Chapter 279 – The Capable Father Yang Works Hard
Seeing his book being taken out, Yang Yi was somewhat surprised, but it was also something he had expected. Ever since Fu Jun told him that “Xixi’s Bedtime Stories” was selling well, Yang Yi knew that one day this book would also spread in Jiangcheng.
“This fairy tale book was recommended to me by my husband, but I didn’t expect that the stories inside would be so familiar. For example, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and Pinocchio whose nose grows longer when he lies. Aren’t these the stories that little Yang Xi usually tells to other children?”
Teacher Mu smiled and said, “It’s my fault for not reading the book carefully. It wasn’t until I saw the title and the author’s name that I suddenly realized that this popular fairy tale book was written by our Yang Xi’s father!”
The parents below the podium looked at Yang Yi with some surprise. Yang Yi didn’t hesitate and openly admitted it.
“Yang Yi, where can I buy this book? My Qiqi keeps asking me to tell her stories every day,” said Wu Yue, who was sitting in the front row like a diligent student, covering her mouth with a smile.
“I always feel like it’s a bit like advertising. How about this, after the new book period is over and it’s not easily available on the market, I’ll ask the publishing house send me some copies, and then I’ll give one to each parent!” Yang Yi said generously.
The parents present were actually not short of money, and Yang Yi was just expressing his intentions, but unexpectedly, he received a round of applause from them.
In fact, Teacher Mu invited Yang Yi to come up not just to have him give away books, but also to invite him to give a storytelling lecture to all the children in the kindergarten in mid-December.
This was also a feature of Chuntian Kindergarten. They often invited literary and artistic figures to tell stories or perform arts to stimulate the children’s interest.
Of course, talented parents like Yang Yi, who was close to the kindergarten, were the primary targets of the kindergarten’s invitations. In October, Nan Zhaoyu’s father, Nan Yiyun, was invited to perform calligraphy for the children, and this time it was Yang Yi’s turn.
Teaching children was still a fresh experience. After Teacher Mu finished speaking, Yang Yi didn’t refuse and readily agreed.
After coming down from the podium, Yang Yi was praised by Lan Zhoukai with a thumbs up. Boss Lan laughed and said, “Little Yang, you’re not being genuine! You kept such a big thing hidden. I thought you were just a writer of military novels, but I didn’t expect you to be so skilled at writing children’s stories!”
“It’s nothing. These stories were all created for Xixi to listen to, and I never thought they would be so popular,” Yang Yi smiled and said, “Moreover, this book sold poorly before, and I never thought of showing it off.”
“What’s the big deal? If you told your big brother, I would have bought millions of copies, and then give one to each of my employee and client to ensure that you have a great success,” Lan Zhoukai said with great righteousness.
While Yang Yi and Lan Zhoukai were chatting about unrelated topics, Teacher Mu on the stage mentioned that Chuntian Kindergarten was going to hold a New Year’s Eve party on New Year’s Day. This New Year’s Eve party was an invitation for parents to participate and share joy with their children.
Although there was still a month to go, preparations for the program needed to start early. After all, in addition to inviting some parents to perform, the kindergarten children also needed to present their own performances. Rehearsing for children under the age of six, without a month of repeated practice, would likely lead to embarrassing moments on stage.
Therefore, when Teacher Mu mentioned this, in addition to inviting parents to actively sign up for talent performances, she also invited parents to participate in selecting a fairy tale play for their children to start rehearsing early.
At this moment, Wu Yue enthusiastically said below, “Teacher Mu, there’s no need to choose a play that has been performed countless times by others. Don’t we have a master storyteller among the parents in our class? How can we not use such a good resource? Let Yang Yi create a new fairy tale play for the children!”
“That’s a great idea!” Wu Yue’s proposal received the approval of many parents, and Teacher Mu also thought it was feasible. So Yang Yi was once again invited to the stage.
“Yang Yi, don’t refuse anymore. Those who are capable should work harder!1The phrase “能者多劳” is a Chinese idiom that means “the more capable should bear more responsibilities” or “those who are capable should work harder.” It suggests that those who have the ability or talent should take on more tasks or work harder than others.” Wu Yue said with a charming smile from below the stage.
Creating a new fairy tale play? That wasn’t a problem. Yang Yi has recently been studying screenwriting. It was just a matter of adapting some of the fairy tales in his mind into plays that children can perform. The difficulty wasn’t too high.
Moreover, the play he would create was still for Xixi and her little friends to perform. How could Yang Yi refuse? When he readily agreed on stage, he was already thinking about which story to adapt!
The story of Little Red Riding Hood? This has already appeared in his book, and it might clash with the performances of other classes. Although the probability was low, Yang Yi wasn’t willing to take the risk.
The Emperor’s New Clothes? That was not bad, as many children could participate in the performance. However, while this story was suitable for adults to watch, the children might not understand it as the moral the story was too profound.
Got it! Yang Yi thought of a very good story, but it required a lot of costumes and props. However, in front of parents who weren’t short of money, that wasn’t a problem!
……
Her father went to the kindergarten for a parent-teacher conference, and also took on two additional tasks. Xixi didn’t know about these things that were happening. The little girl was sitting face to face with Uncle Guo, staring at each other with big eyes.
Last time, while running around with Lan Xin, Xixi accidentally bumped into a customer. Although her father didn’t blame Xixi, he still reminded her to pay attention to the situation and be careful when playing. So today, Xixi was exceptionally well-behaved and didn’t run around.
Without the chase of the little master, the three little British Shorthair didn’t make any noise. Xiao Hui and Duoduo were lying on the table by the window, squinting their eyes while basking in the sun.
The clingy Xiao Guai was lying next to the little master, turning over, showing his soft belly, his long front paws scratching the little master’s arm, as if saying, “Meow, little master, my belly is the softest and most fun, come and rub it!”
However, Xixi didn’t pay attention. The little girl pouted her little mouth and looked at Guo Ziyi unhappily.
Guo Ziyi was so uneasy under her gaze that he couldn’t read the script he was holding in his hand. He helplessly said to Xixi, “My Miss Xixi, what’s wrong with you?”
“My Papa asked you to play with me, but you didn’t play with me. I’m not happy now.” the little girl complained.
“I’ll play with you, how could I not play with you?” Guo Ziyi had to put away the script and sit up straight. “Uncle won’t do anything this afternoon, just play with you!”
“Hee hee, Uncle Guo is so nice!” These words made the little girl feel valued, so she smiled and said, “Then what shall we play?”
“What to play?” Guo Ziyi scratched his head. He had to think of a game that he could play with a child, one that wasn’t too difficult and didn’t require hard-to-get props.
If only there were playing cards, Guo Ziyi could play solitaire with Xixi, but where could he buy playing cards now?
“I’ve got it!” Guo Ziyi patted his head and raised his index finger at Xixi. “Xixi, wait for me!”
The little girl turned her head in confusion and saw Guo Ziyi running to the counter. After talking for a while, he took a stack of small pieces of paper and a pen from Ding Xiang. Wasn’t this what someone use for writing menus?
No wonder Ding Xiang was unwilling to give it to him at first…
Xixi stood up, stepped on the sofa, and leaned on the table. She watched as Guo Ziyi drew four lines on the small pieces of paper, two horizontal and two vertical, intersecting each other to form a well2
character shape. She curiously asked, “Uncle Guo, are we going to draw?”
“No, this is a game that tests your intelligence!” Guo Ziyi said with a slight sense of pride.
TN: If you like my translations support me in ko-fi: Here.
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