met free Chapter 282 The Debate and Farewell Between Ice Cream and the Distant Place
Chapter 282 The Debate and Farewell Between Ice Cream and the Distant Place
Niwan Zi, stepping on the sheep droppings scattered on the ground, deliberately tilted her straw hat to the side and winked at Du Xiaobing, who was huddled under the grape trellis: "Hey! Is our 'cold beauty' practicing 'ice sculpting' here? Come join the 'brainstorming session,' we can't get going without you, our 'wise bodhisattva'!"
Du Xiaobing slapped the handkerchief with a loud "smack," her almond-shaped eyes wide open: "Don't tease me! Ever since you, this 'lone star,' entered the house, all the pots and pans have revolved around you. And now, you've picked up another 'little tagalong'!" She stomped her foot in anger, startling the speckled chickens that were pecking at the ground.
Little Sizi suddenly poked her round head out from Niwanzi's arms, like a fluffy glutinous rice ball: "Sister Xiaobing is the savior! Once we turn the farm into a 'Fairy Castle,' you can stand at the door, and all those young masters will line up to give you gold and silver treasures!" As she spoke, she shook her chubby little hand covered in grass clippings.
Niwanzi grabbed a broom and used it as a microphone, then started an impromptu performance while swaying his hips: "Bing'er's beauty is so great that even the Queen Mother of the West would give her a thumbs up! If a lamb wants to wear a flowery dress, even an old ox wants to follow suit and become fashionable!" His exaggerated movements made his teacher's wife laugh until she cried.
The teacher's wife wiped her hands, moved closer, and gently patted Du Xiaobing's clothes: "You silly girl, when you were little you were hugging your doll and saying you wanted ten brothers and sisters, now you complain about the liveliness? Niwan Zigui has a lot of ideas, and Xiao Sizi has a little elf living in his head, but can our family get anything done without your 'clever ideas'?"
Du Xiaobing bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears: "But you..." Niwan Zi suddenly knelt on one knee, grabbed a handful of dust and held it up as if it were a treasure: "Lord Xiaobing! Without your aesthetic appreciation, this dust will always just be dust! But as long as you nod, it can become the gold bricks of the Forbidden City!"
Niwanzi's deliberately grimacing expression made Xiao Sizi giggle, while Xiao Bing remained expressionless, knowing that Xiao Sizi had let out a loud fart. Du Xiaobing finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. "Ah, this makes Xiaobing happy? Then we can do some beatboxing!"
Xiao Bing reached out and tugged at Niwanzi's ear: "Always talking nonsense! It's a deal, I'll only be responsible for looking pretty, you guys will do all the dirty work!" Niwanzi covered her ear and jumped away, giving Xiao Bing a victorious wink. Xiao Sizi immediately cheered and jumped up, startling the ewe next to her who bleated in protest. The commotion, amidst the flying dust and rising and falling laughter, transformed into a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Niwanzi waved the sheepskin map in his hand as if he were holding a martial arts manual, and said with great enthusiasm, "Look! The black soil in the Northeast is so fertile that you could squeeze oil out of it. If we bring our family's farming and animal husbandry methods there, we can definitely create a 'Beidacang Plus version'!" He deliberately emphasized the word "Plus", which made Xiao Sizi clap his hands and laugh.
Du Shiniang smiled, her eyes crinkling into wrinkles, like blooming chrysanthemums: "Oh my little darling! You've traveled so far, how many kilograms of goat milk powder could you buy with that money? Besides, it'll delay the job your master went through so much trouble to find for you!" As she spoke, she stuffed a piece of osmanthus cake into Xiao Sizi's hand.
Little Sizi's cheeks puffed out like a little hamster's, and he mumbled indistinctly, "When Niwan Ziguo goes, Dongbei Bianbian will definitely send him a super-sized ice cream! Maybe even bigger than the city gate tower of Chang'an! I believe Guoguo will definitely be a 'big star in the farming world' in the future, making a fortune!" He gestured exaggeratedly as he spoke, and pastry crumbs fell down in a flurry.
Du Xiaobing took a sip of tea and slowly put down her teacup: "In my opinion, only little kids are dreaming! Who knows, they'll probably freeze into 'walking ice sculptures' and we could just hold a 'Mudball Purple Ice and Snow Exhibition' there, and we could recoup our ticket costs!" She deliberately put on a serious face, but couldn't hide the smile on her lips.
Madam Du nodded repeatedly, took Niwanzi's hand and patted it gently: "Wanzi, listen to your aunt's advice! Staying in Chang'an City and guarding our 'little farm' to earn a steady little money is much better than going to that freezing cold place, isn't it?"
At this moment, Old Du was puffing on his pipe, the embers flickering in and out: "Although I support you in taking this opportunity, the Northeast is seen by outsiders as a 'paradise for the children of nature,' but some also see it as a 'barbaric land.' You must be careful with your words and actions, lest someone find fault with you." His rough hand patted heavily on Niwan's purple shoulder, full of concern.
Niwanzi stood tall, like a stubborn pine tree: "Don't worry! I've already thought it through. When we get there, I'll build an 'ice and snow farmhouse' first, so everyone can learn to farm while enjoying ice cream, and spread our 'turning gold from the soil' skills all over the country!"
His eyes gleamed, as if he could already see the bustling farm in the snowy landscape. Suddenly, Little Sizi jumped to Niwanzi's feet, tilted his little face up, and shouted, "I want to go too! I want to be the 'Ice Cake Guardian'! If anyone steals Guoguo's ice cake, I'll throw snowballs at them!" His innocent words caused laughter to erupt throughout the room, and even the old cat in the corner pricked up its ears, curiously observing the lively group.
The copper bells at the post station jingled loudly in the north wind. Du Shi Niang clutched her mud-purple bundle, tears welling in her eyes: "My little darling! Last time you went to Jiangnan you said you wanted to plant 'luminescent rice,' but you brought back half a sack of pebbles! This time you went to the Northeast..." She sobbed, looking just like an old hen whose tail had been stepped on.
Little Sizi tiptoed and hung a sachet with the crookedly embroidered word "Peace" on Niwanzi's waist: "Don't be afraid, Du Niang! I'm the 'Little War God Who Protects His Brother'! Last time when Niwanzi was chased by wasps, wasn't it because I lured them away with candied hawthorns? This time I brought two big bags of frozen pears. If anyone dares to bully us, we'll smash them with ice cubes!" As he spoke, he raised a gong bigger than his own face and banged it so hard that everyone's ears went numb.
Niwan Zi pulled Xiao Si Zi's tiger-head hat down a bit, winking at his master's wife, "You can rest assured! This time it's with 'royal approval'!" He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, on which he had drawn a granary and a fat pig in a crooked manner. "See this? This is the 'Ice and Snow Ranch 2.0' that Xiao Si Zi and I designed. We'll use sleds to haul milk, fish for fat fish in ice holes, and make a fortune!"
Du Xiaobing suddenly emerged from the crowd and shoved a package of oiled paper into Xiao Sizi's arms: "Eat these frozen persimmon cakes on the way if you get hungry." She rolled her eyes at Niwanzi, "If you freeze my sister into a 'little ice sculpture,' I'll skin you alive to make sheep's bedding when we get back!"
Old Du stuffed a shovel into the mud-covered purple bag, his rough hands patting him on the back: "Don't be afraid if anything happens! Our Du family's shovels can dig the ground and pry open ice!"
Before the words were even finished, Little Si suddenly poked his head out from behind a pillar at the post station, holding up a tree branch and shouting, "All troops, attack! Target—the giant Northeast ice cream!"
The north wind whipped snowflakes against his face, stinging him, but seeing his family's smiling faces red from the cold, Niwanzi suddenly felt that this "expedition," filled with pots and pans and whimsical ideas, was perhaps more meaningful than any fame or fortune. As the lanterns at the post station swayed in the wind and snow, casting a warm yellow glow, Xiao Sizi's gong mingled with everyone's well wishes, creating a lively echo in the icy landscape.