Chapter 186 Grandma, Listen~~ The Sounds of Nature~~

Chapter 186 Grandma, Listen~~ The Sounds of Nature~~

The three children squeezed into Fu Yuanhang's room to sleep together at night. They were exhausted from traveling by day and catching frogs by night, so they slept soundly through the night until dawn, awaking to the melodious chirping of birds at dawn.

Fu Yuanhang had already gone to the kitchen to help Zhou Linglan prepare breakfast.

Uncle Mu perched by the window, gazing at the mist-veiled mountains and forests in the distance. The rice fields at the mountain's base were laden with golden, ripe grains, and the birds were singing cheerfully. Even a child as unobservant as him couldn't help but marvel, "It's like living in a painting."

Chenchen mimicked his posture, propping his chin on his little, pudgy hand, blinking his big eyes as he looked out the window.

A villager passed by, guiding an aged water buffalo. With every step the buffalo took, the bell around its neck chimed, mingling with the insect hum and bird song to create a magical symphony.

Chenchen said, "I’ll sketch it for you~~"

Uncle Mu turned to look at him, "You know how to draw?"

"Only a tiny bit~~" Chenchen climbed down from the bed to find his drawing tools.

After grabbing them, he scampered back and started sketching the scene outside the window.

Uncle Mu wasn’t expecting much; after all, the little tyke could hardly keep the pencil steady, and his lines were all wobbly. What could he possibly draw?

But as he watched, something seemed off. Uncle Mu sat up straight, "Chenchen, you can actually draw?"

Chenchen: "I told you I can do a teeny bit~~"

Uncle Mu: "..." Are you sure you meant a smidge, not a ton?

Naturally, Chenchen's drawing skills weren't as good as Fu Yuanhang's, but he was quick and precise, almost as if he didn't need to think. He roughly outlined the scene, then filled it in, and suddenly, the mountains looked like mountains, the water like water, the buffalo and the herder looked as if they could step right out of the page, and even the graceful arc of the heavy rice ears was perfectly captured.

It was a mirror image of the scene before their eyes.

Uncle Mu almost felt like he was hidden within the painting.

After finishing, Chenchen looked at Uncle Mu.

He let out an "Ah~~" and drew a window, then added Uncle Mu into the picture, capturing the moment he had been leaning against the window.

Uncle Mu: "..."

Holy cow, it’s like staring into a mirror!

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would believe that a two-year-old little guy could draw something like this?

"Chenchen, is this what you call 'only a tiny bit'?"

Chenchen blinked innocently, "But~~ I'm not as good as Uncle Shu~~"

Uncle Mu: "..." How old are you again? And how old is your uncle? And your uncle is a once-in-a-decade drawing prodigy, you know?

To be honest, if you asked Chenchen to draw a straight line or an egg, he probably couldn't do it well. His hands are small, and he can't control the pressure yet, so he can't even hold the pencil properly. His drawing skills are definitely not up to par.

But when it comes to the overall composition and this bold, sweeping style, he includes all the necessary elements, and the proportions are correct. Up close, it might not look great, but at a glance, it's like a perfect copy.

Uncle Mu thought he was used to being overshadowed by Fu Yuanhang and wouldn't feel anything.

But often when he looked at Chenchen, who wasn’t even waist-high, and found himself losing at chess, origami, and even reciting texts, he couldn’t help but doubt himself.

He thought he was pretty smart—before Fu Yuanhang appeared in their class, he was always the top student, even praised by the teachers.

But looking at Chenchen, who barely had a few teeth, he couldn’t claim to be smart!

Uncle Mu bent down, pinched Chenchen’s cheek, and picked him up: "Let’s go wash up and eat. Let’s see what your uncle made for us."

One thing was certain—he could out-eat Chenchen any day!

Su Taotao was leaving the next day, so Zhou Linglan took the morning off.

Uncle Mu was new to the countryside, and everything seemed exciting.

He wanted to buy Zhou Linglan a gift, so he asked Fu Yuanhang about going to town.

Zhou Linglan said, "It’s not market day, so the town will be quiet. If you want to go, I can take you on my bike."

Su Taotao smiled and said, "Towns are all alike. Seen one, seen them all. Why not stroll through the fields or hike up the mountain? Or you could try digging for yams."

Uncle Mu hurriedly said, "I need to buy something."

He loved the village but hadn’t found a chance to buy Auntie Zhong a gift. What could he do?

Su Taotao asked, curious, "What are you looking to buy?"

Uncle Mu pressed his lips together and stayed silent.

Su Taotao thought it odd—Uncle Mu wasn’t usually like this.

She thought he might want to bring some local specialties for Auntie Zhong, so she said:

"Go ahead. Will you be back for lunch? If not, we’ll save the catfish for dinner."

Uncle Mu nodded eagerly, "We’ll be back!"

Nothing in town could beat Sister Taotao’s catfish and frog legs!

Fu Yuanhang said, "The commune’s close. Let’s walk."

Zhou Linglan handed out straw hats for the kids.

Uncle Mu, who never wore hats on the island, let Zhou Linglan put one on him.

His good behavior made Zhou Linglan like him even more.

The whole family went to the commune, leaving Su Taotao to cook.

Everyone wanted to carry Chenchen, but Zhou Linglan got the chance.

Chenchen pulled a big conch from his backpack, leaned on his grandma, and held it to her ear: "Grandma, listen~~ the sea~~"

Zhou Linglan paused, hearing the wind through the conch. It was a unique sound. She’d never seen the sea, but her husband had described it. This must be the sound of waves on a ship.

Zhou Linglan smiled. "It’s beautiful."

Chenchen grinned, hugged Zhou Linglan, and gave her the conch: "For you, Grandma~~ a gift~~ listen to it every day~~"

Zhou Linglan reached out and took it, feeling the uneven texture on its surface, like a beautiful piece of art: "It's so beautiful, Chenchen should keep it for himself."

Chenchen shook his head: "There are plenty more in the sea~~ Chenchen can pick another one later~~ This one is for grandma~~"

Zhou Linglan put the conch to her ear and listened again: "It sounds lovely, thank you, Chenchen."

Chenchen squinted his eyes and wriggled around: "No need to thank me~~ I'll pick another one~~ and give it to grandpa later~~"

Zhou Linglan paused for a moment, then smiled again: "Okay, grandpa used to be a naval soldier, guarding our country on a very big ship, but due to certain circumstances, he remained at sea forever."

Chenchen nodded: "Chenchen knows, grandma~~ From our home on the island, you can see grandpa's lighthouse~~ When are you coming~~"

Zhou Linglan smiled again, touched the child's soft little hand, and kissed it: "Soon, probably around the New Year. Grandma also knows that Chenchen has started school, is it hard?"

"Hmm~~" Chenchen shook his head again, "Not hard at all~~ Grandma, let me tell you~~"

The grandmother and grandson chatted on and off all the way to the commune, where Zhou Linglan then transferred Chenchen to Fu Yuanhang's back for him to carry.