Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Wanting to Buy a Boat
This time, Yun Jiao and her family earned a total of 225 yuan, nine jiao, and six fen.
Yun Wang simply rounded it up for them to 226 yuan.
For beachcombing, this was an enormous sum—even more than what some families with their own fishing boats made.
After all, fishing trips were also a matter of luck.
The Yun family boys started jumping for joy.
Mr. Yun was even happier, pulling his precious granddaughter close. "Our Jiaojiao and her brothers are all so lucky."
As her family surrounded her with praise, Yun Jiao lifted her small chin slightly and smiled.
Amidst the envious and jealous stares of the onlookers, Yun Awang handed Mr. Yun twenty-two ten-yuan notes, with the remaining six yuan in loose change.
"Come on, Grandpa will buy you a soda and your favorite candy."
The family was poor, but they had just received a large sum of money. Since the children had earned it through their hard work beachcombing, he had to buy them a treat.
As the group left, the people around them couldn’t help but comment.
"That Old Man Yun Mu’s family sure spoils that girl, Yun Jiao. They treat her no different than if she were their own flesh and blood."
"What do you mean, ’no different’? Their sons are all scrawny and don’t have a single decent set of clothes. But that Yun Jiao, she’s wearing a brand-new outfit. I heard Lin Hai’s family took out the best fabric they’d been saving to make it for her."
"Being so good to a little girl who isn’t even their own... what are they hoping to get out of it?"
"Hey, you think that Yun Jiao could really be a lucky charm? Ever since the Yun Linhai family found that little girl and started raising her, their lives seem to be getting better and better."
The Yunmu Family had always been the poorest in the village.
And now they were willing to spend money on soda and candy for the kids.
"Pah! What ’lucky charm’? You’re all just listening to the Yun Linhai family’s boasting."
A harsh voice cut in. "A money pit, that’s what she is. Only the Yun Linhai family would treasure something like that. If you’re talking about lucky charms, it’s got to be a boy! My Zhuangzhuang is the real lucky charm. Look how prosperous he looks! Is there any other kid in this whole village as plump as my Zhuangzhuang?"
Everyone knew who that voice belonged to without even looking.
If the Yunmu Family was famous in the village for having so many sons, then another household, the Yun Dan family, was famous for having too many daughters.
The key was Yun Dan’s wife—the woman who had just spoken. That woman was incredibly fertile.
They didn’t have a history of twins in their family; it was just one pregnancy after another, as if she was determined to keep giving birth until she had a son.
The first five were all girls. When they finally had a son, the whole family treated him like a precious treasure.
Everyone scoffed at her words.
Yun Zhuangzhuang had been overfed into obesity by his family; he wasn’t even in the same league as Yun Jiao.
He was dark-skinned, fat, and ill-tempered. A ’lucky charm’? Please, don’t insult the term.
But no one bothered to argue with her.
Yun Zhuangzhuang was the apple of Cai Jinhua’s eye, and if anyone said a single bad word about him, she was guaranteed to fly into a rage.
No one had the time to waste arguing with Cai Jinhua.
Seeing that no one was taking the bait, Cai Jinhua continued to boast to herself.
It wasn’t until the crowd had dispersed that she grabbed the ear of the little girl beside her and started cursing.
"You useless thing! Hurry up and get those crabs exchanged for cash! Are you waiting for them to die so you can eat them? You lazy bum! Remember to be smart about it—cry and make Third Brother Yun give you more money. Otherwise, you can forget about eating dinner tonight!"
Yun Zhaodi, whose ear was being twisted, quickly agreed, not daring to resist.
Her eyes, full of jealousy and resentment, followed the direction Yun Jiao had gone.
’Why was I so unlucky to be born into this family?’
’If only I were the sister of Yun Xiaowu and his brothers.’
Meanwhile, when Yun Jiao and her group got home from the small sundry shop, the three women of the house were busy cooking.
With so many people in the family, they naturally went through a lot of food.
If they didn’t live by the coast, where the sea’s bounty was rich and they could always find something to eat by beachcombing, it would have been impossible to support such a large family of growing, ravenous boys.
Yun Jiao sat in the courtyard with her older brothers, a bag of candy in her arms, and began to hand them out one by one.
"Jiaojiao, you should eat them."
Although her brothers’ eyes lit up with longing, they didn’t want to take their little sister’s treats.
But Yun Jiao was insistent, showing her adorably stubborn streak.
"We’ll eat them together."
She insisted on stuffing the candy into her brothers’ hands.
"The soda, too. We’ll drink it together."
She might have a sweet tooth, but she never ate her treats alone. She didn’t just want her brothers to have some; the elders of the family had to have a share as well.
After her brothers had each taken a sip, she hugged the remaining bottle of soda and scurried on her short little legs to find her grandpa and grandma, her dad and her mom.
They were good to her, and Yun Jiao was determined to be good to them in return.
The elders of the family were completely charmed by the adorable sight of her holding up the soda bottle, insisting they drink.
"Grandpa, you drink."
Mr. Yun was so delighted that his smile made all the wrinkles on his face bunch together.
"Alright, alright, Grandpa will drink. Our Jiaojiao is so thoughtful."
Yun Jiao’s lips curved into a smile. She loved it when her family praised her.
’In my past life, I was one of the Merfolk. The Merfolk were independent; around the age of ten, they had to leave their parents to live and hunt on their own. Even before I turned ten, though I was with my parents, all of my time was spent on training, teaching me how to hunt.’
’She really liked this warm feeling of being cherished by her whole family.’
"Grandma, you drink too."
The beautiful, fair-skinned little girl darted between the elders.
There wasn’t enough candy for the elders, so they didn’t have any.
The sweet taste still lingered in her mouth. She liked it.
Dinner was ready, and the large family gathered around the table to eat.
The Little Green Dragon wasn’t served for dinner just yet; they were saving it for when the brothers, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe, came home that evening.
"Here, Jiaojiao, eat up."
Her family always put the best pieces of food into Yun Jiao’s bowl first.
It was as if every single one of them was worried she wouldn’t get enough to eat.
With her mouth stuffed full and the soft flesh of her cheeks puffed out, Yun Jiao looked just like a fluffy little hamster desperately stuffing its pouches with food. "Grandpa, Grandma, brothers, you eat too."
She spoke in a sweet, childish voice, but her tone was incredibly serious.
"Hahaha... Alright, we’ll eat, we’ll eat."
Everyone in the Yunmu Family loved to hear her talk.
Mostly, it was because Yun Jiao’s voice was just so pleasant to listen to.
It was soft and sweet, with an ethereal quality to it. Every word she spoke was a delight to the ears.
After dinner, Yun Xiaowu and his brothers went out for a stroll. They had to go show off their day’s accomplishments to their friends.
Yun Jiao, meanwhile, went to take her afternoon nap.
In the Yun family’s small courtyard, the two eldest members of the family were taking stock of their assets.
Mr. Yun took a drag from his pipe. "With today’s earnings, our family has a total of six hundred yuan."
And that was what they had managed to save by scrimping and saving. With so many mouths to feed, the annual cost of food and drink, plus expenses for social obligations, was considerable.
That they’d managed to save this much was a testament to how frugal the women of the family were.
Mr. Yun said to his wife, "I want to buy a boat."
Granny Yun looked at their meager savings with a worried frown. "But with this amount of money, we can only afford a second-hand wooden boat."
"I know."
Old Man Yun said, "I’ve already asked around. A family in the next village bought a bigger boat, so they’re selling their old one. It’s an eight-meter wooden boat. It can’t go out into the deep sea, of course, but it’s much better than beachcombing on the shore. It’s also better than slaving away at manual labor."
Granny Yun sighed. "Since you’ve made up your mind, you should find some time to take the boys and go have a look."
Her thoughts drifted, and she wiped away a tear. "It’s all my fault for being such a burden on this family... If it hadn’t been for my medical treatments..."
"What are you talking about!"
Mr. Yun chided her. "You’re their mother. Money can always be earned again, but if you were gone... Lin Hai and Lin He would have lost their mother, and the little ones would have lost their grandma."
’And I would have lost my wife.’
Mr. Yun patted her hand. "The children are all grown up now. We’re in no rush to make money."
Granny Yun nodded.
After coming to an agreement, the old couple decided to find a time to discuss it with the rest of the family.
Buying a boat was a major decision. Even if it was just a small wooden one, it was something the whole family had to discuss together.
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