PNB Chapter 11 Picking pine cones
Chapter 11 Picking pine cones
The heavy snow outside shows no signs of stopping, and the New Year is just two weeks away.
Xu Xiaoxiao stood in the simple house, happily discussing with her master Li Changchun how to spend the New Year in Jicheng. This was her first New Year after transmigrating to the mortal world, and it was of great significance.
Xu Xiaoxiao decided to clean the house first. She found an old broom and carefully swept every corner while humming an unknown tune. After cleaning, she searched around the city and finally managed to bargain down the price to buy red paper and ink. She wrote Spring Festival couplets by hand. Although the characters were a little immature, they were full of joy.
She also planned to cook a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for her master on New Year's Day. Although the ingredients were limited, she carefully designed each dish.
She planned to go to the woods outside the city to collect some dry branches and pine cones to decorate the house and add some warmth to this cold dwelling for the New Year. She excitedly told her master about her plan, her eyes sparkling with a lively light, as if she could already see the warm scene inside the house during the New Year.
The snow had lessened a bit that day, so Xu Xiaoxiao put on a straw hat to cover her head from the snow, greeted Li Changchun, and went out.
"Master, I'm going to the woods to collect some dry branches and pine cones. Please stay home and don't wander off."
"Master is in such a state, where can you go? Be careful and come back soon," Li Changchun said leisurely, stroking his white beard and drinking tea.
In that tranquil forest, the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. A little boy of about eight years old was squatting on the ground, intently picking up pine cones. His small figure looked particularly frail among the trees.
Xu Xiaoxiao was intently searching for suitable dry branches and pine cones in the woods when she was disturbed by a commotion. She ran in the direction of the sound and saw an eight-year-old boy being surrounded by three older boys under a thick pine tree.
The little boy was in a very sorry state. His clothes were torn and disheveled, and his face was full of fear and helplessness. One of the boys, who was burly, was grabbing the little boy by the collar and kicking him off the ground. The little boy's face turned red, and he struggled desperately but to no avail.
Another boy was rummaging through the little boy's bag, carelessly throwing the small items inside on the ground, and occasionally making malicious laughs.
The third boy held a thin, long branch and waved it in the air, as if to whip the little boy.
Seeing this, Xu Xiaoxiao's eyes widened in anger. She rushed forward and used a clever move to gently slap away the hand that was grabbing the little boy's collar. At the same time, she turned to the side and shielded the little boy behind her. The three boys were startled by Xu Xiaoxiao's sudden appearance, but they quickly came to their senses and their faces turned fierce.
The boy in the lead shouted, "Who are you? Mind your own business!" Xu Xiaoxiao was not afraid at all. She straightened her back, looked them straight in the eye, and said, "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you three big kids are bullying a little kid. This is an unjust and immoral act. Under this bright and clear sky, don't you have a shred of shame?" The three boys were intimidated by Xu Xiaoxiao's imposing manner, but they still refused to give up.
At this moment, one of the boys tried to get around Xu Xiaoxiao to grab the little boy. Xu Xiaoxiao reacted quickly, stretched out her arm to block him, and pushed him. The boy stumbled and fell to the ground, rolling twice.
Xu Xiaoxiao pressed her advantage, saying, "If you leave now, I can let this matter go. But if you dare to continue doing evil, I will not let you off easily." She thought that if a fight really broke out, she might not be able to beat the three boys who were a little taller than her, but she couldn't lose in terms of momentum right now.
Seeing that they couldn't get away with it and fearing that Xu Xiaoxiao would really punish them, and that she was really strong, the three boys could only glare fiercely at the little boy and run away in a sorry state.
Xu Xiaoxiao then turned around, squatted down, gently cupped the little boy's face, and carefully checked if he was injured. She took out a handkerchief from her bosom, gently wiped the dust off the little boy's face, and softly comforted him, "Don't be afraid, they're gone. If you encounter something like this in the future, don't be afraid, be brave and fight back. The more afraid you are of them, the more they will bully you, understand?"
The little boy looked at Xu Xiaoxiao, who was a head taller than him, his eyes filled with gratitude and dependence, and nodded vigorously.
The little boy stood in front of Xu Xiaoxiao, his eyes shining with gratitude, and his lips trembled slightly as he said, "Sister, my name is Huang Ziqi, you can call me Qi. If you hadn't appeared in time today, I really don't know what would have happened to me. They were so fierce and menacing, I was terrified and felt completely helpless."
Huang Zizi paused slightly, sniffed, and said, "But when you came, it was like a ray of light shining into the darkness. You were so brave, not afraid of them at all, and you even chased them away."
He secretly vowed to himself that he would be as brave and fearless as his sister in the future. He raised his head, his eyes filled with determination and respect.
Huang Ziqi was an illegitimate son in his family. Because of his status as an illegitimate son, Huang Ziqi was not favored by his family. He usually lived with an unfavored concubine. Thinking that the New Year was approaching, he wanted to collect some pine cones to decorate his house. Little did he know that he would be so unlucky as to run into his classmate who often bullied him.
"Sister, you are my hero. I will study hard and work hard to grow up quickly. When I grow into a man, I can protect you and protect people who are bullied like me today."
Xu Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded. Are all kids these days so sensible? Looking at his small arms and legs, she didn't want to discourage him. She patted his shoulder and said, "I believe in you. You can do it. Keep it up, young man!"
As he spoke, the little boy slowly took the pendant off his neck. The pendant seemed to radiate a soft glow in his small palm. He handed it to Xu Xiaoxiao with both hands, his voice becoming even softer: "Sister, this was left to me by my aunt. Whenever I encounter difficulties, holding it feels like I gain strength. Now, I'm giving it to you, hoping it can accompany you as it has accompanied me, protecting you from all misfortune and harm. May you be safe, sound, joyful, and carefree wherever you go."
Without a second thought, Xu Xiaoxiao hung the pendant back around his neck. "Helping you was just a small thing, don't worry about it. I would have helped anyone else who was being bullied today."
Huang Ziqi's face turned red as she tried to deliver the package several times without success.
How could an adult accept such an expensive gift from a child just for helping with a small favor? Xu Xiaoxiao watched Huang Ziqi sulking by himself.
He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Since you want to thank me, then help me gather more pine cones and twigs."
Upon hearing Xu Xiaoxiao's words, Huang Ziqi's flushed face instantly lit up, and she nodded vigorously, "Okay, I'll definitely pick up lots and lots for you!"
After saying that, he skipped and hopped through the woods like a happy little deer, diligently searching for pine cones and branches.
Xu Xiaoxiao watched his busy figure, a gentle smile curving her lips. Children are so easy to coax; he forgot that he was a child himself and joined in the chores.
Huang Ziqi carefully picked up the plumpest pine cones and then meticulously selected the thickest and most suitable branches. Before long, his little hands were full of them.
He ran back to Xu Xiaoxiao's side, dumped all the spoils he had found on the ground, and looked at her with bright eyes, filled with anticipation and pride, as if waiting for Xu Xiaoxiao's praise.
Xu Xiaoxiao smiled and patted his head, "Ziqi is really amazing. With your help, this will definitely be enough."
Huang Ziqi scratched his head, a happy smile spreading across his face. At that moment, their laughter echoed through the woods, as if all their troubles had been left far behind by this laughter.
Seeing that they had picked enough, Xu Xiaoxiao divided the pine needles into two portions. "Ziqi, this is for you. When we get back, I'll teach you how to decorate your house to make it look nicer." Xu Xiaoxiao carried her bag and walked ahead. The two of them walked out of the woods, their feet sinking into the snow.