Chapter 55: Visiting Tangyuan

When Chu Hanyan moved in front of Dabao, the Golden Swallow flew onto her hand, smiling at her and displaying its charm with great enthusiasm.

The Golden Swallow’s laughter made its small green eyes curve even more, the corners of its mouth lifted higher, and its tiny pink tongue kept quivering. It chirped, “Little sister is so pretty, la la la, little sister is so pretty…”

Even though others couldn’t understand what it was saying, its sweet murmurs almost made their legs go weak.

Chu Hanyan’s face showed a hint of a smile as she affectionately said, “Birdie is laughing, birdie is laughing…”

Dabao, forgetting himself when he saw the pretty sister enjoying the Golden Swallow, proudly introduced, “This is Golden Treasure, my little brother. Not only can he laugh, but he also has an amazing voice and can even find his way home.” Pointing to Qiqi and Gray on his shoulders and Zhui Feng on the ground, he continued, “This is Qiqi, this is Gray. They can talk and recite poetry. And this is Zhui Feng, it runs as fast as the wind.”

Chu Hanyan’s gaze slowly shifted from the Golden Swallow to Dabao, pausing for a moment before moving down and returning to the Golden Swallow. She continued to repeat those few words, “Birdie is laughing, birdie is laughing…”

Confident in his own charm, Dabao felt a bit defeated. Despite his efforts to be endearing, he still couldn’t match the Golden Swallow.

Unbeknownst to him, he had already worked wonders, leaving the nearby adults too excited to contain themselves…

Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang had already set the table for the meal, but Dabao had not returned. Just as Chen Feng was about to look for him, she saw a tall man in his forties, dressed in silk robes, standing at the gate and inquiring, “Is this Dabao’s home?”

Chen Feng quickly went to greet him, saying, “Yes, may I ask… Sir, what brings you here?”

The man looked at Chen Feng with astonishment. He occasionally strolled around Xiangluo Village but had never seen such an outstanding young lady. Her demeanor and charm could rival those of the noble ladies in the estates.

Glancing at the dilapidated courtyard, even in Xiangluo Village, it seemed extremely impoverished. He couldn’t believe that such a poor family could raise such a lively daughter, along with the exceptional-looking Dabao, as well as birds and a dog that were out of the ordinary.

Curious, he inquired, “Are you Dabao’s sister?”

Chen Feng replied, “No, I’m Dabao’s mother. Has my Dabao caused trouble?”

The man looked surprised for a moment, then quickly concealed his disbelief. He explained, “Oh, no. I am the steward of Tangyuan. Dabao is currently at Tangyuan, keeping our young miss company. She is delighted and has asked him to stay for dinner. Dabao asked me to inform his mother not to worry and that he will return this afternoon.”

“Oh, so he went to your Tangyuan,” Chen Feng smiled. “Dabao is young. If he has caused any inconvenience, I hope you and your young miss can forgive him.”

The steward assured her, “Not at all. Dabao is very sensible, and our young miss really likes him.” With that, he left.

Chen Feng was still concerned, and seeing everyone extremely worried, Chen Ming stood up and said, “I’ll go to Tangyuan and check on him.”

Chen Feng hurriedly said, “Dad, don’t worry. Dabao is clever and will be fine. And we still have Golden Treasure. If something happens, it will come back to deliver a message.”

Despite her reassurances, she couldn’t help but wonder whether Qiqi and Gray would be safe. She dared not leave the Golden Swallow alone with the people at Tangyuan.

If only she had known, she wouldn’t have let them go out. She regretted it deeply.

The others felt the same, sighing as they ate.

Now, the family had grown attached to Qiqi and Gray, considering them part of the household. If they were to leave, everyone would feel reluctant to part with them.

After washing the dishes, Chen Feng sat inside sewing, feeling anxious and worried about Dabao and the three birds.

Chen Ming also didn’t take a nap, sitting under a tree and looking to the east.

At the end of the hour, they finally heard the loud voices of Gray and Qiqi in the distance. They also heard Chen Ming’s voice, “Dabao has come back.”

Hastily, Chen Feng went to the old courtyard and saw that Dabao had returned with two birds and a dog, but there was no sign of the Golden Swallow.

“Where’s Golden Treasure? Was it forced to stay at Tangyuan?” Chen Feng asked anxiously.

Dabao replied, “No, Golden Treasure also came out. But as soon as we left Tangyuan, it flew towards the west, definitely to play in the woods again.”

He handed two things to Mrs. Wang and embraced Chen Feng, saying, “Mom, I saw that pretty sister again, the one who said Golden Treasure can laugh. Her name is Hanyan. It turns out that Tangyuan is her family’s villa. Her family also has a nun, and people call her Abbess Liao Chen… Although Abbess Liao Chen is a nun, she seems to be Hanyan’s elder. She is very kind and asked me to call the pretty sister Hanyan. If not for her, Golden Treasure, Qiqi, and Gray would have been forced to stay at Tangyuan…”

He went on to narrate the process of his visit to Tangyuan.

In the morning, Dabao couldn’t bear to see the pretty sister upset, and the people at Tangyuan were very hospitable, especially the nun, who was particularly kind. So, he took the three birds and the dog to visit Tangyuan. The Golden Swallow played with Hanyan, while Dabao played with Qiqi and Gray. Because the people at Tangyuan were afraid of Zhui Feng scaring Hanyan, Dabao kept Zhui Feng in his arms.

Occasionally, Hanyan’s gaze would shift to Dabao, Qiqi, and Gray. However, it would quickly return to the Golden Swallow. Even with just a moment’s attention, Dabao would fully showcase his personal charm and make himself known, trying to get close to the little girl, much to the delight of the adults nearby.

After lunch, Hanyan didn’t take a nap and continued to gaze at the Golden Swallow. The Golden Swallow, tired from all the smiling, became impatient.

Having spent a long time with the Golden Swallow, Dabao was already familiar with its habits. When he heard its chirping start to resemble that of a sparrow, he knew it was getting impatient. Getting up, he said, “It’s time to go home. I still need to gather firewood.”

Seeing this, Hanyan started to cry.

Some suggested buying the swallow at a high price to keep it company. Others proposed buying the two parrots as well, thinking it would make Hanyan even happier.

They coaxed Dabao, “Sell these three birds to our young miss. We’ll give you a lot of money, and your family can buy land, live in a big house, and have meat and silk clothes every day.”

Dabao hastily shook his head, “Golden Treasure, Qiqi, and Gray are my little brothers. I can’t sell them. Besides, Golden Treasure will be going south soon, so you wouldn’t be able to keep them for long.”

As soon as someone mentioned buying them, the Golden Swallow flew into the sky, followed closely by Qiqi and Gray.

Seeing the three birds fly into the sky, Hanyan cried even harder, and the people were at a loss. Another woman suggested that as long as they kept Dabao at Tangyuan, they wouldn’t have to worry about the three birds running away, so they might as well buy Dabao too.