As soon as Rong Jiaojiao stood up, she wobbled. Qing Xuanzi said, "Jiaobao, stand still. If you stand still, Master will take you to play in the mountains, okay?"
Rong Jiaojiao tried her best to maintain her balance, but in the end she could only stand on the wooden stake for two minutes.
Qing Xuanzi kept his word and took Rong Jiaojiao to a small hillside in the afternoon. There were two paths to choose from—one leading to the valley and the other to the mountaintop.
He wanted to test Rong Jiaojiao's logical thinking ability to see if she could make reasonable decisions.
"Jiaojiao, you choose your own path, let's go on an adventure." Qing Xuanzi's voice was full of anticipation.
Rong Jiaojiao stood at the intersection, carefully looking at the two roads.
She didn't hesitate for long, and chose the path leading to the top of the mountain.
“Father Xi, over there.” She pointed to the mountaintop, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Qing Xuanzi took her hand: "Okay, let's go over there."
He walked along the mountain path. He knew it might just be a coincidence, but it could also be an intuition she had. He decided to continue observing.
"Jiaojiao, tell your master, why did you choose this path?" Qing Xuanzi asked softly.
I don’t know if she understood or not, but she tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said seriously, “Fafa, Xiangxiang.”
Qing Xuanzi's heart skipped a beat: "What flower fragrance has she smelled? But what kind of flower would it be in this season?"
He took a deep sniff in the wind and indeed there was a faint floral fragrance.
In the eighth month of the lunar calendar in Northeast China, there are not many flowers left in the mountains, but a few species are still blooming tenaciously.
At this moment, the mountain air carries a hint of coolness, but the fragrance of flowers can still penetrate the breeze, making people feel refreshed and relaxed.
Qing Xuanzi carried Rong Jiaojiao as they walked up the mountain path, carefully observing their surroundings as they went.
The flowers that smell sweet in this season must be hardy and resilient.
"It might be wild chrysanthemum," Qing Xuanzi guessed to himself.
Wild chrysanthemums are common flowers in the mountains of Northeast China. They usually bloom in autumn, with golden petals and a faint fragrance.
This flower is not only cold-resistant, but can also grow in barren soil, demonstrating its strong vitality.
"It could also be tuberose from the mountains."
"It could also be a crabapple tree," Qing Xuanzi said to Rong Jiaojiao in his arms, thinking about what might bloom this season.
Rong Jiaojiao, like a little dog, twitched her nose and pointed up the mountain: "Father Xi, may you prosper, may you prosper."
Qing Xuanzi replied, "Yes, Hua Hua, Master will take you to find Hua Hua."
They continued walking uphill with Rong Jiaojiao, and soon they came to a wide, barren hillside.
On the hillside, patches of golden wild chrysanthemums swayed in the breeze, their petals shimmering in the sunlight like golden jewels bestowed by nature.
The fragrance of wild chrysanthemums permeates the air, fresh and delicate, making people feel relaxed and happy.
"Father Xi, may you prosper?"
Qing Xuanzi squatted down, gently picked a wild chrysanthemum, and handed it to Rong Jiaojiao: "This is a wild chrysanthemum. Although it is very ordinary, it has a strong vitality and can bloom in such cold weather."
Rong Jiaojiao took the wild chrysanthemum, brought it to her nose and smelled it, a happy smile on her face: "Fragrant, Father Xi, fragrant."
Qing Xuanzi nodded: "It smells good. Jiao Bao is really amazing. She can smell the fragrance of flowers from so far away."
He played with Rong Jiaojiao on the hillside for a while, admiring the chrysanthemums, before Qing Xuanzi prepared to take Rong Jiaojiao down the mountain.
Rong Jiaojiao suddenly spoke up: "Father Xi, all kinds of things, let's get rich."
Qing Xuanzi was excited. He asked, "Jiaobao, do you mean to plant the flower inside your treasure?"
Rong Jiaojiao patted her chest and said, "Baby, let's plant a seed!"
Qing Xuanzi...
He thought for a moment and decided to try guiding Rong Jiaojiao to plant medicinal herbs at home. So, he quickly dug up a few small chrysanthemum seedlings with flowers for Rong Jiaojiao. After seeing that she actually picked up the chrysanthemums, he carried her home.
Back home, Qing Xuanzi took out various precious medicinal herb seeds that he had accumulated over the years, one by one, and gave Rong Jiaojiao ten seeds for each one he took out.
Then, guiding Rong Jiaojiao: "Jiaojiao, how about you plant the medicinal herbs? You can do it like this, separating each seed, like this..."
Qing Xuanzi took out the seeds and demonstrated on the ground, patiently teaching Rong Jiaojiao how to separate and plant the seeds.
He used magic to dig small holes in the ground, then put in a seed, and gently covered it with a thin layer of soil.
Then, not far away, he repeated the previous actions, and looked at his little apprentice and said, "Like this, Jiaobao, how about you plant it like this in your treasure?"
Qing Xuanzi's voice was gentle, and his eyes were full of expectation.
Rong Jiaojiao watched Qing Xuanzi's actions intently, then put the seed he gave her into her little secret realm. After a while, she looked at Qing Xuanzi again.
Qing Xuanzi then gave her ten pills of each of the other medicinal herbs.
Unbeknownst to him, Rong Jiaojiao planted rows of the medicinal seeds she had given him on the newly acquired land.
Seeing that there was still land unplanted, she looked at Qing Xuanzi and reached out her hand: "Father Xi, plant the seeds!"
Qing Xuanzi didn't know if he could produce medicinal herbs after giving her the seeds, and he was reluctant to part with them.
So he took out a corncob, peeled two pounds of corn kernels for her, and gave her two pounds of rice, saying, "Jiaobao, plant this. If you plant it well, we can eat rice."
Rong Jiaojiao: "Youyou, baby, seven meals a day, seven blessings!"
Qing Xuanzi...
"Yes, for Jiaobao and Qiyouyou..."
He almost bit his tongue as he finished speaking, repeating, "Once Jiaobao has planted them, I'll make meat for her to eat."
Rong Jiaojiao stored the seeds in her little secret realm, then sat motionless with her eyes lowered. Qing Xuanzi did not disturb her, but after a while, Rong Jiaojiao's head began to nod.
When Qing Xuanzi saw it, he almost rolled his eyes. The little guy was dozing off and his head was almost falling to the ground.
He chuckled, picked her up, patted her bottom, and said, "I wonder if you've actually planted it or not?"
Qing Xuanzi carried Rong Jiaojiao into the house, gently patting her back, his voice tinged with a mixture of helplessness and affection: "Little one, are you tired?"
Rong Jiaojiao groggily opened her eyes, looked at Qing Xuanzi, and whispered, "Father Xi, Bao is sleepy... time to sleep."
"Okay, let's go get some sleep first and continue tomorrow."
He carried Rong Jiaojiao into the house, gently placed her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.
Check the sky, then go prepare dinner for the little one...
From that day on, Qing Xuanzi began to teach Rong Jiaojiao the basics.
He set an example for the little one, guiding her from standing still for two minutes to three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes...
By the end of August, the little guy was able to stand steadily for twenty minutes without falling down.
Qing Xuanzi thought he should take her back to let Fu Ya and the others know that she was safe, otherwise they would worry.
Based on their conversations over this period, Qing Xuanzi has come to the conclusion that Rong Jiaojiao will no longer accept things indiscriminately, and she also understands that she will not show things in front of others.
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