Tang Baotoria

As soon as the QQ video chat connected, "Little Apple" heard a clear, slightly nervous little girl's voice. "Hello, Sister Apple! Hello, Sister Fairy!"

Then came Yang Zhen'er's somewhat frustrated "roar": "Little Bell, it's not an old immortal! It's a fairy! Come on, repeat after me, Xi Yi An Xian, Ne Yu Nu, Fairy Sister!"

The little girl on the other side was quiet for two seconds, then timidly repeated, "Sister Fairy Shoes..."

Hearing their cheerful voices, "Little Apple's" lips curled up slightly, and she greeted them happily, "Hello, Little Bell!"

"Hey, Sister Apple, the bird on your shoulder is alive!" Liu Shiling suddenly noticed the canary on "Little Apple's " shoulder move and exclaimed excitedly, "Is it your pet?"

As if it knew it was being talked about, "Gold Glitter" tilted its head and chirped twice.

"Little Apple" gently tapped "Gold Glitter's" head with her index finger, then laughed, "It's my pet, my friend, my guide bird. I rely on it to take me when I go out. Its name is 'Gold Glitter'... Oh, right, Sister Zhen'er told me that your family used to live next door to Uncle Xiang, right? 'Gold Glitter' originally belonged to Uncle Xiang."

"Gold Glitter? Is it the 'bulingbuling' kind of Gold Glitter? That's such a nice name!" Liu Shiling said, suddenly picking up "Egg Pie," who was lying on the edge of the table, and bringing its face in front of the camera. She happily said, "I also have a pet, a companion. Its name is 'Egg Pie,' and it's a Big Cat!"

As they were talking, Liu Shiling suddenly remembered that before the video call, Sister Laoxian had told her about Sister Apple's situation and that she knew Sister Apple was blind.

Then she added, "'Egg Pie' looks a lot like 'Gold Glitter'!"

"Little Apple," who had been smiling, was stunned by these words, her mind going blank. Her knowledge of cats mainly came from the descriptions in books she had read, and from the cat that a friend of hers at the school for the blind had kept when she was a child. She had once gently touched the cat's face, so she had a general impression of it.

The cat has a round, large face, soft fur that feels soft to the touch, and a pleasant voice. She sometimes hears the meowing of stray cats when she listens to birdsong in the park next to her neighborhood.

But... what would a cat that looks like a canary be like? She found she couldn't imagine it.

Fortunately, Yang Zhen'er exclaimed, "Wow! Little Bell, you have a cat?! What kind of cat is this? Let me see it from a distance, is it a British Shorthair? A Golden Shaded? Oh my, so chubby, so cute, I want to hug it! You said it looks like 'Gold Glitter,' you mean the color, right?"

Liu Shiling nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes, both Egg Pie and Gold Glitter are yellow. Gold Glitter is a beautiful yellow, Egg Pie is an earthy yellow..."

"Gold Glitter," perched on "Little Apple's " shoulder, suddenly chirped twice at the screen. Upon hearing this, "Egg Pie," being held by Liu Shiling on the screen, emitted a series of strange, bird-like chirps.

"Gold Glitter" called out even louder, while "Egg Pie" stopped imitating bird calls and instead emitted a lower growl, even reaching out its claws to slap the iPad screen.

Liu Shiling quickly hugged Egg Pie and pressed her chin against the cat's head. "'Egg Pie,' be good, or I won't let you play anymore!"

"Little Apple" gently tapped "Gold Glitter's" head with her finger. "Don't make any noise, or I won't give you extra food tonight!"

Seeing the cat and bird instantly tamed by their two owners and become "well-behaved" and "quiet," Yang Zhen'er looked around and suddenly felt that the empty living room was strangely deserted.

So she got up and went into the bedroom, looked at the glass cabinet where Tang Baona displayed various figurines, merchandise, and wood carvings, chuckled, took out the Saber wood carving that Xiang Kun had given Tang Baona as a birthday present, brought it to the living room, and carefully placed it in front of the camera.

"Come on, let me introduce you. This is my pet, my partner, Tang Baotoria!" Yang Zhen'er said, then described the wooden carving to "Little Apple".

Liu Shiling couldn't help but say, "Old Fairy Sister, this is a wooden carving by the pretty sister. She showed it to me."

"I'm a fairy sister!" Yang Zhen'er corrected, then added, "She showed you the Saber wood carving, I showed you the Tang Baotoria, they're different!"

"Oh." Liu Shiling didn't seem to mind.

Then the three of them started discussing what nursery rhymes to learn. Actually, this was originally a "weekend homework" assigned by the kindergarten for parents and children to complete together. However, Shiling's Mother was out, and Liu Shiling was at home alone, playing with her cat and drawing. Yang Zhen'er, who was also bored at home, was video chatting with the Little Chubby Girl and learned about this. She volunteered to teach her nursery rhymes, but after singing for a while, she realized it wasn't working, so she had to find reinforcements, "Little Apple".

Since being introduced to Tang Baona by Xiang Kun, "Little Apple" has often sung with her, recorded audio, and made videos to post online. This sparked her interest in music and revealed her musical talent.

So even though she doesn't usually listen to or sing nursery rhymes, she quickly found a song suitable for "Little Bell"—the incredibly popular "Learn to Meow" from the last two years. It's a catchy tune in kindergartens and a top-notch ethnic song. And coincidentally, Liu Shiling hadn't learned this song in her current kindergarten.

The song lessons stopped when Shiling's Mother came home, just before dinner time. Although Liu Shiling hadn't learned the song at kindergarten, she had heard it many times, and Apple Sister taught it very well, so she learned it quite quickly and could already sing the whole song smoothly with Apple Sister's guidance.

The three of them had a lot of fun learning the song. Even Yang Zhen'er, who was just listening in, was happy. So much so that when Liu Shiling said goodbye, she accidentally called out "Goodbye, Sister Fairy!" She didn't realize it at first. It wasn't until she exited the chat that she realized what she had done. She slapped her forehead and turned to Tang Baotoria, muttering, "This little girl wasn't doing this on purpose, was she?"

After turning off the video, Liu Shiling ran to show off the songs she had learned to her mother, who had just returned and was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Although she forgot a third of the lyrics and just used "meow meow meow" to gloss over it, the whole song still sounded pretty smooth. Plus, "Egg Pie" next to her tilted its head back and meowed occasionally, making Shiling's Mother, who was cooking, laugh from ear to ear and marvel at the performance.

After receiving praise from her mother, Liu Shiling happily went back to her room with "Egg Pie".

She thought of Apple Sister, who had just taught her to sing, and couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Before the video call, when Sister Laoxian told her that Sister Apple was blind, she felt sorry for her. But as soon as the video call connected and she saw Sister Apple on the screen, she felt something completely different.

For some reason, Liu Shiling just really likes Apple Sister, and wants to get close to her and play with her.

Even the bird named "Gold Glitter" on her shoulder looked adorable and I really liked it.

She said that "Egg Pie" and "Gold Glitter" are very similar, not just in color, but in a feeling, but when asked to describe it specifically, she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Moreover, in her opinion, Sister Apple was not pitiful at all; on the contrary, she had a kind of aura that she found very impressive.

She hadn't thought much about it when she was learning the song, but now, back in her room waiting for dinner, playing with the "Chocolate" and "Ice Cream," she found it increasingly strange.

Then she remembered what Apple Sister had said, that "Gold Glitter" originally belonged to Baldy Uncle, so she "naturally" attributed the reason for this feeling to Baldy Uncle.

I can't help but think that maybe Sister Apple, like Roast Chicken Wing Sister, is a "magical being," one of our own.

With this in mind, Liu Shiling became even more certain.

That's right! That must be it!

Then she speculated that perhaps Apple Sister couldn't see because the magic she practiced was different, and Baldy Uncle had sealed her eyes. When she could see again, it would be when she had mastered super magic, and then Apple Sister would become incredibly powerful.

"Looking at it this way, I'd better work harder too. I can't fall too far behind Roast Chicken Wing Sister and Sister Apple," a certain "super powerful & super cute Great Mage" thought with considerable worry.

Liu Shiling, who was controlling two Coin to spin and bounce in her hand, suddenly had an idea. She then ran to the living room in her slippers, frowned at a cardboard box on the shoe cabinet, thought for a moment, picked it up, ran to the kitchen door, and asked, "Mom, what's in this box?"

Shiling's Mother, who was cooking, glanced back, paused for a moment, and then laughed, "I almost forgot, this is the package I just picked up. It's a gift from your bald uncle, I think it's a piggy bank. Oh, remember to video chat with your bald uncle later... uh, tell him to thank him."

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that her daughter had already run back to her room with the delivery box in her arms. She couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head, then continued cooking.

Back in her room, Liu Shiling opened the box and found a round, adorable rabbit coin jar. However, her attention wasn't on the coin jar, but rather on a crumpled piece of newspaper inside the box.

Liu Shiling took out the wad of newspaper and unfolded it. When she saw three one-yuan Coin lying inside, she smiled happily.

While she was in her room, she suddenly had a vague feeling, and now that she saw these Coin, she was naturally overjoyed. The bald uncle kept his word and really sent her more "magic Coin".

Liu Shiling held all the Coin in her hands, trying to control them to levitate like she would with Chocolate and Ice Cream, but the Coin remained motionless.

Liu Shiling was not surprised by this, as she naturally assumed that she had not yet refined and tamed the magic of the three new "magic Coin".

"Egg Pie" jumped onto the table and brought its nose close to the pile of Coin to sniff.

The three Coin suddenly trembled in Liu Shiling's small hand, startling "Egg Pie" so much that it flew away. The cat-faced cat was terrified and quickly darted under the table.

It often frolics and fights with the two Coin controlled by Liu Shiling, and when it suddenly discovers that "Chocolate" and "Ice Cream" have come to its aid, it can't help but feel a little desperate:

We were already struggling to keep up, how are we going to survive in the future?

In fact, it wasn't just Liu Shiling who felt close to Little Apple; Little Apple felt the same way about Liu Shiling.

When a person with normal vision hears another person's voice, if it's someone they've met before, a general image will subconsciously appear in their mind. If it's someone they haven't met before, they will rely on past experience and then combine it with the voice to anchor a vague image. For example, a rude male voice will be imagined as a tall, strong man, while a gentle female voice will be automatically interpreted as a beautiful young woman.

But Little Apple is different. Because she has been blind since birth, her judgment and cognition of all things are based on a combination of hearing, smell, and touch, especially hearing.

If it were an ordinary person she was meeting for the first time, she could only form her initial impression through the sound transmitted through the phone's speaker.

But for some reason, when "Little Apple" heard Liu Shiling's voice, even though she was certain it was the first time she had heard it, she felt a strange sense of connection.

It was as if she was gently pinching Liu Shiling's cheek while listening to Liu Shiling speak, giving her a very real and certain perception, a more comprehensive understanding than just hearing.

But she knew very well that she had not pinched Liu Shiling's cheek, and that she had no tactile connection with Liu Shiling. The two were not in the same city and were thousands of miles apart, so this was a different kind of sensation than before.

Why would I have this feeling towards a little girl I've never met before?

Right, this feeling is somewhat similar to how she felt when she first established a connection with "Gold Glitter"—of course, much weaker.

Then she thought of "Gold Glitter's" reaction. Because of that special connection, she could feel that when the video call connected, "Gold Glitter" saw little Liu Shiling and felt the same sense of closeness as she did.

At first, she thought that "Gold Glitter" was because she sensed her attitude towards Liu Shiling, and thus, due to emotional resonance, she felt the same way as her.

But it turned out that this wasn't the case.

When "Gold Glitter" and "Egg Pie" had a brief "argument" across the screen, she couldn't fully understand "Egg Pie's" meows, but she understood the meaning of "Gold Glitter's " meows very clearly.

"Gold Glitter" is making a threatening remark to "Egg Pie," something like, "Show some respect! Or I'll beat you up!" or "Don't underestimate me! I'm a strong fighter!"

Although they look fierce, they don't actually harbor any deep hostility.

"Little Apple" had a vague intuition that the bird and cat, separated by screens and internet cables, seemed to be "deliberately" putting on an act in front of her and Liu Shiling.

The name "Gold Glitter" seems to have a slightly ingratiating meaning for Liu Shiling.

While thinking about it, "Little Apple" sent Xiang Kun a WeChat message, asking if he was free.

However, Xiang Kun's reply didn't arrive until after dinner, around 8 PM.

"Little Apple" made a phone call and told Xiang Kun about the conversation Officer Wang had overheard by "Gold Glitter" by the lake, asking, "Uncle Xiang, is the monster with many arms in Officer Wang's friend's dream related to our 'Many-Armed Monster'?"

Meanwhile, at Xia Libing's home in Citong City, Xiang Kun, who had just finished a blood-drinking period and woken up from his deep sleep, was quite surprised. He didn't expect that the first thing he would learn about the follow-up to the "dream-based police report" was from "Little Apple" in another city.

It seems that Officer Wang had taken the "Many-Armed Monster hallucination" seen by the suspects during the "Little Apple" case to heart, and had contacted Officer Zhao, who was far away in Citong. This should be Officer Zhao's other source of information about the "Many-Armed Monster" besides the three car thieves from the Yungang Sub-bureau.

Xiang Kun hesitated for a moment, holding his phone, before choosing to tell "Little Apple" part of the truth. "It was our 'Many-Armed Monster' that guided the police officer to the body, allowing those people to be buried by their families."

Upon receiving this reply, "Little Apple" was quite excited, feeling a subtle sense of pride in being on the "side of justice."

Then, "Little Apple" gave Xiang Kun a detailed description of how she and "Gold Glitter" had explored the city together, how their connection had deepened, and how their sensory abilities had improved.

Finally, she brought up the afternoon's lesson on teaching Liu Shiling to sing, told Xiang Kun about her strange feeling, and asked curiously, "Uncle Xiang, are you familiar with Little Bell? Does she... have... superpowers like me?" When talking about having superpowers, Little Apple felt inexplicably ashamed and embarrassed.

"Well... you could say that. Little Bell and you are like my little sister, so you can treat her like your little sister too. She's a very well-behaved, cute, and talented child," Xiang Kun said with a smile.

He could roughly guess that Little Apple's special feelings for Liu Shiling stemmed from the fact that they were both within the "Super-Sensing Item System," sharing the same origin and power.

After Xiang Kun ended his call with Little Apple, Xia Libing, who was sitting opposite him looking up at something on her laptop, looked up at him and asked, "You treat Little Apple and Little Bell as your younger sisters?"

Xiang Kun asked in surprise, "Yes."

Xia Libing: "But they call you uncle."

Xiang Kun: "..."