Chapter 344 - 342: Family Reunion

Yun Jiao overheard and nodded. These were matters for the adults to handle.

She was just a kid, and learning so much every day was already tiring enough.

"The New Year is coming. I wonder if Mom and Dad, along with Xiao Liu and Lao San, will be back."

When she woke up that morning, she looked out the window to see a world of white.

It had snowed.

Snow was a rare sight in their area. Even when it did snow, it only left a thin layer on the ground and rooftops.

For southerners, snow was quite a novelty.

"Jiaojiao, come out quick! It’s snowing!"

Shen Yunlian had bundled Yun Jiao up so much she looked like a little chubby penguin, waddling about adorably.

"I’m coming, I’m coming!"

She ran out excitedly. It was obvious she also loved the clean, white snow.

"Let’s build a snowman!"

Yun Xiaowu and the other boys were already going wild in the courtyard.

They were trying to roll a big snowball, but what they ended up with looked more like a misshapen snow barrel.

Yun Jiao found a spot and squatted down. With her big eyes sparkling, she grabbed a handful of snow and started rolling it in her hands.

Soon, she had formed a small but perfectly round little snowball.

Then another.

She focused intently on her task, and before long, a neat row of little snowballs was lined up in front of her.

Her brothers in the courtyard had already moved on from building a snowman to having a snowball fight.

When boys get carried away playing, they tend to get a bit reckless.

And so, Yun Jiao was accidentally hit by a snowball that came flying out of nowhere.

The crucial thing was, none of them had even noticed.

Yun Jiao let out a yelp. She clutched the back of her head, glaring at her brothers with fire in her eyes.

"Which one of you hit me?!"

The brothers looked at each other, then all started pointing at someone else.

"Him, him, him..."

Yun Jiao stood up, grabbed snowballs with both hands, and threw them.

"Take that!"

Yun Xiaoqi’s eyes darted, and he immediately ran to Yun Jiao’s side.

"Little sister, I’ll help you!"

"Ahhh, you traitor, Yun Xiaoqi!"

The two dogs frolicked about, barking excitedly. WOOF WOOF!

After playing for a good while, they had pretty much trampled all the snow in the courtyard.

Wang Mei stood with her hands on her hips and yelled, "Alright, that’s enough! All of you, get back inside now."

Once the little rascals were inside, she first brushed all the snow off them, then told them to go drink some ginger soup.

Yun Jiao... ’Ginger soup again?’

"Little Aunt, can I not drink it?"

Yun Jiao batted her big eyes, starting to use her charm.

Wang Mei pinched her chubby little cheek and refused with a smile.

"Nope, you can’t."

Yun Jiao pouted.

In the end, she was still made to down the ginger soup, and the spiciness made her little face scrunch up.

Yun Xiaowu said, "Can’t you put some sugar in it? This is disgusting."

Wang Mei replied, "No. It’s more effective this way."

"WOOF WOOF WOOF..."

A series of barks came from outside.

Yun Jiao, who still had a little less than half of her ginger soup left, quickly put down her bowl and ran outside.

"I’ll go see what’s going on."

She had only meant to escape the ginger soup, but a surprise was waiting for her when she ran outside.

"Grandpa! Grandma!"

Yun Jiao’s voice was filled with delight as she rushed toward them.

"Whoa, slow down, Jiaojiao, slow down."

The two elders’ smiles deepened the wrinkles on their faces as they caught the little one running toward them.

"Oh, my dear Jiaojiao, Grandma has missed you so much."

Obvious joy radiated from Yun Jiao’s voice.

"I missed you so much too, Grandma! And Grandpa, and Sixth Brother."

Yun Xiao Liu still looked just as chubby, maybe even a little chubbier than before, but his skin was much fairer.

"Jiaojiao, come down, let Sixth Brother give you a hug."

Yun Chen Nan crossed his arms. "What, Jiaojiao, you don’t see your third brother?"

Yun Jiao replied, "I see you, I see you! One at a time, there’s only one of me and I only have two hands!"

Her words made everyone laugh.

Hearing the commotion, the others also came running out.

"Dad! Mom!"

Yun Linhai said in pleasant surprise, "Well, I was just wondering this morning if you all would be coming back for the New Year."

Grandpa Yun, holding his pipe, said, "Where else would we go if not back here for the New Year? This is our home."

"Dad, Mom."

Yun Xiao Liu also rushed toward his parents.

The large family was almost complete now; only the eldest and second eldest were missing for a true reunion.

That day, the Yun family’s home was filled with joy and laughter.

Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe recounted everything that had happened at home while they were gone.

In truth, they already knew most of it. Yun Chen Nan had sought them out as soon as he got to the Capital and had told them a lot about what was going on with Jiaojiao.

But hearing it all again now, no one felt the least bit impatient.

Mr. Yun picked Yun Jiao up. "Our Jiaojiao is a little lucky charm sent to us by the sea."

Yun Jiao beamed with joy.

Mr. Yun and Granny Yun wanted to go see how the village temple and ancestral hall were doing now.

And offer some incense while they were at it.

So, the whole family went together.

As soon as they went out, they ran into familiar faces and had to stop to exchange pleasantries.

Those people were very surprised to see the group that had returned.

"My, my, a stay in the Capital really makes a difference! Just looking at you standing there, I’d say you look no different from those wealthy old folks."

"That’s the Capital for you, it really does a body good."

"Did you go to Tiananmen?"

"Your clothes look so nice! Very fashionable."

When the other elderly villagers heard the news, they decided to go find them too. After all, it was too cold to go out to sea, and they were just sitting idle at home with nothing to do.

Soon, a crowd of old men and women had gathered around, asking all sorts of questions.

They didn’t spare Yun Xiao Liu either.

"Xiao Liu, this child has been raised so well! Fair and chubby, just like a little piglet."

Yun Xiao Liu was speechless.

Though it might sound like an insult, in this day and age, it was a genuine compliment.

After all, who didn’t want to raise their children to be fair and chubby? It was a sign of a family’s prosperity.

Yun Xiao Liu’s big, round face got pinched several times.

You had to admit, the family had good genes. Even though Yun Xiao Liu had grown into a little fatty, he was a soft, fair, and likable little round Baozi.

He was especially popular with the elderly.

Yun Xiao Liu covered his face, wanting to run but unable to escape. On the verge of tears, he looked around desperately, searching for his brothers and sister to save him.

But when he looked over...

...there they were, standing in a row not far away, cracking melon seeds.

Yun Xiao Liu: !!!

’Aaaah! Are you guys even my brothers and my sister anymore?!’

Yun Jiao said, "You guys go, I’m staying here. They pinch my cheeks too."

It had to be said, the village elders’ "combat power" was truly formidable. Whenever they saw a cute, chubby child, their hands just had to get a pinch.

Yun Jiao knew this from personal experience.

Even with her great strength, she couldn’t possibly use it against these old folks.

They all looked so frail; what if she accidentally touched one of them and they got hurt?

Yun Xiaowu shook his head quickly. "I’m not going. They say I’m strong as an ox and are always pinching my arms and legs."

Yun Xiaoqi said, "I’m not going either."

Yun Xiao Ba and Yun Xiaojiu also shook their heads.

They were all afraid of those old grannies.

And so, all the brothers could do was offer Yun Xiao Liu their encouragement with their eyes.

Yun Xiao Liu: ...