Chapter 294: The Sewing Machine Arrived

Yun Jiao hadn’t started school yet, but she already had more to learn than Yun Xiaowu and the others who were already attending.

But kids are kids. If there’s one thing they have in abundance, it’s energy.

Every morning, she woke up with a boundless supply of it.

But... ’The more you read, the sleepier you get.’

"Jiaojiao, it’s time to go. I’ll take you again today."

Yun Jiao immediately perked up and replied with an "Okay!" She slung her little bag over her shoulder, hopped onto the back of the bicycle, and headed to her master’s clinic.

Seeing her so full of energy, you’d never guess she’d been about to doze off just moments before.

First, she went through a round of testing from her master. Once he nodded in satisfaction, she stood by his side, learning how to diagnose patients.

After lunch, she would learn about dissection from her Fourth Senior Brother. Now, she was already able to try it herself.

On the small table in front of Yun Jiao lay an anesthetized rabbit. She wore a pair of small, disposable gloves and held a sharp scalpel in her hand.

Her little face was stern, her gaze focused and serious as she began.

Most people find their first dissection a bit unsettling, even if the subject is just a rabbit.

But for Yun Jiao, it was nothing. In her past life, she had killed so much prey, and in this life, she had caught plenty of fish and even killed a wild boar. Being unsettled wasn’t even a consideration.

And so, with an incredibly steady hand, she cut open the rabbit’s abdomen.

After the dissection, she also had to suture the rabbit’s wound.

Yun Jiao had previously practiced on fish skin at home. Now, suturing a live rabbit, her stitches were a bit crooked, but overall, she made no major mistakes.

When she was done, Yun Jiao let out a breath and placed all her tools on a tray to the side.

Her Fourth Senior Brother, Song Chengyou, who was standing beside her, applauded.

"Not bad, Little Junior Sister. You’re very talented."

Yun Jiao broke into a smile.

"Fourth Senior Brother, where’s Master’s medicine? Hurry and apply it. We have to see if it’ll live."

It would only count as a success if the rabbit survived.

"Don’t worry."

Song Chengyou applied the medicine to the rabbit’s wound and also cleaned up the tools.

Yun Jiao went to have some tea. "Fourth Senior Brother, I have to go. I’ll see you again tomorrow."

"Off to your teacher’s place again?"

Yun Jiao nodded, her little face scrunched into a woeful expression.

"Waaah... I’ve given myself so much to do. I don’t even have time to go out to sea with Dad and my uncles anymore."

Song Chengyou flicked her gently on the head. "Serves you right."

Yun Jiao glared at him.

"But learning to dance is good for your growth. You definitely won’t be a shorty in the future."

Yun Jiao’s face immediately lit up. "I think I’ll grow really tall, too!"

’In my past life, I was over three meters long, including the tip of my tail.’

After saying goodbye to everyone at the clinic, Yun Jiao slung on her little bag and went to Xie San Niang’s place by herself.

Her Third Brother had left after dropping her off at the clinic. It seemed he went to the library to look for some books.

’Sigh. Third Brother is truly in love with learning.’

Arriving at Xie San Niang’s house, Yun Jiao greeted her familiarly.

"Teacher, I’m here! What are we learning today?"

Xie San Niang stroked her little face. She found this child more and more endearing every time she saw her. In particular, Yun Jiao’s talent for music and singing had been a huge, pleasant surprise for Xie San Niang.

"Today, I’ll teach you how to read sheet music, as well as a few basic dance moves and some flexibility training."

Children are very flexible, and Yun Jiao seemed born for this. Her bones felt as if they were soft, and she could quickly adapt to all of Xie San Niang’s movements.

But it was also genuinely exhausting.

She trained at Xie San Niang’s until six in the evening, when her Third Brother came to pick her up, and they went home together.

It had been like this for the siblings for some time now.

"Third Brother, you bought so many books again."

Yun Chen Nan replied, "I dug them out at the recycling station."

He pointed at himself. "I’m covered in dust. Do you want to sit in the front?"

Yun Jiao circled him once and was speechless.

Her Third Brother looked like he had rolled around in a pile of ash. Even his hair had turned a little ’white’.

He really spared no effort when it came to finding those books.

Yun Jiao rode back sitting close to him, so it was inevitable that she got a little dusty too.

But it was nothing a bath at home couldn’t fix.

While drying her hair, she went to her Third Brother’s room. She opened the door and—holy cow! An entire wall had been converted into a bookshelf, and it was already completely full.

"Jiaojiao, can you take a day off tomorrow?"

Yun Jiao tilted her head. She didn’t say anything, but the expression on her face was easy to read.

She was asking why.

Yun Chen Nan said, "Chu An is coming over to hang out tomorrow. Want to go out to sea?"

Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up. "Okay!"

Outside, the shouts of Yun Xiaowu and the others could be heard.

"Jiaojiao, come eat watermelon! Dad bought a huge watermelon today!"

Yun Jiao immediately turned and ran outside.

"Coming, coming, I’m coming!"

That evening, they sat in the courtyard, eating watermelon and enjoying the breeze. Shen Yunlian held a cattail fan and fanned her.

"Eat slowly. You just took a bath, and you’re getting your clothes all wet."

Yun Jiao mumbled, "Mom, are the watermelons at Grandma’s house ripe yet? When can we go to Grandma’s to eat watermelon?"

The kind where she could eat as much as she wanted.

"They should be ripe by now. We’ll find some time to go check in a couple of days."

Yun Jiao nodded and said okay.

Everyone sat chatting under the moon, the air filled with cheerful laughter and the sound of swatting mosquitoes.

They didn’t disperse until it was time for bed.

The next day, she thought it would just be her Third Brother’s friend, Chu An, but unexpectedly... a whole crowd of people showed up.

First came her two older cousins, riding bicycles and bringing the large watermelon Yun Jiao had been dreaming of.

"Eldest Cousin, Second Cousin!"

Shen Xiuyuan scooped Yun Jiao up and bounced her a little. "Haven’t seen you in a while. Jiaojiao is getting prettier and prettier."

Yun Jiao giggled. Instead of being shy about the compliment, she lifted her chin with a look of smug satisfaction, as if it were only natural.

"Of course. I’m always pretty."

Shen Xiuyuan pinched her little cheek.

"Look what we brought you! Your favorite, a big watermelon. Go put it in the well to chill. It’ll taste even better when it’s cold."

After her eldest and second cousins, her uncle also arrived.

And he caused quite a stir.

Wang Hongfei had come with a sewing machine. The thing was so big it was impossible to hide, so people from Bailong Village had seen it all along the way.

When they realized the sewing machine was being delivered to Yun Jiao’s house, they all crowded into the courtyard to have a look.

"This sewing machine is brand new! It must’ve cost several hundred yuan, right?"

"Wang Mei, why did your brother send you a sewing machine?"

Following their prior discussion, Wang Mei answered with a proud expression.

"My brother went out and did a little business. He earned some money, you see, so he came back and bought me, his older sister, a sewing machine. Said it would be more convenient for making clothes and such at home."

"What kind of business? How much did he make?"

"Well, your brother certainly treats you well."

Many of the women were envious. Why didn’t they have a brother who would buy them a sewing machine?

But some people also tried to pry about what kind of business Wang Hongfei was doing, and even asked if he was hiring, clearly wanting a piece of the action.

Wang Mei just laughed and brushed them off. She didn’t dare say her brother was running business between the north and the south. If any of the families tried to copy him and something went wrong, they would surely come looking for trouble with her family.