The study had undergone some renovations after the chief examiner had been ambushed there a few times, so he had to improve the security.
The renovated study was now much safer.
Normally, the little one did his homework in the study and asked the chief examiner for help with things he didn’t understand.
Today, with his head down, the little one was seriously writing something.
He hadn’t finished when Ah Wu came looking for him.
“Little one, what are you writing?”
Ah Wu walked over with a hint of confusion in his voice. “Didn’t you already finish your homework?”
“I’m writing something else.”
The little one looked up at Ah Wu and asked, “Have you finished your work?”
“Yes, I have.”
Ah Wu stepped forward and looked at what the little one was writing.
He stared at the paper for a long time but couldn’t make sense of it.
“What are you writing this for?”
Even though Ah Wu couldn’t understand, the little one did. He explained earnestly, “I’m helping the Big Boss find a friend.”
The Big Boss was always so solitary, but in truth, he and Uncle Lian could become great friends.
Uncle Lian always said he didn’t like the Big Boss, but the little one wasn’t fooled by such words.
In his heart, the little one proudly thought, Kids are smart!
The clever little one continued writing the letter, which was addressed to the Big Boss.
Ah Wu, though he couldn’t understand what the little one was writing, stayed by his side quietly as he wrote.
They both cherished these final moments at Guan Shan Academy.
It wasn’t clear how much time had passed.
The little one finished his first letter. He blew on the paper to help the ink dry faster.
“Alright.”
The little one carefully placed the letter where the Big Boss would find it when he came to read.
“Ah Wu, we can go now.”
The little one had been busy all day, and although Ah Wu had been by his side the whole time, they hadn’t had a chance to play together.
Now, the little one came out from behind the desk, took Ah Wu’s hand, and went outside to play.
While the chief examiner was reading inside, the two little ones went to the clearing behind the house, transformed back into their animal forms, and started playing around.
“Awoooo—”
In the quiet of the night, a soft howl pierced the air.
The little white fluffball pounced onto a much larger fluffball. He tried his hardest to pin the big one down, but no matter how much effort he put in, it was to no avail.
The big and little fluffballs played around for a long time. The more the little one played, the more reluctant he became: “Ah Wu, I’m going home soon, and I won’t be able to see you.”
Once he went home, he wouldn’t be able to play with Ah Wu as often.
“The teacher said we’re just taking a long break. We’ll come back to class.”
Ah Wu lowered his head and nuzzled the little one’s head gently.
He comforted the suddenly sad little fluffball, promising, “I’ll find time to visit you. Be good at home.”
The place where they were playing was remote, but only to others. For the chief examiner, it was right behind his house.
The chief examiner had just opened the window to read his book when the howling from behind the house reached his ears.
He could instantly recognize the little one’s howl.
His mouth twitched. The little one wasn’t as big as Ah Wu, and even his howl lacked any real force.
The two fluffballs’ howling was disturbing his reading.
Just as he was about to get up to close the window, his eyes caught sight of a piece of paper—a letter that had been left open.
He paused for a moment, then sat back down and picked up the letter with his long, elegant fingers to take a look.
As he read, his previously relaxed expression gradually changed.
Behind the house, the little fluffball was still howling.
The chief examiner clenched the letter in his hand and stood up abruptly. He opened the window facing the back of the house and called out in a deep voice, “Little Seven, come back.”
The little one had already anticipated that the Big Boss would call for him, so he let out one more howl and then climbed onto Ah Wu’s head, letting Ah Wu carry him back.
It wasn’t far, and the little one could easily have walked back on his own.
But he insisted on riding on Ah Wu’s head, and Ah Wu indulged him, carrying him back in a few big strides.
Ah Wu rarely transformed in front of the chief examiner, who was always intrigued by his true form. But now, as he carried the little one back in this form, the chief examiner didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he simply reached out and lifted the little fluffball off Ah Wu’s head.
“Awoo.”
The little fluffball, now in the chief examiner’s arms, grasped his hand tightly.
The chief examiner carried him back into the study and pointed to the slightly wrinkled paper.
“Did you write this?”
The little one nodded, “Chirp, awooo.”
Yes, it was written by Zai Zai.
The chief examiner was silent for a moment, then asked, “The contents of the letter—did you make them up, or…”
“Chirp, chirp.”
It wasn’t made up.
The little one chirped seriously; everything was something Uncle Lian Qing had said.
Sometimes, what Uncle Lian Qing said was the opposite of what he really thought.
The little one had written down some of what Uncle Lian Qing truly meant in his heart.
In the past, the chief examiner could usually guess the general meaning of the little one’s chirps.
But this time, whether he couldn’t guess or simply didn’t want to, he tapped the little one’s head with his long fingers and urged softly, “Change back and talk.”
“Chirp!”
The little one shifted back to his human form, and before the chief examiner could ask anything, he started babbling, “It wasn’t made up! It was what Uncle Lian said. I talked to Uncle Lian at night, many times!”
The chief examiner wanted to ask what exactly they had talked about.
But the little one quickly covered his mouth, shaking his head like a drum and staring with wide eyes. In a small voice, he said, “I have to keep it a secret.”
The chief examiner: “?”
He looked at the letter, then at the little one who was determined to keep his mouth shut. Calm and composed as he usually was, this time, he had to admit—this little one was something else.
He was indeed keeping a secret.
But he had written down the secret he was supposed to keep quiet.
The chief examiner was silent for a long time before he finally spoke again, “Alright, since you’re keeping your secret, I won’t make you say anything.”
He placed the little one on the chair behind the desk, handing him some paper and a pen.
“Now, write down the answers to the questions I ask.”
“Okay!”
The little one grabbed the pen and nodded.
“How long have you known Lian Qing?”
“A long, long time!”
This question didn’t need to be kept secret, so the little one blinked and answered directly, “Uncle Lian was sitting in a tree, he saw me, and he called out to me.”
“He even ate the noodles I packed.”
The chief examiner: “…”
The chief examiner pressed his thin lips together and continued, “Why did you and Lian Qing talk about me?”
The little one hesitated for a moment but eventually answered, “Uncle Lian brought it up. He said he had a friend.”
“I guessed it was you, and Uncle Lian blushed.”
“He blushed?”
“Yup!”
The little one only mentioned the blushing but didn’t say that Uncle Lian had blushed out of embarrassment and anger.
“He thinks I dislike him?”
For this question, the little one lowered his head and started writing in his notebook.
“Yes, Uncle said you didn’t like him, so he pretends to dislike you. But actually, Uncle doesn’t dislike you. He thinks you’re amazing.”
“He said you’re the best student, really awesome.”
The chief examiner asked with his mouth, and the little one answered with his pen.
Meanwhile, Ah Wu had been sent outside the study and wasn’t allowed to listen in.
The study door stayed closed for a long time.
Eventually, the little one was so tired that his small hands couldn’t hold the pen anymore. He sniffed and said he couldn’t write anymore.
The Big Boss had asked a lot of repetitive questions, things he had already written about, but the Big Boss kept asking.
In the end, the little one went on strike.
He changed back into his animal form and flopped onto the desk like a little white pancake, lying there limply.
“Chirp.”
The little one was too tired to write.
After chirping, he shakily extended his little paw to show the chief examiner.
The chief examiner looked at the tiny paw and gently squeezed it.
“Alright, I won’t make you write anymore.”
He picked up the exhausted little one and held him in his arms. The emotions that had briefly surfaced were quickly hidden away again.
He carried the little one to the bathroom and personally gave him a bath.
Afterward, he returned the little one to his room and even said, “You can have a drink tomorrow.”
The little one: “!”
His eyes instantly lit up.
The next day, the little one did indeed get a cold, sweet fizzy drink.
He drank the entire bottle, then patted his now round belly, satisfied, and let out a small burp.
So helping the Big Boss make a friend meant he could get a drink!
At first, the little one just wanted the Big Boss to have a friend so he wouldn’t be lonely.
Now, the little one had a new goal—if the Big Boss and Uncle Lian could become friends quickly, maybe he could get even more drinks!
With that thought, the little one felt completely energized.
After passing along the message to the Big Boss, he put in some effort with Lian Qing too.
“Uncle Lian, the Big Boss doesn’t talk to me at night. He didn’t make me keep anything secret, so I can tell you!”
“Go ahead.”
Lian Qing was indeed curious, urging the little one to speak quickly.
Of course, the little one shared good things.
“The Big Boss cares about you too! He doesn’t feel like you’re a burden.”
The little one wasn’t making it up; these were things the Big Boss had accidentally revealed in conversation.
He had polished up the words a bit before telling Lian Qing.
As the little one ran back and forth between the two, Ah Wu eventually figured out what he was doing.
After realizing it, Ah Wu, as usual, offered a bit of advice.
His little one was working so hard just to help the Big Boss make a friend. In his heart, Ah Wu thought—
With that kind of personality, the Big Boss deserved to have no friends.
Ah Wu disapproved of the Big Boss’s attitude, not realizing that his own personality wasn’t much better.
Without the little one, he too might have been a lonely creature living out his days alone.
“We’re living with the Big Boss now, but once we leave, the Big Boss will probably have trouble adjusting.”
The little one patted Ah Wu’s big head and said, “If no one is around to keep the Big Boss company, he’ll definitely miss us a lot.”
Ah Wu: “…”
Ah Wu: “Not necessarily.”
Looking at the Big Boss, he thought that even if they left, the Big Boss might not miss them. The Big Boss might actually enjoy the peace and quiet.
“Definitely,” the little one said confidently. “The Big Boss will definitely miss us.”
Ah Wu didn’t want to argue on this topic, so he just gave a non-committal “hmm” in agreement.
They moved past this subject, and the little one continued delivering messages between them as usual. Besides being a messenger, the little one, along with the other children who sometimes cried together, was also preparing farewell gifts for the teachers.
The teachers had taught them with great care, and since they didn’t know when they would next return for lessons, they wanted to make the teachers happy before leaving.
The children huddled together, chatting and coming up with ideas.
Ah Wu was there too, but he didn’t have any ideas.
“Qin Wu, have you noticed? Among the students in our group, Little Seven has unknowingly become the leader.”
He was the leader, the core. Almost all the other kids revolved around him.
Ah Wu gave a faint “hmm.”
He responded to any praise about his little one’s talents.
Zhai Bai chuckled. “Before coming here, I thought I would take the position of leader.”
When he arrived, he had intentions of dominating the other students. Now, those plans were long gone.
And the little one who had disrupted his plans? He didn’t feel any resentment towards him.
The children chattered for a long time, and eventually, they wrote down all their ideas, planning to list them for a vote.
Ah Wu didn’t care to vote. He walked over and asked the little one, “Which one are you choosing?”
The little one: “…”
The little one looked at him. “Ah Wu, pick for yourself!”
There was no need to ask him for this.
Since the little one didn’t offer any input, Ah Wu randomly chose one.
That day, they finalized the gifts for the teachers. They also made a pact to keep it a secret from the teachers—it was meant to be a surprise.
Time passed bit by bit.
The day of their departure drew closer.
Thanks to the little one’s efforts, the chief examiner and Lian Qing met. Their first meeting didn’t go so well.
Afterward, when Lian Qing returned, he talked about it with the little one, his usually smiling, round face now filled with suspicion.
“Why do I feel like he still hates me?”
“He doesn’t hate you!” The little one puffed out his chest, confidently assuring that the Big Boss didn’t dislike him.
Lian Qing was still skeptical.
They met a few more times after that. Sometimes their interactions went well, other times not so much.
The little one acted as a mediator between them, and it was fairly effective.
Meanwhile, the gifts for the teachers were almost ready.
The teachers had taught them how to earn a living. If they ever found themselves struggling at home, learning a trade would help them survive.
The teachers cared for them deeply, and for some of the kids, they were like second parents.
So when preparing the gifts, the children spared no expense, wanting to show their gratitude.
Before leaving, the little one had a tearful farewell with his classmates, then cried some more in Ah Wu’s arms, and finally shed tears in front of both the chief examiner and Lian Qing.
As he cried, the chief examiner fed him water, saying, “Drink more, to replenish your fluids.”
At this rate, the little one might dehydrate from crying.
Obediently, the little one gulped down water, then continued crying, his face turned up. “I don’t want to leave!”
The chief examiner knelt in front of him, using his long fingers to wipe away the tears on his cheeks. His tone was calm as he said, “It’s not like you can’t come back. You’re crying as if I’m the one being sent away.”
The little one: “…”
The little one grabbed his hand and continued to sob loudly.
After the crying was done, his luggage was packed. Now he was just preparing the final gift for the teachers.
On the morning of their departure, the little one woke up in Ah Wu’s arms. He stayed close to Ah Wu for a while before getting dressed with him.
“Ah Wu, we’re going to make a heartfelt meal for the teachers. Each of us has to make a dish.”
The teachers had taught them for so long, so today, they were going to take care of the teachers from head to toe!
“I’m going to make scrambled eggs for the teacher. Have you decided on your dish, Ah Wu?”
“Yes.”
Ah Wu had chosen boiled vegetables. Tossing the veggies into water, boiling them, and adding some salt was all it took.
The children busied themselves with cooking, and by noon, they had prepared a full table of dishes, inviting the teachers to come and eat.
The teachers arrived as promised.
They looked at the full plates of food, then at the children, messy from cooking, and were immediately touched.
Even though the dishes didn’t look very appetizing, seeing how hard the children had worked, they silently vowed—
No matter how unappetizing the food was, they would eat it all, not wanting to waste the kids’ efforts.
Before the meal, the teachers were moved to tears.
After the meal, their faces turned green.
They gritted their teeth and sampled each dish. Afterward, they couldn’t bring themselves to make the children taste their own food.
“You’ve all done wonderfully, but since this was made for us, there’s no need for you to eat it,” the teachers said kindly. Despite their faces turning green from the food, they didn’t let the little ones, who had worked hard and now had smudged faces, taste the meal.
After cooking the heartfelt meal, the children also spent money to have clothes made for the teachers.
The children’s sense of fashion was quite different from that of the adults, so the clothes they gave were colorful and vibrant. In their eyes, these clothes were the most beautiful.
There was the heartfelt meal, the colorful clothes, and letters written to the teachers.
At the very end, as night fell, the children took out the fireworks they had secretly prepared.
The fireworks exploded in the sky, and the children gathered around, shouting in unison to the teachers, “Thank you!”
The teachers, still nursing stomachaches from the afternoon, were moved once again.
However, in the next moment, a stray spark from the falling fireworks landed somewhere and, by sheer bad luck, set something on fire.
The fire spread quickly, but fortunately, the area where the fireworks were set off was remote, so not many houses were at risk.
Unfortunately, Lian Qing’s house was in that remote area.
Lian Qing, who had been relaxing at home, was in the middle of a bath when his house caught fire.
The children and teachers, shocked by the source of the fire, all rushed over to put it out.
In the end, both the children and the teachers were left with soot-covered faces.
Lian Qing was unharmed, but his house was gone.
He stumbled out, wrapped in a bathrobe, still confused. “What happened?! Who set my house on fire?!”
Feeling guilty and remorseful, the little one in the group glanced at Lian Qing and eventually timidly approached him, saying, “Uncle Lian, I… I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean to do it.”
Earlier, Dun Dun, who had been in charge of setting off the fireworks, was so nervous that he set them off at an angle, causing the fireworks to explode out of control.
The little one looked at Uncle Lian, wrapped in his bathrobe, and felt even more guilty.
He grabbed Lian Qing’s hand, his little brain working hard, and said, “Uncle Lian, I’m about to leave. You… you can sleep in my room for now.”
He was referring to his room at the chief examiner’s house.
“My room is really nice. You should stay there. I’ll talk to the Big Boss about it.”
Lian Qing: “…”
Before Lian Qing could respond, the chief examiner was already walking toward them from a distance.
On the night before the little one’s departure, he managed to arrange for Lian Qing to stay at the chief examiner’s place.
These children were just too much. In the end, the teachers couldn’t bear it anymore and personally packed them all onto the carriage.
“Go on, go on, you can come back another time.”
The teachers waved their hands, urging the children to leave in the carriage.
The group of kids got on the carriage, then ran off it again, finally hugging each other and saying their goodbyes.
The children were all tearful.
The little one cried the hardest. As he thought about his friends’ uncertain futures, he tearfully reminded them one last time, “You all… you all must not die!”
The children: “…”
The children sobbed, “We won’t die!”
