Chapter 270: Liu Hong’s Affair and Scheming

"Let’s go catch some fireflies."

Yun Xiaowu suggested, springing to his feet.

"We can’t sleep right now anyway."

The moon was big, its light making the path bright and clear. The swarm of fireflies behind them was a truly beautiful sight as they took flight.

"We can make a firefly lantern for Jiaojiao."

Yun Jiao had no objections.

She grabbed a handful of dried sweet potato strips, stuffed some in her brothers’ hands, and popped one in her own mouth, mumbling, "Here, we can eat while we walk."

Pretty children are popular everywhere. After Yun Jiao arrived at the Wang family’s home, the two elders, Father Wang and Mrs. Wang, took a special liking to the well-behaved, sweet-talking little girl.

Yun Jiao had greeted them before coming upstairs and was promptly stuffed with a ton of dried sweet potato strips.

When the kids got bored, they got restless. Without a word to the adults, they snuck outside.

Yun Jiao had a camera hanging around her neck, which she had gotten from her fourth brother before coming.

She had already taken several photos of the sky because the stars and moon were especially beautiful tonight. Lying on the rooftop earlier, it felt as if she could reach out and touch the river of stars in the sky.

Now, it was time to take pictures of the fireflies and the bamboo forest.

Her brothers formed a protective circle around Yun Jiao as they headed toward the bamboo forest on the back slope.

Inside the bamboo forest, it was much dimmer, the light blocked by the dense leaves.

The shadows of the bamboo looked like monsters baring their fangs and claws.

But the kids were brave, and since they were all together, they weren’t so scared.

Yun Jiao’s eyes could see clearly even at night. She took her camera and snapped several pictures of the fireflies dancing around them.

Yun Xiaoqi said, "I know a place that has even more fireflies than here, but it’s a little far."

"There are lots of birds there, too. It’s a reed marsh. Some look like big geese but can fly, some look like ducks, and some are just really pretty. I’ll take you to see them tomorrow morning."

Yun Xiaowu was the very definition of a newborn calf that fears no tiger—brave and always ready for an adventure.

"Why wait for tomorrow? Let’s go now! Are we going to see fireflies during the day?"

"And Jiaojiao has her camera. Let’s go, let’s go! We can take pictures."

He grabbed Yun Xiaoqi and told him to lead the way.

Yun Jiao, walking a little behind, reached out a small arm and pulled a long, green, strip-shaped thing off a bamboo stalk.

"HISS..."

A finger-thick green bamboo viper twisted its body, trying to escape. Yun Jiao simply grabbed it, balled it up, tied it into a knot, and tossed it into the distance.

"Off you go!"

She was no longer the Yun Jiao who wrestled with snakes; she was the upgraded version, capable of snatching one with a single hand!

"Jiaojiao, what did you throw?"

Yun Jiao clapped her hands clean, ran over, and flashed a sweet smile.

"A rock."

The bamboo viper: ...

After walking for about ten minutes, they finally reached the reed marsh Yun Xiaoqi had mentioned.

Yun Xiaoqi ran ahead. "Watch me! I’ll show you a magic trick!"

With that, he rushed into the reeds and started shaking them. The fireflies resting on the stalks were startled and all took flight at once.

As dense as the stars in the sky, they swirled around the children, making it feel like they had stepped into a fairyland.

’So beautiful...’

Yun Jiao took pictures of the fireflies and her brothers with the camera.

Then her other brothers took turns with the camera, snapping photos.

From time to time, different bird calls echoed from the reed marsh, reminding them of the birds Yun Xiaoqi had described.

Yun Jiao also found a very beautiful white feather.

It was a large feather, and its barbs looked incredibly soft and fluffy.

’I’ll take it back for my fourth brother.’

’This could be made into a beautiful decoration.’

The children wove small cages from reeds and caught some fireflies, which glowed inside like little lanterns. They were beautiful.

When they had played enough and were ready to head back, Yun Jiao suddenly heard an unusual sound.

She shushed her brothers, signaling them to be quiet.

Yun Xiaowu and the others obediently shut their mouths.

Yun Jiao tilted her head and listened carefully. It sounded like people talking.

’Who else would be bored enough to come out here this late?’

And it was clearly the voices of adults—a man and a woman.

The woman’s voice sounded a little familiar.

After thinking for a moment, she remembered. It was Little Aunt’s sister-in-law!

The gossip-lover in Yun Jiao roared to life.

’Let’s see if this bad woman is up to something.’

So she led her brothers, tiptoeing stealthily toward the sound.

As they got closer, Yun Xiaowu and the others could hear it too. They all covered their mouths, their eyes wide.

"Brother Wa, you have no idea how spineless that Wang Dali is. His family was bullying me like that, and he just grabbed me and our child and left. He wouldn’t even let me go back to demand an explanation."

Yun Xiaowu and the others’ eyes grew wider. That voice... that voice was all too familiar. They had just heard it today.

Yun Xiaoqi: "It’s..."

He only managed to get one word out before Yun Jiao clamped a hand over his mouth.

In the darkness, Yun Xiaowu and the others couldn’t see the situation clearly, but she could.

Liu Hong was lying disheveled on top of a man.

The man wasn’t wearing any clothes. It was hard on the eyes.

Yun Jiao thought for a moment, then whispered to her brothers, "Don’t make a sound. Wait for me here."

With that, she crouched down and crept closer. Her movements were nimble, and she didn’t make a sound.

Then she found an angle and started taking pictures.

The man comforted Liu Hong, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely teach those kids a lesson for you. They dare bully my son? I’ll show them what’s what."

Yun Jiao’s eyes widened. She had just heard something incredible!

’So scandalous!!!’

Liu Hong said, "I knew you were the best, Brother Wa. If only I had married you."

The man called Brother Wa snorted. "You’d be willing? I don’t have a house or any money."

Liu Hong froze for two seconds, then playfully hit him. "Am I the kind of person who cares about that stuff? But we have to think about our son. Let that spineless Wang Dali raise our kid for us. In the future, his money and his house will all be ours."

"I just don’t know how long those two old geezers are going to live. And that little bitch Wang Mei, bringing back so many things but not willing to spare a single bit for our son. Hmph, once those old geezers are dead, everything will belong to my two sons anyway."

At the thought of the things Wang Mei had brought back, a greedy, calculating light glinted in Liu Hong’s eyes.

"Brother Wa, you have no idea. Their family’s motorcycle looks so impressive. It’s a shame. If you were the one riding it, you’d look even more impressive."

A sharp glint flashed in Liu Wa’s eyes. "Didn’t you say Wang Mei’s in-laws were poor? I didn’t expect them to strike it rich. They can even afford a motorcycle."

He stroked his chin. "I’ve got a few buddies in town. We could probably figure out a way to get our hands on that bike. Even if we don’t ride it, we could sell it for a good bit of money."

Liu Hong said, pleasantly surprised, "Then the money..."

"Don’t worry, you’ll get your cut."

"But..."