In the foggy yard of the Ying family…
“Where are Ice Girl and Little Mo?”
Ying Qi glanced around but couldn’t spot her daughter or the Li family’s little boy. Worry crept in, especially since Little Li Mo had that glorious knack for teaching girls to pee standing up…
“They’re over there.”
Ying Xuliang just returned from the study and pointed toward a tree in the corner of the yard.
There was a little table freshly moved out by the servants, with brushes, ink, and paper on it—exactly what Little Li Mo had asked for earlier.
At that moment, Little Li Mo was spreading out the drawing paper, letting the sunlight bathe it, looking as serious as a royal painter.
Little Ying Bing was sitting beside him, grinding ink with a little hand, her red sleeve adding a cute touch.
“Is Ice Girl interested in painting?”
“I have some free time; I might as well learn to paint too.”
Ying Xuliang watched the two little troublemakers, feeling a cringe of jealousy. But then again, what was it to be jealous of one tiny artist?
“Your strokes are messy.”
Little Ice Chunk had a blank expression, her icy gaze glancing at Little Li Mo.
How good could a child her age possibly be at painting?
With that thought, Little Ying Bing suddenly lost her enthusiasm.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you call me brother for nothing!”
Little Li Mo chuckled and dipped his brush into the ink, placing it on the blank paper. At first, his little hand wobbled, not quite used to it.
But as he kept going, he fell into his flow, dancing the brush with flair as if he were channeling a great artist.
Little Ice Chunk’s eyes lit up too.
“This is the main street of Qinghe County.”
“During the New Year, there are lion dances, sugar figurines, and firecrackers…”
Li Mo narrated as he drew, and with his descriptions, a lively New Year scene came to life.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t invoke the consciousness soul right now; otherwise, he could learn from Senior Ouyang and make the painting come alive. That would really immerse everyone in the scene.
But even so, for Little Ying Bing, who had never seen the outside world, it was already a fascinating glimpse into a brand-new dimension.
“How is it?”
Little Li Mo raised his brows like a caterpillar.
“It’s lively…”
Ying Bing slightly dazed, then withdrew her gaze, quietly mumbling:
“It’s okay, I guess.”
“Okay…? I guess?”
Little Li Mo’s eyes widened, doubting his own artistic prowess. Though this wasn’t a consciousness diagram, he thought his meticulous painting skills were quite something. After all, he’d drawn so many martial arts insights!
But to have Little Ice Chunk not applaud and say ‘Brother, you’re amazing’ and merely settle for ‘it’s okay’—wasn’t that a bit disappointing?
“Just wait! I was just warming up!”
Little Li Mo grabbed his brush again, not willing to let this slide.
“Look, this is the Qingyuan Sect. Do you know about it? It’s the biggest sect in Ziyang Mansion, and the teachers there are quite interesting.”
“This is Elder Xue; he’s a genius alchemist who once took a lantern to find herbs in the restroom…”
“This is Elder Qian; never talk while eating with him! I suspect he has two mouths—he can both eat and talk while stuffing his face full of food…”
The landscape and characters sprung to life on the paper.
Little Ying Bing’s eyes shimmered with wonder, though she still seemed a bit hazy.
“Um, not bad… right?”
“?”
Little Li Mo noticed something felt off. Little Ice Chunk had pursed her lips, her eyes sparkling, but her evaluations were all ‘it’s okay’; ‘also not bad’; ‘not shabby’—what was going on?
He suspected she was doing it on purpose!
Just to make him feel like he needed to draw a few more pieces!
Turns out, she hadn’t suddenly become a mean little Ice Chunk; she was born a little rascal…
“Fine, since I can’t show off, I’ll just give up.”
Little Li Mo pretended to sigh and start slacking off.
“?”
Little Ice Chunk noticed that Little Li Mo had caught on to her thoughts; she lowered her eyes, sunlight catching her long lashes, casting a rainbow of colors, and a soft blush crept onto her fair face.
“Brother… draw another one.”
“!”
Little Li Mo’s whole body tingled; his brain nearly took flight, and the brush clattered to the ground.
Wasn’t it a bit much for a zero-to-hero moment, right in his face?
How could someone be this cute? Isn’t there a law against this?
A foul play, that was definitely foul play!
For such an extreme foul play… Little Li Mo decided to consider it a concession to her charm.
Little Ice Chunk didn’t back down in the face of this challenge; she gave her little hands a couple of awkward slaps and returned to drawing.
Bro… Brother?
Ying Xuliang, who had come to check on the two little ones, felt a chill run down his spine, as if struck by lightning.
The mindset he had just adjusted shattered to pieces.
How come this little boy had the magic to make his daughter look so adorable?!
Because of a not-so-great painting…? Huh?
Little Li Mo gripped the brush, and under his hand, an enchanting world began to unfold. It depicted a serene little courtyard bathed in moonlight, with quiet flowing waters and lush banyan trees…
The plaque at the entrance read:
‘Qiushui Pavilion’
Was this the kind of painting a child could manage?
“By the way, do you want to see what you’ll look like when you grow up?”
After finishing, Little Li Mo sneezed; Little Ice Chunk had leaned in too close, almost bumping heads, her hair caressed by the wind and tickling his nose.
“My grown-up self?”
“Yeah.”
“Want to see.” x2
Before Little Ying Bing could say more, her parents chimed in unison.
Little Li Mo jumped a little at the surprise voice behind him.
Just a moment ago, he was planning a little secret escape with the girl; now he was holding her hand and drawing, while being caught by her uncle and aunt? That was a terrifying turn!
But right now, Uncle and Aunt seemed captivated by ‘Big Ice Chunk.’
With that thought, Little Li Mo was suddenly lost in thought.
What parent doesn’t fantasize about what their little bundle of joy will look like when they grow up?
Yet, Ying Uncle and Aunt would never know…
Ying Xuliang went to retrieve his treasured drawing paper and ink stick, preparing it carefully.
“Alright.”
He rolled up his sleeves and was dead serious as he took the brush.
He used the technique from the consciousness diagrams, even though his current consciousness soul wasn’t strong enough to create one.
Under the banyan tree, the four of them—drawing, and watching the drawing—held their breath.
After a while…
Sunlight filtered through the shadows of the tree, splashing the canvas with specks of golden light.
The gentle, delicate figure of the girl leaped onto the paper, her beauty both radiant and ethereal, evoking a mix of emotions…
As if through the painting, she were gazing back at you.
“This is what Ice Girl will look like when she grows up?”
Ying Mother gazed at the girl in the painting, her expression frozen in complexity, joy mingled with confusion, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“Hahaha, my daughter will grow up to be so graceful and lovely, so beautiful!”
Ying Xuliang burst into hearty laughter, convinced that this was how his daughter should look in the future.
“This is… me?”
Little Ying Bing felt utterly puzzled.
This painting made her feel like she was peering across time, meeting her future self in a gentle, familiar glow that illuminated the mist in her heart…
“It’s not finished yet.”
“What’s missing?”
“Well, of course, it’s me! I’ll grow up too; aren’t you curious about what I’ll look like?”
The little rascal pointed at herself with a giggle.
