Chapter 16: The Massive Decluttering Scene with Sweet Rice Dumplings

"Where else can we live? Of course, in a tree hole." He Meng gave him a look that said, "Are you stupid?"

Having known Ning Jia for quite some time, Cang Lan didn't hide anything from her: "My tribe lives by trees, and tree hollows are the best dwellings. If there are no tree hollows, we build small houses on tree branches like birds. In extreme cases, we will dig holes to live in temporarily."

Ning Jia's mouth dropped open. "You guys are really amazing. You can survive no matter what."

"However, we also have ways to survive in the wild, such as setting up a tent. Recently, this kind of camping has become very popular."

Fearing the little people wouldn't have time to pack, she promised, "The May Day holiday is in a few days. I won't be working then, so I'll definitely help you."

However, before she could even go to help the Lilliputians, Ning Jia received a request for help from a friend:

"Jiajia, I got laid off and I'm planning to go to Yunnan for a few months to relax. Can you help me pack?"

So, on the first day of the May Day holiday, Ning Jia appeared at the two-bedroom apartment rented by her childhood friend Liu Yue.

"Yueyue, your house is such a mess! How can you live here?" Ning Jia complained, looking at the chaotic state of the house.

Liu Yue, who was pleasantly surprised to receive a layoff package, rolled her eyes. "I was working overtime every day before, and I didn't even get enough sleep when I got home. How could I possibly be in the mood to tidy up?"

"That's true," Ning Jia nodded understandingly, "being a fellow office worker, you can see how you want to clean it up."

"Can you get everything sorted out?" Liu Yue asked bluntly. Seeing Ning Jia roll her eyes at her, she immediately grabbed her and smiled ingratiatingly, "I won't let you work for nothing. I'll treat you to Tan Yaxue tonight. Don't you love their tomato hot pot the most?"

"You think you can get me to clean your house for a whole day just for a hot pot meal? You've got a pretty good plan." Ning Jia said, already bending down to pick up "trash" from the floor.

"Hehe, Jiajia, you're the best! When I get back, I'll treat you to five, no, ten hot pot meals!"

Liu Yue used to work in intelligent robot testing, and her salary was much higher than Ning Jia's. Looking at the various clutters in her house, she was really annoyed and threw them away without hesitation, saying, "I don't want this anymore, and I don't want that anymore either."

Ning Jia stared wide-eyed. "These are all still usable!"

Liu Yue said nonchalantly, "I'm going to Yunnan by plane. I'll just bring a bag and a suitcase. I won't use these things anyway."

"Jiajia, if you don't mind, please accept all of these."

Ning Jia thought about her cramped single room and restrained herself, only accepting some consumables such as rice, oil, and seasonings. Even so, she still filled a large bag.

"With so much stuff, will you be able to carry it all back?"

"It's okay, I'll take the subway first, then ride my electric bike back and leave it on the bike."

"Okay."

While tidying up, Ning Jia suddenly noticed something, picked it up and looked at it in surprise, "Wow, this pencil case... you actually still kept it?"

Liu Yue picked up the faded pencil case and smiled, "This is a testament to our friendship, so of course we should keep it safe."

"You have no idea how much I envied you when we were little. Back then, there was no online shopping, but you always wore beautiful clothes and used the latest stationery, including this pencil case. I really coveted it back then."

Ning Jia laughed and said, "I only gave it to you because I saw how eager you were. And later my mom bought me another one."

At this point, Ning Jia suddenly fell silent. Liu Yue, not noticing her expression, continued:

“I heard from my mom that Auntie is recovering quite well now, and she’s even gained some weight than before.”

“Yes, she’s been doing alright lately,” Ning Jia nodded. “A few days ago, she even insisted on sending me a whole bunch of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

Liu Yue glanced at her, "You didn't call me 'Auntie,' did you?"

“Hmm,” Ning Jia said, sounding a little annoyed. “I told her not to do too much and to get some rest.”

"Your temper is a result of being spoiled since you were a child," Liu Yue said bluntly. "Your aunt has always pampered you. She must be feeling bad that she can't help you with anything now. Why are you criticizing her? Patients shouldn't be upset."

"If she wants to cook something, let her cook. Moderate activity can also help with recovery, just don't overexert yourself."

Liu Yue's father had undergone surgery before and was very experienced in how to care for patients, speaking eloquently about it.

"Yes, I know, I was just in a rush at the time..."

Ning Jia pictured a face so thin it was almost unrecognizable, and sighed helplessly.

"It's okay, everything will be alright." Liu Yue patted her. "My dad was in such a serious condition back then, but he's fine now, isn't he?"

"And another thing," Liu Yue said, then veered off-topic, "Auntie's zongzi are so delicious, I haven't had them in years, why didn't you bring me some?"

Ning Jia chuckled, "When you come back from Yunnan, I'll make you some zongzi, okay?"

After having hot pot with Liu Yue, Ning Jia dragged her bags home and put a bunch of food into the refrigerator. Her gaze lingered for a moment on a food container, which was full of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

Even though she was already very full, she still took out a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling), peeled it open, heated it in the microwave, sat at the table, dipped it in white sugar, and slowly ate the zongzi, one bite after another.

The zongzi has a sweet and soft filling of jujubes and red beans, which Ning Jia likes. It tastes sweet but not cloying. The glutinous rice is moist, the jujubes and red beans are sweet, and the aroma of the bamboo leaves lingers between your teeth. It's the same familiar taste, and the same delicious taste.

It seems that even after not running a restaurant for so long, someone's culinary skills haven't declined.

Ning Jia savored the taste of the zongzi, and for some reason, she remembered the scene in the small garden that day when Zhe Lan gently wiped He Meng's mouth.

She checked the time; it was already past nine o'clock. After hesitating for a moment, she opened WeChat and sent a message:

Are you asleep? The rice dumplings you sent are delicious.

To my surprise, the other party replied quickly: 【Why are you eating so late? Are you working overtime during the May Day holiday?】

Ning Jia found it too troublesome to explain, so she simply replied, "No."

Thinking it didn't quite fit, I added, "I wanted to rest during the May Day holiday, so I didn't go back."

Yeah, don't come back unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm doing just fine at home.

...

After sending the last message, "Goodnight," Ning Jia smiled helplessly. It seemed her mother's thoughts hadn't changed.

Back then, Ms. Ning was like that; she didn't want Ning Jia to stay in her hometown to take care of her, and for that reason, she didn't hesitate to reveal the secret that Ning Jia wasn't her biological daughter. Shocked, Ning Jia ran away from home to H City… Although their relationship slowly repaired later, Ning Jia never went back.

The next morning, Ning Jia went to the small garden in the community after breakfast.

Most people went out for the long holiday, so there were fewer people in the neighborhood than usual. But Ning Jia, being a penny-pincher, would never go on a trip at a time like this. Not only would it be crowded, but it would also cost her a lot of money. She'd rather stay home and at most spend a little on electricity and water bills.

So she put all her energy into helping the little people pack their luggage.

After learning that the little people lived in the trees, Ning Jia thought to herself, "There are only three or four trees in the garden, how much stuff can they hide?"

But she was wrong!

Licorice sat on the grass, piling up its treasured collection of small stones of various colors and patterns into a small mountain. Quartz alone had more than a dozen straw burlap sacks of different shapes, arranged in a circle around itself; anyone who didn't know better would think it was practicing Taoist magic or setting up an array.

Even the little people, Guoguo and Xingxing, have collected a whole bunch of things like pine cones, pretty flower petals, and bird feathers. You can't tell usually, but when they take them out, the quantity is astonishing.

Ning Jia couldn't imagine how they managed to stuff so many little things into the tree hole.

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but look up at the large trees in the garden: she hadn't realized that these trees had endured so much, so much, in a corner she didn't know about...

However, although the little people usually collect a lot of things, they also throw them away readily when it's time to move.

"I don't want this anymore, and I don't want this either... Oh well, let's just throw them all away!"

As Gan Cao muttered to herself, throwing away all the pebbles one by one, Shi Ying next to her also threw away all the straw bags in one go. Besides throwing things away, He Meng was also frantically eating the food she had stockpiled. This efficient decluttering made her feel that she didn't need to do anything anymore.

Compared to the decisive adult little people, the little people Guoguo and Xingxing were still a little reluctant to part with their treasures. The two little people looked at the pile of things with teary eyes, hugged each other for a while to comfort each other, and then threw everything away!

"Waaaaah, Chieftain, the Chieftain said we have to carry our own luggage. This is too heavy, I don't want to carry it, waaaah..."

"Don't cry! The chieftain said that the place we live in from now on will definitely be better than here, and there will definitely be many treasures there!"

"Waaaaah, really? Waaaaah..."

"Really! If I'm lying, I'm a stinky cat! No, if I'm lying, I'll become a slave like Sister Ningjia!"

"Okay, then I'll throw this feather away too."

Ning Jia, who was eavesdropping on the conversation between the two little devils, was immediately filled with black lines on her face:

So, in the eyes of those petty people, her life was really that miserable? -_-||