This day, Bilbo got up early.
The weather should be nice. He was busy. One moment he went to see if the tea was boiled, the next moment he went to see if the baked cakes were burnt, and the next moment he looked for the beautiful set of clothes in the box that he had prepared a few months ago. When I came out, I seemed to be considering whether to iron it again.
After a while, he ran to the door and kept looking in the direction of the intersection.
Well, our hobbit has been running around the house all morning like an ant on a hot pot.
Finally, it was approaching noon, to be precise, it was 4:15 in the afternoon. One second more is not more, and one second less is not more.
A figure wearing a gray cloak, a long woven scarf, and a tall, pointed hat staring at his head appeared in the direction of the intersection.
"Gandalf!"
Bilbo's cry of surprise was heard even above the gurgling of the mill-wheel at the other end of the creek. He kept waving his hands and jumping and screaming in front of the round door painted green.
The neighbor's children and adults looked at him in surprise, curling their lips in displeasure.
They drove their children back into the house and warned them not to imitate Baggins in Bag End.
The wizard saw the excited hobbit at a glance, and a smile appeared on his lips under his hat, and even the fatigue of the journey dissipated a lot.
He drove a four-wheeled carriage across the creek at the intersection and arrived at the door of his old friend's house.
"Bilbo Baggins, old friend, long time no see." Gandalf lowered his head and looked at the little guy at the door with a smile.
Bilbo had already opened the fence of his house, stood in the yard and said happily: "I thought you would be earlier! I received the message you sent through the dwarves a few months ago, and I have been waiting for you! But as time goes by, Every day that passes, that day gets closer and closer. You haven't seen me yet, so I thought you had forgotten."
"How could I forget this?" Gandalf got off the carriage and looked at our hobbit. Seeing his rosy face, healthy figure, and eyes shining with excitement, we knew that he had lived a good life these years. Then he said with a smile: "This matter is widely spread throughout the north, and is also discussed in the south. Even the most ignorant country woman will not ignore it!"
They walked into the hobbit hole and sat down at the long table that had once been the kitchen.
"Tea?" Bilbo brought the tea he had prepared.
"If it's not troublesome, let's have some." Gandalf was very open-minded, as if he had really walked a long way and returned home.
So they sat down and enjoyed a little black tea and a small, soft baked cake.
During this period, Bilbo kept looking at his old friend. He found that the wizard's eyebrows and beard were longer, and his gray hair was disheveled to his waist. His old face was dusty, but his eyes were still the same as in his impression. It looked as bright as a star.
Both the walking stick and the elf sword were placed on the wall by the door.
Put the hat on the table.
This made Bilbo couldn't help but curiously ask: "Gandalf, where have you been in the past three years? I occasionally hear news about you from the dwarves who come from the Lonely Mountain, but most of them are rumors. They say that you have been here all the time. Activities in the south and east, rarely going back to the west and north. What happened? Is there anything new happening everywhere?"
"I have indeed seen many new and strange things on my journey, but now is not the time to explain them. Some things are not suitable to be told to you." Gandalf said: "Bilbo, you only need to know that many places have become more interesting. Well, the grass is green, the flowers and birds are happy. But some places have become dangerous, not many, but certainly so. It is for these dangers that I travel everywhere, day after day, year after year."
Bilbo seemed to see the wizard working hard all over the place over the years, dealing with one major event after another that looked like the end of the world to the people in Hobbiton, and could not stop for a moment. Can't help but feel a little nostalgic for his previous adventures.
However, the time since the adventure was still short at this time, so he quickly suppressed this emotion. He said: "It's really hard work. I think if you have time, you might as well stop here and rest, you know, the door to Bag End is always open for you!"
These thoughtful words really made Gandalf feel a lot better. He knew that these were hobbits. They were warm, hospitable, and kind, and they were the best people to be friends with.
He said: "I appreciate you saying that, but I think it's our job to be busy, just like the hobbits are always diligent in tending their gardens!"
Bilbo thought for a while and felt that his metaphor was so right.
Then they talked a lot more.
There are some interesting stories about the south, and also about the dwarves in the east. They were Thorin's relatives, but they were very different from the dwarves in Middle-earth. Bilbo was very interested in this and would always interrupt Gandalf from time to time to ask about these dwarves;
It wasn't until the lights came on that our Master Baggins finally stopped with satisfaction.
"Oops!" Bilbo jumped up: "The sun has gone down, and dinner hasn't been cooked yet! Wait a minute, I'll do it now, and it'll be done soon! Just rest here tonight, and we'll be on our way again tomorrow. ! There’s still enough time.”
As he spoke, he started busy in the kitchen in a panic.
Gandalf looked at all this with a smile, sucked on his pipe, and blew out a white circle. The circle floated along the hobbit's windowsill and out of the house, flying and flying until the message was gone.
That night, the wizard did rest at Bilbo's house for a night.
the next day.
The genius dawned, and Bilbo got up.
He hurried out of the bedroom without even putting on his coat. It turned out that the wizard was sitting alone on the long-backed chair in the living room, smoking his pipe leisurely. When he saw him getting up, he said hello to him.
"Good day, Bilbo. I hope you had a good dream last night."
Bilbo was sure that everything yesterday was not a dream.
Thinking that he was about to meet his old friends and participate in that important event, Bilbo said loudly: "Please wait a moment, I will be there soon." Then he hurried back to the bedroom.
"We have time." The wizard returned exactly what Bilbo said yesterday.
But at this time Bilbo didn't care to listen anymore. All his mind was attracted by the upcoming journey. He washed quickly, then packed up and bowed - in fact, he had already prepared most of the things, but he Worried, I read it again.
The breakfast wizard is ready, which is a cup of hot milk and a few pieces of cheese bread.
Bilbo even felt that this was the end of the wizard's skills, and it took him a long time to suppress the urge to show off his skills. After all, his mind was not here at all at the moment. After randomly stuffing a few mouthfuls of bread, he drank the glass of milk in one gulp.
"Okay." He said, "Let's hit the road!"
Gandalf smiled.
"Bilbo Baggins, you are as enthusiastic as ever about everything outside your home. Don't worry, we will definitely arrive in time for Lord Turka's wedding. After all, this is why I came all the way back. !”
