Seeing children playing skipping stones by the riverbank, Su Qingqing seemed to find a meaningful and fun activity, so she excitedly said, "Have you heard of this legend? As long as you can skip a stone to the other side of the river, any troubles you face, any hurdles you encounter, you'll be able to overcome."
"I've heard of it, and I've done it too. It seems like ever since I managed to skip a stone to the other side, I've smoothly overcome the hurdles I've faced!" Lin Yifan replied.
He really had played skipping stones before, but this time, he did so with a purpose; he wanted to use this playful activity to dissolve An Qi's nervousness.
"Really? Let's go down and play then!" Zhou Jiajia was very excited, eager to try; she then pulled An Qi and Su Qingqing along to the riverbank.
Arriving at the riverside and casually picking up a small stone, Zhou Jiajia asked, "Qingqing, how do you skip stones?"
Truth be told, she had never played this game as a child; therefore, she didn't know how to skip stones or even how to choose one.
"Jiajia sis, the stone you picked is too thick. You should choose some flat ones. They're easier to float on the water when you skip them," Su Qingqing answered.
"Flat stones?" Zhou Jiajia had not considered that at all; so, with doubts in her mind, she began searching for flat stones on the ground.
However, at that moment, Lin Yifan came over, patted her shoulder, and said, "Jiajia, here's one."
Turning around and seeing the flat stone in Lin Yifan's hand, Zhou Jiajia's face lit up with a smile; she took it from him and then lightly kissed him on the cheek, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Yifan."
Feeling the cool imprint of her kiss on his face, Lin Yifan smiled radiantly and responded, "You're welcome! Serving my big wife is something I ought to do."
But, this seemingly sweet comment just backfired on him.
"What about ours?" An Qi and Su Qingqing asked in unison; clearly, they were feeling jealous.
"Uh… Yours will come soon, very soon." After speaking, Lin Yifan quickly went to pick up more stones. Having so many wives was overwhelming.
"Qingqing, now that I have the stone, how do I skip it?" Zhou Jiajia asked.
Su Qingqing took the stone and started instructing seriously, "Jiajia sis, hold the stone with your middle finger supporting it, your thumb pressing down, and your index finger hooking it; then, when you throw it, your body should be perpendicular to the river. Lean your waist to the side and throw with force."
After watching Su Qingqing demonstrate the action, Zhou Jiajia followed the steps and started to skip stones.
She first grasped the stone, then leaned her body back slightly, and finally threw the stone with all her strength.
Perhaps it was because it was her first time, or maybe the technique wasn't right, but after three skips, the stone sank into the water.
"It seems it's not easy after all!" Zhou Jiajia exclaimed, feeling somewhat disheartened.
"Jiajia sis, don't lose heart; you did great!" Su Qingqing came over to encourage her.
Life is not always smooth sailing, success doesn't come at first attempt; thus, mistakes are inevitable. As long as you bravely stand up and face everything head-on, victory will still be yours.
Therefore, it is really important to encourage those who have failed; you can help them regain their confidence and defeat the difficulties.
But at that moment, mocking laughter came from the side, "Hahaha! So lame, only three skips, anybody can do that!"
That was the taunt from the group of kids playing skipping stones; in their hearts, they only recognize results, not the person.
"Brat, if you're so good, why don't you give it a try?" Su Qingqing retorted indignantly.
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who?" Having said that, the rambunctious kid picked up a small pebble and forcefully threw it out.
"Plop! Plop! Plop!!!"
The stone skipped about ten times before sinking into the river.
Don't underestimate those ten skips; that was actually pretty impressive, as not many people can do it.
"How about that? Impressive, right?" the rambunctious kid said, lifting his lip in pride.
"Impressive my ass! Watch how sister here schools you." After speaking, Su Qingqing asked Lin Yifan to bring over a stone; then, with ample preparation, she gave it a strong throw. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel⁂fire.net
"Plop! Plop! Plop!!!"
It skipped many times but fell short of the kid's record, managing only nine.
"Hahaha! Nine skips! You dare talk about schooling me, where does this confidence come from; ha ha!" The rambunctious kid laughed mockingly, fearless.
Perhaps this is the childish naivety of children, innocent and unguarded.
"Don't get too cocky, kid; adults can easily put you in your place." At that moment, Lin Yifan spoke up, wanting to win back some face for his woman.
"Another one who's clueless about the heights of heaven and the depths of earth has come to embarrass himself. Sigh! Do you adults love to stick your faces out for us kids to hit or what?" The rambunctious kid shook his head with a sigh, clearly not thinking Lin Yifan was any match for him.
"Wow! You've got quite the mouth on you, don't you? Daring to mock us adults; do you believe I can hit you till you doubt your own eyes, doubt your own life?" Lin Yifan challenged.
"I don't believe it! I'm the most formidable; no one can defeat me." The rambunctious kid crossed his arms in front of his chest, responding with arrogance.
He was young and had a limited view of the world, thinking that defeating children his age made him the best. But innocence often comes with a price, and he was destined to doubt his own eyes and his own life.
"Then I advise you to hold your jaw in place before I throw, or else when it goes missing later, no one will help you find it." Lin Yifan warned.
"Hmph! Just throw your stone and stop fussing." The kid, still unconvinced of Lin Yifan's prowess, stubbornly did as he pleased.
Seeing that the kid was still so arrogant, Lin Yifan didn't waste words and decided to prove his strength with action; he picked up a small stone and then threw it with all his might.
"Plop! Plop! Plop!!!"
The stone seemed to skim across the water countless times, ultimately reaching the opposite bank.
At this, the rambunctious kid's jaw dropped in disbelief as he watched the scene, completely falling apart, unable to believe or accept this reality.
He had tried skimming stones on this river countless times, but never once managed to get a stone to the other side; to do that, it would need to skim at least twenty times or more.
"Why's your mouth hanging open like that? Haven't you ever seen a snake take a dump?" Lin Yifan taunted.
He wanted this expression; he relished the surprise.
"Brother! How did you do it? Teach me! Teach me!" the rambunctious kid came running over, begging for mercy.
The other kids followed suit, obviously eager to learn as well.
"If you want brother to teach you, then hurry up and apologize to these two beautiful sisters." Lin Yifan replied.