Chapter 12: Chapter 12: A Protective Family
Having been yelled at, Cai Jinhua looked at Yun Linhai’s dark expression and fell silent, not daring to speak further.
The second son, Yun Chenxi, also wore a cold expression. The eldest son held Yun Jiao, covering her ears, his dark eyes fixed grimly on the woman throwing a tantrum.
For a moment, silence fell over the tractor.
Yun Chenxi broke the silence. "Auntie Cai, is it really appropriate for an elder like you to say such things in front of a child?
"You may not cherish or care for your own children, but ours is none of your business. We’re all adults here. You should watch what you say."
Cai Jinhua pointed at them. "You... you’re all just bullying me because I don’t have a man around!"
At her words, no one bothered to respond.
The Yun father and his sons couldn’t be bothered to talk to her either. The more they said, the more worked up she got.
Only an auntie who was usually on good terms with her gave her a tug. "Alright, that’s enough. Get up. Can’t you see how much the Yun family dotes on Yun Jiao? How could they not be angry when you curse their little girl like that?"
’Even she, an outsider, thought it was excessive.’
’This Cai Jinhua must be so used to cursing her own daughters at home that she thinks every family is like hers, treating girls like worthless weeds.’
’Yun Jiao might not be their biological daughter, but the Yun family has so many boys. Besides, Yun Jiao is so pretty. If she were their child, they’d love and protect her just the same.’
After that, Cai Jinhua did indeed quiet down, and the rest of the journey to the village was peaceful.
The father and his two sons carried their things while Yun Jiao, clutching a pear, trotted along beside her father and two brothers with her little steps.
Her legs were short and her steps were small. Her father and brothers had long legs, so for every one of their steps, she had to take two.
Her little short legs looked incredibly busy.
But the father and his two sons slowed their pace to match hers.
As she walked, Yun Jiao didn’t forget to take a bite of her pear. It was a green-skinned fragrant pear, crisp and very juicy.
Of course, Yun Jiao didn’t forget her father and brothers while she was eating. She raised a chubby little hand, stood on her tiptoes, and offered them the pear, which now had a small bite taken out of it.
"Have a bite, Father."
Yun Linhai was completely charmed by his sweet, adorable daughter. He patted the little one’s head. "Father doesn’t need any. Jiaojiao, you eat it."
Yun Jiao’s voice was soft and sweet, but she was insistent. "Father, eat with me. Brothers, you eat too."
’There are only a few pears in total. With such a large family, there won’t be nearly enough to go around if we bring them home.’
Father Yun bent down and took a tiny bite. "It’s delicious. Very sweet."
Yun Jiao immediately broke into a soft smile. Her dark eyes sparkled, and the little dimples at the corners of her mouth were especially cute.
"Eldest Brother, have a bite."
"Second Brother, you have a bite too."
Like a little butterfly, she flitted between the three of them, letting each take a bite of her pear. Only then did she contentedly hug it and resume nibbling away.
After all, Yun Jiao possessed the soul of an adult sea demon. Although her awareness and curiosity about this world were no less than that of a newborn child, some of her behaviors were still much more disciplined than an ordinary child’s.
For example, when she ate, she was very careful and didn’t get food all over her mouth and clothes.
When they got home, they saw Yun Xiaowu from a distance, sitting on the doorstep and craning his neck as he looked out for them.
The moment he saw them, he shot up and ran over.
"Little sister! My Jiaojiao, did you miss me? Your Fifth Brother missed you like crazy!"
Yun Jiao let him hug her obediently, a happy smile spreading across her face, her eyes crinkling into crescents.
Her big, beautiful eyes turned into little crescent moons, and her thick, curly eyelashes fluttered beautifully.
"I did. This is for Fifth Brother."
She had already eaten half the pear, and she gave the entire remaining half to her Fifth Brother.
Yun Xiaowu was instantly touched.
’How can my little sister be so sweet?’
The rest of the Yun family came out too. Seeing the trio laden with bags of all sizes, the other children went wild with excitement. They crowded around, chattering and asking what they had brought.
’What’s the difference between this and a wet market?’ Father Yun and the two older brothers were getting overwhelmed. With so many boys in the house, the questions came one after another, and their voices weren’t quiet either.
The adults, however, felt a pang in their hearts. A sharp pang.
Grandma Yun slapped Father Yun’s arm. "What are you doing, wasting money like this? How much did all this cost!"
"It didn’t cost anything! Mother, stop hitting me, it really was free!"
Back at home, Mr. Yun drank some water before explaining what had happened.
Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei put everything away. These were all good things; if they were left out, the little rascals would have them all ruined within a day.
Yun Jiao hovered around her Ama and Auntie.
"Ama, I want one... no, two oranges, two pears, two bananas..."
Ama patted her head. "Sweet Jiaojiao, we’ll eat these slowly. We can’t finish them all at once."
"I won’t eat them all."
Yun Jiao obediently shook her head, but when she saw them putting the things into a cabinet and about to lock it, she grew anxious and started circling their feet.
"If we don’t eat them, they’ll go bad and won’t be tasty anymore."
The other little ones who had followed, their eyes greedy, nodded in agreement again and again.
Yun Jiao tugged on the corners of the two women’s clothes, her eyes pleading. She looked just like a poor, little kitten.
"If you leave them too long, they’ll go bad and taste awful."
"Granny’s candy... it was left out too long and melted. It wasn’t tasty anymore."
The older generation had all lived through hardship. When Yun Jiao was only one or two, she would sit in their laps and listen to them reminisce about the past—about how truly bitter those days were, and how many people had starved to death.
Because of this, they had developed the habit of hoarding any good things they got, unable to bear eating them right away.
’But if you never eat those things, and they just rot and expire over time, isn’t that even more wasteful?’
Unable to resist Yun Jiao’s pestering, Ama Yun finally took out a few pieces of fruit.
Yun Jiao’s face immediately lit up. "Eat! Everyone eat together!"
"Alright, alright, let’s all eat together."
The little one’s smile was infectious, and the whole family felt it. The little rascals of the house were so happy they were jumping for joy.
There weren’t enough fruits for one per person. The oranges were peeled and divided segment by segment. The orange peels weren’t thrown away either; Granny Yun took them to be put away.
"This orange peel is also a medicinal ingredient. If you dry it, it can be kept for a long time. We can add a little to our stews for extra flavor."
The bananas and pears were also cut into small pieces, so everyone could have a little.
Even if it was just a small piece each, it tasted exceptionally sweet as the large family sat together and ate.
"This is so good."
After Yun Xiaowu finished eating, he declared grandly, "When I grow up and can earn money, I’ll buy so much fruit to bring back that none of us will be able to finish it all!"
Uncle Yun laughed. "Well then, we’ll be waiting for you to treat us, Xiaowu."
They had thought eating fruit was a luxury for one day, but they never expected fragrant meat Baozi and mantou for dinner.
When the plump, white Baozi and mantou were brought out, everyone’s eyes lit up as they gulped.
People living by the sea didn’t lack for meat. If nothing else, they could at least afford things like clams.
But fish and pork were two completely different things.
And that white flour... just the sight of it was enough to make their mouths water.
Comments