Chapter 14
On the hillside, a gentle breeze rustled through the trees. Something was stuck to the roots of one of the trees, and it was slowly moving upwards.
Upon closer inspection, Jia'er was seen with her eyes wide open, earnestly clinging to the tree roots.
He was climbing the tree with his face tilted back.
The tree was laden with wild fruit, and he planned to pick some to eat, and even more to save for a few more days later.
The wild fruits were tempting, emitting a sweet aroma. Jia'er stared intently at the fruits on the tree with a devout expression.
The tree branch was tall, and he was short. It took him a lot of effort to barely hold onto the tree trunk and keep from falling.
Now that he's found the right posture, he's starting to use his hands and feet to exert force.
This tree has been growing for many years, and its trunk is so thick that it would take two or three adults to hug it. Even if the little dragon spreads its arms and legs wide and wraps itself around the tree, it can only hug about a third of the trunk. It will take a lot of effort for it to stay upright.
Jia'er clung tightly to the tree trunk, first gripping the bark with his hands, then using his feet to find a foothold, and in this way, he slowly crawled upwards.
There's no other way; if you want to eat fruit, you have to rely on yourself.
Driven by a craving for food, Jia'er climbed up, panting heavily.
Hug me with your hands—wrap your legs around me again—hug me with your hands—wrap your legs around me again.
Although it was slow, it took him half a day, but he finally made it up.
Finally, by hooking his leg around a branch and using his hands to pull, Jia'er managed to climb to the top of the branch, under the apprehensive gaze of the withered branch!
That was close! If it had fallen, it would have made a loud "thud".
Going up to find his target, Jia'er found a branch laden with fruit and began reaching out to pick it.
The fruit, each one half-grown, filled his palm perfectly. He picked it and tossed it to the ground.
Below was grass. He picked one and threw it down, picked one and threw it down again.
Gradually, it was like a rain of fruit falling under the tree; wild fruits gathered here and there.
The withered branch watched over him from afar on the ground. Finally, Jia'er shook the branch one last time, giving himself some extra gifts from nature. After checking the amount on the ground and figuring it was enough for him to eat for the next few days, he let go and carefully backed away, crawling down step by step.
Coming down is always faster than going up, and Xiaolong scurried down.
Seeing the ground covered with sweet fruits, Jia'er ran around picking them up. In the end, he filled his clothes with them and happily ran all the way to the tree with the withered branches.
"Look, Huahua." Jia'er was very proud. He showed Huahua the fruit in his clothes, which he had picked himself.
Regardless of size or whether they were bad or not, he collected them all as long as they were picked by himself.
He loosened his clothes, placed the fruit on the ground, picked up each one and wiped it clean. Only after wiping them all did he pick one out and start eating.
"Crunch, crunch." The fruit was incredibly crisp this season, and Xiaolong held it in his hands, eating it with great concentration.
He's even so serious about eating...
Looking at the easily satisfied little dragon in front of him, Kuzhi couldn't help but feel his heart melt. To be honest, he had been getting beaten up the whole way, constantly beaten up by all sorts of things, but as long as things calmed down, even if it was just for a short while, the little dragon would be very happy.
Right now, they are safe, and nothing is coming to him. He is very content and doesn't complain. He just wants to eat his fill and find his mother as soon as possible.
Its face was dirty, and its clothes were tattered. At first glance, it was a lively and adorable little creature. Now, it has been worn down by the world, but it still looks cute.
The midday sun was warm and pleasant, with a gentle breeze. The two of them sat under the tree, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.
Stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life~
It took them several days and nights to climb up from the foot of the mountain. During that time, they encountered ambush by small demons, but fortunately, none of them posed a threat. Although there were many dangerous moments, they eventually made it through safely.
"It's really not easy," thought the withered branch.
Xiao Long ate heartily beside him. After finishing one, he dug a hole on the spot, carefully buried the pit under the tree, filled it with soil, and then carefully patted it down...
He took this very seriously, and Kuzhi asked him why he did it.
Jia'er chuckled and said that next year a big tree will definitely grow here, and it will bear fruit, so everyone can eat it. His mother told him that.
"Aren't you right, Hua Hua?" Jia'er asked expectantly, her eyes wide open.
The withered branches remained silent, but finally nodded:
“Yes,” it said. “It will grow into a big tree and bear fruit.”
"That's right, so I'm going to bury them and let them grow..."
The last syllable of the words was carried further and further away by the wind, carrying with it the fresh scent of earth. The withered branch gazed into the distance, knowing it was time to say goodbye to the little creature.
He had been with it long enough in these final moments.
Seeing the figure under the tree not far away, the withered branch kindly reminded Xiaolong.
“Look.”
Jia'er looked up and followed the direction Hua Hua was pointing—it was her mother!
"Mother!"
Yinglong didn't know when she had gotten there. She watched the two figures under the tree from afar, watched her child, watched him run towards her, and finally embrace him tightly.
"Mother, I've finally found you! Where have you been... I thought I'd never see you again!!"
"Waaah... so many of them are hitting me, pecking at my head, trying to eat me! Look at my head..."
The little dragon's head was fluffy and messy, but it was soft and cuddly. Yinglong touched it and held a handful of its softness.
"They kept pecking at my head, and they pecked all my hair off..."
Jia'er passionately recounted to his mother the deeds of those monsters, filled with indignation. However, despite his outburst, he didn't shed a single tear; in fact, he was happy!
I'm so happy!
He found his mother!
Before he could finish his rambling, he looked up at his mother's face and quickly forgot all about it.
Nothing else mattered anymore; he had finally found his mother!
The entire hillside witnessed Xiaolong's joy, and the air seemed to become sweeter.
"Jia'er is really great!" Yinglong praised, touching the child's soft face. She hugged him tightly, wondering how long it had been since she had held him.
The young child's heart is pure and kind. Now, being held in his mother's arms, he forgives everything from the past.
The withered branch watched as the little dragon hugged his mother, and it was happy for him. It had never had a mother before, but it was happy for him... The three people on the hillside were all immersed in their own joy.
The sun slowly climbed higher and gradually moved directly overhead. The weather was warm and sunny, a truly rare and beautiful day.
This kind of weather is really not suitable for saying goodbye, however...
"Jia'er, we have to keep going." Before the joy could subside, Yinglong comforted the child from his arms and stroked his face.
"Leave?" Jia'er was bewildered, and felt inexplicably sad.
He didn't understand why he was sad. He should have been happy to see his mother, but the next second, when he saw Huahua standing not far away, he understood!
I'm leaving now; it's time to say goodbye to Huahua!
He doesn't want to!
"Mother, can we take Huahua with us?" Jia'er pleaded. Huahua was the first good friend he had made since leaving the East Sea.
Faced with her child's plea, Yinglong suddenly didn't know how to say the next thing, because she knew that separation was extremely difficult for a child to accept.
Especially knowing that we might never see each other again.
"No, Jia'er, Hua Hua can't come with us. It has its own things to do, and we have our own paths to walk as well."
The sweetness that had just filled her heart now left an empty space. Jia'er looked at her mother, her anxious eyes filled with pleading, but her mother only shook her head in the end.
Koji's heart gradually cooled down...
Flower... He knew he really had to say goodbye to it.
When he turned to look at Huahua, large tears suddenly rolled down his face.
It was so unstoppable that it was heartbreaking to watch.
"Jia'er, I can't go with you. I belong here. Don't cry." The flower fairy had lived for hundreds and thousands of years, so her mind was naturally much more mature than this little thing. However, she couldn't help but feel very sad.
As a demon, how many friends can one have in this life? What's more, this pure and sincere little dragon who treated it with unadulterated sincerity is probably an experience that can never be found again in this world. It is already lucky enough to have experienced it.
"Really, although the time I spent with you was short, I was very happy during that time." It was a happiness I had never experienced in thousands of years.
It never imagined that it would have such an experience, that it would meet such a little dragon from the East China Sea.
Jia'er remained silent, only large tears kept falling.
He remembered his father telling him to behave well when he went out, not to cause trouble for his mother, and not to cry easily...
He hadn't cried yet. He thought to himself, "I've never had anything sad before, so why would I cry?"
But now, he keeps crying, and he doesn't want to. Why is he so sad?
Yinglong wiped away the child's tears. Looking at the two little friends, she felt that there were some things that she, as a mother, could not help with. She could only wait for the child to bear and digest them on his own. She hoped that he would always remember this experience.
Reaching out to touch the withered branch, he infused it with some spiritual energy. The withered branch slowly became smooth and glossy, and flowers gradually sprouted from its originally withered branches.
“You tried to do something improper before, so I crippled some of your cultivation. Now I’m returning some to you, enough for you to cultivate here safely and peacefully… Thank you for taking care of Jia’er for me these past few days.”
The flower fairy looked at Yinglong and nodded gently.
Jia'er watched as Hua Hua bloomed a new flower bud, emitting a fragrance, just like before.
The fragrance is now just a pure fragrance, without any other additives.
Jia'er leaned in and took a good sniff. It smelled so good, just like the first time she met Hua Hua.
The petals gently touched the child's soft cheeks, which were still covered with tiny teardrops.
"As long as you remember me, I will never wither."
Jia'er reached out and stroked it; he would always remember Hua Hua.
The flower bud was as big as his palm. Jia'er touched it gently, reluctant to let go. His dirty face was covered with tear stains, and his eyes were now red and swollen.
"Go with your mother, Jia'er. Remember not to trust others easily in the future, and take good care of yourself." The withered branch tried to speak lightly, as the child was too young and it did not want the thought of parting to burden him.
Knowing that this parting might truly be the last, Jia'er couldn't help but feel heartbroken as he recalled the days they spent together at the bottom of the cliff, when Hua Hua guided him step by step up the mountain, and how Hua Hua was always by his side at night, no matter how difficult it was...
"Don't cry, go now. I'll wait here for your tree to grow."
His tree might not grow big next year; his mother said it would take several years…
“Okay…” Jia’er lowered his head and agreed, trying his best to stop his tears from falling.
Yinglong watched her child go through this moment, remaining silent. This was an inevitable part of growing up. She wanted to give him more time, not wanting to disturb the moment when the two friends were saying their goodbyes.
After a long time, the sun began to set in the west, and the wind gradually subsided.
"Jia'er, let's go." Yinglong took his soft hand and prepared to leave.
These are the first lessons in life. Yinglong hopes that Jia'er can understand them and remember this experience well, about good friends and about friendship.
"Hua Hua, I'm really leaving."
"Um."
This was truly the last farewell; the withered branch gazed intently at Jia'er one last time.
From the very first day it abducted the little dragon, it knew that he was a kind and good child, and that it would never hurt him... Even though it had no parents and its only task in life was to cultivate, a demon should still have some other expectations.
I hope you grow up safe and healthy.
We'll meet again someday.
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