Chapter 180: Going to the Market

Yun Jiao rolled around in bed a few times, not wanting to get up.

’Maybe if they knock a few times and I don’t answer, they’ll think I’m asleep and leave,’ she thought.

Yun Jiao peeked out from under the covers, her small hands pulling the blanket down just enough to reveal the top half of her fluffy head, from her eyes up.

KNOCK KNOCK...

Alright, she was wrong.

She got up reluctantly, threw back the covers, and slipped her feet into her slippers.

"Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao, are you asleep?"

Yun Xiaowu’s hushed, conspiratorial voice came from outside the door.

Yun Jiao opened the door, and a whole line of people suddenly flooded into her room.

Yun Jiao: ???

’What is this? What are they doing?’

"Jiaojiao, it’s thundering outside."

Yun Jiao glanced out the window. In the black night sky, a flash of rolling lightning instantly illuminated that entire patch of sky.

It was immediately followed by rumbles of booming thunder.

And the WHOOSH WHOOSH of the wind, which sounded like a wailing ghost.

"I know."

’Isn’t it obvious?’

Yun Jiao looked at them with her big, bright eyes.

Her face clearly read, ’So what are you all here for?’

Yun Xiaowu and the others grinned cheekily. "We were worried you’d be scared, so we came to keep you company."

Yun Jiao: ...

’I’m not scared, thank you very much.’

But seeing her brothers’ pleading, puppy-dog eyes, her heart softened and she agreed.

She actually knew they just weren’t used to it.

Back at the old house, Yun Jiao had always taken turns sleeping in the same bed with her brothers.

Even though she was always used as a human mosquito repellent and a body pillow.

Now that they were suddenly separated, everyone had their own room. At first, they were all excited, but after a few days, they started to miss their little sister.

Their sweet-smelling, soft little sister! The sister you could hug to sleep without having any nightmares, guaranteeing a great night’s rest!

The thunder was especially loud today, so Yun Xiaowu and the others used it as an excuse to sneak over.

Unexpectedly, as they neared her door, they ran into their other brothers, who were all sneaking around just like them.

Yun Xiaowu and the others: ...

And that led to the current scene.

With so many people sleeping together, the bed wasn’t big enough.

So, they decided to make a pallet on the floor.

They laid a straw mat on the floor as a barrier, and Yun Xiaowu and Yun Xiao Liu went to their rooms to grab their bedding. They spread two quilts on the very bottom, and then the gaggle of kids crawled into the makeshift bed, with Yun Jiao right in the middle.

They weren’t in a hurry to sleep. With so many people, it was natural to chat and play.

Everyone chattered away about things that interested them, and Yun Jiao joined in their discussion.

But soon, listening to them made her sleepy.

"This typhoon is pretty strong. I wonder if it’ll affect us going to the market tomorrow."

"Jiaojiao, is there anything you want? We can buy it for you."

Lying in the warm bed, Yun Jiao’s eyes were half-closed in a daze. Hearing her brother’s question, she answered vaguely.

"Yes, instant noodles."

’Mmm, instant noodles are delicious.’

Yun Jiao, who hadn’t eaten instant noodles in a long time, smacked her lips. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she fell asleep.

Yun Xiao Liu: "Instant noodles, huh? I want some too."

Yun Xiao Ba: "I want marbles. I only have three left."

Yun Xiaojiu: "Jiaojiao’s asleep. Stop talking."

Yun Xiaowu took a look and saw it was true. ’The little girl sure is a heavy sleeper.’

"Sleep, sleep."

With several people sleeping together, it was unbelievably warm.

The weather was getting colder and colder as winter approached.

The next day, Yun Jiao actually woke up before any of her brothers.

Her little face scrunched up as she rolled over inside the bedding, pushing away her Fifth Brother, who was sprawled out every which way.

His arm was lying on top of her.

’No wonder I had a nightmare about being tangled up by a giant octopus.’

She pushed him away, sat up, and yawned.

Yun Jiao looked at her brothers, all sleeping in different positions, and patted each of them with her small hands.

"Get up, get up, time to get up."

The vengeful Little Yun Jiao acted as their alarm clock.

"Fifth Brother, get up! Sixth Brother..."

With a mighty heave, Yun Jiao yanked the covers off them.

’Hehe... that’s what you get for bothering my sleep last night.’

"Jiaojiao, why are you up so early? We can still sleep a little longer."

Yun Xiaowu and the others didn’t want to get up.

Ever since they started school, they especially loved to sleep in.

Yun Jiao put her hands on her hips. "No, you have to get up."

Thanks to her pestering, her brothers got up with resentful looks in their eyes.

But they still diligently and uncomplainingly helped Yun Jiao get dressed and comb her hair.

Clutching her not-so-great hairstyle, Yun Jiao rejected the "care" from her clumsy-fingered brothers and ran off to find her mom.

Shen Yunlian deftly combed her daughter’s hair into a beautiful style with a braid.

"Wear more clothes, it’s cold today."

As she spoke, she found a thin sweater with a little sunflower on it and put it on her.

"Did your brothers go sleep in your room last night?"

Yun Jiao nodded, taking out a small shrimp to feed Turtle Xiao Er.

"My brothers said they were afraid I’d be scared of the thunder. I’m not scared at all."

Shen Yunlian said with a smile, "Yes, you’re not scared. It was clearly your brothers who were scared."

Yun Jiao nodded in agreement. ’Exactly!’

Yun Xiaowu and the others soon finished putting on their own new clothes and came running over.

"Mom, when are we going to the market?"

"Hurry up, Mom, or the village tractor will leave without us."

Shen Yunlian: "Go ask your dad."

The boys ran off to pester their dad.

After a period of utter chaos, a beautifully dressed Yun Jiao was carried by her dad, with a troop of boys following behind, as they headed to the village entrance to gather.

At seven o’clock, everyone in the village who was going to the market that day had gathered there.

They weren’t late. After Yun Linhai sat down, he placed his daughter right on his lap.

The people already on the tractor were chattering about Yun Dafu’s family matters.

That’s right, the squabbling over Yun Dafu’s family affairs wasn’t over yet.

Besides his sister-in-law’s family, the other two families whose children had been arrested and locked up were also shamelessly coming to beg and guilt-trip them.

But they simply wouldn’t return the money.

Yun Dafu’s family had to argue and fight with those people every so often.

"It got so bad yesterday, Yun Dafu’s son went and got someone from the police station. The officer made it clear that even signing a forgiveness agreement would be useless now. Their sons are destined to spend a few years in prison."

"I guess they can’t be considered relatives anymore."

"What kind of relatives are those? If I had relatives who brought outsiders to my home to steal money and beat people up, I’d kick them right out."

’Anyone who wants such awful relatives can have them.’

The tractor started with a loud CLANG CLANG CLANG. The people on board had to shout to be heard.

Yun Jiao also found the tractor’s noise too loud and simply buried her head in her dad’s chest.

Yun Linhai covered her ears with his dry, calloused hands.

’Maybe I should buy a bicycle. It’d be more convenient for going to the market and traveling farther away in the future.’

Yun Jiao was also thinking about buying a bicycle.

’Dad and Uncle’s money has to be saved to buy a boat, but I could use my own money to buy a bicycle.’

’Hmm... or maybe next time, I should go search the seabed specifically for pearl-producing shellfish, or catch another tuna?’

While Yun Jiao was lost in thought, figuring out how to earn money for a bicycle, their village tractor arrived in the county town.

It was market day, and the county town was especially bustling today.