"Steamed buns! Steamed buns!" Stone grabbed a handful of black diamonds and whispered excitedly, "I've got an idea!"
The black, diamond-like bun trembled slightly, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over it. Could it be that its master had truly regained his past memories? Then… then its days were truly numbered…
"Stone, wake up!" Just when Baozi thought its death was imminent, a beautiful voice reached its ears. Instantly, it deeply felt that this plump, dwarf old woman was truly, truly beautiful!
Stone agreed and, while cooperating in putting on his clothes, stretched out his little hand, clutching the black diamond, in front of his chubby mother: "Mommy, Stone is a good boy, Stone wants a pretty hair clip!"
The plump mother was taken aback: "What? What does Stone want?"
“Hair clip!” Stone pointed to the black diamond in his hand and said clearly, “It’s like the pretty hair clip that Sister Qimei wears on her head, and you have to put a pretty stone on the hair clip.”
Chapter 55: A Joyful Love-Hate Relationship
"Hey, stop, stop, you idiot! Hurry up and cool down the ore!" Baozi's shout was urgent and loud, which made Shi Tou momentarily dazed. After a moment of hesitation, he stopped what he was doing and obediently used the fire tongs to put the half-refined ore into the coolant.
"Hehe, Master is an idiot! He can't even do the simplest iron ore refining right! He's so stupid!" Stone stared dejectedly at the iron ore in the coolant. The originally pitch-black iron ore had now turned into a half-black, half-white gray. This was much better than the refining results of the previous few days, but unfortunately, compared to Steel Hammer Daddy next to him, Stone's refining skills were clearly still quite appalling.
Steel Hammer Daddy noticed his precious daughter's displeasure and stopped what he was doing to look at Stone: "Stone, what's wrong? Oh, is it finished refining? Hmm, this time it's even purer, not bad, not bad."
"Gaga, what's so great about that! That old man with the long beard only knows how to lie to deceive his master! Unlike Baozi, who never lies! Master is such a big idiot, so stupid, so stupid, so stupid!" Listening to Baozi's clamor in her mind, and then looking at the iron ore that Steel Hammer Papa had just refined, Stone felt, "Waaah, my life is so tragic!"
"Daddy, I can't do it right!" Stone lowered her head in utter frustration, fidgeting with her fingers. She had diligently memorized Steel Hammer Daddy's instructions and followed Baozi's guidance step by step in the refining process. But for some reason, she just couldn't do it as well as Steel Hammer Daddy. Putting everything else aside, looking at the grayish-white iron ore she had been working on for days, and then at the silvery-gray refined iron ore in Steel Hammer Daddy's hand, it was hard not to feel discouraged!
“Silly girl, refining ore isn’t something that can be done overnight. A stone, coming out of the mine, first needs to go through the most basic impurity sedimentation before it can be called ore. And then, as your father taught you, no matter what kind of ore it is, it’s impure. Our greatest skill as dwarves is refining those impure ores. And refining ore can never achieve true purity. That is to say, no matter how many times it’s refined, there will still be impurities in the ore, so refining is endless.” Steel Hammer’s father patiently persuaded Stone. In fact, in his opinion, his daughter had already done a great job by doing this.
After all, she's only three years old this year. It's just a pity that her time is running out...
"Alright then, from now on, Stone will refine ore in the furnace every day. Don't go to the mine yet; we'll talk about it when you're a bit older!"
Steel Hammer Daddy's words successfully caused the stone to crumble once more. Waaah, she didn't want to go to the mine, but she didn't want to stay in the smelting furnace either! However, relatively speaking, the smelting furnace was safer, right?
Resignedly, I used the tongs to fish the half-refined iron ore out of the coolant again, and the stone once again underwent the arduous refining process.
Refining ore, just like Steel Hammer Daddy said, simply involves removing the impurities from the ore. But while it sounds simple, it's incredibly difficult in practice. Stone's eyes were fixed on the iron ore in her hand. Ugh, in her past life, the iron blocks she saw were a beautiful, bright silver!
Wait a minute! Bright silver? But the ore refined by Steel Hammer was clearly silver-gray! Could it be that the craftsmanship of the dwarves in this world is actually inferior to the technological level of his previous life? Stone felt that he was really too slow-witted; how could he only realize something so obvious now!
But how exactly did those ore refineries in her past life extract ore? A huge question popped into Stone's mind. Well, she could only admit she was a complete waste!
The newly ignited hope was extinguished by his own hand, and this feeling was terrible. Stone was filled with regret! Why did he only know how to travel, shop, and go sightseeing in his past life? Why didn't he do something more practical? Ore refining wasn't exactly a state secret in his past life! Of course, the methods for refining some rare metals were quite confidential, but things like iron, copper, and aluminum were no secret at all! And what about aluminum alloys, stainless steel, and so on? If he knew those techniques, wouldn't he be living a carefree life in this one?!
Fantasy is always beautiful, reality is always cruel.
"Hehe, you idiot master! You've really disgraced Baozi! How could such a cute, great, wise, and intelligent Baozi have such an idiot as its master?" The already angry Stone felt its anger flare up even more upon hearing Baozi's words. Stone didn't say anything, but instead vented all its resentment on the iron ore in front of it.
Before he knew it, another afternoon had passed. Stone's life was quite regular now. He got up at six every morning, ate breakfast at six-thirty, and then went with Steel Hammer Dad to the smelting furnace to refine iron ore. At 11:30, he went home with Steel Hammer Dad for lunch. After lunch, Stone had a short nap, ate some snacks, and at three o'clock sharp, Fat Mom took him back to the smelting furnace to continue helping Steel Hammer Dad refine iron ore. This continued until seven o'clock in the evening when they finished work and went home for dinner, sleep… and then tormented Baozi.
That's right, every night before bed, Shi Tou has a very important task to complete: tormenting Bao Zi. It's actually a vicious cycle. During the day, Bao Zi constantly gives Shi Tou instructions in her mind, but Bao Zi's sharp words often leave Shi Tou speechless and helpless, and she can't even talk back! So, the petty and vengeful Shi Tou always tortures Bao Zi severely before bed, subjecting her to all sorts of crazy abuse. Of course, petty and vengeful can also be used to describe Bao Zi, and so the two of them continue their love-hate relationship day and night…
Busy days always fly by, and before she knew it, Stone was already eight years old. At eight years old, she was about 1.3 meters tall, which was not tall at all among human children of the same age, but was extremely eye-catching in the Dwarf Kingdom.
“Stone, today is your eighth birthday, Mommy…” The chubby mother suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Over the years, whenever it was Stone’s birthday, the chubby mother always had a bittersweet expression, making Stone feel uneasy along with her.
Judging by the height difference between himself and the chubby mother, Stone knew perfectly well where her anxiety came from. In her previous life, her height would have been nothing special, but now she was the tallest person in the Dwarf Kingdom, even though she was only 8 years old.
"Mommy, Mommy! Elder Chishi has arrived with so many elders!"
☆, Chapter 56 Happy Last Birthday
The plump mother was suddenly startled, and Stone also became nervous: "Mom, what's wrong? What happened? Is Elder Chishi here to celebrate Stone's birthday?"
The plump mother's face was extremely pale. She gave Stone a deep look and said comfortingly, "Stone, be good and wait for Mom in the room. Huoqian, you stay here with your little sister, okay?"
Watching the fat mother close the door and leave, Stone and Fire Pliers stared at each other: "Little brother, who did Elder Chishi bring with him?" Since he couldn't get anything out of the fat mother, Stone tried to get information from Seventh Brother Fire Pliers.
Huoqian was only two years older than Shitou, and since he wasn't a particularly cunning child, Shitou didn't need to bother to get any information out of him. He told him everything in detail: "Shitou, I saw Elder Chishi arrive with a lot of people! I recognize some of them; they're the wise men from the Wise Men's Academy. However, I don't recognize most of them; they seem to be ordinary dwarfs. By the way, they're all waiting in the square now."
Stone fell silent for a moment, unsure what to say. Could it be that after so many years of endurance, Elder Red Stone had finally reached his breaking point? "Little brother, where's Daddy?"
"Outside! By the way, Stone, why did Elder Chishi and the others come to our house? Are they here to celebrate your birthday, Stone?" Huoqian asked innocently.
Stone was speechless for a while. Please, Elder Chishi always bared his teeth at her; how could he possibly be so kind as to celebrate her birthday? Just as Stone was about to explain to Huoqian, the door was suddenly pushed open. Instinctively turning around, Stone blurted out, "Mom..." Upon seeing who it was, Stone froze.
Standing at the door was none other than the long-unseen Elder of the Dwarves, Redstone.
"Elder Chishi, are you here for my sister's birthday?" Huoqian, completely unaware of what was going on, innocently approached him: "You're so kind to Chishi! But why didn't you come to my birthday party?"
For a moment, Elder Chishi's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he quickly covered it up: "Ahem, Seventh Prince, I have something to discuss with Princess Stone. Princess Stone, could you please come out for a moment?"
Stone adjusted his facial expression, flashed a bright smile at Elder Akaishi, and then hopped over to him, saying happily, "Thank you, Elder Akaishi, for coming to Stone's birthday party. Where's the present?"
Elder Chishi was now even more embarrassed, wringing his hands in a completely helpless manner: "Um, Princess Stone, can we postpone the gift for now? Oh, I have something to discuss with you, something important. Perhaps you could come out for a moment?"
Stone acted like a completely innocent child, following Elder Redstone out of the room without hesitation. Having spent eight years in the Dwarf Kingdom, she knew the personalities of the dwarves well. Even if her identity were exposed today, the worst-case scenario would be expulsion from the Dwarf Kingdom. In the Dwarf Kingdom's legal documents, expulsion was the most severe punishment.
"Shitou!" As soon as Shitou stepped out of the room, she saw her plump mother rushing towards her and hugging her tightly: "Shitou is my daughter! My daughter!"
Shi Tou understood immediately; it seemed her true identity couldn't be hidden any longer. She gently patted her mother's back and tried to comfort her in a soft voice, "Mom, it's okay, Shi Tou will always be your daughter." But as she spoke, Shi Tou couldn't help but choke up.
Steel Hammer Daddy stood not far away, silently watching the mother and daughter who were embracing and weeping. Behind him were his six older brothers, all with sorrowful expressions.
Elder Chishi looked at this and that, and finally couldn't help but speak up: "Your Majesty Steelhammer, your people are waiting outside. Please come out and give us a clear explanation."
"An explanation?" Steel Hammer Dad's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sarcastic smile: "What was bound to happen has finally happened."
"Come on, darling, let's bring our precious Stone along!" Steel Hammer Daddy walked to the mother and daughter's side and whispered reassurance, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, our precious Stone will be fine."
Stone looked up, stunned. Steelhammer Papa's face was filled with determination. Without realizing it, her heart calmed down. Although she wasn't afraid of being driven away by the dwarves, if possible, she still wanted to stay here, living a happy and peaceful life with Steelhammer Papa, Fat Mama, and her seven little dwarf brothers.
Supporting his chubby mother, Stone slowly followed Steel Hammer Dad out of the house. His brothers followed silently behind them. Seventh Brother Fire Pliers wanted to ask something, but his eldest brother Flame covered his mouth with his hand.
The large plaza at the entrance was filled with dwarf men and women, a scene strikingly similar to when Stone had first transmigrated. Back then, Hammer Daddy proudly announced to everyone that Stone was his daughter, the princess of the dwarf kingdom. But this time…
"My people!" Steelhammer roared, and the entire square fell silent instantly. "Today is the eighth birthday of my daughter, my only daughter, and the only princess of our Dwarf Kingdom. I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate Stone's birthday. Thank you!"
The dwarves in the square watched their royal family silently, as if awaiting His Majesty's next words. Steelhammer Daddy glanced at the stone with difficulty, thought for a moment, and then spoke: "I know some things can't be kept from everyone forever, and I will definitely give everyone an explanation! However, today..."
With a heavy sigh, Steel Hammer Dad suddenly reached out and hugged Stone tightly: "Today is Stone's birthday. I beg everyone, please give Stone a wonderful birthday memory, okay? My Stone is only eight years old this year!"
Watching Steel Hammer Daddy bend down and plead earnestly, Stone felt his heart clench.
"Please, please? My Stone, she knows nothing, she's completely innocent. I beg you, please let her go!" Steel Hammer Dad hugged Stone tightly. This daughter, he had poured eight years of his heart and soul into her, and worried about her constantly. But no matter how much he wanted to give Stone a carefree childhood, this moment had still arrived. He suddenly realized that even though he had been mentally prepared, he still couldn't accept the fact that his precious child was about to leave him forever.
The people in the square were whispering and discussing something when, suddenly, the dwarves roared in unison, "Happy Birthday, Stone Princess!"
Suddenly, tears streamed down Stone's face, and she couldn't utter a single word. Perhaps this would be the last "Happy Birthday" she would receive in the land of the dwarves.
Chapter 57: A Heartbreaking Blue Love Affair
"Alright, today is Shitou's eighth birthday. Mom has prepared lots of delicious food. Let's eat!"
After seeing Elder Akaishi and his group off, the Stone family returned home and began their belated lunch. Looking at the food her plump mother had carefully prepared, Stone's eyes welled with tears. Was this perhaps the last meal she would eat at home?
"Mom! What do they want? What happened to Shitou?" The hottest-tempered third brother, Huolu, couldn't help but ask loudly. Actually, he had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but the atmosphere outside was so tense that even he, who was usually the most oblivious, could sense that something was wrong. It was already quite difficult for him to hold back until now.
His second brother, Huoyu, gave him a hard elbow and glared at him warningly.
Looking at his children sitting around the table, Steel Hammer Dad knew the matter had reached a point where it had to be addressed, so he stopped hiding it: "I know you all have questions. Well, it seems if I don't make things clear, you won't be able to enjoy this meal. Actually..."
Amidst the sobs of the chubby mother, Steel Hammer Dad slowly recounted what had happened. Stone's seven older brothers were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief. Stone, who had already guessed the truth, wasn't exactly surprised, but he was still completely shocked by Steel Hammer Dad's words.
This is a melodramatic, otherworldly version of "Autumn in My Heart"!
The story begins eight years ago. Eight years ago, Steel Hammer Daddy and Fat Mommy came to the surface on important business. At that time, Fat Mommy was three months pregnant. They could have returned to the surface immediately after finishing their business, but unexpectedly, they encountered a group of humans who were exploring. It wasn't that they thought humans were bad, but since the Dwarf Kingdom had gone into seclusion hundreds of years ago, no dwarf was allowed to reveal any information about its underground kingdom. Therefore, Steel Hammer Daddy and Fat Mommy could only say that they were also traveling.
"Of course, we had no choice but to lie to them, because we couldn't reveal anything about the underground kingdom under any circumstances." Although it had been a long time since then, Steel Hammer Dad still looked guilty when he thought about it.
It was true that the dwarves were honest and kind, which was why the humans didn't suspect them. And for some reason, the humans were willing to take them along and even promised to send them home.
“I was terrified and didn’t know how to refuse, so I just led them around in circles in the forest. Who knew that we would actually get lost? And we were lost for almost half a year.” At this point, Steel Hammer Papa suddenly covered his face and said in a very painful voice, “Right then, your mother gave birth to a child, and coincidentally, there was also a pregnant woman among those humans who gave birth to her child shortly after your mother.”
Stone's eyes widened. "No way?! Let alone the fact that human children and dwarf children are so different, even if they were of the same race, how could you possibly mistake them?! Good heavens! You can even mistake your own child?! How thick-skinned do you have to be?!"
“Those humans had always been kind to us, and we felt guilty for deceiving them. That day, we finally found the right direction, and those humans, having been trapped in the forest for so long, couldn’t wait to leave. Your mother and I, holding your little sister, watched them go. Just then, something terrible happened.”
Stone suddenly had a bad feeling; this passage sounded very familiar.
"Waaah, stop! Shitou is my daughter! Shitou is her!" The plump mother suddenly burst into tears, stood up, and hugged Shitou tightly: "She is!"
Steel Hammer Dad's face was very unpleasant, but he still insisted on finishing what he was saying: "As soon as those humans left, your mother discovered that the child she was holding in her arms was not your sister at all, but that human's child!"
"Stop talking!!!" The fat mother started hysterically wailing, but even that couldn't stop Steel Hammer Dad.
"And that human child is Stone..." After saying the last sentence, Steel Hammer Daddy seemed to have used up all his strength, and suddenly looked several years older.
Stone looked up at her seven brothers from her plump mother's arms, and as expected, saw only shocked faces. Suddenly, she found it amusing. What was going on? A fantasy version of "Autumn in My Heart"?
"Daddy, haven't you gone to look for those humans?" Stone asked as calmly as possible.
Steel Hammer Daddy was taken aback and looked at Stone with confusion: "We can't leave the forest. Although I called out to them, it was probably too far away, and they didn't hear me at all. So, even though they were still right in front of us, your mother and I could only watch them leave."
Stone smiled helplessly. Although her biological age was only eight, her mental age was already over thirty. Based on her deduction, it was absolutely impossible that those humans had accidentally switched the children!
"So, the real stone was actually taken away by those humans, right?" The stone patted its chubby mother, who was still hugging it tightly as if afraid it would disappear, reassuringly. "Daddy, didn't you go back to the ground to look for it?"
"Hehe, how could there not be? After that incident, I stayed on Earth for a whole month. Later, after returning for your full moon ceremony, I went back to Earth to wait for them. After that, I went to Earth almost every month to look for them, but they never appeared again." Steel Hammer Dad looked at Stone with remorse: "If I hadn't lied to them back then, this wouldn't have happened. Sigh, this is the punishment!"
Damn! That was Stone's only thought.