The art of flower arrangement itself is an art form!
Especially when Yang Yi saw Murphy using slender branches of spring azaleas (also known as rhododendrons) in a tall, thin white porcelain vase to create an arrangement that captured the resilience of bamboo "biting firmly into the green mountain, never letting go" and the proud defiance of plum blossoms "standing tall on a cliff of ice, still blooming with grace."
He really felt the urge to pay tribute to Murphy!
"Sparse shadows slant across the clear shallow water, faint fragrance drifts in the moonlit dusk." Yang Yi couldn't help reciting a line of poetry.
Murphy hadn't heard this poem before, but it perfectly matched the scene. She couldn't help asking in surprise, "You can write poetry too!"
"I didn't write it. This poem was written by a poet named Lin Bu," Yang Yi said, then recited the entire poem. The other lines weren't as evocative as that one.
Murphy really liked that fitting line. She repeated it twice, then asked Yang Yi to find paper and a pen to write it down. In the middle of this, she asked curiously, "Lin Bu? Why haven't I heard of him?"
Yang Yi had studied calligraphy, and though he hadn't delved into it as deeply as music later on, in Murphy's eyes, his handwriting still had structure—every stroke was vigorous and powerful, truly beautiful to look at!
"He's an obscure poet from Jiangnan. I once saw this poem at his former residence, but I can't remember where," Yang Yi fabricated a lie to tell Murphy.
This Lin Bu was a poet from the Northern Song Dynasty in his past life, naturally nonexistent in this world. But Yang Yi never thought of claiming the poem as his own, since he truly couldn't compose poetry himself—he could only recite it, and it would be easy to expose.
Murphy didn't mind. Happily, she pasted the two lines Yang Yi had written on kraft paper onto the white porcelain vase. This made the artistic conception even deeper!
After finishing with the flowers, Yang Yi and Murphy had spent the entire afternoon busy. Xixi had long lost patience and went off to watch TV.
"Now, we just need to arrange these flowers. Let me see where to put them," Murphy said, standing up and stretching comfortably.
As she stretched, her short-sleeved cotton home T-shirt lifted, revealing a smooth strip of her abdomen. Yang Yi happened to catch a glimpse of some enticing skin.
Murphy didn't notice. She lowered her arms and walked gracefully to the TV, gesturing as she said, "Here on the TV cabinet, we can put the carnations and calla lilies! But they need to be farther away, or the TV radiation will affect them."
Yang Yi's eye twitched, and he hesitated as if to speak.
"Hey, Mom, move! You're blocking me!" Xixi suddenly protested loudly.
The little girl was really focused on watching TV! She was staring intently, but someone came and stood in front of the screen. At first, Xixi wasn't angry; she just waved her little hands silently, as if she could push her mom aside.
But Murphy didn't budge. Instead, when Xixi shifted positions, she coincidentally turned around, still blocking Xixi's view.
How could the little girl not complain? She jumped off the sofa and tried hard to push her mom's bottom.
"Okay, Mom's sorry, I'll move aside." Murphy smiled and comforted her daughter.
But Xixi had no time for them. She was watching a cartoon, and the plot had reached a tense moment. The little one kept looking back as she dawdled her way back to the sofa.
Murphy directed Yang Yi to position the flowers by the TV cabinet, then continued, "Next, we can put the lilies and daisies on the dining table, since the vase is smaller."
At this point, Yang Yi studied the TV and the flowers and finally couldn't help saying, "Murphy... I think, shouldn't we add another one? That vase is the same style as this one. Wouldn't it look better to have one on each side?"
Murphy came over and examined it.
But she shook her head, rejecting Yang Yi's suggestion. "No, it won't look good."
"Why not?" Yang Yi was puzzled.
"Because that side is near the balcony! The wind is strong at night, and it'll ruin the flowers," Murphy explained.
"Then we could close the window," Yang Yi tried to argue.
"Even with the window closed, it won't look good. It'll be too close to the curtains."
"Then what if we take down the curtains?" Yang Yi offered a very impractical suggestion.
Murphy finally sensed something was off. She turned her head, her beautiful eyes seeming to speak as she stared intently at Yang Yi, making him feel uneasy.
She looked around, examining the symmetrically placed sofa, then the dining table with four chairs always perfectly aligned, even though only three people ate at home.
Finally, as Yang Yi fidgeted, Murphy spoke up: "Hey, Yang Yi, are you a Virgo?"
Yang Yi immediately objected. "What? How could I be a Virgo?"
The date on his ID wasn't Virgo either!
Yang Yi himself didn't know his zodiac sign. In his past life, he was an orphan and didn't know his birth date. Of course, he didn't believe in zodiac signs, but thinking about how many people online mocked Virgos, he figured it couldn't be good... so he had to firmly deny it!
"That's true, you were born in December..." Murphy had seen some of Yang Yi's information.
"But why are you like a Virgo? Obsessed with cleanliness?" Murphy asked.
"I'm not obsessed with cleanliness!" Yang Yi protested. Finally, under Murphy's questioning gaze, he sighed and admitted, "Okay, I just have a mild case of OCD. That's not the same as being a clean freak."
"Oh, right, OCD, I got them mixed up! But is it really mild?" Murphy found teasing Yang Yi amusing. She put her hands behind her back, deliberately acting assertive as she pressed him, unable to hide the smile at the corner of her mouth.
"..."
Yang Yi finally gave in. "Fine, just put one there. You're the boss. I really don't care."
"Alright, I'm done teasing you!" Murphy stepped forward, patted Yang Yi on the shoulder, and laughed. "Go move the flowers!"
"What?"
"Move that vase you mentioned to the other side of the TV! Or do you expect me to do it?" Murphy blinked at Yang Yi, looking innocent.
"But you said it wouldn't look good?" Yang Yi was happy inside but still asked.
"I changed my mind now!" Murphy wouldn't admit she was accommodating Yang Yi's feelings. She snorted, turned, and walked away, tossing out a line, "It seems pretty nice to have them symmetrically placed like this!"
Yang Yi was overjoyed and quickly moved the matching vase of flowers to the spot he had in mind. In the process, he inevitably blocked Xixi's view again.
"Ugh, what's wrong with you adults?" Xixi pouted unhappily.
Yang Yi adjusted the vase, placing it exactly where he had imagined.
He looked back... Haha! This felt so satisfying!
In a great mood, Yang Yi walked over, cupped Xixi's little face, and kissed her on the forehead. But Xixi wasn't happy—her dad's hands had covered her eyes.
"I can't see!" the little girl complained.