Chapter 218: Yun Jiao’s Birthday

"A rock my granddaughter casually picked up is worth all that money."

He had never even heard of that much money in his entire life, let alone imagined it.

Granny Yun, who had once been wealthy, was the first to recover.

But a sum as large as seven million truly did startle her.

Yun Jiao said, "We’ll sell it for money and buy a big house in the Capital for Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom, Auntie and Uncle, and all my brothers to live in!"

After counting every person in the family, Yun Jiao said to Mr. Mu, "Grandpa Mu, you have to come live with us too."

It had to be said, Mr. Mu’s heart felt a little warm at that moment.

He was all alone and thought he would live out the rest of his life like this. He never expected to come to this small fishing village and gain such a talented apprentice.

And such a mischievous little girl on top of that.

"Hahaha... Then this old man will just wait to enjoy the good life."

Grandpa Yun and the others were also excited. Buying a big house in the Capital!

It must be said that people of this era held a certain yearning for the Capital.

If someone could go to the Capital to see Tiananmen and watch the flag-raising ceremony, it would absolutely be a memory worth showing off and cherishing.

As for buying a house in the Capital, that was something they wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

Grandpa Yun’s dark, weathered face flushed with excitement. "No need to buy a house! We can just go to the Capital to see Tiananmen and the flag, that’s enough. Buying a house costs so much money!"

Yun Jiao was very stubborn. "No, we have to buy a big house."

Mr. Mu also chimed in, "Old brother, don’t worry about the money. With that kind of cash on hand, buying a house in the Capital is the best option. It’s not just about whether you want to live there. Think about the children. With your Lao San’s grades, I reckon getting into Qingbei won’t be a problem."

"If he really does go to Qingbei, he’ll need a place to stay in the Capital, right? And there’s no place like your own. Besides, who’s to say your other children won’t have opportunities to develop their careers in the Capital in the future? And there’s Jiaojiao, too. With this kind of financial backing, if you can buy, you should."

"Most importantly, right now, many people in the Capital are looking to move abroad and are in a hurry to sell their courtyard homes. The timing is perfect. Otherwise, in a few more years, I estimate you won’t be able to find one to buy even if you want to."

Don’t be fooled by Mr. Mu’s age; it was precisely because of his rich experience that he could clearly see the way things were developing.

After hearing Old Man Mu’s analysis, Granny Yun made the final decision. "Then we’ll buy it. But the house must be registered in our Jiaojiao’s name."

Mr. Mu felt a certain admiration for Granny Yun. For this family to be so united, and for the children to be so well-raised, was definitely due in no small part to this elder sister’s efforts.

Since the decision was made, Mr. Mu was going to contact that friend of his.

Grandpa Yun instructed that they shouldn’t tell Yun Xiaowu and the other young ones about this for now.

He was afraid that the more people who knew, the more likely someone would let it slip, which would be a huge problem.

He also warned the rest of the family, "You all listen up, too. Keep your mouths shut! Remember this, and I mean it: even if you’re drunk, don’t you dare let it slip, or I’ll skin you all alive!"

An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth. If people found out before they had the means to protect such a large sum of money and the ambergris, it would be a disaster for them.

"We know, Dad!"

That night, everyone except Yun Jiao tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The valuation of over seven million was simply too overwhelming for them.

Every time they closed their eyes, they would think of that piece of ambergris.

Then they couldn’t resist the urge to go check on it, just to make sure it wasn’t lost.

Yun Chenbei, in whose room the ambergris was kept: ...

’Why don’t you all just take it away!’

The next morning, everyone except Yun Jiao and the oblivious Yun Xiaowu and the other kids had dark circles under their eyes.

Yun Xiaowu asked, "Dad, did you guys go cattle rustling last night?"

"Off to school with you. Why’s a kid like you asking so many questions?"

Yun Xiaowu pouted. ’Fine, don’t tell me then.’

"Jiaojiao, your birthday is coming up, isn’t it? Do you have any wishes?"

Yun Jiao’s birthday was on March 7th.

Her birthday was in three days.

Yun Jiao exclaimed, "I want to go play out on the sea!"

Yun Linhai and the others: ...

’Honestly, why is she always thinking about going out to sea?’

"Alright. If the weather’s good that day, we’ll take you."

Yun Jiao’s face lit up with a smile.

Before Mr. Mu arrived with his friend, life for the family had to go on as usual.

Other than the adults paying a little too much attention to the ambergris every day, things were the same as always.

On this day, Yun Jiao went to the county to see her master and turn in her assignments.

She had an incredible memory. Even though she couldn’t write the traditional ancient characters, she could recognize them on sight.

By now, she could recognize almost all the characters in the dictionary.

Elder Xu nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. From now on, you can start memorizing the *Tangtou Song*."

Yun Jiao nodded. Just then, someone from outside called for Elder Xu.

Left by herself in the back room of the courtyard, Yun Jiao found a book on Chinese medicine and started to read.

It was even illustrated.

She read intently, discovering that some creatures from the ocean could also be used for medicine.

For example, kelp could treat goiters and edema, and even things like oysters and abalone shells were traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients, although they were more commonly used for food.

Among them, the more valuable ones included seahorses and pearls.

The uses for seahorses were more extensive.

"Ambergris is a medicinal ingredient too?"

Yun Jiao thought, ’Maybe I should save a little when we sell it and give it to my master. He’s been very good to me.’

When Elder Xu returned, the plate of red bean paste cakes on the table had already been finished by Yun Jiao.

He gently tapped the little girl on the head.

"You mustn’t be greedy with food."

Although he said that, when it was time for Yun Jiao to leave, he still had someone pack up a good amount of pastries for her.

Elder Xu had a chef who specialized in these kinds of foods. Some of the pastries were not only beautiful and delicious but also had warming and nourishing properties.

In short, they were good for one’s health.

He had a large box packed for Yun Jiao.

"Master, I’m leaving now! Tomorrow is my birthday, you have to remember to come see me."

"Second Senior Sister and Fourth Senior Brother have to come too!"

As the group stood at the door to see her off, Elder Xu said grumpily, "If everyone goes to your place, how am I supposed to keep the clinic open tomorrow?"

Yun Jiao stuck out her tongue, then happily left with her father.

Unsurprisingly, Little Yun Jiao, who was a big spender, bought quite a few things to take back home.

The family took Yun Jiao’s fourth birthday very seriously.

Yun Xiaowu and the others threw a tantrum until they were allowed to take a day off from school.

Yun Linhe made a special trip to the county to bring her back a birthday cake.

On this day, Yun Jiao wore a new dress that Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei had made together.

It was a very pretty blue dress.

Because Yun Jiao loved the sea, they had even bought fashion magazines, studying the dresses worn by beautiful celebrities to learn how to design it and incorporating elements of the ocean.

Yun Jiao loved it.

Her hair was tied into two playful and cute braids, with little bells adorning the ends.

She looked like a beautiful and adorable little elf.

Early this morning, several cars arrived in Bailong Village.

Few people in their village even owned a bicycle, yet they had been lucky enough to see a four-wheeled car a few times already.

Today was even more of an event. Four cars arrived at once, causing a stir throughout the entire village. People ran after the cars, following them all the way to Yun Jiao’s house.