v5c19: The Grinch

Mix the ink to the right consistency. Not too much water; not too much ink. The ratio was important, and it was subject to change depending on the humidity, the brush, and the paper. Inspect the brush; this one being of horse hair, soft and malleable. Inspect the paper: of middling quality. The ink would spread a bit more than I was used to. There was also an interesting darker part on the paper that I thought I could use to really make things pop.

With a steady hand I drew the ink, remembering my time with Gramps as he taught me the Courtly Characters. They were honestly some of the best memories I had learning with the Old Man.

I took up the precise amount of ink… and then, as he had taught me, I let the brush flow.

From Darkness, Comes Light.

I examined it with a critical eye and then nodded. “What do you think?” I asked as Meimei walked over to examine my work, along with Peppa.

“This is really good,” Meimei said, her eyes tracing the characters.

Her smile was bright, while Peppa nodded as well.

‘Indeed. Sir has wonderful handwriting when he actually tries. This servant does wonder, however, why his scrolls are always such a mess when he hands them over,’ her voice was pleasant and mild, even as a small vein pulsed in her forehead.

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. Most of the time I didn’t bother, because getting in the right mindset and preparing the ink wasn’t worth the hassle when I was mentally translating English into Chinese while jotting down my thoughts into the margins of my scrolls, or doing things I found boring.

“Thank you for your hard work,” I tried. Peppa squinted at me, and then huffed before primly trotting off. Meimei just laughed and looked at the writing again while I leaned back and admired our living room.

The preparations for the solstice were well underway; less than a week remained before the festival, and this year was once more grander than the last. It had been really fun designing the decorations with everyone.

We had probably gotten a bit carried away, but that was half the fun of it.

My house was covered in garlands of pine and cedar—and had, to my delight, Christmas lights. Noodle, Huo Ten, and Yin had collaborated to make small glass balls in reds, greens, blues, and purples filled with bits of glowstone. They hung on the eaves, along the path and over the fence, and around the giant pine I had kept near the house. They glittered like miniature stars in the night sky and just added to the wonderful atmosphere.

Of course, we also had the more traditional red cloth and lanterns. It wouldn’t do to have the Before stuff take over completely. This was Meiling’s culture and traditions, too! And, well, it helped that it looked amazing and the festival was super fun. It was why I had done the wall scroll—as well as a bunch of red pennants with the character for sun on them.

The fusion looked really good—and didn’t mess up the aesthetics of the actual solstice festival. Things were supposed to be bright and colorful to call back the sun, coupled with songs and laughter.

And there would certainly be plenty of that on the solstice. There always was. I smiled at the thought and turned to the rest of my family.

Xiulan had, it seemed, finally caught up on some of her sleep debt. Instead of dozing or lazing around, she was smoothly going through the steps of the dance Hong Yaowu performed, her movements graceful and smooth. Zhuye was watching her from the couch. He looked fascinated by Xiulan’s movements and was waving his arms around, seeming to try and imitate her. He looked very cute with his oversized Santa hat on, its pom pom bouncing on the end.

Near the fire, Chunky had brought out the single deer antler I had tied to his head the first year as an homage to a certain green creature who stole Christmas’s noble steed. Chunky took his duty as chief sleigh operator very seriously. The antler was the last thing to be polished. His bells were gleaming, his leather harness freshly cleaned, and the big red sleigh shined until its lacquer gleamed.

Gou Ren and Xianghua used Chunky’s side as a backrest as Xianghua taught Gou Ren the proper way to make decorations made of reeds, as the people of the Misty Lake did for their own festivals. Bowu was watching on with a little smile. He still had his shirt off and was steaming from his recent bath after completing a couple projects in the forge—I couldn’t wait to see the looks on people’s faces when they saw our latest project. It had been expensive and finicky as all hell, but Bowu had managed it. Huo Ten was beside him, similarly steaming, his fur slightly damp as he munched on some pickled cabbage.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Yin, Noodle, and Vajra were all in the greenhouse, keeping warm and probably looking at the new shoots. The blueberries and beets Big D had sent back were growing well in the warm room.

The final members of our family in the province still were out roaming the hills. Washy had begged Tigu and Babe to help him because he had left preparing his solstice presents until the last minute, again.

Lazy dragon.

Big D, Rizzo, Yun Ren, and Gramps weren’t home yet, but I wasn’t particularly worried. They probably wouldn’t be home at the solstice, simply because of time and distance.