Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty

Chapter 33: Chapter 32 Friends Chapter 33: Chapter 32 Friends Chen Alu said readily, “Mom always says that good people receive good rewards, sister is a good person, so she received her reward.”

Chen Dabao was still blaming Chen Afu, “Why didn’t mom leave the bird here a bit longer, Dabao didn’t even get to see it, such a pity.”

Jin Yanzi came back just before dark on the third day, bringing two other birds with her. Both of the birds were large, with beak-like hooks. The vibrant one was about a dozen centimeters long and the one with a gray body was about thirty centimeters long.

The Chen family was sitting on the bed eating dinner when they suddenly saw three birds swooping down onto their open window sill, one of them being Jin Yanzi. However, the golden hue on its beak, chest and belly was much paler than before, it was now a light yellow color.

Chen Afu stretched out her hand and smiled, Jin Yanzi jumped onto her hand and said, “Mommy, they are the smartest birds in the big forest. They’re my new friends.”

Of course, only Chen Afu understood what she said. The others heard her chirping and twittering.

Chen Afu then explained to them, “This is the bird that pecked Er Laitzi the other day, it has come to visit me again.”

The family’s attention initially was drawn to the two larger birds, but hearing Chen Afu’s words, they all turned to Jin Yanzi with excited and welcoming gazes. Alu and Dabao were especially excited, and expressed their gratitude towards Jin Yanzi.

Dabao said, “Such a handsome swallow, even handsomer than other swallows. How about staying with us? There are swallow nests under our roof, with swallows coming back every night. You can also make a nest like that and stay with us forever.”

The little boy thought he was being hospitable and was unaware that this idea was unwelcome to Jin Yanzi. She chirped, “I live in a beautiful little golden house, who would want to live in a mud house.”

Dabao didn’t understand what Jin Yanzi was saying, and laughed, “The little swallow is calling me, it must have accepted my invitation. It’s going to live in our house from now on.”

Jin Yanzi rolled her eyes at the little whipper-snapper and ignored him. She said to Chen Afu, “Mommy, my two friends are very nice. Let them stay here with me. During spring and summer, I will mostly be outside playing with them, so please prepare a few beautiful nests for us. But please note that, we don’t live in mud houses.”

After hearing this, Chen Afu put Jin Yanzi on the bed, spread out her hands towards the two birds. The two birds jumped onto her hands smartly and cawed at her a few times. Their voices were somewhat harsh, but smart indeed. The vibrant bird weighed around half a kilo and the grey one was about a kilo.

Chen Afu loved animals and seeing these birds entertained her so much. She even counted the colors on big, colorful bird. “Seven colors on its body, let’s call this one Qi Qi. This other bird is all grey except for its tail, I’ll call it Hui Hui.”

The two birds looked puzzled, at which point Jin Yanzi chirped at them a few times. They seemed to understand and cawed again.

Dabao then relayed his concern, “Mom, these two birds now have names, but the little swallow doesn’t have a name.”

Chen Afu laughed and said, “Let’s call it Jin Bao. It sounds like Dabao’s brother.”

Dabao was overjoyed when he heard this, he grabbed his “little brother” and wouldn’t let go. He was too rough and caused Jin Yanzi to roll her eyes.

The whole family had lost their appetite. Alu and Dabao were playing with the three birds and even generously gave them a small handful of brown rice to eat. Qi Qi and Hui Hui ate it, and Jin Yanzi did too. Mrs. Wang was shocked. Swallows only eat insects and bugs and only the live ones at that. But this particular swallow was actually eating grains.

Chen Ming laughed, “This swallow is definitely not ordinary. How else could it peck a hole in a man’s face?”

Chen Afu was pondering about what kind of nest to make for them. It couldn’t be too shabby, but their family didn’t have the means to make a luxurious one.

Seeing the half-done sewing basket by the side of the bed, she had an idea. She went to the east room to get the three completed baskets and asked the birds, “What do you think? Isn’t this a pretty nest?”

Qi Qi and Hui Hui really liked these nests, which were much prettier than the ones they had before. Jin Yanzi grudgingly accepted them, saying “Although it’s a bit crude, it’s still flashy. It’ll do.”

Fearing that their droppings would soil the inside of the baskets and make them hard to clean, Chen Afu lined the bottom with broken straw, and put a layer of coarse cloth on top.

By bedtime, Qi Qi and Hui Hui had not only learned to say their own names, but also learned to say “Jin Bao, Dabao, uncle, mommy, grandma, and grandpa”.

Everyone was thrilled and remarked how unusually intelligent these two birds were, learning so many words in one night.

Chen Ming also figured out what kind of birds they were, “They must be parrots, though I’m not sure exactly what type.”

Chen Afu had realized long ago that they were parrots. Hui Hui looked somewhat like the African Gray parrot she knew of in her previous life, while Qi Qi was somewhat like a Budgerigar but not quite. Budgerigars were much bigger, she wasn’t sure whether this parrot was still young or if it was an unknown species.

Chen Ming couldn’t stand it, he moved all three bird baskets to the east room before bedtime.

Besides Jin Yanzi, Qi Qi and Hui Hui kept up a racket until late before going to bed. Their voices were loud and sharp, filling the room with cawing noises that made people restless. Chen Afu was so annoyed that she spanked Dabao, who was laughing uncontrollably late in the night, not feeling sleepy at all and enjoying the bird basket. After being spanked, he finally pouted and lied down to sleep.

At dawn, the Chen family was awakened again by Qi Qi and Hui Hui’s noise.

In the morning, Chen Ming didn’t get up. Mrs. Wang said he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep and was starting to feel unwell again.

Chen Afu asked Dabao to bring Qi Qi and Hui Hui to the backyard to play, so they wouldn’t disturb their grandpa.

She secretly spoke with Jin Yanzi, “My dad got sick because of the noise your friends made. Doctors say that people with tuberculosis should eat bird’s nest. Can you provide some bird’s nest for him to eat? Otherwise, we can’t keep your friends anymore. They’re too noisy, and my dad can’t take it.”

Jin Yanzi then said sweetly, “Mommy, even if you didn’t ask, I would’ve provided the bird’s nest for grandpa.” She then boasted, “My bird’s nest is very different from other birds’, it’s called Fragrant Bird’s Nest. Not only does it enhance health and prolong life, but it also cures many difficult and complicated diseases, including tuberculosis.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Afu was so excited that her heart almost jumped out of her chest. The bird’s nest really was a treasure.

Seeing Chen Afu’s greedy face, Jin Yanzi reminded her, “The stuff in that tree is mine, and I have the sole discretion, Mommy, you can’t just take it without permission.”

Chen Afu nodded repeatedly, released Jin Yanzi onto her hand, and patted her feathers, “My precious Jin Bao, I’m your mommy, and have a decency not to mess with your possessions. Now, please get some bird nest, so I can cook it for my dad.”

……

Thanks to Jian He Meigui, Qiji Yisheng123, Xiao Huan’er, He La @Qianlin’s wallet, thank you!