Chapter 83
Xun Yi recognized the bird as soon as it appeared.
Xun Yi wasn't sure what these birds were called elsewhere, but in Fangyuan County they were generally called long-tailed birds.
Looking at how lively they are now, Xun Yi's eyes lit up with a smile.
What follows is going to be very interesting.
He was right; after hopping around for a while, the three birds began rummaging through the decaying leaves with their beaks, searching for food.
A long-tailed bird found a large, white, fat worm. Before it could eat it, another long-tailed bird saw it and immediately fluttered over to snatch it.
The noise from the two birds fighting over food alerted the last remaining bird, and sure enough, they started fighting amongst themselves.
You kick me with your claws, I swat at you with my wing, it flies up and pecks at me—it's complete chaos.
Humans fight all the time, but this is the first time I've ever seen birds fight!
Although Shu Shouyi did not move, his mouth was slightly open in astonishment, which was quite unbelievable.
In the midst of their struggle, the three birds, not being very aware of their surroundings, inexplicably flung the large, white worm to Shu Shouyi's feet.
The nearest bird flew and leaped over, ruthlessly pecking the bird into its beak and swallowing it whole.
The long-tailed bird that first discovered the insect was extremely angry and pecked its head hard to vent its anger.
Perhaps they, like humans, knew they were in the wrong. The bird that got the insect didn't make a fuss anymore and silently endured the peck.
It gave in, and the long-tailed bird, having lost its insect, could no longer cause trouble. It huffed and puffed as it walked away, continuing to rummage through the decaying leaves for insects.
The bird that had gotten the better deal and stayed put raised its head and tilted it. By sheer coincidence, its tiny green bean eyes met Shu Shouyi's eyes.
Having just witnessed a conflict, Shu Shouyi became even more curious about them.
But what interested Shu Shouyi most were their long, light blue tails. At such close range, he almost instinctively turned his eyes to look behind them.
This action, however, made the bird realize that he was a living creature, and it immediately cried out in a panic, "zha—zha—" twice.
In an instant, the three birds, who had just been fighting over a fat worm, flapped their wings and flew away in unison.
The commotion they made was so great that other birds, unaware of the reason, were also startled.
Hearing the constant thrashing sounds above, Xun Yi knew that the previous tranquility would not be restored anytime soon, so he prompted Shu Shouyi, "You can move around now."
Shu Shouyi's face was filled with regret and unease.
“Uncle, I disturbed them. I shouldn’t have moved my eyes.”
Xun Yi was charmed by his self-reproachful look and finally couldn't help but pat his head.
When Shu Shouyi looked up at him, he asked in return, "What are you blaming yourself for?"
"Are we supposed to sit here in silence all day?"
Then he extended a long, slender finger and tapped Shu Shouyi's palm, "Do you still remember the purpose of our meditation?"
Shu Shouyi suddenly realized what was happening.
Xun Yi held the bamboo leaf to his mouth, "You should have heard enough. Come on, imitate your uncle's gesture, pinch the bamboo leaf, and then..."
Last night, Xun Yi had already figured out how to teach him, but Shu Shouyi was smarter than he had imagined. No matter how complicated the bird calls were, he could imitate them pretty well after Xun Yi taught him two or three times.
In just over an hour, Xun Yi had learned almost everything he knew.
Meeting Shu Shouyi's increasingly excited gaze, Xun Yi, though still wanting more, had to speak up to wrap up today's lesson.
"Now that you know how to make sounds with bamboo leaves, you can not only imitate birdsong, but also, with a little practice, imitate the sounds of other animals."
"Your uncle has nothing more to teach you."
His gaze was open and honest.
Shu Shouyi stood up and thanked him sincerely.
"Thank you very much, Uncle Xun!"
Xun Yi shook his head to indicate that there was no need for thanks, and then patted the surface of the boulder beside him, gesturing for Shu Shouyi to sit down.
"Did you see those birds clearly before?"
In fact, Xun Yi had only ever taken care of his own younger sister, Xun Ai, when she was so young.
Xun Yi didn't have much experience in how to get along with little boys.
He tried to start with things that Shu Shouyi was interested in.
"Look closely!" Shu Shouyi became even more excited when this was mentioned. He gestured with both hands to indicate a distance and said excitedly, "Uncle, their tails are this long!"
Xun Yi smiled and agreed, "The color of their tail feathers is also very special."
Once you figure out what children like, it's easy to expand on that topic.
Shu Shouyi started by talking about the long-tailed birds he saw that day, and then recounted the fun he had playing with his friends in the village recently, mentioning what time he caught a frog and what time he caught a grasshopper.
Who do the family's chicks like to be fed the most? What kind of insects secretly nibble on which vegetables in their garden?
Xun Yi sat on the boulder, occasionally interjecting with a question or two while Shu Shouyi talked on and on. When Shu Shouyi finished a topic, Xun Yi would find a point from what he had just said and bring up a new topic.
Children's world is very innocent.
Apart from his aunt, Shu Shouyi had never met an adult who listened to his 'nonsense' so patiently and attentively.
Although Xun Yi failed to accomplish what he had agreed to do the previous night, he did not leave empty-handed in the afternoon.
Shu Shouyi's goodwill towards him increased significantly.
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Author's note: The 'long-tailed bird' that appears in these two chapters is a real species, scientifically known as the Red-billed Blue Magpie.
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