Chapter 7: Wanting To Buy A Boat
This time, Yun Jiao’s family earned a total of 225 yuan and 9 jiao and 6 fen.
Yun Wang simply rounded it up to 226 yuan for them.
This was already a huge income for tide pooling, even better than some who had their own boats for fishing.
After all, going out fishing also depended on luck.
The Yun family’s sons jumped for joy.
Old Master Yun held his good granddaughter close and said, “Our Jiao Jiao and her brothers are very lucky.”
Yun Jiao, praised by her family, tilted her little chin slightly and showed a smile.
Amidst everyone’s envious and jealous gazes, Yun Awang handed the Old Master twenty-two Da Tuan Jie banknotes, with the remaining being six yuan in change.
“Let’s go, Grandpa will buy you soda, and your favorite candy.”
Although the family was poor, after getting this much money, especially since the children earned it through hard tide pooling, they had to buy them something delicious.
As they left, people around them couldn’t help but sigh.
“That Old Man Yun’s family really spoils that girl Yun Jiao, treating her no differently than their own biological child.”
“No difference? Aren’t their sons skinny, with few good clothes on their bodies? But Yun Jiao is wearing new clothes. I heard that Lin Hai’s family took out their best fabric to make clothes for Yun Jiao.”
“Being so good to a girl, and not even their biological daughter, what’s the point?”
“Sigh, do you think Yun Jiao is really a lucky charm? Ever since Yun Linhai’s family picked up that little girl to raise, their lives seem to be getting better and better.”
The Yun Mu family had always been the poorest in the village.
Now they were even willing to spend money to buy soda and candy for the children.
“Pfft, lucky charm? You’re just listening to Yun Linhai’s family brag.”
A sharp voice cut in, “She’s just a bringer of misfortune, only Yun Linhai’s family treasures her. If you’re talking about a lucky charm, it should be a boy. My Zhuangzi is the real lucky charm, look how fortunate he looks! Whose child in the village is as fat as my Zhuangzhuang?”
Hearing this voice, everyone knew who it was without looking.
If the Yun Mu family was famous for having too many sons, then the Yun Dana family was famous for having too many daughters.
Most importantly, Yun Dana’s wife, the woman who just spoke, was incredibly fertile.
Their family had no history of twins, yet she kept having one child after another, as if she wouldn’t stop until she had a son.
The first five were girls, and only then did they have a son, whom the whole family doted on as if he were a treasure.
Everyone scoffed at what she said.
Yun Zhuangzhuang was just fat from his family overfeeding him; he was in a completely different league from Yun Jiao.
He was dark and fat, with a bad temper, and they called him a lucky charm? Please, don’t insult lucky charms.
However, no one bothered to argue with her.
The main reason was that Yun Zhuangzhuang was Cai Jinhua’s everything; if anyone said even a word about him, she would definitely throw a scene.
They didn’t have the extra time to argue with Cai Jinhua.
Seeing that no one was responding, Cai Jinhua continued to boast on her own.
Only after the crowd dispersed did she pull the ear of the young girl next to her and scold her.
“You clueless thing, hurry up and take this crab to get some money. Do you want to eat it when it’s dead? You lazy bum, remember to be clever and cry to get more money from Yun Laosan, otherwise, you won’t get to eat tonight when you get home.”
Yun Zhaodi, whose ear was being pulled, quickly agreed, not daring to resist.
She just looked in the direction Yun Jiao had left, her eyes full of jealousy and unwillingness.
Why did she have to have such bad luck to be born into this family?
If only she were the sister of Yun Xiaowu and the others.
On the other side, Yun Jiao and her group returned from the small shop to find three women in the family cooking.
With so many people in the family, the consumption of food was naturally high.
If it weren’t for their proximity to the sea and the abundance of marine products, allowing them to find some food every day by tide pooling, it might have been difficult to feed such a large family of eaters.
Yun Jiao, holding candy, sat in the courtyard with her older brothers, distributing the candy piece by piece.
“Jiao Jiao, you eat it yourself.”
Although the older brothers were tempted, they didn’t want to snatch their sister’s food.
Yun Jiao insisted, her little temper being quite stubborn.
“Let’s eat together.”
She forcibly put the candy into her brothers’ hands.
“Soda, let’s drink it together too.”
Although she loved to eat, she didn’t eat alone; not only did she want her brothers to drink, but her elders at home too.
After her brothers took a sip, she, holding the remaining soda, toddled on her short legs to find Grandpa, Grandma, Daddy, and Mom.
Since they were good to her, Yun Jiao would also be good to them.
The elders in the family were all melted by her adorable appearance as she held up soda for them to drink.
“Grandpa, drink.”
The Old Master was so happy that the wrinkles on his face crinkled together with his smile.
“Okay, okay, Grandpa will drink. Our Jiao Jiao is the most filial.”
Yun Jiao’s mouth curved into a smile; she liked hearing her family praise her.
In her previous life, she was a merfolk. Merfolk were independent; around the age of ten, they had to leave their parents and go out to live and hunt alone. Before the age of ten, although she was with her parents, all her time was spent training and being taught how to hunt.
She quite liked this feeling of being cherished by her whole family, this warm feeling.
“Grandma, drink too.”
The snow-white, beautiful little ball of fluff flitted among the elders.
There wasn’t much candy, so the elders didn’t get any.
The sweet taste still lingered in her mouth; she liked it.
The meal was ready, and the whole family gathered around the table to eat.
That spiny lobster wasn’t on the table yet; they would eat it when Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe returned in the evening.
“Come, Jiao Jiao, eat more.”
The family members always put the best food into Yun Jiao’s bowl first.
They all seemed worried that she wouldn’t eat enough.
Yun Jiao’s mouth was stuffed full, the soft flesh on both sides of her cheeks bulging out, resembling a very sticky little hamster desperately stuffing its cheeks with stored food: “Grandpa, Grandma, brothers, you eat yourselves.”
She spoke in a childish voice, but very seriously.
“Hahaha… okay, we’ll eat ourselves.”
The entire Yun Mu family particularly enjoyed listening to her speak.
The main reason was that Yun Jiao’s voice was truly pleasant to hear.
It was soft and sweet, with a touch of etherealness; every word she spoke was an auditory delight.
After eating, Yun Xiaowu and the others went out for a stroll; they had to show off today’s achievements to their friends.
Yun Jiao, on the other hand, went to take a nap.
In the Yun family’s courtyard, the two oldest elders were counting the family’s assets.
Old Master Yun smoked his pipe and said, “Adding today’s money, we have a total of six hundred yuan.”
This was after saving diligently. With so many people in the family, expenses for food, clothing, and daily necessities, as well as social obligations, amounted to quite a lot each year.
The fact that they could save this much was a testament to the women in the family being good at managing household finances.
Old Master Yun said to his wife, “I want to buy a boat.”
Old Madam Yun looked at the family’s meager savings and worried, “But with this little money, we can only afford a second-hand wooden boat.”
“I know.”
Old Man Yun said, “I’ve inquired. A family in the neighboring village has upgraded to a large boat, and they want to sell their old wooden boat. It’s an eight-meter wooden boat. Although it can’t go out to sea, it’s still better than tide pooling on the beach, and better than working hard for a living.”
Old Madam Yun sighed, “Since you’ve decided, then find a time to take our son to see it.”
Thinking of something, she wiped away her tears, “It’s all my fault for being a burden to this family. If it weren’t for treating my illness.”
“What are you saying!”
Old Master Yun reprimanded, “You are their biological mother. Money can be earned again, but if the person is gone, then Linhai and Linhe will have lost their mother, and the younger ones will have lost their grandmother.”
He would also have lost his wife.
Old Master Yun patted her hand, “The children have all grown up. There’s no rush to earn money.”
Old Madam Yun nodded.
After the two elders had discussed it, they decided to find a time to talk to the family.
Buying a boat was a big matter; even if it was just a small wooden boat, it required the whole family to discuss it.
