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After the incident on the road, Chen Feng’s mood turned sour, and she even cooked with a pout. Initially, she wanted to rest in her own room, but fearing that Mrs. Wang’s Pearl Meatballs might not be palatable and would upset the Golden Swallow, she had to gather her spirits to prepare the meal.
At thirty-three, in her previous life, it was an age of great charm, similar to her current age. It wasn’t Liu Erniu’s age that bothered her. It was the stark contrast between them. Not only in terms of poverty and appearance, but also his distinct odor, yellow teeth, and clothes that glistened black, all of which she found intolerable. To top it off, he still had the audacity to come near her, which was truly exasperating.
Upon hearing the whole story from Mrs. Wang, Chen Ming and Chen Lu were equally enraged. Chen Lu gritted his teeth, “Once I study hard and become a scholar, I’ll support my sister and keep those stinky bastards away from her.”
Mrs. Wang sighed, “By the time you become a scholar, your sister will be much older. It’s infuriating. My A’Feng, such a lively girl, yet she’s the target of such lowlifes. How dare they!”
When Dabao returned and heard about this, he pouted and furrowed his brow like an old man.
The Pearl Meatballs were ready, steamed in two large plates, which seemed like a lot but really wasn’t. Two portions were distributed among the three birds, the dog, and the family, and Dabao took most of the remaining portion to the main house, leaving only a small amount.
The Golden Swallow, Qiqi, and Gray gathered around a large porcelain bowl, humming contentedly as they ate, enjoying the aroma.
Whenever the Golden Swallow dined at home, Zhui Feng would keep its distance. It would position itself halfway inside the house and halfway outside, too scared to come in, like an abused young bride.
Chen Feng had to place the bowl of Pearl Meatballs by the door, then gently pat Zhui Feng’s neck to reassure it, scolding the Golden Swallow, “Look at how frightened you’ve made it. Are you making it a bodyguard or a maltreated young bride?”
The Chen family now knew that the Golden Swallow was sensitive and also appealed to the Golden Swallow for Zhui Feng’s sake. The Golden Swallow, however, was too engrossed in enjoying the Pearl Meatballs to pay them any heed.
Zhui Feng noticed that the Golden Swallow wouldn’t cause trouble for it, so it lowered its head to eat. Yet, it still couldn’t relax and enjoy its meal, remaining ready to bolt at any moment.
Observing the animals eating so heartily, Chen Feng felt they should increase the food budget. After all, their animals were all precious. This was also due to Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang’s kind hearts. If it were another less affluent family, they wouldn’t be willing to treat animals with such care.
When she voiced her thoughts, Mrs. Wang smiled and shook her head, “There’s no need for you to pay more. How many months of food expenses have you covered for us with the extra money you’ve given?”
After dinner, Chen Feng took Dabao and the three birds and the dog back to the new courtyard.
Chen Ming told Mrs. Wang, “I’ll go to town again to buy some cotton and fine cloth. I want to make a set of clothes for Mom and Big Brother. We can’t all wear new cotton clothes, leaving Mom and Big Brother in their old ones.”
Mrs. Wang nodded in agreement.
August 5th was the Golden Swallow’s last day outside this year. Before midnight, it had to enter space. In the morning, it felt very uneasy, sticking close to Dabao, clinging to his clothes and acting a bit spoiled. It no longer called him “Stinky Dabao” and seemed very reluctant to leave him.
Seeing the Golden Swallow this way, Dabao lost interest in studying.
Chen Feng told Dabao, “Don’t study this morning. Take Golden Treasure and Qiqi, Gray, and Zhui Feng out to play. After Golden Treasure goes south, you shouldn’t take the birds out anymore. We’re worried about someone with ill intentions targeting Qiqi and Gray.”
With the Golden Swallow not outside, many things became inconvenient. Even with Zhui Feng’s arrival, it was still young, and they didn’t know its fighting capabilities.
She also said to the Golden Swallow, “Golden Treasure, today I’ll make Pearl Meatballs for you again. Remember to come home for dinner.”
Dabao held the Golden Swallow in his hand and ran out of the house with Qiqi and Gray.
Seeing that Zhui Feng wanted to go but hesitated, Chen Feng advised, “Go on, Golden Treasure is flying in the sky, no one can reach you. Isn’t Dabao there? He won’t let Golden Treasure bully you.”
Upon hearing this, Zhui Feng dashed out. Whether Zhui Feng would be formidable in the future, Chen Feng didn’t know, but it definitely ran fast, almost as if it could catch the wind.
The sunlight was exceptionally brilliant today, and the vast sky was as clear as crystal blue.
Dabao took them to the west side of the village, where the birds were chirping, and the dogs were barking, creating a joyous atmosphere. Suddenly, the Golden Swallow turned east and flew away, followed by Qiqi and Gray.
Dabao kept yelling as he chased after them, “Don’t go there, they’re harvesting rice over there.”
No matter how Dabao called out to the Golden Swallow, it didn’t listen, so he had no choice but to run after them with Zhui Feng.
A farmer in the field looked up and chuckled, “They say the second son of the Chen family is smart, but where’s the intelligence? Just like his silly mother, talking to birds.”
The Golden Swallow led Qiqi and Gray straight to Tangyuan and flew in.
Dabao reached the entrance of Tangyuan and, seeing the closed vermilion gate, he didn’t dare knock. He felt so upset that he was almost in tears. He had heard that the master of Tangyuan was a formidable figure, and if they annoyed him, he would resort to violence. Zhui Feng stood close to Dabao, howling.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, just when he thought he should muster the courage to knock, the Golden Swallow flew out again with Qiqi and Gray.
Dabao excitedly called out, “Golden Treasure, Qiqi, Gray, why are you running around? Come over, it’s time to go home.”
The three of them landed, with the Golden Swallow snuggled close to Dabao’s clothes, and Qiqi and Gray perched on his shoulders.
Just as Dabao was about to turn back home, the closed vermilion gate opened. Several people emerged, including a young girl and a nun holding a duster.
The young girl wore a light pink brocade jacket, with her hair styled in a traditional bun, adorned with two red ribbons. Her pretty face displayed no expression, and her eyes seemed vacant. Only on closer observation could a hint of urgency be noticed in her eyes, something not usually seen.
It was the pretty girl Dabao had encountered on Honglin Mountain.
Chu Hanyan timidly stepped out of the gate, gazing blankly at The Golden Swallow, saying, “Birdie, don’t fly, birdie, don’t fly…” Her voice was soft, gentle, and slow, as if speaking to the Golden Swallow and to herself at the same time.
Seeing the pretty sister, Dabao couldn’t move his legs. He not only liked her beauty but also the clearness in her eyes, just like his own mother. While others might call it dullness, he stubbornly believed it was clarity. He could tell it was a completely different kind of gaze from what one sees in the eyes of other simple-minded individuals.
In his mind, anyone with such eyes was kind, beautiful, and would eventually become incredibly intelligent, just like his mother.
He stood there, staring at her in a daze.
In Chu Hanyan’s heart and eyes, there was only the Golden Swallow. She gazed directly at it, moving slowly toward it, her chubby fingers twisted together. She kept saying, “Birdie, don’t fly, birdie, don’t fly.”