Chapter 183: Turtle Xiao Er Is Being Eyed

"Well now, look at all that meat. Made some money, have you?"

Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe were now adept at handling the questions from all the gossipy aunties and grannies.

"Just got lucky. You know all those sardines we caught earlier? We’re using the money to give the kids some better food."

Yun Jiao listened to her dad handle the inquiries while simultaneously perking up her ears to catch the gossip from the other people on the tractor.

’A little multitasking? Nailed it!’

Once just about everyone had arrived, the tractor started up with a RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.

It was bumpy, and the noise was so loud it hurt her ears.

She stopped eating her melon seeds and snuggled into her dad’s arms, ready to sleep.

’It’s a good thing I’m sitting on Dad’s lap. If I were sitting on the tractor bed, my poor little butt would be suffering so much.’

After a bumpy ride all the way back to the village, Yun Jiao jumped off the tractor and started running with her brothers.

"Yangwa, let me tell you, we went to see a movie today! Sun Wukong was so cool! He knows the 72 Transformations and used a Jingu Bang to beat up all the demons and monsters."

"Look! Sun Wukong’s Jingu Bang looks just like this! Behold my Jingu Bang..."

Yun Jiao had thought her brothers were in a hurry to get home, but it turned out they were just rushing to show off to their friends.

But she had to admit, he’d definitely achieved his goal.

A few of the village kids stared at them, their faces full of envy.

After all, each of Yun Jiao’s brothers had their very own Jingu Bang.

Yun Jiao wasn’t in a rush to run. She just stood obediently to the side, nibbling on a cookie she held in her hand.

Spotting a colony of ants, she crouched down and quietly watched them march in a line.

After glancing at her brothers playing with their Jingu Bangs, she broke off a small crumb of her cookie and dropped it into the ants’ path.

Then, she watched with curiosity as the ants communicated with each other. Soon, a circle of ants had completely surrounded the cookie crumb.

"Jiaojiao, we’re heading home!"

"Coming!"

Only then did Yun Jiao stand up, clap the dust from her hands, and run toward her brothers.

As usual, before they were even home, the group of kids started shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Grandma! Mom..."

Yun Jiao, mixed in with her brothers, yelled along with them.

But compared to her brothers’ rough voices, hers was soft, sweet, and pleasant to hear.

The people inside didn’t come out, but two chubby little puppies heard the noise and came running, tails wagging and little butts wiggling.

They ran straight for Yun Jiao.

"Hey... pretending you don’t see me, are you?"

Yun Xiaowu picked up Baozi. "I’ve fed you so many times. How can you be so disloyal?"

Baozi whined and whimpered pitifully, his little eyes darting in Yun Jiao’s direction.

Yun Jiao had already picked up Tang Yuan, who was absolutely ecstatic.

Baozi felt even more wronged. ’Why’d he have to grab me?!’

After a bit of playful roughhousing, they saw Granny Yun in the courtyard, working on the potatoes.

It was time to plant potatoes, so they would have a new crop to eat next spring.

The whole potatoes had to be cut into chunks, and each chunk needed to have a sprout on it.

Yun Xiaowu and the others were shooed over to help, while Yun Jiao was left to play by herself.

She let out her two rabbits, and with the two puppies in tow and Turtle Xiao Er in her arms, she went to play outside the gate.

Every now and then, she’d pull up a handful of weeds for the two rabbits to eat.

Carrying a small stool, Yun Jiao took out a roll of hawthorn leather, sat down, and watched as her little menagerie of animals tumbled and played.

"Well, look at Jiaojiao, sitting here playing."

A lazy, slovenly voice drifted over, and Yun Jiao looked up.

It was two of the village’s good-for-nothing loafers.

Not wanting to engage with them, Yun Jiao just nibbled slowly on her hawthorn leather and gave a perfunctory nod.

Seeing Turtle Xiao Er trying to climb on her, she pulled a piece of dried shrimp from her little pouch and offered it.

"Eat."

Turtle Xiao Er stared at Yun Jiao for a long moment with its two beady eyes, then opened its mouth and slowly took a bite.

Meanwhile, the two men, who had just been wandering by and were about to leave, suddenly stopped when one of them spotted Turtle Xiao Er.

This man was lean and wiry, with a cunning glint in his eyes.

An idea seemed to strike him, and he walked over to Yun Jiao.

"Yun Jiao, Brother Tian will give you some candy if you give me this turtle, okay? I think this sea turtle is pretty cool and want to take it home to raise."

Yun Jiao gave him a look like he was an idiot. ’Do I look that easy to trick?’

She picked Turtle Xiao Er right up, turned her head away, and refused. "No."

The expression on Yun Tian’s face stiffened.

"If you don’t want candy, Brother Tian will give you money. How about one yuan?"

Yun Jiao: "No. He’s not for sale."

"You..."

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Granny Yun came walking out of the courtyard, her hands on her hips as she glared at the two men.

"What, a grown man like you trying to bully my Jiaojiao?"

"Who? Who’s bullying my sister?!"

Hearing this, Yun Xiaowu and the others dropped what they were doing and came swarming out.

Though just young boys, they showed not a shred of fear in the face of an adult like Yun Tian, who was in his twenties.

Yun Tian forced a smile. "Granny, what are you talking about? I was just... just teasing Yun Jiao. Uh, I have something to do, so I’ll be going now."

The two men hurried away.

Granny Yun asked, "Jiaojiao, what did that Yun Tian want?"

Yun Jiao held up Turtle Xiao Er. "He wanted to trade candy for Turtle Xiao Er."

Granny Yun grumbled, "Those two are always up to no good. Grown men, but all they do all day is loaf around, drinking and playing cards. Don’t you pay them any mind."

Yun Jiao nodded.

At the same time, the two men who had left were also talking.

"Why were you so set on getting Yun Jiao’s turtle?"

"What do you know?" Yun Tian’s eyes glinted with greed.

"If I’m not mistaken, that sea turtle of hers isn’t any ordinary sea turtle. It’s a hawksbill."

"A hawksbill? What, like it has the bill of a hawk?"

Yun Tian smacked him twice on the back of the head. "I told you to read more, but you never listen! A hawksbill is a type of sea turtle, and they’re very expensive."

"You didn’t graduate elementary school either,"

Yun Feng grumbled, rubbing the spot where he’d been hit, before the meaning finally sank in.

"How expensive can a little sea turtle like that be?"

"That’s what you don’t get. Anyway, let’s just get our hands on that little sea turtle first. We can ask a professional about it later."

In truth, he had no idea how much it could sell for either.

Yun Jiao had no idea that her Turtle Xiao Er had been targeted. At that moment, she was leading her menagerie of big and small animals, following Granny Yun, her mom, and the others to the fields to plant potatoes.

The little girl had a small basket hanging from her wrist, filled with sprouted potato chunks. She squatted down by the holes her mom had dug and carefully pressed a potato chunk into each one.

Working alongside her was Yun Xiaojiu.

Behind them, Yun Xiaowu and Yun Xiao Liu were spreading homemade fertilizer.

The two little dogs were PANTING AND HUFFING as they pawed at the dirt, covering the fertilized potatoes.

There were quite a few people working in the field, which was less than an acre.

Because of this, what should have been arduous farm work was instead filled with a lot of fun.

With all the laughter, no one felt tired.

"Baozi, we haven’t spread the fertilizer over there yet! Why are you running so fast?"

"Hurry up, Jiaojiao, we’re catching up to you!"

Yun Jiao mumbled, "I’m already going as fast as I can! Fifth Brother, you guys slow down a little."

"Oh, crap! Jiaojiao, your goose ran into someone else’s field!"

Yun Jiao looked up and saw that it was true—it had run into the neighbor’s field and was pecking at their vegetable leaves.