Chapter 45 – The Young Woman Of The Flower Shop
Today, Jiangcheng is having a light drizzling rain. This is not surprising as the city is located in the south of the Yangtze River. It is a city that is warm and rainy. It began to rain, but this gave the city some kind of poetic and picturesque charm.
Of course, Xixi was 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.
Street Corner’s Coffee Shop has quietly opened. Yang Yi, who doesn’t like the hustle and bustle, and does not understand the common custom, didn’t do a grand opening. He even chose a weekend free time to hang a simple wooden signboard, which is considered the opening ceremony.
This has also led to no one knowing it. There have been no customers coming to the coffee shop for two days since its opening…
It’s just that Yang Yi doesn’t care.
The sky is dark, but the coffee shop is as warm as a home. The soft yellow lights slightly light up every corner. It’s as warm as if sitting around the fire in the winter night, perfect for friends to have a quiet conversation.
However, in front of the bar, Yang Yi turned on the extra bright incandescent lamp. He wiped the cup tirelessly while he smiled as he watched his daughter draw.
Xixi’s small figure sat high, leaning over the clean and spacious marble bar, carefully using her colored crayons to draw the image on her mind on the white paper.
After a while, the little girl looked up and said happily, “Papa, look, how is my drawing?”
Yang Yi has been 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 a long nose.
“Yes!” Xixi said happily, “The mother elephant has a long nose.”
“Your drawing is really great!” Yang Yi smiled and rubbed the little girl’s head.
After reading those parenting books, Yang Yi’s ideas have changed.
Before, he still thought that Xixi’s painting was a little awkward, so he wanted to teach her how to draw!
However, there is a book that says: “Learning to draw too early makes children unable to draw…”
Children between 0 and 7 years old are in an important period of right-brain development, and a very important part of right-brain development is “to use the transformation and expression of drawing to improve the right-brain health and the formation of divergent thinking. Therefore, in this period of time, children need to express their imagination and association freely, and cannot be constrained by fixed drawing style, but should be fully expressed in rich color experience and non-stereotyped drawing changes.” (TN: Let the children develop their own drawing style/s and not have others teach them a specific drawing style, so that they can freely express themselves.)
If Yang Yi teaches Xixi his drawing skills and ideas, then the development of her right brain will be affected!
Startled in a 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 the little girl can freely use her imagination to draw what she wanted to express.
Moreover, her drawing was also good!
Yang Yi began to learn to appreciate and praise: “The elephants you draw are so cute, and they look so happy!”
Xi Xi smiled happily, and she became more motivated. She lowered her head again and continue to draw.
At this time, the wind chimes at the door rang, and someone pushed open the door. Yang Yi noticed this, and subconsciously looked toward the door. But that person did not come in, and just let a little boy through the door to shelter from the rain.
“Hello!” He couldn’t see that person through the curtain, but Yang Yi heard a gentle female voice, as soft as the drizzle outside.
Why don’t you come in? Yang Yi didn’t understand.
Looking at the nervous look of the little boy, Yang Yi had to come out of the bar. Xixi jumped down from the chair, hold his father’s hand, and hid behind her father. She peeped out her little head and look at that little boy who should be five or six years old.
Yang Yi looked 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. Her shoes were also muddy. Mud spots even splashed on her white stockings. Her petite and helpless appearance made people feel pity.
But Yang Yi did not have any reverie. He asked, “Hello, why don’t you come in?” (TN: Reverie: be lost in wild and fanciful thoughts)
The young woman looked up at Yang Yi apologetically and said, “I’m sorry, I accidentally stepped on your flowers just now and didn’t pay attention to it.”
Yang Yi didn’t care. He waved his hand and said, “it doesn’t matter. If you want to take shelter from the rain, come in. It’s not a big deal!”
But the young woman was still a little embarrassed and sheepishly said, “My shoes are very dirty and there’s a lot of mud on them. Can I trouble you to bring me with a basin of water first?”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s dirty. I’ll wipe it later.” Yang Yi looked at the shoe 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 it didn’t matter at all. He will just have to do a lot of sanitation later…
“Forget it. I’ll take you upstairs.” Yang Yi thought about it, shook his head and said, “There’s only a toilet downstairs, it’s not good to wash there. There’s hot water upstairs.”
Without waiting for the young woman to object, Yang Yi picked up the big umbrella hanging behind the door, opened it, bent down to pick up Xixi, then smiled faintly, and said, “Let’s go!”
“Oh, oh, ok, thank you! Is this your daughter?” The young woman was being arranged by Yang Yi. She was a little shy and blushed. She pulled up her son and followed suit without saying any words.
The distance from the back of the shop to the courtyard upstairs was not that far, but Yang Yi actually got a lot of information from the other party.
The young woman’s name is Yan Xiaopei, and her son’s name is Yan Yingkai. It can be seen from their surname that Yan Xiaopei has been divorced, and her son follow her surname. Obviously, her ex-husband did something unthinkable that made her so resentful.
Of course, Yang Yi was not interested and did not ask questions.
Today, Yan Xiaopei was so embarrassed because her son went to a piano lesson, and Yan Xiaopei braved the rain to pick him up. But when passing by the door of Yang Yi’s shop, she did not pay attention to the road, and she stepped on the edge of the flower bed and stepped in the mud.
“Is your coffee shop newly opened? I don’t think I’ve seen it before?” When Yan Xiaopei came in, she was determined not to wear the muddy shoes. Yang Yi had to settle the two little ones first, and then brought her slippers.
“Um.” Yang Yi nodded.
Yan Xiaopei was shy at first, but now she seems to be a talkative person after getting familiar with him. She followed Yang Yi while holding her dirty shoes: “Oh, I opened a flower shop at the east gate of the school.”
“East Gate? 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 asked somewhat curiously.
“There are two college students working part-time in the shop. Moreover, on rainy days, only few people come out.” Yan Xiaopei said softly.
Upstairs, Xixi was sitting face to face with Yan Yingkai across the coffee table. The little boy 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 couldn’t wait to run over and hold her father’s leg.
_____
TN: There’s an author’s 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.
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