Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Meeting the Killer Whale Again
That night, as it was nearly bedtime, Yun Jiao sat on a small stool, washing her feet.
Her chubby little feet wiggled playfully in the hot water.
"Dad, Jiaojiao wants to go tomorrow too."
Yun Linhai’s head throbbed. "Dad and your uncle will be back before you know it. How about Jiaojiao gets some extra sleep, okay?"
Yun Jiao pouted. "Okay, fine."
’If they won’t let me go to the island with them, I’ll just take the sea turtle to the beach to play.’
「The next day」
By the time the pack of little ones at home woke up, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe had already been gone for a while.
They were only unhappy for a moment. After obediently sitting on the small stool in front of her mother to have her hair combed, Yun Jiao immediately called for her brothers to go beachcombing.
"Brothers, help me carry Turtle!"
The brothers excitedly lifted the sea turtle and charged outside.
Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei chased after them.
"Slow down!"
Yun Jiao had come to the beach today purely to play.
After watching the sea turtle dive into the ocean, she started splashing around in the water and running everywhere.
"Brother, I want a fishing rod."
Her dad had promised to make her one, but there was still no sign of it.
"That’s easy. I’ll find a bamboo pole and make one for you when we get back."
A few of them were digging for basket clams.
Under the watchful eyes of the adults, the two youngest, Yun Jiao and Yun Xiaojiu, were allowed to skip work, but Yun Xiaowu and the others didn’t dare to play around the whole time.
Basket clams are very small, shaped much like melon seeds.
You could imagine just how little meat was inside them.
But every little bit counts. The task Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei had given them today was to gather a basinful of basket clams.
A whole basin of basket clams might only yield a single bowl of meat.
"This is such a pain. How long is this going to take?"
There were plenty of basket clams here, but digging them out one by one and picking out the larger ones was truly exhausting.
Yun Jiao helped from the side, occasionally digging up a clam and tossing it into the basin.
"Jiaojiao, tell us what else is on that island."
Yun Xiaowu was really itching to go out to sea.
Yun Jiao shook her head. "Just the stuff Dad and the others mentioned. There’s also a big patch of kelp, but the tide came in while we were catching shrimp yesterday, so we didn’t get a chance to see it."
"There must be tons of good stuff over there."
"Next time, I have to find a way to go to the island with them."
Yun Jiao encouraged him, "Then you’ll have to work hard to convince Dad and Uncle, brother."
Suddenly, the sea turtle’s panicked voice echoed intermittently in Yun Jiao’s mind.
’Help... GLUG GLUG... Jiaojiao... save me... Ah... so dizzy...’
Yun Jiao stood up and looked out at the sea.
"What’s wrong?"
Seeing her movement, her brothers also looked over.
But the surface of the sea was calm. There was nothing there.
Yun Jiao started walking toward the ocean.
"Jiaojiao, where are you going?"
"Turtle’s in danger."
"Huh? How do you know? Where is it?"
Just then, a black, triangular fin broke the surface of the water.
Yun Xiaowu and the others cried out in alarm.
"Is... is that the legendary great shark?"
With only a triangular dorsal fin visible and the rest of the body hidden, the first thing Yun Xiaowu thought of was a shark.
Yun Jiao shook her head. "No."
The familiar sea turtle was tossed up, launching out of the water and spinning several times in the air.
Its terrified screams of "AHHHH" echoed in Yun Jiao’s mind before it splashed back into the sea.
At that moment, a familiar, large, black-and-white head emerged from the water.
"It’s a killer whale! Wait, what’s a killer whale doing here?!"
"Jiaojiao, where are you going?!"
Yun Jiao, of course, was headed into the sea.
Seeing her dive into the ocean, Yun Xiaowu and the others hurriedly followed.
Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei were aghast.
"Jiaojiao! Xiaowu! Come back, you all!"
In the water, Yun Jiao was as comfortable as if she had returned home, like a nimble and beautiful little fish.
She swam over to the sea turtle and the killer whale, then slapped the killer whale on its big head.
This was the very same killer whale they knew, the one that had been beached on the sand before.
’WHIMPER WHIMPER WHIMPER...’
After the slap, the killer whale shook its head and began to play happily with Yun Jiao, nuzzling against her.
The sea turtle had become a dizzy turtle. As soon as it recovered, it scrambled toward the shore, its four flippers paddling so fast they became a blur.
’Those detestable creatures still haven’t left!’
"Jiaojiao!"
Yun Xiaowu and the others were still looking for Yun Jiao.
Just then, Yun Jiao burst out of the water, riding on the killer whale’s back.
"Brother, I’m over here!"
Yun Xiaowu and the others, treading water, first sighed in relief when they saw Yun Jiao on the killer whale’s back, but that was immediately followed by shock.
’Wait, little sis, what in the world are you riding?!’
"You... you... you..."
The killer whale spun in a circle with Yun Jiao on its back, its cheerful cries echoing its delight.
Yun Jiao hugged its dorsal fin and gave it a light slap.
"Be quiet!"
Her soft, sweet voice carried an unexpected air of authority.
The killer whale quieted down, looking aggrieved, but its tail continued to wag behind it like a puppy’s.
"Jiaojiao! Xiaowu! Xiao Liu!"
Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei were frantic and had waded into the sea themselves.
Standing where they could see the children, they were relieved that everyone was safe.
"Get back here right now! You’re all so reckless!"
Yun Jiao slid off the killer whale, preparing to swim back.
The killer whale reluctantly tugged at her clothes with its mouth.
It was enormous; if it went any further, it would risk getting beached.
Yun Jiao said, "I have to go back now. I’ll come play with you next time."
Then she thought of something and scolded it with great seriousness, "And no bullying Turtle."
The killer whale immediately threw a tantrum, splashing and rolling in place.
’Bad turtle! Hit it, beat it, eat it!’
Not only did it refuse to listen, but it wanted to double down.
Yun Jiao gave it another little slap.
The killer whale behaved, looking at her with a pitiful expression.
Yun Jiao said, "Turtle is under my protection."
She lifted her chin slightly, her tiny frame exuding a powerful presence.
"Go back."
Giving the killer whale a push, Yun Jiao swam toward the shore.
The clingy killer whale whimpered and followed for a bit, more than half of its body exposed above the water.
Seeing its massive size, Yun Xiaowu and the others were still quite scared.
Its rows of teeth looked truly intimidating.
But watching it circle Yun Jiao like a puppy, they also found it fascinating.
Yun Jiao patted the killer whale’s head. "You wait here. I’ll go talk to Mom, and then I’ll come play with you."
Without waiting to see if the killer whale understood, she headed ashore with her brothers.
The moment they reached the shore, Shen Yunlian swept her up into a hug. "You little scamp, you scared Mom to death!"
Shen Yunlian had been genuinely terrified; it looked like she had been crying.
Yun Jiao felt a pang of guilt and lovingly caressed her face.
"Mom, Jiaojiao is okay."
Wang Mei, on the other hand, rolled up her sleeves and gave the boys a sound spanking.
"You little brats! Your sister is young and doesn’t know any better, but you don’t either? Why didn’t you hold her back? What if a wave came and swept you all away? How would we go on living?!"
They didn’t dare to imagine the consequences if all the boys and Jiaojiao had been swept out to sea.
This time, even though they doted on Yun Jiao, she was scolded too.
Yun Jiao obediently lowered her head and took the lecture.
Yun Xiaowu and the others didn’t dare to argue back.
"Have you learned your lesson?"
Yun Jiao and her brothers all nodded vigorously, like chicks pecking at rice.
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