Chapter 244: Returning Home

"Is Sixth Brother going to get even better grades now that he’ll be studying in the Capital?"

On the train, after a sad departure, Yun Jiao was already missing her Sixth Brother again.

Yun Xiaoqi declared, "Not necessarily. My grades will definitely be better than his. There’s no way Sixth Brother can surpass me!"

Yun Xiaojiu added, "My grades are going to be super good in the future, too!"

He was confident in himself. "I’m going to go to college and be as awesome as Third Brother."

Yun Linhai brought back some hot water. Hearing his youngest son’s ambitious words, he got so excited he patted his small shoulder.

He nearly sent Yun Xiaojiu, the weakest member of the family, sprawling.

Yun Xiaojiu shot him a resentful look.

"Heh heh... uh, anyway, time for instant noodles."

"Yay!"

All the children cheered.

They loved instant noodles more than anything.

The journey home was smooth, without any strange incidents.

Except for one stop along the way, where Yun Jiao was commended.

That’s right—it was the reward for helping to catch the thief and the human traffickers.

Not only was there a thank-you letter from the local police station, but there was also a cash reward.

It wasn’t much, only fifty yuan.

But the whole family was thrilled.

"Your grandpa and Grandma will be so happy when they see this thank-you letter."

At this, everyone once again thought of the family members still in the Capital.

After a day and a night on the train, they arrived at their station and then took a bus home.

But their family’s return caused a huge stir in all of Bailong Village.

After Yun Jiao’s family left, their long absence naturally made people curious, and soon the news that they had gone to the Capital could no longer be kept secret.

It had been the talk of the village for a while.

Now that they were back, things were bound to get even livelier.

The villagers, who had been gathered at the village entrance to work and chat, all swarmed over the moment they saw Yun Jiao’s family.

"Lin Hai, you really went to the Capital? What’s it like? Did you see the flag-raising ceremony? Did you go to Tiananmen?"

"Lin He, is the Capital really big? Are the people there any different from us?"

"Yunlian, why didn’t you tell me you were going to the Capital? I thought we were good friends!"

"Wang Mei, hurry and tell me, are people in the Capital especially good-looking? Are the buildings there really tall?"

"Huh? How come I don’t see Old Man Yun and his wife? And your Xiao Liu?"

The crowd chimed in one after another, making the scene more chaotic than a wet market.

"Yes, yes, we went, we saw it! Auntie, let us go home and put our things down first, then we can talk."

They’d only been gone for a trip, but the villagers’ enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming.

"Did you bring all this stuff back from the Capital? What did you buy?"

Although the crowd let them head home, they were escorted by a throng of people.

And the questions didn’t stop the entire way.

Being small, Yun Jiao was squeezed right out of the crowd.

The two little hair buns her fourth brother had tied for her were knocked askew, but it didn’t matter. Her parents and her aunt and uncle were having a worse time.

As a child, no one expected her to answer any questions. The main targets were the adults.

So she just ambled home, trailing behind the crowd.

Halfway there, three dogs came running.

Dabai, and her family’s Baozi and Tang Yuan.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF..."

The two half-grown dogs bounded directly toward Yun Jiao.

They were exceptionally enthusiastic.

Any other child would have been knocked right over.

Yun Jiao braced herself, scooped up one dog with each small arm, and caught them both securely.

But the dogs were too fervent, their tails wagging into a blur, and they stuck out their big tongues to lick Yun Jiao’s face.

Yun Jiao: !!!

She pushed them both away.

"No licking!"

She held down their heads.

But the two dogs just stuck their butts in the air, tails wagging with extra joy.

"You’ve gotten fatter."

"And bigger."

Yun Jiao evaluated them seriously, comparing them to how they looked before she left.

Then she glanced at her own short arms and legs.

She wasn’t happy. She was the only one who hadn’t grown.

"Let’s go, home!"

Leading the two overly enthusiastic dogs, Yun Jiao marched ahead, full of high spirits.

She chattered away as they walked, "I brought you guys some good food. Have you ever had Beijing roast duck? It’s so delicious. You can’t eat the meat, but I packed up the bones for you."

"They also have special dog food over there. I bought some for you to see if you like it."

"WOOF WOOF WOOF..."

"I got something for Cat Boss, too."

"It’s a shame you’re not people. You can’t eat a lot of the yummy stuff."

"WOOF WOOF WOOF..."

Yun Jiao could have a lively conversation all by herself with just two dogs.

"What? Your Xiao Liu was chosen by a master chef in the Capital to be his apprentice? And your parents are staying there to take care of him?!"

Hearing this news, everyone was stunned speechless.

"Aiya, how can one family have such good luck!"

Many people slapped their thighs. "My son’s a big eater too! Maybe he has the talent to be a master chef as well."

"Tell me, how come our family never gets this kind of good fortune?"

"So they’re living in the Capital now? They must be living in a huge house."

Yun Linhai and the others had already prepared for this. They took out the photos they had taken to show everyone.

"These photos were all taken in the Capital. You can all take a look, but please don’t rip them."

While the villagers were distracted by the photos, Yun Linhai and the others made their escape.

The enthusiastic villagers were truly terrifying.

Even the village chief came to join the commotion.

The village chief had never been to the Capital either.

The older generation’s reverence for the Capital was unimaginable. Even just looking at photos was enough to make them excited for a long while.

Especially the photos of the flag-raising ceremony, the portrait of the great leader in Tiananmen Square, and the national emblem.

"Look at this picture, the old Yun Mu couple looks so happy."

"How wonderful. To be able to see Tiananmen in person, to see the flag-raising, it’s just wonderful."

"When will we ever get to go see it?"

"The Yunmu Family’s kids are really something else."

Some people felt a sour taste in their mouths.

Just a year ago, the Yunmu Family was known in the village for being poor.

And now, in such a short time, they’d built two large houses and bought a boat. They even knew people who drove cars. And that yacht—they were the only ones in the village who’d ever been on a yacht.

The commotion at Yun Jiao’s house continued for several days.

The vacation was over for the four school-aged Yun children, and they had to go back to school.

On the day they went back, the four of them, who were usually so full of energy, looked as if all their vitality had been drained away.

In the end, they only went to school after Wang Mei chased them with a stick.

It was early in the morning, right after breakfast, but people were already showing up at their house to ask more questions about the Capital.

Their enthusiasm really hadn’t faded.

Yun Jiao shot a sympathetic glance at her father, mother, uncle, and Little Aunt, then grabbed her small bucket and ran off without a moment’s hesitation, her two dogs and one cat in tow.

’Dealing with the adults was none of a child’s business anyway.’

’Hadn’t Fourth Brother already run off first thing in the morning?’

She held a small bucket in her left hand and a little shovel in her right. By her side were two half-grown dogs. Leading the way was a large tabby cat with ’sleeves’ of bold stripes, while a flock of domestic ducks and geese followed behind. One particular goose stretched its long neck and waddled with an arrogant, ’I-don’t-know-you’ swagger, looking for all the world like her bodyguard.