Chapter 64: Watermelon

Drawing on his experience, Shen Kuan picked out a perfectly ripe, large watermelon on the spot.

With just a flick of his finger, the watermelon actually cracked open.

The distinct, sweet fragrance of watermelon instantly filled the air.

Several heads gathered around, their eyes fixed on it in eager anticipation.

Shen Kuan took out a small knife and cut the watermelon open.

"Whoa~"

The vibrant, plump red flesh made Yun Jiao gasp with delight.

Shen Kuan indulged her, handing her the very first slice he cut.

"Thank you, Cousin Kuan."

Thanking him so obediently, Yun Jiao was just too adorable. Shen Kuan couldn’t resist pinching her soft, chubby cheeks.

’He’d never seen such a well-behaved child.’

Yun Jiao didn’t mind one bit. Her entire world was the watermelon she held in her hands. The way the copious juice burst in her mouth with every bite was simply heavenly.

She found spitting out the watermelon seeds to be a hassle, so she just swallowed all the little black ones.

Seeing this, Shen Xiuyuan, who was standing nearby, decided to scare her playfully.

"If you eat the seeds, they’ll sprout and a watermelon vine will grow in your tummy. Aren’t you scared?"

Yun Jiao patted her little tummy.

"I’m not scared. If a watermelon grows, I can eat it wherever I go."

The rind on these watermelons was a bit thick and they had a lot of seeds, but the flesh was incredibly delicious, with a slightly grainy texture. It was so juicy that a single bite would send rivers of juice running down your hands and onto the ground.

That was the only downside.

Yun Jiao didn’t like the sticky feeling on her hands.

But she put up with it, deciding to find water to wash her hands after she was done eating.

She ate the slice of watermelon clean, leaving not a speck of red flesh behind.

"Cousin Kuan, I want more."

Shen Kuan had saved a piece for her—the sweetest part from the very center.

On a ridge between the country fields, children of all sizes sat in a row. Shen Xiuyuan, Yun Xiaowu, and a few other boys stood with their bare feet planted in the dirt.

As the sun set in the west, the sky was stained red, creating a spectacular display of fiery clouds.

The sky was blue, and the breeze was cool and refreshing.

After they had finished one watermelon, Shen Kuan picked three more and placed them in the back basket.

"We’ll take these and chill them in the well. They taste even better when they’re ice-cold."

Yun Jiao listened with anticipation, but with her stomach full, she wasn’t as eager to eat more.

With the watermelons on his back, Shen Kuan led the group of younger siblings and cousins back home.

Yun Jiao yawned, a wave of sleepiness washing over her.

"Getting sleepy, Jiaojiao? Come, let Cousin Xiuyuan carry you back."

Yun Jiao yawned again and shook her head.

"I can walk by myself. Going downhill isn’t tiring."

As she spoke, she yawned again. Her round, doe-like eyes grew misty, and her long, curled lashes trembled. She was a heart-meltingly adorable sight.

Yun Jiao wasn’t just boasting, either. She really could walk, and her short little legs moved surprisingly fast.

The moment she got home, however, she sat on a chair to listen to the others talk for a bit, only for her head to soon droop to the side as she fell asleep.

Shen Yunlian immediately scooped her up. "Silly girl, you could have fallen."

Aunt Shen said, "Quick, bring her to my room to sleep. She must be exhausted after walking for so long."

Yun Jiao didn’t have any bad sleeping habits, except that on hot days, she’d likely feel stuffy and would always kick off her blanket.

Even if it was just a thin little blanket covering her tummy, she would inevitably kick it off in her sleep.

She would frown uncomfortably and roll all over the bed.

Shen Yunlian and Aunt Shen sat by the bed sewing shoe soles by candlelight, having to cover the little girl back up every now and then.

Shen Yunlian complained good-naturedly, "This little girl can’t stand the heat. As soon as it gets warm, she loves to roll all over the bed to find a cooler spot to sleep. This blanket can’t stay on her tummy for even a minute!"

"And you say she’s afraid of the heat, but she’s always begging to go out to sea with her father and uncle. Sister-in-law, don’t be fooled by her size. She might look well-behaved on a normal day, but she’s bolder than anyone. How long has it been since she started learning to swim? And already she wishes she could spend the entire day in the ocean."

Watching the restless little girl on the bed, Aunt Shen felt a pang of envy.

"That just proves Jiaojiao is healthy! It’s good for children to be a little rambunctious. And Jiaojiao is so beautiful. Even those cherubic babies in the New Year’s paintings aren’t this lovely. Her skin is the fairest and smoothest I’ve ever seen. If I had such a beautiful daughter, I’d spoil her rotten every single day."

"Since you’re here, you should stay for a few more days. We don’t have many beds, but sleeping on a floor pallet is fine in this weather. You won’t have to worry about the dampness."

Shen Yunlian nodded. "Then we’ll be troubling you, Sister-in-law."

When Yun Xiaowu and the other boys heard they’d be making beds on the floor, they got very excited.

"Mom, can we make our beds on the roof? We could watch the stars!"

Shen Yunlian’s eyes widened. "I think you’re trying to reach for the heavens!"

Yun Xiaowu pouted. ’Fine, if we can’t, we can’t.’

Yun Jiao woke up once during the night to use the toilet. When she came back, instead of returning to the bed, she squeezed in between her brothers.

The mountain breeze was cool at night, and with the windows open, it wasn’t so hot anymore.

The only problem was the sheer number of mosquitoes.

Luckily, Yun Jiao wasn’t the type to attract mosquitoes. She came through the night with her fair skin completely clear, without a single bite.

In contrast, Yun Xiaowu and the other boys had several welts on their faces and bodies, and were still scratching away as they groggily woke up.

"Ah, it’s so itchy!"

Yun Jiao was also quite peeved; the incessant BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZING of the mosquitoes was just too annoying.

Aunt Shen brought out a bottle of floral water. Only less than half remained, showing it was used often.

"Here, rub some of this floral water on the bites."

"Huh... Jiaojiao doesn’t have a single bite on her, though."

Yun Xiaowu and the others were incredibly envious of this.

"Jiaojiao has never really attracted mosquitoes."

Yun Jiao rested her chin in her hands, her little brow crinkled as she uttered a single word: "Annoying."

Aunt Shen chuckled. "What’s annoying?"

’This little girl looks adorable no matter what expression she makes.’

"The mosquitoes. BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZ. They’re noisy," she said, her tone thick with resentment.

Everyone in the room was amused and burst out laughing.

"I’ll have your grandpa go to Doctor Wu’s place today and get some mosquito coils. The mosquitoes here in the mountains are vicious."

The floral water helped quite a bit.

When it was time to eat, Yun Jiao immediately forgot her grievances and went to get her food.

Breakfast was a simple affair of cold salads and pickled vegetables served with thin congee.

The congee, cooked with diced sweet potato, was also quite delicious. Yun Jiao cradled her bowl and ate a heaping serving.

"Jiaojiao, let’s go catch wild rabbits!"

Hearing this, Yun Jiao immediately slurped up the last of her congee, already eagerly wiggling off her stool.

"Bring water! We have to bring a water canteen."

Away from the sea, her body got dehydrated so quickly.

But she still wanted to go play. It was her first time at her grandmother’s house, and she was curious about everything.

Yun Xiaowu patted the canteen at his waist. "Got it right here."

Yun Jiao and the others had gone to bed early, so they naturally woke up early too.

They were heading up the mountain to catch pheasants and wild rabbits, and it wasn’t just for fun.

Her grandparents also raised three sheep, which Shen Xiuyuan was herding up the mountain, a basket strapped to his back.

Shen Kuan didn’t go with them. He had to work with the adults.

"Wait, I have to go get my buddies."

The "buddies" Shen Xiuyuan mentioned were actually just the other kids from the village who were around his age.

Like Shen Xiuyuan, they all carried baskets on their backs; some were out to graze their sheep, others their oxen.

Oxen, however, were valuable and still a rarity. The entire village only had three, whereas sheep were much more common.