Chapter 304: Chaos and Clams

Yun Sui’s grandfather was old, and his biggest worry was his grandson.

His grandson had the mind of a child and would likely stay that way, but at least the boy was obedient.

He used to get bullied a lot back in the village. Now that Yun Jiao’s family was happy to play with him and would even stand up for him if he was picked on, Yun Sui’s grandfather couldn’t have been more eager for his grandson to spend more time with them.

That way, after he was gone, they might be able to help Yun Sui out a little.

So when he heard they wanted to take Yun Sui out to sea with them, Yun Sui’s grandfather agreed without a second thought.

"Ah Shui doesn’t know any better. Just get him on the boat and tie a rope around him so he doesn’t fall into the sea. That’ll be fine."

Then, the old man took a few sweet potatoes and tucked them into his grandson’s arms.

"I haven’t cooked at home. Take these with you on the boat and eat them if you get hungry."

Yun Sui nodded obediently. "Okay, Grandpa."

After leaving the house, Yun Sui ran up to Yun Jiao, clutching the sweet potatoes.

"Jiaojiao, sweet potato. Eat."

Yun Jiao patted her stomach. "I’m full. I can’t eat anymore right now. I’ll have some later when I’m hungry."

"Oh."

Yun Sui took one and started nibbling on it himself, then went to find Yun Xiaowu and the others.

Yun Xiaowu had a huge appetite. He’d already eaten four Baozi and was now stuffing a roasted sweet potato into his mouth.

It had to be said, the sweet potatoes Yun Sui’s grandpa roasted were surprisingly delicious.

Once on the boat, Yun Sui found everything novel and had to ask Yun Jiao about it all.

Even though Yun Jiao was younger than him, she answered patiently.

"This is a fishing rod. It’s for fishing."

"Is the kitty going too?"

Cat Boss, lying by Yun Jiao’s feet, glanced up at Yun Sui with an arrogant look.

Yun Jiao nodded. "Yep. The cat doesn’t take up any space."

That was why the two dogs at home, who were already quite large, had been cruelly abandoned. Right now, they were standing on the dock with their ears and tails drooping, watching them with pleading eyes.

What a pitiful sight.

Yun Jiao felt a twinge in her conscience. It hurt a little, but she could bear it.

So she turned her head to look at the sea, avoiding the dogs’ gazes.

There were two boats again, with Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe on separate vessels as before.

Along the way, the two men taught their respective sons how to row and passed on their knowledge of the sea.

Yun Xiaowu, for his part, was a very serious student of this.

He picked it up quickly, and for the last stretch, he was the one rowing the boat.

Yun Linhai finally felt a bit of gratification. His son might be a blockhead when it came to academics, but when it came to swimming and diving, he was the best among his peers—second only to Yun Jiao.

And now it seemed he had a talent for rowing, too.

He couldn’t help but stroke his chin and wonder, ’Is this son destined to inherit the family business?’

Yun Xiaowu’s skin was tanned dark from the sun. He stood shirtless on the boat, holding a fishing net, and cast it out just as his father had told him.

But he was just learning, and being small, his strength was limited. The net didn’t cast very well.

Still, when he pulled it in, there were a few small fish.

"Dad, let me try again."

He was certainly serious about learning this.

Yun Jiao sat at the stern, fishing with a rod. Not far from her, Yun Sui sat doing the same, imitating her.

Soon, Yun Jiao got a bite on her line.

She calmly and steadily began to reel in the line.

Cat Boss also stood at the stern, its eyes glued to the water.

The moment Yun Jiao pulled the fish up, it immediately pounced, raising its paws to deliver several quick jabs.

"Yun Jiao, a fish! I got a fish!"

Yun Sui’s excited voice rang out. It turned out he’d caught a fish on his line, too.

"Don’t rush, let the fish tire itself out first."

As Yun Jiao was instructing him, a sudden SPLASH was heard. Something had fallen into the sea.

She and Yun Sui simultaneously looked toward the other boat.

’Ah, it was Yun Xiaoqi.’

Yun Linhe was furious. "I told you to stand back, stand back! You cast a net and threw yourself into the sea with it! You’re impossibly stupid!"

Yun Xiaoqi floated on the surface. "Dad, don’t just stand there yelling at me! At least pull me up first!"

Just as he was pulled onto the boat over there, Yun Xiaojiu fell into the sea from their boat.

Yun Jiao immediately shifted her gaze. ’What’s happening over here now?’

Moreover, Yun Xiaojiu was flailing in the water and couldn’t seem to get his bearings.

Yun Linhai let out a furious roar. "Yun Xiaowu, do you have eyes?! You caught your little brother in the net!"

Yun Xiaowu replied, "I didn’t expect him to be standing there!"

Yun Jiao: ...

’It’s certainly lively today.’

She put down her fishing rod and jumped into the sea. Yun Xiaojiu was holding his breath, still struggling with the fishing net.

He looked so wronged he was on the verge of tears.

By the time Yun Jiao rescued him, the puppy-eyed Yun Xiaojiu was really crying.

"Waaaah, Jiaojiao, Fifth Brother is too mean!"

The two were pulled back onto the boat. Yun Linhai shot his son a fierce glare.

Yun Xiaowu felt guilty but tried to defend himself. "Little Nine, honestly! If you’re going to laugh at Xiaoqi, you should at least pick a better spot."

Yun Xiaojiu’s eyes welled with tears. "You’re the one who was laughing at Brother Qi and not watching where I was, Fifth Brother!"

With quick eyes and nimble hands, Yun Jiao popped a piece of candy into each of their mouths.

"Once you eat the candy, no more fighting, okay?"

Yun Xiaojiu huffed, then picked up his hat and put it on his head.

’I’m this good-looking—the second most good-looking in the whole family. I can’t let myself get tanned as dark as a charcoal briquette like Fifth Brother.’

The two wooden boats floated next to each other on the sea, both bustling with activity. Going out to sea today was definitely not boring.

After fishing for a while, Yun Jiao picked up her small case and told her father and the others that she was going off on her own to the place where the Conches were.

"Jiaojiao, are you sure you can go alone? How about I go with you?"

Yun Jiao shook her head decisively. "Dad, it’s a bit deep over there. You can’t hold your breath for that long."

"I’ll be back soon."

With that, she dove headfirst into the sea.

Her hair fanned out beneath the waves. With her snow-white skin, she looked like a beautiful little fish in the sea.

Arriving at the place where the Conches grew, Yun Jiao first went around to greet each of them.

"I’m back again!"

She found the largest Conch and, just like before, gave it a polite knock.

"Open up. I’m here to help you remove your ’stone’."

’For this giant clam, how could it not be considered a stone?’

Just like last time, the Conch slowly opened its huge mouth.

Yun Jiao’s eyes could see clearly even in the dark, so she could naturally make out the situation inside the Conch.

Same as before, she first felt around with her hand to pinpoint the location of the Conch Pearl, then took out a scalpel and got to work.

When she made the cut, she could clearly feel the Conch’s two shells closing slightly.

So, Yun Jiao simply opened her mouth and began to sing.

She sang a soothing song. After professional training, her voice—already a gift from the heavens—sounded even more beautiful.

The Conch stopped moving.

Yun Jiao extracted the hard lump with extreme speed, sutured the wound, and then applied a bit of restorative and antiseptic medicine.

The medicine was a paste, so it was still somewhat effective even in water and wouldn’t wash away too quickly.

She was very fast, finishing one in about ten minutes.

"There, all done."

The Conch closed its shell again.

Yun Jiao looked at the three pearls in her hand, her eyes curving into a smile.

The three pearls were all different in size and shape. There was no telling how many years they had taken to grow. One of them was even the size of a Luminous Pearl.

The other two were about the size of the large marbles her brothers played with.