Chapter 62: Shen Family Village
In the end, we didn’t find any crabs, but we did find a small, dark fish with a tail.
This was the smallest fish Yun Jiao had ever seen, and it looked quite strange.
“What kind of fish is this?”
She scooped up the little fish and showed it to her older brothers.
Yun Xiaowu: “It’s a tadpole. It will grow up to be a frog or a toad.”
Yun Linhai and Shen Yunlian also walked over.
Yun Linhai was surprised: “There are still tadpoles this season?”
Shen Yunlian: “Perhaps they hatched later.”
If it were the breeding season, the entire stream would be filled with these small black tadpoles swimming around.
But now there were only a few of them.
“We can’t eat this.”
Yun Jiao let out a sound of regret.
Continuing into the mountains, her excitement lasted only a moment before she quickly grew tired.
The sun was strong, and walking wasn’t as comfortable as swimming.
Her short legs were sore, and she was thirsty.
Soon, Yun Jiao became like a wilted little fish, lacking water.
“Mom, I want some water.”
Shen Yunlian handed her the water kettle: “We’re almost out of water. I remember there’s a mountain spring cave up ahead. Let’s go get some water and rest.”
They had already been walking for an hour.
It was still another half an hour until they arrived.
The mountain spring water was sweet and cool. Yun Jiao drank a lot and felt much better.
For the rest of the journey, she was mostly carried or had her back used for walking.
Yun Xiaowu and the other boys had boundless energy, and they took turns carrying Yun Jiao, running a good distance up the mountain.
Finally, they arrived at Shen Family Village.
As they passed some fields, they could still see people working there.
These people put down their work temporarily to look at the approaching group.
“Little Lian is back?”
Shen Yunlian smiled and greeted them. She knew almost all these elders.
“Little Lian brought her daughter back this year? She’s so lovely. I’ve never seen such a beautiful child.”
To her maternal family, other than Shen Yunlian’s parents and brothers, they said that Yun Jiao was born to Shen Yunlian.
She had given birth to so many children; others wouldn’t suspect anything.
Shen Yunlian held Yun Jiao’s hand, teaching her to recognize and greet everyone one by one.
Yun Jiao was obedient, her moist, big eyes looking at the strangers as if she were trying hard to remember their appearance, then softly calling out to these elders with her mother.
“Great Aunt.”
“Uncle Shen.”
…………
There were so many people, and the titles for most elders were the same.
After greeting everyone, Yun Jiao also received a few gifts.
A small handful of peanuts and sunflower seeds, a cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and two chubby eggplants or some unknown wild fruits.
Many people gave nothing because they had arrived unexpectedly and didn’t have anything with them.
Yun Jiao was never picky about food; she could even take a bite out of a bitter melon and then, with a wrinkled little face, give it to her mother to cook.
After bidding farewell to those people, Yun Jiao put an eggplant into her mouth and took a crunchy bite.
Shen Yunlian: …………
Fine, this could be eaten too.
“Jiaojiao, eggplants are tastier when cooked. You can eat the cucumber and those cherry tomatoes too.”
Why did she have to bite into the eggplant?
Yun Jiao slowly let out a “mmhmm,” her soft white cheeks bulging with the eggplant in her mouth, looking plump and round.
Yun Xiaowu poked her.
Yun Jiao, who was eating, paused and glanced at her fifth brother. She chewed the eggplant in her mouth, then slowly moved it to the other side.
Yun Xiaowu chuckled. His sister looked so cute and fun when she was eating.
She put the bitten eggplant aside and started eating other things.
She ate cherry tomatoes one after another.
She counted them and gave one each to her father, mother, and older brothers, leaving herself with two.
Very good.
Then she distributed the cherry tomatoes.
“There’s only one cucumber, so I’m not sharing it.”
She earnestly discussed it with her father and mother.
They laughed: “Alright, alright, no sharing. Eat it. Your maternal grandmother’s home has them too.”
Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up.
“Then… does Grandma’s house have cherry tomatoes?”
She liked the sweet and sour cherry tomatoes.
“Yes, I’ll make candied tomatoes for you then.”
Yun Jiao responded crisply: “Okay!”
When they arrived home, they found the door locked and no one inside.
Naturally, during the day, most people in the village were in the fields working.
And in this era without mobile phones, finding someone relied purely on shouting loudly.
“Dad, Mom, where are you…”
To make his voice carry further, Yun Xiaowu climbed the large pear tree in front of the house and shouted.
“Grandpa, Grandma…”
Magically, their own family members could always distinguish whose voice it was.
If they were in nearby fields or on a closer mountain, they could hear and respond.
If they shouted a few times and heard no response, it meant they weren’t around.
Fortunately, soon there was a response from the mountain behind the house.
“Coming, we’re back…”
Yun Jiao squatted on the ground, poking ants with a small stick, occasionally looking up at the green pears hanging from the tree, her expression clearly longing for them.
“Fifth Brother, can I eat a pear?”
Yun Xiaowu: “They’re not ripe yet.”
Yun Jiao said earnestly: “I think they’re edible.”
Yun Xiaowu: “Then let’s pick one and try?”
He picked a larger pear from the tree, and Yun Jiao eagerly reached out to catch it.
Taking a bite, it was a bit astringent, but edible.
The pear was juicy and sweet, and Yun Jiao ate it with great satisfaction.
She glanced at the ants she had been tormenting on the ground earlier and put some pear skin in front of them.
A small black ant tasted it, its antennae twitched, and it ran away, but soon it returned with a string of black ants, surrounding the small piece of pear skin.
“Auntie, cousin, Jiaojiao…”
A cheerful shout came from the mountain path.
Yun Jiao looked up. It was her cousin.
He was wearing a blue t-shirt with patches and loose grey pants, the pant legs rolled up to his knees. His skin was slightly dark, and he had a buzz cut. He was about two years older than Yun Xiaowu and had a big smile on his face.
“Cousin.”
Yun Jiao called out softly.
She had met her cousin before, but not many times.
Because the distance was far, they only visited on important occasions or holidays, seeing each other only three or four times a year.
Shen Xiuyuan scrambled down the mountain from a distance, his movements as quick as an excited husky.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of them. After greeting Yun Xiaowu and the others, he scooped up the still-startled Yun Jiao.
“Jiaojiao is here too! Jiaojiao has finally come to my house. Cousin will take you to play in the mountains.”
Yun Jiao furrowed her little brows and used her hands to prop against Shen Xiuyuan’s face, trying to ward off her overly enthusiastic second cousin.
“I haven’t seen Jiaojiao in so long. Cousin missed you so much. Don’t you miss me, little sister?”
Shen Xiuyuan’s eyes sparkled, as cheerful as a big dog wagging its tail.
If Yun Jiao said she didn’t miss him, his eyes would dim, and he would droop his tail and ears like a pitiful big dog abandoned in the wind and rain.
Finally, the little fish, her heart softened, nodded.
“Mmm, I missed Cousin.”
