Today, Jiang City was drizzling with a light rain. That wasn't surprising—this city, nestled in the Jiangnan water town, was naturally warm and rainy by nature. The rain only added a touch of poetic charm.
Of course, Xixi wasn't as sturdy as her father. The spring rain was chilly, so her father had added an extra thin shirt for the little girl that morning.
The coffee shop on the corner had quietly opened for business. Yang Yi, who disliked crowds and wasn't one for worldly fuss, hadn't made a big deal of it. He'd simply chosen a leisurely weekend to hang up the rustic wooden sign, and that counted as his opening ceremony.
As a result, no one knew about it. In the two days since the shop opened, not a single customer had walked through the door...
But Yang Yi didn't mind.
Outside, the sky was gloomy, but inside the coffee shop, it was warm and homey. Soft, pale yellow light gently illuminated every corner, creating a cozy atmosphere like sitting around a fireplace on a winter night—perfect for friends to chat quietly.
At the bar counter, however, Yang Yi had turned on an unusually bright fluorescent light. He wiped glasses tirelessly while watching his daughter draw with a smile.
Little Xixi sat up high, leaning over the clean, spacious marble countertop. She carefully used her colored crayons to sketch the images in her mind on white drawing paper.
After who knows how long, the little one looked up and said happily, "Daddy, look! How's my drawing?"
Yang Yi had been watching. Xixi had improved since he'd taught her a few tricks earlier, but her drawings were still quite abstract.
"Not bad! Is this an elephant you drew?" Yang Yi gave a thumbs-up, pointing at the animal on the paper that was round as a pig but had a long trunk.
"Yeah!" Xixi said cheerfully. "The mommy elephant has a long trunk."
"You drew it really well!" Yang Yi laughed, ruffling her little head.
After reading those parenting manuals, Yang Yi's perspective had shifted a bit.
Before, he'd thought Xixi's drawings were a bit off, so he'd wanted to teach her how to draw properly!
But one book said: "Learning to draw too early actually makes kids unable to draw..."
Children aged 0-7 are in a critical period of right-brain development, and a key part of that is "using the transformation and expression of shapes to improve, thereby promoting right-brain health and the formation of divergent thinking. So, during this period, children need free expression of imagination and association, without being constrained by fixed shapes. They should fully express themselves through rich color experiences and unstructured shape changes."
If Yang Yi taught Xixi his drawing techniques and concepts, it would affect her right-brain development!
Breaking out in a cold sweat, Yang Yi held back his urge to teach Xixi how to draw. Instead, he switched to support and encouragement, letting the little one freely use her imagination to draw whatever she wanted to express.
And it didn't look half bad!
Yang Yi had started learning to appreciate and praise: "Look at how cute the elephant you drew is—it looks so happy just from seeing it!"
Xixi beamed with joy, her motivation renewed, and she bent her head to keep drawing.
Just then, the wind chimes at the door rang. Someone pushed the door open. Yang Yi noticed and instinctively looked over. But the visitor didn't come in; they just let a little boy enter first to take shelter from the rain.
"Hello!" Through the door curtain, Yang Yi couldn't see anyone, but he heard a gentle female voice, soft as the drizzle outside.
Why not come in? Yang Yi was puzzled.
Seeing the little boy looking nervous and uneasy, Yang Yi had no choice but to step out from behind the bar. Xixi quickly jumped down from her chair, grabbed her father's hand, hid behind him, and peeked out to look at the little boy, who seemed to be about five or six.
Curious, Yang Yi looked toward the door. Outside stood a young woman with delicate features, probably not very old. She looked a bit disheveled, holding an umbrella but with her hair a mess, her clothes half-soaked from the rain, and mud splattered on her shoes—even staining her white stockings. Her small, helpless appearance was pitiful.
But Yang Yi had no romantic thoughts. Somewhat oblivious, he asked, "Hello, why don't you come in?"
The young woman looked up at Yang Yi apologetically and said, "Sorry, I just... I accidentally stepped into your flower bed. I wasn't watching where I was going."
Yang Yi didn't mind. He waved his hand and said, "That's no big deal. If you want to take shelter from the rain, come on in. It's nothing!"
But the young woman still seemed embarrassed. "My shoes are really dirty, covered in mud. Could you trouble yourself to bring me a basin of water so I can rinse them off?"
"It's fine if they're dirty. I'll clean up later." Yang Yi glanced briefly at the muddy footprints the little boy had left behind. Though it was just rainwater, it still bothered him a bit. Since it was already dirty, a little more wouldn't matter—he'd have to do a thorough cleaning later anyway...
"Forget it, I'll take you upstairs," Yang Yi said, shaking his head after a moment's thought. "Downstairs only has a restroom, not good for washing. Upstairs has hot water."
Before the young woman could object, Yang Yi grabbed the large umbrella hanging behind the door, opened it, bent down to pick up Xixi, and then said with a faint smile, "Let's go!"
"Oh, oh, okay. Thank you! Is this your daughter?" The young woman, flustered by Yang Yi's arrangement, blushed as she pulled her son along, following him step by step and making small talk.
Going around the back of the shop to the courtyard and up the stairs wasn't a long walk, but Yang Yi picked up quite a bit of information from her along the way.
The young woman's name was Yan Xiaopei, and her son was Yan Yingkai. From the surname, it was clear that Yan Xiaopei was divorced—her son even took her last name. Whatever her ex-husband had done must have left her deeply resentful.
Of course, Yang Yi wasn't interested and didn't pry.
The reason Yan Xiaopei was in such a mess today was that her son had a piano lesson, and she'd braved the rain to pick him up. But as she passed by Yang Yi's shop, she wasn't watching her step and ended up stepping into the edge of the flower bed, sinking into the mud.
"Is your coffee shop newly opened? I don't think I've seen it before?" When Yan Xiaopei came in, she insisted on not wearing her muddy shoes inside. Yang Yi had to settle the two kids first before fetching her a pair of slippers.
"Yeah," Yang Yi nodded.
Yan Xiaopei had been shy at first, but now that she'd warmed up, she turned out to be quite talkative. Carrying her dirty shoes, she followed Yang Yi: "Oh, I run a flower shop near the east gate of the school..."
"East gate? Business must be booming. But what about your shop while you're out?" Yang Yi recalled the shops he'd seen at the east gate and asked, puzzled.
"I have two college students working part-time there. Besides, on rainy days, not many people come out," Yan Xiaopei said softly.
Upstairs, Xixi and Yan Yingkai sat facing each other across the coffee table. The little boy was introverted, silent and looking down. Xixi was also shy, fidgeting restlessly—she'd sneak a glance at the little brother, then look toward the stairs.
Luckily, when her father came back, Xixi couldn't wait to run over and hug his leg.
(PS: This is just a very ordinary, very minor character—she'll only last a few episodes at most! Not even a supporting role! So don't worry about her becoming a mistress or getting involved with Yang Yi. This book is a single female lead, so there won't be any mistakes like in *My Fairy Miss*.)