The piece of metal on the table moved, following her movements, becoming soft and undulating like water. Then, Thach Anh aimed at the large rock in front of her and whipped the metal with the force of a whip, creating a sharp cut in the rock.
In the presence of her cousin, Dang Duong*, the son of Aunt Nguyet, he clapped in amazement.
"Cousin, you're amazing! How did you do that?" - Dang Duong
"It's simply practice. If you could practice, you could do the same as me. But the elements are different." - Thach Anh
Indeed, his element was Wood, and even more surprisingly, his Wood element was the same as Grandpa Hoan's, so he was expected to inherit Grandpa Hoan's will.
"But Wood is so boring, it's nothing like yours. You have Metal, which is arguably the strongest element!" - Dang Duong
"You should understand that there's no single strongest thing in this world; everything is in balance. I have a metal element, but that doesn't mean I can defeat a fire element, does it?" - Thach Anh shrugged.
"You have a point..." - Dang Duong
Suddenly, her mother's voice called her from inside the villa.
"Tun, Duong, come in quickly. It's time to go!" - Mom Thuy
"Yes, we're coming right away!" - Thach Anh
Saying this, the two children hurriedly ran into the house.
In a few days, it would be Lunar New Year, and people would clean their houses, buy new things, and engage in other unforgettable traditions.
The two children were taken to the supermarket by their mothers to buy new things.
A few years ago, after being accepted into the family, Thach Anh was shocked to find that her family's place was just a rented house. Her real family home was in the city.
Thanks to the reform policies, the country has built a city called Hanoi. Compared to other countries, it's still a bit slower, but the market economy is developing strongly. Furthermore, grasping trends, taking advantage of opportunities, and renewing consumer spending have boosted growth.
Expanding diplomatic relations and exchanges with other countries.
In a short time, many shopping centers have appeared. Scattered large buildings sprang up, along with high-speed rail, accelerating urbanization to create new development spaces that truly deserved the name of a city.
Standing in front of the villa gate, Aunt Nguyet looked into the distance and let out a meow.
"Meow meow." - Aunt Nguyet
From afar, a giant creature was running towards them; it was a white male cat the size of a bus. It lowered its head for Aunt Nguyet and Dang Duong to pet it, but when it was Thach Anh's turn, the cat hissed angrily.
"Hiss!!!"
"Be careful, you'll never be able to touch it no matter how many times you try." - Dang Duong
"What a fussy creature." - Thach Anh grumbled.
"Hey, I'm still here." - Huli
The fox perched on Thach Anh's head gently patted its owner's head with its paw. Since being adopted, the fox seemed to have become plumper. "She's getting fat." Then Huli slapped Thach Anh hard on the head.
"I know what you're thinking. Don't criticize me like that." - Huli
"I didn't say anything!" - Thach Anh
"You don't need to say it; I understand you perfectly." - Huli
After a relatively short journey, they arrived at the shopping mall. The cat was placed at the animal shelter; hopefully, given its personality, it wouldn't get into fights with other animals. Otherwise, Aunt Nguyet would have to compensate the shelter owner.
The shopping mall was filled with a variety of shops, and decorations like lanterns, string lights, and New Year calendars, all featuring the animal of the year – the dragon – were hung everywhere.
The two mothers led their children into a clothing store, browsing through one item after another. If one store didn't do it, they went to another, until their shopping carts were overflowing with purchases.
"Next, we'll go to the decoration store" - Aunt Nguyet.
"But we also have to go to the supermarket; it's very busy today." - Mom Thuy.
"How about we buy them for you?" - Thach Anh.
"That's right, we know what to choose to decorate the cherry blossom tree!" - Dang Duong.
"Alright, take the money, remember to stay close together, keep an eye on each other, and—" - Aunt Nguyet.
"Don't cause any trouble!" - Thach Anh and Dang Duong said in unison
After receiving the money, the two children left, leaving the two adults to continue shopping for necessary items.
Running into a decoration shop, they saw all sorts of dragon-themed decorations. While the two of them split up to choose, Thach Anh looked around and noticed many things hanging on the shelves. Picking up a hanging paper lantern shaped like a dragon, she examined it for a while before choosing it.
"Look at this! Isn't this perfect for this year's zodiac sign?" - Thach Anh
"It's okay, but that looks too ordinary. It would be more beautiful if it were a decoration covered in gold or red. There are red and gold items on the peach tree during the Lunar New Year, which have deep feng shui significance, symbolizing luck, wealth, happiness, and prosperity." - Huli
"Then you choose." - Thach Anh
"You silly child, why bother spending money on extra toys? Just win the prize and you'll get a whole bunch of toys. Look over there!" - Huli
Thach Anh looked in the direction the fox pointed; it was a ring toss game, and the prizes included cherry blossom tree decorations. The fee for one round was only 5,000 dong**.
She went to watch how people were playing and saw everyone throwing a metal ring at the pillars of varying sizes. The only one in the middle had a chicken sitting there, constantly dodging the rings. The funny thing was, that chicken was the prize – the cherry blossom tree decorations!
"Come on, play! Whoever hits the target gets a prize! Come on, come on!"
The participants paid the vendor and started throwing rings, all aiming at the chicken, but no one hit it. It was as if the chicken had a mind of its own, knowing how to dodge the hoops.
Huli stared at the chicken, its rear end swaying back and forth.
"I want to eat the chicken, little girl, play to win the chicken!" - Huli
"But I'm terrible at these games." - Thach Anh
"Don't worry, I'm here! Just follow my instructions! Hurry up, or someone else will get the prize first!" - Huli
Paying the stall owner, he gave Thach Anh five iron hoops, slightly heavy hoops with a radius of 12 cm, the size of a soccer ball. Looking at the posts in front of her, Thach Anh grabbed a hoop and aimed it at the chicken sitting on the post.
The first hoop was too heavy and fell to the ground. She threw another hoop with more force, but the chicken dodged it. She threw two more hoops, and the chicken kicked them away.
"Is this chicken a spirit or something? It's so cunning!" - Thach Anh
"This is the last ring, you have to aim accurately." - Huli
The fox bent down to look at its owner, and Thach Anh immediately understood what the fox meant. Looking towards the chicken, she aimed and threw the ring. Just as the ring flew towards it, the chicken was about to kick. She muttered something under her breath.
"Fire Magic: Enchanting Fox." - Thach Anh
The chicken, seeing Thach Anh's eyes, became dazed, and the ring landed squarely on its neck. The onlookers, including the stall owner were stunned. Thach Anh jumped up excitedly, looking towards the stall owner.
"So, can I claim my prize now?" - Thach Anh
After reuniting, the two mothers were very surprised because both children not only collected a lot of things but also didn't spend too much money; all of this was only worth 5,000 dong. The older daughter was holding a chicken coop with a live chicken clucking inside, while the son was carrying a cherry blossom decoration set.
After buying their things, as a reward, both children were given two skewers of charcoal-grilled meat as snacks.
While walking, Thach Anh noticed a small stall selling Chinese goods. Her eyes scanned the items on the counter: hairpins, combs, jade pendants, and jade ornaments. The stall owner, seeing the young customers, immediately showed her hospitality.
"Buy some things for the Lunar New Year, little girl! What do you want to buy?"
"Do you have anything here to tie my hair up that's simple and not too fancy?" - Thach Anh
"Why don't you buy a hairpin? Or at least a comb that looks more feminine? Your hair is already halfway down your back." - Huli disagreed.
"You've been with me for a while now, have you ever seen me act femininely?" - Thach Anh raised her eyebrows.
"Ah... you're right, you're just as mischievous as a boy. Alright, let me choose for you. Consider it a reminder that you're a girl." - Huli
The fox jumped off her head and examined it for a while, then noticed a red silk ribbon, or rather, half of a red silk ribbon. The ribbon had yellow borders, but because half of it was missing, the patterns were unclear. However, Huli found it truly special, so she pointed to it.
"This one, choose this one." - Huli
Saying this, Huli grabbed the ribbon and jumped onto Thach Anh's head after she paid. The stall owner took the money and watched the girl's retreating figure with a mischievous smile.
_______
*Cousin, Đăng Dương: Mean the bright sunlight, shining down, symbolizes a bright future, intelligence, talent, and brings joy and warmth to everyone.
**Đồng: mean Vietnamese currency