nashuaworldcup Chapter 12, First Friend
Chapter 12, First Friend
As they emerged from the woods, a cold wind howled and swept over them, whipping their hair and the corners of their clothes.
Huang Ziqi hugged the bag of pine cones tightly, following behind Xu Xiaoxiao, her little face red from the cold.
As they walked, Xu Xiaoxiao suddenly stopped, turned to look at Huang Ziqi, and said with a sly look in her eyes, "Ziqi, do you dare to race me and see who gets to that big tree first?"
Huang Ziqi's eyes lit up, and he accepted the challenge without hesitation: "Okay, I definitely won't lose!" After saying that, the two of them rushed out like arrows, leaving a series of deep and shallow footprints on the snow.
Huang Ziqi, with his short legs, tried his best to catch up with Xu Xiaoxiao, while Xu Xiaoxiao deliberately slowed down, making the race full of fun and laughter.
Before long, they ran to the big tree. Both of them were panting, but they were laughing heartily. Xu Xiaoxiao leaned against the tree trunk and took a breath, saying, "Let's come back here to play after the snow stops. Maybe we can find more fun things." Thinking that she had nothing else to do besides cultivation recently, she wanted to have some fun in this extreme city.
Huang Ziqi nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with anticipation for their next gathering.
Xu Xiaoxiao brought Huang Ziqi to the house she rented with her master. "Master, I'm back." Her voice was heard before she even arrived.
Li Changchun was brewing tea by the stove under the eaves when he saw Xu Xiaoxiao return. He quickly called her over to warm herself by the fire, saying, "Xiaoxiao, come over here to warm yourself by the fire and have some hot tea. Don't catch a cold."
He poured Xu Xiaoxiao a steaming cup of tea and placed it in front of her. Only after looking at it did he notice Huang Ziqi behind Xu Xiaoxiao. "Xiaoxiao, did you make any friends while you were out? Come on, sit down and warm yourselves by the fire."
Huang Ziqi was a little reserved. When he heard the word "friend," he looked at Xu Xiaoxiao cautiously, afraid that she would object. He didn't have any friends, but if possible, he would like to be friends with this girl named Xiaoxiao.
“Yes, Master, his name is Ziqi. Ziqi, please come and sit down.” Xu Xiaoxiao patted the stool next to her, gesturing for him to sit down.
Huang Ziqi received Xu Xiaoxiao's invitation and slowly moved forward, gently sitting on the edge of the stool, his hands resting awkwardly on his knees.
Li Changchun smiled and looked Huang Ziqi up and down, then asked gently, "Where are you from, Ziqi? How come you're with Xiaoxiao?"
Huang Ziqi raised her head slightly, glanced at Xu Xiaoxiao, and saw her nod encouragingly before answering softly, "I live nearby. I was bullied in the woods just now, and it was Sister Xiaoxiao who helped me."
Li Changchun suddenly realized and exclaimed, "Xiaoxiao did the right thing. Friends should help each other."
Then, he warmly poured Huang Ziqi a cup of tea and handed it to him.
Huang Zizi quickly stood up, accepted the gift with both hands, and said respectfully, "Thank you."
Xu Xiaoxiao picked up a baked pastry from the side and handed it to Huang Ziqi: "Ziqi, try this, it's delicious."
Huang Ziqi hesitated for a moment, but still took it and took a bite. The sweetness of the pastry spread in his mouth, gradually relaxing his tense expression.
The three sat together, the firelight reflecting on their faces, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. Laughter and cheerful conversation gradually filled the air under the eaves.
After the two of them warmed up, Xu Xiaoxiao led him to the hall and poured out the pine cones and branches she had collected. "Ziqi, now I'll teach you how to make pine cone decorations for your house."
In the hall, Xu Xiaoxiao sorted and arranged the pine nuts and branches on the ground, and began to patiently explain to Huang Ziqi: "Look, this plump pine nut can be strung together with red thread to make a beautiful ornament."
As she spoke, she picked up a needle and red thread and skillfully demonstrated, her slender fingers moving nimbly through the needle.
Huang Ziqi watched intently, his eyes never blinking, afraid of missing any step.
Next, Xu Xiaoxiao picked up a twig. "We can stick small pine cones on the twig, like this..." she said as she used the glue she had prepared to stick the pine cones one by one. In no time, a beautiful pine cone twig was completed.
Huang Ziqi was eager to try, so he picked up the materials and started working on them, just like Xu Xiaoxiao.
At first, his hands were a bit clumsy; he would either wind the thread incorrectly or stick the pine cone crookedly. But he didn't get discouraged, and he didn't even bother to wipe the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.
Xu Xiaoxiao gently encouraged her from the side: "Ziqi, don't rush, you did a great job, it's already very good for your first time."
Under Xu Xiaoxiao's guidance, Huang Ziqi gradually mastered the skills and made several decent pine nut ornaments. Looking at his work, he had a happy and proud smile on his face.
Li Changchun looked out the window and saw the two children playing happily. At this moment, Xu Xiaoxiao was behaving like a child, which made him feel very gratified.
Li Changchun gently pushed open the door and walked into the hall somewhat awkwardly, looking at the two children with a smile on his face.
“These ornaments are so beautifully made. Why don’t we hang them up and add some novelty to our house?”
Xu Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Great! Great!"
Huang Ziqi nodded in agreement.
So the three of them worked together to hang the pine nut ornaments by the window and the door curtain. Sunlight shone through the window onto the ornaments, making them sparkle, and the whole room was instantly filled with a unique warmth and vitality.
Xu Xiaoxiao stood in the center of the room, looking left and right, excitedly twirling around, her skirt fluttering. Huang Ziqi watched her from the side and also started to giggle.
Afterwards, Li Changchun took out some snacks and fruits and placed them on the table, saying, "You've been busy all day and must be tired. Come and have something to eat."
Xu Xiaoxiao grabbed Huang Ziqi's hand, ran to the table, picked up a pastry and stuffed it into her mouth. Her cheeks were bulging, and she said indistinctly, "Master, this is so delicious."
Huang Ziqi ate slowly, her eyes filled with happiness and satisfaction. At this moment, the laughter and joy in the room seemed to completely dispel the cold winter day.
Seeing that it was almost time, and fearing that Huang Ziqi's family would worry about him, they packed up his pine nut ornaments and told him to take them back with him.
"Ziqi, it's getting late, you should go back, otherwise your family will worry about you," Xu Xiaoxiao urged, seeing Huang Ziqi's reluctant gaze. "You live nearby, right? If you want to visit me, you can come over anytime."
Huang Ziqi hugged the bag containing pine nut ornaments tightly, nodded, but remained standing still, her eyes full of reluctance.
After a moment, he seemed to have mustered up a great deal of courage and said, "Sister Xiaoxiao, I'll go back now. I'll come find you again tomorrow."
Xu smiled and agreed, then saw him to the door.
Huang Ziqi walked slowly along the snow-covered path, glancing back every few steps. He saw Xu Xiaoxiao still waving to him from the doorway. He felt a mix of sadness at parting and anticipation for their next meeting.
After his figure gradually disappeared at the end of the path, Xu Xiaoxiao turned around and went back into the house. She began to organize the tools and leftover materials used today.
"Xiaoxiao, you should make more friends. You looked great today. Your master hopes you're happy every day and doesn't want to see you acting too mature for your age," Li Changchun said with a smile, stroking his beard.
“Master, that’s called maturity,” Xu Xiaoxiao argued, but then admitted that she was an adult at heart and that she was indeed a bit too mature in her words and actions.
When Huang Ziqi returned home, he was still met with the indifference and neglect of his family, but he felt a warm comfort in his heart. He carefully placed the pine nut ornaments in his simple room and looked at the little things he had made by hand. He secretly looked forward to his reunion with Xu Xiaoxiao the next day. It was as if he had finally found a bright spot in this cold mansion.
At night, Xu Xiaoxiao lay in bed, gazing at the bright moon outside the window, her thoughts drifting.
Today's encounter and time spent with Huang Ziqi reminded her of her past loneliness and longing to be accepted.
She knew all too well how precious a pure friendship was in such a complex world.