Chapter 327 - 325: Overfed

The next morning, the village was bustling with activity from the crack of dawn.

Yun Jiao was still sleeping when she heard a commotion outside. A lot of people had come over to greet her father and mother, as well as her uncle and Little Aunt.

There were also some half-hearted compliments.

For instance, they praised her Fifth Brother, saying he looked smart at a glance.

Her Fifth Brother was clearly the intellectual basin among all the brothers!

Of course, the praise directed at her was far more sincere.

Things like how she was pretty, would have a great future, and was so smart.

They were just telling the truth, after all.

Not yet fully awake, Yun Jiao listened to the conversations downstairs, her mind already starting to wander and daydream.

She then yawned, and after staring into space for a bit, she got out of bed. She changed her clothes by herself and bunched the quilt into a ball, pretending she had folded it.

Slipping on her slippers, she ran over to the curio shelf in the room with her hands behind her back to admire her collection.

In addition to her previous items, two new porcelain vases now graced the shelf.

One was celadon, the other a light pink. Both were very pretty.

There was also a beautiful plate and four lovely little bowls.

The plates and bowls she didn’t like had all been moved to the kitchen.

But her mother didn’t use them, saying they had been in the sea for so long that she didn’t feel safe using them.

After finishing her admiration session, Yun Jiao ran off to wash up and find someone to tie her hair.

When she got downstairs, everyone greeted her enthusiastically.

By now, everyone in Bailong Village had basically accepted that Yun Jiao was a lucky charm and the village’s mascot.

There was no harm in getting on her good side.

Because of yesterday’s village meeting, everyone was busy first thing in the morning.

Yun Jiao sat at the doorway, slowly scooping up bites of steamed egg with sea urchin. At her feet, two dogs lay happily gnawing on large bones.

She had already seen several groups of people walking past their house in twos and threes, arms slung over each other’s shoulders and grinning. They would make a special point to greet her father and uncles.

They were all heading to the ancestral hall. They could have taken a shortcut, but they insisted on taking a detour just to say hello.

Then they would casually stuff some food or a toy into her hands.

The toys were little animals woven from bamboo or palm leaves.

In just one morning, a large pile of things had accumulated in front of her.

There was too much to eat; she could never finish it all!

And she couldn’t play with so many toys either.

Yun Jiao let out a burp. Her stomach was full, but her mouth still felt a little greedy.

So, her chubby little hand twitched, wanting to grab a piece of hawthorn leather.

"Yun Jiao!"

Her mother’s voice came from behind her.

Yun Jiao quickly snatched her hand back.

"You’ve been eating snacks every day for the past few days. You’ve barely eaten any of your meals."

Yun Jiao said, "I have been eating."

"Hah! You used to be able to eat three bowls of rice, and now you can only manage one small bowl!"

"No more snacks, especially these sweets. If you eat too many, bugs will grow in your teeth, and the pain will be unbearable."

Yun Jiao didn’t believe her. "What bug would be so bold!"

She looked like a small ball of dough, but her words were surprisingly domineering.

But no matter how domineering she was, she was still no match for a parent’s authority.

Shen Yunlian directly confiscated all her snacks.

Yun Jiao pouted. ’I’ll go for a walk outside.’

"Get back inside. Practice your calligraphy with Brother Ba."

Her idea of running around outside was mercilessly shot down.

Yun Jiao mumbled an "oh" and trudged back into the house with her head hanging low.

’Ugh, my schedule for the day...’ she thought, tallying up everything she had to do. ’Waaaah... I have it the worst in the whole family.’

’After calligraphy practice, I have to work on my flexibility, review my dance moves, and then memorize texts...’

’Good thing I’m a natural talent, blessed by the heavens. I’m smart, and I’m pretty too.’

’Hmph, hmph. If I finish my studies early, I’ll go play in the sea.’

Bailong Village was busy with the lively work of demolition, and a steady stream of construction materials was being hauled in from outside. All of this made visiting relatives and people from the neighboring villages curious.

The people of Bailong Village would then show off with great pride.

They learned that their village’s temple and ancestral hall were not only going to be rebuilt but also expanded. And most importantly, they didn’t have to pay a dime!

This made the people from other villages green with envy.

Within two days, a constant stream of people from other villages began visiting Bailong Village.

A few of them were even village chiefs.

Those chiefs gathered with the Bailong Village chief, their voices practically overflowing with envy.

"How did you get so lucky?"

"Yeah, and how old is that little girl from your village, Yun Jiao?"

The chief watched him warily. "What are you planning?"

"Hey, what could I possibly be planning? I’m just asking."

"She’s almost five."

Hearing this, that chief immediately shook his head. "Too young. What a pity, she’s too young."

The others also realized what was going on, clearly understanding what this old coot was thinking.

The Bailong Village chief rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"She’s still just a little kid, so you can give up on that idea. Besides, Jiaojiao is very capable, and she has several equally capable older brothers. She might not even consider those brats from your village in the future."

"Now look what you’re saying. We have a few good kids in our village too. They’ll grow up to be very promising, you know."

The Bailong Village chief snorted. "Whether Jiaojiao even gets married when she grows up is another matter entirely."

"If I had such a precious and promising granddaughter, I wouldn’t be against her taking on a live-in husband."

Yun Jiao let out a burp and wandered past, just in time to hear the village chiefs discussing her future marriage prospects.

Yun Jiao: "..."

’I’m still just a little kid! Hmph!’

She turned her little head and walked away. Her mother was calling her back for a meal.

’Oh no, I’ve been fed a little too much. My tummy is so full, I don’t think I can eat another bite,’ she thought.

Yun Jiao remembered her mother’s earlier warning and immediately felt a pang of guilt.

’It’s... it’s not my fault I can’t control my mouth! There are just too many temptations outside.’

Back home, Yun Jiao stole a furtive glance at her mother.

"What’s wrong? Hurry up and eat."

Shen Yunlian handed her a bowl of rice.

Yun Jiao held the bowl, a pained expression on her face as she stared at the fragrant dishes on the table.

’Why wasn’t I born with a second stomach?!’

Seeing her dawdling and only eating a tiny bit after a long while, Wang Mei suddenly poked her little belly.

"Aha, Yun Jiao! How many snacks did you eat outside again!"

Yun Jiao immediately passed the blame.

"I didn’t take any from strangers. My brothers fed me."

Lao San, Yun Chen Nan, said, "I just fed her an egg and a small mango."

Yun Chenbei said, "I gave her a Baozi, a bit of youtiao and soy milk. Master brought them from the county town."

Yun Xiaowu said, "I gave my little sister some hawthorn leather, some spicy snacks, and the tanghulu Uncle Wang brought back."

Yun Xiaoqi said, "I just gave her a sweet potato and a roasted sweet potato."

Hearing all this, the family matriarchs, Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei, felt like they urgently needed oxygen.

Yun Chen Nan and Yun Chenbei also stared at the others, dumbfounded.

’Huh? You guys fed her too?’

Yun Xiao Ba and Yun Xiaojiu: ...they had also given their little sister snacks.

HIC.

Yun Jiao let out a burp.

She looked at her mother with innocent eyes.

"Mama, you gave me cookies too. And Little Aunt, you gave me little fried fish."

Everyone: "..."