Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Little Green Dragon
In the blink of an eye, it was Yun Jiao’s third year in this world.
Her name in this life was also Yun Jiao, the same as when she was one of the Merfolk.
"Jiaojiao, we’re going beachcombing. Do you want to come?"
Inside the dilapidated mud-brick house, a little girl as fair and pure as a snowball sat quietly on a small stool. In her chubby hands, she held a piece of dried fish, nibbling on it unhurriedly.
Her clothes were a bit old but had been washed clean. Her hair was tied into two small buns, with fluffy, wispy bangs framing her forehead.
Hearing someone call her name, Yun Jiao turned to look.
Her eyes were big and bright, with the rounded curve of a cat’s. Her irises were as clear as glass, and her dark, curled eyelashes were as thick as little brushes.
She was as exquisite as a figurine, with a complexion completely different from everyone else in the small fishing village.
Yun Jiao had spent plenty of time running around in the sun with her brothers, but her skin never seemed to tan.
"Fifth Brother, I want to go."
Maybe it was because she had been found by Yun Xiaowu, but the boy, despite being her brother, worried over her like a father.
When Yun Jiao was too young to care for herself, it was often Yun Xiaowu who changed her diapers, not to mention feeding her milk and solid food.
The family all teased him about raising a daughter at such a young age.
When she was learning to walk, he was more dedicated to teaching her than anyone else.
As a result, Yun Jiao had also grown quite fond of sticking close to her fifth brother.
Shoving the last bit of dried fish into her mouth, Yun Jiao picked up her own little pail and shovel and followed her brothers out the door.
Her first and second oldest brothers went with Mr. Yun and their uncle to help on the boat, while her third and fourth brothers were still of school age.
Their family had many children and was poor, so they couldn’t afford to send all of them to school. The boys after Yun Xiaowu didn’t attend.
However, the two who did go to school had to teach their younger brothers to read when they came home.
The rest of the boys after Yun Xiaowu were at home, but the laziest one, Yun Xiao Liu, and the youngest, Yun Xiaojiu, had been taken to the fields by Grandma.
So now, the ones taking Yun Jiao beachcombing were the boys who had stayed home: Yun Xiaowu, Xiaoqi, and Little Eight.
Three-year-old Yun Jiao had very short legs. To keep up with her brothers, her little legs had to move with a frantic energy.
When they reached the beach, the tide had just gone out, and there were already many people beachcombing.
Everyone greeted them warmly, but an especially large number of people greeted Yun Jiao.
People are visual creatures, after all. A tiny little thing like Yun Jiao, so exquisite and pretty, stood out in the fishing village. Forget the village, you couldn’t find a child that good-looking even in town.
So she was quite popular.
"Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll go somewhere with fewer people."
Yun Jiao had no objections and followed her brothers to a more distant spot.
Yun Xiaowu glanced at her short little legs and asked considerately, "Are you tired, little sister? I can carry you on my back."
Yun Jiao shook her head. "Not tired. Brother, hold my hand."
She held out her chubby little hand.
Yun Xiaowu immediately grabbed it and gave it a squeeze. His little sister’s chubby hand was so soft and smelled so sweet.
"Me too! Little sister, hold my hand too."
Yun Xiaoqi sidled up as well.
Yun Jiao looked at the pail she was holding in her other little hand.
"Let Little Eight hold this."
Without waiting for an answer, Yun Xiaoqi gave his dear younger brother an extra chore.
Yun Xiao Ba was furious. "Why don’t you hold the pail so I can hold little sister’s hand?"
Yun Xiaoqi said with perfect justification, "Because you were too slow. Besides, you’re the younger brother, so you have to listen to me."
"Pah! You were only born a few minutes before me. What kind of older brother does that make you?!"
"A few minutes earlier is still your older brother."
The brothers bickered as they walked.
Suddenly, Yun Jiao stopped.
"Brothers, let’s go over there."
She pulled her hand away and pointed in a certain direction.
Her brothers let out a confused "Huh?"
"There’s no path over there."
Though they didn’t understand, the three brothers decided to indulge their little sister and go take a look.
Yun Jiao was an adorable little ball of fluff, her short legs churning rapidly to keep up with her brothers’ pace.
She looked incredibly cute.
Anyway, the three brothers were absolutely smitten by their little sister’s cuteness.
’Heh heh... such a good-looking little sister is ours...’
The direction Yun Jiao pointed to was a rocky cliff, high and steep. Even the best climbers in the village wouldn’t dare to scale it.
But Yun Jiao led them around it, and near sea level, they were stunned to find a cave in the cliff face!
The three Yun brothers’ eyes went wide.
They had lived here for so long and never discovered this cave. How did their little sister know about it?!
The three brothers looked at Yun Jiao in amazement.
The little cherub, as beautiful as a porcelain doll, stated confidently, "I heard it."
The three Yun brothers were baffled.
’You can *hear* something like that?’
Other people couldn’t, but she could.
The Merfolk had keen hearing. Even underwater, they could distinguish different terrains by sound, which made hunting easier.
The three Yun brothers didn’t ask any more questions. In their hearts, they became even more convinced that their little sister was a Little Fubao sent by the Dragon King.
"Should we go in?"
A cave that had never been discovered before... It could be dangerous inside, but it could also hold great rewards.
The three brothers looked at Yun Jiao in unison.
Yun Jiao nodded her little head, her tone resolute.
"Brothers, let’s go in."
"Okay, then we’ll go in. Jiaojiao, hold on tight to your brother’s hand, and we’ll go slowly, alright?"
And so, the four of them went into the cave, hand in hand.
It was fine at first, but the deeper they went, the darker it became.
"I wish we’d brought a flashlight."
The cave wasn’t very large, about four feet high.
Even Yun Xiaowu had to bend over to get through.
No wonder no one had ever found such a small cave in such a hidden spot.
"I think I hear something over there, in a puddle."
The cave would be submerged at high tide. Now that the tide was out, the entrance was exposed, but there were bound to be many puddles inside.
Maybe some sea fish were trapped inside.
’Please don’t be a sea snake, please don’t be...’
Those things were highly venomous. If one suddenly appeared and bit one of them, it would be all over.
The boys strained their eyes, trying to make out what was in the water ahead.
The three Yun brothers couldn’t see clearly, but Yun Jiao’s bright, distinct eyes could see it perfectly.
She suddenly broke free from her brothers’ hands and ran forward.
"Jiaojiao!"
Amidst her brothers’ panicked shouts, Yun Jiao bent down and grabbed the thing.
"Brothers, it’s a big lobster."
Yun Jiao’s childish, sweet voice echoed in the cave. Her pale, chubby hand held a huge lobster, much bigger than her own face, its large eyes swiveling around.
The three brothers were first worried, then pleasantly surprised by the huge lobster in Yun Jiao’s hand.
They could see it clearly when they got closer.
"It’s a Little Green Dragon!"
A Little Green Dragon, also known as a Chinese Spiny Lobster, was one of the more expensive types of seafood.
It sold for at least eight yuan per jin, and the bigger it was, the more valuable. A lobster over three jin would fetch an even higher price.
The one Yun Jiao was holding looked like it weighed at least two jin.
The three brothers were so excited their faces flushed red, and their breathing quickened.
This one alone was worth a fortune.
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