When Xia Zhe returned home, he started to clean the house and tidy up whatever the children had dirtied and messed up during the day. He suddenly saw the piece of paper with the musical notes which the children had drawn and felt a little curious.
"Did Qian'e teach them this?" Xia Zhe asked as he held up the piece of paper.
"Yes. She even said that the bone structure of Xia Xing's hands is very suitable for playing the piano. She taught them the entire afternoon, but I don't know if they understand what she said," Qiao Mei said.
"This really sounds like something she would do…" Xia Zhe lamented.
After Xia Zhe played with the children for a long time, he coaxed them to sleep. Then, he and Qiao Mei also went to bed. The next morning, he left for work very early again. Qiao Mei was gradually getting used to this kind of life.
Qiao Mei still had to go to w.a.n.g Nuo's place to help out, so Qian'e took on the responsibility of taking care of the children. She pushed the pram around the family compound and went to the garden to rest for a while. Then, she pointed at the flowers on the ground and asked the children to look at them.
"Babies, take a closer look. Aren't these flowers very beautiful?" Qian'e asked patiently.
"Wow!" Xia Xing clapped her hands happily. She was very enthusiastic, but Xia Fan was not interested and had already fallen asleep in the pram.
"This is an edelweiss, that's a foxtail, and that big yellow flower is called a sunflower. It's always facing the sun, that's why it's known as a sunflower." Qian'e tried her best to introduce the children to all the flowers she knew. She wanted them to constantly absorb knowledge about the world.
There was a good saying about how it was better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books. Everything one read in books still required imagination. Letting the children experience things in real life and remembering the moments might be more meaningful than just reading books.
The next time she came to Qiao Mei's place, she wanted to bring her a piano. It was meaningless to just ask the children to draw musical notes. They must listen and watch more. She did not want to delay Xia Xing's exposure to the piano. She wanted Xia Xing to start now and then teach Xia Xing how to play once she could walk. This girl was definitely going to be a piano prodigy in the future!
"Hey! Who are you? How can you pluck the flowers here?" Lu Lin walked over with her son and looked at Qian'e mockingly.
Qian'e ignored Lu Lin and continued to introduce Xia Xing to the flowers and plants. A normal person would not shout at others. She had met many people this morning and they were all more amiable than this woman.
The clothes she was wearing were all from the big brands in the capital. Even the bag she was carrying was an imported brand. Everything she had was expensive. Lu Lin was not a fool and could tell at one glance.
"Why are you ignoring me! I'm talking to you!" Lu Lin pointed at Qian'e and said furiously.
"Are you talking to me? Do I know you? Why are you talking to me?" Qian'e said disdainfully.
"This is my garden! You have plucked all the flowers and plants! If you damage things in the garden, you have to compensate me!" Lu Lin said unreasonably.
"Your garden? The gate isn't even locked. The sign also states that it's for public use. Besides, I didn't pluck any flowers at all. I just touched them and took a look. Don't slander me," Qian'e said.
"You're quibbling! I clearly saw you plucking flowers! You have to compensate me!" Lu Lin said as she pointed at the withered flowers on the ground.
Qian'e did not want to get into an argument with such a person. Xia Fan was already woken up by Lu Lin's loud voice. Xia Xing's happy little face from earlier had a frown on it now. It was not good for the children if she became entangled with such a person in such hot weather. It was better to send her off with some money.
"How much? Where do I pay?" Qian'e asked impatiently.
"These flowers and plants… you need to pay 300 dollars!" Lu Lin casually came up with a number.
Qian'e took out a stack of money from her wallet. Lu Lin's eyes widened when she saw it. There must be 2,000 dollars in that stack! This amount of money was equivalent to her family's entire savings. She did not expect this woman to have so much money.
"Tell me where I should pay and I'll go there myself," Qian'e said.
"No need, no need! This is my garden! Just give it to me! I thought about it just now and 300 dollars is not enough! You have to give me 1,000 dollars! These plants are all rare species! It's very difficult to buy them on the market!" Lu Lin said as she held out her palm.
Qian'e looked at Lu Lin's hand and felt like giving her a good beating. If not for the fact that she wanted to set a good example in front of the children, she would already have started a fight with Lu Lin.