Chapter 10: Pet Bird Xiao Zhao

Chapter 10: Xiao Zhao the Pet Bird

Xiao Zhao hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing.

Not speaking when people are around? It could speak privately, in secret. Not showing its true form, forced to manifest a non-existent ugly foot? Although Xiao Zhao felt uncomfortable upon hearing this initially, as it diminished its sense of racial identity, manifesting an ugly foot to go outside was nothing. Having to listen to Sister in everything? That was easy to handle.

Xiao Zhao flew onto Jiang Yingxue's shoulder and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Sister, I agree to everything."

Thus, Jiang Yingxue left her personal space with Xiao Zhao and the selected items.

After giving Xiao Zhao the most basic education in the room, Jiang Yingxue brought it to the courtyard. Grandma and Grandpa were cooling off in the shade of a tree in the yard.

"Grandma, Grandpa, this is my pet bird, Xiao Zhao." Jiang Yingxue presented Xiao Zhao like a prized possession, placing it on the table for the elderly couple to see.

"Let me see." Jiang Xianzheng quickly reached out to cup Xiao Zhao in his palm, his face lit up with joy.

Just as Xiao Zhao showed a hint of resistance, Jiang Yingxue gave it a "be good" look. Xiao Zhao then stopped struggling, standing obediently in Grandpa's palm for him and Grandma to look at.

Jiang Xianzheng asked, "What kind of bird is this? So small, did you find it under a tree?" The bird looked very young. Could it have accidentally fallen from a tree and been picked up by his granddaughter?

Jiang Yingxue smiled, "I really did find it. Grandpa, you're amazing for guessing that!" As for the breed, she wouldn't say for now.

Lu Caiyun also smiled and said, "The bird you're raising is as skinny as you."

After Jiang Xianzheng returned Xiao Zhao to Jiang Yingxue, he went to the bamboo grove behind the house to cut some bamboo. Soon, he returned with several bamboo poles, planning to make a birdcage by hand for Xiao Zhao.

Lu Caiyun, meanwhile, took a small bowl to the vegetable garden in the front yard to catch insects.

Watching their busy figures, a warm smile tugged at Jiang Yingxue's lips. She stroked Xiao Zhao's feathers and said, "Xiao Zhao, Grandma and Grandpa really like you."

Xiao Zhao raised its head, a proud look in its eyes, and said, "Everyone loves me! I like Grandma and Grandpa too!"

Jiang Yingxue also walked to the vegetable garden, squatting down beside her grandmother. "Grandma, let me catch the insects. You should go rest." Their vegetable garden was well-tended, with few insects, making them hard to spot.

"The ground is dirty. Be careful not to soil your light-colored shoes if you come in. I'll catch them; you go play," Lu Caiyun said, seeing she hadn't left, then added, "Although your grandma is farsighted, catching insects is no trouble for me."

With that, Lu Caiyun pinched a green cabbage worm from a leaf and waved it in front of Jiang Yingxue.

Jiang Yingxue gave her a thumbs-up. "Grandma, you're amazing!"

She winked at Xiao Zhao and transmitted her thoughts, "Xiao Zhao, go eat a cabbage leaf in front of Grandma right now."

Xiao Zhao immediately complied. It flew to a cabbage plant in front of Lu Caiyun, landed, and started eating the leaf.

Lu Caiyun brought the bowl containing the insects close to Xiao Zhao. Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhao sniffed it and then pushed the bowl away with its head.

It wanted to eat the cabbage; the bowl was in the way.

The baby bird doesn't eat insects?

She was somewhat surprised. This little fledgling was eating cabbage already? "That's strange. Isn't it a bird? Why doesn't it like eating insects?"

She brought the bowl close to Xiao Zhao again and said to it, "Just eating leaves won't do. It's not nutritious. You should eat insects."

Xiao Zhao paused its leaf-munching and looked at Jiang Yingxue with a pleading gaze.

"Sister, I really don't like eating insects."

Jiang Yingxue nodded at her, indicating she understood. She said to her grandmother, "Grandma, Xiao Zhao is different from other birds. It doesn't like eating insects or raw meat. I don't think we need to catch insects for it. It can just eat whatever we eat normally."

Lu Caiyun frowned. A bird eating human food? No way!

Although she had never kept a bird before, she knew birds and humans ate different things. She said disapprovingly, "That won't do. It's a bird, not a human. You've never had a pet before, so you don't know how to raise one. Listen to Grandma this time. Grandma will definitely raise this little bird to be healthy and strong for you."

"Grandma, Xiao Zhao really is different."

"Child, listen to me."

"Alright." They could figure out what Xiao Zhao eats later. After spending more time together, they would realize Xiao Zhao truly was different from other pets, and they would change their minds.

*

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Yingxue took a hoe from the farm tool shed in the front yard. She was going to till the unused plot in the backyard.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and sparse leaves, shining on Jiang Yingxue as if coating her entire body in a layer of holy golden light.

"Sister, what are you doing?" Xiao Zhao stood leisurely on a branch, tilting its head to look at Jiang Yingxue.

"Turning and loosening the soil, to plant delicious things for you." Jiang Yingxue didn't stop swinging the hoe. She glanced at it briefly before continuing to turn the soil.

After turning over all the soil, she took out a black storage pouch and tossed it into the air.

"Whoosh—" Black soil poured out from the storage pouch, landing on the freshly turned earth.

This was the same black soil dug from the pond in her personal space.

After putting away the storage pouch, Jiang Yingxue continued turning the soil. The hoe swung ceaselessly in her hands, evenly mixing the black soil with the original ordinary soil.

Once thoroughly mixed, Jiang Yingxue waved to Xiao Zhao on the branch. "Xiao Zhao, come here. Sister needs your help with a small task."

Xiao Zhao flapped its wings twice and flew onto Jiang Yingxue's shoulder, its tone cheerful. "Okay! Okay!"

"Sister, what do you need?"

Jiang Yingxue pointed at the soil beneath her feet. "Use your divine flame to burn this soil a bit." Soil burned by divine flame loses its dark, negative substances, becoming sunnier, healthier, and more nutritious.

"Okay! Sister, step back a bit. I'm starting." Xiao Zhao was eager, gathering its strength and aiming at the soil.

"Pfft—" It spat out a wisp of flame the size of a fingertip. The flame burned above the soil for less than five seconds before vanishing.

Xiao Zhao, puzzled, flew a bit higher. It tried to spit fire again, but nothing came out, not even a spark.

"Sister..." Xiao Zhao was dejected, feeling extremely wronged. "I can't spit it out anymore. Am I useless? Waaah..."

Jiang Yingxue quickly stepped forward, cupping it in her palms to comfort it. "Xiao Zhao, you are very useful! You are amazing! It was Sister who didn't think it through. You're still a baby now. Being able to spit out a wisp of flame is already remarkable. When you grow up, you'll be able to spit out much more and much larger divine flames."

Xiao Zhao sniffled, its eyes regaining their sparkle. "Really?"

Jiang Yingxue nodded earnestly. "Really. When has Sister ever lied to you?"