Chapter Two: "shujin bird"(six)

When Ye Fengjun returned to Zhu's house, it was already early morning the next day.

Zhu Xiaobao, who was sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the door, was startled by his sudden appearance again. He held a broom in one hand and pointed at Ye Fengjun with the other, "Mr. Ye... what's going on with you?"

Ye Fengjun's clothes were dirty, his hair disheveled, and there were scratches on his neck.

"That guy has some skills," he calmly said to Zhu Xiaobao. "But he couldn't beat me, so he scratched me like a shrew with his nails. It's disgraceful. Such a person is only fit to carry a chicken."

Zhu Xiaobao suppressed a smile but then felt something was wrong. Surprised, he asked, "You know?"

Ye Fengjun stared at him. "Anyone who goes to see him will know that what he keeps in the cage is a yellow chick, not the Golden-rinsing Bird! Only that idiot thinks it's the Golden-rinsing Bird!" With that, he grabbed Zhu Xiaobao's shoulder. "Tell me, what did you do?"

"There is a golden feather on the chick. Those who are obsessed with the Golden-rinsing Bird will not see it as a chick," Zhu Xiaobao whispered.

Ye Fengjun suddenly realized and then reevaluated him. "You're not as stupid as I thought."

Zhu Xiaobao smiled. "More than one person wants to claim the Golden-rinsing Bird as their own. Since I'm not good at fighting, I had to come up with a solution."

"If you have no ill intentions towards the Golden-rinsing Bird, why not let it go?" Ye Fengjun snorted. "If you truly have no evil intentions towards it, why not set it free?"

Zhu Xiaobao remained silent for a moment before saying, "It refuses to leave on its own."

Before he could finish, an elderly voice came from behind, "Xiaobao, who's outside?"

"Oh, it's Mr. Ye!" Zhu Xiaobao turned around hurriedly and ran towards the elderly woman with white hair, who was leaning on a cane. "It's Mr. Ye, who taught me paper folding!"

The woman was delighted and invited him in warmly.

After entering the house, the elderly woman personally brewed tea for him and brought out freshly fried sweet cakes, showing great hospitality.

Glancing around, Ye Fengjun saw various paper folds placed everywhere there was space, and several paper butterflies hung under the window, vividly lifelike.

"I'm not as agile as I used to be, and my health is getting worse. I've been saying that I want to thank Mr. Ye in person, but I never got around to it." The elderly woman sat opposite him, folding a half-made paper cat with a smile. "I've had a passion for paper folding all my life, and many people laugh at me for being a crazy old woman obsessed with it."

"People have their own interests, and as long as you're happy, that's what matters," Ye Fengjun praised after taking a bite of the sweet cake.

"This was made by Xiaobao," the elderly woman said, smiling proudly at her son, who was behind Ye Fengjun.

Ye Fengjun smiled and asked the elderly woman, "Are you used to living in Sichuan?"

"I've gotten used to it." The elderly woman nodded repeatedly. "To be honest with you, my late husband was born in Sichuan and moved to Luoyang with his family when he was young. After we got married, he often reminisced about the tranquility of Qingcheng and the beauty of Emei. He said he wanted to come back and see it again in his lifetime, but unfortunately, he never made it."

"You're coming back for him, which is nice," Zhu Xiaobao said with a smile, then he walked into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of medicine. "Here, drink this."

"As people grow older, they become less useful," the elderly woman sighed, taking the medicine bowl. Suddenly remembering something, she asked Zhu Xiaobao, "Has Mrs. Zheng not visited us for quite some time?"

"It seems so," Zhu Xiaobao counted, "She hasn't come to see you for about a couple of months."

"I have a bad memory these days," the elderly woman said worriedly. "You should go and check on her sometime. Her health is worse than mine. I wonder if her son took her back."

"Yes, I'll go later. You drink your medicine first." Zhu Xiaobao handed her a sugar cube. "Have a piece of candy after drinking the medicine. It's too bitter."

"Alright. Oh, why is there one missing? Did you sneak a bite?"

"Hehe..."

From start to finish, the interaction between the mother and son was warm and calm. Their home was indeed not spacious, and their living conditions were very ordinary, but it seemed that they lacked nothing.

Zhu Xiaobao invited Ye Fengjun to stay for lunch, and he didn't refuse.

After lunch, the elderly woman sat by the window to continue folding her little things, while Zhu Xiaobao led Ye Fengjun to the backyard to see his chickens.

Dozens of chickens roamed around inside a fenced area, large and small, lively and vigorous.

"Let me guess where you hid the Golden-rinsing Bird," Ye Fengjun said, looking at the chicken coop. "Over there?"

"Somewhere that others can't find," Zhu Xiaobao said proudly. "I'll tell you later."

Ye Fengjun gave him a playful tap on the back of his head. "Stop pretending!"

Zhu Xiaobao chuckled and threw a handful of grain.

"With the Golden-rinsing Bird in your hands, you could live a better life," Ye Fengjun looked around. It was just an ordinary house, barely providing shelter from wind and rain.

"This is good enough," Zhu Xiaobao said happily as he watched his chickens. "Having a place to live and having eggs and chicken to eat. Most importantly, my mother and I can chat and laugh together, living peacefully and safely."

Ye Fengjun remained silent for a moment before saying, "Have you ever thought about seeking fame and marrying a wife?"

"Fame? I haven't even read many books..." Zhu Xiaobao scratched his head. "As for getting married, I have to find a girl who likes me first, haha."

Ye Fengjun didn't know whether to say he lacked ambition or to say he was content with what he had. He casually asked, "Who is Mrs. Zheng?"

"She's my mother's friend. They used to go shopping for groceries, take walks, and chat together. My mother also taught her how to fold paper. Her son runs a clothing store in the south of the city. I'm not sure why she doesn't live with them, but she lives alone in a small house on the next street.

She often praised her son's talent, saying that his daughter-in-law was filial and his grandson was cute, but I've never seen them visit her. They only send clothes and food through others. I remember one New Year's Eve, I went to help her clean the house. She happily told me that her son's family was coming to see her, so she prepared a table full of dishes, but by the time it got dark, she was still alone.

I

 asked her to come home with me, but she refused, saying she would wait a little longer." Zhu Xiaobao sighed. "Was it so hard to have a New Year's dinner together?"

"It's easy or difficult, depending on whether you're willing or not," Ye Fengjun teased. "Even a fool like you can learn a thing or two from me, which shows you're willing."

Zhu Xiaobao turned his head back happily. "Are you praising me?"

"Sort of."

"Thank you, Amitabha. I don't seek praise, just don't hit me again in the future."

"Depends on my mood."

"..."