During those long and miserable days, Stone still grew up day by day. Today was Stone's third birthday. For the first time ever, Hammer Daddy didn't send Stone to Qimei's house, and his seven older brothers all stayed home obediently to celebrate Stone's third birthday together.
"Stone, today is your birthday! Are you happy, Stone?" The plump mother asked Stone softly as she carried plates of delicious food to the dining table.
Looking at the table full of delicious food, Shi Tou couldn't help but drool: "Happy!" How could she not be happy? At least for the whole day, she wouldn't have to see that little brat who made her so speechless and wishing she could slap him to death.
"Stone, my dear, starting today, our little Stone is three years old!" Steel Hammer Daddy said kindly as he tied Stone's little bib on. "Our little Stone has grown up!"
I've grown up...
Hearing those three words, Shi Tou really wanted to burst into tears. Do you think it was easy for her to grow up? In her past life, she felt like she grew up in no time, and then soon she'd be an unwanted spinster. Why is growing up so difficult here? Putting everything else aside, being with that seriously dim-witted little brat every day makes her feel like her intelligence is regressing. This life!
"Where are your birthday presents? Hurry up and bring them out!" Steel Hammer Dad served Stone a bowl of delicious food, handed her a small spoon, and then started tormenting his sons: "Where are your presents? Your third birthday presents, you can't just throw something away anymore! Our Stone is very smart, isn't she, Stone?"
Nonsense! She looks three years old, but inside... well, including her past life, she's thirty, okay?
"Stone, your big brother has given you a beautiful doll!" Big Brother Flame was the first to pull out the gift hidden behind his back. Stone sadly discovered that it was another doll. Well, this doll was a little different from the one he got for his birthday last year. For example, it was a bit bigger, its hair was a bit longer, and oh, the color of its clothes was different too.
But it's still a doll~~~
"Thank you, big brother!" Stone happily accepted the doll from his brother, secretly thinking, "Hmm, I can use it to trade for some treats with the little brat." (Tsk tsk, Stone, you still won't admit you're a foodie?)
"Stone, Second Brother has a gift too, look!" Second Brother Fire Tongue was arguably the smartest of the seven dwarfs and knew Stone best. Stone looked at the large bag of gems of various colors that had been stuffed into her hands and expressed her satisfaction. Well, even though she knew that gems were practically worthless here, she still couldn't resist these brightly colored, high-quality gems.
Okay, I'll just keep it as a keepsake.
Of the gifts that followed, Stone was sometimes satisfied and sometimes not. Of course, she was always dissatisfied with the majority of her birthday gifts.
For example, the doll her eldest brother gave her, she's already decided to give to her little one. The baby bottle her third brother gave her, Stone really wanted to yell: "I don't drink milk anymore, okay?!" The thick, colorful picture book her fourth and fifth brothers gave her together was filled with brightly colored little animals. And the sweet kiss her seventh brother gave her—Stone almost worshipped him! How stingy could he be?!
Even more bizarrely, what Sixth Brother gave Stone was a large meat bun that had been left over from breakfast that day, with a huge bite taken out of it and very obvious teeth marks...
Stone stared at the gifts with a contorted expression, inwardly wailing, "I want to grow up! I want to grow up! I have to grow up quickly!" Were these little dwarfs really that unintelligent? Or were they just underestimating her intelligence? Stone sadly realized that the second possibility seemed more plausible…
"Wow, so many gifts! Um..." After serving all the dishes, the plump mother sat down next to Shi Tou, admiring the gifts he had received. However, when she saw the half-eaten steamed bun that Huo Chui had given her, her face stiffened slightly.
"Hehe, Stone, Mom and I also prepared a gift for Stone!" Steel Hammer Dad didn't expect his sixth son to be so unreliable. He thought to himself, today is Stone's birthday, I'll make a note of it for now, and I'll definitely give that kid a good beating tomorrow!
When the chubby mom heard what the steel hammer dad said, she reached out and rubbed her face to make her expression look less stiff. However, she also made a mental note of the fire hammer: "Does Stone want to see the gift that Mom and Dad prepared for Stone?"
"Okay!" Stone smiled, trying to ignore the big meat bun that had been bitten in the middle: "Stone wants a gift! I want one!" With the gift of Fire Hammer as a foundation, Stone felt that the other gifts were actually quite to her liking.
"Ta-da!" Steel Hammer Dad pulled a large package box out from under the table like a treasure. The colorful box even had a pink ribbon tied to it, showing that he had put a lot of thought into it. "Stone, this is a gift from Mom and Dad to Stone. Come and open it."
Looking at the gift that was almost as big as herself, Stone's eyes couldn't help but pop out red hearts. Wahahaha, she knew that Fat Mom and Steel Hammer Dad loved her the most!
The little chubby paws tore at the wrapping paper with all their might. Stone sighed, thankfully the paper was relatively soft, otherwise her delicate little hands would have been blistered! Finally, after ten minutes, Stone opened the gift. However…
Shi Tou rubbed her eyes hard, and she was convinced that she must be seeing things!
"So? Does Stone like it?" The plump mother looked at her expectantly. Steel Hammer Dad, on the other hand, was very confident, stroking his long beard with a calm expression: "Of course! Stone will definitely like it very, very much!"
Stone stared blankly at the gift before her, straining and straining, but the gift remained unchanged. Was she seeing things? Was everything she was seeing real?
"Stone, what's wrong? Are you too happy to speak?" The plump mother looked at Stone with a smile: "Mom also thinks that Stone will really like this gift!"
Looking at the enormous, historically significant, and obviously valuable gift in front of him, Stone felt like crying.
Waaaaah, can she say no? Can she? Can she?
++++++++++++++
Extra chapter tonight~~~
Chapter 36: Learning Blacksmithing from Daddy
“Our Stone is three years old! Starting tomorrow, Stone will go blacksmithing with his dad!” Steel Hammer Daddy’s tone was very excited, but Stone looked conflicted.
Yes, she wasn't seeing things; the gift in front of her was indeed a large iron hammer! "Daddy..." Stone suddenly felt dizzy. She must be dreaming, she must be.
"What's wrong? Is Stone especially happy? Hahaha, the older brothers all started working as blacksmiths with Dad after they were seven, but our Stone can go when he's only three!" Steel Hammer Dad looked very proud and reached out to pat Stone's head: "Don't worry, Stone, Dad will definitely teach you everything!"
But she doesn't want to learn, really!
"Yes, how about your dad takes you to the blacksmith's shop from now on, Stone?" The plump mother smiled with great satisfaction. "I remember Stone didn't really like going to Chimei's house, right? Then starting tomorrow, we won't have to go to Chimei's house every day. Stone, are you happy?"
Huh? The chubby mom was so observant, she even knew she didn't like going to Chimei's house? But, sob sob, she knows she was wrong now. Actually, she really likes going to Chimei's house, and the little kids are quite cute, really!
"Alright! It's settled then. Starting tomorrow, Stone will go blacksmithing with Daddy!" Steel Hammer Daddy slapped the large hammer on the table with great pride: "This old thing has been with me for almost a hundred years. From now on, it belongs to Stone!"
Stone blinked. This... isn't it too expensive? Even if he didn't like the gift, Stone could tell that this big hammer was definitely a rare gem, maybe even priceless!
But no matter how precious it is, she doesn't want it, she doesn't want it, she doesn't want it at all!
Even after going to bed, Stone was still wailing inside. She was only three years old! And starting tomorrow, she had to learn blacksmithing! How was she going to live like this!
"Giggle, Master, you're so lucky!" Just as the stone was wailing, the black diamond suddenly popped out and instantly turned into a chubby white bun: "Lucky, lucky! Master is super lucky!"
Lucky my foot! You stupid steamed bun, you can't stand not mocking her for a day, can you?!
Stone reached out and slapped Big Bun hard, saying irritably, "You brat, you're asking for a beating again, aren't you?"
"Giggle, why? Baozi didn't do anything wrong!" The big steamed bun was inexplicably hit by a stone and twisted its body in a very aggrieved manner: "Baozi has always been a good boy!"
Stone clearly didn't think so: "Be good? If you were good, pigs... uh, I mean, rats could climb trees!"
Baozi cracked its skin in confusion, its voice full of bewilderment: "Giggle, a meat rat climbing a tree? But meat rats can climb trees, right?"
Okay, Stone took a deep breath. Fine, she won't say anything more!
"Gaga, Master finally got the Wrath of the God of Slaughter!" Big Bun saw that Stone had his eyes closed, seemingly thinking about something, and hurriedly presented the treasure, saying, "The Wrath of the God of Slaughter! Master is so awesome, so awesome, so awesome!"
The wrath of the God of Slaughter?!
Stone opened her eyes and murmured, "Wrath of the God of Slaughter? What's that?" Why did the name suddenly seem so familiar? Had she heard it somewhere before?
"Gaga, the Wrath of the God of Slaughter! Isn't the reason Master came to the Dwarf Kingdom for the Wrath of the God of Slaughter?" Big Bun jumped around happily, explaining to Stone as he jumped.
"I came to the Dwarf Kingdom because of the Wrath of the God of Slaughter?" Stone looked confused. "But what exactly is the Wrath of the God of Slaughter?"
"Gaga, Master, you've even forgotten this? The Wrath of the God of Slaughter is that huge hammer that the bearded man just gave you!" Big Bun jumped even more excitedly when he heard Stone ask this: "Gaga, Master has really become stupid!"
That big hammer even has a name? Stone's mind couldn't quite process it for a moment, so he didn't dwell on Baozi's last question: "Baozi, you mean that hammer even has a name? Is that hammer very valuable?"
Upon hearing Stone's first words, Baozi nodded vigorously, but upon hearing the second, he froze. After a long while, Baozi recovered slightly: "Hehe, Master just asked me if the Wrath of the God of Slaughter is very valuable!"
"Yeah, tell me quickly! Is it worth anything or not?"
Baozi froze for a moment before finally speaking: "Hehe, how could you ask that, Master! The Wrath of the God of Slaughter! That's the Wrath of the God of Slaughter! One of only two divine artifacts on the entire continent! Is it valuable? Of course it's valuable!"
Amazing!
Shi Tou suddenly became excited. Could it be that there really are magical artifacts in this world? And the giant hammer she had just seen was actually a magical artifact? Tsk tsk, if she had known, she should have brought that giant hammer to her room!
"Baozi!" Shi Tou lunged forward and accurately pulled the big steamed bun into his arms: "You're saying that big hammer is a magical artifact?"
"Gaga, Master, you're going to strangle Baozi to death!" Baozi struggled fiercely, but Shi Tou was using all his strength this time and wouldn't let go no matter what. Helpless, Baozi had to speak up: "Gaga, that hammer is a divine weapon! Its name is the Wrath of the God of Slaughter!"
Slurp!
Stone sniffed hard, "A divine artifact! I never thought I'd actually get to touch one!" Suddenly, Stone remembered something: "Wait, you just said that the Wrath of the God of Slaughter is one of only two divine artifacts in this world?"
"Gaga, that's right!" Baozi was being held tightly by Shi Tou and couldn't break free no matter what he did, so he had no choice but to resign himself to answer Shi Tou's question: "Since the fall of the gods, there are only two divine artifacts left on the continent! One is the Wrath of the God of Slaughter from earlier, and the other is the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword of the Fallen Nether Empire!"
The Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword of the Fallen Nether Empire?!
Shi Tou frowned again. Why did she feel like she had heard the names of these two divine artifacts before? She pursed her lips and cautiously asked, "Um, haven't I heard of these two divine artifacts before?"
“Hehe, of course Master has heard of it! The Wrath of the God of Slaughter has always been the artifact Master desires! And the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword originally belonged to Master! Master even used it to make steamed buns!” Steamed Bun answered matter-of-factly.
Making steamed buns?!
Suddenly, Shi Tou realized, "Why does this name sound so familiar?" She'd heard it mentioned by Bao Zi before! It was something used to cut meat into cubes when making steamed buns, right? Thinking this, a bead of cold sweat rolled down her cheek. Was that really a magical tool? Was it really, really not a kitchen knife?
"Baozi, one last question: now that the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword is mine, where is it now?"
☆, Chapter 037 You really forgot all that?
"Hehe, where is the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword? Of course, it's in the Fallen Nether Empire!" Baozi answered naturally, as if it were a matter of course.
Stone was visibly taken aback before recalling that what Baozi had just mentioned seemed to be the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword of the Fallen Nether Empire: "But Baozi, didn't you say the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword was mine? How come it's in the Fallen Nether Empire?"
Baozi froze, motionless in Shitou's arms. Shitou, puzzled, held Baozi up to his face and patted it: "What's wrong? Did I really strangle you?"
"Giggle!" Just as Stone was looking confused, Baozi suddenly jumped high and broke free from Stone's clutches: "Baozi is free!"
Shi Tou gritted her teeth fiercely; she couldn't afford to have any hope for Baozi! "You damned Baozi, you win! This princess curses you to fall to your death!"
The steamed bun paused in mid-air for a moment, then slammed heavily to the ground with unstoppable force, only managing to utter two weak words after a long while: "Giggle..."
This time, Stone was truly dumbfounded. He leaned over the edge of the bed, slowly reaching out to poke Baozi. Stone asked worriedly, "Baozi, are you still alive?" What was going on? Did he have the potential to become a crow? Stone rolled his eyes speechlessly, and, on a whim, cursed again, "Baozi, this princess curses you... well, to turn into a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)!"
In an instant, the once plump, white steamed bun seemed to be pressed hard to the ground by an invisible hand, immediately turning into a flat lump.
"Hahahaha!" Stone laughed, baring his teeth and brandishing his claws: "You little brat, you've finally met your match!"
The flattened bun weakly croaked, "Giggle... Master... Bun... I know I was wrong..."
Stone laughed heartily, clutching his stomach, then reached out and pulled the steamed bun from the ground. The invisible hand seemed to have vanished just like that. Looking at the large steamed bun, which had slightly regained its bun shape, Stone happily rubbed it vigorously with his hands: "You silly steamed bun, why didn't you tell me my curse was so effective?"
"Hehe, Baozi isn't stupid!" Having regained some strength, Baozi resigned itself to being trampled by the stone. Since its owner had forgotten about it, it wasn't going to be foolish enough to remind her!
"Hehe, Baozi, let's see if you dare disobey me again!" Stone grinned smugly. "By the way, you still haven't told me! Why is the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword in the Fallen Nether Empire?"
This time, Baozi dared not play dead anymore and could only helplessly reply, "Hehe, Master, you really don't remember anything? Didn't you leave the Bodhisattva Tia Divine Sword in the Fallen Nether Empire? You gave it to the King!"
"Me?" Stone pointed to his nose in surprise. "That's a divine artifact! A divine artifact! How could I give a divine artifact to someone else?"
Upon hearing this, Baozi immediately rolled up his folds with great air (just like a human rolling their eyes): "Hehe, Master is even more stingy than before! He's even stingy with his own son!"