Sheng Yuxiao's birthday party was far from the grand affair it would have been in Hua Country; it was more like a family gathering.
However, Sheng Yuxiao himself was quite satisfied with it.
He made a wish, blew out the candles, and his father, Sheng Jun, helped him cut the cake.
Xu Qiulai, standing nearby, asked her younger brother, "What are you looking at?"
Xu Ji didn't even respond, his gaze still fixed on the lump of "mud."
After a while, Xu Qiulai heard him say in a gloomy tone, "It's really hard to compliment it with a straight face."
Xu Qiulai: "……"
"Looks like I won't be getting a gift from Xiao Ya this time."
Xu Qiulai rolled her eyes.
The birthday party didn't last long. After it ended, everyone went their separate ways to attend to their own matters.
As Xu Ji was leaving, he couldn't help but lean against the doorframe and point at the "mud," asking, "Did you dig this up from the garden downstairs?"
"It's clay bought from a store, mixed with cotton fibers, and then shaped," came the reply.
"You mean this thing actually cost money?"
"Not only did it cost money, but it also cost Xiao Ya a lot of effort."
"Effort? Isn't it just a lump of clay?"
"Uncle, Xiao Ya is watching you."
"……" "So what exactly is this supposed to be?"
Sheng Yuxiao's eyes sparkled as he answered, "Xiao Ya's little duck."
Xu Ji was silent for a moment before saying, "The idea is good, but if I look closely, I can only vaguely make out a duck's rear end..."
Before he could finish, his nephew had already closed the door, brushing past his nose.
Xu Ji sighed again, "Looks like I won't be getting a gift."
Then he left with his assistant.
Xiao Ya stayed with Sheng Yuxiao for an extra day.
During that time, she received a call from Ke Muning.
The man on the other end first asked if she had eaten, how she was sleeping... and finally, "When will you come back?"
Xiao Ya asked him, "Ke Muning, do you miss me?"
Ke Muning was silent for a moment before answering, "Not really, you don't have to rush back."
Xiao Ya was also silent for a moment before asking, "Ke Muning, is my homework still unfinished?"
"……Almost done."
"I'll be back tomorrow."
There was a sudden flurry of background noise on the other end, and then the call was disconnected.
Xiao Ya stared at the disconnected phone for half a minute.
It seemed Ke Muning wasn't much help...
*
The next day, when Xiao Ya left, Green also brought a few people to see her off.
With a barely recognizable accent, he spoke in Hua Country language, "Miss Li, until we meet again."
As if he had just learned it the night before.
"Until we meet again," Xiao Ya smiled and tilted her head, then turned to look at Sheng Yuxiao.
Sheng Yuxiao looked cold and silent.
"I'm leaving," Xiao Ya said to him.
Sheng Yuxiao still bought her a new backpack. He bent down to put it in the car, his eyes lowered as he said, "If you were to go to elementary school here..."
Before Xiao Ya could respond, Sheng Yuxiao continued, "No, you need to stay with Old Mr. Zhang."
After Old Master Wei passed away, Xiao Ya dared not leave Old Mr. Zhang's side easily. Each day seemed particularly precious.
"Go, bye," Sheng Yuxiao said softly.
Xiao Ya leaned against the car window, trying to comfort him, "A few years will pass in a flash, it'll be quick."
"Yeah, quick," he replied.
He watched as Xiao Ya's car drove away, then turned back to the apartment.
Green and the others wanted to talk to him but hurried after him.
Sheng Yuxiao opened the door, walked to the sofa, picked up the small dinosaur headgear, and placed it on the display cabinet.
"Sheng..." Green began.
He thought the headgear was quite cute.
Should he buy a few too? Maybe Sheng would be friendlier if he saw the dinosaur.
Green's plan was shattered that very day.
Sheng Yuxiao coldly told them, "I hate people wearing the same headgear in front of me."
Green couldn't figure out why...
Back in the Upper East Side, Xiao Ya sneezed. Who was thinking about her?
She shook her head and pushed open the door to the villa.
The living room was cluttered with various craft materials.
"Ke Muning?" she called softly.
The man sitting on the carpet looked up, his eyes bloodshot.
"It's done," he said hoarsely.
The bodyguards were stunned. Ke Muning actually did it?
Ke Muning closed the homework notebook, waved his hand, and had it brought up.
Five muscular, tall subordinates carried in a handcrafted Earth—
If it could still be called that.
Xiao Ya touched her head, "It's bigger than my eight heads combined."
Ke Muning loved her evaluation and quickly asked, "How is it? It won't embarrass you when you hand it in."
Xiao Ya stepped closer.
The large handcrafted Earth was covered in maps.
She crouched down and touched the base. It was cold to the touch, made of marble.
Xiao Ya had to ask seriously, "How much does it weigh?"
"Call a truck to weigh it," Ke Muning instructed his subordinates.
Half an hour later, Xiao Ya got a weight of 163kg.
Ke Muning pointed and said, "A very heavy-duty piece."
The kids would definitely be impressed.
Xiao Ya sighed.
It was indeed heavy-duty.
So heavy that her backpack couldn't carry it.
Ke Muning didn't notice the child's distress. He approached the handcrafted Earth, placed his hand on top, and said, "There's a little mechanism."
Xiao Ya had to look up.
The handcrafted Earth was taller than her.
There was a soft click, and the mechanism activated.
The Earth suddenly split open, revealing a machine gun inside.
Xiao Ya: ?
Ke Muning asked, "Isn't it interesting?"
Xiao Ya didn't want to hurt Ke Muning, so she nodded seriously but reminded him, "But it won't pass customs."
The consultant Ke Muning had specially invited quickly said, "I told you this wouldn't work..."
Xiao Ya immediately tugged at Ke Muning's sleeve and comforted, "But at least I saw it, and I really like it."
Ke Muning immediately turned to the consultant, "Did you hear that?"
The consultant was stunned.
Ke Muning said, "That's the meaning."
He then picked up Xiao Ya and asked, "Do you want to sit inside to see it more closely?"
Xiao Ya replied, "Yes."
Ke Muning then glanced at the consultant again.
Was that... a sign of pride? The consultant wondered.
Xiao Ya was placed inside the "Earth," and Ke Muning taught her, "This is how you load the machine gun, and this is how you trigger it..."
After teaching, Ke Muning finally ordered, "Alright, dismantle it."
Xiao Ya eventually returned to Hua Country with just the "Homework" notebook.
The content was written, or more accurately, drawn, by Ke Muning.
He couldn't write Hua Country characters, only draw.
*
Another new day at school.
It was time to hand in the handcrafted assignments. The teacher asked, "Zhang Ruoshui, where's yours?"
Xiao Ya looked at her phone's time and said, "Just a moment."
"Didn't you do it?" the teacher asked again.
"I did, it's on its way," Xiao Ya replied.
The teacher smiled, "So you made it but forgot to bring it. How long will it take?"
"A few minutes."
"Okay."
The other students handed in their assignments one by one, filling the front of the podium.
The teacher asked, "Hasn't it arrived yet?"
That "handcrafted Earth" had taken a private jet, a truck, and was finally pushed into the school by several workers, drawing the attention of other classes. It finally reached the classroom door.
Xiao Ya calmly said, "It's here, but it seems it can't get through the door."
Everyone turned around: ????
They wondered why the classroom suddenly darkened.
The thing had blocked all the light!
"What... is that?" the teacher gasped.
Xiao Ya's tone remained calm, "My dad helped me with my handcrafted assignment."
