Chimney (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} chimney) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} madisonvalley,@ 2025-04-20 20:05:00 |
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What: Exploring the Cherry Blossoms together
When: April 21
Where: Outside/Park
Rating: low
Chimney had mustered up the courage to ask Yanli out for a picnic. Last month had been strangely busy at work though not with anything overly dangerous. A lot of accidents and people’s heads stuck in strange places. Enough that he hadn’t been able to really ask her out. The Cherry Blossom Festival, when advertised, had seemed like a great idea.
The whole town looked picturesque. It didn’t hurt that the weather was really nice too. It was hard not to feel like today was going to be a great day. Jee-Yun was currently beside the stroller which had items for a picnic in it as they wanted for Yanli. Was he nervous? A little. He liked Yanli a lot and there was always the worry that this might not work out. If it didn’t, he might be losing a good friend. But if it did work out, Chimney had a feeling it would be worth it.
He saw her approach and his face lit up, waving alongside his daughter who did the same.
Yanli, honestly, hadn't expected Chimney to ask her out. When he had she'd been happy. Her brothers had been happy for her too, though a bit protective. She knows during the speed dating ordeal they'd been watching them. To make sure that the man she was having a good time with didn't hurt her. Her brothers meant well, but the overprotectiveness hadn't been needed.
She knows, too, that the other had probably been pretty busy. Firefighters weren't a thing where she was from but she understood the importance. There was a lot that went into it and she was happy to be around someone like that. Someone who put people first. It made her think of sect leaders, good ones anyway.
Hearing about the Cherry Blossom festival has her giving a bit of a smile. Was she nervous? Yes, she was. She'd never really dated. It had been her and Jin Zixuan in an arranged marriage, though they'd loved one another. She'd lost him and it had devastated her. Just as she was sure losing her had devastated her Jin Ling. Her precious little boy who wasn't so little anymore, by what her brothers told her.
Upon seeing them that smile brightens and she gives a small wave back," How're you two doing today?"
“Jee-Yun slept twelves hours, no consecutively, and I got about six. So, pretty good.” He joked even if it was the truth. Thankfully being a firefighter meant you were used to some short nights sleep. It kind of prepared you for that part of being a parent.
“We want wolg-yeong.” Jee-Yun pointed at her hair.
Chimney winced a little. “Flower. Fl-ow-er.”
Jee-Yun tried to say flower, but it came out as four-er. Chimney looked at Yanli and scratched his head. “Sometimes I feel like I’m doing the wrong thing by speaking Korean to her half the time.” Was this normal, speaking two languages in the same sentence? He had no idea.
"At least the both of you got a little sleep," She tells him. The joke, honestly, probably went a little over her head. Though she knows what it's like to have a little one. Hers had been younger than Jee-Yun though. She does not, however, know what the little one was saying until Chimney explained it.
Those eyes look toward him after a moment," Myself and my siblings, along with their husbands, speak to each other in Mandarin when at home. It's only when we're around others that we speak English. So, you're not doing anything wrong. You just have to remember to teach her both languages, that's all." It's what she would've done with Jin Ling if she'd ever had the chance.
“I'm just worried she'll just end up speaking both in each sentence all the time… but I guess since we're not at real full sentences yet, I have time to worry.” He wasn't deeply worried, just the normal amount of a new father.
“We thought we’d go look for the perfect place to lay out a picnic. Want to help? I might be from California, but I actually haven’t been on too many picnics.” He knew as he made the joke that Yanli probably didn’t get it, but he wasn’t sure how to explain it so he just left it as it is.
When he mentions that he was worried she shakes her head," I'm sure that, in time, you'll be able to teach her both languages. That one doesn't speak both in the same sentence." Even if she's heard her brother mutter Mandarin when he was annoyed. Yanli was sure that he'd have no problem with his daughter. She was sure that Jee-Yun would do just fine with both languages. The little girl might even learn a little Mandarin being around her too.
"Sure, I'll help," she tells him. The joke, unfortunately, goes over her head. It made absolutely no sense to her but it didn't stop the smile. That? It stayed on her face. "Where are we having this picnic at?"
He was happy knowing at least one person didn’t think he was making huge mistakes with his daughter. He was well aware he’d make some - he was only human, after all - but at least no one was raising an alarm.
“I figured we could find a place under a nice Cherry Blossom. Maybe one on a bit of a hill so we have a view of more of them? They’re all over the place, after all. The park has more activities too in case we get bored.” Or more if Jee-Yun gets bored, but you know.
No, she didn't think that he was making a huge mistake. Everyone raised their children differently. The other also took suggestions to heart and that made him different from other people. It made it so that people didn't look at him as a failure of a parent. Besides, she'd have words if anyone ever tried to say that he was. She's seen how he was with his daughter.
She gives a soft smile," That would be nice. We'll have our picnic and then go see what activities are about." That way they could keep Jee-Yun from getting too bored.
They walked for a little while until there was a spot that looked like a good choice. Then Chimney went about setting up the large blankets he had brought and the basket of food and a few other things. Once he was done, he made a hand gesture to it. “Our picnic is ready, miladies.” He dramatically bowed at both Yanli and Jee-Yun. Jee-Yun giggled and then went to ‘investigate’ the set up.
He joined Yanli for a moment. “Thank you for agreeing to come today. It means a lot.” Both to him and to Jee-Yun, but he didn’t want to use his daughter as a cop-out.
Walking around with Chimney and his little girl didn't bother her. In fact, she enjoyed the way the air felt. Enjoyed the way being around someone who wasn't her brothers felt. It helped that she liked the man beside her. That she found his daughter adorable. Jee-Yun was an amazing little girl that she much rather liked. She was also well behaved too, from what she'd seen. If anything? Yanli would like to spend more time with them.
Once the picnic is set up she gives a smile before watching Jee-Yun move over to inspect the setup. "You're welcome. I like spending time with you both," she admits before moving to the blanket to sit down. "Come on, let's have our picnic and then we'll see what activities there are."
Chimney was smiling as he joined them. He was interested in Yanli for a lot of reasons and the fact she was okay with the fact he was essentially a single dad was great. It was even better that she liked spending time with Jee-Yun. He was pretty sure there were people out there with horror stories of the opposite.
Sitting, he pulled out a few of the food dishes. There were some simple things like fruits and vegetables and then a few more ‘intricate’ dishes like gimbap, Jumeok-bap, and Korean barbecue - Chimney had spent more time than he’d like to admit making it all. He was pretty sure they were at least edible.
“So Yanli, did you ever attend any festivals back home?”
Where she was from single dads had not actively been a thing. However, she'd learned quite a bit being in Madison. That had been before it had shifted and changed. She also didn't mind spending time with Jee-Yun because she knew what that was like. Wei Wuxian was her foster her brother. Her father had brought him home after finding him on the streets. Herself and Jiang Wanyin had grown up with him taking him in as one of their own.
Jee-Yun, to her, was an amazing little girl. A little girl that she'd grown to love and loved being around. Even if she'd probably never tell Chimney that. It would probably be weird to hear that someone you'd only talked to loved your little girl. Yanli had never actively had Korean food before either, so all of this was going to be interesting and fun. Especially if he was the one that made the food.
"The lantern festival is one of them that we attended back home."
“Is that the kind of lantern festival that you float lantern on water or fly them in the air? Or… something different.” He supposed it could be literally just lanterns hanging. He had only ever seen the other two though and they were mostly in movies, not that he’d say that to Yanli. “I’m assuming they’re beautiful to look at either way.”
“These are paper lanterns that we paint ourselves, or have someone do it with us, and then float them into the sky,” She tells him. Some towns hung lanterns, but the lantern festival was a good time to make one’s own and then float them into the sky. To make a wish on them as they float away. Her brother had made a good wish on his and she was sure, honestly, that was the start of a wonderful relationship between her brother and Lan Wangji. “Are there any festivals that you do?”
“When does it happen? Maybe we can have our own.” He wondered idly if Yanli had seen Rapunzel and then if she’d like it because Jee-Yun liked it and he could always use company while watching it for the fifty-third time.
“I mostly only celebrate American holidays like Fourth of July.. but I do celebrate Lunar New Year.” He paused. “Maybe I should start celebrating some of the Korean ones for Jee-Yun.”
"It will be March 3rd next year," Yanli tells him. It would be nice to have a lantern festival with him and his little girl. As for Rapunzel, no. She had never watched cartoons and had only, occasionally, watched movies at the movie marathon. If Jee-Yun wanted her to watch it with her then she would. Even if she'd have questions about it, or any cartoon for that matter.
There's a soft smile out of her, “I have never celebrated American holidays. Though, my didi, Wei Wuxian, enjoys Halloween. That is also his birthday." As for the Korean holidays," What holidays do you have in your tradition?"
“March third.” He nodded and tried to commit it to memory. He’d probably end up putting it in his phone so he didn’t forget. March third was a long way off from now.
“I like Halloween.” Except for the year Jee-Yun turned into a baby dragon. That had been a lot to handle as a new dad.
“The ones I remember are our Lantern Festival called the Lotus Lantern Festival, but there’s nothing fancy about what we do with the lanterns. We just decorate and hang them. My parents weren’t really Buddhist so we didn’t do all the things, but I remember watching the parade.” He was a little embarrassed to explain how he rebelled against his heritage for a while because of his father.
“Hungry please” Jee-Yun was trying to pull off a top to some fruit, but her little fingers didn’t have the dexterity. Chimney chuckled. “Okay, maybe time to eat, huh?”