November 2939, Third Age, a journey no one anticipated began from Hobbiton in this ordinary winter.
The Shire, Hobbiton.
This morning, Bilbo Baggins sat happily at his doorstep, a pipe in his mouth, eyes closed, comfortably enjoying the peace.
He was completely unguarded when he saw an old man leaning on a staff, wearing a tall, pointed blue hat.
Bilbo Baggins cheerfully greeted him, "Good morning, Gandalf."
He greeted him sincerely.
The sun was shining brightly, and the grass was exceptionally green.
Gandalf's eyes, through his long eyebrows, stared intently at Bilbo, about to say something, but Bilbo immediately said, "I mean that you have a good morning, and that it is a good morning whether you want it or not; and I feel good this morning, and it is a morning to be enjoyed."
Gandalf's expression stiffened, and his mouth closed.
Bilbo's face showed a triumphant expression, even raising an eyebrow somewhat provocatively.
Gandalf cleared his throat and said, "It seems our hobbit is very good at mimicking human speech, but you cannot use what I said to you last time and say it back to me."
Bilbo shrugged, "But if I hadn't said it, you clearly intended to repeat what you said last time."
Gandalf feigned innocence, "Perhaps, perhaps not."
Bilbo blinked adorably, "Then perhaps I should rephrase it? As for 'Good morning,' you could also understand it as, this is a good morning for standing outside the door and smoking a pipe."
Then he glanced at Gandalf's waist, found his pipe, and chuckled, "Aha, since you brought your pipe, why don't you sit down and fill it with some of my tobacco? There's no hurry, we have all day to waste."
After Bilbo finished speaking, he put the pipe back into his mouth, took a deep puff, and crossed his legs.
He blew a beautiful smoke ring, which floated into the sky, but did not disperse, drifting over the hill.
Gandalf gently tapped the ground with his staff, and the smoke ring floating over the hill suddenly turned into a smoke butterfly, fluttering its wings and flying into Bilbo's nostril.
"Oh!" Bilbo coughed a few times, looking displeased at Gandalf.
Gandalf stood still and said, "The smoke ring you blew is beautiful, Bilbo. But I don't have time to sit here and waste time with you this morning."
Bilbo sighed, "So what do you want from me this time, Gandalf? Last time, after you asked me about Arthur, you left in a hurry, not even willing to stay for a meal."
Gandalf narrowed his eyes, adopting a benevolent posture, and said with a smile, "Bilbo Baggins, I am planning an adventure and looking for people to join, but finding people is truly difficult. However, coincidentally, I met a hobbit last time who told me his desire to go out and see the world."
"Oh." Bilbo frowned, put down his pipe, and stood up, kneading the corners of his clothes with both hands.
He cleared his throat, subtly shifting his bare feet, and said, "Indeed, adventure, huh? Which restless fellow would actually want an adventure? That's a bothersome and uncomfortable thing, I really can't understand it."
Bilbo, while hooking his thumbs into his suspenders, took out the overflowing envelopes from the mailbox, quickly scanning through letter after letter, pretending not to care about Gandalf.
Gandalf's face showed an "I knew it" expression. He stood motionless, leaning on his staff, staring at Bilbo until Bilbo was very close to his own doorstep.
At this moment, Gandalf slowly spoke, "Pretending to forget what you said is not a virtue, Bilbo Baggins."
Bilbo tucked the pile of envelopes under his armpit, and with the hand holding the pipe, pointed at Gandalf, "Yes, but forcing me to join an adventure I don't want to join is not a virtue either, Gandalf. Now, I'm going back into my Bag End to have two cakes to calm my nerves. Hmm, to calm my nerves from your adventure invitation."
Gandalf said, "Even if I say that people you and I both know are participating in this adventure, you still won't?"
Bilbo's foot, which had just stepped into Bag End, subconsciously paused, and he asked, "Who?"
Gandalf smiled, "Of course, Arthur, oh, and perhaps a few of his friends."
Bilbo immediately shook his head, "You mentioning him reminds me that I still have several adventure stories about Arthur that I haven't finished writing. Hmm, I've decided to write books all day today at home!"
Then Bilbo looked at Gandalf, opened his mouth as if to say something, but finally said, "Hmm, good morning."
Gandalf showed a strange expression, "Your 'Good morning' is truly versatile. Now you mean for me to get lost. So if I don't leave, your morning won't be good, will it?"
"Oh… heavens. Sorry, I don't want to participate in any adventure, thank you. At least not today, I'm busy today." Bilbo closed his eyes, feeling a headache from Gandalf's difficult words.
He walked into his Bag End, then his adorable head poked out from the doorway and said, "However, you are welcome for tea—anytime you like! Why not tomorrow? Yes, tomorrow! Gandalf! Goodbye!"
After Bilbo finished speaking, his head retracted into Bag End, and the green round door was heavily shut by him.
Bilbo leaned his back against the round door, locking it, and muttered to himself, "Damn it, why did I invite him for tea?"
However, the aroma wafting from the pantry immediately drew the hobbit's attention, making him smile and walk towards the room from which the scent emanated.
Just as Bilbo had told Gandalf, he planned to eat two cakes to calm his nerves, and then drink something.
Meanwhile, Gandalf remained outside, laughing silently for a long time.
Then he stepped forward and drew a strange rune symbol on Bilbo's beautiful green round door with the tip of his staff as a mark, then went to the round window next to the main door and looked inside.
Bilbo had already eaten his second cake by this time and came to the door to see if Gandalf had left, and incidentally to get some high-quality tea leaves from the kitchen to brew a pot of black tea.
He happened to see Gandalf's large face peering in, which startled the hobbit, making him step back against the wall, even his breathing becoming much lighter.
Gandalf noticed the movement inside, smiled, and left Bilbo's house with large strides.
Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief, then, as he had planned earlier, went to the kitchen to brew a pot of tea. The sweet tea quickly relaxed him, making him believe he had successfully avoided Gandalf's adventure invitation.
Bilbo had to admit that when Gandalf mentioned "Arthur," the hobbit's heart indeed stirred with excitement.
Because after Rogier came to his house and provided more detailed supplements to the adventure stories about Arthur, Bilbo had become completely obsessed with Arthur's experiences.
If it were an adventure he was willing to participate in, it should be another thrilling and epic journey, shouldn't it?
Bilbo thought, holding the warm teacup in both hands, then shook his head in self-mockery.
But what does that have to do with you, Bilbo Baggins? You are just an ordinary hobbit, neither skilled in swordsmanship nor strong. Even if you went, you would only cause trouble for Arthur, right?
However, our hobbit quickly cast aside this feeling of loss and began to enjoy his new day with pleasure.
By the next day, Bilbo had almost forgotten about Gandalf, along with the invitation for tea.
After all, Bilbo's memory wasn't very good, unless he recorded all his appointments in his planner.
For example: Friday, Gandalf, tea.
But his mind was in turmoil yesterday, and he couldn't remember this matter.
Just like yesterday morning, after enjoying his breakfast, Bilbo sat at the door, puffing on his pipe for quite a while, letting his thoughts wander aimlessly.
It wasn't until close to noon that he stood up from the bench by the door, patted his clothes, and decided to go to Hobbiton's market to buy a fresh fish.
His pantry was full of cured fish, but Bilbo suddenly had a whim today to fry a fresh fish with butter and bacon.
Hobbiton's market was located on the other side of the lake, surrounded by narrow flagstone paths.
The midday sun filtered through sparse clouds, dappling the vendors' canvas awnings. Thus, the market's hustle and bustle, along with the sunlight, entered Bilbo's eyes.
Freshly picked vegetables from the fields were placed on wooden stalls: vibrant carrots, verdant spinach, and plump potatoes, all speaking of the season's bounty.
hobbit vendors called out the quality of their produce, their voices rising and falling, trying to attract the attention of passersby.
Occasionally, a neatly dressed farmer's wife would pick a tomato from a basket and place it into her own.
Meat stalls were separated by fences to maintain some order.
Butchers selling lamb were busy cutting fresh meat, the dull thud of their cleavers hitting the chopping blocks echoing with the roaring ovens behind them, from which the roasted lamb emitted an enticing aroma.
Meanwhile, pork butchers were busy deboning, preparing for the midday sales.
In another corner of the market, the baker's stall exuded the scent of butter and fresh bread.
Golden bread, just taken from the stone oven, was so hot and fragrant that it made one's mouth water.
Next to them, spice merchants displayed rare goods they had acquired from outside Hobbiton—red, yellow, and green powders and fruits, emitting alluring fragrances in the sunlight.
Occasionally, the neighing of horses could be heard, as cargo carts were unloading. And hobbit children weaved through the crowd, adding their laughter to the market's clamor.
After entering the market, Bilbo looked left and right, and after confirming that the stall where he usually bought live fish was open, he walked over with a smile.
The wooden stall was covered with woven straw mats, on which fresh fish were laid out: shimmering cod, plump and fatty salmon, and even menacing octopuses.
They were sorted into wooden barrels, where they thrashed about, splashing water droplets.
The stall owner was a burly hobbit fisherman.
His hands were rough and strong, skillfully slaughtering, scaling, and gutting fish, with blood flowing into a small stream at his feet.
"Hey, Fredagar, give me a fresh cod!" Bilbo said enthusiastically.
The fisherman smiled, put down his cleaver, and while selecting the fattest cod from the wooden barrel, he greeted, "Alright, Bilbo, how have you been lately?"
Bilbo's eyebrows twitched nimbly: "Me? Of course, I'm very well, except for a grey-robed wizard with a pointed hat who came to my house yesterday and said some strange things. But he's not here today, so I'm still very well."
The fisherman placed the selected fish on the chopping board, slammed the blade of the cleaver against the fish's head, and the poor fish stopped struggling. It was then wrapped in oil paper and handed to Bilbo.
Bilbo handed the prepared money to the fisherman, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then left the market with a satisfied smile, returning to his home.
Midday quickly passed, and Bilbo enjoyed his cod undisturbed, with a beaming smile.
It wasn't until evening that Bilbo stared blankly at the moon hanging in the sky.
He was pondering what to eat for dinner, but after a long time, he still hadn't decided.
What's wrong with you, Bilbo Baggins? You're not still thinking about Gandalf's invitation yesterday, are you?
Please, you should recognize your place. Bag End is where you belong. Such epic adventures should never be associated with you in this lifetime.
You should stand up now, go back inside, pick out your favorite sausage, or a cured leg of lamb, pair it with a jug of sweet fruit wine, and then it's time for bed!
But for some reason, Bilbo kept staring blankly at the moon under the night sky.
Just as Bilbo was lost in thought, looking at the moon, the clanking of armor and solid footsteps on the ground drew his attention.
Before Bilbo could discern what it was, a familiar voice, filled with laughter, reached his ears.
"Bilbo, good evening. Long time no see, you're still as leisurely as ever. Could you treat me and my friends to a hearty dinner?" Arthur said, smiling.
He stood outside Bilbo's fence, with Millison, Bernal, and Igon standing behind him in order.
Bilbo's face showed a surprised expression, and he exclaimed, "Oh, Arthur! How did you come!"
The hobbit, who had just been in a daze, burst with astonishing enthusiasm, jogging down the steps, opening the door, and eagerly embracing Arthur with open arms.
Arthur cooperated with Bilbo's movements, bending down to embrace him, then released him and said, "Because someone told me there was a lively dinner party here, but I found the host of the dinner lost in thought at the door. Have you encountered any trouble?"
Bilbo was stunned. Although he wasn't sure what dinner party Arthur was referring to, he just assumed Arthur wanted to have dinner with him.
And as a hospitable hobbit, Bilbo certainly wouldn't refuse the invitation.
So he said with a chuckle, while nodding to the three people behind Arthur in turn to greet them: "Trouble? Of course not! Welcome! And your friends! There will be plenty of food and wine tonight!"
It's my birthday today~ So it's a little late~ Thank you for your support, dear readers~
I hope I've captured the feel of the movie, but I also referenced some plot points from the original novel.
Regarding the starting point of the Lonely Mountain expedition being different from the original, don't worry, I have it all planned out~