Chapter 285: Bathing the Dogs

It felt like a secret mission, but they finally managed to get everything home.

"What’s the use of getting this?"

Yun Chenbei was home too. He seemed very interested in the Conch Shell, crouching down and touching it all over, not caring that his hands were getting dirty.

Yun Jiao: "It’s pretty."

The others: "..."

But having spent so much time with Yun Jiao, they naturally knew she loved to collect things that looked pretty.

She even had a collection of pretty or strange stones and seashells she’d picked up from the beach.

"Time to eat. You were out for so long, what did you eat out there?"

Yun Jiao: "Good food."

She patted her stomach. In fact, she wasn’t hungry right now.

How could she possibly go hungry in the sea?

"Sea turtle eggs."

Yun Jiao pointed to one of the burlap sacks.

"What? You went looking for sea turtle eggs, too?"

A few of the adults opened the sack. Although it had been placed on the killer whale’s back, it had inevitably gotten quite wet.

Fortunately, the sack was tightly woven, so the sand inside hadn’t all leaked out. It was just a bit heavy.

Once it was open, a quick dig around revealed white sea turtle eggs covered in sand.

"Well, look at that. Wow, there are quite a few in here."

Wang Hongfei crouched down. "I’ve never had sea turtle eggs before. Are they like chicken eggs?"

Yun Linhe said with a smile, "These things are very nourishing."

"Jiaojiao, where did you dig these up?"

Yun Jiao replied, "On an island. Lots of big sea turtles were laying eggs. Gui Yi and Turtle Two took me."

"Yeesh... Did Gui Yi and Turtle Two take you to go raid their own nests?"

’Aren’t those two afraid of getting beaten up by the other sea turtles?’

Yun Jiao dug out three sea turtle eggs. Her hands were so small she could only hold three or four in one hand.

"Mom, eat."

"I went to clean barnacles off the sea turtles."

That last sentence was in response to Yun Linhai.

"These sea turtle eggs were dug up by the turtles who came to lay their eggs later."

Although she was young, she could express herself very clearly, unlike other children her age.

Her family was used to it, and they were even proud of her for it.

’After all, their Jiaojiao was so smart!’

Everyone listened with great interest to Yun Jiao’s stories about everything she had seen on the island.

Shen Yunlian took a few of the sea turtle eggs to boil them.

"I’m thirsty."

Yun Xiaowu immediately shot up. "Let me go get you some water."

"Mom, Jiaojiao said she’s thirsty. I bet she wants some canned fruit."

Shen Yunlian said irritably, "I think it’s pretty clear you’re the one who wants to eat it."

Still, she opened a can of preserved bayberries, and everyone got a share of the fruit and sweet syrup inside.

As everyone sat in front of the fan, finishing their bayberries and syrup, the boiled sea turtle eggs were just about ready.

Sea turtle eggs aren’t like chicken or duck eggs. When boiled, the egg white looks like a transparent, gelatinous jelly. Only the yolk solidifies, making it look as if it’s undercooked.

The eggs had been prepared in a way to remove the gaminess during the boiling process, so they didn’t have a strong fishy taste.

The texture was decent, with the yolk having a slightly grainy feel.

"Hongfei, you’re heading back tomorrow, right? Take some of these sea turtle eggs back with you for your mom and dad. They’re good for their health."

Yun Linhe said, patting Wang Hongfei’s shoulder.

After putting away all the things Yun Jiao had brought back, the adults sat chatting in the courtyard while Yun Jiao played with her brothers.

Yun Jiao made the two family dogs lie down on the ground and started tying their fur into little pigtails.

"Baozi, Tang Yuan, are you two shedding?"

Looking at the tuft of fur in her hand, Yun Jiao ruffled their heads a few times and successfully sent dog hair flying everywhere.

"Ew... and you’re a little stinky."

"Brothers, let’s give the dogs a bath."

Yun Xiaowu was the first to respond. "No problem, I’ll help!"

The other brothers all chimed in one by one. They got up from the ground, gathered their pogs, dusted themselves off, and ran over to Yun Jiao.

Yun Xiaowu grunted with effort as he pumped water from the well.

"The water’s here!"

The two family dogs didn’t mind being bathed. Tongues lolling, they were very cooperative as Yun Jiao started combing them with a small brush.

A lot of loose fur came out with just a few strokes.

The two soaking wet dogs had their fur plastered to their bodies, but they still looked stout and chubby. It was clear that these dogs were solid, not just fluffy.

Looking at the two dogs, who were now just a tiny bit taller than her, made Yun Jiao feel utterly dejected.

’How long has it been? How did the dogs grow so fast?’

Besides, her two dogs had good genes, and Yun Jiao fed them well, so they were now taller and sturdier than any of the other dogs in the village.

It took some time to get the two dogs clean and brush out all their loose fur.

When they were just about done, Yun Jiao pointed outside.

"Go over there to shake dry."

The two dogs obediently trotted away, only starting to shake themselves furiously once they were outside the front door.

Water sprayed everywhere, just like it was raining.

After washing the dogs, Yun Jiao set her sights on the family cat.

Cat Boss, lazing on top of the wall: ???

"Cat Boss, come down."

Cat Boss: "Meow."

’Nope. One look at the little brat’s face told me nothing good would happen if I went down there.’

Cat Boss was no longer afraid of water—he could even swim in the sea—but not being afraid of water didn’t mean he liked baths.

He still avoided water whenever he could.

"Cat Boss, come on down! I’ll have Fourth Brother make you a super-duper-nice cat bed another day."

"Meeeooww~"

Cat Boss let his tail hang down, twitching it back and forth as if to tempt Yun Jiao, but he simply refused to come down.

After all, while Yun Jiao was strong and could easily catch Cat Boss in the sea, she wasn’t a good climber.

By the time she slowly, painstakingly climbed up the wall, Cat Boss would be long gone.

He might even look back and laugh at her as he scampered off.

Yun Jiao: "..."

’Fine, don’t have a bath then. I’m going to take a bath and go to bed anyway.’

’It’s not like I can’t catch him or anything.’

Early the next morning, Wang Hongfei left, taking with him the thirty-odd sea turtle eggs they had pressed on him.

Just before lunchtime, Yun Chen Nan returned.

He had a schoolbag on his back and was riding a bicycle.

The bike, of course, was a gift from Yun Jiao.

He was the only one in the family who went to school in the county town, which was quite a distance. Having a bicycle made the commute much more convenient.

The seventeen-year-old boy wore a clean white t-shirt. His hair was a little long, and his black-framed glasses gave him a scholarly air.

The family wasn’t as busy now, so he no longer needed to go clamming or help the adults on the boats. All he had to do was focus on his studies. It would be a shame to let his good grades go to waste.

As a result, no longer exposed to the wind and sun, Yun Chen Nan’s skin had become visibly fairer.

He now looked like a very clean-cut and refreshing young man.

It was just that his hair was a bit too long, partially covering his eyes and making him look a little nerdy.

"Third Brother!"

The moment Yun Jiao saw Yun Chen Nan, she threw herself at him.

Yun Chen Nan laughed and scooped her up into his arms.

"Missed me, huh?"

With the college entrance exams drawing near, Yun Chen Nan’s schoolwork had gotten heavier. He used to come home every two weeks, but now he only made it back once a month.

Yun Jiao touched his face, her own small face filled with concern.

"Third Brother, you’ve gotten thinner."