Chapter 521: Chapter 521: Handcraft Master
"Like fish?"
There were a few fish in the basin, still alive, but their vitality wasn’t strong. They swam weakly.
But that didn’t stop Wen Yi from staring at the fish.
So, when Wen Shi discovered that his son’s interest in fish exceeded his own, he said that.
Yi Chichi chuckled, "Not sure, anyway, he’s never seen such lively fish before."
Wen Shi got interested, "Let’s see how long he can watch."
As it turned out, Wen Yi’s interest in the fish exceeded their expectations.
A minute passed, and he kept staring at the fish.
Two minutes passed, he pursed his little mouth and continued watching.
Three minutes...
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour later, Ji Jian and the others returned, finally interrupting his fascination with the fish.
Then, he started nuzzling into Yi Chichi’s arms.
That meant he was hungry and wanted to eat.
So, Yi Chichi greeted Ji Jian and the others who had returned and carried the child home first.
Wen Shi came back a bit later, not empty-handed, but carrying a red fish weighing over a pound.
Wen’s mother blinked, "Xiao Ji gave it to you?"
"Yes, my sister-in-law and the others went fishing and picked up several fish. Now that the weather’s getting hot, they can’t keep them, so they gave me and Old Ke two fish."
Saying that, he headed to the kitchen, "I’ll go and clean them."
"Give it to me, I’ll do it."
Wen’s mother stopped him, "You’re heading out to sea tomorrow, go spend time with your son and daughter-in-law, don’t worry about anything else."
"Mom, you’re the best!"
"I have to be."
With only one son, who else would she be good to if not him?
"Hurry up and spend time with your child and daughter-in-law."
"Okay."
Wen Shi gave his mother a big hug and then dashed off to the room to accompany his wife and child.
As it turned out, the kid didn’t need his company because he had played too much during the day and hadn’t taken a nap, resulting in him eating so much he fell asleep.
Seeing his chubby son lying on the bed with his little fists up in surrender, he whispered, "Why did you fall asleep so early today?"
"Xiao Ye was home playing with him during the day, so he didn’t sleep much."
Yi Chichi tidied up her clothes and instructed, "Keep an eye on him, I need to sort out the threads."
"Why are you sorting threads again? Didn’t you just do it a few days ago?"
"Finished stitching."
Yi Chichi briefly explained while taking out embroidery threads from the cabinet and separating the ones needed for tomorrow.
Wen Shi leaned in, "Need any help?"
"No need."
As Yi Chichi worked, she asked him, "When will you be back?"
"The original plan was three months, but it might be earlier or later."
That was fine. Knowing the approximate time, Yi Chichi didn’t pursue the question further.
And thus, the topic ended there.
Given Wen Shi was leaving for a few months the next day, he indulged himself and kept Yi Chichi up for most of the night before letting her sleep.
As for the son...
He had already been sent off to be looked after by Wen’s mother.
Exhausted from the night, Yi Chichi slept until noon and not only missed seeing him off but also awoke to an empty house.
Wen’s mother and the child weren’t at home, but fortunately, Wen’s mother left a note informing her of their whereabouts.
Learning that Wen’s mother had taken the child to the department store, Yi Chichi felt relieved.
After eating the breakfast Wen’s mother left for her, she tied up her hair, moved out the embroidery frame, and got to work.
Ye Sang casually strolled over to find her, and seeing her embroidering again, wondered, "Sister-in-law, aren’t you tired of doing embroidery every day?"
"Not at all."
She loved the craft, especially the satisfaction of creating a vibrant world with just a needle; it was incomparable.
Additionally, embroidery allowed her to earn money without leaving home or needing to socialize.
Where could one find such a perfect job — good money, little hassle, just focusing on one’s work.
Seeing Ye Sang’s skeptical expression, she smiled, "Do you have any hobbies?"
This question stumped Ye Sang, hobbies?
She furrowed her brows, pondering for a while and then looked around, seeing no one nearby, whispered, "Can I be honest?"
Yi Chichi immediately understood; this hobby might be a bit unique, at least not quite appropriate in the current environment.
Not wanting to cause trouble, she quickly said, "You don’t have to say it."
But Ye Sang smiled and said, "That’s not fair, you brought it up, so I have to say it, my hobby is making dolls."
"...Dolls?"
Yi Chichi was a bit surprised; was it the doll she imagined?
Indeed it was. Ye Sang’s hobby was making fabric dolls, but not the Western dolls trending in the market today; instead, they were dolls styled with rich Chinese traditional elements.
Unfortunately, this hobby was expensive, and the broader environment didn’t allow her to turn her hobby into action.
Afraid it might be related to sensitive political movements.
Yi Chichi didn’t comment on that but asked her how skilled she was.
Ye Sang was full of confidence, "I’m very skilled at needlework."
Yi Chichi got interested, put down her threads, and quickly sketched a traditional Chinese-style figure for her, "Can you make this?"
"Let me see."
Ye Sang didn’t rush to answer but took the sketch for a careful look, nodded, "Simple."
"..."
The unicorn was simple?
Yi Chichi hesitated but said nothing, silently took back the sketch, placed it on the table, and began coloring it. Ye Sang followed her, occasionally complimenting on how beautiful a shade was.
Commenting on the colors continued from when Yi Chichi started coloring until she finished.
"Take another look."
The colors hadn’t dried yet, but it didn’t hinder viewing, so Yi Chichi stepped aside to let her take a closer look, "Can you make it?"
Ye Sang still answered confidently that she could make it, but remarked, "The colors are too rich. With the current fabric resources, it’s hard to match all the colors. Moreover, this type of doll requires specially made fabric, but I can try using paper and then color it."
"Eh?"
Hearing her words, Yi Chichi was quite surprised, "You can use paper too?"
"I can try."
She took the sketch and examined it from all angles, mumbling about three-dimensionality and which parts required thicker paper, while casually borrowing Yi Chichi’s pen to jot down notes on the paper.
Once she had everything sorted out, she exclaimed joyfully, "Sister-in-law, can I have this sketch?"
"Sure."
Yi Chichi agreed with a smile, "Are you planning to start making it now?"
"Not now, I need to gather the materials first."
Being proactive, she ordered the paper from the service center the same day, and even went to the logistics office to collect a pile of newspapers and some magazine covers.
The next day, she brought glue and a heap of materials to Yi Chichi’s house to work alongside her.
She was a crafts enthusiast, capable of making dolls out of fabric or paper.
Her crafting activities attracted the attention of Yuan Chu and the others on holiday from the second day of her work.
Then, she had a bunch of little helpers.
Wen Yi was a lively spirit. With the house suddenly bustling, he was so delighted he couldn’t stay put, running around with excitement, asking to go outside.
Wen’s mother, having no way to calm him, ended up keeping him outside to watch his siblings and Aunt Ye Sang busily work.
Yi Chichi didn’t join in the fun, focusing instead on her embroidery work at her frame. The needle and thread in her hand gradually stitched out the facial features on the nearly transparent silk.
