Chapter 33: Practicing Calligraphy in the Sand

After becoming a parent, nothing is more gratifying than hearing others praise your children—it’s even better than being praised yourself.

As expected, Yan Fengru beamed like a blooming flower. She then praised Fu Chang’an, and Madam Zhou responded by praising Gu Yuzhu and Gu Qingbai in turn…

Gu Yuzhu stood off to the side, listening and watching as Fu Chang’an stood tall and graceful nearby. She tugged on his sleeve and said, “Brother Fu, come over here.”

Fu Chang’an frowned slightly, but Madam Zhou waved her hand. “Go ahead, play with your little brother and sister for a bit.”

Fu Chang’an was precocious from a young age, and truthfully, he was already past the age of playing with small children. Besides, these two—one tall, one short—weren’t exactly fun company. Still, when he thought of the duck egg the little girl had given him, he pulled himself together.

“Brother Fu, come over here, let’s practice calligraphy together, okay?”

In her past life, Gu Yuzhu had no mother. The old Taoist who raised her mostly let her grow up wild. Back then, she had envied kids who had moms. Now she had a mother of her own, but Gu Yuzhu felt like perhaps she’d started taking it for granted. Maybe she was a bit of a scumbag. Every time Madam Yan Fengru began to nag her, Gu Yuzhu couldn’t help but feel sleepy.

So, feeling like she was rescuing her handsome big brother from a pit of suffering, her mood was quite good.

Fu Chang’an’s jet-black eyes immediately lit up at the words “practice calligraphy,” and when Gu Qingbai heard his sister suggest it, his eyes lit up too. The two of them—one on each side—dragged the much taller Fu Chang’an off to the backyard.

The layout of the Yan family’s house was quite similar to the Gu family’s, except their outhouse was in a separate structure instead of within the yard, so the backyard didn’t smell nearly as bad.

The backyard had a few small vegetable plots that had been cultivated. The soil there was soft and fine—essentially sand—perfectly suited as a calligraphy practice ground. Unlike the Gu family’s harder soil, this sand could act as a makeshift writing board.

Yan Fengru could certainly afford to buy expensive rice paper for them to practice on because she doted on the children. But Gu Yuzhu wasn’t truly a five-year-old child—she couldn’t be that thoughtless. So she came up with this idea and received her little brother’s full support.

After all, no matter how mature Gu Qingbai usually seemed, he was still just a five-year-old boy. What child doesn’t like playing in the dirt?

Besides, they were using tree branches to practice writing in the sand. Once finished, they could simply smooth the sand over and write again—fully reusable. Even Fu Chang’an, who usually seemed cool and aloof, had eyes filled with light at this idea.

Madam Zhou could earn money now, but Fu Chang’an still remembered how hard his mother had struggled in earlier years to raise him. Because of this, he remained a dutiful son. And as a dutiful son, he naturally wanted to save money for his mother.

Once Madam Zhou and Yan Fengru finally finished their round of mutual praise and came looking for the children, they found the three little ones squatting in the backyard, each with a tree branch in hand, scribbling and drawing on the ground.

When Madam Zhou saw what her son was writing, her eyes suddenly lit up. She looked at Gu Yuzhu and Gu Qingbai with much softer eyes, gently patting their little heads and smiling as she said to Yan Fengru:

“See, didn’t I say these two children were sharp-minded?”

The children were saving money on their own, and of course she was happy—there was no need to get mad at them. Plus, practicing calligraphy in the sand was actually an excellent method for young kids. Yan Fengru felt incredibly proud too—after all, these were her two precious darlings. But then she thought: they must have chosen to practice in the sand to help her save money on paper.

That filled Yan Fengru’s heart with deep emotion.

Even though she’d always known her children were smart, most people would still think—what does a five- or six-year-old know? It was human nature to assume that. Before this, even Yan Fengru had been no exception. But now, seeing that the children were secretly practicing in the sand just to save on rice paper, she no longer doubted their intent.

And if they had just been playing? Then why bother practicing characters at all? There were plenty of kids in the village playing in the mud, but none of them were drawing characters like her two were. Clearly, these two were thoughtful and well-behaved beyond their years—they even knew how to be frugal for her sake!

A mother should provide for her children—that’s her responsibility for bringing them into the world. But when her children start growing up and show signs of being filial, it’s incredibly touching. It was the kind of moment where you realize your love and effort weren’t wasted.

Nothing brings greater joy than seeing your efforts rewarded.

Madam Zhou wasn’t the kind to overstay her welcome. She bid farewell and took her son home, the two women agreeing to go to town together next time.

Originally, Yan Fengru had planned to stay at her parents’ home for the time being. But after Gu Caihe’s disruptive visit today, she realized that might not be wise.

Even if her natal family was kind and supportive, she couldn’t always rely on them. It had just so happened that her brothers weren’t around today and the matter had been resolved peacefully. But what about next time? With Gu Caihe’s temperament, even the smallest issue would probably be turned into a personal attack.

That kind of situation would never bring peace.

Thinking back, Yan Fengru felt proud of herself—how had she endured that troublemaking stepdaughter all this time?

So she decided to build her own house sooner than planned. Once the house was finished, she could choose to stay in the village or move to town with the children.

She needed to think it through carefully.

After all, a house is a foundation. Once they had their own home, she and the kids would finally have a proper household. No matter how good her maiden family was, it was still just that—a maiden family. That’s how she’d been raised to think, a mindset instilled by her era and upbringing. It wasn’t something she could change overnight.

Once the house was built, she could start a small business. She was a woman with two children to raise—living off her savings forever wasn’t realistic.

She and Gu Dapeng had already split the family, and because of Gu Qingbai, she hadn’t registered as a female-headed household. Instead, her five-year-old son had been registered as the head of the new household.

With that idea in her mind, Yan Fengru began calculating the money she had and planning what kind of house she could build, how many rooms, and so on. How wonderful! Since they’d split the family, this house would belong solely to her son, Gu Qingbai. After all, she’d build it after the separation—Gu Qingshan and even Gu Dapeng would have no claim.

Even if Gu Caihe had the audacity to come knocking, she couldn’t say the house was partially hers. What a joke!

With her thoughts racing, Yan Fengru still appeared calm on the outside as she saw Madam Zhou off.

When Gu Yuzhu was pulled into her mother’s arms and tightly hugged, she was stunned for a moment. But she was also very happy to be hugged. The two little ones snuggled up to Yan Fengru for a while, then grabbed her hands and started chattering excitedly about their calligraphy practice in the sand.

“Mom, Little Brother’s handwriting is so ugly. It’s not even as good-looking as mine,” Gu Yuzhu immediately tattled without hesitation.

Gu Qingbai: “……” So much for sibling love!