Chapter 33: Friends

Chen Lu spoke frankly, “Mom always says that good people will be rewarded, and since my sister is a good person, she’ll surely receive good rewards.”

Chen Dabao also complained to Chen Feng, “Why didn’t Mom keep the little bird around a bit longer? Dabao didn’t get to see it. What a pity!”

The Golden Swallow returned just before dark on the third day, bringing back two birds. Both were quite large, with hooked beaks. One bird had bright plumage and was about ten centimeters long, while the other, in all gray, was around thirty centimeters long.

The entire Chen family was having a meal when they suddenly saw three birds—one swooped down and landed on the open window lattice of their house. One of the birds was the Golden Swallow, but at this moment, its golden color on the beak, chest, and belly was much lighter than in the space, appearing a pale yellow.

Chen Feng reached out with a smile, and the Golden Swallow hopped onto her hand, saying, “Mommy, they are the smartest birds in the forest, my new good friends.”

Of course, only Chen Feng understood this statement; the others heard the chirping sounds of the little swallow.

Chen Feng smiled and told them, “This is the bird that pecked Er Bai the other day. It has come back to see me again.”

The whole family was initially captivated by the two larger birds. After hearing Chen Feng’s words, they all welcomed the Golden Swallow with surprise and joy. Chen Lu and Dabao were especially excited, expressing their gratitude to the Golden Swallow.

Dabao even said, “Such a handsome swallow, even more handsome than those other swallows. Please don’t leave, stay at our house, okay? There are swallow nests under the eaves of our house, and they come back to roost every night. You can build a nest like that and stay here, don’t leave.”

The little lad thought he was displaying hospitality, but he ended up annoying the Golden Swallow. It chirped, “I live in beautiful little golden houses, who would live in those mud houses?”

Dabao didn’t understand what it said and continued to laugh happily, “The little swallow is chirping at me. It must have accepted my invitation and will stay at our house from now on.”

The Golden Swallow rolled its eyes at the little rascal, ignored him, and said to Chen Feng, “Mommy, these two friends of mine are very good. Let them stay here with me. In spring and summer, I’ll spend most of my time outside playing with them. Mommy, please prepare a few exquisite nests for them and me. Remember, those mud houses are not suitable for us.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng placed the Golden Swallow on the kang, and the two birds cleverly hopped onto her hand, making some squawking sounds. Although the sounds were rather harsh, they were indeed intelligent. The brightly colored bird weighed around half a kilogram, while the gray bird weighed about one kilogram.

Chen Feng loved animals and watched them happily. She counted the colors on the brightly colored bird and said, “This bird has seven different colors on its body, so let’s call it Qiqi from now on. As for the one that’s all gray, let’s call it Gray.”

The two birds seemed puzzled, and the Golden Swallow chirped at them. They seemed to understand and made a couple of squawking sounds in response.

Dabao then said, “Mom, these two birds already have names, but the little swallow doesn’t have one yet.”

Chen Feng smiled and said, “Let’s call it Golden Treasure. Similar to Dabao’s name”

Dabao was even happier after hearing this and grabbed onto his “little brother,” not letting go. His little hands were a bit rough, causing the Golden Swallow to roll its eyes repeatedly.

The whole family lost their appetite as Chen Lu and Dabao entertained the three birds, generously feeding them a handful of coarse rice. Qiqi and Gray ate it, and even the Golden Swallow partook. Mrs Wang was astonished, swallows typically only eat insects and moths, and only live prey at that, yet this swallow was eating grain.

Chen Ming remarked, “This swallow is certainly different from ordinary ones, otherwise how could it have pecked a hole in someone’s face.”

Chen Feng was thinking about what kind of nests to make for them. They couldn’t be too basic, but their household didn’t have the means for anything extravagant.

She noticed a half-finished needlework basket by the kang and got an idea. She got up and fetched three completed baskets from the east room, asking the three birds, “How about this nest? Isn’t it beautiful?”

Qiqi and Gray both liked it, it was much better than their previous nests. The Golden Swallow reluctantly accepted it, saying, “Although it’s a bit rough, it’s still quite fancy, and it’ll do.”

Worried they might soil the baskets, Chen Feng lined the bottoms with some broken straw and covered it with coarse cloth.

Before bedtime, not only did Qiqi and Gray learn to say their own names, they also learned to say “Golden Treasure, Dabao, uncle, mom, grandma, grandpa.”

The entire family was overjoyed, agreeing that these two birds were indeed exceptionally intelligent to have learned so much in just one night.

Chen Ming finally figured out what kind of birds they were, “They must be parrots, but I’m not sure of their specific breed.”

Chen Feng had already guessed they were parrots, Gray seemed like the gray parrot she had heard about in her past life, while Qiqi resembled a macaw, but not entirely. Macaws are much larger, so it wasn’t clear if these birds were just not fully grown or part of an unknown breed.

To avoid making a racket, Chen Ming moved the three bird baskets to the east room at bedtime.

Apart from the Golden Swallow, Qiqi and Gray were quite noisy and didn’t sleep until very late. Their voices were loud and piercing, sounding like a broken gong, making everyone uneasy. Chen Feng was quite annoyed, however, Dabao was thoroughly entertained, not wanting to sleep even in the middle of the night, finding immense joy in watching the birds. After a smack on the bottom from Chen Feng, he finally lay down and slept.

Just as dawn was breaking, the entire Chen family was awakened once again by Qiqi and Gray.

In the morning, Chen Ming hadn’t risen. Mrs Wang said he hadn’t slept well, and wasn’t feeling well.

Chen Feng asked Dabao to take Qiqi and Gray to the backyard to play, so as not to disturb his grandfather.

She secretly spoke with the Golden Swallow, “My dad is unwell due to the noise your friends are making. The doctor says that for someone suffering from lung disease, consuming swallow’s nest is best. Can you bring some swallow’s nest for him to eat? Otherwise, we can’t keep your friends here, they’re too noisy, and my dad can’t bear it.”

The Golden Swallow coyly said, “Mommy, even if you hadn’t asked, I would have brought swallow’s nest for my grandfather to eat. I’ve built a nest that’s very different from those of other swallows, it’s called Fragrant Swallow’s Nest. Not only does it promote health and longevity, but it can also treat many difficult ailments, including lung disease.”

Hearing this, Chen Feng’s heart raced with excitement, the swallow’s nest was indeed a treasure.

Seeing Chen Feng’s covetous expression, the Golden Swallow reminded her, “Everything on that tree is mine, only I have authority over it. Mommy, don’t touch it.”

Chen Feng nodded repeatedly, placing it on her hand and gently stroking its feathers, “Golden Treasure, I’m your mommy, and I won’t disturb my son’s belongings. Please bring some swallow’s nest, I want to cook it for my dad.”