this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
Ling Yue poured the fresh shredded meat out from the plastic bag, the red and white shreds piled up in the bowl like a small mountain, quite striking.
The leading crow who was the eldest, instantly swallowed hard, while the two younger sisters tilted their heads, drooling with desire.
“Hiss, sister, this seems to be meat!”
“Wuwuwu, it smells so good, I’m dying of hunger!”
The leading elder crow said, “Yeah, I’m dying of hunger too—” It suddenly perked up, watching Ling Yue warily. Even though it was already starving, its small eyes remained bright and suspicious of this human’s intentions!
“Human, what do you want? Let me tell you, we beasts will never be slaves to humans!”
Ling Yue followed up, “Unless you provide food and shelter?”
Ling Yue couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “Your name is Ya Ya, right? I heard you just now. You’ve been flying all day; do you want to eat something first?”
As she spoke, she pushed the three small bowls forward, making her intentions clear.
Ya Ya had never encountered such a strange human before, and perhaps it was because it was the first time someone could understand her words. Otherwise, based on her usual character, she would have flapped her wings and flown away long ago.
“What do you want to do?”
She was still stubbornly resisting when she suddenly heard a plop. Turning her head, she saw the younger crows diving into the mountain of meat, eating without lifting their heads.
Ya Ya flapped her wings, unsure whether to cover her face or fly away, feeling utterly embarrassed!”
However, it was precisely these two silly ones that allowed Ling Yue to successfully infiltrate Ya Ya’s inner circle, learning that they were the three crow sisters, with Ya Ya as the eldest. The three crows had lost their parents unexpectedly before leaving the nest, and Ya Ya had been raising her younger sisters.
Ling Yue pushed the dish filled with water: “Really impressive.”
She stated her purpose; she had thought about it while at the police station. If it weren’t for Ya Ya’s help, she wouldn’t know what the consequences would be if she had ventured out alone.
Thinking of this, Ling Yue’s expression became serious, reminding herself that she must not act impulsively in the future.
Ling Yue: “…In any case, if it weren’t for your help today, I wouldn’t have gotten away so easily. This meal is on me. If you want to eat anything in the future, just let me know, and I will do my best to satisfy you.”
Ya Ya flapped her wings: “You said it yourself.”
Five minutes later, Ling Yue’s balcony was a charred black, looking as if it had been scorched by the sun. In reality—dozens of crows were densely packed on the balcony, jostling and shifting around.
“Hey, you bumped into my butt!”
“You’re squeezing me, newcomer, move back a bit okay?”
“What the hell, do you understand respect for the elderly and love for the young? My claws are going to wear out!” This one was the hot-tempered one who had come from Sichuan to visit relatives.
Ya Ya: “Alright, everyone, shut up.”
“Caw—!” Ya Ya let out a long call, and under her command, the crow minions all shouted in unison: “We greet the boss!”
Ya Ya proudly puffed out her chest: “Since you say I helped you, then first feed my dozens of little brothers. They don’t need to eat meat; they can eat green beans, wheat, or fruits. After all, we crows are omnivores.”
Upon hearing their boss say this, the crows froze in unison, dozens of identical yellow bean eyes staring at Ling Yue. Humans feeding them? How could that be possible!
What they didn’t know was that humans were creatures they utterly despised. Just seeing one would make them curse their luck. Feeding them?
They squawked loudly in protest, but with a single word from Ya Ya, they were silenced. She coughed twice, as if to cover up, and said, “What I did before was nothing. In the future, whatever you want to do, my little brothers will help you.”
Clearly just a bird, Ling Yue could still sense a hint of a big boss’s aura in her words. She raised an eyebrow: “Well, I do have something to trouble Ya Ya with.”
“However, let Ya Ya’s little brothers eat their fill first. After all, we should be considered friends now, right?”
Ya Ya’s face flushed red. If it weren’t for her being covered in black feathers, she would have been embarrassed in front of the annoying human. She huffed: “I-I guess so.”
But her sparkling little eyes didn’t convey the same message to Ling Yue. While the little brothers were eating, Ling Yue tried to use the knowledge she had learned earlier.
Her gaze fell on two little crow sisters.
At some point, a human finger landed on the heads of the birds. The silly little sisters had already squeezed in to rub against the soft fingertip, feeling so comfortable in the places they couldn’t reach.
They weren’t ungrateful crows; such a comfortable thing would definitely not be forgotten by their sister.
Listening to her sisters calling out, Ya Ya’s eyes flickered. How annoying; it really looked so comfortable!
With her superb massage skills, Ling Yue completely conquered the crow trio.
The little crow sisters flapped their wings, wanting to lie directly under the human’s hand, while Ya Ya still maintained a bit of the big sister’s pride, her head rubbing softly against Ling Yue’s gentle fingertip.
As for those dozens of little brothers, they had long been forgotten. They didn’t even notice the impact this scene had on them, each one wide-eyed. This is the big sister?
Ya Ya scanned them with authority: “Who else could it be but me? From now on, she is my friend, and you are not allowed to bully her!”
Ling Yue paused, a smile spilling from her eyes, feeling a bit amused. Was she being protected by a crow?
Before she could speak, the little crow brothers responded enthusiastically, and Ling Yue didn’t expect that their voices attracted some attention.
The neighbor next door, who had opened the window for ventilation, looked at her in shock: “Ling Yue, what is this on your balcony…” He rubbed his eyes curiously, quickly putting on his glasses due to nearsightedness, finally seeing the true nature of this pile of “things.”
The neighbor’s face turned sour, shocked as he said: “Crows?!”
“Go away, go away, this is really bad luck!” The neighbor waved his hand to drive them away. A whole balcony full of crows was quite an eye-opener for him, and he was very worried about Ling Yue’s situation.”
He kindly handed her a bamboo pole from his balcony: “Ling Yue, take this and drive away these unlucky beasts. They are nothing but a bunch of little thieves who love to steal!”
He said indignantly: “I just got my new glasses, and I haven’t even worn them for a few days before they were stolen by them!”
“Caw, caw!”
The group of crows exploded like a drop of water hitting a boiling pot of oil: “Nonsense!”
“These annoying humans are biased; we didn’t take his glasses. They aren’t shiny or sparkly; they don’t look good at all!”
A crow with light-colored speckles on either side of its beak tilted its head: “My nest is in the tree across the street. I saw it; his glasses weren’t lost. They were clearly thrown into the drawer by his little brat, not us!”
“Yeah, we wouldn’t even look at a broken pair of glasses. Diamonds are the most beautiful!”
“Diamonds?”
“That’s what we stole, preparing it as a birthday gift for the big sister. It’s covered in shiny diamonds, almost blinding our eyes, super beautiful!”
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
“Is it a bow knot diamond necklace encrusted with diamonds, like this?”
Ling Yue said as she opened her phone, revealing a dazzling butterfly diamond necklace lying flat in a black velvet gift box, its colourful light radiating everywhere. It was the display image she had asked Manager Zhao for earlier.
She placed it in front of the crow group, and the noisy balcony instantly fell silent.
Seeing their expressions, Ya Ya, who was hiding in the crowd, could no longer be unaware of the truth and immediately flew into a rage. She wanted to speak but was pressed down by Ling Yue.
Ling Yue waved to the neighbor: “Mr. Liu, no need for that. These crows are just resting. As for your glasses, I think I heard your little brat say he put them in the drawer by the window. Why don’t you go check now?”
Upon hearing her words, the neighbor was instantly furious: “That little rascal! If I find it, I must treat him to a big meal!”
[t/n] basically a big spanking ORZ poor kid LMAO
After speaking, he turned back and forgot about Ling Yue.
Ling Yue curled her lips. Mr. Liu’s son, Lele, was six or seven years old this year, an especially mischievous age, and he was notorious in the neighbourhood for being a little troublemaker. It was easy to imagine that the little troublemaker would definitely enjoy a ‘lavish feast’ tonight!
As for now—
Ling Yue pulled out a chair and sat down, leisurely watching Ya Ya scold her little brothers. Only then did she realise that this was actually a well-organised and disciplined little team. Usually, they rummaged through trash cans for food or hunted for small insects themselves, but this was the first time they had stolen jewellery.
Ling Yue had seen the habits of crows in the system; they indeed liked shiny things.
However, these little crow brothers had not yet realised what they had done wrong. They only felt embarrassed, especially in front of this big sister. Part of the reason they acted this way was due to the nature of crows. Male crows would actively collect these items to win the affection of female crows, showcasing their strength and capability.
Now, feeling embarrassed in front of the goddess they admired, they could hardly lift their crow faces!
Ling Yue did not dwell on it but instead educated the crows about the terrifying value of the bow knot diamond necklace. When they heard it was worth eight million dollars, these little crows were stunned.
“How much is that?!”
“Isn’t that super valuable? Who would have thought such a small thing could be worth so much? We are so capable!”
Ling Yue replied, “Yes, if you convert that money into food, it could not only feed you for a lifetime but also sustain your offspring for generations. However, it also represents how much humans value it.”
She lowered her voice slightly, “If they find out it was you who took the item, they would probably search every bird’s nest in the entire capital city, not just the crows’ nest but other little birds as well. What do you think the consequences would be?”
Ling Yue was not lying. Fortunately, they had not been caught by surveillance or seen by anyone while stealing; otherwise, she might not have encountered the three crow sisters today. After all, the city was home to more than just birds; it was an ecological chain with other natural enemies lurking.
Once these birds lost the protection of their nests, the outcome was easy to imagine.
Ya Ya, being the smartest among them, was startled by her own imagination. She flapped her wings and said sternly, “Quick, return the items! You silly birds, do you want to get everyone killed?!”
The crows finally understood the trouble they had caused and looked at Ling Yue in panic, “We’ll return it! We’ll return it right away!”
Ling Yue looked at the droopy crows, and it was easy to imagine how much of a blow this was to them. She said, “Actually, it’s okay; you weren’t discovered.”
Suddenly, she changed the subject, “By the way, I almost forgot to ask you for help.”
This abrupt statement left the crows completely confused. Ya Ya even pecked at her wings, feeling embarrassed!
They heard Ling Yue softly say, “The person I know is the owner of the jewelry store where the necklace was stolen. He hopes I can retrieve it, so what I need your help with is this matter.”
The two little crow sisters behind Ya Ya’s eyes lit up, and they exclaimed in unison, “Isn’t that a coincidence?!”
They had also been involved in the bow knot theft case, and their nest was built on the street where the jewellery store was located. After hearing Ling Yue mention the serious consequences, they suddenly recalled the people coming and going at the jewellery store these days, along with the surveillance.
They weren’t foolish; stealing it was hard enough, but returning it would be even more difficult!
So they looked at Ling Yue with eager eyes.
Ling Yue: “…”
“Well, I’ll help you this once. Hand over the bow knot diamond necklace to me, and once I get it back to the owner, he won’t hold anything else against you.”
After all, the mastermind was just a group of animals. As long as Zhao Lin wasn’t insane, he wouldn’t take action.
“And I’ll trade you something in return.”
Ling Yue waved to the crows in a tempting tone, “Without the bow knot diamond necklace, there are also rubies and sapphires, beautiful and as big as pigeon eggs, and they sparkle too. Do you want them?”
In an instant, all the crows turned their heads to look, even Ya Ya was tempted by her words.
She already knew that this item was a hot potato for them; they couldn’t get rid of it fast enough, and now they could exchange it for something else.
Ya Ya suddenly looked to the sides, her sisters gaping in awe, and Ya Ya scoffed, saying, “What a bunch of losers!”
But the next second, she was the first to speak, “I want a super big crystal to pad my nest, the kind that can blind a bird’s eyes when the sunlight hits it!”
Ya Ya hesitated for a moment and continued, “We crows are not ungrateful birds. From today on, you are the leader of our crow group!”
With her words, the other crows dared not refuse.
As for the welcome gift from the leader, the crows chattered excitedly, and in the end, they even took half a notebook of notes. Ling Yue also received the bow knot diamond necklace under a big tree. When it landed in her hand, it still carried the warmth of the birds, with a few fluffy feathers stuck to it.
Moreover, it looked exactly like the photo, even more dazzling.
The bow, crafted meticulously by artisans in the last century, was adorned with expensive diamonds. Under the light, each one sparkled, radiating the glow of money.
Ling Yue held her breath; the mechanism of the bow’s base was perfectly fitted with a silver chain, everything was flawless.
Just as she placed it in the box, her phone pinged with a notification: Alipay received—five hundred thousand yuan.
Following that was Zhao Lin’s goodnight message, concise and clear.
Ling Yue raised an eyebrow and typed: [I remember Auspicious Dragon Jewellery opens at eight tomorrow morning. I can come find you at eight-thirty, is that okay?]
On the other side, Zhao Lin, who had just lain down, sat up abruptly. His sudden movement made his wife, who was sharing the bed, complain, “Old Zhao, what are you doing? You’re like a spring, jumping up and down, can’t you let anyone sleep?!”
Zhao Lin, full of excitement, said, “Sleep? I’m not sleepy at all; I’m wide awake!”
He paused and then said, “Honey, you should sleep first.”
At that moment, Zhao Lin had a thousand words in his heart, all converging into one sentence: There’s a way!
He trembled as he replied: [Sure, sure!]
Ling Yue didn’t respond. Since the matter had been agreed upon, she went to bed early. In fact, it was only nine o’clock in the evening, but little did she know that in another place, Zhao Lin had stayed up the entire night because of her one sentence.
The next morning, when his wife saw him in formal attire, with dark circles under his eyes yet still looking spirited after a sleepless night, she was taken aback: “Old Zhao, is this necessary?”
“You’re taking a vague comment so seriously? I heard you say it yourself, a girl just in her early twenties, what capability could she possibly have? Don’t let her fool you!”
Zhao Lin tried to explain, but it was clear that his wife didn’t want to listen and had already made a decision.
—’Today, I’m going with you to the store to see what that little girl is all about.”
yaya is so cute,— can you believe crows are considered inauspicious in chinese culture??? to me, magpies are worse — the amount of times i’ve been swooped by one just by walking QAQ
