Complete
The day Tang Li passed the imperial examinations was also the day he celebrated the birth of a daughter, making it a double blessing. Gazing at the adorable little bundle, he poked his daughter's chubby cheek. "My daughter is a precious pearl, destined to light up a thousand mountains. Let's call her Qingduo, with the pet name A-Zhao. How does that sound?"
But as soon as this "precious pearl" could walk and run, she turned the household upside down and became a little demon. She climbed a tree and couldn't get down, yet stubbornly insisted she was enjoying the view. She scribbled all over her precious silk cloth, calling it "practicing calligraphy." At naptime, she always hid, leaving the maids in the courtyard and her nanny searching high and low for her...
His wife, Qin Luofu, raised her feather duster in anger. But when she saw her daughter's soft, bewildered expression, she couldn't help handing it to Tang Li.
"You go first this time."
Tang Li waved his hands. "No, no. They say a son's misbehavior is his father's fault. Since ours is a girl, you should be the one to teach her."
"You're always the one who makes decisions in this family. You handle it this time, and I'll do it next time." Qin Luofu pushed the feather duster back to him.
They spent so long trying to hand it off to each other that by the time they came to their senses, Qingduo had vanished from the room. Her giggles rang out from outside. Somehow, she had sneaked off to play again.
After this happened several times, Qin Luofu sighed again and again. "She's so naughty. How will our girl ever find a husband when she grows up?"
Tang Li just smiled. "Don't worry. I have a clever plan."
"I think your friend Zeng's eldest son, Zeng Zhengqing, is very steady. Why don't we arrange a childhood betrothal between our families? What do you think, A-Fu?"
[Bonus Scene]
Three-year-old Qingduo was afraid of nothing, except her nanny.
One day, she climbed a tree and tore her clothes. The nanny widened her eyes. "Oh dear, oh dear! Why are you as naughty as a little boy?"
Qingduo tilted her head, thinking it over.
That meant she was being bad, so "like a little boy" must be an insult!
So...
When the nanny came home after losing at cards, Qingduo said, "Oh dear, oh dear! Why are you as unlucky as a little boy?"
When her mother nagged her not to climb trees and to be careful, she said, "Oh dear, oh dear! Why are you as naggy as a little boy?"
When her father got drunk and sprawled across the bed, she pinched her nose and said, "Oh dear, oh dear! Why do you stink like a little boy?"
Nanny: ...
Qin Luofu: ...
Tang Li: ...
Later, her mother took her to visit another family. When Qingduo saw their young master, she let out a heavy sigh.
Sigh. "Like a little boy" was already the worst insult imaginable. How miserable it must be to actually be a boy!
Theme: Be proudly self-sufficient, and cherish simplicity and sincerity.
Why is she so cute 😚, I can't stand it 🌈