Ye Shiqi breathed a sigh of relief—she had finally gotten past this hurdle!
Hongji secretly gave his daughter a thumbs-up, "Good job!"
"Hee hee," Shiqi replied with a smile to her father, dealing with her grandmother’s tyranny had been a piece of cake.
In the days that followed, Shiqi’s life was even more fulfilling. She painted and carved, no longer allowing her body to enter the space at night, now she could also manage the items inside the space with her thoughts from the outside.
Ever since she revealed her artistic talent in front of her family, she no longer needed to enter the space to design her paintings, such secretive behavior was not possible with outsiders in the room, and she couldn’t do it anymore.
Time passed day by day, and the carved items were almost ready. For her grandparents’ gifts, she painted a portrait and asked her father to help with the carving.
Although she had learned her father’s carving craft, the master was always the master. Her father was also very meticulous, and his carving ability was stronger than hers!
Ye Shiqi didn’t ask her father to help carve her own gift because that item was hand-carved by her, and that’s where the significance of the gift lay.
Using someone else’s materials, and not carving it herself, a rich young master might as well buy something he likes from a store!
Every day when she carved, Shiqi would look at the previously carved items and couldn’t help but reveal a little smile!
The items she carved still required her father’s help with polishing and coloring. She left some of the rough work to her father too!
She felt a bit of vanity, hanging the sheep’s head while selling dog meat, so to speak—it was somewhat hypocritical. Officially, it was her carving, but in reality, there was much more of her father’s touch in it.
The pearwood carving had taken shape; she sketched a young noble lad in simple strokes—this person was her imagination of Tang Shunyan after he had grown up!
He somewhat resembled the young Tang Shunyan of the present, yet there were differences since this man possessed a more mature and steady demeanor, exuding nobility with a warm yet proud expression.
Of course, he was handsome and dashing, dressed in a white brocade robe, its sleeves billowing as if caught in the wind—such a dashing posture!
Under his sword-like brows, his large eyes sparkled, his gaze cold yet tinged with a gentle luster.
After Ye Shiqi finished carving, she needed her father to carefully paint it, making sure the figure’s form was accentuated through the colors used!
Since finishing the statue, she had placed it in her jewelry box, and every day upon seeing it, she couldn’t help but smile!
She wouldn’t go outside to the work shed to carve; instead, she had set up a temporary workshop in a corner of her room with a stool, a desk, tools, and materials.
This arrangement had its pros and cons. Maybe outsiders wouldn’t know what she was doing inside, but carving in her room meant dust and the potential to dirty the room’s contents.
The maid serving her had to work a bit harder, cleaning the room daily to keep it spotless, wiping down the table and stool, and washing the items on the bed every few days!
The maid silently did all this without any complaints; she served a lady so talented, so capable from such a young age, it made her admire Shiqi, and in her spare time, she too would learn by watching at her side.
Ye Shiqi made a hairpin for Tang Shunyan out of old sandalwood, which could be used for tying hair and was even better than a headband.
She also made him a green sandalwood comb, and from the same kind of wood, a bracelet resembling an abacus.
Each bead was crystal clear and tiny. After painting and stringing them together, they made a beautiful piece of jewelry.
Then, using old sandalwood, she carved a pendant for Tang Shunyan, stringing purple sandalwood beads together to create something she found very pleasing, like pearls.
So, she made a couple’s version, crafting a more exquisite one for herself to keep.
Every day, after work in the factory and dinner, Hongji did private work for his daughter amidst feelings of jealousy and admiration.
His daughter had carved a statue for some brat, and it was so lovely!
Hongji felt thrilled inside; he had a worthy successor. Regardless of how his son grew up and what abilities he had, he already had someone to carry on the family legacy!
He had never thought his daughter would take over the family business or inherit his craft, performing the same work as him!
Everything his daughter could do, all her craft, her skills, at this moment she was only two years old. No matter how she would grow in the future, if she could be so capable at such a tender age, could she possibly be just an ordinary person when she grew up?