AWB Chapter 41 The Thief is a Fat Baby
Chapter 41 The Thief is a Fat Baby
"You can see me too? Why couldn't the humans who passed by here before see me? Since you can all see me, is there something wrong with my magic?" The little mouse spirit said, "Your magic is still working, there's no problem. We can see you." The lotus flower spirit was a little confused. He suddenly asked, "So only you can see me, right?" The little mouse spirit said yes, and Xiao Bao said yes.
The lotus spirit saw two more children approaching, one named Da Bao and the other Er Bao, who squatted down on either side of Xiao Bao. The little lotus spirit poked its head through the gap again, "Hello!" This time, the lotus spirit wasn't afraid, and Da Bao and Er Bao greeted it back, "Hello!" Da Bao asked, "What's your name?" The little lotus spirit said, "I'm a lotus." Er Bao said, "Then let's call you Little Lotus Spirit." Xiao Bao said, "How about calling him Little Lotus?" The little lotus spirit really liked the name Xiao Bao had given it, "Then please call me Little Lotus." Da Bao introduced himself, "My name is Da Bao." Xiao Bao introduced himself, "My name is Xiao Bao." Er Bao introduced himself, "My name is Er Bao." The little mouse spirit introduced himself, "I'm Gray Mouse Brother."
After the introduction, Gong Yong and Lin Yue squatted down behind the children, staring wide-eyed at the little lotus spirit.
The little lotus spirit saw two large humans crouching behind it and became a little scared, quickly sticking its head back through the gap. Seeing that the two adults didn't harm it, it stuck its neck back in. Gong Yong couldn't bear to watch any longer and said to the little lotus spirit, "Little Lotus, can you use the main entrance? I'll open this door." The little lotus spirit asked, "Where is the main entrance?" Xiao Bao said, "I'll lead the way, okay?" The little lotus spirit stuck its head back in, and Xiao Bao walked around the fence for about ten meters. "It's here," Xiao Bao said. Gong Yong pressed a button, and the door opened.
The little lotus spirit looked left and right, sensing no danger, then hopped in. Once inside, everyone saw the little lotus spirit's full form. He was only about 30 centimeters tall. He had a lotus bud on his head, and a round face, like a child. But his hands, feet, and body were all lotus root segments—the segments of the lotus root we eat. He was tiny and looked incredibly cute. Even his five fingers were five tiny lotus roots, and his little toes were five tiny lotus roots. He looked very delicate, like a rag doll. He wore a lotus leaf skirt below his neck, also a bright green lotus leaf skirt, which looked very adorable.
Just as they were all squatting by the fence chatting with the little lotus spirit, the little lotus spirit entered the campsite. Gong Yong closed the door and continued to squat outside, chatting with it. From a gap in the fence below the campsite, a small head poked its way in, pulled itself out of the mud, and quickly scurried into one of Gong Yong's water buckets. This bucket contained well water from his spatial dimension. It jumped in and drank its fill, emptying almost the entire third of the water that had remained. A branch extending from its head climbed out from the edge of the bucket and onto the dining table. Seeing that Da Bao and Er Bao still had some rice in their bowls, it gulped down Da Bao's rice and then climbed into Er Bao's bowl and gulped that down too. Lin Yue and Gong Yong's bowls were clean; Xiao Bao's bowl had been completely eaten by the lotus spirit, and it didn't seem interested in the other dishes. Then it quickly shrunk off the table, retreated back into the gap in the fence, and burrowed its body into the mud, leaving only its head sticking out. In the quiet night, no one noticed. The family of six, asking the lotus spirit all sorts of questions, also remained oblivious.
Xiao Bao started yawning, wanting to sleep. He said to Lin Yue, "Mommy, I want to sleep." Da Bao and Er Bao, also tired from the day, started yawning and said, "Mommy, I want to sleep." Lin Yue led the three children back to their small room inside the campsite. To quickly ascertain the children's situation, Lin Yue removed the partition between the two small rooms, creating one large suite with no dividers. Lin Yue laid thick blankets and pillows on the inflatable mattresses, head to head. Xiao Bao and Da Bao slept on the left, Lin Yue, Gong Yong, and Xiao Bao on the right. The little mouse continued sleeping on Da Bao's pillow. Gong Yong still put his small bed in a corner of the campsite, but the little mouse liked Da Bao's pillow. Gong Yong said it twice, and the little mouse said, "This way I can protect Da Bao and Xiao Bao immediately." Gong Yong had no choice but to let him sleep in the middle.
He and Lin Yue quickly washed up and went to bed. After saying goodbye, the little lotus spirit also returned to its warm pool early. The night was long, filled with the sounds of frogs and mice. You might think there shouldn't be these sounds in winter, but here you could hear them, and even fireflies flickering on the reeds. In the distance, you could hear wolves howling, tigers roaring, and even bears howling. The two children couldn't sleep. Lin Yue said, "We need to get used to this atmosphere and think about the dangers outside. If we didn't have this space, I wouldn't dare bring the family to such a dangerous place." As Lin Yue spoke slowly, the family of six fell asleep. The little mouse spirit was on night watch.
When the soft breathing of five people came from inside the tent, they were all asleep. Gong Yong, wanting to make delicious soup for noodles the next morning, had placed a pot of chicken soup simmering in the stove. The chicken was raised in his spatial dimension, and the water was from a well within that dimension. The aroma truly carried far and wide through this secluded valley. The fire simmered slowly, the firewood in the stove burning brightly, and it should burn out by the night. The little rat spirit occasionally peeked out, then went back inside. Its head poked out several times, then scurried back in. When the rat spirit fell asleep, it quickly crawled out from the crack, onto the stove, onto the dining table, gazing at the chicken soup in the pot, smelling its aroma, its mouth watering. Sitting at the table, it kept its eyes fixed on the stove and the pot of chicken soup, until the fire gradually died down.
As the first rays of sunlight touched the campsite, no one could have imagined the many things that had happened overnight. Animals, plants, and spirits that never descended the mountain or valley all came down and took a stroll. For example, the tiger, the king of beasts, circled Gong Yong's campsite three times, and only when dawn was approaching did it leisurely walk into a dense forest and lie down in a corner of the eastern part of the campsite. There were also two white wolves, who circled Gong Yong's campsite three times before running to a small hole in a corner of the western part of the campsite at the bottom of the valley and lying down inside.
A large brown bear, accompanied by a cub, circled Gong Yong's campsite twice. Suddenly, the bear sat down and stopped, squatting in front of his house. The cub fell asleep right in his arms. The two of them ended up sleeping right in front of his house.
The chubby-headed baby had been drooling over the chicken soup bubbling in the fire all night. Seeing that dawn was breaking, he quickly returned to his original spot, burying his legs in the soil, leaving only his head sticking out. Suddenly, he noticed some fruit in a small box next to the campsite. Out of curiosity, he pulled his legs out of the soil, grabbed a box, and returned to his previous spot. Guess what it was? It was cherries that Xiao Bao hadn't finished eating, taken out of his spatial storage; there were 20 in the box. The chubby-headed baby took them all!
The first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the tent. Lin Yue woke up Da Bao, Er Bao, and Xiao Bao, and they went to the area outside the campsite, below the vast desert. She took six straw cushions and placed them in an open space in the campsite. Everyone sat cross-legged and began their cultivation journey for the day.
During their practice, the six of them unknowingly entered a state of deep meditation. Everything around them seemed to become quiet and peaceful, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of nature. The sunlight gradually intensified, shining upon them, yet it did not affect their concentration in the slightest.
Time flew by, and it was almost noon. The sun was high, and the six people gradually woke up. They slowly opened their eyes, their gazes clear and serene, as if they had received some kind of spiritual nourishment and a boost in strength during this meditative process.
This time, the feeling of entering meditation was much stronger than when they were at home in Rongcheng, so they felt that their progress today would be significant. Gong Yong quickly went to the stove. The chicken soup he had made last night had gone cold, so he quickly lit the stove to boil the soup and started cooking. The clattering sounds from inside could be heard outside the door.
Outside the camping tent, the big brown bear had already gotten up and was looking around with the little brown bear. Lin Yue and Gong Yong hadn't paid attention to what was happening outside, but the little mouse spirit had noticed it long ago. However, he didn't say anything. He stood on the camping table outside and watched the big brown bear and the little brown bear clinging to the railing. He immediately put his hands down because Gong Yong had turned on the protective function last night, and the crackling electricity inside had already singed a lot of the fur on the brown bear's paws.
Lin Yue had already spotted the brown bear outside, but she wasn't alarmed. She continued cooking with Gong Yong, and a rich aroma of chicken soup wafted through the valley. Gong Yong boiled a pot of water and started cooking noodles. The children were slurping their noodles, while the brown bear outside drooled constantly, as did the little bear cub, and the chubby baby peeking out was also drooling.
After they had eaten their fill, Lin Yue told Gong Yong that there were two bears outside, one big and one small, drooling at the door. Gong Yong took a look, then took out the dog bowl he used to keep his dog in, poured out a bowl of well water from his spatial storage, and then took out more than 20 steamed buns made with corn from his spatial storage. When he came to the door, the brown bear did not attack, but just sat at the door, drooling, just like the little brown bear.
Gong Yong opened the door and pushed a large basin of water next to the large brown bear, while also placing a basket of twenty steamed buns next to it. Seeing Gong Yong leave its area, return to the campsite, and close the door, the brown bear and its cub were very excited and eagerly went to drink the water. Each bear held a bun in one paw—two for the large bear and two for the cub—and they munched on them with relish, occasionally letting out a roar.
After the bear roared a few times, the birds in the jungle screamed and flew away. The tiger lying in the southeast corner and the two wolves lying in the southwest corner became a little anxious. Hearing the bear's roars, their cheerful calls slowly approached the campsite. When the tiger reached Gong Yong's door, it saw the bear there, gnawing and eating, inhaling the fragrant aroma, its saliva dripping. The two wolves also slowly walked to the brown bear's side, their saliva also flowing, but they didn't fight. The tiger crouched to the left of the large bear, and the two wolves crouched beside the small brown bear, drooling, but showing no aggression.
Just then, Xiao Bao saw two fluffy white things and peeked through the gap. "Hey, Mommy, there are two white puppies!" Lin Yue looked out. "Those aren't puppies, they're two white wolves, snow wolves." Da Bao looked through the gap on the other side. "Mommy, there's a tiger, a really big one!" Lin Yue looked from the left side. "Wow, is that a Siberian tiger? Is it a Siberian tiger? It shouldn't be, but it's white, and the stripes should be those of a tiger, not the yellow kind, it's white." But neither of them made any aggressive gestures or sounds; instead, they sat there quietly, drooling.
Lin Yue thought for a moment, then looked at Gong Yong. Gong Yong glanced at Lin Yue as well. The two of them simultaneously took out two more plastic basins and washbasins from their spatial storage. Each filled one basin with water from their storage space, and they also took out two baskets, one containing 20 cornbread buns. Opening the door, Lin Yue gave the tiger water and 20 buns, while Gong Yong similarly gave the two wolves a basin of water and a basket of 20 buns. They ate their own food without fighting. The brown bear had almost finished eating and didn't try to take any more, simply sitting to the side.
The little brown bear became a bit more active, hugging Gong Yong's leg, indicating it wanted to go inside. Gong Yong simply opened the door and let the little brown bear in to take a look. The little brown bear went inside and walked around before squatting down next to the pot of chicken soup. The little mouse spirit said, "You want to drink this?" The little brown bear said, "Yes, yes, it smells so good!" Da Bao went to get a spoon, then a bowl, and an iron basin. He took out the small iron bowl, scooped a small spoonful, and placed it next to the little brown bear. The little brown bear squatted down, licked it, and exclaimed, "So hot, so hot!" Da Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao squatted down next to the little bear, laughing heartily; it really was hot. The little bear, head bowed, kept blowing on the bowl of chicken soup to cool it down.
A moment later, the little lotus spirit also ran over. Seeing the three overlords of the forest there, he quietly turned his back to the fence and slowly moved towards the entrance. Finally, he moved in, and the little one saw him. "Little Lotus, you're here!" Little Lotus said, "It smells so good! What are you all doing? Last night, so many plant spirits were asking me what rare and precious herbs were around here. It smells so good; they've all come to investigate." The little one said, "Daddy fed us chicken soup."
Xiao Bao asked, "Do you want some?" Xiao He asked, "Can I have some?" Xiao Bao replied, "Yes, just wait a moment." Xiao Bao took out his small bowl and asked his older sister to scoop a small spoonful for him and give it to the little lotus flower spirit. The lotus flower spirit took a sip like a brown bear, exclaiming, "Ah, it's so hot!" She stuck out her tongue and immediately put it on the table, blowing on it little by little.
The four big heads outside—the big brown bear, the tiger, and the two wolves—didn't come in; they were just watching inside. How much was left in the pot? Almost gone. The chicken was gone, and there was only a little broth left; after scooping out two spoonfuls, there was still a tiny bit. Da Bao casually put the lid back on and set the pot aside. They then sat at the campsite table with the little brown bear and the little lotus spirit, chatting.
Gong Yong and Lin Yue prepared to go out and gather some more wood, as they had almost burned it all last night. As Gong Yong stepped out of the campsite gate, the tiger, brown bear, and two wolves immediately made way for him. Lin Yue also came out, and they made way for her as well. They neither went in nor left, but simply stood guard at the entrance. Gong Yong and Lin Yue said, "Don't hurt the children." The four large heads nodded simultaneously.
Gong Yong and Lin Yue tried to walk out and came to the edge of the valley. Lin Yue asked, "Remnant Soul Xueyang, why did you tell me to leave earlier, that the animals wouldn't harm my babies?" Remnant Soul Xueyang said, "There are some spirits among them. They can't be considered spirit beasts in this world, but they might be compatible with one of the spirits that resonates with your three babies." Lin Yue asked, "What does 'compatible' mean?" The old man of the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron jumped out and said, "Compatibility means that your three children might have a connection with one of the animal spirits in this world, and be willing to follow him for a long time, becoming his spirit pets, and signing a soul contract."
While Gong Yong and Lin Yue were outside collecting burning firewood, the little head that had been peeking out of the mud finally climbed up, pulled its legs out, and came to the pot. The pot had cooled down, so the little head gently placed the lid aside, jumped in, gulped down the water, then used the branches on its head to grip the edge of the pot and jumped out again. It carefully put the lid back on, jumped back in, stuck its feet in the mud, and secured them, leaving only its little head outside to watch.
Last night he only had 3 cherries and 2 leaves on his head. This morning he has 6 cherries and 4 leaves. What did he eat? Those 20 cherries are earth-elemental, very useful, especially helpful, because he's also earth-elemental. My goodness, he's tasted success! While the other kids were chatting happily with the little brown bear and lotus spirit outside, he quietly slipped back into their campsite. He went in, looked around, didn't find any food, and then came out again.
When Gong Yong and Lin Yue returned, they found a strange footprint. The campsite was usually dry, but this time it was covered in mud and footprints, and even the pot was full of mud. The little bit of chicken soup in the pot was gone. Lin Yue also checked and found that Xiao Bao's cherry boxes were missing. Standing in the middle of the campsite, Lin Yue shouted, "Who stole Xiao Bao's cherries? Who drank all the chicken soup? Step forward!" Little Brown Bear and Little Lotus immediately stood up. "Little Brown Bear said, 'I ate the chicken soup.'" Little Lotus said, "I also ate a small bowl." Big Baby said, "They did, I scooped it out for them." Lin Yue said, "There's still a little in the pot. Mom can use it to cook vegetables for lunch today." Lin Yue said, "Go check if there's anything left in the pot." Big Baby went over and looked. "There's only some mud left in the pot, that's all." Who stole it?