Chapter 24

"Please carry this rune-inscribed gold plate to Telingewei for me and tell him I'd like to invite him to pick berries together tomorrow."

"Chirp, chirp!"

"Of course you're coming too. What fun would picking berries be otherwise?"

At Xie Juanhan's enthusiastic invitation, the next day, Telingewei did indeed bring the little ones to meet him, planning to go pick Yuri Berries together.

The little ones knew everything in the woods best.

They hopped ahead to lead the way.

"Are we going to the swamp?" Xie Juanhan asked, carrying a basket. "The cloudberries where I come from grow in swamps and grasslands too."

Telingewei said, "There are berries elsewhere too, but the ones here are the ripest, biggest, and sweetest."

Xie Juanhan was intrigued. "Is this the little ones' secret berry patch?"

Telingewei said, "It can't stay secret. Everyone comes to pick the tasty berries."

Telingewei's words proved prophetic.

By the time Xie Juanhan and the others reached the berry patch, the Weaving Fairies were already there.

The Weaving Fairies flew back and forth over the patch, carrying tiny cloth baskets.

Whenever they found a berry they liked, they would gently set their basket on a leaf, wrap both little hands around the berry, brace their legs against the leaf, and lean back to pull it free with all their might.

"Heave-ho!" the Weaving Fairies called in tiny voices.

Noticing that others had arrived, the Weaving Fairies looked up.

When they saw Xie Juanhan and his companions, the Weaving Fairies fluttered into the air. "Lord Silver Dragon!"

"Good day." Xie Juanhan smiled as he greeted them. "You're here so early."

"Berries are very fresh in the morning, and they're less likely to have been bitten by bugs," a little Weaving Fairy explained, sounding a little shy.

Xie Juanhan looked at him closely and realized he was Luli, the little male fairy they had met before. "I see."

Luli held up a berry happily. "Yes! Please try one of the berries we picked."

Xie Juanhan thanked Luli for his kindness, took the berry, and tasted it.

The fresh berry, still covered in morning dew, was indeed fragrant, sweet, and delicious.

After exchanging greetings, the two groups spread out through the patch and began picking berries.

The Weaving Fairies had arrived early.

The other insects and birds had arrived even earlier.

Although there were plenty of berries in the patch, the best ones had already been picked.

The Weaving Fairies felt a little embarrassed and offered them a cloth basket of berries.

Xie Juanhan politely declined. "It's all right. We can pick our own."

Luli said softly, "But there aren't many sweet berries left."

"There will be." Xie Juanhan smiled, pointed at the patch, and released a little Dragon Power. "Look."

Xie Juanhan's Dragon Power swept across the patch, carried farther away by the wind.

Throughout the berry patch where they stood, all the berries grew rapidly, nourished by the Dragon Power.

The berries that had been somewhat hard and unripe visibly plumped up, their color turning translucent, their flesh softening, and their scent growing sweet and rich.

Right under the noses of all the intelligent beings present, they quietly ripened into large berries that resembled individual gems.

The Weaving Fairies and Companion Beasts stood rooted to the spot, their eyes wide and their mouths slightly open, revealing tiny teeth.

Xie Juanhan looked around and was pleased with the results of the forced ripening.

Many of the berries had been close to ripening already, and a little stimulation from his Dragon Power brought out an entirely different flavor.

"You can pick them now," Xie Juanhan called. "You can eat them straight away, too. It's fine if you ingest the remaining Dragon Power."

Hearing that, the Weaving Fairies and Companion Beasts immediately cheered, plunged into the patch, and quickly began picking the newly ripened berries.

Xie Juanhan turned to look.

Telingewei was still standing where he had been, watching new berries pop up all around them.

Xie Juanhan gave his shoulder a gentle nudge. "Aren't you picking any?"

"I am," Telingewei said. "They smell so good that I can hardly bear to touch them."

Xie Juanhan took a deep breath. "Newly ripened berries really do smell wonderful. Whenever I smell them, I feel like I'm smelling the scent of early summer."

Telingewei said, "I can smell it too."

They crouched down, picked out the best berries, and gathered them in the baskets they had brought.

The berries were soft and juicy.

Before long, their fingertips were stained the color of rosy clouds and smelled sweet as well.

None of them had ever picked so many berries from a single patch before.

Even though they ate as they picked, so many new berries kept appearing that they couldn't possibly finish them all.

The Weaving Fairies fluttered their soft, broad wings as they flew through the patch, filling their cloth baskets until they needed both hands to lift them.

"Lord Silver Dragon, we have to go back now."

The Weaving Fairies sent Luli over to say goodbye, while the other little fairies shyly hid behind him.

"Do you need any help?" Xie Juanhan asked gently.

"No, we can carry them."

"Thank you, my lord. We picked so many berries today!"

"There are so many, and they smell wonderful! When we get back, we're going to make candied fruit, cook jam, and make fruit wine. Thank you for your gift!"

The Weaving Fairies' cheeks were rosy.

They were a little shy, but they still bravely thanked him and waved an enthusiastic goodbye to Xie Juanhan and the others.

After the Weaving Fairies left, Xie Juanhan and his companions picked berries a while longer, filled the baskets they had brought, and prepared to head back as well.

Before they parted, Xie Juanhan said, "Please come to my house for ice cream tomorrow afternoon."

The Companion Beasts' eyes lit up. "Chirp?!"

Xie Juanhan said, "Yes, the ice cream I told you about. I've already prepared the ingredients."

The little ones agreed enthusiastically. "Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

Xie Juanhan looked at Telingewei, and so did the little ones.

Telingewei nodded solemnly. "Tomorrow afternoon, around evening, we'll be there on time."

Xie Juanhan waved. "See you tomorrow."

Xie Juanhan carried a large basket of berries home, washed the dust from their surfaces with mountain spring water, then set them on a rack and gently swept away the moisture.

He intended to bake some of the berries into candied fruit and make some into jam.

He carefully selected a portion of the rest.

He soaked these large, red, soft berries in pale golden dry white wine, covered them, and waited for them to take on the wine's flavor.

The next day, Xie Juanhan did indeed get up early to make ice cream.

He had long wanted to treat the little ones to ice cream and had prepared the ingredients well in advance.

Fresh egg yolks, milk, cream, and the finest powdered sugar in Teme Port-

Xie Juanhan was ready to make ice cream.

Xie Juanhan patiently mixed the egg yolks and milk, added plenty of powdered sugar, then placed the pot on the flat-topped cast-iron stove, heating it over a low flame while stirring gently.

Only when the sugar, eggs, and milk had blended completely into a silky, thick mixture did he take the small pot off the stove, set it aside, and release cold air to draw away its heat.

Then he added heavy cream and stirred the mixture until it was evenly combined.

As he stirred, he carefully released cold air the whole time, letting the ice cream freeze slowly.

After working at it for half the day, he finally finished making the ice cream.

He left it to freeze in an icebox, then read in his study while waiting for Telingewei to bring the little ones over as promised.

Just as he had said, Telingewei arrived in the evening with the Companion Beasts, carrying a basket of magnificent gold tableware.

"Good afternoon." Xie Juanhan leaned against the doorway, smiling at them. "Would you like tea or wine with your ice cream?"

Telingewei took a crystal bottle filled with golden-red juice from the basket. "Would concentrated berry juice do?"

"Of course!" Xie Juanhan said. "Come on in."

The little ones could no longer contain themselves. They raced to Xie Juanhan's feet and looked up at him. "Chirp, chirp?"

"The ice cream is ready. You can eat it now." Xie Juanhan directed them, "Bring the chairs out first. I'll go scoop the ice cream for you."

Xie Juanhan took the frozen ice cream out of the icebox and scooped it into perfect balls, piling them onto gold plates.

He sprinkled the scoops with cookie crumbs, chopped nuts, and wine-soaked Yuri Berries, then finished them with fresh green herb leaves.

"It's ready," Xie Juanhan called to the little ones, helping them place the plates of ice cream on the chairs.

"Chirp, chirp!" The little ones cheered and ran over excitedly, lining up to eat.

"Clink-"

Xie Juanhan placed a small gold spoon on each gold plate, pushed one serving of ice cream toward Telingewei, and smiled at him, his eyes curving.

The two sat in the doorway with their gold plates, enjoying the breeze and eating their ice cream.

The ice cream was cold and sweet, with a cloudlike airiness.

The cookie crumbs on top were crisp and sweet, while the chopped nuts had a rich, oily fragrance.

And the wine-soaked berries were the very soul of the dish.

The wine-soaked berries were slightly tart, sweet, and bitter, perfectly balancing all the flavors in the ice cream.

That touch of bitterness and their distinctive aroma also brought out the softest, sweetest side of the ice cream, becoming the soul of the scoops.

Xie Juanhan took a bite, then turned to look at Telingewei sitting beside him, smiling and a little pleased with himself.

Telingewei knew what he wanted to say. He raised his gold plate and said affirmatively, "It's delicious."

Xie Juanhan was satisfied. "I thought you'd like it too."

If even Telingewei liked it, there was no need to mention the little ones.

Just from the way the little ones focused on licking their ice cream, Xie Juanhan could tell how much they liked it.