Zhong Meiying was secretly astonished inside. No wonder everyone in the village says that Sisi’s Daddy is a wealthy man; just look at these dishes, who in an ordinary family could afford them? She didn’t bother asking further, grabbed two fish, and began to scale and gut them. Rural kids are all very capable, and the two of them worked swiftly and efficiently. In no time at all, they had prepared the vegetables impeccably.
Seeing there was still time, Tian Sisi asked them to wash their hands and sit in the living room. She brought out sunflower seeds, peanuts, biscuits, milk candies from upstairs, and brewed some tea, letting them snack and drink tea in the living room.
The walls of He Xuewen’s living room were adorned with numerous photos of Tian Sisi; there were the occasional pictures of He Chengsi and He Xuewen too, but most were of Tian Sisi, all taken by her father. There were pictures that captured her being startled, just woken up from sleep, laughing heartily, acting coquettishly... all sorts of photos that fixated the eyes of Zhong Wan Hua and Zhong Meiying.
"Sisi, how come you have so many photos? You’re really fortunate—I’ve never even had one photo taken of me my whole life!" Zhong Meiying exclaimed with envy.
Although Zhong Wan Hua had once taken a family portrait, it was many years ago, and her recollection of photography had become vague. She too was filled with envy. Patting her own forehead, Tian Sisi exclaimed,
"Ah, I totally forgot, wait for me, I’ll go get the camera, and I’ll take photos for you both later."
Tian Sisi hurried into the darkroom because ever since the camera was bought, He Xuewen used it even more than she did, often running up to the mountains before dawn to capture the sunrise, or in the afternoon to photograph the sunset, or even spending half a day just to capture a bud about to bloom.
In today’s terms, this is considered a petty bourgeoisie sentiment. Of course, the most photographs He Xuewen took were of Tian Sisi’s various expressions, so Tian Sisi simply left the camera at the He Family home, and she would get it when needed.
Zhong Wan Hua and Zhong Meiying were both eager to try. They were very curious to see what a camera looked like. Tian Sisi brought the camera out from the darkroom; there were more than ten shots left on the film, enough for them to use. She first took a picture of them together, standing beneath the Yulan magnolia tree. The fiery red magnolias and the two young girls standing underneath made for a picture of exquisite quality.
"Be natural with your smiles, don’t be stiff, don’t look down, ah, just act like you normally do. Yes, that’s right, relax a bit more, just right; listen to my count, one, two, three, say ’eggplant’ with me—good." With much effort, Tian Sisi managed to successfully capture the first photo.
Zhong Wan Hua and Zhong Meiying were ecstatic. They gazed at the camera, which gleamed with a metallic sheen, wanting to touch it but not daring to, "Sisi, where do the photos come out from once they’re taken?" Zhong Wan Hua, departing from her usual reticence, began to converse more.
"Photos don’t come directly from the camera. Inside, we have the film. When the roll of film is used up, I can take it to the darkroom to develop it. Developing photos requires special chemicals and photo paper, and also a pitch-dark room. Come on, I’ll show you my darkroom."
Tian Sisi brought them to her darkroom, introducing them to the various tools and materials used to develop photos.
"Sisi, you know so much. I think not even the real Shanghai girls know as much as you,"
Zhong Meiying commented admiringly. Everything she had experienced today was like opening Pandora’s box, unveiling a new and exciting world to her, both thrilling and novel.
"I don’t know much. It’s my Daddy who knows a lot. He taught me all these things. He can also play piano, paint, play the harmonica; so many foreign trinkets, my Daddy knows them all. He says he will teach me all of it in the future."
Tian Sisi proudly spoke as if she were indeed a child, showing off her father. In fact, she had learned some of this in her past life, but it was only at a beginner level, far from He Xuewen’s professional standards.
"Your Daddy is really amazing, he knows how to do everything," Zhong Meiying said with great envy.
"No, it’s not like that. My Daddy doesn’t know how to do everything. He can’t cook, make fire, farm, or even kill a fish. He can’t do any farm work at all, unlike my daddy, who is incredibly good at it. So, my Daddy says, there are specialists in every field, and everyone has their own strengths. Our daddies are master farmers, the best in the world. If it weren’t for the food they grow, people all over the world would go hungry."
Tian Sisi hurried to comfort her two friends, she couldn’t let them lose faith in their own fathers.
"Yeah, our daddies are really good at farming, ranked among the best in the village."
Zhong Wan Hua and Zhong Meiying somewhat understood what Tian Sisi was getting at; they grasped that their fathers were remarkable men, even more so than Tian Sisi’s Daddy. With that thought, their earlier sense of loss swiftly dissipated, and they wore expressions of shared pride.
"Let’s take a few more solo shots. It’s a pity that An Mei and Juying aren’t here, otherwise I could take pictures for them too," Tian Sisi suggested excitedly, eager to take more photos.
"An Mei and Juying were afraid of being seen, and felt it would be improper, so they let us come first. They’ll come over after dark," Zhong Meiying explained on behalf of her friends.
"There’s really nothing to worry about. How about I go and call them now? They can just pretend to go pick firewood and then sneak over here later. Oh, that’s a good idea, I’ll go and call them over now so we can all play together," Tian Sisi said, ready to fetch the others.
"I’ll go instead; I run faster."
Zhong Meiying stopped Tian Sisi and dashed out swiftly, indeed moving at an impressive speed leaving Tian Sisi in the dust.
Zhong An Mei and Juying arrived quickly, moving like underground agents, peeking around cautiously to ensure no one was in sight before swiftly sneaking into the He Family courtyard, incredibly swift and stealthy. Tian Sisi couldn’t help but laugh at their antics; if it were the old days, they would have made excellent underground operatives.
The girls were all quite interested in photography. Tian Sisi took a group photo for them first, against the same vibrant backdrop of the Yulan magnolia blooms. When it came to taking individual shots, Tian Sisi was not satisfied. The four girls were all dressed in ordinary long-sleeved shirts and patched pants. While not unsightly, their garments reeked of strong rural vibes, overshadowing their innate good looks.
Tian Sisi ran upstairs to fetch her clothes, shoes, and hair accessories, which she had stored at He Xuewen’s place for convenience during her overnight stays.
Zhong An Mei and the others were dazzled by Tian Sisi’s array of dresses, shoes, and hair ornaments. They knew Tian Sisi had many clothes and shoes, but they had not expected such an abundance. She had at least five or six pairs of leather shoes alone, let alone the various clothes and dresses.
Tian Sisi picked out beautiful garments for each of the four of them. It was a bit challenging for Zhong An Mei due to her height, standing a full head taller than Tian Sisi. With no other options, she chose the only long yellow dress available, which fortunately fit her quite well due to her pale skin and slender figure, although the long dress turned into a short one, revealing her fair calves.
(To be continued. If you work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it with your recommendations or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)