Before the syrup cooled, Jian Mo poured the crushed nut pieces into it, stirring them well before spreading the mixture onto an oiled stone slab.
The next morning, the candy had solidified. Amber-colored sugar encased the crushed nuts, emitting a sweet, nutty aroma that filled the entire house with the unique scent of candy.
Unable to resist, Jian Mo washed a knife and cut off a small piece, savoring it slowly.
The candy was delightfully sweet, with a rich, nutty flavor that was crispy and crunchy. The sweetness and nuttiness melded perfectly, creating a wonderful combination of texture and taste.
After finishing the first piece, Jian Mo couldn’t help but cut another to sample.
As he was enjoying his treat, Wu Jiong’s figure appeared, strolling in from the yard.
Jian Mo’s eyes lit up, and he immediately called out, his voice brimming with excitement. “The candy’s ready! Have you tried it yet?”
“Not yet,” Wu Jiong replied. “How is it?”
Jian Mo cut off a piece, hurried over to him, and held it up. “I think it’s amazing! Try it, and you’ll see!”
Wu Jiong bit into the candy, his expression shifting subtly.
Jian Mo looked at him expectantly. “Well? Is it to your taste?”
“I’ve never had anything like this before,” Wu Jiong said thoughtfully. “It’s unusual but delicious.”
Jian Mo chuckled. “I ate a lot of this kind of thing as a kid. I got tired of it when I grew up and stopped eating it, but I didn’t expect it to taste so good now.”
Still relishing the flavor, Jian Mo cut two more pieces, handing one to Wu Jiong and keeping one for himself. “It really is delicious.”
“It’s made from ingredients I’ve eaten before, but the combination creates a completely different texture and taste,” Wu Jiong remarked.
After eating a few pieces of the nut candy, Jian Mo felt tempted to eat more but held back. He decided to cut the rest into pieces and store them in a jar.
The candy was a little sticky, likely because of the higher moisture content in the mien sugar syrup.
Inspecting it closely, Jian Mo concluded, “This won’t do—we need to toast some flour to prevent sticking.”
“I’ll cut the candy. You toast the flour,” Wu Jiong offered.
Jian Mo handed him the knife with a warning. “Try to cut the candy pieces evenly.”
Wu Jiong nodded.
Jian Mo took out a stone pot, dried it thoroughly, and scooped out two bowls of flour. He toasted the flour over low heat until it turned a pale golden color, releasing a pleasant aroma.
Carrying the toasted flour over, Jian Mo instructed, “Put the cut nut candy in here. Coat it with a layer of flour, and it won’t stick.”
Following his instructions, Wu Jiong added the nut candy to the pot and gently stirred it with chopsticks.
The candy, now coated in a layer of flour, looked like it was dusted with frost, making it even more appealing.
Unable to resist, Jian Mo popped another piece into his mouth. After savoring it, he declared, “This really reminds me of the snacks from my childhood.”
Because of the cold weather, they stored the jar in a ventilated area, where it could likely stay fresh for up to six months.
After putting the jar away, Jian Mo lamented to Wu Jiong, “It’s a shame we have so little mien grass this year. Otherwise, I’d make another batch or two.”
“At the end of the year, after the new mien grass harvest, you can make as much as you like,” Wu Jiong reassured him.
“Let’s hope for a good harvest this year,” Jian Mo said hopefully.
Having nut candy in the house, Jian Mo developed a new post-meal ritual: setting out a plate of nut candy, brewing tea, and sitting with Wu Jiong at the table to eat and chat.
Though Jian Mo didn’t consider himself particularly talkative, he always found plenty to discuss with Wu Jiong. Their vastly different backgrounds meant they had endless stories to share and learn from each other.
Jian Mo was reluctant to share the candy with anyone, but Chirpy wasn’t just any beast. He had to let Chirpy try it.
Each day, Jian Mo gave Chirpy only one piece, encouraging it to savor the treat slowly.
The first time Chirpy tasted it, its eyes widened in disbelief. It would eat the candy, spit it out, then eat it again, only to spit it out once more. “Chirp chirp!”
Seeing this, Jian Mo swiftly grabbed Chirpy’s beak. “No spitting! Don’t play with food!”
Despite its size, Chirpy was quite gentle in nature. Blinking its big eyes, it seemed to notice that Jian Mo, standing on tiptoe to hold its beak, might be getting tired. It lowered its head and crouched a little. “Chirr.”
Satisfied that Chirpy wasn’t about to spit the candy out again, Jian Mo let go and patted its neck. “No more whining. Eat it properly, and you’ll get another piece tomorrow.”
Chirpy tilted its head, as if understanding Jian Mo’s words—or perhaps sensing from his tone and expression that more candy would be forthcoming. Cheerfully, it flapped its wings and let out a loud, “Chirp chirp!”
Jian Mo chuckled and patted its neck again. “Good bird.”
To keep Chirpy happy, Jian Mo gave it a piece of candy every morning.
Over the next few days, Chirpy behaved exceptionally well, even keeping its space remarkably clean. Each morning, Jian Mo would find its straw bedding fresh and tidy, with its nest spotless.
Jian Mo hadn’t expected the nut candy to have such a powerful effect on Chirpy. He began considering making another batch once this one was finished, possibly using honey chunks instead. It would be an excellent way to keep Chirpy content.
Chirpy was an easy beast to care for. It rarely caused trouble, didn’t break things, and hardly ever threw tantrums. It required little effort from Jian Mo and Wu Jiong to manage.
As the weather warmed and food became more abundant outside, Chirpy began hunting on its own, feeding itself halfway and reducing their burden.
One day, after returning from gathering outside, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong went to inspect the crops they had planted.
As they busied themselves in the fields, Chirpy suddenly flew over from a distance, heading straight for the fields.
Spotting it, Jian Mo shouted up at the sky, “Chirpy! Stay away from the crops! Don’t step on them!”
Chirpy, already near, circled in the air before landing further away.
At that moment, Wu Jiong frowned. “Something’s wrong.”
Jian Mo, with poorer eyesight and slower reflexes, was momentarily confused. “What?”
“Chirpy seems to be crying,” Wu Jiong said.
Startled, Jian Mo straightened up and craned his neck to look at Chirpy. “No way.”
Growing concerned, Jian Mo abandoned the crops and ran toward Chirpy.
Chirpy’s body trembled as it sobbed, its large eyes bloodshot and streaming with tears.
Jian Mo had seen cats and dogs cry before, but he never imagined Chirpy could cry too. Heart aching, he patted the beast gently. “What’s wrong? Let me see.”
Wu Jiong examined Chirpy and noted, “There are injuries on its body.”
Following Wu Jiong’s lead, Jian Mo inspected Chirpy and found patches of missing feathers and red, swollen wounds.
One glance at the injuries told Jian Mo they weren’t caused by a fall or by branches. These were inflicted by something—or someone.
“Who bullied you?” Jian Mo murmured as he gently parted Chirpy’s feathers.
As soon as Jian Mo asked the question, Chirpy became even more upset, sobbing so hard that it started hiccupping.
Heart aching, Jian Mo hugged one of Chirpy’s fluffy paws and said, “Hurry and tell us. We’ll have Wu Jiong go teach them a lesson!”
After examining the wounds, Wu Jiong noted, “The claw marks are unfamiliar. It’s hard to tell what injured it.”
Chirpy cried for a while longer before suddenly grabbing the hem of Wu Jiong’s clothes with its beak and tugging him toward itself. “Chirp chirp!”
Jian Mo didn’t understand at first.
Wu Jiong looked down at Chirpy. “Do you want to take me to whoever bullied you?”
“Chirp,” Chirpy replied affirmatively.
Jian Mo immediately added, “I’m coming too.”
Chirpy crouched down, inviting them onto its back.
Once the two were seated securely, Chirpy, still crying, flapped its wings and took off into the air.
Perhaps because of its constant sobbing, its flight was unstable, tilting to one side every so often before it adjusted, still crying.
Seated on Chirpy’s back, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong didn’t know what to say.
Chirpy was clearly so distraught that scolding it now felt inappropriate. They could only wait for it to lead the way.
Chirpy flew for a long time, well into the evening, and they still hadn’t reached their destination.
Jian Mo turned to Wu Jiong behind him. “Is it taking us to the Upper South Canyon?”
“Seems like it,” Wu Jiong replied.
“That’s odd,” Jian Mo mused. “There aren’t any large beasts near the Upper South Canyon.”
Winter in their region was harsh, leaving vegetation barren and food scarce. Herbivores had long since migrated, and predators had followed in search of prey. Wild animals were genuinely rare outside now.
Wu Jiong narrowed his eyes. “It might not be a wild beast.”
Jian Mo was stunned. “Wait, you don’t think it’s a beastman, do you? Who’d be shameless enough to bully a winged beast?”
“It’s possible,” Wu Jiong said. “They probably didn’t expect Chirpy to come back and tattle.”
Jian Mo was speechless. “That’s… a thing?”
As darkness fell, Chirpy flapped its wings harder, speeding up its flight.
After a while, Jian Mo spotted the Upper South Canyon below.
The canyon was still a sea of flowers, with the pink pipe blossoms not yet withered. Amidst the floral expanse, a massive white bear lounged on its back, legs crossed in leisure.
The bear looked entirely at ease, nibbling on something as it lazed in the flowers.
Just as Jian Mo was about to get a closer look, the white bear pulled the object from its mouth, scooped up a pawful of pink pipe blossoms, stuffed them into its mouth, and resumed chewing. Once done, it shoved the previous object back into its mouth.
Perhaps because the blossoms had a mildly intoxicating effect, the white bear seemed slow to react, lazily chewing with half-closed eyes. It didn’t even notice their arrival.
Jian Mo, however, saw it clearly—the item the bear kept taking out and putting back in its mouth was one of the nut candies they had made.
Wu Jiong, seated behind Jian Mo on Chirpy’s back, asked, “Someone from the Ice River Tribe?”
Hearing the commotion, the white bear abruptly sat up, its relatively small eyes blinking in shock at the sight overhead.
Wu Jiong confirmed his suspicion and called out, “What is someone from the Ice River Tribe doing here?”
The Upper South Canyon was located between the He’an Tribe and the Dianxin Tribe, with part of it connecting to the Mengshui Tribe. It had no relation to the Ice River Tribe.
The white bear jolted upright and sat up straight. “Chief Wu Jiong?”
Wu Jiong patted Chirpy, signaling it to land, and scrutinized the massive bear. “Did you steal the winged beast’s candy?”
The white bear stammered, “I-I-I… It—how was I supposed to know?”
“Didn’t know?” Wu Jiong retorted. “There’s no such thing as wild nut candy out here. So, tell me—do we settle this with a fight or compensation?”
The white bear gulped audibly, forcing down the candy in its mouth. Its eyes darted around nervously, avoiding Wu Jiong and Jian Mo altogether.
With its guardians backing it up, Chirpy could no longer hold back. Bouncing excitedly behind them, it let out a loud, indignant cry: “Chirp roooar!”
It was clearly accusing the bear of stealing its candy.
Hearing Chirpy’s cries, the white bear turned to glare at it angrily.
Jian Mo, seeing this, could no longer hold back. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue.
Wu Jiong didn’t waste time. He shed his beast hide robe and transformed into a massive white wolf, lunging straight at the bear.
Despite being in its prime and larger than the wolf, the white bear underestimated its opponent’s combat prowess. The wolf evaded its swinging paws with ease, attacking with precise kicks and savage bites.
Within just a few exchanges, the bear was bleeding from wounds on its head, red streaks staining its white fur.
The wolf, meanwhile, was unscathed save for its fangs, now coated in bear blood. Its attacks only grew faster and more relentless.
The white bear howled in pain.
Meanwhile, Chirpy bounced happily behind Jian Mo, thrilled to see justice being served. “Chirp chirp chirp!”
Jian Mo turned to look at it. “Stop bouncing.”
Chirpy hesitated, hopping twice more before crouching down to cheer verbally instead. “Chirp chirp!”
Before long, the bear could no longer endure. Covering its head with its paws, it tried to flee. “Aaah! Stop! I’ll leave! I’ll leave!”
The white wolf fixed it with a cold, piercing gaze. “You trespass on our territory, bully our pet, and think you can just leave?”
The bear, shielding its head with one paw, ran desperately while yelling, “W-what else do you want? You’ve already beaten me up! And I didn’t even bully it that much. I just scared it off a little!”
“And stole its candy?” the wolf asked.
“It was eating my pink pipe blossoms first!” the bear shot back.
Chirpy, initially confused, seemed to catch on after seeing the bear’s accusatory look. It began hopping again in defiance. “Chirp chirp chirp!”
Jian Mo translated, “Chirpy says it’s too timid to steal your pink pipe blossoms.”
Whether Chirpy understood the comment was unclear, but it clearly approved of Jian Mo standing up for it. “Chirp chirp!”
The wolf growled, “This is He’an Tribe’s territory. A bear from the Ice River Tribe claiming our pet stole your blossoms?”
Defeated, the bear slumped to the ground, covering its head and sticking its rear in the air. “What do you want from me?”
“Compensation,” the wolf demanded. “For the winged beast’s candy.”
The bear whimpered, “You might as well kill me. I don’t have any left.”
The wolf narrowed its eyes and bit the bear again.
The bear yelped. “Alright, alright! I’ll compensate! How about a bag of candy?”
“And an apology.”
The bear sighed, “Fine. I shouldn’t have come into your territory, and I shouldn’t have taken the candy!”
“It wasn’t ours. You stole from the winged beast.”
The bear finally understood and groaned, “Let me go, and I’ll apologize to the winged beast.”
The wolf stepped back, letting it go.
The bear climbed up slowly, trudged over to Chirpy, and mumbled, “Sorry. I won’t take your stuff again.”
Chirpy flinched, still a little afraid.
The wolf stepped closer and swiped the bear again. “Next time, have some pride. Don’t steal from a winged beast.”
The bear, thoroughly disheartened, muttered, “Who’d have thought you’d travel so far to avenge it?”
Ignoring him, the wolf transformed back into Wu Jiong and put on his robe.
The bear also returned to its human form—a stocky, youthful-looking boy with traces of innocence still on his face. Too embarrassed to argue further, he apologized again. “I’m sorry. The candy looked so good I couldn’t resist. It won’t happen again.”
Wu Jiong warned, “Make sure the compensation candy is delivered to He’an Tribe in the next few days.”
The boy nodded. “Got it. I’m Mu Chu from the Ice River Tribe. I won’t run off.”
Satisfied with his apology, Jian Mo said, “Alright. You can leave now.”
Mu Chu hesitated for a moment before speaking softly. “I ate too many pink pipe blossoms today and got a bit drunk. This was my fault. I hope it won’t affect the friendship between our tribes.”
Wu Jiong dismissed him curtly. “You’re not important enough to represent your tribe.”
Relieved, Mu Chu hurriedly turned and ran.
Watching him flee, Chirpy puffed up proudly, bouncing in place. “Chirp chirp!”
The ground trembled slightly under its weight. Jian Mo couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be exasperated. In the end, he patted Chirpy’s leg. “Good job. Keep it up.”
For a beast to come home and report being bullied was pretty commendable.
Seeing Chirpy’s happiness, Jian Mo added, “When we get the compensation candy, I’ll make you more treats with it.”
Poor Chirpy!!! I’m sorry bud QAQ