Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Learning to Swim and Finding a Coconut Snail
That was an excellent dinner. When it was time for bed, everyone was still rubbing their bellies and smacking their lips, savoring the memory of the flavors.
Lying in bed, Yun Xiaowu rubbed his stomach. "I wonder when we’ll get to eat this well again."
Yun Xiao Liu was even greedier. After Yun Jiao, he was the biggest eater in the family. Lying in bed with his belly exposed, he was already half-asleep with his eyes closed, yet he was still muttering about big meat buns.
With a look of disdain, Yun Xiaowu pushed his own twin brother away and pulled Yun Jiao closer.
His fragrant, soft little sister reminded him of the equally fragrant and plump meat buns.
"Sleep next to Fifth Brother, Jiaojiao. Tonight, Fifth Brother will definitely dream of big meat buns."
Yun Jiao yawned. "???"
Four people lay in one bed: the three of them, and Yun Xiaojiu.
The house had only so many rooms. Fortunately, the children younger than Yun Xiaowu were still small, so they could manage by squeezing in together.
But once they got a bit older, that would no longer be an option.
Therefore, rebuilding the house was a necessity.
This was a worry for the adults in the family as well, but without money, it was all just wishful thinking.
Early the next morning, as soon as Yun Jiao was dressed, her Fifth Brother took her by the hand to go find something to eat.
"Grandma, what are we eating today?"
They were still thinking about the fruit that had been locked away yesterday.
Granny Yun gave each of them a light pat on the head.
"All you two think about is food."
"We’re having pumpkin today."
Grandma took out two eggs and handed them to Yun Jiao.
"One for Jiaojiao and one for Little Nine."
Although the Yun family doted on Yun Jiao a bit more, they still cherished their own children, especially the younger ones.
Yun Xiaojiu was seven years old, not much older than Yun Jiao.
Eggs were a limited resource in the family, and the adults couldn’t bear to eat them. But every couple of days, they would boil two for Yun Jiao and Yun Xiaojiu. Yun Jiao would even secretly save her yolk for her Fifth Brother.
Perhaps because he was the one who had found her, Yun Xiaowu treated her almost like a daughter, always giving her first dibs on anything tasty or fun he came across.
As a result, Yun Jiao was also more attached to her Fifth Brother than to any of her other brothers.
"Hehe," he chuckled. "Come on, let’s go foraging at the beach again today."
Holding a roasted sweet potato, Yun Xiaowu was about to take Yun Jiao to the shore.
The adults of the family had been busy since early morning. Father Yun, Little Uncle, and Eldest Brother had gone to work on someone else’s boat. Uncharacteristically, Second Brother hadn’t gone with them today. Third and Fourth Brother were at school, while Ama Yun, Little Aunt, and Grandpa went to tend to the family’s fields.
"Wait."
Their second brother, Yun Chenxi, called out to them.
"Today, Little Nine and Jiaojiao are going to learn how to swim and dive."
Children who lived by the sea had to learn to swim and dive from a young age.
Little Nine had also started learning when he was three, but he still needed an adult from the family to watch him whenever he went into the water.
Hearing that she was going to learn to swim, Yun Jiao’s eyes instantly lit up.
She had wanted to go into the sea for a long time, but because she was so young, the Yun family didn’t dare let her get close to the water.
"Will you teach me, Second Brother?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
Of all the Yun children, the second eldest and the fifth were the best swimmers.
But the adults didn’t feel comfortable letting Xiao Wu take Yun Jiao.
So, this important responsibility fell to the second eldest, Yun Chenxi.
"Mhm, let’s go."
With that, he scooped up his fragrant, soft little sister in his arms.
Yun Jiao’s plump little arms immediately wrapped around his neck.
Yun Xiaowu was not happy at all.
"I can teach our sister to swim, too! I’m a better swimmer than Second Brother."
Yun Chenxi shot him a sidelong glance.
"You’re just a kid. Wait until you’re a little older."
He carried Yun Jiao toward the shore, a long train of his younger brothers trailing behind him.
It was quite a spectacular sight, and one that made many people envious.
After all, in those days, having many sons was a sign of good fortune. Twins ran in the Yun family; aside from Yun Xiaojiu, nearly every previous birth had been a set of twins.
If the Yun family had had daughters of their own, matchmakers would have been beating a path to their door, no matter how poor they were.
The Yun family had no shortage of boys, but other families did.
When they reached the shore, Yun Chenxi sent his younger brothers off to forage while he took Yun Jiao to a spot with a suitable depth and began to teach her how to swim.
Yun Xiaowu didn’t leave, insisting that he would help teach.
"Don’t be afraid, little sis. You have to learn to hold your breath. Watch me! Take a big breath, hold it, and then go under the water. Whatever you do, don’t be scared..."
Yun Xiaowu completely took over the job his second brother was about to do, even trying to push him out of the way.
Then he got a rap on the head from his second brother.
"Am I teaching her, or are you?"
Clutching his head, Yun Xiaowu muttered, "But she clearly likes me more."
While they were bickering, Yun Jiao had already slipped into the water.
’I don’t need to be taught. I’m a Merfolk, for goodness’ sake. I was born to swim in the sea.’
’Most importantly, I can now confirm that I really can breathe in the sea.’
’This is the most wonderful surprise!’
"Sister! Jiaojiao, where did you go?!"
Realizing their sister was gone, both the second brother and Xiao Wu dove underwater to look for her.
"Second Brother, Fifth Brother, I’m over here!"
Yun Jiao suddenly popped her head out of the water three meters away, floating effortlessly. Her two chubby little hands were holding something.
Her two terrified brothers quickly swam over and pulled her into a hug.
"You scared me to death! How did you disappear in the blink of an eye?"
A smile bloomed on Yun Jiao’s face. "Look, brothers, I can swim now."
The two brothers: "..."
No, that couldn’t be right. They hadn’t had time to teach her anything, had they? How could she already know?
And she really did know. She had swum so far and was now floating in the water with such skill.
Yun Xiaowu held her and roared with laughter. "My sister’s a genius! Just what you’d expect from someone sent by the Turtle Minister!"
Although he was astonished, the second brother accepted it when he remembered the somewhat mythical nature of Yun Jiao’s arrival.
He just warned Yun Xiaowu, "Don’t tell anyone about this. Just say we taught her, and that Jiaojiao is a very fast learner."
The two of them nodded.
Yun Xiaowu added, "I’m not that stupid."
’He was afraid that if other people found out his sister was a gift from the Sea Dragon King, they would try to take her away.’
"What a huge sea snail!"
Once they were back on shore, the two brothers finally turned their attention to the object Yun Jiao was holding.
It had a smooth, yellowish-brown shell, and the exposed flesh was patterned with brown and white stripes. The only reason Yun Jiao had to hold it with both hands was because it was enormous.
It was even bigger than her face.
"This must weigh at least three or four pounds."
Yun Xiaowu said excitedly, "A sea snail this big must be worth a lot of money!"
Yun Chenxi took it and weighed it in his hand. "This is a bailer shell. One this size is probably worth over three dollars."
That was a lot of money. Many types of fish only sold for a few cents a pound.
"Not for sale."
Yun Jiao hugged the bailer shell. "Not for sale."
Three dollars was a considerable sum for the Yun family. After all, they were poor, and every bit of money they had was saved up little by little.
"Alright, alright, we won’t sell it. Our Jiaojiao has such good luck, finding a sea snail this big just from learning to swim."
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