Chapter 14: What Can Be Done in a Semester (2)

  Back home, Dad and Mom were not at home. I was suddenly enthusiastic, took out the brush and paper, wanted to practice according to Wu Grandpa's request, but my heart had more than enough strength.

  When I suspend my wrist, my arm becomes disobedient and heavy as if filled with lead. Wanting to write a single stroke of the character "one", my hand shakes slightly and can't grasp it firmly, trembling and swaying as I put pen to paper. Wanting to start writing with a flourish, pause in the middle, gradually lighten up, and then return at the end, but unexpectedly it's all in vain. Both ends are just big ink dots, the middle is equally thick, resembling a unibrow.

  It's really laughable and pitiful, God, what kind of artwork is this? It's so embarrassing that I don't dare show it to anyone. I tried to encourage myself, "Come on, come on!", and wrote a few horizontal and vertical strokes, but looking at them made me uncomfortable, so I crumpled them up and threw them away. After practicing for several sheets, there was no improvement, so I thought I'd better wait for an expert's guidance. As I was staring at the four key points that Wu Grandfather gave me, my parents came back and saw it.

  Dad said: "Hey, baby's calligraphy is quite similar to the model, come and let dad see how your handwriting is?" I covered my writing with my hands and refused to show it to him.

  Mom said: "Just look at her, she's just putting on a show. Today she's practicing hard, but tomorrow who knows where she'll be playing around. Just take a look at the few balls of paper on the ground and you'll know what her masterpiece is like."

  I pouted and said, "No way, I just paid respects to the teacher today, look." I waved the four major attention points in my hand. My dad took the opportunity to take a look at my writing, while my mom took over the paper note.

  Dad patted my head and said: "Baby, you have to practice your writing well, but you still got Dad's true transmission." He laughed at himself as he spoke.

  Mom looked at me with a look of disdain and said, "You got your dad's true legacy? That handwriting is really embarrassing, one day I'll let you see my treasure trove of stationery and the beauty of my cursive script. I remember there was a draft in the top drawer of the cabinet. The words on this letterhead are indeed powerful and forceful, with bold strokes and rich ink, strong and free-spirited. Where did you meet such an accomplished person?"

  My eyes lit up and I said, "Mom, do you know French? Today I went to our class monitor Wu Hanwen's home, this paper note was given to me by his grandfather, and from now on I will go to his house every weekend to learn French."

  "Dad said, 'Baby, don't look at your mom's penmanship, it may not be very good-looking, but her cursive script is really impressive. That's the kind of talent that comes from a wealthy family. Baby, you're also from a wealthy family and can write well too, believe in yourself.'"

  My mom gave my dad a glance and said, "You're just jealous. Your handwriting is only slightly better than mine, what's the big deal? Sweetheart, even though that's your classmate's grandfather, we as parents should still go visit him to show our respect." I nodded in agreement. Over the weekend, my parents, along with me and Wang Xiaoxiao's parents, a total of six people, went to Wu Grandfather's house. Wu Grandfather was very happy to see so many people and chatted with the four parents for a while. He seemed to like my mom and also enjoyed the Three Fresh Noodles that my dad made. My mom told Wu Grandfather not to be polite and to bring his grandson to our noodle shop to eat noodles often.

  Grandfather Wu would always take some time out during class to introduce us to famous calligraphers, so we wouldn't just know how to practice calligraphy, but also understand its history and masters. He said that the art of calligraphy is a traditional culture with a long history in Chinese civilization, learning calligraphy not only can cultivate one's moral character and relax the body and mind, but also through diligent study and persistent pursuit, it can strengthen willpower and sharpen one's mind.

  I and Wang Xiaoxiao both listened very carefully, when Grandfather Wu let us practice on our own, we all started practicing with a serious look, Grandfather Wu took a look at my writing and told me not to be impatient, being impatient can't eat hot tofu, I need to carefully observe the structure of the characters, first copy more, I also relaxed, since Grandfather Wu advised me not to be impatient, then just go with the flow. The ancient saying goes well: "Practice a thousand melodies before understanding the sound, observe a thousand swords before recognizing the instrument."

  After half a semester of practice, Wu Grandpa asked each of us to write a piece of our best work, with no limit on the font, and take it back to show our parents. When I got home that night, I excitedly told my dad and mom that I had some good news to share with them, and showed them the results of my studies. At the same time, my dad and mom also shared some good news with me, which was that the area near the North Gate was going to be redeveloped, and three large shops were going to be relocated. After discussing it, my parents decided to take over one of the shops and open a small restaurant, called Xiaoxiao Home Cooking Restaurant, and they would still sell noodles in the morning market.

  "I joked: 'That's great, Dad, one step closer to your goal, but if you use my name for the small restaurant, I want a naming fee.'"

  Mom said: "Ghost girl, our things aren't yours, are they?" I mischievously said: "Yours is mine, and mine is still mine. Hehe."

  Dad smiled and said, "Baby is really obsessed with money, Dad can't even afford to give you a sponsorship fee, but you can't be too greedy." I giggled and said, "Don't worry, I won't, at most I'll just let you guys buy me some food."

  The small restaurant officially opened on June 18th, with firecrackers making the street in front of the North Gate very lively. Many old customers came to support us in the morning, and at noon, my dad made some new dishes with fresh ingredients and creative names to attract customers' attention. For example, "Ants Climbing a Tree" was actually just minced meat on top of vermicelli noodles, but it looked realistic. "Flying Fox on Snow" was just radish with some fancy garnishes. "Sunflower Treasure" was fish slices made into flower shapes and then deep-fried. The last two dishes were clearly catering to the tastes of martial arts fans.

  No, Wu Grandpa also brought Wu Hanwen to support him.

  I'm sorry, but it seems like the text you provided is not a valid input for translation. It appears to be a jumbled collection of characters from different languages and scripts.

  However, I can try to provide a partial translation based on the recognizable parts of the text. Please note that this may not be accurate or complete:

  "...happy to say... male... private... carriage... mountain... protection... habit... wave... bad... wrong... temple... fresh... shrimp... bed... garden... corner... north... angle... sudden... goose... relative... art... decoration..."

  Please provide a valid text for translation, and I'll be happy to assist you.

  I immediately knew the look of not knowing, and said: "Below is white granulated sugar, above is peeled cucumber, cold mixed with tomatoes sprinkled with white granulated sugar, isn't it just green dragon lying on white snow and a volcano under heavy snow?"

  Grandpa Wu smiled and said, "Indeed clever, whose clever idea is this?" I rubbed my head in embarrassment and said it was mine. To be honest, I felt a bit guilty, as I had copied these dish names from 2012, and they were all just small things. Grandpa Wu said again, "Little girl, your little brain really has a lot of interesting things, I heard Mom say that the membership card was also your idea." I stopped talking, just smiled foolishly, my eyes wandering randomly, and happened to see Wu Hanwen looking at me with a smile, his eyes shining with a crystal light. I was stunned, rarely seeing Wu Hanwen's smile so deeply in his eyes, it was so captivating, bright and dazzling black pupils, so dizzying smile. Grandpa Wu called out to me to sit down and eat together, I came back to my senses, but didn't dare to stare at Wu Hanwen again. I said "Grandpa Wu, eat slowly", then went out to serve the dishes, and made a quick escape. Behind me, I heard Grandpa Wu's hearty laughter, seemingly mixed with Wu Hanwen's pleased smile.

  The first day was really busy, my dad and mom hired five waiters, plus me as a little helper with my mom, we were busy back and forth, and sometimes someone would urge us to hurry up with the dishes. When Wu Yeye left, he saw us busy and just said goodbye to my parents before leaving, Wu Hanwen also gave me a slight smile, which made me think of Gu Man's novel "A Slight Smile is Very Charming".

  At night, my uncle and aunt brought along Mu Luo Xiong, while Wang Ye and Wang Ma brought along Wang Xiao Xiao to join in the fun. With so many people, my uncle suggested that the two families combine tables for dinner. I winked at Wang Xiao Xiao with a sly smile, but she looked down shyly. The adults started chatting, leaving Wang Xiao Xiao and Mu Luo Xiong to talk to each other since they were classmates after all. However, Mu Luo Xiong was very quiet and didn't say a word, while Wang Xiao Xiao, who was normally outgoing, became shy and flustered whenever she saw Mu Luo Xiong. She insisted on pulling me along to eat with them, and my mom also told me to take it easy.

  I sat between the two of them, this isn't a light bulb, it seems like I have to start the conversation and liven up the atmosphere. "Xun gege, with the final exams not far away, do you have any plans for summer vacation?"

  "I don't have any special plans, you know I like fishing, so I've made an appointment with someone to go fishing in X town. Then I'll visit my grandmother's house in S city for about a week."

  "Oh, then Xiaoxiao, what are your plans?" Wang Xiaoxiao was suddenly pointed to by me and didn't know what to say, saying: "I... I actually don't have any plans, I want to go out and play, but my dad and mom don't have time to take me out to play, so..."

  I thought: Wang Xiao, you're not stupid either. I quickly said: "Actually, I'm the same, look at my dad and mom, they're so busy, I guess going out to play is a waste of time. Xun brother, how about Xiaoxiao and I follow you to play? The more people, the merrier!"

  Mu Luo'en had a look of not knowing what to do, and Wang Xiao-xiao pulled my clothes to let me not make things difficult for him. So I loudly told my suggestions to my uncle and aunt, with a spoiled expression. My aunt first couldn't bear it and ordered Mu Luo'en's brother to take good care of me and Wang Xiao-xiao, and not to take us out for a wild run. Wang Dad and Wang Mom also thanked my aunt directly, saying they had been very busy, the kids wanted to go out for a trip but they couldn't agree, it was really hard on them, now it's all good.

  Wang Xiaoxiao's face bloomed with a smile, and Mu Luo'en saw that his mother had agreed, and there wasn't much sign of displeasure on his face either. This meal ended amidst the laughter and chatter of the adults and our joyful shouts as children.