Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Money-Making Plan
"But even if they want to freeload, that family isn’t one to be trifled with."
A group of people immediately leaned in closer. "What’s the story? Spill the details."
"My sister-in-law’s family is from Bailang Village. That girl’s mother-in-law is a real piece of work. Her son has a limp, so their family got gossiped about a lot in their village. When his mother found out, she grabbed a stick and chased anyone who bad-mouthed her family or bullied her son all over the village.
Whenever someone bullied her son, she’d show up at their door. She could stand on their doorstep and curse them out for a solid half-hour without ever repeating an insult. I hear she’s incredibly fierce. Very few people in that village dare to mess with her family."
"Tsk, tsk... Now that you mention it, I’d love to see the look on Cai Jinhua’s face when she shows up at their door and gets an earful."
They weren’t the only ones who wanted to see. Yun Jiao did, too.
’Too bad they’re not in the same village. There’s no way to watch.’
While they were chatting, three dogs and five cats had already gathered and were lying by Yun Jiao’s feet.
She was even holding a tabby cat in her arms. As she stroked its fur and scratched its chin, the cat completely melted, collapsing on her lap like a puddle of liquid.
"Jiaojiao, you’re as popular as ever with the village cats and dogs."
That wasn’t entirely true.
The cats genuinely liked her; they were drawn to her scent.
The dogs, on the other hand, she had basically coerced into being petted.
She wanted to pet dogs, but since her family didn’t have one, her only option was to go and forcibly pet other people’s.
At first, the dogs paid her no mind. Some even bared their teeth and acted aggressively toward her.
But after a few firm pats from her and a bribe of one or two dried shrimp, she won over three of them with this carrot-and-stick approach.
Of course, she didn’t just pet any old dog in the village. She was picky about looks!
Just look at the three dogs she had won over.
One was the majestic Big Black. Though he had a nick in his ear, it was a badge of honor from taking on three dogs from another village all at once!
Not only was this dog a great fighter, but he could also hunt for his own food in the mountains or by the sea. That’s why he was more muscular than the other village dogs, and his black coat was sleek and glossy.
The next was a big yellow dog, the smartest in the village. He could not only understand commands and shake hands, but he would even put his paws together and bow to beg for food. But he would only eat what was given to him. You could put a piece of meat right in front of him, and he’d resist touching it, even as drool pooled on the floor.
The last one was Dabai, the prettiest female dog in the village. She was a white Chow Chow, all chubby with exceptionally fluffy fur that felt wonderful to the touch.
"Dabai, when are your puppies going to be born?"
That’s right, the Chow Chow was pregnant.
And Yun Jiao suspected the father was Big Black—that sleek-coated, tough-fighting, top dog of the streets.
More than once, she had seen Big Black bring the prey he’d caught for Dabai to eat.
"My dog’s puppies haven’t even been born yet, and you’re already laying claim to one, Jiaojiao?"
Yun Jiao nodded. "Granny Liu, can I please choose one of Dabai’s puppies?"
"Alright, I’ll save one for you."
Her husband and son both loved dogs, which was why their dog was so well-cared for.
’But no matter how much we like them, we can’t keep too many. What kind of family can afford to raise a whole pack of dogs?’
No one was talking about selling the puppies. These days, just finding homes for them was considered a kindness. The alternative was being unable to afford them and having to abandon the pups in the sea or the mountains to fend for themselves.
Yun Jiao fed Dabai a piece of dried mantis shrimp, then headed home with Grandma and the others.
"Tomorrow is market day. We can stop by the temple to burn some incense and make a donation for the Mazu Dragon King and all the other immortals. Do you all want to go?"
"Yes!"
All the kids in the family cheered in agreement.
The chance to go to the bustling market was always a treat.
The market was held in town, just over a half-hour walk from their village. Yun Xiaowu and his brothers could even run there and back by themselves.
That evening, Shen Yunlian gave her a bath. The pretty little dumpling, now clean and fragrant, was wrapped in a small blanket and carried to her bed.
After she was dressed, Shen Yunlian began to dry her hair.
Yun Jiao sat obediently in front of her, her short little legs crossed.
"Go play with your brothers. Don’t go to sleep with your hair wet."
Yun Jiao nodded. "Okay!"
She saw Shen Yunlian take out the fabric Dad had bought for her.
"Mom, are you going to make new clothes for me?"
"That’s right."
Shen Yunlian nodded firmly. "Hold on, let Mom take your measurements before you go."
Yun Jiao stood up and did exactly as she was told, raising her arms and turning around on command.
She was so adorable and well-behaved that Shen Yunlian couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her pretty little face.
"Okay, you can go play with your brothers now."
Yun Jiao scampered off.
"Jiaojiao, quick, save me!"
Yun Xiaowu and his brothers were in the middle of a "great war" in their room. They had tied pillowcases around their shoulders like capes, pretending to be great heroes.
But they possessed none of the superb skills of great heroes, just the clumsy, chaotic brawl of rookies pecking at each other.
Even the normally lazy Yun Xiao Liu had been dragged into the fray.
They were piled on top of each other like a human pyramid, with poor Yun Xiaowu crushed at the very bottom.
Yun Jiao ran over and pulled them apart, one brother at a time.
"Stop fighting amongst yourselves! No fighting!"
"Jiaojiao, you’ve gotten stronger again!"
The brothers she pulled apart weren’t angry. Instead, they showered her with praise.
Yun Jiao sat down, crossed her short little legs, and whispered to her brothers with a mysterious expression.
"Mom’s going to make me new clothes!"
Yun Xiaowu and his brothers were instantly green with envy. "We haven’t had new clothes in ages."
"Yeah! The family has extra money now, can’t Dad just buy some more fabric?"
Yun Jiao said, "If Dad won’t buy any for you, you can buy it yourselves."
Yun Xiaowu and his brothers crowded around her.
"What do you mean?"
"Where are we supposed to get money? You want us to sell what we catch at the beach and keep a secret stash?"
Yun Jiao shook her head. "We can have our fourth brother make pretty bracelets and wind chimes, and then we sell them."
"Huh? You think that stuff will actually sell?"
"I think it could work," Yun Xiaoqi said, his eyes lighting up.
"Lots of people in the village love the things our fourth brother makes for Jiaojiao. It’ll definitely work."
He even added, "We’re going to town tomorrow. I wonder if our fourth brother has any finished crafts. We could try selling them on the sly."
Yun Jiao raised her little hand. "I have some!"
Sticking her little bottom in the air, she huffed and puffed as she dragged a small box out from under the bed.
It was filled with all the toys her fourth brother had given her.
There were colorful stone bracelets, handicrafts made from various conches and seashells, and small, carved wooden zodiac animals. Yun Jiao had been found during the Year of the Monkey. Back then, she was just an infant, still drinking milk and looking only a few months old, so everyone had tacitly agreed her zodiac animal was the Monkey.
That’s why the small box contained more carved wooden monkeys than any other animal.
And they weren’t just any monkeys; they were the chubby, fluffy, utterly adorable kind, with big, glistening eyes.
There were four of them in total, each with a different expression and pose.
’They’re all so cute!’
’But I can’t bear to sell them. I love every single one of those little monkeys.’
She really liked the wooden carvings of the other zodiac animals, too.
’It’s all my fourth brother’s fault for making them so well!’
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