Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Selling Seafood
Suddenly, Yun Jiao, walking between her brothers, felt a malicious gaze on her.
She turned her head and her eyes met with those of an eight-year-old girl in the crowd.
The girl seemed surprised that Yun Jiao had looked over. After a moment of panic, she shot Yun Jiao another glare before grabbing her bucket and running off.
Yun Jiao bared her teeth and quickly looked away.
She knew that person.
Yun Zhaodi.
’She’s from the same village, and I think she’s some kind of distant relative of the Yun family.’
Yun Jiao was used to it. For some reason, Yun Zhaodi had taken a disliking to her from the moment they met.
Back when Yun Jiao was just learning to walk and talk, Yun Zhaodi had waited until no family was around and snatched her candy.
At the time, Yun Jiao was only a tiny one-year-old. But even when bullied, she refused to let Yun Zhaodi get away with it. She immediately bit down hard on her hand, making Yun Zhaodi howl in pain.
Hearing the screaming, her brothers had rushed over and soundly put Yun Zhaodi in her place.
But ever since then, Yun Zhaodi’s dislike for her had only grown. She even started frequently putting her stupid little brother up to snatching Yun Jiao’s things.
Yun Jiao’s first fight since being reincarnated as a human child had been with Yun Zhuangzhuang. Even though she was a whole size smaller than him, she beat the little fatty until he was the one howling.
’Hmph, I’m a Deep Sea Hunter!’
"What’s wrong?"
Noticing Yun Jiao had spaced out, Yun Xiaowu thought she was getting tired.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yun Jiao pointed in the direction Yun Zhaodi had gone and tattled, "Brother, I just saw Yun Zhaodi! She glared at me."
Yun Xiaowu’s temper flared. "What’s wrong with Yun Zhaodi? Is she sick in the head or something? She’s so much older, what’s the big idea, always bullying a little kid like you?!"
Yun Xiaoqi patted her little head. "Yun Zhaodi is just jealous of our Jiaojiao!"
"She’s lucky she ran off so fast. Sister, remember to stay away from her when you’re by yourself. You’re too little, you can’t win a fight against Yun Zhaodi."
Yun Jiao obediently nodded.
’Actually, I’m pretty strong. I couldn’t beat her when I was one because my body hadn’t developed yet; I could barely even walk steadily.’
’But now that I’m three, I’ve found that some of my abilities as a Merfolk from my past life are gradually awakening.’
’Like my super-sensitive hearing, a deep longing for the sea, and... the ability to breathe underwater.’
’I discovered that last one when I dunked my face in a washbasin.’
’But I haven’t been able to test it in the ocean. My brothers are always with me whenever I go out. Every time I try to run toward the water, they pick me up like a little chick and carry me back, nagging me endlessly not to go near the sea.’
"Hurry, hurry! These fish won’t be worth anything if they die."
They hurried home to find the adults.
Only Granny Yun and Mr. Yun were home when they arrived.
"Grandpa, Grandma, we’re back!"
In her sweet, childish voice, Yun Jiao also called out, "Grandpa, Grandma."
Her soft, sweet little voice stood out from her brothers’ loud shouts.
It was absolutely adorable.
Mr. Yun was in the courtyard mending a fishing net. The moment he heard them, he put it down.
"Jiaojiao’s back! Come here to Grandpa."
Yun Xiaoqi piped up, "Grandpa, you’re playing favorites! You only care about our little sister. What about us?"
The three boys puffed out their chests proudly. "Just look at the great stuff we brought back!"
Mr. Yun’s eyes immediately fell on the large fish Yun Xiaowu was carrying and the Little Green Dragon in Yun Jiao’s arms.
His eyes instantly widened.
"Th-this... You found all this while beachcombing?!"
Grandma Yun came out of the house as well, a spatula still in her hand. She had clearly been in the middle of cooking.
"My goodness, my darlings! Where did all this come from?!"
Mr. Yun quickly took the tiger grouper and told his wife to get a large bucket. He put the fish inside and poured in some water.
The tiger grouper was still alive, but it wasn’t as lively as when they had first caught it.
"And an East Star Spot, too!"
"So many Little Green Dragons! Did you kids stumble upon a whole nest of them today?!"
"Mazu and the Dragon King must be watching over us! How could there be so much?"
Granny Yun looked from one thing to the next, her eyes crinkling into a joyful smile.
Yun Xiaowu and his brothers lifted their chins. "We’re amazing, aren’t we? Carrying this huge fish all the way back nearly killed me."
’Plenty of people wish they had the chance to get this tired,’ Mr. Yun thought, his face creasing into a deeply wrinkled smile.
"Quick, quick! We need to sell them while they’re still alive."
Yun Jiao looked at the Little Green Dragon she was holding.
"Can we keep one?"
’I want to eat it, and it would be a nice extra dish for the family.’
If it had been anyone else asking, the two elders would have swatted them away. Keep one? What for? Did they think their stomachs were made of gold, deserving to eat something so fancy?
But when Granny Yun saw her fair, soft-skinned granddaughter eyeing it with such craving, she swallowed her reluctance and said...
"Alright, we’ll keep it. We’ll keep the Little Green Dragon that Jiaojiao’s holding."
Yun Jiao immediately broke into a sweet, well-behaved smile, her eyes curving with joy.
She already looked soft, delicate, and pretty, like a little snow-white kitten. When she smiled, she was both beautiful and perfectly behaved.
Anyone without a trace of malice toward Yun Jiao would have their heart melted by the sight.
Cherishing the sweet-smelling little girl in his arms, Mr. Yun said, "Come on, let’s go sell our haul."
As usual, they went to Yun Wang’s purchasing station to sell their catch.
They were relatives, after all, and he always gave them a fair price.
Seeing the family arrive, Yun Wang beamed as if he were welcoming the God of Wealth himself.
"Second Uncle!" Yun Wang said. "I heard that Xiao Wu and the others found some real treasures today."
The people around the purchasing station all crowded around to look.
That tiger grouper was a truly spectacular sight.
It wouldn’t be a big deal if it had been hauled up in a net by fishermen out at sea, but this was found by a few little kids while beachcombing.
Who wouldn’t be envious of such luck?
Mr. Yun laughed heartily. "Ah Wang, come over and figure out what all this is worth."
When Yun Wang came out from his station and saw the haul, his eyes went wide.
"Whoa! You found all of this?"
A good number of people had followed the Yun family to watch the excitement, their eyes green with envy.
’If you can’t have it yourself, it’s still fun to watch someone else get lucky,’ they thought.
Yun Xiaowu and the other kids stood with their heads held high and chests puffed out, like great generals returning from a victorious battle.
"Third Uncle, we caught all of this!" he declared. "It’s all thanks to our little sister leading the way that we caught so much. She’s our little lucky star!"
The other brothers also nodded along.
Yun Jiao was currently munching on a crispy radish that Granny Yun had given her.
She wasn’t the least bit shy under everyone’s gaze, just kept munching away with a CRUNCH CRUNCH, her cheeks puffed out adorably.
Adorable.
’She really does look like a lucky charm.’
’Could she really be one of those lucky dolls?’ many people wondered.
It seemed that ever since they took her in, Old Man Yun Mu’s family always managed to find good things whenever they went beachcombing.
Whatever the others were thinking, Yun Wang was already eager to start weighing the seafood.
Of this haul, only the tiger grouper wasn’t particularly valuable, but it made up for it in weight.
In the end, the calculation came out: four Little Green Dragons weighing a total of 15 jin. Little Green Dragons over three jin were more expensive, and since the creatures were rare and delicious, Yun Awang wasn’t worried about finding buyers. He calculated it at 12 yuan per jin, for a total of 180 yuan.
The East Star Spot was also quite expensive. Not only did its color look auspicious, but its meat was tender and fresh. Most importantly, it was rare.
Rarity drives up the price. An East Star Spot over three jin went for 10 yuan per jin. This one weighed 3.6 jin, coming to 36 yuan.
Finally, there was the tiger grouper. It weighed 8.3 jin, and at a price of 1.2 yuan per jin, it came out to 9.96 yuan.
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