I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

The morning mist gradually dissipated, and an elegantly decorated carriage slowly stopped in front of the vermilion gate of the Duke's Mansion. The curtain of the carriage was lightly lifted, and Chen Jia and Chen Jue got off hand in hand.

Chen Jue was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with a jade belt around his waist. He had an upright posture, and his every move revealed the noble air of a Duke. Chen Jia, on the other hand, was dressed in a light pink silk dress, with her hair tied up high, her eyebrows as dark as distant ink, her eyes full of affection, and she was gentle and moving.

After returning to the mansion, Chen Jue dismissed his attendants and took Chen Jia's hand to the quiet bamboo pavilion in the backyard. This bamboo pavilion was where Chen Jue usually rested. It was surrounded by green bamboos, with swaying bamboo shadows, quiet and pleasant.

On the bamboo table in the pavilion are placed various exquisite bamboo weaving tools, all of which were carefully made by Chen Jue.

Chen Jue looked at Chen Jia gently and said, "Madam, I have noticed that there are very few toys for children in the mansion recently. Those gold and jade objects are valuable but lack some fun. We have exquisite bamboo weaving skills. Why don't we weave bamboo into toys that children like? It can add fun to children and pass on skills. What do you think, madam?"

Chen Jia nodded slightly, her eyes full of smiles: "My husband is right, bamboo toys are light and portable, and they are natural and simple. Children will definitely like them. But we have to think carefully about the style of the toys."

Chen Jue gently stroked his chin, thought for a moment and said, "I thought, children like small animals, why don't we make some little rabbits, little monkeys and the like, what do you think, madam?"

Chen Jia's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands in praise, "Great! The little rabbit is lively and cute, and the little monkey is clever and playful. The children will definitely love them. Moreover, these bamboo animals can also help them learn about natural things, which is quite interesting."

After that, Chen Jue picked out a few bamboos of moderate thickness and flexible texture from the bamboo rack, held a sharp bamboo knife in his hand, shook his wrist lightly, and cut off the bamboo branches and leaves cleanly and neatly.

As he was cutting, he said, "The bamboo must be chosen precisely. If it's too thick, it's hard to bend and shape. If it's too thin, it's easy to break and not durable. This one is just the right thickness, and is perfect for making a rabbit skeleton."

Chen Jia handed over a wet cloth and gently wiped the debris off the bamboo. She said, "Sir, you know the properties of bamboo very well. With your selection, you will definitely be able to weave a good item. But, sir, this bamboo knife is sharp, you have to be careful."

Chen Jue raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a gentle smile: "With my wife caring for me, I will be careful."

After Chen Jue sawed the bamboo to the required length, he began to split the bamboo strips carefully. His fingers flexibly manipulated the bamboo knife to evenly divide the bamboo into strips of uniform width. Each strip was smooth and flat without any burrs.

Chen Jia sat aside, arranging the split bamboo strips neatly by thickness, and said, "Sir, the thickness of the bamboo strips is different, so I guess their uses are also different. You must consider it carefully when weaving toys later."

Chen Jue smiled and glanced at her: "My lady, you are very thoughtful. The thin bamboo strips are used to weave delicate parts, such as the facial features of small animals; the thick bamboo strips are used to support the structure to make the toy more stable. For example, the legs of this rabbit must be made of thicker bamboo strips so that it can stand firmly."

After the preparations were completed, the couple began to conceive the style of the toys. Chen Jia picked up a brush and sketched the outlines of several cute animals on paper, including a jumping rabbit, a cute panda, a bird with its wings spread, and a lively fish.

She pointed at the drawing paper and said, "My dear, these animals are cute and the children will definitely like them. How about we start with these?"

Chen Jue nodded and praised: "Madam, your painting is so lifelike. If we weave it like this, the children will love it. Let's weave the rabbit first. Look at the rabbit in your painting. It has long ears and round eyes. It's very cute."

The first thing to be made is a rabbit toy. Chen Jue picked up a thin bamboo strip and began to bend and shape it to serve as the rabbit's skeleton.

Chen Jia helped to fix it. She said softly, "Husband, the frame must be woven tightly, otherwise the rabbit will not be able to stand steadily."

Chen Jue was concentrating on weaving and responded, "Don't worry, madam. I know what I'm doing. This skeleton is like the pillars of a house. It is the key and must be woven firmly."

Then, he used slightly thicker bamboo strips to weave the rabbit's body around the skeleton, and the bamboo strips shuttled up and down in his hands like flexible silk threads. Chen Jia picked out white dyed bamboo strips and handed them to Chen Jue, asking him to weave the rabbit's fur.

"Husband, this white bamboo strips needs to be woven into a fluffy shape so that it will resemble the soft fur of a rabbit." Chen Jia reminded carefully.

Chen Jue slowed down his movements and loosely intertwined the bamboo strips. As he woven them, he said, "My wife is right. The rabbits woven this way will be cuter. Look, doesn't it look furry now?"

Chen Jia nodded and smiled, "That's right! Your craftsmanship has become even more sophisticated."

Soon, the rabbit's body began to take shape. Chen Jia picked up the scissors and trimmed the edges of the bamboo strips to make them rounder and neater, muttering, "The little rabbit must be pretty."

Afterwards, Chen Jue used black bamboo strips to weave the rabbit's eyes, nose and mouth. With just a few strokes, the rabbit had a lively expression. Chen Jia looked at the rabbit in front of her with joy in her eyes: "My husband, this rabbit seems to be alive, it's amazing!"

Chen Jue placed the rabbit on the table and said with a smile, "Thanks to your help, this rabbit has become spiritual. Madam, do you think the children will jump for joy when they see this rabbit?"

Chen Jia smiled and said, "Of course, the children will definitely feel our kindness."

Then, they started to weave the panda toy. Chen Jue selected black and white bamboo strips and first wove the panda's round body and limbs.

Chen Jia helped to adjust the tightness of the bamboo strips and said, "Husband, the panda's body should be chubby to be cute."

Chen Jue smiled and joked, "Don't worry, my lady. This panda will be as fat and pleasing as you wish. Look, is its body round enough?"

Chen Jia couldn't help laughing: "Yes, my husband, you made it up very well. If this panda were alive, I'm afraid it would eat all the bamboo."

When knitting the panda's head, Chen Jue deliberately made the ears bigger to make it look more adorable.

Chen Jia tied a bow for the panda with red silk thread, instantly adding a bit of playfulness.

"Husband, don't you think this panda looks more interesting with a bow on?" Chen Jia asked with a smile.

Chen Jue nodded and smiled, "My lady, this outfit makes the panda even more unique. Maybe it will become the children's favorite toy."

When making bird toys, Chen Jue made full use of his exquisite craftsmanship, bending bamboo strips into graceful arcs to weave the wings and tail of the bird, while Chen Jia used colored bamboo strips to embellish the bird with colorful feathers.

"Husband, the feathers of this little bird should be more colorful, as beautiful as a real bird." Chen Jia said as she selected bamboo strips.

Chen Jue skillfully interlaced the colorful bamboo strips and said, "Don't worry, my lady. This little bird will be the most beautiful scenery in the bamboo pavilion. Look, after the feathers are woven, doesn't it look like a bird is about to spread its wings and fly high?"

Chen Jia's eyes sparkled: "It's so similar! My husband, your craftsmanship is simply amazing."

After a while, a little bird with its wings flapping appeared in their hands, as if it was about to fly into the blue sky at the next moment.

The production of the fish toy is also ingenious. Chen Jue used thin bamboo strips to weave the outline of the fish's body, and then used blue and green bamboo strips to weave the shape of the fish scales. Chen Jia gently pressed with her fingers to make the fish scales fit more tightly.

"My dear, the scales of this little fish are woven like real ones. It must be beautiful to see it swimming in the water." Chen Jia exclaimed.

Chen Jue smiled and said, "After we have finished weaving it, we will put it in a basin of water and let the children see the little fish 'swimming'. Madam, do you think the children will think it is a real fish?"

Chen Jia smiled and replied, "Maybe! Children are innocent and will definitely find it novel and interesting."

As the bamboo toys were born one by one in their hands, the bamboo pavilion was filled with laughter and a warm atmosphere. Unconsciously, it was almost dusk, and the afterglow shone through the bamboo leaves on the ground, forming patches of golden light.

Chen Jue and Chen Jia looked at the table full of exquisite and cute bamboo toys of various shapes, and felt a sense of accomplishment in their hearts.

Chen Jue placed the toys on the tray one by one and said to Chen Jia, "Madam, distribute these toys to the children in the mansion tomorrow so that they can also experience the fun of bamboo weaving."

Chen Jia smiled and nodded: "Okay, the children will be very happy. These bamboo weaving toys can not only bring them joy, but also allow our craft to be passed down in the mansion. Husband, we must weave more toys like this in the future so that more children will like bamboo weaving."

Chen Jue gently hugged Chen Jia and said with emotion: "Having my wife by my side and doing these meaningful things together is the greatest happiness in my life."