Chapter 24

The little ones went, "Chirp, chirp."

It was a rather tight fit for Xie Juanhan to hold all eight Companion Beasts at once.

When he first picked them up, the little ones barely managed to put up with it.

But when Xie Juanhan still wouldn't let them go, they couldn't take it anymore.

"Chirp, chirp!" the little ones protested as they were squeezed together.

Xie Juanhan's heart melted, and he didn't want to put them down at all. "You're so good."

The little ones chirped. They couldn't bear to bite Xie Juanhan, but they weren't used to this kind of excessive "closeness" either.

Finally, a few of them couldn't take it anymore. They stretched their legs as far as they could and kicked Telingewei, who was standing beside them.

"Chirp, chirp!"

The Companion Beasts gestured for him to stop standing there watching and hurry up and rescue them.

Telingewei was speechless. "You had to kick me for that too?"

Xie Juanhan burst out laughing.

He gently let the little ones go. "Thank you so much for today. I love you!"

At that, not only did the little ones sit down on the ground and lick their fur in embarrassment, but Telingewei also turned his head away.

"You're welcome."

Telingewei finally gave the stiff reply.

========== Author's note: ==========

See you tomorrow!

Chapter 24: Chapter 24 [VIP]

Xie Juanhan's house was finished in no time.

After officially taking possession of the house, Xie Juanhan invited his friends over for a housewarming, following the custom of his hometown.

Early that morning, Xie Juanhan cleaned the house and got ready to welcome his guests.

The sun had only just risen when the guests began arriving one after another.

Everyone gathered in the grayish-white stone house that stood at the edge of the forest, beside the river.

The house was so beautiful that everyone was stunned.

The weaving fairies and Dragon Companion Beasts were even more surprised, their mouths falling open. "Wow!"

The dwarves who had built the house with their own hands were very proud and rushed to say, "It's even prettier inside! You'll see when you go in."

Smiling, Xie Juanhan opened the door of the house in the middle and invited everyone inside to look around.

There were three houses in all.

He invited everyone into the one in the middle, which served as both a study and a sitting room.

As soon as he pushed the door open,

the faint scent of natural wood drifted out of the study.

Everyone immediately saw the broad, spacious wooden table and chairs inside.

The chairs were a little different from the local furniture.

They were in a style from Xie Juanhan's hometown.

The room was surrounded by green trees, and quite a few potted plants had been placed inside as well.

The whole room was comfortable and tranquil, with an exotic air.

Once all the guests had entered, each showed some degree of surprise.

The weaving fairies were the first to recover. Flapping their broad wings, they flew back and forth around the study.

They also landed on the potted plants on the bookshelves and surveyed the layout of the whole study from above.

One of the dwarves explained, "Lord Silver Dragon dug up these flowers in the forest, and we fired the flowerpots."

"How lovely!" The weaving fairies all liked pretty flowers and flowerpots. "The bookshelves are beautiful too."

The dwarves puffed out their chests and continued showing the weaving fairies around.

Xie Juanhan listened from the side and noticed that the dwarves weren't just giving a tour. They were also slipping in a few plugs of their own, taking the opportunity to advertise.

The weaving fairies and Xie Juanhan's two human friends—the farmer Orfrey and the mason Arnold-all listened attentively.

They were clearly tempted.

Telingewei still disliked dwarves. He stood far away on the outside of the group and didn't listen to their explanations.

Xie Juanhan stood beside him at the back, a smile on his face.

The Companion Beasts stood at their feet.

The little ones looked at one another, rather glum, their tails drooping.

"Chirp." One of the little ones gave a tiny sigh.

Xie Juanhan had moved into a new home.

Everyone had brought him gifts.

Telingewei had given him cookware in advance.

The little weaving fairies had given him curtains and tablecloths.

The dwarves had given him a flat-topped stove.

Orfrey had given him wool-felt coasters and placemats, while Arnold had given him little garden flowers.

Only their gift, the golden pot they had originally given him, had been forcibly taken back by Telingewei, leaving them with nothing to give.

The little ones sat on the ground, and Xie Juanhan didn't notice how they felt.

Telingewei glanced at them but said nothing.

Their friends had lunch at Xie Juanhan's house.

They didn't say goodbye until the afternoon.

That evening, Xie Juanhan was tidying the house when he suddenly heard a clattering sound outside.

He went to the door.

The Dragon Companion Beasts were running out of the forest.

They came running from afar, carrying bunches of flowering branches in their mouths.

When they reached the garden fence, they didn't stop at all. They kicked off the ground, leaped over it like nimble horses, and rushed up to Xie Juanhan.

"Chirp, chirp!"

The little ones raised their heads, offering Xie Juanhan what they held in their mouths.

Only then did Xie Juanhan realize that they weren't carrying flowering branches at all, but bunches of berries still on their vines!

The berries clustered together like orange or red gemstones, giving off an astonishingly sweet fragrance.

Xie Juanhan was delighted. "You went out into the wild to pick berries?!"

The little ones puffed out their chests. "Chirp, chirp!"

"Yuri Berries?" Xie Juanhan repeated the unfamiliar name. "They look just like the cloudberries back home."

The little ones didn't care in the least what the berries were called. As long as Xie Juanhan liked them, they were satisfied.

"Chirp, chirp." Having made up for their missing housewarming gift, the proud little ones ran off before it got dark.

Telingewei had just returned to the cave when he ran into the little ones coming back too.

Their claws went tap-tap, and their tails stood high as they circled Telingewei with great pride.

Telingewei pushed them away with his foot. "Stop bothering me."

The little ones swished their fluffy tails and showed off. "Chirp, chirp!"

Telingewei said, "So what if Xie Juanhan likes berries? He'll eat them all in a day."

The little ones' tails froze.

Expressionless, Telingewei went on, "No, that's not right. They might go bad before he can even finish them."

He glanced at them and rubbed it in. "Not like everyone else's gifts. Those will last a few years at least, maybe even decades or centuries."

The little ones were speechless.

The little ones were thoroughly unconvinced. They huffed and chirped angrily as they paced around the cave.

After angering the Companion Beasts, Telingewei felt refreshed. He finished his dinner, climbed onto his bed of gold coins, and fell asleep.

Early the next morning,

Telingewei woke up to someone stepping on his face.

He opened his eyes to see several furry legs and tails waving back and forth in front of him.

One of the little ones was stretching out a paw, preparing to step on his face again.

"Haxi!" Telingewei grabbed the little one by the scruff of the neck, sat up, and looked it in the eye. "What are you doing?"

The little one wasn't afraid of him in the slightest. It curled its paw and swished its fluffy tail smugly. "Chirp."

Bits of grass fell from its tail onto Telingewei's nightrobe.

Telingewei followed its gaze.

The little ones had somehow dragged back a huge pile of dewy berry branches.

"What did you pick so many berries for?" Telingewei glanced at them. "They're sour."

"Chirp, chirp!" the little ones cried, pushing him with their paws.

"Bake them into candied fruit?" Telingewei refused. "I don't have time today. I'm going out to sea to fish."

The little ones immediately opened their mouths and seized his nightrobe, refusing to let him leave. "Chirp!"

Telingewei reached out and pinched the nearest little one by the scruff, making it let go.

Each time he pulled one off, another little one immediately took its place.

In the end, he wrestled with the little ones for ages, and his nightrobe was bitten full of holes, but they still wouldn't let go of it.

"Chirp, chirp!" The little ones angrily gnawed on his nightrobe and kicked him with their paws.

Telingewei had no choice but to get up and bake the candied fruit.

He had mocked the little ones' gift the day before. If he didn't help them make the candied fruit, they would never let it go.

The little ones dragged the golden pot outside the cave.

After washing up, Telingewei came out to cook the berries.

He put the berries in the pot, added sugar and water, and quickly brought them to a boil.

Once their fragrance had been released, he transferred the berries to a rack, drained off the water, and baked them.

The juicy berries slowly turned into fragrant, sweet candied fruit on the rack.

The little ones kept Telingewei at work for most of the day. It wasn't until the afternoon that he finished baking all the berries they had picked.

The little ones dug a golden jar out of the pile of gold, packed the berries inside, and even forced Telingewei to tie a satin bow around it. Only then were they satisfied. Carrying the jar in their mouths, they set off to find Xie Juanhan with their heads held high and chests puffed out.

Xie Juanhan had only received their gift the day before, and now they had brought him a golden jar and pressed it into his hands. He was deeply moved.

Xie Juanhan reached out and rubbed their necks. "Why are you giving me so many gifts?"

"Chirp, chirp!"

"Candied fruit?" Xie Juanhan opened the golden jar. "It smells wonderful. Thank you!"

The freshly baked candied fruit was wonderfully fragrant, carrying the distinctive sweet scent of fresh berries.

Xie Juanhan grabbed a handful on the spot and shared it with the little ones.

The candied fruit was sweet and tart, fragrant and soft.

As Xie Juanhan ate it, he became genuinely interested in this local berry.

He asked the little ones about it and gradually learned from their overlapping chirps:

The berries had a very short fruiting season, only about ten days.

If he liked them, he had to hurry and pick them.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to compete with the birds, insects, and magical creatures.

Xie Juanhan had originally planned to pick berries in a few days, when he had time.

After hearing what the little ones said, he went to the study and found the golden rune tablet Telingewei had given him before.