The lush, leafy trees blocked the scorching midday sun, with a few playful specks of light sneaking through to add a touch of brilliance to this small grove. Whether intentional or not, the grass in this little forest was neatly trimmed, with no jagged stones to trip over. A few small flowers blooming here and there, dazzling in their display, made one wonder if a careless farmer had scattered flower seeds.
Quite a few tourists had chosen to rest in this grove. The few stone benches and tables were firmly occupied, and a handful of unconcerned souls sat boldly on the damp grass. But most were more reserved, worried about staining their clothes with the green grass and mud. They cast envious glances at the only father-daughter pair who had brought picnic gear, sighing quietly before turning away.
"Here, have some milk." Yang Yi unscrewed the thermos, poured warm milk into the lid, and handed it to Xixi. "It's a bit hot, take your time."
Xixi had already eaten two pieces of lemon Coke chicken wings. The little one wasn't too careful, with a bit of oil smeared on her face, but she was very cautious, tossing the chicken bones into the trash bag her dad had opened, careful not to touch her little skirt and mess it up!
Yang Yi smiled softly, sitting to the side as he watched Xixi take a sip of milk before shifting her attention to the small snacks he had made.
Though Yang Yi had prepared plenty of delicious food, most of it was for Xixi. He kept his own meal simple: a large beef and tomato sandwich with a few leftover lemon Coke chicken wings from Xixi, followed by a leisurely sip of fine black tea as he watched the little one enjoy herself.
Picnics weren't ideal for bringing cooked vegetables, and Xixi wasn't used to the raw taste of vegetable salad, so Yang Yi had prepared a lot of fruit for her—plump, dewy strawberries, tiny cherry tomatoes, and peeled, sliced apples.
But being a little girl under four, Xixi soon felt full. She happily squeezed into her dad's arms, found a cozy spot, and smiled sweetly. "I'm so full and happy!"
Yang Yi reached out and gently tapped her nose, laughing. "You've eaten so much your belly's sticking out. You'll turn into a little chubby girl!"
"No, no, Xixi doesn't want to be a chubby girl." Xixi twisted her body, sitting up in protest. She touched her little belly worriedly and looked at her dad in panic. "But it really is bulging! What do I do?"
Yang Yi stopped teasing her. He smiled and ruffled Xixi's hair. "Alright, our Xixi is naturally gifted—she can eat as much as she wants and never gain weight. What's there to worry about?"
"You messed up my hair!" Xixi grabbed her dad's hand, pouting in displeasure.
"It's fine. Sleep for a while first. When you wake up this afternoon to see the flowers, Daddy will redo your hair." Yang Yi held the little one in his arms, speaking softly.
The sun outside was blazing hot. Yang Yi wanted Xixi to take a nap and then take her out to see the flowers around three or four in the afternoon.
"Then, I want it like this morning!" Xixi looked up at her dad, her bright eyes like black gems.
"Sure, no problem!"
In the grove, though some tourists were chatting as they cooled off, everyone instinctively kept their voices low. With a gentle breeze rustling the leaves, Xixi nestled in her dad's arms and quickly drifted off to sleep.
Yang Yi, of course, didn't sleep. Outdoors, he felt a bit uneasy. Money was just material, but more importantly, he had to take good care of Xixi and make sure nothing went wrong!
After some time, he suddenly grew alert, frowning as he turned to look at a hesitant girl behind him.
Luckily, she wasn't a thief.
The thin, slightly dark-skinned girl wore the uniform of Jiangcheng Media University, clean and tidy, with a red sash across her body reading "Jiangcheng Environmental Protection Association Volunteer."
Yang Yi's sharp gaze startled her. She flinched like a frightened rabbit, shy and flustered, ready to bolt.
Seeing her uniform, Yang Yi softened his expression, wondering, "Am I that scary?"
"Is there something you need?" Yang Yi asked in a low voice.
The timid girl finally gathered the courage to step closer. She glanced at the peacefully sleeping Xixi and whispered, "Please clean up after yourselves later. If there's any trash, kindly take it with you."
She gestured at the boxes and containers Yang Yi had laid out on the picnic blanket.
So, she was reminding tourists to protect the environment and clean up after themselves!
Yang Yi nodded at her and gave an OK sign.
He had planned to clean up anyway, but since Xixi was napping, he'd decided to do it later. He hadn't expected to be spotted by an environmental volunteer.
Of course, this shy, thin girl wasn't just "watching" him. Yang Yi saw her move on to other tourists after leaving him. Along the way, she bent down to pick up discarded water bottles and tissues, tossing them into the trash bag she carried.
...
In the afternoon, Xixi woke up fully rested, with no crankiness. Yang Yi poured some water onto her little towel, wiped her face clean, then tidied her slightly messy hair and re-braided it.
"Let's go quickly!" The little girl excitedly lifted her skirt, hopping impatiently.
"Wait for Daddy to clean up." Yang Yi packed the food containers back into his backpack, gathered the trash into a bag, folded the picnic blanket, and organized everything neatly.
When they reached the fields behind the village, Yang Yi couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, this is something!"
Acre after acre of flower fields stretched into an endless sea of blossoms!
Well, there were boundaries—different colors creating edges. Dazzling yellow rapeseed flowers were separated by red hibiscus, which gave way to purple agrimony, then pink cosmos...
This sea was a riot of colors, like a richly toned oil painting!
"So beautiful!" Xixi's eyes were wide, taking it all in with a dazed, dreamy look.
"Xixi, come here, Daddy will take your picture!" Yang Yi pulled out the DSLR camera he'd just gotten yesterday and directed Xixi into poses.
Mo Fei had always complained that his photos were blurry. Hmph, time to show off some real skill!
Yang Yi wasn't a professional photographer, but he'd used cameras plenty—in his past life, he'd used them for covert shots and planning operations...
Framing, focusing, click!
Hmm? Something missing? He hadn't adjusted the ISO, aperture, shutter speed, or any other settings!
No matter, just switch to auto mode. He could learn the rest later...
"I want to see too!" As soon as the shot was taken, Xixi eagerly leaned in to check the result.
"Ahem, that one came out blurry. Daddy deleted it. Let's take another one..."