

Lin Xiyu feigned anger: "Still said whatever I do you'd support me, buying a few sets of Hanfu and you're unwilling."

"Wife, that's really not what I meant..."

Guben felt a chill down his back, breaking into a cold sweat in the dog days of summer.

"It is, explaining is useless too."

Lin Xiyu ignored him, hugged Anan and turned to leave.

"Wife, don't be angry, wait for us."

Guben hugged Lele and chased after them.

Anan poked half her little head out from Mom's arms, sneakily looking back.

"Anan."

Guben signaled to his son with his eyes: "Help Dad coax Mom."

Anan blinked her big eyes, then shrank her little head back in.

Guben: "..."

——

"Hanfu cut from paper-cutting?"

"How would you wear that?"

"This thing wouldn't tear with just a poke?"

"Wear what? That's an artwork, put on a mannequin, displayed there, for people to look at."

"Fake mannequin?"

"Tch, I was stupid, thought it was a reality show with real people."

"How could a person wear paper clothes? If it really tore, revealing flesh, wouldn't that be mortifying."

"Fake mannequin doesn't matter, whatever clothes you put on it works, not to mention paper, even if sewn piece by piece from tree leaves, as long as it's an artwork, there are people who'll chase after it."

——

Children's Paradise.

Grandma Gu took advantage of the babies riding the mini train to chat and laugh; chatting along, the topic turned to the granddaughter-in-law's new idea.

Lin Xiyu and Guben spoke without avoiding people; the nannies also heard and couldn't help but click their tongues in wonder.

All three women's voices weren't quiet; carried by the wind into Guben's ears, he hurriedly squeezed over, taking the chance to flatter: "No wonder they say my wife's brain works well, using paper-cutting to make clothes, such a novel idea she could think of."

"You're really pleased."

Grandma Gu saw through his little scheme, chiming in from the side: "Wife is smart, children born will be smart too; when the babies grow up, they'll surely all become accomplished."

"Four babies, as long as one takes after the wife, clever and dexterous, I'll be satisfied."

Guben continued flattering: "Wait for wife to apply for Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor, then learn the craft from her mother, pass it down generation after generation, our family will become a Paper-cutting Family too."

"That would be wonderful."

Grandma Gu listened happily, eyes smiling into crescents.

"I think Lele is most suitable..."

Liu Jie laughed in agreement: "Little girl Anan is quiet, drawing a picture, cutting paper, looks gentle and refined, making people like her."

"What you say is right..."

Grandma Gu pointed at her with a palm-leaf fan, eyes showing joy: "Thinks the same as me; among the four babies, Lele is the most delicate, like a flower bud that can't withstand wind and rain; with her little frame, whatever she does I worry, best to let her stay at home, not go out to work."

"Lele doesn't need to work, I'll support her."

Guben's domineering aura leaked out, seizing the chance to brush up his presence as an old father.

Liu Jie was quite moved: "Lele has you two doting on her, she's truly fallen into a honey pot."