Chapter 287: Photo Shoot in a Little Dress

"That’s a great idea. Besides things from the ocean, we can go into the mountains, find some mushrooms, and make mushroom sauce to send them."

They lived by the sea but were also close to the mountains. When it came to gifts, their options were either from the sea or from the mountains.

But the Sun Family was based over in Hangzhou, which was a bit far from them. Sending fresh goods was out of the question, so it had to be dried products.

"Okay!"

Yun Jiao chirped in agreement and started hopping about, getting ready to find her fourth brother. She wanted to ask him to make something pretty with shells and beautiful stones.

"Wait, there’s another package here."

"It was sent from Ning City."

"Huh? Do we know anyone over there?"

Wang Mei suddenly had a thought and cried out, "It couldn’t be from Wu Lan, could it?"

At the mention of Wu Lan’s name, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe had to think for a moment before they remembered. She was the woman traveling with the military whom they had met on the train to the Capital.

"Let me see."

"Wow, these clothes are gorgeous."

They opened the package and saw four outfits inside. Three were for a little girl, and one was for a little boy—a small, army-green uniform made to look like a real one.

"Lao San, hurry and read the letter! What did Wu Lan write?"

Yun Chen Nan read it quickly and then summarized.

"It says the clothes are for Jiaojiao and Little Nine. She altered them from clothes she couldn’t wear anymore, which is why there are more for a girl. Little Nine’s outfit was made from her husband’s old clothes, so there’s only one. She hopes we don’t mind."

"How could we possibly mind?"

Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei were both beaming with joy.

"The fabric is so beautiful and feels so comfortable. To think these bright colors came from altered old clothes! These outfits are just gorgeous."

"Jiaojiao, come over and look."

Yun Jiao went over for a look, and her eyes lit up.

Her godmother had sent her clothes before, too, but they were all bought from department stores. While the styles were new, they didn’t stray far from the mainstream fashion of the time and were rather conservative.

But the ones Wu Lan had made herself were novel and beautiful little poofy dresses. One was a light pink dress that fell just below the knees, its puffy skirt shaped like a jellyfish.

Another was a festive-looking red one, a small, playful qipao.

And there was a sea-blue one, shaped like a morning glory flower with its petals slightly closed.

"So pretty, so pretty! They’re just too beautiful!"

Clothes came in more colors and styles these days, but many adults, especially married women, were hesitant to try them.

But children had no such concerns.

What parents who doted on their daughter wouldn’t want to dress her up beautifully? Especially a girl as pretty as Yun Jiao, who looked like a beautiful doll in a display case with just a little dressing up.

So, thrilled with the beautiful clothes, Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei eagerly took Yun Jiao to go change into one of the little dresses right away.

Yun Chen Nan said, "Mom, the letter says that if we can, she’d like us to take a few photos of Jiaojiao and Little Nine and send them to her."

"Yes, yes, of course! That’s no problem at all."

"I never would have guessed Wu Lan was so skilled. We certainly don’t have that kind of talent."

Yun Jiao was treated like a doll. After she was dressed, they did her hair, putting all the pretty little hair accessories Yun Chenbei had made for her to good use.

"Beautiful! I just knew Jiaojiao would look beautiful in this dress!"

It was the light pink dress, the one that looked like a jellyfish.

Her skin was already fair, and the light pink made her look even more ethereal. Her hair was done in small braids on both sides, pulled back in a half-up style.

Just standing there, Yun Jiao seemed to light up the entire room.

She looked like a beautiful little ocean sprite.

Wang Mei and Shen Yunlian looked at her with a special sense of accomplishment.

Yun Jiao, admiring herself in the pretty little dress, did a little twirl.

"Let’s save the other dresses for tomorrow and the day after. One a day, otherwise we’ll mess up her hair."

"Okay."

"Let’s go take pictures!"

Yun Jiao blinked. "But I have to go to the police station with my third brother."

"Oh, he can go by himself. Besides, your dad and your little uncle are here, aren’t they?"

Wang Mei had already taken out the camera.

"Let’s go to the beach. It would be a total waste not to take pictures of this outfit by the sea."

Yun Jiao said, "Oh," and let her Little Aunt and her mom lead her away by the hand.

Yun Chenbei said, "I’m going too."

He finished speaking and silently followed behind them.

He was good at taking pictures; after all, he was the one who used the camera most of the time.

"So cute, so cute."

After just a few steps, Wang Mei couldn’t help but scoop Yun Jiao up and nuzzle her cheek against hers.

Children, especially at Yun Jiao’s age, are at their most adorable and fun. And she was so pretty on top of that; one look at her was enough to make any adult’s heart melt.

Hugging and cuddling were a regular occurrence. Her little cheeks, still full of baby fat, looked so tempting you just wanted to take a little bite.

They hadn’t walked far before they ran into some villagers.

They were all on their way to work, but the sight of Yun Jiao instantly captured their attention.

"Jiaojiao, what’s that you’re wearing? It’s beautiful! That dress is so unique, and the color is so vibrant."

Seeing her, they all wanted to get a similar one for their own children.

’How does she manage to look cuter every time you see her?’

"Hello, Granny Song."

Yun Jiao politely greeted her.

"Hello, hello! Jiaojiao, where are you all off to?"

Wang Mei said, her tone laced with a hint of showing off, "A dear friend of mine sent her a few dresses she made herself. She asked us to take some pictures of Jiaojiao wearing them for her to see. This one looks like a little jellyfish, so I thought it would look great in photos at the beach."

"It is, it’s beautiful. Jiaojiao would look beautiful in that dress no matter where she stood."

Every adult they met after that agreed she looked beautiful.

The other children, especially the little girls, stared at her with unconcealed envy. Some of the more pampered ones started whining, begging their parents to make them a pretty little dress just like it.

They made their way through the village like a little parade, attracting a trail of children, both boys and girls.

During the photoshoot, Yun Jiao was completely natural. To her, it was just another day playing at the beach.

She squatted down to dig in the sand and pried out a Moon Clam.

She picked up small stones with pretty colors or interesting shapes.

She cuddled with the family’s big dog.

Big Black had come along too, and Yun Jiao climbed right onto his back.

Big Black was strong and sturdy, and he carried Yun Jiao on his back as he ran along the shore.

"Good boy, Big Black! I’ll give you a treat when we get back!"

Yun Chenbei remained silent, just kept snapping away with the camera.

’His little sister,’ he thought, ’is as cheerful as a little seaside sprite.’

One photo captured the moment Yun Jiao sat on a reef, singing. The sunlight seemed to favor her, casting a golden glow over her and lending a warm, golden sheen to her black hair.

And not far in front of her on the surface of the sea, several killer whales leaped out of the water.

The little dress wasn’t suitable for going into the water, so Yun Jiao only greeted the killer whales from a distance, singing a few songs to soothe them.

The village children gathered not far behind Yun Jiao to listen to her sing.