Chapter 172:
Li Sanmao took Miaomiao to Yan Tang Bay.
There was a mud pond there, suitable for catching loaches.
Along the way, following the small ditch, they caught many crabs basking in the sun just after coming out of their holes, and loaches.
“Father, Mother fries these crabs in oil and they’re so delicious!” He used to look down on crabs, but Miaomiao especially liked catching them.
Bending down to help her pinch them,
“Good!”
“Also, loaches come out at night to catch; this ditch is full of them, you can catch a bucketful all at once.”
“Oh? Did Mother tell you that?”
“Yes, Mother said these loaches come out at night to forage, and they like to eat the little insects in this ditch!”
“Little insects?”
“Yes, like spiders, fireflies, flies, mosquitoes, ants—they’re all insects!”
“Did Mother teach you all this?” Li Sanmao asked Miaomiao doubtfully.
“Yes, um, Mother also taught Miaomiao to recite poetry and compose verses.”
“Life is just like the flowers in March, captivating my lifetime devotion; coming like flying petals, scattering like smoke, in intoxication unaware of the limits of time.”
Miaomiao stood with hands behind her back on the field ridge, chanting like a little poet, light and nimble like a small oriole bird!
“Peach blossoms enchanting! Blossoms falling everywhere! Flowers dancing in profusion! Gazing afar at the immortal path! Serene beauty with flowing sheng! Pink mortal world rivers and lakes, how many dusks crossing west?
Years peaceful! Qin and xiao in harmony! At the place where flowers dance to an end! How many lives lost in the mist of dance?”
After chanting.
Li Sanmao was stunned!
He was captivated by Miaomiao, and even more irresistibly by his wife; who says a woman without talent is virtuous—his little Miaomiao shone so brightly when reciting poetry and composing verses.
Miaomiao told him all the entomology that Luo Zhi’er had taught her before, and some other things.
Li Sanmao thought of her dark eyes, becoming inscrutable.
Yan Tang Bay villagers also planted quite a few crops, lush and green; father and daughter unwittingly arrived at the mud pond that the villagers used to store water.
This was what they used before to irrigate crops; now the water inside was not much.
Inside were mostly silt, cogongrass, muddy water; it needed washing, but there were surely loaches in there.
Li Sanmao turned back and instructed Miaomiao to watch the wooden bucket, “Miaomiao, watch these frogs, don’t let them jump out of the bucket!”
“Got it, Father!”
“One, two, three…”
He took off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, took off his upper clothes to reveal his sturdy bare torso, crouched down and started catching loaches.
In no time he caught quite a few; Miaomiao squatted nearby counting! “One, two… sixteen!”
Patting his hands,
“Wow, wow! Father is amazing!”
Li Sanmao saw Miaomiao’s excited little face, grinned fully, put what was in his hands into the wooden bucket, and continued catching in the pond!
“Wow, Sanmao brother, it’s you guys; you and Miaomiao are catching loaches?”
“You’re really amazing! I could hear from far away that you caught quite a few!”
A very abrupt and young woman’s voice rang out, breaking the harmony between father and daughter.
Li Sanmao looked toward the voice and saw the person, nodding slightly politely: “It’s Fengjiao, are you gathering pig feed?”
Seeing her in a green gauze skirt, pretty and lively, carrying a bamboo basket with a sickle inside, stuffed messily with some pig feed.
“Yes, Sanmao brother, my oldest brother came last time to catch them and didn’t catch any; they’re in this mud pond too, and you actually caught over a dozen!”
Miaomiao had been counting them one by one earlier, and she had heard.
Zhao Fengjiao said with a face full of envy, her eyes looking at Li Sanmao’s sturdy arms.
Thinking of how he had just punched and shattered Li Shi’s chicken cart, she couldn’t help blushing and heart pounding.
Looking again at his mud-smeared face, angular and defined, her heart stirred, a blush rising on her face.
Li Sanmao saw her shy appearance and felt it was a bit improper, quickly going to the tree branch by the mud pond to get his clothes and put them on.
“Hehe, a man who can beat fierce beasts is indeed extraordinary!”
Li Sanmao smiled awkwardly, just pulling his leg out of the mud.
Then Zhao Fengjiao let out an “ouch” cry of surprise, and slipped, falling into the mud pond.
This scared her badly; Zhao Fengjiao struggled nonstop inside, unable to stand up, covered in mud, her clothes soaked through with mud slurry.
“Sanmao brother, save me, I’m scared! Sanmao brother, help!”
Miaomiao was obviously a bit scared too, ran over to prop up her bamboo basket, standing there anxiously watching her. “Father, what do we do?”
Li Sanmao looked at Zhao Fengjiao in the pond, then at the panicked Miaomiao, pulled his legs over to Miaomiao’s side, hugged Miaomiao to comfort her.
Zhao Fengjiao was dumbfounded; what was this situation, really a silly fool, “Sanmao brother, save me!”
“Fengjiao, the water in this mud pond isn’t deep, it’s just silt below; don’t move around, try to stand up!”
“I dare not!”
“You can walk out yourself.”
Li Sanmao said without emotion.
Zhao Fengjiao was furious inside, struggled for a long time but still couldn’t stand; Li Sanmao had no choice but to find a tree pole, let her hold it and lifted her out of the muddy water.
Zhao Fengjiao looked at him gratefully, “Sanmao brother, you’re so strong!”
Gazing affectionately, wanting to lean close and throw herself into his arms for comfort, but dodged by Li Sanmao, “Thank you so much, Sanmao brother, Fengjiao was so scared just now! Luckily you were here today, otherwise Fengjiao would have been in trouble!!!”
Li Sanmao looked at the drenched, mud-covered woman in front of him, looking pitiful, her chest faintly visible, his brows furrowed tight.
This Zhao Fengjiao, a young woman, coming to gather pig feed dressed so flashy, still wearing a gauze skirt for what?
Not afraid of being pricked by thorns, bitten by snakes and insects or anything?
“Alright, since you’re out, hurry back; in this state, be careful not to catch a cold!”
“Thank you Sanmao brother for caring, but… Sanmao brother, my clothes are all soaked through; if I go out of Yan Tang Bay like this, people will see and gossip…”
Zhao Fengjiao said, hugging herself weakly.
Gazing at the man in front of her, he exuded a mature masculine aura.
She hadn’t looked closely before; now up close, she saw Li Sanmao’s wheat-colored skin, his posture extremely upright from years of hunting.
Stubble firm like rock, features distinct, nose straight, making one see his reliability and steadiness at a glance.
The more she looked, the more shocked; probably no man in the village was as burly and handsome as him.
Really much better than the men her mother and sister-in-law had privately shown her.
Li Sanmao looked at her with disgust, hid his clothing behind his back.
She wouldn’t be eyeing this piece of clothing, would she?
“Sanmao brother, can you let me borrow this piece of clothing to drape over?” Zhao Fengjiao asked tentatively.
“This, this clothing can’t be given to you to wear!”
This was bought for him by his wife.
“But, Sanmao brother, I really can’t leave Yan Tang Bay like this; going out like this, people will laugh me to death; rather than that, I might as well not live!”
Li Sanmao sighed, “Alright!” Helplessly handed his clothing to her, “Cover yourself with this and go back.”
Even though unwilling in his heart, “Remember to return it to me!”
“Got it, Sanmao brother, I’ll take good care of it, thank you!”
Li Sanmao watched her walk away with furrowed brows, “Take care of it?”
He hadn’t meant for her to take care of it; he shook off his displeased swirling thoughts.
Buried his head and caught loaches with Miaomiao.
Caught until afternoon, two wooden buckets nearly full, covered with wooden lids; Li Sanmao found a sturdy wooden stick, shouldered them, and carried them back.
Miaomiao picked flowers and grasses along the way; father and daughter happily went home, saw wife sitting in the garden plot at the wooden table she made, making something?
Li Sanmao looked closely at Luo Zhi’er, saw her eyes downcast, focused on shaving bamboo slices, rubbing, nailing with a small iron hammer.
Knocking with a thumping sound, the pastoral breeze blew up her soft hair, revealing her flawless white face; the goose-yellow dress from afar seemed sometimes there, sometimes not.
His heart stopped abruptly, feeling like she might float away at any moment, “No, wife!”
Hurriedly set down the wooden bucket, ran over in panic, hugged Luo Zhi’er tightly in his arms!
Miaomiao held a bunch of little wild flowers she picked earlier in the mountains and wilds; she was skipping along, knowing Mother liked them most.
Seeing this, she was startled, “Father, what’s wrong?”
Weren’t they fine just now?
Luo Zhi’er was concentrating on her work, suddenly hugged tightly by someone, instantly dumbfounded!
What madness had this person gotten into again?
