Chapter 79 Shi Yiwang and Shi Mingzhao

Chapter 79: The Glimmer of Dawn

Another year, and the sweet scent of persimmons filled the air. Outside the wide floor-to-ceiling window, only a dozen or so red persimmons remained on the two trees, swaying gently. They formed a delightful contrast with the nearby orange tree, truly a vibrant and charming scene, reminiscent of the phrase "oranges and tangerines, yellow and green."

A little one sat at a small table and chair, paintbrush in hand, dabbing one red stroke after another. Though the lines might seem messy to older children, the little one was utterly content and focused, head bowed in quiet concentration. The straps of his tiny overalls slipped down a bit, but he instinctively pulled them up before continuing to paint the "red persimmons" in his mind, completely engrossed.

Dad kept asking if he wanted a green watercolor pen, suggesting he add some green to the persimmons to make them look more realistic. The little one carefully examined his drawing again... He was only two years and four months old—being able to draw like this was already quite impressive. Or rather, since he was already two years and four months old, shouldn’t he be allowed to paint according to his own ideas?

Dad handed him the pen again. The little one turned his face, glanced quickly at Dad, didn’t take the green watercolor pen, and lowered his head once more:

"Dad, didn't I tell you already?"

"...Hahahahahahaha!"

"Dad, stop laughing, okay?"

"..."

Immediately, Shi Zai clamped his hand over his mouth, almost turning red from holding back laughter.

His little treasure was just too adorable, with a unique charm distinct from his older brother! Unable to resist, Shi Zai scooped up the little one and kissed his forehead. The little one lifted his face again, looked at him quietly for two seconds, sighed, and went back to scribbling.

Hahahahahahaha!

What two-year-and-four-month-old child is this calm?!

"Zhaozhao, you are so much like your Daddy! Exactly the same, hahahahaha!"

"..."

"Your Daddy must have been exactly like this when he was little, hahahaha..."

"..."

Shi Zai knew the little one was giving him the silent treatment again. What to do? Hahaha, he was increasingly convinced that Zhaozhao was a spitting image of Shu Yangkuo. When that stubborn man was being complained about by him and Yang Yun, he would also silently go about his own business, acting as if he had no ears.

Since Zhaozhao was around one year old, Shi Zai had noticed that the little one could understand perfectly well—sometimes he just pretended not to hear. No matter how much Shi Zai tried to talk to him, he would simply play with his toys alone. Shi Zai even began to wonder if there was something wrong with his hearing, until he called out, "Who wants some candy?" and the little one quickly looked up. Hahaha! Even though Zhaozhao spoke little and rarely laughed, he always managed to make Shi Zai double over with amusement.

Calm, reserved, preferring quiet, unwilling to talk much, not fond of responding—these traits in Shu Yangkuo came across as mature and steady. But in a two-year-and-four-month-old child, they gave off a charmingly precocious vibe. This blend of untimely innocence and untimely maturity made him incredibly endearing. Especially when Zhaozhao was focused on his own activities, if someone teased or disturbed him too much, the little one would say things like, "Don’t laugh," or "Don’t talk, okay?" addressing adults in such a manner. Shi Zai found it hilarious every time, yet he still deliberately teased him—he was just too cute.

Lately, Zhaozhao was also in a phase of order sensitivity. No matter what he did, he had very strong opinions. If his toys weren’t arranged according to his preferences, Zhaozhao would dump everything out in a clatter and sit on the floor, slowly putting them back himself. The same went for drawing—when he had a specific way he wanted to paint, no amount of persuasion would change his mind. If someone insisted on telling him the "correct" way, he would get so angry he might rip up his drawing.

Unlike Wang Wang, who laughed and cried freely as a child, always full of emotion—crying one moment and laughing soon after, able to laugh for a long time when excited, with a lively and cheerful personality, expressive and loving to cuddle with adults, like a little sun. Zhaozhao was much calmer and more reserved, even somewhat restrained. Even when he cried, it was only when he was extremely upset or wronged—he’d whimper a few times, then stop as soon as he felt slightly better, wipe his tears, and go back to pondering things expressionlessly or playing with his toys. His laughter, too, would only last a short while before he’d lose interest in laughing heartily.

Their personalities were quite contrasting, yet each took after one parent—one like Dad, the other like Daddy.

Both had shared traits of their dad and daddy until two months ago, such as being quiet or loving to laugh. But as they grew, Wang Wang no longer "contemplated life" as he had a few months earlier, and Zhaozhao no longer grinned widely with a "silly smile." They began to each follow their own paths.

Zhaozhao’s formal name was "Shi Mingzhao"—today, he may chirp softly; tomorrow, he will surely shine brightly. Even without being expressive, he could have his own "chirping." The little one was more independent than his older brother, with strong opinions of his own. As long as he had his own "chirping" for the things he loved, Shi Zai felt happy. For both of them, they never expected their children to become dragons—happiness, freedom, and living a life full of passion were what mattered most.

Born on June 21st, the day of the summer solstice. One born on the summer solstice, the other on the autumnal equinox—yet their temperaments were reversed. But deep down, both had Dad’s warmth. Though Zhaozhao was quieter, he was much more sensitive and delicate than his brother. He usually preferred playing alone, but if Dad was tired or unwell, he would actively crawl into Dad’s arms for a cuddle. At times like these, if you talked to him, he would look into Dad’s eyes and answer whatever was asked. If asked to kiss Dad’s cheek, even if he was usually shy, he would do it then—a little one who melted hearts and evoked tenderness.

During Wang Wang’s order-sensitive phase, he would often squirm like a fish in Daddy’s arms, asking Daddy to help rearrange things that had been disordered. If Daddy didn’t arrange them properly, he’d pout with eyes welling up, feeling upset and wronged until Daddy fixed it, at which point he’d giggle and tightly hug Daddy’s neck. Zhaozhao’s order sensitivity, however, meant that no one should touch his things or try to change his mind.

In other words, one was easygoing, while the other tended to be stubborn.

Hehe, again, one took after Dad, the other after Daddy.

Since the incident when Wang Wang was over a year old, Shi Zai had become more attentive to Shu Yangkuo’s "stubbornness." Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder what this man, who spoke little all day, was pondering in his heart—mulling things over until he accumulated little grievances. For example, when Wang Wang started kindergarten the year before last, the man suffered from separation anxiety but didn’t say a word. A few days later, he became so stressed that he’d get stomachaches right after dropping Wang Wang off. After Shi Zai found out, he scolded him and took him out for two days to relax before he felt better. Another instance was last year when Zhaozhao, over a year old, didn’t cling to them like his brother had. The man again wondered if he hadn’t taken good care of the little one, leading to Zhaozhao not having a clingy phase. He even felt so upset he lost his appetite. After Shi Zai discovered it, he scolded him again, asking if he didn’t realize Zhaozhao was just like him. If Zhaozhao didn’t cling, it was because he was holding back—couldn’t Daddy actively hug him? Later, after Shu Yangkuo actively cuddled Zhaozhao a few times, the little one began to stretch out his little arms saying, "Daddy, hug baby."

Ah, the temperaments of this father and son.

Shi Zai had teased the man several times, pestering him to ask if he had been like this as a child. The man first pretended not to hear, then had no choice but to say, "How would I remember before I was three?" Shi Zai persisted, "What about after three?" The man’s ears turned slightly red as he admitted, "Pretty much the same." Shi Zai laughed heartily, thinking to himself that it was probably even more exaggerated than Zhaozhao.

After all, Zhaozhao had half of his genes—the little one at least wouldn’t bottle things up too much, though he still only spoke up when he couldn’t hold back. Like how Shi Zai kept asking if he wanted a green watercolor pen... Well, maybe he was still quite like Daddy after all, hahahaha!

But it was fine. Both their genes had been powerfully passed on to the next generation.

For example, when sharing toys—Wang Wang was more enthusiastic about sharing with his brother, thinking that after sharing, his brother should exchange a toy in return. But his brother didn’t; the little one’s thought was that he hadn’t finished playing with his toy yet and didn’t want to give it away. If his brother wanted to share, that was his choice. As a result, Wang Wang would become unhappy and want to take back the toy he’d given, and Zhaozhao would also get upset, feeling that his brother had given it voluntarily and then changed his mind, leading to arguments. When Zhaozhao shared toys with his brother, if Wang Wang happened not to like that toy and declined, Zhaozhao would get angry, insisting that his brother play with the toy he’d given. Essentially, he felt rejected, embarrassed, and spiteful, determined to shove the toy into his brother’s hands. But Wang Wang would also become displeased by this, and the two would end up fighting.

When it came to the brothers’ disputes, Shi Zai naturally "played referee" with them. In such situations, he absolutely avoided saying, "You’re the older brother, you should give in to your younger brother," or "You’re the younger brother, you can’t hit your brother," as that would be taking sides. He had to figure out the cause and who threw the first punch against the rules... For instance, in the two sharing incidents, the "verdict" for the first one was naturally that Wang Wang was wrong—he should wait for others to share instead of snatching. But he would also gently remind Zhaozhao, "When you’re done with your toy, remember to share with your brother," so both would feel better. The "verdict" for the second incident was that Zhaozhao was wrong: "You yourself don’t like others forcing you to play with toys or eat things, so why force someone to accept your toy? You can share with your brother, and he can set it aside to play with when he wants." But he would also gently remind Zhaozhao, "Whether it’s your younger brother or other children, when they share toys with you, you should accept them first—it’s rude to refuse." This way, neither felt wronged.

As a result, Shi Zai felt like a broken record, having to adjudicate countless cases every day. To truly be an impartial judge, he first had to understand why each was upset, then carefully assess based on their accounts—especially since Zhaozhao spoke little. He often had to ask Wang Wang repeatedly to see if he was hiding anything, or even have them "re-enact the scene" to determine who was really at fault. Then he’d bring them together to reason with them, followed by talking to each separately... Shi Zai felt that since Zhaozhao began understanding things over the past half-year, there was no end to the cases he had to settle or the words he had to say. He had to drink a lot of water every day just to replenish his energy.

This was why he kept asking Zhaozhao multiple times, "Do you want the green watercolor pen?" Tsk, it was all because of those two little rascals who wore him down. He was afraid they might have unspoken reluctance or that he hadn’t expressed himself clearly, making him increasingly verbose.

Balancing play with reasoning, over the past year, Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo had somewhat switched off. Shi Zai now interacted more with the two kids, while the man mainly handled picking up and dropping off Wang Wang and accompanying them in learning. Their daily routine: Shi Zai would take Zhaozhao to the studio first, play with him for a while, then drop Zhaozhao off at the preschool next to Shu Yangkuo’s place before focusing on work. After Shu Yangkuo dropped Wang Wang off at kindergarten and returned, he’d spend some time with Zhaozhao before starting work. They’d have lunch together, then take turns working and accompanying Zhaozhao in the afternoon. When it was time for Wang Wang to finish school, Shu Yangkuo would pick him up, and Shi Zai would wait for them to arrive before heading home together.

Today was Friday, also the end of the month. Shu Yangkuo had gone to Wang Wang’s parent-teacher meeting in the afternoon, so Shi Zai hadn’t gone to the studio, staying home to play with Zhaozhao instead. Checking the time, he saw they would be back soon. Smiling, Shi Zai said to Zhaozhao:

"Zhaozhao, your brother will bring you a gift today. Is there anything you want to share with him?"

"..."

The little one acted as if he hadn’t heard, painting for a while longer before looking up calmly and uttering just one word: "Wait." Shi Zai burst into laughter.