Here I am, once again, needing to flail (incoherently) in more detail about a scene I have giffed... You all know exactly which scene I am talking about, don't you?
Yeah. Zhoudi Tower. Writing names in Tang Lici's book... 😭😭
I have SO many thoughts (and feelings!) about this scene!!
LOOK at him! Look at the concentration on his face! Our baby fox is learning to read and write and he is putting his best effort in...
And right from the start Liu Yan's relationship with Tang Lici has been one of teasing and this is no different... hence why Tang Lici closes the book the minute Liu Yan pops up... but it makes no difference cos Liu Yan snatches it anyway!
(But see how our baby fox has grown - he doesn't lash out in response, he doesn't snap or growl!)
And then when Liu Yan goes to look through the book , Tang Lici panics and tries to snatch it back. He's embarrassed for Liu Yan to see...
...that he's written Fang Zhou's name in the book.
(And this is where I think Tang Lici is maybe playing a little bit dumb in the next bit cos... why would he be embarrassed and not want Liu Yan to see that he'd written Fang Zhou's name in the book, if he genuinely thought that that's what Fang Zhou had told him to do?
And pairing that with his contemplative look before he starts writing...
I think he knew full well what Fang Zhou meant, but he decided to write Fang Zhou's name in the book... because it meant so much to him...)
But he evades Liu Yan's questioning with what seems like a plausible response - "silly boy" misunderstood his shixiong's instructions.
And aaaaaaahhh I love so much about this little snippet.
I love Tang Lici's halting speech; this is very clearly taking place not too long after he started speaking after a month of silence.
Firstly because we've seen in the previous flashback, where he did finally start to speak, that Fang Zhou said he wanted to start teaching him to read, and to do martial arts.
And secondly because he is still unused to talking and his speech is halting and a little bit broken/simple. Admittedly my understanding of Chinese is fairly basic and you absolutely can drop the pronouns and articles etc in Chinese because they are implied to be there... but the way Tang Lici speaks here definitely comes across to me as halting broken speech rather than just dropping things for fluidity.
What he literally says is "Fang Zhou.... said... have to write name".
(And his little face is so serious and earnest as he speaks! 😍)
And then I loooove Liu Yan's teasing chastisement... the way he calls him "silly boy" (there's so many ways this could be interpreted into English "fool" or "idiot" etc but I think the choice the subs use of "silly boy" perfectly captures the fond, endearing way that the phrase is meant by Liu Yan).
And Tang Lici looks so... bemused but also intrigued as Liu Yan takes over the pen (I know it's a brush but the subs say pen and the word in Chinese is the same for both) and starts to write....
He is so very fucking young and inexperienced and still learning to make sense of the world around him and he watches his shixiong with such wide-eyed openness and interest. There is such innocence in his expression! (Luo Yunxi is killing me with his acting as young Tang Lici, just killing me!)
And Liu Yan clearly enjoys teaching him, showing him how to write his own name... but also can't resist teasing (as seems to be his nature from everything we've seen in the flashbacks) and finding an excuse to add his own name too..
And againnnnnn the open curiosity and interest as Tang Lici watches him write...
And then the bit that possibly kills me the most... Liu Yan calls Fu Zhumei over to add his name too (him calling him Xiao Fu nearly broke me!) and look at the little smile on Tang Lici's face and the way he looks up at his shixiong...
And then just look... just LOOK at this sweet, innocent boy eagerly holding out his book for his shixiong to sign it too!! 😭😭😭
No wonder Fu Zhumei just melts into a fond smile as he takes the book!!
And then he watches Fu Zhumei write - looking up at Liu Yan for reassurance/to check he's watching too - and I swear this whole moment is SOOO older siblings/parents showing something to a younger (like.. toddler age, just learning to communicate stage) child-coded!!
The way he is seated and they are standing over him, and he looks up at them, and watches with eager fascination as his shixiong does this just for him... not only showing him how to write his name, but writing his name into Tang Lici's book where he can keep it. The way Liu Yan bends down and leans in, encouraging his interest...
Just LOOOK how fucking adorable and wholesome this is! The fond/proud older brothers standing over him as he looks at their handiwork in his book... and him looking up at both of them for approval/reassurance (and did you see Liu Yan's little nod? Telling him, yes, it's fine, this is yours to keep, with all our names in it now.. 😭) (the whole thing of him being seated and looking up at them really does work to make him look/seem so much younger than them).
And then to finish, he is so happy with his book with all his family's names written in it!! That they wrote in it for him. 😭😭😭
If anyone needs me I will be crying and chewing glass over this scene for the next 10-30 business days. 😭😭😭
(And if we ever find out that this copy of Three Character Classic, with his family's names written in it, is the copy he keeps with him and reads just above every day, I will cast off this mortal flesh and ascend to a higher plane...)
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