Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Five Thousand Years of Huaxia Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Five Thousand Years of Huaxia “Let me tell you about the five thousand years of Huaxia,” Hua Jinyan said with clear, earnest eyes, not seeming to be joking.
“Can’t we talk about this?” Hua Jinyan asked, puzzled.
Ma Ming twitched the corner of his mouth, “It’s not that we can’t, but others usually choose fairy tales; you are somewhat unconventional.”
“I don’t like fairy tales,” Hua Jinyan said, his little face serious.
“Should I start from Pangu creating the heavens and the earth, or from Fuxi and Nvwa?”
Ma Ming: “I think we should first listen to Little Taotie tell the story of The Ugly Duckling.”
Hua Jinyan did not object.
Ma Ming sighed with relief–it would take forever to start from Pangu creating the heavens and the earth; probably three days and nights of continuous talking.
Ma Ming looked towards Tao Ti and asked, “Are you ready?”
Tao Ti had already moved out from the Tao Family home and hadn’t heard Liu Mingzhu tell The Ugly Duckling story in a while; altogether, she hadn’t heard it many times and could barely remember it clearly.
She could only rely on the little memory she had to tell the story.
“The duck mother was hatching eggs, and one egg was bigger than the others and took a very long time to hatch. Just when everyone advised her to give up, the egg cracked open, and out came an ugly duckling…”
“Everyone disliked the ugly duckling, bullied it, even the duck mother didn’t like it, so it had to run away.”
Tao Ti’s voice grew softer as she seemed to recall being chased around the village by her mountainous mother with a rolling pin, her eyelids drooping:
“She traveled many places, constantly bullied along the way, unloved, until she saw the swans.”
There was a gradual gathering of light in the depths of Tao Ti’s dim eyes, growing brighter, “She had never seen such beautiful birds.”
Listening to her joyful voice tinged with milkiness, and seeing her face full of longing, the listeners felt as if they were there in the story, witnessing a beautiful image of the graceful swans spreading their wings and soaring high!
“The ugly duckling finally gathered the courage to approach them, frightened of being driven away and bullied again, but this time, it didn’t happen.”
“The swans welcomed her, loved her!”
“She lowered her head to look at her reflection in the lake, and she had turned into the most beautiful swan!”
Tao Ti spun around unconsciously, her fluffy skirt twirling with her.
She revealed a radiant and sweet smile: “She finally found happiness!”
Hua Jinyan clapped vigorously.
Ma Ming also clapped, “Some areas still need improvement, like what hardships she encountered before meeting the swans.”
Tao Ti nodded, her demeanor dutiful.
Ma Ming was not worried about Little Taotie; even at this level, she could achieve a good score.
He frowned at Hua Jinyan, asking, “Are you still planning to start from Pangu, or from Nvwa?”
Hua Jinyan looked down thoughtfully and asked, “Is there a time limit?”
“No time limit. Do you really want to start from Pangu all the way to the present?” Ma Ming’s eyes went wide.
Hua Jinyan pursed his lips: “Then let’s choose a section, either Nvwa mending the sky or Nvwa creating humans?”
Ma Ming breathed a sigh of relief. That would do, even if it wasn’t a fairy tale, it was still a mythological tale; still a story.
“Then tell the story of Nvwa creating humans.”
Hua Jinyan began solemnly, as if reciting a text, emotionless and expressionless.
Ma Ming: “…” I’m about to go bald.
This was Tao Ti’s first time hearing the story of Nvwa creating humans. Even though Hua Jinyan was emotionless and expressionless, it didn’t prevent her from grasping the content.
Tao Ti exclaimed in surprise, “So humans were created by Nvwa shaping them out of clay!”
“Then was I shaped by Nvwa out of clay, or transformed by the flinging of mud and water?”