Chapter 2 The herb bouquet smells so good!

Ning Jia chuckled, surprised that this scoundrel actually had some principles.

"But... I really, really want to eat fruit." Guoguo's eyes were brimming with tears.

Ning Jia, standing to the side, couldn't bear to watch. Just for an apple, look how much the child had been... completely forgetting how she had chased after the child all the way here for that apple.

Just as she was about to continue persuading the other party, she saw He Meng suddenly tilt her head and sigh, "Sigh, I really can't do anything with you."

"Giant, wait a minute."

He Meng put down the branch in her hand, opened the small straw bag she was carrying, looked at it again and again, and finally took out a small bundle of herbs.

"Hey," she hesitated for a moment, then stretched out her small hand and placed the vanilla in front of Ning Jia, "can I trade this for fruit with you?"

"It took me a long time to collect these herbs, and they smell wonderful."

Ning Jia stared at the bundle of grass for a long time, but couldn't see anything special about it. She just thought it was a very ordinary bunch of grass.

But she had originally intended to give the apples directly to the little people, not expecting to exchange them for anything valuable, so she immediately nodded and said, "Okay."

"……Thanks."

Seeing Ning Jia place the bouquet of herbs in her palm, He Meng couldn't help but glance at the apple on the ground and swallow hard. She said, however, "..."

"These herbs can soothe the nerves and help you sleep, they're much more effective than these berries, you're getting a good deal."

Although Ning Jia didn't quite believe it, she still assured her, "Don't worry, I'll use it properly."

Watching He Meng easily balance the Fuji apple on her head, one hand supporting the apple and the other holding a branch, quickly disappearing into the depths of the grass with the fruit, Ning Jia was dazed and stood there in a daze for a while:

What just happened was just like something out of a fairy tale...

She looked again at the small handful of grass lying in her palm, then suddenly leaned closer and sniffed it:

"Hey, He Meng wasn't lying to me after all, this grass really does smell nice..."

The next day. When Ning Jia woke up, she felt refreshed as soon as she opened her eyes.

I don't think I used my phone much last night; I fell asleep very quickly, which is quite rare.

She slowly sat up, took a deep breath, and felt a clarity in her mind she had never experienced before. Once she sat up, she felt full of energy!

Just then, she sniffed and caught that faint, delicate fragrance again. Her gaze involuntarily fell on the small bunch of green grass on the bedside table. A thought struck her, and she suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday:

So, it really wasn't an illusion?

All day, Ning Jia was somewhat absent-minded, constantly replaying yesterday's events in her mind, finding them all rather unbelievable. But that small bunch of herbs couldn't have appeared out of thin air, so she had to admit that the existence of the dwarfs was real.

After reaching this conclusion, a cute little face appeared in her mind, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

"Ning Jia, are you alright?"

A colleague leaned over and glanced at her. "Smiling so happily at work?"

"Cough cough, it's nothing, it's nothing," Ning Jia said casually. "I just had a rare good night's sleep yesterday."

Upon hearing this, the colleague with dark circles under her eyes hurriedly asked, "How do you improve your sleep? Please share your secret."

"Should I take more vitamins?"

Ning Jia said uncertainly, "Actually, I only slept well for one night, so it's not really a reliable indicator..."

“Yeah, that’s true,” my colleague said, sitting back down at her desk with a hint of disappointment. “But lately, it seems like everyone online is talking about supplementing with Vitamin D?” She then opened Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) and started researching.

Ning Jia smiled, secretly slipped her fingers into her pocket, and touched the vanilla inside. A moment later, a strange thought quickly popped into her head.

She looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, picked up her phone and opened her budgeting app.

Hmm, this month's expenses don't seem too high. There's still about a week left until the end of the month, but I still have a third of my budget left, which is great.

If the budget is running low, there won't be enough to cover extra expenses. For example, feeding a few cute little people.

That day, Ning Jia rushed around and finally managed to get off work smoothly at around 6 p.m.

After she outsmarted the elderly shoppers at a supermarket known for its cheap prices and finally managed to snag some discounted fruits and vegetables, it was almost nine o'clock when she returned home with the heavy load of groceries.

She was too tired to cook anymore, so she planned to make do with a simple meal for dinner.

Ning Jia placed the ingredients in the shared kitchen, opened the refrigerator, lingered on her own shelf for a moment, took out the previously braised beef, sliced ​​a few pieces and placed them on the toast, then added a slice of cheese and a few lettuce leaves, and there you have a simple beef and cheese sandwich.

My new roommate, who had just moved in, came to the kitchen looking for something to eat after work. Seeing the dinner in front of her, she said enviously, "This sandwich looks so delicious, it's loaded with fillings. Where did you buy it?"

Ning Jia smiled at her, "I just did it casually."

"Wow, you're such a good cook! If this sandwich were for sale, I'd definitely buy it." My roommate praised him, her eyes glued to the sandwich.

Ning Jia pretended not to understand her hint, smiled at her again, and got up to take the sandwich and milk to her room to eat.

After finishing the sandwich and drinking some hot milk, Ning Jia breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had come back to life.

Seeing that her roommate had already gone back to her room, she returned to the kitchen, divided the vegetables she had bought that day into portions for one person, repackaged them, and refrigerated them. Then, looking at the fruit in the bag, she thought for a moment and took out two bananas, two tangerines, and a pear...

This quantity should be about right, right?

She recalled that tiny body, barely taller than a finger, and how so much fruit would surely be enough for them to eat for several meals.

Even though these are discounted fruits, they still add up to about ten yuan. It's best not to bring too much to avoid food waste.

She put the fruit into a canvas bag, and carefully arranged the rest of the fruit on a white porcelain plate, placing it in a shady spot in the room.

Around 10 p.m., Ning Jia, carrying a canvas bag filled with fruit, and her dog sneaked into the small garden again.

This home is indeed quite remote; no one ever comes here normally. No wonder the little people would choose this place as their refuge.

But where do they usually live? Do they live underground like field mice?

Ning Jia made a jumble of guesses, glancing at her phone while keeping an eye on her surroundings. But all around was quiet; even the bushes were motionless, and there was no sign of the little people at all.

I wonder if I'll be able to see those two adorable little ones again tonight?

Ning Jia held her phone, opened Alipay, and used her points to buy eight packs of tissues. She then waited patiently for a while longer in the quiet little garden.

A cool breeze blew by, and she looked up and around again, then sighed. It seemed that yesterday's encounter was just a coincidence, and those villains might not even show up at all.

She was about to leave when she hesitated, took a plump orange out of her bag, and squatted down to place it beside the grass. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from nearby:

Ning Jia's spirits lifted, and sure enough, she soon saw that familiar... tree branch?

"Hey, what brings you here again?"

The little girl named He Meng nimbly leaped out of the bushes, raised her spear, and questioned Ning Jia.

That deliberately serious little face was so cute that Ning Jia couldn't help but laugh.

"I didn't mean any harm. I just thought you guys would like to eat fruit, so I brought some with me."

As she spoke, she looked around again, "Huh, didn't Guoguo come out today?"

"She's asleep now; I'm out on patrol."

He Meng said it naturally, then realized she had let something slip and was very annoyed.

Ning Jia smiled, glanced at the time, and realized it was indeed quite late. However, was He Meng, with her tiny frame, actually a patrolling guard? Since there were people specifically responsible for patrolling, it seemed that there were quite a few of these little people.

Ning Jia secretly speculated, but didn't show any curiosity on her face, lest she scare the other party away:

"Ah, what a pity, Guoguo would probably like to eat these fruits."

After all, Guoguo had told her before that the reason her nickname was Guoguo was because she loved eating all kinds of fruits since she was little.

Seeing that her expression was sincere and not feigned, He Meng hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Giant, will you trade with me?"

What? Ning Jia didn't react for a moment, and He Meng immediately snorted coldly, "Fine, don't change it then!"

“Change it, change it,” Ning Jia said quickly. “I want some more of that vanilla from yesterday. It seems to help me sleep.”

He Meng said proudly, "Of course, it took me a long time to collect them."

"You're really amazing!" Ning Jia praised her enthusiastically. "That's why I'd like to exchange for more."

He Meng proudly raised her head and unconsciously put the spear back in her hand. "Wait a moment, I'll go back and get it for you."

"Okay, no rush."

That evening, although Ning Jia didn't see the adorable little Guo Guo, her interaction with He Meng made her quite happy, especially since He Meng brought a companion with her when she returned.

A little person with a peach-shaped face who introduces himself as Bai Su.

Bai Su spoke politely and quietly, and after introducing herself, she stopped talking. She was completely different from He Meng.

Upon seeing a neatly arranged pile of sweet-smelling fruit in the grass, Bai Su blinked in surprise, but instead of rushing to exchange with Ning Jia, she stepped forward to examine the fruit.

"Hmm, it should be edible."

After Bai Su finished announcing this, He Meng immediately cheered, then dragged over a large straw basket, about the size of Ning Jia's fist, and pushed it in front of her:

"Here, is this enough?"

Ning Jia looked at the basket full of herbs in surprise, and then heard He Meng say:

"This is all the vanilla I have. I also borrowed some from Bai Su. If it's not enough, I'll go back and think of something else."

Ning Jia was taken aback, not expecting the child to be so honest. Feeling embarrassed to take advantage of him any further, she quickly said, "That's enough, that's enough."

He then pointed to the fruits, "You have too many herbs, these are all for you, I'll bring some more over tomorrow to make up for it."

He Meng waved her hand, "Being able to exchange for these fruits is already very good."

After saying that, he and Bai Su each took one end of the banana and carried it like a log. The two of them, one in front and one behind, quickly disappeared into the bushes.

Then, the two suddenly reappeared, each carrying a large orange on their head, and disappeared into the bushes...

After making three trips back and forth, they finally managed to carry all the fruit back home.

This little human is quite strong; he can actually move things bigger than his own body. Ning Jia watched from the side and was utterly amazed.

But one question remained unanswered in her mind: Where did these little people live? Every time they disappeared into the grass, they vanished without a trace; their whereabouts were truly well hidden.

As Bai Su bid farewell to He Meng and Bai Su, she rolled her eyes and suddenly asked:

"Giant, when can you bring some more fruit? Besides herbs, my tribe has other good things we can trade with you."

Ning Jia looked at their bellies with a puzzled expression. "Isn't this much fruit enough for them?"

“We have so many…” He Meng blurted out, but Bai Su quickly covered her mouth.

"We especially love eating fruit, so we want to try a variety of different kinds."

“Yes, yes, that’s right.” He Meng tried her best to put on a serious expression and agreed.

Ning Jia suppressed a laugh, seeing through it but not saying anything, and didn't ask any more questions. She nodded cooperatively, "Okay, then I'll bring more tomorrow."

A note from the author:

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