Both sides were sticking to their stories, and the crowd of onlookers didn’t know who to believe.
A few shouts were mixed in, demanding the Yun family pay up.
But Yun Jiao’s family wasn’t about to be pushed around. Just as a fight was about to break out, the village chief arrived.
"Don’t you all have anything better to do? You have the spare time to stand here and argue, but not to go gather from the sea?"
Cai Jinhua: "Village Chief, you’re just in time. The Yun family has gone too far! Their girl beat my Zhaodi and stole our rabbit. They have to pay."
Wang Mei: "Bullshit! Village Chief, don’t listen to their nonsense. They were clearly trying to bully my Jiaojiao! It’s a good thing my Jiaojiao is strong, or she would have been bullied. Besides, our cat caught that rabbit. These girls saw it and tried to snatch it, and now they’re turning it all back on us."
The village chief felt a headache coming on.
Yun Chen Nan: "Village Chief, it’s actually very simple to prove whether they caught the rabbit first."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Yun Chen Nan narrowed his eyes slightly. He had a clever and gentle-looking face.
"Village Chief, could you please have a few people separate them? Just have them stand in different places so they can’t hear each other speak."
Although the village chief didn’t know what he was planning, he wanted to resolve this trouble quickly, so he did as asked.
The other girls’ parents were reluctant, but after a sharp word from the village chief, they unwillingly let their children be led away.
Everyone was curious about what Yun Chen Nan was up to.
"Have someone ask them where they found the rabbit, where they caught it, who caught it first, and how my family’s cat stole it from them."
"If their answers are consistent, it proves they caught the rabbit, and we will apologize. If their answers are inconsistent, it proves they’re lying."
A smile played on Yun Chen Nan’s lips, but his eyes were cold.
"And in that case, they must apologize to Jiaojiao."
The village chief clapped his hands. "That’s a great idea."
Yun Zhaodi and the others were just kids, after all. Everything from chasing the rabbit to getting into a fight, then running to tattle and bring their parents, had happened in a rush. They simply didn’t have the wits or the time to get their stories straight.
As soon as they were separated and questioned, one of them already showed a crack in her story. Before she even started to answer, she glanced nervously in the direction of the others.
Unfortunately for them, they were too far apart to hear each other.
The moment the village chief saw this, he knew the girls were lying.
He felt a surge of disappointment. It was one thing to lie, but to try and demand and snatch things from a child as young as Yun Jiao was another.
After the questioning, the village chief, with a sour expression, called the children back.
"Explain yourselves. Why were none of your answers the same?"
Yun Zhaodi and the other girls lowered their heads, not daring to answer.
The onlookers understood everything at once.
"Those little girls are always lying."
"Yeah, not a single true word comes out of their mouths."
The parents felt humiliated. Some of them simply turned and left without another word.
Cai Jinhua was unwilling to give up. "But what about Yun Jiao hitting my Zhaodi..."
Before anyone from the Yun family could reply, someone in the crowd burst out laughing.
"Cai Jinhua, we never see you this concerned about Zhaodi usually. Are those marks on her even as bad as the ones you give her on a normal day?"
Immediately, others joined in the laughter.
Yun Chenxi, holding Yun Jiao, added, "Besides, your Zhaodi tried to snatch something from my Jiaojiao first. Someone saw it with their own eyes."
That person, of course, was Yangwa, who had run to tell Yun Xiaowu and the others.
With Yangwa as a witness, everyone was even more convinced that Yun Jiao was telling the truth.
Yun Chen Nan demanded they apologize.
Under pressure, the children fearfully and reluctantly apologized.
No matter how unwilling Cai Jinhua was to let it go, her attempts to keep arguing were cut short when Wang Mei and Shen Yunlian chased her away with brooms.
This time, no one had a bad word to say about the Yun family.
It served them right.
Cai Jinhua’s family slunk away in disgrace. Not only had they failed to gain any advantage, but they’d also been made a laughingstock. Naturally, she didn’t have a kind look for Yun Zhaodi, the root of all this trouble.
"You little troublemaker! All you know how to do is cause trouble for me all day..."
Hearing Yun Zhaodi’s miserable cries, the crowd sighed, but few felt any sympathy.
Victorious, the Yun family felt refreshed and invigorated.
"Jiaojiao, if anyone bullies you again, you have to come and tell us. We’ll back you up!"
Yun Jiao nodded. "Okay."
...
The next day was the trip to the city to sell the pearls. Those who were going woke up bright and early, washed up, and put on their favorite new clothes, looking full of energy.
"Wait, take these cigarettes to sell too."
Mr. Yun smoked a pipe with dry tobacco; he couldn’t afford these fancy cigarettes.
Yun Linhe glanced at his father with a fawning smile. "Dad, let’s keep one pack."
His dad wasn’t interested, but he certainly was.
Mr. Yun shot him a glare. Yun Linhe just gave him a placating smile and, through sheer thick-skinned persistence, managed to keep a pack of cigarettes.
He was absolutely ecstatic.
"What about the liquor? Are you selling those two bottles of Maotai?"
Mr. Yun hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"The family isn’t that desperate for money right now. Let’s not sell them yet."
’When it comes to liquor, the longer you age it properly, the more fragrant and mellow it becomes.’
Maotai was expensive, and he wanted to save it.
They could drink some when the family’s fortunes improved, or they could sell it then.
It wouldn’t spoil easily either.
"Jiaojiao, is there anything you want? We can buy it for you."
Yun Jiao was still sleeping groggily when her excited Brother Qi and Brother Nine woke her up.
She yawned, a little grumpy from being woken up.
Her grumpiness was adorable, though. She didn’t get angry at anyone; she just puffed up her cheeks and turned her back on the ones who woke her, like a soft, white steamed bun that had expanded in the steamer.
Especially her little face.
It was unbelievably cute.
"Don’t be mad, Jiaojiao. We’re about to leave."
"How about we bring you back some candy?"
After being coaxed by her two brothers for a while, she wasn’t mad anymore.
She rubbed her pretty, chubby little face, still not fully awake. Her voice had a unique, soft mumble to it, so pleasant it sounded like she was wheedling.
"Then I want meat baozi, sweet baozi, and I also want popsicles, cookies, fried dough twists, and sponge cake..."
It was all food.
She already had pretty clothes and shoes, and she wasn’t obsessed with toys because her skillful fourth brother meant she never lacked for them.
Other than food, there was really nothing else she wanted.
"Okay, we’ll remember."
Yun Xiaojiu: "No popsicles. They’ll melt by the time we get back."
Yun Jiao’s voice was syrupy sweet. "Then my brothers can take me to town to buy one next time."
"No problem."
Before they left, each of her two brothers gave her a kiss on her chubby cheek.
Yun Jiao yawned, flailed her short little arms and legs, and flopped back onto the bed.
But it was just too hot. She tossed and turned but couldn’t get back to sleep at all.
’I want to go sleep in the sea.’
She missed her big seashell bed from her past life.
’The feeling of wanting to sleep but not being able to is so frustrating!’
Yun Jiao opened her eyes and clambered out of bed, whimpering softly.
"Fourth Brother, where are you going?"
She saw her fourth brother about to leave with his beloved toolbox, which contained the very set of carving tools given to him by Fu Mingyu.
Yun Chenbei: "I’m going to my master’s place."
Yun Jiao yawned and walked over to him, asking to be held.
"I want to go too. I can’t sleep."
"It’s all Brother Qi and Brother Nine’s fault."
Looking at his soft, adorable little sister, who was cute even when she was complaining angrily, Yun Chenbei’s heart filled with affection.
’My sister is the best.’