"What’s going on?" Shen Yibin hurried back to the cash register. ’I was just about to head out, and you’re already causing trouble?’ He looked at Hah’Er. ’Why can’t you keep your godson in line?’
"It’s nothing. It just dug up my Cyan Halo and ran off with it," Xia Shixuan said. She had only been a little startled by its sudden appearance but had calmed down after getting a clear look. "Could it be that it likes to eat these?" she wondered, pointing at the flowerpot in front of her. The small pot used to hold a succulent that Xia Shixuan had specially brought to the store—a Cyan Halo. Now, it was completely empty.
Xia Shixuan had a bit of an artistic flair. Thinking the cash register looked dull with just a computer on it, she had bought a few trendy succulent plants to display there. The Cyan Halo was her favorite among them.
The Cyan Halo had a thick, short, whitish-brown stem with fleshy leaves. When they first sprout, the leaves are short and resemble rabbit ears, gradually growing longer as the plant matures. Because of its cute appearance, it was very popular among young people.
"It took my little bunny," Xia Shixuan said pitifully, pointing at the panda hamster that had scampered to the side. She usually liked to call her Cyan Halo "little bunny." She had taken meticulous care of it ever since she bought it, and the two "rabbit ears" had just sprouted, only to be dug up by the panda hamster. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
’Er, what the heck does it want that for?’ Shen Yibin wondered. He’d heard of hamsters chewing on succulents, but if it wanted to eat it, couldn’t it have done so right here? ’Why dig the whole thing up?’
Curious, Shen Yibin followed the panda hamster to the edge of the bamboo grove. ’If this little guy really likes succulents, I can pick some up for it later,’ he thought. ’I’ve also heard some succulents are edible. Maybe I should try cooking with them for lunch? I wonder what a dish made from succulents would taste like.’
Upon reaching the bamboo grove, the panda hamster carefully placed the Cyan Halo on the ground. Its movements were exceptionally gentle, as if it were afraid of damaging the two cute "rabbit ears."
’So it’s not going to eat it?’ Shen Yibin and Xia Shixuan grew even more curious. They squatted down to watch it quietly. After setting down the Cyan Halo, the little creature immediately got on the ground and began digging furiously with its front paws. Dirt flew everywhere. In no time, it had dug a small pit, just the right size and depth to plant the Cyan Halo.
"Uh, is it trying to plant my little bunny here?" Xia Shixuan was confused. ’Isn’t it the same as having it in the flowerpot? Besides, the soil in the pot was specially mixed to be more suitable for the Cyan Halo’s growth. The soil here is better for bamboo and large trees. Won’t transplanting it here just kill it?’
"I don’t know. Let’s just watch and see," Shen Yibin said, shaking his head. ’Could it be that this fella thinks one isn’t enough to eat, so it’s planting more to harvest later?’
Then, the little creature picked up the Cyan Halo with its two front paws and placed it in the pit. It circled the pit, adjusting the plant’s position a few times, before gently pushing the excavated soil back in.
"So it really is transplanting it! Should it be watered now? I’ll go get the watering can." Xia Shixuan was intrigued now and happy to lend the panda hamster a hand. She quickly got up, went over to the cash register, and retrieved the mini watering can she had bought just for her succulents.
"Here, let me help you water it. After watering, the little bunny will grow bigger and bigger!" As she spoke, Xia Shixuan aimed the mini watering can at the newly transplanted Cyan Halo. Hearing this, Shen Yibin subconsciously glanced down. ’Her ’bunnies’ are already big enough,’ he thought. ’They don’t need to get any bigger, do they?’
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Unexpectedly, the little creature didn’t seem to appreciate Xia Shixuan’s kind offer. When it saw her aim the watering can at the Cyan Halo, it quickly darted in front to shield the plant. It chittered wildly at her and even jumped up to bat at the watering can, looking quite angry.
"Whoa, just let it do its thing. Maybe it has its own methods," Shen Yibin said, quickly taking the mini watering can and setting it aside. The little creature finally calmed down. It ignored Xia Shixuan and scurried over to the cage it had been in the day before. From inside, it took out the small water dish, sniffed the contents, and poured the water out. It then handed the empty dish to Hah’Er, as if asking him to get some fresh water.
"Hmph!" Ever the attentive godfather, Hah’Er quickly understood. He took the water dish, waddled on his short legs to the first-floor bathroom, filled it with tap water, and handed it back to the little creature.
The little creature dipped a finger into the dish, brought a drop of water to its mouth, and tasted it, smacking its lips. Then, PTOOEY! PTOOEY! PTOOEY! It spat it all out, emptied the dish again, and handed it back into Hah’Er’s paws.
’You’ve got to be kidding me. Is it complaining that the tap water quality isn’t good enough?’ Shen Yibin patted the bewildered-looking Hah’Er and pointed to the water cooler in the corner. "Go try the water from there."
Hah’Er finally got it. He immediately went to the water cooler, dispensed some cold water, and passed it to the little creature. ’I order pure mineral water from a tributary of the upper Yunshui River, so this should be fine, right?’ Shen Yibin thought. ’If this is still a problem, I really don’t know what else to get you. Do I need to buy you Evian? Or drive you to the mountains to find a natural spring?’
Fortunately, the little creature seemed satisfied with the water quality this time. It nodded, took a big gulp, and held the water in its mouth. ’Huh? I thought that was for watering the plant,’ Shen Yibin wondered. ’Why did it just drink it?’
Before Shen Yibin could even wonder aloud, the little creature tilted its head back and started gargling. GURGLE GURGLE... Then, with a PFFT!, it spat the mouthwash-like water onto the roots of the Cyan Halo. It leaned in to observe its work, then nibbled off two small, underdeveloped leaves. Only then did it seem that its task was complete.
’That works?’ Shen Yibin and Xia Shixuan looked at each other, completely baffled. ’Could its saliva contain some element that promotes plant growth?’
Once it was finished, the little creature scurried back to the cash register, climbed up a chair leg onto the counter, and started digging up another succulent, a String of Dolphins. This plant is also very popular, as its leaves look like leaping dolphins.
In no time, it was back at the edge of the bamboo grove. It set down the String of Dolphins and began digging another pit. It looked as though the little creature intended to transplant all the succulents from the cash register to this spot.
Shen Yibin couldn’t help but look at Hah’Er. "I have to ask," he said, "how did a kid from the Storm Brew Family end up becoming a Druid?"