When Grandma Shen and the others returned, the house next door was still bustling with activity.
Yun Jiao could hear blood-curdling screams coming from next door, and saw basin after basin of bloody water being carried out.
"What a sin. She wasn’t due for another half a month. This is a premature birth."
"Why didn’t she go to the hospital beforehand?"
Grandma Shen was clearly disgusted with the old woman next door.
"That old crone next door can’t stand her eldest daughter-in-law. To give birth, she’d have to go to the hospital early, and going to the hospital costs money. She’s not willing to spend it.
Besides, it’s the busy farming season right now. If her daughter-in-law went to the hospital, there’d be no one to do the housework and serve the family. Even if her eldest son was willing to pay for the hospital himself, she wouldn’t allow it."
Giving birth is so risky. In the past, people had no choice but to give birth at home because they couldn’t afford otherwise. Now that conditions have improved, for safety’s sake, families who care will have the mother stay at the hospital as her due date approaches.
But at the same time, situations like the expectant mother’s next door were also very common, with women not going to the hospital for all sorts of reasons.
For a woman giving birth, a long labor could take an entire day.
They had already finished their meal, but the baby next door still hadn’t been born.
Yun Jiao went outside with a small bowl filled with dried shrimp skins, crab shells, and fish bones.
"Mimi, Big Mimi."
She had spotted a rather menacing-looking tabby cat on the courtyard wall earlier.
The tabby was chubby, with strong, powerful limbs. Its patterned fur looked like "tattoo sleeves," and the fur on its paws was white, as if it were wearing white gloves. The black tiger stripes on its sleek, glossy coat were very distinct, and its pair of emerald green eyes were quite beautiful.
Hearing Yun Jiao’s call, the tabby cat, which had been lazily sunbathing on the roof, stepped onto the tiles, leaped onto the wall, and then landed gracefully in front of her.
"This is for you."
The tabby sniffed the offering and obligingly ate the dried shrimp skins, but it didn’t touch the crab shells and fish bones, which had little meat on them.
After eating, it squatted on a nearby stone and began licking its paws.
Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up as she watched.
She loved the feeling of petting small, fluffy animals—something sea creatures didn’t have.
"Want some dried fish?"
Yun Jiao took a small dried fish out of her little shoulder bag and offered it to the cat.
The tabby sniffed it and ate it.
It was a bit of a picky eater.
As it ate, its fluffy tail curled around and wrapped itself around her ankle.
"Whose kitty are you?"
Shen Xiuyuan walked over just in time to hear her question. He glanced at the exceptionally sturdy-looking tabby and said,
"That’s the tabby cat Granny Hu used to have. But Granny Hu passed away last year, so now it’s a stray and wanders around the village."
"Huh? But it looks so healthy and it’s so big! I thought someone was taking care of it."
Yun Jiao stroked the tabby’s coat. ’It feels so nice.’
"You can actually touch it."
Shen Xiuyuan leaned in, astonished. ’Did I get the wrong cat?’
’No way. It has a nick in its ear and that same fierce look. There’s no other cat in the village that looks like this.’
He was about to get closer and try to pet it too, but the tabby immediately hissed at him, looking incredibly fierce.
"HISS... Yep, it’s definitely him."
"None of the dogs in the village can beat him in a fight!"
"He looks so healthy because he takes care of himself. He catches the most rats in the village, and he never fails to catch any bird, wild pheasant, or rabbit he spots in the mountains."
’That’s pretty amazing.’
"Actually, it wasn’t really Granny Hu who was taking care of him. This cat is incredible. Granny Hu lived alone, with no relatives. She was old and had trouble getting around, so she couldn’t farm very well. It was this cat that went into the mountains to catch wild rabbits and pheasants and brought them to her. Granny Hu would trade the meat for eggs and some vegetables so she wouldn’t starve."
Yun Jiao said, "Wow! So the cat was like Granny Hu’s adopted son."
The tabby had two furry balls hanging behind it, clearly visible when its tail was up. It was a male cat.
’This cat is more useful than some good-for-nothing sons.’
"How are you on such good terms with him? No one in our village can touch him. Some people admired his skill at catching wild pheasants and rabbits and wanted to adopt him, but he ignores everyone."
Yun Jiao petted the cat’s head, completely agreeing with the tabby’s behavior.
"He can take care of himself! Those people just wanted to adopt him because they were greedy for his prey!"
’It’s not even clear who would be taking care of whom.’
After feeding the tabby a few more dried fish, Yun Jiao successfully got to touch its "white-gloved" paws.
’Soft, squishy little paws, hehe...’
Shen Xiuyuan refused to give up and also tried to tempt the tabby with a dried fish.
Unfortunately, His Majesty the cat couldn’t even be bothered to spare him a glance.
Shen Xiuyuan... had to admit defeat.
Yun Jiao’s eyes curved into crescents, and her smile made her look even more delicate and lively.
"I’m very popular with kitties, you know."
’Cats like fish. Makes perfect sense.’
’And I’m not just any fish.’
’Cats eat fish, but a big fish from the ocean isn’t afraid of any cat.’
Grandma Shen went next door to check on the situation. The baby wouldn’t be born anytime soon, but thankfully, it was in the correct position.
"Come on, let’s head up the mountain."
After all, it was the neighbor’s business, and it wasn’t right for outsiders like them to get involved.
While the woman next door was in labor, the old crone was already urging everyone except her eldest son to get back to work.
Once the baby was born, they would send over a few eggs.
’Let’s just hope those eggs actually make it into the mother’s stomach.’
Everyone was going to the mountain, and of course, Yun Jiao wanted to go too.
The weather was hot, and the cornfield was an unpleasant place to be. The corn leaves were a bit prickly against the skin, and the dried corn silk was itchy and uncomfortable when it stuck to you.
So, even though it was hot, everyone had to wear long-sleeved clothes.
Yun Jiao didn’t have a basket to carry on her back, and she was about to ask if they could borrow a small one from someone.
Grandma Shen just handed her a small basket.
"Jiaojiao, you take this basket and go see if you can find anything to eat in the mountains. We’ll handle harvesting the corn, so you don’t need to go."
Yun Jiao was unconvinced. "I can harvest corn too."
’I’m pretty strong, you know.’
Grandma Shen chuckled. "I know, I know. But the corn stalks are tall. You can’t reach."
Yun Jiao stomped her foot. "I can just bend the stalks down!"
’She was only short right now. In her past life, she was almost four meters long including the tip of her tail.’
’Growing to be four meters in this life... uh... better not. She’d look like a freak among humans.’
’But she definitely wouldn’t end up being short, either.’
Although Yun Jiao tried her best to prove she was capable, in the end, she still wasn’t allowed to go to the cornfield.
Brother Nine didn’t go either.
The two little ones took their baskets and went into the nearby woods.
Uncle Shen had said there were chestnuts in those woods, and that when she came back with some, he would make her sugar-fried chestnuts.
The strong-willed Yun Jiao finally caved at the mention of food.
"Sister, hurry over here! The chestnut tree is this way."
Yun Xiaojiu’s voice called out.
Yun Jiao was busy drooling over the plump, bright red hawthorns on a hawthorn tree, but she had failed to climb it after several attempts.
’I’m so useless at climbing trees. QAQ’
Hearing Brother Nine’s shout, she temporarily gave up on the hawthorns, picked up her basket, and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her.
"I’m coming, I’m coming..."