Amy looked at Jessica"s insistent expression, then down at the purple crystal in her hand, and nodded firmly with a smile as she said, "I"ll treasure this crystal just as much as I treasure our friends.h.i.+p."An elated smile appeared on Jessica"s face, and she also nodded in response.
"Scott, Jessica has just received the valuable gift of friends.h.i.+p, and she has parted with the purple stone that you gave her. I hope you can see this from up above." Rebecca smiled at the sight of the two little girls, and she turned away to wipe some tears from the corners of her eyes.
"I"m not late, am I?" A gentle voice sounded, and Luna also arrived.
"Teacher Luna! You"re not late at all. Everyone"s here, so we can begin the party now." Amy was elated upon catching sight of Luna.
"Teacher Luna, you came as well!" Jessica was also very happy to see her.
"I sure did. Both of you look so beautiful today." Luna smiled at Amy and Jessica before producing two little vibrant red flowers as if she were performing a magic trick. She wove the flowers into the two little girls" hair, and said, "I didn"t have time to prepare a present today, so I"m giving each of you a little red flower."
"Teacher Luna, I"m Jessica"s mother. Thank you for looking after me and my daughter all this time." Rebecca made her way toward Luna before extending a respectful bow.
"You"re too kind. Jessica is very adorable, and I really like her. I heard you"ve been suffering from some ill health lately; are you all better now?" Luna asked in a concerned voice.
"I"m much better now, thanks to Mr. Mag"s help. I"ll be able to continue working, and Jessica won"t have to keep begging on the streets." Rebecca nodded with a smile.
"Mr. Mag sure is a kind person," Luna said with a smile. She didn"t know how he had helped Jessica"s mother, but it was good news that Jessica wouldn"t have to beg on the streets anymore.
"Teacher Luna!"
After everyone walked in, Daphne and Ignatsu also extended a joyful greeting toward Luna.
"h.e.l.lo, Teacher Luna." Parber was a little surprised to see Luna, and the expression on his face became even more awkward, but he still mustered his courage and extended a greeting toward her.
"h.e.l.lo, Daphne, Ignatsu, Parber; you"re all here as well. Looks like Amy really did invite all of her friends." Luna smiled as she greeted the children and parents before sitting beside Xixi and Lulu.
The two birdcages were placed on a table, and Amy gestured to her little friends. "Look, this is a talking bird."
"A talking bird? Really? My neighbor"s parrot can also speak, but it only imitates what my neighbor says, so it can"t actually communicate." Ignatsu was the first one to make his way over to the birdcages with a curious look on his face.
"I"ve never seen a talking bird before! And this bird is so beautiful; its feathers look like they"re glittering." Daphne stared at Green Pea with amazement etched on her face.
"Little birdie! Little birdie!" Parber clapped his little hands with elation. He grabbed a chair beside him, and tried to climb onto it, but his limbs were too short and stubby, so he was unable to succeed.
"How could a bird possibly be able to speak? It"s just a prank." Parmer cast a disdainful glance in their direction.
"This is Green Pea, and this Black Coal. Black Coal is too shy, so it"s hiding, but we can still hear its voice." Amy heard what Parmer was saying, but she didn"t respond. Instead, she introduced Green Pea and Black Coal to everyone.
"I"m not shy! And my name isn"t Black Coal, either. You may refer to me as the honorable Fama Odin Ben." Black Coal"s vexed voice sounded from within the birdcage that was enshrouded by the black cloth.
"I"m Sunny. They often call me Green Pea, but I prefer the name Sunny." Green Pea spread open its wings in a graceful manner.
"Wow, they really can talk! And they"re conversing with us, not just repeating the same few sentences over and over again!" Ignatsu was amazed.
"What a beautiful voice. I also want an adorable talking bird." Daphne turned to look at Guy.
"This is also the first time that I"ve seen a talking bird. If I see one in the future, I"ll definitely capture it for you." Guy was feeling a little powerless. After all, encountering a talking bird was a very unlikely event.
"Birdie… Hug." Parber spared open his little arms, and tried to grab the birdcage on the table. However, the table was far taller than he was, and his efforts were in vain.
"It really is a talking bird. It"s so adorable; even more so than our little pet at home." Miranda"s eyes lit up, and she stroked Parmer"s hair as she said, "Parmer, don"t make snap judgments on things you"ve never seen before. Otherwise, it will make you seem shallow, and that"s not how a man should be. True men are all very modest and polite."
"I understand, Mother." Parmer looked at Miranda before bowing his head with a hint of embarra.s.sment. However, he quickly raised his head again, and looked into Miranda"s eyes with a serious expression as he vowed, "I"m going to become a true man, and act as a role model for my little brothers."
"I"m sure you can do it." Miranda nodded with an encouraging smile.
Gjerj only sat off to the side, and looked on with a smile. The little guy in his arms reached for the crystal chandelier with its chubby little hands, and even though he couldn"t actually reach the chandelier, there was still a joyful smile on its face.
"Come on over, everyone." Mag emerged from the kitchen, and instructed with a smile.
"I"m very pleased that all of you came to attend our party today, and I hope you can all have a good time. You can order anything you like, and aside from the tofu pudding, there are no quant.i.ty restrictions on any of the other dishes." After everyone sat down in their seats, Mag continued speaking, while Yabemiya placed menus in front of everyone.
"Wow, so many dishes. Honey, are these all new dishes that were only released today?" Miranda was amazed by the variety of dishes on the menu.
"I think… that"s… probably the case…" Gjerj replied with an awkward expression. He didn"t think that Mag would be so straightforward, and allow everyone to pick dishes from the actual restaurant menu.
"Is that really the case?" Miranda wore an amused smile at the sight of Gjerj"s awkward expression. She looked at the menu for a while before deciding, "The braised chicken and rice and Yangzhou fried rice are both very delicious, but with so many new dishes on the menu, I should explore some other options. I"ll get a la zhi roujiamo, a sweet tofu pudding, a spicy grilled fish…"