Music usually comes from the Wu household but none of their neighbours really minded, saying that it is the kind of sound people wouldn’t be bothered with as it is soothing to the ears. It is either a rehearsed melody or one by discovering hands. But either way, the music is welcome. Normally it would only be during the weekends that such an occurrence happens. In the five years that the Wu family lived on the farthest lot in the village, it has been that way. However, the music plays more often now than before. It would either be in the morning or in the afternoon but everyday, without fail, the sounds of the piano fill the surrounding area of the Wu family.

Today seems to be special as the music plays for the second time of the day when the night is already fast approaching. Along with the angelic sounds of the smooth glide from one key to another or together, laughter of three different kinds mingling with it.

Yifan makes sure to keep his footsteps as light as he can as he tiptoes his way to their daughter’s room, the door slightly ajar as it always is. When he peeks through the small opening, he sees the small girl still in the middle of her afternoon nap, on her side and facing the door with her eyes closed and mouth slightly parted. The sight makes Yifan smile, he rarely gets to see his daughter because of his job but whenever he does spend the day at home Shuya always seems enthusiastic and always takes his breath away, wondering to himself how he got such a beautiful daughter. But quickly after that thought, he reminds himself that he is married to Yixing and that he created this precious child with him, so it should be no wonder. The oldest in the house steps into their child’s room, squatting down near his child’s bed to Shuya’s hair, taking in the sight of her sleeping child’s form before he rouses her from it.

Yifan looks at the clock placed above their daughter’s bed and is reminded of the task at hand. Gingerly, he lightly shakes their daughter awake, rubbing her small arm to pull her from sleep.

“Baby,” his deep voice fills the silent room, “wake up.”

Shuya, a light sleeper, easily opens her eyes to the sound of her father’s voice. She widens her pair of equally beautiful brown orbs before closing them again for a fraction of a second before saying, “Is it time, daddy?”

“Yes, baby.” Yifan continues to their daughter’s head, her hair silky smooth against the palm of his hand. “Quick, before Baba wakes up.” The older Wu waits for his child to sit on the bed before standing up himself. But when Shuya stretches her arms out after fixing her bed, he squats down again to lift his child and walk out of the room.

After retrieving some materials from Yifan’s car, they move to the garden, the space surrounded by flowers of different kinds that Yixing tends to whenever his husband and daughter are not home. Shuya helps him with it sometimes, the child asking him a thousand questions while they move a newly bought plant into its designated spot in the Wu garden. The place is already beautiful, as it is done by Yixing’s skillful hands but Yifan and Shuya want to give it life even at night when only a single fluorescent bulb helps light the place up.

When Yifan shared his idea to their six-year old, Shuya showed enthusiasm, and they had to make a pact not to let it slip from their mouths. There were times when the little girl almost let her younger father know about it but she saved the secret by changing the topic instantly, Yixing always eager to know about her day at school more than anything.

The older Wu asked their daughter if she had any ideas as to how they can make their garden more pleasing to the eyes and the young Wu said she wanted their garden to look like those that she and her Baba watch, with Christmas lights that make the place look warm with its yellow glimmer. Yifan himself wanted to place lanterns of different colors, shapes and sizes all over the place. So they came to a consensus, to purchase both Christmas lights and lanterns. Yifan even bought candles to set on the table that is on their backyard where Yixing spends most of his day either reading a book or knitting while he sips on his tea.

Once they’ve brought everything to the garden, Yifan looks up to check if the curtains are still drawn shut in their bedroom as he left it like that before putting their plan in motion. When he sees that they are still good to execute their plan, Yifan opens the boxes of lights and helps Shuya with unwrapping the lanterns. Seeing as they aren’t heavy, only made of wood and coloured paper with a little device for the light bulb to work with battery, Yifan thinks it would be better for their child to be the one to place the lanterns around while he works with the Christmas lights, hoping his hammering on their wooden walls won’t wake his husband up. He lets Shuya do her job with the la