"Huh? What's this? A stone?" Bearded looked at the black stone in the rat's stomach with great surprise.
"What? A stone is here? Where's Mom?" Firebeard was startled. When he saw the stone in the beard's mouth, he was furious: "Did you do this on purpose? You scared me to death!"
Hu Xu was infuriated by the inexplicable insult: "You're the one who's a coward and you're blaming me! You idiot!"
Immediately, the verbal battle escalated into a physical fight. No one noticed that the tiny black diamond had been shaken into the forge…
Chapter 13: The Stone Princess is Abducted
Stone has been very sad lately, so much so that even the most oblivious Sixth Brother, Fire Hammer, noticed something was wrong with her.
"Stone, stone! White stone! Soft stone! Brother likes it!" Sixth Brother Fire Hammer, perhaps because of his young age, isn't very bright. Of course, that doesn't mean he's mentally challenged, just that his mind is simpler and his reactions are a bit slow. Although he's already six years old, his speech is still not very fluent, and conversing with him really tests one's imagination.
Seventh Brother Huoqian is four years old this year. He has always been very fond of stones. Whenever he sees a stone, he can't help but pout and want to kiss it.
"Stone, kiss!" Here we go again. Stone nonchalantly leaned in, thinking, "He's just a little kid, might as well kiss me!" After kissing Stone, Huoqian happily grinned, then shoved a yellow gem into Stone's hand: "Stone! Beautiful stone!"
Stone took it without a second thought, casually stuffed it into the small pocket on his chest, and then continued to stare blankly with his chin in his hand.
Sixth Brother Fire Hammer looked at his sister with a bit of helplessness, not knowing what to do for a moment. After thinking for a while, he said to Stone, "Stone, go play! Play in the street!"
Shopping? That sounds good, Stone nodded in agreement.
As soon as Huochui saw Shitou nod, he quickly pushed out the special cart for Shitou, and together with Huoqian, they carried and dragged Shitou into the cart. The two brothers then pushed Shitou toward the street.
Stone sat in the cart, his expression still so sorrowful.
Oh God, if you think she doesn't deserve a cheat code, then you shouldn't have one at all. What's with this sudden appearance and disappearance? Ever since that night when Fat Mom took that big, white, plump bun away, Stone hasn't seen it again. Later, she even managed to persuade her simple-minded third brother, Stove, to take her to the rat enclosure to search carefully. Unfortunately, the big bun was still nowhere to be found.
And just like that, more than a month passed quickly. Stone had given up hope of finding the big steamed bun. Just then, spring arrived.
In truth, seasons and such are meaningless to Stone now. Spending year after year in this big house, Stone suspects that one day she will even forget what the sun looks like.
"Stone, is it delicious?" Firehammer suddenly stopped, brought his big head close to the stone, and asked, pointing ahead.
Stone was initially taken aback. She had no experience interacting with children before, and was especially helpless with a child who required guessing what she was saying. Looking up at where Firehammer was pointing, Stone instantly felt depressed.
Ahead, there was clearly a snack shop. On the stove at the front, there were large bowls filled with steaming noodles. Next to the bowls were stacks of large steamer baskets, and a short woman who looked like the proprietress was struggling to carry the baskets and take out fragrant steamed buns.
Waaaaah, big steamed bun~~~
"Brother, Stone doesn't eat steamed buns! Mom said no! Stone doesn't have teeth!" It was Seventh Brother Huoqian who said this, but as he spoke, he put his finger in his mouth and looked longingly at the big, white, plump steamed buns.
Firehammer tilted his head and thought for a moment, then took out a yellow coin from his pocket. He quickly walked to the entrance of the steamed bun shop and handed the coin to the little man behind the stove: "Steamed buns! I want some!"
Although the little dwarf was older than the fat mother, she wasn't very tall, only a tiny bit taller than Firehammer. She took the coin from Firehammer's hand and then quickly took out a large steamed bun from the large steamer and handed it to Firehammer.
Fire Hammer took the bun and walked back to Stone's side. Stone noticed that his eyes looked a little lost.
"One steamed bun! Fire Hammer, eat this!" With that, Fire Hammer opened his mouth wide and took a big bite of half a steamed bun.
Stone was dumbfounded. He turned to look at Fire Pliers, whose eyes were brimming with tears, as if he might burst into tears at any moment: "Brother, there are no steamed buns for little brother." Helpless, Stone could only remind Fire Hammer, "You should act like a proper older brother!"
Firehammer was taken aback, then reached into his pocket: "It's gone!"
Huoqian finally couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears, crying and shouting, "Brother bullied Huoqian! Bad! Huoqian wants his mother!" As he shouted, Huoqian wiped away his tears and ran away. Judging from the direction he ran, he must have run home to cry to his mother.
Fire Hammer stared blankly as the tongs disappeared, then looked down at the bun in his hand. As if he had made up his mind, he quickly ate it all in a few bites, then wiped his mouth and said, "Stone, be good, brother will go find it!"
Then Stone stared blankly as her sixth brother, Firehammer, also ran towards home. Clearly, he was chasing after Seventh Brother. But now, who could tell her what to do?!
The little voice inside her was weeping, but Stone couldn't bring herself to cry. The problem was, she didn't know if crying would do any good; her mother wasn't there. Who could she cry to? Lost and confused, Stone stood in the middle of the road, only thankful that there were no cars in the Dwarf Kingdom.
Sigh, my brothers who look exactly alike, Stone misses you all!
You see, Stone had always been cared for by the twins. Although the twins were a bit mischievous and playful, they were still fairly reliable. Whenever their mother was busy, they would always take Stone to the front of the square, and they wouldn't go far. They would usually just play with the other dwarf children in the square, chasing each other around.
More importantly, when the chubby mother was busy, she would always express a can of milk for Shitou and keep it warm on the stove. The twins always remembered to feed Shitou, and he was never hungry. The only time they were careless was when their unreliable father, Steel Hammer, took Shitou away without telling them. Actually, they quickly realized Shitou was missing and immediately ran around in fright, unlike their sixth and seventh brothers who simply abandoned him.
Stone was extremely resentful. She was going to think carefully about how to complain to her chubby mother later—how dare they throw her away! That was too much!
Originally, Stone harbored resentment towards the twins, blaming them for spending all their time running around in the square, leaving him to their own devices and only occasionally glancing back at him. But ever since this spring, when Steel Hammer's father suddenly announced that the twin brother was already eight years old and could learn blacksmithing from him, Stone's nightmare began.
The younger sixth and seventh brothers were always taken care of by the twins, so they have no idea how to take care of anyone! They often run off to play on their own and completely forget to feed Shitou. They also frequently forget Shitou by the square and run home to eat. However, this is the first time they've abandoned Shitou on the street and run off on their own.
You wouldn't know unless you compared them! My twin brothers! I miss you so much! Waaah, my tummy is so hungry!
"Baby?"
Just as Stone was seething with resentment, a clear voice rang out above her head. Then, before she could even react, the owner of the voice scooped Stone up and examined her closely: "What a pretty little baby! Why doesn't anyone want her?"
Stone was taken aback at first, then flew into a rage. "You're the one nobody wants! Your whole family is unwanted! She's the Stone Princess of the Dwarf King's family! She has a fat mother and a steel hammer father who love her dearly, and she has seven brothers!"
The little dwarf holding the stone didn't look very old; at least she hadn't developed a full bust like the plump mother yet. She was probably only ten or so years old, still a little girl. Just as the stone was about to explain, the little dwarf girl put the stone back in the stroller and happily pushed it away.
Stone sat dumbfounded in the moving cart. Was this a kidnapping? Oh no, it should be called human trafficking, right?
The little girl pushed her stroller and muttered to herself, "Nobody wants a baby, but I do! Hmm, Mommy has a baby, Auntie has a baby, even my older sister has a baby, but nobody does! Hmm, now I have a baby too, and it's even prettier than Mommy's baby!"
Chapter 14: The Adventures of Stone Climbing
Stone was led away by the dwarf girl, still somewhat dazed. During this time, Stone did consider screaming for help, but after hearing the dwarf girl's mutterings, she wasn't too worried. Her eyes lit up – perfect! Hehe, why not play the role of a runaway herself? It'll be a good opportunity for her second brother, Fire Tongue, to teach those two unreliable sixth and seventh brothers a lesson.
"Be a good baby, from now on you're my little baby. Remember, call me Mommy~~~" The dwarf girl took the stone back to her home, then held it in her arms and coaxed it to call her "Mommy": "Say it! Say it now!"
Stone stared with its big, round eyes, pouted its little mouth, and blew bubbles: "Puff puff~~~"
Disappointed, the little dwarf girl put the stone back in the cart: "Sigh, you can't talk either? Really, even a baby born from its mother can't talk, why is that?"
Stone looked at her innocently.
"Never mind, maybe you'll be able to talk when you grow up?" The little dwarf girl pushed the stone, along with the cart, into her room, then closed the door. "Be good, baby, Mommy's going out to get you something nice to eat!"
Stone watched the dwarf girl leave, then began to toss his little head, looking around. The girl's house was similar in style to Stone's, both being built of stone. It was just not as big as Stone's house, but then again, who would have eight children like Stone's?
Just as she was pondering this, the little dwarf girl came in carrying a small bowl: "Baby, Mommy's here to feed you something delicious."
Stone looked at it and thought, "Huh? It's not milk?"
The dwarf girl held a small bowl, no bigger than the palm of her hand, filled with a white, creamy dairy product. Strange, what is this? Does it mean that the common dwarves don't drink breast milk?
"Come on, baby, open your mouth, Mommy will feed you!" The little dwarf girl held a small bowl in one hand and a tiny soup spoon in the other, scooping a spoonful and putting it to the stone's lips: "Baby, ah~~~"
Stone hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened its mouth, stuck out its little scarlet tongue, and licked it with the tip. Huh? It's sweet! Without thinking, Stone began to eat it in large mouthfuls.
Mmm, it tastes really good!
Actually, for Shi Tou, who has been breastfed for over a year, everything tastes good. And this bowl of unidentified food does taste quite good; it's soft and tender with a hint of sweetness, making it very suitable for a baby.
"Wow, baby is so good! He ate all that milk porridge!" The little dwarf girl happily put down what she was holding, then ran outside to wring out a wet towel and patiently wiped Stone's face.
Stone tilted her little face up, cooperating perfectly. "Mmm," she thought, "I knew it! This brother and sister are different." "Sigh, why did my fat mother give birth to seven brothers but forget to give me a sister?" Of course, Stone would never admit that the dwarf girl was her mother. In her eyes, her mother was sacred, and the little girl was definitely not very old; calling her "sister" was enough.
The little dwarf girl wiped the stone's face and then her hands: "Baby, are you sleepy? Do you want to go to sleep?"
Stone wasn't sleepy at first, but she had eaten a bit too much and was now feeling drowsy. Seeing Stone yawn twice, the little girl carried her to her bed.
Just then, a woman's voice came from outside: "Qimei! Mom is back, take your little sister away!"
The little dwarf girl jumped up as if stung by a wasp, shouting loudly towards the door, "Coming, coming!" Then she looked back at the stone with great concern, "Be good, baby, Mommy will be back soon."
Stone blinked, deciding he'd better take a nap first. Speaking of which, this little girl is really interesting; she's so young and already thinking about being a mother. Oh right, isn't her name Qimei? I think so. Oh, her mother probably doesn't know she brought a baby home, otherwise…
In a hazy dream, Shi Tou seemed to be back at her home. Nothing had changed, except it was cold and deserted; there was no one there except her. If all her loved ones were gone, then the home wouldn't be a home anymore, would it?
“Eee-ya-woo-ah…”
Stone was awakened by the sound of a child crying. Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar stone roof and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. This place is so much better! At least here are Fat Mama, Steel Hammer Papa, and her seven little dwarf brothers.
Wait, what happened? Who is this?
Stone sat up, staring intently at the little child sitting next to him. The child looked to be about two or three years old, chubby and fair-skinned, but at this moment, the child's appearance was not so appealing.
"Puya wula..." The child cried out at the top of his lungs, as if he had endless grievances he couldn't express. His round face was covered with tears, his red nose twitched from time to time, and clear snot was running down his face. His mouth was wide open, and drool was flowing like a tap, even more enthusiastically than his tears.
Shi Tou was dumbfounded. What was going on? Was she also taking care of the children on the side?
Struggling to his feet, Shi Tou crawled to the child and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Where's your mother?"
The child didn't react to what the stone said at first, but later the word "mother" that the stone mentioned seemed to really affect her.
"Waaah, Mommy..." The child cried even harder, and Stone was completely dumbfounded.
Crawling as far away from the child as possible, Stone covered his ears tightly, but to his surprise, the child cried even harder, until her face turned blue and she could barely breathe. Seeing this, Stone realized something was wrong and, disregarding the terrifying sonic attack, crawled to the child and touched her forehead, finding it burning hot.
Good heavens, are there no adults in this house? Does that little girl enjoy secretly hugging children all day long? Even if that's the case, you can't just hug them and not take care of them!
Thinking this, Stone glanced down at the floor beneath the bed. Perhaps because the average height of the people in the Dwarf Kingdom was not high, the beds there were also low. Stone estimated that he shouldn't get hurt if he jumped down. He glanced back at the child whose lips were turning purple from crying, steeled his heart, gritted his teeth, and jumped!
"Bang!"
With tears in his eyes, Shi Tou touched his chubby little leg. It wasn't seriously injured, but it really hurt! His knee would probably be bruised by tomorrow!
Wiping away her tears, Stone began her arduous crawling journey. I crawl, I crawl, I crawl, crawl, crawl! Reaching the bedroom door, Stone glanced back at the child. She was still crying, but the sobs had subsided considerably. Alright, saving the child was the priority; time to keep crawling!
With great effort, Stone opened the door. She was relieved that the dwarves of the Dwarf Kingdom didn't have the habit of locking their doors. Soon, she climbed out of the bedroom. Looking at the not-too-distant gate, Stone cheered herself on: "Come on! Stone, you can do it!"
Just then, the door suddenly opened.
Chapter 15: The Child Abandoned Again