My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 341 Listing for Sale

"Haha, just kidding."

Seeing these things reminds me of your grandfather; he used to love tinkering with these things when he was young.

Grandpa Yang leaned closer, examined it carefully, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Incredible—truly incredible."

Tong Hua, your skills are just as good as your grandfather's back in the day!

But what exactly are you doing with all this? Is it for displaying clothes as mannequins in a shop window?

Tong Hua scratched his head, thinking for a moment about how to explain.

"Uh—Grandpa Yang, you've misunderstood. I really don't have that kind of strange fetish."

This isn't really about being a fashion model; it's more of an experiment for me.

I want to create mechanical puppets that can move freely according to a design.

"A mechanical puppet that can move freely?" Grandpa Yang was taken aback, his brows furrowing slightly.

"It seems you young people have more ideas; I'm already falling behind the times—"

Grandpa Yang circled the puppet on the cart, and Tong Hua silently followed half a step behind him on the right.

"So—what do you plan to use these puppets for once they're moving?"

Seeing that the topic was about to veer off course again, Tong Hua quickly explained, "It's just helping with some simple farm work, the kind of mechanical, repetitive tasks that don't require too much complexity."

For example, watering, feeding, or moving them around is better than letting them sit idle.

Grandpa Yang stopped and looked back at Tong Hua, his eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction.

"Helping with the work—that's a really practical idea."

He nodded, then reached out and patted the puppet's shoulder, as if weighing it to see if it was sturdy. "Your grandfather also thought about something similar back then, but he thought it was simpler: to make tools that would save effort."

For example, automatic feeding troughs, or water-powered millstones.

He walked to the shady spot under the eaves and sat down, gesturing for Tong Hua to sit as well.

"When I first heard that your grandfather had passed away, I felt sorry that his skills had only been passed on to an outsider who was not good at it."

But now that I see you've picked up this craft again, I'm relieved.

Tong Hua sat down next to Grandpa Yang, while Tuo Tuo lay obediently beside him, its long body rising and falling slightly with its breath.

"Master Acorn — he's actually very skilled."

He carried on what his grandfather taught him very well in Chicory Village.

I just—recently had a sudden whim and wanted to give it a try.

"Everyone has their own destiny." Grandpa Yang waved his hand, his gaze still fixed on the puppets.

"Your grandfather was a man with a lot of ideas. He was not only skilled, but also full of inspiration."

Life wasn't as convenient as it is now; it's thanks to the development of various technologies and sciences that we've gradually achieved what we have today.

I still remember that decades ago, the village introduced a batch of oil-fired farm implements for development. They were incredibly loud, emitted black smoke, and had a pungent smell.

Grandpa Yang squinted, as if he had returned to the era of roaring diesel engines. "At first, everyone thought it was too much trouble and that Pokémon were more obedient and easier to use."

But your grandfather was different. He spent several days circling those metal lumps, and then he simply tinkered with them himself, adding a wooden shock-absorbing base and a soundproof cover to one of them, which immediately reduced the noise considerably.

Tong Hua listened intently; these stories of the not-so-distant past told by elders always allowed him to instantly immerse himself in them.

Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Listening to the elders tell stories of the past allows us to connect the past with the future.

"And then?"

"later?"

Grandpa Yang smiled and said, "Later, that modified machine became a treasure in the village. Everyone wanted to borrow it to plow their fields or thresh grain."

But that was just something new back then. When it came to actually tilling the land, I still had to rely on my old buddy, Dragging Earthworms!

"Worm!"

Tuotuo nodded in agreement, and Tong Hua also strongly agreed.

"However, this doesn't mean your grandfather's modifications were useless. After all, there's only one Totoro, while machinery can be mass-produced."

He turned his head and looked at Tong Hua, "So, Tong Hua."

If you have something new or a new idea, be bold and try it. But you must have a sense of proportion in your heart, knowing what you should do and what you shouldn't touch.

9

He pointed to the puppets: "It's a good thing you want them to move and help."

But remember, a tool is always just a tool.

Don't always expect them to "think and decide" for themselves.

The work done by the person and the effort put in by the Pokémon should not be entirely attributed to the wood.

Otherwise, if people become lazy, Pokémon will also feel useless, and that would be the real problem.

These words were like a wake-up call, completely dispelling the last vestiges of unrealistic fantasy in Tong Hua's heart.

This also made Tong Hua even more curious about Grandpa Yang's past. If he hadn't been engaged in related scientific research, he wouldn't have such profound thoughts.

Moreover, the ecological structure of Sunshine Ranch doesn't seem like something an ordinary rancher could build.

Although the doubts have deepened, these are not the things to be explored now.

Tong Hua nodded solemnly: "I understand, Grandpa Yang. I will be careful."

"Yes, you're a sensible child."

Grandpa Yang stroked his beard with satisfaction, his cheerful expression returning. "Alright, enough talk, the snacks are getting cold! Come on, have a taste!"

Tong Hua quickly opened the basket and handed over chilled honey drinks and pudding.

Grandpa Yang took a sip of the honey drink, and his eyes immediately narrowed into slits with happiness: "Delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness!"

He scooped up another spoonful of pudding and put it in his mouth, savoring it for a while before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Good, good. It's always good to have more skills. If your grandfather could see you like this today, he would be so proud."

"You flatter me." Tong Hua smiled shyly. "I only tried these things out of interest. The feeling of making things myself makes me very happy."

"As long as you're happy, as long as you're happy."

Grandpa Yang ate his pudding slowly, his voice lowered, "In this life, the greatest blessing is to find something that makes you happy and also makes the lives of those around you better."

Your grandfather—in his last years, he stayed by your side and that house, carving the wood he loved. Though life was hard, I saw a light in his eyes.

He paused for a long time, so long that Tong Hua thought he wouldn't continue.

"He must have passed away peacefully," Grandpa Yang finally said softly, as if speaking to Tong Hua, or perhaps to himself.

After a long silence, Tong Hua got up to take her leave.

Before leaving, he left Grandpa Yang a wooden puppet shaped like a child.

Although it was just a novice's work, it was still made by a woodcarver, and therefore had special effects.

Its effects are quite simple: it can bring good fortune to the family and provide early warnings of fires.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

After doing all this, Tong Hua blew a red whistle and rode Tuotuo Yin back to Julutang.

I had a brief chat with the busy acorn chef and left him some chilled snacks as a token of my appreciation.

When Master Acorn saw the exquisite puppets, he was naturally amazed and repeatedly praised Tong Hua for surpassing his master.

He also expressed his support for Tong Hua's idea of ​​putting the puppets up for sale and promised to help find suitable buyers.

"However, Tong Hua—"

Master Acorn wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at the puppets displayed beside him, and hesitated to speak.

"Aren't these puppets too realistic?"

I always feel like they're watching me.

"Yeah, I feel the same way, it's so creepy—" Even the usually mischievous Mumu chimed in from behind Acorn.

"Hehe, it's normal for you to think that way."

After all, they move on their own when you're not looking at them, so they naturally need to be aware of whether you're watching them.

After being teased so many times by those around her these past few days, it's finally Tong Hua's turn to tease someone else.

The smiles on Acorn Master and Woody's faces froze instantly. The two exchanged a glance and shivered simultaneously.

"I've suddenly changed my mind. Why don't you just take these things with you?"

Seeing the identical expressions of terror on Acorn Master's and Mumu's faces, Tong Hua finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

"Just kidding, just kidding!" He waved his hands repeatedly, and before Master Acorn could refuse, he ran out of the Chicory Wood Hall.

"Then I'll leave it to you. If it sells well, I'll continue to deliver!"

Tong Hua laughed and jumped onto the worm, making steady progress on the village's stone-paved road.

Sitting on Tuotuo's back, Tong Hua glanced back at the receding Chicory Wood Hall. She could still vaguely see Master Acorn and Mumu standing at the door, looking at the puppets with conflicted expressions.

He couldn't help but laugh again.