Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty

Chapter 31: Chapter 30 Jin Yanzi Chapter 31: Chapter 30 Jin Yanzi Upon recalling the incident, Chen Afu believed that the swallow seemed to have flown out of her left hand.

Staring at the scar on her palm, she started to chant, “In, in, in…”

Suddenly, she found herself in another space. Only, she wasn’t standing on the ground but perching on a tree branch.

The air here was filled with a wonderful fragrance. The quiet and beautiful aroma energized her weary spirit and her stiff body seemed to loosen.

Looking down, the tree trunk was thick, slightly inclined, and wide enough to require two adults to hug it completely. The bark was rough and full of black “wounds”, seemingly pecked by something.

The tree was not attractive at all. It seemed like a waste for such a shabbily-grown tree to be here.

Beneath the tree was a circle of land, with numerous roots jutting out, making the ground uneven. The piece of land was tiny, just about the size of the tree crown, surrounded by a white fog.

What kind of space was this? The land was so small, sprouting many tree roots, it seemed unsuitable for growing fruit, grain, or medicinal plants.

Chen Afu felt utterly disappointed.

Raising her head to look at the tree again, the tree had many branches but was not leafy. The leaves were slender and green, unidentifiable to her.

Suddenly, she noticed several glimmers on a few tree branches. Upon closer look, those were actually tiny houses carved out of gold.

She counted a total of nine, of different shapes: round, square, polyhedron, one even looked like a pyramid. The small houses were dazzling and extremely exquisite. But they were small, roughly seven or eight centimeters in height, and thirteen or fourteen centimeters in diameter or length. She reached out to pick up the closest roundhouse. It was quite heavy, probably weighing about half a kilogram.

The house was intricately carved, with every brick line clearly visible on the walls. The animals on the roof ridges were lifelike. There were doors and windows and carved patterns, with rubies, cat’s eyes, diamonds, and other gemstones dotted on the lintels. Across the open door, there were intricate pillars and a semicircular light-green bird’s nest on the floor – presumably a bed for the swallow.

Chen Afu was sure that even the sculptors from her previous life couldn’t craft a better piece.

Thinking of the bloody hole on Er Lazi’s face and the swallow’s fondness for architectural beauty, she guessed that most probably, the swallow had pecked these houses into shape.

While other swallows used mud for their nests, this one used gold.

What an impressive aristocratic architect!

After admiring, Chen Afu felt joy surging up. Oh my, this wealth was beyond direct. Growing medicinal plants, fruit, or grain was unnecessary! These small houses were worth thousands! And the green swallow nest inside must be more valuable than any white bird’s nest or blood bird’s nest.

As Chen Afu was rejoicing, a flash of black caught her eyes, and the swallow from her dream flew to her.

It opened its mouth and said, “I chirp, thinking of gaining without working is shameful. Quickly put down my golden house, it’s my house, don’t you think of selling it.”

The voice sounded pleasant, but the content was not. Still, facing this little creature who had saved her life, Chen Afu was filled with gratitude.

In a hurry, she put down the golden house and smiled, “I didn’t plan to sell your house, I was just curious and admiring.” She then waved at it, “We’ve known each other for a while, but I still don’t know your name. My name is Chen Afu. What’s yours?”

The little swallow politely greeted Chen Afu, “Hello, Mommy Fu. I am Jin Yanzi, also known as Jin Bao.”

Mommy Fu? What a rustic nickname.

Jin Yanzi ignored Chen Afu’s troubles and flew to the ground, shaking its wings, and jade-inlaid solid gold hairpins and a golden bracelet fell off. It lamented as it mumbled to itself, “Just this amount of gold is only enough for a door. I’ll have to steal a few more times.”

The little fellow spoke of ‘stealing’ as nonchalantly as one would say ‘buying’.

Chen Afu also slid down from the tree and asked while looking at the jewelry, “Did you steal these?”

Jin Yanzi raised its head, with a contemptuous snort, “If I don’t steal, should I buy? Stupid!”

Having said that, it spread its wings and lay on the ground, with its beak half-open, looking rather uncomfortable.

Chen Afu crouched down and observed it closely. The swallow had green eyes and its bill, chest, and belly were golden. Its back and wings were black, with the black feathers subtly glimmering gold. If the wings were folded, it was as big as a regular swallow. But with the wings spread, it was much larger.

She looked closely at its sharp beak, which was as sharp as an awl, and radiating golden–no, it was cold light.

Chen Afu let out a flattering smile, “My bad, it was my mistake. I did wrong, made you suffer in the last life, I’m sorry.” She then negotiated, “Jin Bao, I’m really poor now, haven’t had meat for days. Could you think of a way to help me earn some money?”

Jin Yanzi rolled its eyes and then gave Chen Afu a few sharp glares, chirping, “Chirp chirp chirp chirp, employing me after offending me and expecting me to help you get rich is impossible.”

Alright then, that’s a matter for later, first talk down this little fellow’s temper for better communication. Chen Afu gently coaxed, “Jin Bao, you are a little swallow, cute and gentle. But when you speak, you are more restless than the sparrows in my courtyard. This affects your image a lot.”

Jin Yanzi indeed paid attention, rose up and stood straight, complained with grief, “Mommy Fu, it’s not that I don’t care about my image, I’m really angry at you. All these years, I’ve been alone in this space, unable to leave. When I’m hungry, I gnaw at tree bark, when I’m thirsty, I eat tree leaves, all the while living in the same old house, my days are lonely and hard.”

Chen Afu’s heart softened at its tender and delicate murmurs, even more charming than Chen Dabao who had a lisp.

She quickly apologized sincerely again, “Yes, I was stupid to keep you confined for so long.” Seeing that the little creature’s attitude had softened, she probed again, “Jin Bao, people usually rely on their space to get rich and make a fortune. But my space is too small, I can’t grow grain or medicinal plants, and there’s no spirit spring. How can I make a fortune?”

Jin Yanzi gave her a scornful glance and said, “Mommy Fu, you got it wrong. This space is mine, not yours. It’s only because I’m following you that the space is on you. The relationship between the three of us is that the space is mine, I’m yours. Moreover, everything on this tree, including the leaves, cannot be taken randomly by you.”

So that’s how it is. Not only was the space a waste piece, it didn’t even belong to her.

Well, what’s not hers wasn’t hers. Having such an amazing Jin Yanzi was already a blessing from heaven.

………
Thanks to Jian He Roses, Xiao Huan’er, Hera @ Qianlin’s wallet, and love and support from all of you.