House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 235 – The Girl Watching the Rain

“Drip-drip-drip…”

On this day, starting from the morning, the sky was dark with heavy clouds, obscuring the sky and the sun. The rain poured heavily in the morning, but in the afternoon, it briefly subsided for a while. However, it didn’t take long before it started drizzling again outside, gently and continuously. It was like a glistening beaded curtain hanging from the eaves of the coffee shop, with droplets falling onto the emerald green lawn.

In contrast to the pale and hazy rainy world outside, the coffee shop was warm and cozy. Each hanging lamp emitted a soft yellow warm light, adorning the otherwise cool and lonely atmosphere with exceptional warmth.

Xixi liked the rain very much. She leaned against the window seat, with her eyes wide open, watching the raindrops falling freely outside along with the autumn breeze. She was completely absorbed in the scene.

From her back, her long hair, smooth and soft as silk, hung down to her slender waist. The little girl, resting her chin on her hand, looked like a miniature version of a goddess lost in melancholy thoughts. As she gazed out the window, she always made men feel worry about her—what distant thoughts occupied her mind?1

Of course, the little girl just liked watching the rain!

Her father didn’t allow her to go outside and splash in the water wearing her rain boots, so Xixi could only watch quietly from inside.

Yang Yi shifted his gaze away from his daughter and looked at Ding Xiang, who was opening and checking each coffee can to see if the coffee beans had gotten damp. “Hmm? What did you just say to me?”

Ding Xiang had been inspecting the coffee beans while speaking to Yang Yi, but Yang Yi was too engrossed in watching his daughter, causing him to miss Ding Xiang’s words.

“Big Brother Yang, I was saying that Sister Mo Fei seems to be very popular lately! My roommates in the dormitory are all discussing her” Ding Xiang said with a smile, “But I didn’t dare tell them, gotta keep it a secret for Sister Mo Fei!”

Yang Yi grabbed a notepad and a ballpoint pen from the counter, and with interest, he wrote down a sentence that was inspired by the scene he had just witnessed. He casually asked, “Really? What were they discussing?”

“You sit by the window watching the rain, while someone else watches you from behind. The bright moon adorns your window, and you illuminate others’ lives.” Yang Yi finished writing and looked at it with great satisfaction.

This was a poem he had modified based on the current situation and emotions. The original poem was called “Fragment”, which was also quite famous and needed no further introduction. However, Yang Yi wanted to give his modified poem a new name: “Daughter”

Obviously, the new name had a far different artistic conception compared to the original, so Yang Yi didn’t write it down. He simply admired the four lines he had written, crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it into the nearby trash can.

“They’re discussing Mo Fei’s new song! They say Mo Fei used to be quite good, but then she lost her touch. Mo Fei went through a tough time, but now she has a new song coming out, and they think Mo Fei has a chance to become popular again!” Ding Xiang said.

“Your roommates, did they also watch TV?”2 Yang Yi became interested.

“No, no, they just saw some online reports and talked about it. But there’s a classmate in my class who watched the replay and even went to learn Mo Fei’s song. They all say it was written by Mu Li’ang. Isn’t that you, Big Brother Yang?” Ding Xiang said.

Yang Yi nodded. Ding Xiang knew about his other identity, so there was no need to hide it.

“I think that song ‘Across the Ocean to See You’ sounds great. I wonder when Sister Mo Fei will release the new album. When that happens, Big Brother Yang, you’ll definitely get a copy, right? Then I can play that song in the shop. The customers will surely love it” Ding Xiang said excitedly and hummed a few lines.

Although most of the time, Yang Yi was the one using the audio equipment in the shop, when Yang Yi wasn’t in the shop, Ding Xiang also played some soothing music for the customers. So gradually, Ding Xiang also learned to appreciate music.

However, she sang out of tune and it was the kind of comically bizarre out of tune that could be featured in funny videos…

Listening to Ding Xiang humming an out-of-tune “Across the Ocean to See You”, several black lines appeared on Yang Yi’s forehead.

“Cough!” Yang Yi changed the subject. “Ding Xiang, there aren’t many customers today. You don’t have to stay here, go back and rest!”

When it wasn’t raining, there were still a few students coming to the coffee shop to have coffee and study. The environment in the coffee shop was good, and it was even warmer than the library. But now that it was raining again, how could there be any more customers?

“No need, it’s the weekend today, and we don’t have classes anyway. I can read a book here in the coffee shop and also help you serve any unexpected customers who come in” Ding Xiang said with a smile.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!

Even on a rainy day, there were indeed customers who brave the rain to come in. Ding Xiang pursed her lips, and Yang Yi finally saw a slightly hunched figure outside the door gradually becoming clearer amidst the rain.

Putting away the umbrella, the person pushed open the glass door and walked in.

Although the door opened and closed quickly, at that moment, a damp cold wind blew in, causing Xixi, who was sitting next to it, to shiver involuntarily.

“Hello! Welcome!” Ding Xiang dutifully greeted the customer.

The person who came in was a middle-aged man dressed in a neat woolen suit, around fifty or nearly sixty years old. After taking off his fedora, his mostly white hair was revealed, but there were no prominent wrinkles on his face, and his complexion was healthy and rosy.

“Hello.” He nodded gently to Ding Xiang and then proceeded to inquire about the menu and ordered a coffee.

Not very interested in the affairs of the adults, Xixi glanced curiously at the newcomer and then turned her head back to continue looking out of the window with interest. However, whether it was the gust of wind from the opening door or not, the little girl lightly sneezed.

“Ah-choo…” The sound was faint. Yang Yi was looking at the newcomer, and the conversation between Ding Xiang and that person filled his ears, so he didn’t notice it. Xixi rubbed her little nose and didn’t mind it at all.

“Then I’ll have this Santos, please. Kindly warm it up a bit; the weather is a bit too cold.” The newcomer softly told Ding Xiang. His accent was obviously not local, but there were many non-locals in the university town, so Yang Yi didn’t delve into it.

Ding Xiang quickly nodded. She took the coffee beans from the canister, shook the hand grinder, and started grinding the coffee beans.

During the wait, the newcomer glanced at Yang Yi beside him. Perhaps he mistook Yang Yi for another customer and nodded friendly towards him.

However, while he curiously observed the decoration in the shop, he unsurprisingly noticed the piano placed nearby, and his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

“Is this… Is this a Theodore?” The newcomer seemed a bit incredulous that an expensive Theodore grand piano would be placed in such an inconspicuous-looking coffee shop. Unable to resist, he approached it, carefully examining it, even taking off his gloves and touching the emblem on the piano, as if discerning the authenticity of the instrument.

Once he recognized it as a genuine Theodore, he looked around the coffee shop again, as if evaluating whether the environment was somewhat lacking.

Yang Yi didn’t mind much. He glanced at the person and then shifted his gaze away.

The newcomer was just casually touching it. After all, with such a heavy piano, it wouldn’t simply disappear under his watch, and of course, the person didn’t seem like a thief either.