"Let's go, Fei Yangyang!"
Xi Yangyang said with a cheerful smile, draping an arm over Fei Yangyang's shoulder. Fei Yangyang did the same.
The two buddies walked out of the doorway with grins, heading for the tuck shop to buy some spicy strips.
Nearby, Mei Yangyang and Nuan Yangyang were chatting about gossip with girls from another class. Before long, break time was over.
The first class of the afternoon began, and once again, it was P.E.
Lan Yangyang groaned inwardly, reluctantly getting up from his stool and shuffling out of the spacious classroom—spacious mostly because everyone else had already gone down to the playground.
As for Lan Yangyang, he always dragged his feet, waiting until the final bell rang before finally bothering to move.
In the afternoon's first period, the junior class where Meng Xiaoyang studied was also having P.E.
The two classes were playing games together, kicking soccer games, and playing various small activities, while Lan Yangyang and Meng Xiaoyang stayed off to the side.
The brother and sister lay under a tree with blades of grass dangling from their mouths, fast asleep, with not even the slightest intention of exercising.
"Lan Yangyang, you're slacking off again. At this rate, I'm afraid walking will take effort for you in the future," Xi Yangyang said.
"Seriously, aren't you going to end up with a huge belly before long?" Fei Yangyang chimed in.
The two sheep looked at the lazy Lan Yangyang before them, grabbed him by the arms, and dragged him off to play soccer.
"I'm exhausted! You guys didn't want me to exercise at all—you clearly just dragged me in here so you could win and show off how cool you are!"
Lan Yangyang panted heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead as he sat flat on the ground, giving Xi Yangyang and Fei Yangyang a speechless look.
Ever since he joined, the attacks from Xi Yangyang and Fei Yangyang had suddenly turned fierce, and on top of that, they kept showing off every now and then.
By comparison, Lan Yangyang's clumsy movements only made Xi Yangyang and Fei Yangyang look even more impressive.
"Hmph, I'm not playing with you guys anymore!"
Lan Yangyang pounced out his lower lip and turned his head away, refusing to pay any more attention to Xi Yangyang and Fei Yangyang!
"Oh, come on, don't be mad, Lan Yangyang, here!"
Xi Yangyang stepped forward and crouched down half-way, while Fei Yangyang stepped up beside him, both producing lollipops from behind their backs and handing them over.
"Hmph, I'll let it slide this time!"
Lan Yangyang curled his lip, took the lollipops from Xi Yangyang and Fei Yangyang's hands, and walked off to the side. He handed one to Meng Xiaoyang and popped the other straight into his own mouth.
As the after-school bell rang, Lan Yangyang and Meng Xiaoyang left the playground with lollipops clamped between their teeth.
4:20 PM.
The dismissal bell rang. Lan Yangyang said goodbye to the others and set off on his way home.
Of course, Lan Yangyang wasn't alone; as he walked down the road, his other hand held his younger sister's, guiding her in the direction of home.
"School is so much fun! I learned so many things! Sheep Village is amazing," Meng Xiaoyang shared happily with her older brother.
"Is that so? Well, it might not compare to the big city, but it's not bad!" Lan Yangyang pondered for a moment, answering every one of Meng Xiaoyang's innocent questions with complete sincerity.
At that moment, Lan Yangyang truly resembled a responsible, gentle, and wonderful older brother as he led Meng Xiaoyang back home.
After washing up, they went straight to bed, looking forward to the next day.
***
Sheep Daily 1: The Picnic
A new day had arrived. During break time, Lan Yangyang and the others gathered together to discuss plans for a picnic.
Tomorrow was Saturday, and after putting their heads together, the group decided to go on a picnic.
"Alright, it's settled!" Xi Yangyang smiled and reached out his hand. The others followed suit, stacking their hands on top of Xi Yangyang's.
"See you tomorrow, and don't forget about the picnic!" Xi Yangyang said.
"Right! Especially you, Lan Yangyang—don't you dare be late tomorrow!" Fei Yangyang singled him out by name.
"Well, see you then. Nuan Yangyang and I are heading off; we're going to make some of tomorrow's food ourselves!"
Mei Yangyang waved goodbye and left with Nuan Yangyang, heading back to Mei Yangyang's house to prepare the food for the next day's outing.
"Bye."
The remaining four—Lan Yangyang, Meng Xiaoyang, Fei Yangyang, and Xi Yangyang—also waved farewell and went their separate ways, full of anticipation for tomorrow's picnic.
"Ugh, this alarm clock is so annoying."
Early in the morning, Lan Yangyang blinked his eyes sleepily, listening to the irritating alarm ring with a look of utter reluctance.
"Seriously, wait, what time is it?"
Lan Yangyang opened his eyes to look at the clock, only to see that the time was ten minutes past their agreed meeting time. Suddenly... he froze.
"Oh no! Meng Xiaoyang, wake up, let's go!"
Lan Yangyang sprang straight out of bed like a launched rocket. After tidying himself up at lightning speed, he grabbed Meng Xiaoyang, mounted their bicycles, and pedaled wildly all the way.
"Lan Yangyang, you're late again! Exactly like I guessed."
Lan Yangyang panted heavily as he arrived at the school gates, prompting Fei Yangyang to flash a "called it" expression.
"Ah, well!" Lan Yangyang scratched his head awkwardly.
"Never mind, let's get going to the picnic," Xi Yangyang chuckled.
The group nodded, and all six sheep rode their bicycles out from the school gates, with Lan Yangyang carrying Meng Xiaoyang on the back of his bike.
The little sheep pedaled toward a small hill, taking in the scenery along the way and chatting with one another. The atmosphere was wonderful.
Upon reaching the small hill, the sheep parked their bikes together, found a suitable spot, and spread out a pink mat.
Mei Yangyang and Nuan Yangyang unpacked a basket they had brought. Opening it up, they took out sandwiches, jelly, desserts, cookies, fruit juice, and more.
"Ah..."
The sun hung high in the sky at midday. A gentle breeze blew, rustling the green grass as the little sheep sat together on the pink picnic blanket beneath a tree.
They admired the scenery, enjoyed the delicious food, and chatted away. Lan Yangyang stuffed his face with sandwiches, continuously praising the culinary skills of Mei Yangyang and Nuan Yangyang.
"Here, Meng Xiaoyang, this strawberry cake slice is for you!"
Mei Yangyang smiled, picked up a specially made piece of strawberry cake, and handed it over. "Thank you, big sister!"
Meng Xiaoyang accepted the cake with a smile and dug in happily. When she finished, she had cream smeared all over her mouth. Mei Yangyang chuckled, leaned forward, pulled out a napkin, and gently wiped her face.
"My grass dumpling! Fei Yangyang, it's you again!"
Fei Yangyang and Lan Yangyang bickered, running around in circles, while Xi Yangyang sat quietly, gazing up at the blue sky and enjoying the view.
"Look at that white cloud over there; it looks just like the bangs on Fei Yangyang's forehead."
The little sheep lay down on the grass, looking up at the sky and letting their imaginations run wild.
"Look, that cloud is a bow, and that one's a bell, and that's a heart-shaped backpack!"
"Look at that one stacked up in layers—it looks just like your hair, Lan Yangyang!"
Everyone burst into laughter, making a lively fuss before finally packing up their bicycles and heading home, having enjoyed a wonderfully happy picnic.
***
Sheep Daily 1: Hui Tailang's Birthday
Around 11:00 AM.
Pleasant Goat Prairie, Sheep Village, Big Fat Sheep School playground.
Lan Yangyang and the others were playing when Xiao Huihui suddenly came running over, handing them several greeting cards.
"What is this?" Xi Yangyang asked, puzzled.
"These are cards—birthday cards!" Xiao Huihui announced. "Not for my birthday, though. It's my dad's birthday!"
"Oh, so you want us... to go to Wolf Castle to celebrate your dad's birthday?" Lan Yangyang stuttered.
"Yeah! Can you guys come? Just to celebrate!" Xiao Huihui said sincerely.
"Uh, right. Xi Yangyang, should we go? Won't this be walking right into a wolf's mouth?" Lan Yangyang looked over at Xi Yangyang.
The group looked somewhat awkward. Xiao Huihui was genuinely inviting them, and if they went with genuine intentions, it might be fine—they just didn't know if Hui Tailang would be a genuine host.
"Alright, we'll go!" Xi Yangyang hesitated for a second before giving his answer. Hearing this, Xiao Huihui became extremely excited. "That's fantastic!"
"I'm heading off then. I'll look forward to seeing you guys this afternoon!" Having gotten his reply, Xiao Huihui waved goodbye and left.
"Are you kidding me? Are we really going?"
Lan Yangyang stared at the card in his hand, his fingers trembling slightly. He was mostly worried that they'd go to celebrate a birthday, only for a cage to suddenly spring out and trap them right in the middle of eating cake.
"Yes, we're going. How can we turn down Xiao Huihui's kind intentions?!" Xi Yangyang said.
"Then..." Lan Yangyang started to object, but Xi Yangyang cut him off.
"Don't worry. Didn't you hear what Xiao Huihui just said? We're just dropping by for a bit," Xi Yangyang smiled.
"Come on, let's go get our gifts ready," Xi Yangyang urged.
The group dispersed. By the afternoon, they stealthily slipped out of Sheep Village and made their way step by step toward Wolf Castle.
"Are you ready?"
Xi Yangyang leaned sideways against the back of a tree, looking toward Wolf Castle ahead and checking in with everyone behind him.
"Ready," Lan Yangyang said.
"Ready!" Meng Xiaoyang said.
"Ready," Fei Yangyang said.
"Ready," Mei Yangyang said.
"Ready," Nuan Yangyang said.
"Ready," Hui Tailang said.
Hearing the voice from behind him, Xi Yangyang asked in bewilderment, "Hang on, why are there six voices?"
"What do you mean? Aren't there six of us? Six people, six voices! It adds up perfectly! Where's there an extra one?" Lan Yangyang retorted.
Lan Yangyang's wise remark left everyone momentarily stunned. Suddenly, laughter echoed from behind them.
"Hahahaha! Since the little sheep are here, why don't you come inside and sit a while?!" Hui Tailang leaped out from hiding.
Before the sheep could even react, Hui Tailang slammed his hand down on a switch he was holding. In an instant—
Right at the top of the tree Xi Yangyang had been leaning against, a sphere appeared and instantly split apart, weaving into a web of crackling purple lasers that formed a cage, dropping down and trapping the little sheep inside.
"Ah, oh no! Help!"
Lan Yangyang grabbed the bars in front of him and yelled at the top of his lungs. Watching the captured sheep, Hui Tailang burst into a hearty laugh: "Hahaha! Extra courses for dinner tonight! A full mutton feast!"
"Where's Meng Xiaoyang?"
At that moment, Lan Yangyang spoke up, looking around frantically to search for Meng Xiaoyang's figure.
"L-look over there!"
Mei Yangyang called out in warning. When the others looked, they saw that Meng Xiaoyang had somehow squeezed right through a gap in the cage bars and scurried all the way to Hui Tailang's feet.
"You've got to be kidding me, that's an option?!" all the sheep cried out.
***
Sheep Daily 1: The Beginning of Friendship
"Hmph, so you got out—so what?"
Hui Tailang sneered, reached down to grab Meng Xiaoyang, and tossed her right back into the cage. Then he flipped open the control panel and pressed an internal button.
Instantly, the cage reinforced itself, tightening the gaps until escaping through them was practically impossible. "Hmph, thanks for coming all this way to celebrate. And thanks even more for delivering yourselves as a mutton feast."
Hui Tailang laughed heartily as he led the trapped sheep back into Wolf Castle to get the water boiling.
"Let's see... radishes, cabbage, onions..."
Hui Tailang muttered to himself, checking a recipe for mutton soup while tossing ingredients into the pot.
"Sigh, I knew we shouldn't have come. Look at us now, caught again."
Lan Yangyang sighed. Looks like he was due for another bath.
"Hahahaha! Are you little sheep ready?"
"Thanks for being the main course at my birthday party!"
Laughing continuously, Hui Tailang strode forward, unlocked the cage, yanked Lan Yangyang out, and slammed the door shut again.
"Ugh, I knew it! Hui Tailang, why do you always have to boil me first?"
Pouting, Lan Yangyang was dragged along the ground by one ankle in Hui Tailang's grip as they approached the giant pot.
"What do you mean why? Because I adore you, of course!"
"How incredibly lucky I am—I never expected to have mutton to eat on my birthday."
Hui Tailang dragged Lan Yangyang right up to the cauldron, gave his right arm a swing, and tossed Lan Yangyang straight inside. He then shoved in a few extra logs to crank up the heat.
"Ugh, I don't want you to adore me, Hui Tailang! You big winter melon, stinky durian, rotten banana!"
"We only came to your birthday because Xiao Huihui invited us, and you treat us like this? Let us out right now!"
Lan Yangyang complained bitterly, but Hui Tailang didn't care in the least. He casually grabbed a carrot from nearby, stomped up the steps, and jammed the carrot directly into Lan Yangyang's mouth to shut him up.
"Stop making a fuss! Red, the mutton soup will be ready soon—let's get our candlelight dinner ready!"
Hui Tailang turned and called out. Lan Yangyang could only roll his eyes in response.
*—Xi Yangyang, save me!*
Taking advantage of the moment while Hui Tailang was distracted, Lan Yangyang rolled his eyes toward Xi Yangyang and the others, twitching his eyebrows in a special, coded way to convey his thoughts.
*—Hold on just a second longer, Lan Yangyang!*
Xi Yangyang simultaneously started making frantic facial expressions, signaling Lan Yangyang to stall for time. "Fei Yangyang, can you force it open?"
The others huddled together, making space at the back. "No good, the cage has been reinforced!"
"Xiao Huihui!" Fei Yangyang sighed in frustration. Just then, Meng Xiaoyang spotted Xiao Huihui and hurriedly called out to him.
"Huh? Meng Xiaoyang, why are you guys inside the cage?" Xiao Huihui asked, scratching his head in confusion. Seeing Xiao Huihui, Xi Yangyang instantly felt a glimmer of hope.
"Xiao Huihui, can you bring that control box over here?" Xi Yangyang pointed to the button panel Hui Tailang had left resting on the nearby table.
Xiao Huihui nodded, scurried over, and picked up the controller. "Ready... three, two, one, run!"
Nearby, Hui Tailang had just brought Red Wolf into the living room and was getting ready to dig into the mutton soup.
Suddenly, the cage popped open. Xi Yangyang and the others bolted outward, grabbing Lan Yangyang along the way as they sprinted straight out of Wolf Castle.
"What?! How could they break out of my enhanced cage?! Those wretched sheep!"
Watching the escaping sheep, Hui Tailang stamped his feet in furious frustration. "Is that the grand feast you were talking about?"
Red Wolf chimed in from the side. Seeing her expression, Hui Tailang's body gave an involuntary shudder. He opened his mouth to defend himself—er, explain.
Suddenly, Red Wolf let out a sigh and waved it off. "Whatever. It's your birthday, so I won't hold it against you! Oh, and Hui Tailang, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Fidgeting shyly, Red Wolf produced a cake from behind her back—though judging by its appearance, it looked much more like the plate of egg fried rice from Hui Tailang's memories.
Hui Tailang picked up a knife and cut into the cake, only to discover that the egg fried rice disguise was just on the outside. "Red, thank you so much!"
Eating the cake carefully crafted by Red Wolf, Hui Tailang couldn't help stepping forward to pull her into a warm embrace.
"Huh? What's this?"
At that moment, Hui Tailang's gaze drifted casually to a gift box sitting near the empty cage.
"Did the sheep leave this behind? Could it be some kind of trap?"
Stepping forward cautiously, Hui Tailang made a clumsy fumble and accidentally knocked the gift box open.
"This is..."
Still worried it might be a trap, Hui Tailang froze the moment he saw what was inside the box.
Reaching out, he pulled the item out. It was a scarf, brilliantly colorful and lovingly crafted together by Xi Yangyang and the others.
Every single color represented one of the little sheep, and even a glance made it obvious how much genuine effort had been poured into it.
"They really did come to celebrate my birthday... Tch, a bunch of overly sentimental little sheep!"
Hui Tailang curled his lip and said it with a haughty sniff, but he still carefully tucked the colorful scarf away to keep it safe.
***
Sheep Village Guardian: General Wolf
"Sheep and wolves can never live in peace!"
"What?!... Ah!"
Xi Yangyang bolted upright in bed, clutching his head as he woke from a fright. He had just dreamt of a scenario where Hui Tailang and the others invaded Sheep Village, only for a mysterious shadow to appear at the very end.
"Can sheep and wolves truly live in peace?"
Still pressing a hand to his head, Xi Yangyang replayed the scene of peaceful coexistence from his dream.
"Oh no! The wolf tribe is attacking Sheep Village!"
Before Xi Yangyang could think any further, the sound of Fei Yangyang pulling the alarm bell rang out from a watchtower within Sheep Village, echoing across the entire settlement.
At the same time, Fei Yangyang shouted without stopping to warn everyone that the wolf tribe had arrived to launch an attack.
"Forget it, I'll stop thinking about it for now!"
Taking a deep breath and shaking his head, Xi Yangyang decided to put the thoughts aside for the moment. He got out of bed, pushed open his door, and stepped outside.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Ready!"
"Let's get 'em together!"
"Charge!"
Outside Sheep Village, a persistent Hui Tailang had roped in his various relatives to launch a joint assault.
At his command, Hui Tailang's relatives gripped long wooden poles, sprinted forward, jammed the poles into the ground, and vaulted upward like professional athletes, looking as though they were about to clear the iron gates of Sheep Village in a single bound.
Right at that moment, Xi Yangyang rushed over. Drawing a pistol from his waist, he spun it with a flick of his fingers and a twist of his wrist before firmly gripping the handle. His eyes narrowed sharply. *Bang, bang, bang!* His finger squeezed the trigger in rapid succession.
In an instant, the charging wolves were struck one by one, collapsing to the ground in a domino effect and sprawling out as they wailed in agony.
"I've been shot!"
"I'm bleeding!"
"It hurts so much!"
Huier Taitailang, White-Eyed Wolf, Night Wolf, and the rest of Hui Tailang's relatives all hit the dirt, groaning as they stared at the blood-red liquid staining their bodies.
At this sight, Lan Yangyang was left utterly speechless. *Talk about fake! How could anyone fall for that? This is a cartoon—how on earth could there be real blood?*
Just then, Hui Tailang walked over, extended a finger, dabbed a bit of the blood-red liquid off one of their bodies, gave it a sniff, and then licked it to confirm. Only then was he certain it was tomato juice—and the really sour kind, at that.
That much was painfully obvious from Hui Tailang's instantly twisted facial expression.
"I'm fine!"
Hearing what Hui Tailang said, the pack of wolves experienced a miraculous recovery. With clear minds, they hopped back to their feet, patted their heads, and reached down to check their arms and legs—yep, everything was still attached.