xymnovel Chapter 97 Paper Kite
Chapter 97 Paper Kite
Chapter 97 Paper Kite
The day after his uncles left, Wang Zhi woke up a little later than usual.
It wasn't that I was sleepy. It was just that after waking up, I didn't want to move, so I lay on the bamboo mat staring blankly at the roof beams.
Huihui squatted by the pillow. When he opened his eyes, she leaned over and touched his chin with the tip of her nose.
He rubbed Gray's head, sighed softly, and got out of bed.
Zhou Xia had already cooked the porridge in the kitchen.
Wang Zhi also filled a bowl, picked up some pickled vegetables with his chopsticks, and squatted on the threshold of the kitchen to drink it.
For some reason, he preferred this simple breakfast.
Ah Huang lay at his feet, his eyes glued to the rim of the bowl.
"Master, are we going to change Old Zhang's wife's dressing today?" Zhou Xia squatted down next to him, holding a bowl of porridge in her hands.
"Okay. Go ahead. The recipe doesn't need to be changed."
"Understood." Zhou Xia finished the last mouthful of porridge, then got up to carry the medicine box.
Wang Zhi put the bowl down by the well and was about to walk toward the chicken coop when the courtyard gate was pushed open.
"Pot! Pot! Beautiful pot."
Sizi ran in the lead, her apricot-pink dress billowing in the wind, and the tender green ribbons on her two little pigtails bouncing back and forth.
She was clutching a handkerchief pouch, which she opened when she ran up to Wang Zhihuan—inside was a piece of jujube paste cake that was mostly broken.
"Mom made this this morning! Sizi saved it for her handsome son!"
Wang Zhi broke off a piece and put it in his mouth. "Delicious. The cake that Si Zi brought is the best."
Sizi was satisfied and turned to find Ah Huang, calling out, "Ah Huang, Ah Huang, Sizi brought you some dried meat too."
Chang Le followed her in, wearing a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with only a plain silver hairpin in her hair, and carrying a food box in her hand.
Chengyang followed behind her, a few mulberry leaves clinging to his light purple short jacket.
Li Zhi walked at the back, remaining silent as usual. He sat down on a stone bench and picked up a bowl of cool tea.
"Young Master Wang." Chang Le bowed slightly.
"Lady Li," Wang Zhihuan cupped his hands in greeting.
Chang Le placed the food box on the stone table and opened it. Inside were osmanthus lotus root starch cake, candied plums, and fried dough twists.
"My mother said that since you live alone, she's worried that you might just eat a perfunctory dinner every day."
Although she spoke in a very flat tone, her ears were secretly turning red.
Wang Zhi glanced at the food box, then at her slightly turned face, and smiled: "Please thank Madam for me."
"You always bring so much food every time you come; my yard is practically a pastry shop now."
"Don't you like Seven Snacks, handsome?" Si Zi looked up from Ah Huang, her face tense.
"I like it. I like anything that Si Zi brings."
Chengyang strolled around the courtyard, looking at the chicken coop, the goose pen, and the flowers on the jujube tree. Returning to the stone table, he looked up and asked, "Brother Wang, is there anything fun to do today?"
Wang Zhi thought about it and realized that he really didn't want to do anything today; he just wanted to relax.
The matter concerning my uncle from yesterday still weighs on my mind, like the blue brick pressing down under the roots of a jujube tree—I can't move it, but I can choose not to look at it.
Since all the kids are here, I can do something and relax a bit myself.
Do you fly kites?
"A kite?" Chengyang's eyes lit up. "I've seen it before! Last year on the Lantern Festival." "Ahem." Chang Le coughed lightly.
Chengyang immediately shut his mouth, his eyes darting around: "Last year on the Lantern Festival, someone in my family set off some offerings. But unfortunately, I didn't. I really wanted to."
"Then let's release it today, your brother will grant your wish." Wang Zhihuan stood up and patted the dust off his knees. "The ones you buy outside aren't good enough, we'll make them ourselves."
He went into the kitchen and found a few thin bamboo strips left over from repairing the chicken coop a few days ago. They were tough and the thickness was just right.
Then he took out a roll of mulberry paper from the cabinet. He had bought it in the county town last time to cover the windows, but hadn't used it yet.
Cotton thread, paste, and a knife—all ready.
Several children gathered around. Si Zi lay on the stone table, chin resting on the surface, staring intently at Wang Zhihuan.
Chengyang leaned on the edge of the table with both hands, standing on tiptoe to peek inside. Li Zhi also put down his teacup and silently walked over to stand behind Chengyang.
Wang Zhi also split the bamboo strips into thin strips, took the two longest ones, crossed them into a cross, and tied them tightly at the intersection with cotton thread.
Then tie a thin bamboo strip to each of the four ends and bend it into the shape of a bow.
"Look, this is the skeleton of the kite."
His hands were very steady.
When binding the bamboo strips, wrap the cotton thread around three times, pull it tight, wrap it around twice more, and tie a knot. The whole process is not fast, but every step is clean and efficient.
For a mischievous kid who grew up in the countryside, doing these things was already second nature.
Chang Le stood under the jujube tree and looked at his hands.
Those fingers had distinct knuckles, and the skin was tanned a light wheat color by the sun, with thin calluses on the fingertips.
These hands are capable of both taking her mother's pulse and administering acupuncture, and of crafting exquisite paper kites.
They can do everything from farming and animal husbandry to making toys and collecting herbs.
She watched him cover the frame with mulberry bark paper, wrap the edges of the paper with paste to seal the bamboo strips, and press it tightly little by little.
The paper was stretched flat, without a single wrinkle.
"This is the tail fin."
He cut several long strips of paper and glued three of them, each about two feet long, to the tail of the kite. "Without the tail fin, the kite would just spin in the air."
Finally, tie the cotton thread to the crossroads and let it fly, with the other end of the thread wound around a small wooden spool.
"Look, it's done! What do you think?"
Wang Zhihuan got up, stretched, and a hint of pride appeared on his face.
Sizi leaned closer to take a look, her little nose almost touching the kite: "It doesn't look like a butterfly."
"What does that look like?"
"Like—like a pretty pot of burnt rice." Si Zi thought for a long time before finally managing to say it.
At her age, she simply didn't know how to describe herself, so she could only spout nonsense.
Chengyang also came over to take a look: "It doesn't really look like a butterfly, but it is quite pretty."
"Looking good isn't important, flying well is." Wang Zhihuan picked up a knife and made a few shallow cuts on the surface of the kite.
"Why is Wang Langjun cutting paper?" Chang Le took a few steps closer.
"If the wind passes through the opening, the kite will stay steady. If the opening is cut correctly, it will fly up on its own."
Wang Zhi held up the cut kite to the light and examined it. "Look at this opening," he said, "the wind goes in and out through the stern, so the kite won't sway from side to side. It's the same principle as the rudder at the stern of a ship."
"It's the same principle as the rudder at the stern of a ship." Chengyang repeated, nodding as if he understood but not quite.
"This first one is for our lovely little rhinoceros," Wang Zhihuan said, handing over the finished paper kite.
Sizi took it with both hands, hugged it to her chest, and looked down at the kite earnestly, saying, "Pretty buddy, you're so kind. I'm so happy, kite, kite, you must fly well!"
Wang Zhihuan cut a few more sheets of paper and started pasting the second and third ones.
When he got to the third one, his movements slowed down noticeably.
The curvature of the bamboo strips was adjusted again and again, the tail fins were half an inch longer than the previous ones, the paper was cut with extra care, the edges were smooth, and only a narrow rim was left around the edge.