Chapter 207: The Popular Yun Jiao

After finally shaking off the overly enthusiastic crowd, they found Granny Yun just as the first batch of pork cracklings was ready!

Yun Jiao:

She didn’t even care about her camera, shoving it into her cousin’s hands and bolting over.

She grabbed a piece of crackling, perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat, and popped it into her mouth without a second thought for the heat.

CRUNCH CRUNCH...

Toasty, fragrant, and crispy. Delicious!

Granny Yun said, "Slow down. No one’s going to fight you for it. Aren’t you worried about burning your mouth?"

Yun Jiao: ’It’s a little hot, but it’s so good.’

Granny Yun dished out some of the pork cracklings and shared them with the children gathered around.

"Thank you, Granny Yun!"

As Yun Jiao munched on her cracklings, she watched Granny Yun give an extra-large helping to a dazed-looking little boy.

She knew him. He was the village’s well-known little fool.

But Grandma said you couldn’t join the other kids in teasing him and calling him a fool. He was what they called a village guardian.

Village guardians ward off disasters and calamities for the village, which is why they are intellectually challenged.

The dazed-looking boy was about Yun Xiaowu’s age. He knew enough to find a leaf to hold the pork cracklings from Granny Yun, and after thanking her with a silly grin, he happily found a spot to sit and eat.

Yun Jiao watched him for a moment. He seemed to notice her gaze and, with another silly grin, offered her his pork cracklings.

"Eat. Yummy."

Yun Jiao shook her head. "I have my own."

She didn’t get too close.

It wasn’t because she found him foolish, but because he was dirty.

His hair was a mess, and who knew the last time it had been washed. ’I can even see fleas! I hope they don’t jump on me.’

"Jiaojiao."

Hearing someone call her name, Yun Jiao pulled out two White Rabbit creamy candies, stuffed them into the boy’s hands, and ran off.

From the sound of the voice, her uncle and cousins had arrived!

Every family’s "pig-killing feast" was more or less the same. Even though it was a simple big-pot dish, it was delicious.

Congealed pig’s blood was cut into small cubes and simmered with napa cabbage, smelling incredibly fragrant.

Before the meal could begin, there was one more important event: ancestor worship.

Everyone, including Yun Jiao, went to the main hall where the ancestral tablets were kept to burn paper money.

Then, it was time for firecrackers.

The firecracker part was the children’s favorite.

Even though the string of firecrackers was over in a flash.

Only after the ancestors had "eaten" could the family officially start their meal.

Their family wasn’t stingy with their pork feast; they used plenty of meat.

Everyone ate their fill and was thoroughly satisfied.

Yun Linhai even brought out the sorghum liquor. It was the New Year, after all—a time to drink and be merry.

The bustling, festive day passed, but the work wasn’t over.

For the next two days, the whole family had to process the rest of the pork.

Curing meat, stuffing sausages, smoking bacon—all the pork had to be processed as quickly as possible so it wouldn’t spoil.

Without refrigerators, these were the most basic methods of preserving pork.

While they were stuffing sausages, Yun Jiao and the others would grab handfuls of seasoned meat from the basin and fry them up on the stove to eat.

"I wish we could butcher a New Year’s pig and celebrate every day."

Yun Xiaowu made an unrealistic wish as he ate the fragrant meat.

Yun Jiao said, "Then you can raise lots and lots of pigs, Brother. You can butcher one whenever you want."

Yun Xiaowu replied, "Yeah, that’s a great idea! Let’s ask Grandpa and Grandma to buy more piglets."

At that moment, he naively thought that pigs ate very little and were easy to raise.

After the Little New Year, the village grew even more lively.

The sound of firecrackers could be heard from time to time.

Yun Xiaowu and the boys had a pocketful of firecrackers.

These were the spoils of war, obtained by dismantling a string of firecrackers from home and earning a good scolding for it.

Of course, once outside, they never mentioned the spankings they got. With pockets full of firecrackers, they strutted around like victorious roosters, chests puffed out, with a swagger that acknowledged no one.

But it had to be said, with that many firecrackers in their pockets, they were indeed the coolest kids in the village.

Yun Jiao tagged along behind her brothers and received quite a few little snacks.

They were all bribes from other kids who wanted to play with the firecrackers.

These snacks were nothing valuable, mostly homemade roasted peanuts, melon seeds, or soybeans.

But if the bribe was successful, Yun Jiao, or Yun Xiaowu and the others, would give them a firecracker to go play with happily.

Yun Xiaowu’s school was already on winter break.

They had the time of their lives during the New Year holiday.

At the same time, their family also received packages in the mail.

Their eldest and second eldest brothers, as well as Fu Mingyu, had all sent them.

They also wrote letters wishing them a Happy New Year.

Of course, Yun Jiao and her family had sent packages to the three of them as well.

「In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve, the start of the grand new year.」

Yun Jiao was dressed up like a little fortune doll, wearing a beautiful red-padded jacket. Her hair was tied into cute little braids with red ribbons, and a small, round red dot was painted between her eyebrows.

"We’re going to the Mazu Temple and the Dragon King Temple to offer incense today. Our Jiaojiao looks like a little immortal attendant; she’ll definitely win the favor of Mazu and the Dragon King."

If they liked her, wouldn’t that mean even better fortune for the family’s seafaring ventures next year?

"Let’s go! Time to offer incense."

Carrying Yun Jiao, the family headed to the Mazu and Dragon King Temples with incense and candles.

The coastal people mostly believed in Mazu, the goddess who protected everyone at sea.

So, the Mazu Temple was especially crowded today.

People came not just from their own village, but from all the surrounding villages that made their living from the sea.

Yun Jiao may have been small, but perched on Yun Linhai’s shoulders, she stood out from the crowd.

Plenty of other children were also riding on their dads’ shoulders, but in this competition, she was head and shoulders above the rest.

For one simple reason: she was beautiful!

Dressed up like a little fortune doll, who wouldn’t take a second look?

The other kids in red clothes weren’t as pretty as her—this chubby, fair, delicate little thing, with that single red dot between her brows.

People would believe it if you told them a little immortal attendant had descended to the mortal world.

Even when they were offering incense, the temple master striking the wooden fish nearby couldn’t help but glance at her several times.

Yun Jiao stuffed a ten-yuan bill into the donation box in front of Mazu’s statue and, just like everyone else, solemnly knelt on a prayer cushion and bowed three times.

The master striking the wooden fish murmured words of blessing and even patted her on the head.

After the family left, Yun Xiaowu scratched his head. "Why didn’t the master pat my head?"

Yun Xiaojiu grumbled, "He didn’t pat my head either."

Yun Xiaoqi added, "I saw it. The master only patted Jiaojiao’s head. He didn’t pat any of the other kids."

Yun Linhai and the others said proudly, "That’s because our Jiaojiao is so beautiful today."

Yun Jiao corrected them, "I’m always beautiful!"

The beauty of the Merfolk was undeniable. Even in a different world, she was now a miniature version of her past life’s Merfolk body.

She was the prettiest!

*Strikes a proud, hands-on-hips pose.*

Just as she was basking in her pride, someone suddenly ran up and grabbed her hand.

"What an adorable kid! Let big sister here borrow some of your luck, thanks!"

After patting her, the person stuffed a handful of candy into her hands.

Yun Jiao: ???

The people around them looked on with gleaming eyes.

Yun Jiao: ...

’Uh-oh. I’m beautiful, and I have a very bad feeling about this.’