Magic Studies and Life (Part 2)

When she was very, very young, about the size of Little Bell, Tang Baona often fantasized that she was a fairy with superpowers who could communicate with another world and some special little beings.

I always felt that I was different, that I was the most special one.

They also often have childish fantasies, like Little Bell, believing that they were born into this world with some special mission, that there must be other worlds outside of their own, and that there must be other creatures besides the ones they know.

Of course, as she grew older and her understanding matured, those naive and simple fantasies gradually faded away. Only a part of her childish, impulsive, and passionate soul remained hidden in the world of anime and manga, occasionally being immersed in and awakened through certain works.

But on that night in Chongyun Village at the end of April, after a paranormal incident in which she almost tumbled down the stairs, she discovered that she seemed to be able to "interact" with an entity from another world.

Moreover, that being seems to be protecting her, helping her, and saving her, just like the "Little Sprite" she imagined when she was a child.

To be honest, after that night, she became particularly attentive to all sorts of details in Chongyun Village, and began to observe her surroundings constantly, just like Lao Xia.

Then she did discover many peculiarities about Chongyun Village. For example, just as Yang Zhen'er said, there were very few insects in Chongyun Village, especially near the courtyard where they lived, where there were even fewer.

There's also dust. Logically speaking, since they're on a mountain at a high altitude, there should be a lot of dust, but their yard is very easy to clean. Basically, no fallen leaves or anything like that blow in. If you wipe the stone table in the yard in the morning, there's not much dust left by the afternoon.

Their courtyard is located on higher ground in the village. At night or in the early morning, the wind becomes much stronger after just a few steps from the gate. However, the wind blowing into their courtyard is always gentle. Even in the upstairs rooms, the wind is comfortable when the windows are open; it is neither too harsh nor completely blocking out the air.

Just like the lyrics say, "The wind becomes sticky here, sticking to the thoughts of passersby."

Their courtyard and building seemed to possess some kind of special "domain," protecting the people who lived within.

Naturally, having had a "personal experience," Tang Baona identified the guardian as the one who saved her life, the one she called the "Little Sprite."

Unfortunately, even after leaving Chongyun Village this time, she still couldn't find any concrete evidence of the "Little Sprite's "Little Sprite existence, nor was she able to interact with it again.

Unexpectedly, after arriving in Peng City, she was once again protected by the "Little Sprite".

And they even managed to interact with the "Little Sprite" again!

This made her deeply buried teenage girl spirit want to break free again. She skipped all the way to the entrance of her residential area before stopping, panting, and forcibly suppressing the excitement and joy in her heart.

When Tang Baona got home and opened the door, she was surprised to find that Yang the Third and Little Chubby Girl were still there. Usually, at this time, Yang the Third would take Little Chubby Girl to their rented house to sleep first, and then wait for Shiling's Mother to come back Yang the Third going home.

Yang Zhen'er ignored Tang Baona, who came in after opening the door. The Little Chubby Girl called out "pretty sister" without looking up, and then continued to focus her attention on the edge of the coffee table in the living room.

At this moment, on either side of the coffee table in the living room, Yang Zhen'er knelt on one knee, her body slightly bent, like a cheetah about to pounce, her eyes fixed on the Little Chubby Girl.

The Little Chubby Girl was also squatting on the other side, her eyes meeting Yang Zhen'er's along the edge of the coffee table, as if she were staring at the Egg Pie in the cat food.

There's an undercurrent of tension between the two sides; is conflict about to erupt?

What happened?

Tang Baona was a little confused. Yang the Third doted on Little Bell, practically wanting to give her the very best of everything. How could he be acting like this? And Little Bell was such an obedient child, why would she be arguing with Yang the Third?

Even if it's just a fight, why are they facing each other across a coffee table, one on each side?

Out of curiosity, or perhaps intimidated by the atmosphere between the two, Tang Baona stood by the door, not daring to move or make a sound, staring blankly at the two of them.

Suddenly, Liu Shiling spoke up, "One, two..."

As the number "three" fell, she and Yang Zhen'er opposite her simultaneously placed something they were holding on the coffee table and then pushed it forward.

Tang Baona immediately realized that they were actually two Coin!

Yang Zhen'er and Liu Shiling simultaneously rolled two Coin on the edge of the coffee table, causing Coin to roll towards each other and collide.

The two Coin rolled straight and collided, then one fell onto the coffee table, while the other flew to the floor.

Yang Zhen'er let out a scream and fell to the ground, yelling, "I lost again! How could I lose again! Ahhh, Little Bell, is your Coin heavier? There's no reason for this! It shouldn't be like this!"

The Little Chubby Girl's bright smile returned, and she squatted down beside the reclining Yang Zhen'er, saying, "Old fairy sister, you're amazing! You did that on your first try, that's really good." This game may seem simple, but it's actually quite difficult for most people to make Coin roll along a relatively straight path on the smooth edge of a coffee table.

Yang the Third then sat up from the ground, cupped the Little Chubby Girl's face in his hands, and asked, "Little Bell, how long have you been practicing this Coin- rolling game?"

"Huh?" The Little Chubby Girl paused for a moment, then said, "This game... is what I just came up with."

So Yang the Third rubbed the Little Chubby Girl's face until it chubby.

Tang Baona, who had changed into slippers and walked in, knew what was going on and said with a laugh, "Zhen'er, it must be you bothering Little Bell again, preventing her from studying properly!"

Yang Zhen'er suddenly scrambled up from the ground, ran to the door, and pulled Tang Baona, who was about to walk in, back down.

"Nana, where are your Coin? Did you bring them with you?" Yang Zhen'er asked.

"What Coin?" Tang Baona asked curiously.

"You know."

Tang Baona stared blankly as she pulled a Coin from her pants pocket. "You mean the Lucky Coin Xiang Kun gave me?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Yang Zhen'er said, asking the Little Chubby Girl to pick up the Coin from the ground for her, then added, "Nana, pay attention!"

With a clink, Yang Zhen'er flicked the Coin into the paper cup still on the TV cabinet with her thumb, then turned to Tang Baona: "Nana, you try!"

"Oh." Tang Baona imitated Yang Zhen'er's gesture, flicked her wrist, and the Coin almost followed the trajectory of Yang Zhen'er's Coin, tumbling into the cup and colliding with the previous Coin, making a crisp sound.

Yang Zhen'er was dumbfounded. So, as long as you use the "Lucky Coin" given to the Chef Xiang, and as long as you learn the Coin- flipping technique, you can easily perform her "Coin into Cup" skill?!

So... her "Coin into Cup" skill is actually a level below her "coin-flipping" skill?

Next, Tang Baona also curiously played the "Coin toss" game that she had just played with Yang the Third with the Little Chubby Girl.

Once they started playing, they couldn't stop.

The three of them sat, knelt, or squatted on the living room floor, having a great time.

If most people only heard about it, they would probably find it hard to imagine that two adults and a child could play with Coin until past midnight.

At 12:30, Shiling's Mother came home and didn't see her daughter, who was fast asleep as usual. So she knocked on the door, and the three of them finally stopped their Coin tossing contest, still not quite done.

After Shiling's Mother took the Little Chubby Girl back to bed, Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er, still excited from playing, continued their fierce battle in the living room.

They even put a blanket under the coffee table to prevent the sound of Coin falling from disturbing the downstairs neighbors.

Feeling hungry after playing, the two ordered takeout, which brought over McDonald's Hamburger and fried chicken wings.

While munching on Hamburger, Yang Zhen'er mumbled, "Nana, I think Little Bell is a genius. She can make so many things out of just a Coin. You know, tonight we're not just playing this Coin- clash game, there are several other games played with Coin, and they're all really fun. I even think... they're more fun than the game we're currently running for Chef Xiang..."

Tang Baona sat cross-legged on the sofa, gnawing on a chicken wing as she nodded, "It's really fun, but I doubt many people can actually play it."

"Huh? Why?" Yang Zhen'er was confused for a second before nodding and saying, "Oh right, probably not many normal people could give Coin to the Chef Xiang, let alone control the Coin so well."

Then she realized what she meant and corrected herself, "No, not 'normal people,' 'ordinary people,' otherwise it sounds like none of us are normal! Sigh, but did the Coin Chef Xiang really have some kind of 'magic'? It can't just be a psychological effect, right? What 'Lucky Coin,' it really seems different from ordinary Coin!"

This time, Tang Baona didn't say Yang the Third was talking nonsense anymore, but nodded and said, "It's different."

"Nana, do you think this Coin might be some kind of 'black technology' that Chef Xiang and Lao Xia are secretly working on at their Research Base?" Yang Zhen'er then asked mysteriously.

"Oh? What are they trying to do with these high-tech Coin?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's a new generation of toys? Otherwise, why would they give it to Little Bell to play with first? Do you know that Chef Xiang gave Little Bell five 'Lucky Coin'? Five coins!" Yang Zhen'er exaggeratedly said, holding up five fingers covered in sauce.

Tang Baona shook her head. "What kind of cutting-edge technology could Coin have? We've compared them before, and in terms of material and weight, there really isn't any difference between them and ordinary Coin."

"Didn't you just say 'it's different'?" Yang Zhen'er asked, puzzled.

"The 'difference' I'm referring to is an intrinsic difference."

"Inner?"

"Yes, a...inner feeling." Tang Baona squinted. "It's something that can't be accurately described."

"No way, Nana, are you talking about metaphysics now?" Yang Zhen'er stopped eating her Hamburger, turned around and stared at her friend in surprise.

"Zhen'er, do you believe that there are creatures in this world that we can't see with our naked eyes, or even that exist in a different space than us?" Tang Baona said quietly.

Yang Zhen'er was a little confused. "Wait a minute, Nana! What's wrong with you today? These are the words I said! Usually, you're the one who puts me down by saying, 'Hey, Yang the Third, you've been reading too many fantasy novels and letting your imagination run wild again!' Why are you saying something like this today? Something's not right! Nana, something's wrong with you! What happened to you? Did you encounter a supernatural event or a ghost?"

"I'll bang your head against it!" Tang Baona rolled her eyes at her and didn't continue the conversation, casually changing the subject. "By the way, don't always say things like that in front of your friends and relatives!"

"Huh? What nonsense did I say?" Yang Zhen'er asked, confused.

"You're saying Little Bell is your daughter! Do you know that tonight I got a call from my mom, who asked me very mysteriously if I knew you secretly had a big, chubby daughter who's already in kindergarten..." Tang Baona said, both amused and exasperated.

Yang Zhen'er was very surprised. "How did Auntie know?" Of course she knew that "Big Fat Daughter" referred to Little Chubby Girl, and she often said in front of others that Little Bell was her daughter.

Tang Baona said, "I asked too! My mom said she heard it from one of her close friends. Apparently, that friend knows one of your relatives. I'm guessing that relative is one of those people you took Little Bell to eat with when they came to Peng City a while ago. I remember you and Little Bell even performed a crosstalk routine for them, right? You must have been showing off to them that Little Bell is your daughter!"

"Oh, right, right, but when I said Little Bell was my daughter, they definitely knew I was joking. Little Bell calls me 'sister,' they're not stupid..." Yang Zhen'er scratched her head, then suddenly remembered that her hands were covered in Hamburger sauce, and she froze.

"They might not misunderstand, but when they relay it to others, those others might not understand the joke. They'll just extract the key phrase 'Yang the Third has a big, fat daughter,' and if they go around in circles a few more times, people will really think you secretly had a child!" Tang Baona said.

"It's okay, who cares?" Yang Zhen'er said nonchalantly. So she ignored the sauce on her hands, scratched her head a few more times, and decided to wash her hair later.

"By the way, Nana, you, me, Little Bell, Little Apple, and Lao Xia are all really good at playing with Coin, let's form a club! How about 'Five Coin Alliance'? Uh, no, that doesn't sound good, 'Five Coins Club'? Hmm, that sounds a bit like cheating... That's it! Let's call it 'Five Rings Club'! Like the five rings of the Olympics, we'll just stack five one-yuan Coin together as our club emblem!" Yang Zhen'er couldn't help but let her imagination run wild again.

Tang Baona said helplessly, "Do you mean the five of us, or the five Coin? Didn't you say that Little Bell herself has five Coin?"

"Oh right, then let's call it... Nine Circles Combination? Nine circles? Nine biscuits?" Yang Zhen'er said, unable to help but laugh, and rolled onto the sofa.

Tang Baona seemed to be deep in thought. Xiang Kun's Coin was indeed different. After successfully interacting with the "Little Sprite" again tonight, she suddenly felt that the Coin Xiang Kun might be a "token" that allowed her to communicate with the "Little Sprite".

Perhaps it was because she carried that Coin that the "Little Sprite" was able to save her in Chongyun Village, and now the "Little Sprite" is able to come to Peng City with her.

In that case, it's possible that Xiang Kun, Lao Xia, and even Little Apple all know about the existence of the "Little Sprite"?

Of course, Tang Baona didn't know at this time that besides the "Lucky Coin" that Xiang Kun gave her, she actually had many other "tokens" similar to the "Lucky Coin".

This includes the zipper on her bag, the ballpoint pen tip in her bag, and the metal buttons on her clothes.

On her way back, the area surrounding her residential community, and even the vast urban area radiating out from the area where they worked and where the Little Chubby Girl went to school in Peng City, was filled with Xiang Kun's "Super-Linked Object".

Right next to the streetlight where she received a response, there were numerous "Super-Linked Object," including the streetlight pole, a nearby trash can, a green belt fence, and underground pipes.

Alice can basically be present in any area where they frequently operate. As for exerting other substantial influence through the "Super-Link Object Matrix," it is even easier and simpler for Alice, given that she controls the network and various electronic devices at the same time.

And this "Super-Linked Object control circle" continues to expand.

While Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er were engrossed in the Coin- crashing game, the game's inventor had already gone home with her mother to wash up and go to bed.

However, after saying goodnight, snuggling into bed, and her mother turning off the main light and leaving only the small lamp behind before closing the door and leaving the room, the Little Chubby Girl opened her eyes again, her bright eyes no longer sleepy.

She sat up, grabbed the iPad from the desk—now her personal study tool, her mother no longer used it to watch dramas.

She went back to bed and, like an underground worker, quietly sent a voice message to Xiang Kun via QQ:

"Uncle Bald, it seems like the old fairy sister is about to learn magic. I taught her all night, and although she learns slowly, she must have talent. Can I continue to teach her?"

After a while, Xiang Kun replied, "Sure, but don't spend too much energy on it. Remember that your main task right now is to study."

Liu Shiling nodded repeatedly, then realized Xiang Kun couldn't see her, so she quickly sent a voice message: "I know, Uncle Baldy, I will definitely become an excellent junior high school graduate as soon as possible!"

As she spoke, she remembered something and continued, "Uncle Baldy, I want to see the Egg Pie. Is it asleep?"

Because we came to Peng City in a hurry this time, we didn't have time to get a quarantine certificate for Egg Pie, so it couldn't come on the plane with us. So we'll leave it here to help Gold Glitter recover from its injury and also to play with Little Apple more. We'll bring it over to join her next time Xiang Kun and Little Apple come to Peng City together.

Of course, the Little Chubby Girl also missed Egg Pie, but she could clearly feel that staying in Chongyun Village and playing with Gold Glitter was much Egg Pie and happier than in the city. In fact, she felt the same way.

The video call connected quickly, and on the screen was a bewildered-looking cat named Egg Pie, who seemed to have been woken up by Xiang Kun while he was sleeping.

Although the live stream on Little Chubby Girl's side was completely black, as soon as Egg Pie heard her voice, her "morning grumpiness" expression turned into one of excitement.