Someone was at the door, but Yun Jiao refused to open it, and she didn’t want her family to, either.
Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Can I hide these and say they’re lost?"
The corner of Yun Chendong’s mouth twitched. "No, you can’t."
They had to let the visitors in eventually.
Sure enough, it was the two police officers they were familiar with.
The moment they walked in, they spotted the ’stolen goods’ on the table, as well as a pouting little Yun Jiao, who had her back turned to them.
Even from behind, it was obvious she was angry.
The two of them rubbed their noses.
"The moment Chen Jing woke up, she told us that Yun Jiao and the other kids had taken their money and watch."
So, here they were.
Yun Jiao clenched her little fists. ’Why didn’t I hit her harder!’
"Because you captured the human traffickers, which was a major contribution, our police station will be applying for a reward for you."
Hearing this, Yun Jiao perked up a little.
"Will it be this much?"
She pointed at the money on the table, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at the two police officers.
"Er... not quite. It’ll probably be around fifty yuan."
The light in Yun Jiao’s eyes instantly went out.
’That’s not even as much as the watch... Waaah...’
The two officers found her expression a bit much to handle and hastily packed the money into a bag.
"It might not be a lot of money, but we bought you some chocolate since you like it. And these are cookies; they’re pretty good, too."
They placed a small bag of chocolate and cookies on the table.
Now that she had something to eat, Yun Jiao instantly perked up again.
Mr. Yun and the others hurriedly said they were being too kind.
But in the end, the bag of chocolate and cookies was left behind.
After the officers left, despite being gloomy about losing the money, watch, gold ring, and gold earrings, Yun Jiao ate her snacks happily.
The aftereffect of the human trafficker incident was that their family once again became the hot topic of the village.
Everywhere they went, they were hounded with questions about how they found the traffickers and how they beat them.
Yun Xiaowu and the other kids were smug as could be, boasting about themselves and Yun Jiao until they made them sound capable of anything and everything.
"Alright, that’s enough out of you. We’re going out to sea today. Jiaojiao, are you coming?"
"I’m going!"
Of course she was going. Yun Jiao grabbed a piece of chocolate and a handful of dried shrimp, stuffing them into the small crossbody bag her mom had sewn for her, and brought along the new fishing rod her dad had made.
"Your hat. Put your hat on."
The hat Yun Jiao wore this time had been custom-made for her by Yun Chenbei, the family’s resident craftsman. He had even adorned it with two lovely flowers made of beautiful seashells.
The moment she put on the little hat, Yun Jiao was instantly transformed into a fashionable, pretty little doll.
"So pretty."
There was a small mirror in the house. Yun Jiao picked it up to admire herself for a moment, nodded in satisfaction, and then followed her dad and the others out the door.
Just as they stepped outside, they ran into Wang Yi, who had come rushing over early in the morning.
He was once again on his bicycle.
In that instant, he was the coolest guy around.
The gazes of the entire Yun family, young and old, were captivated by his bicycle.
’What a sweet ride!’
Wang Yi lifted his chin slightly.
"Ha... I knew you guys were going out to sea today. I got here bright and early."
He had his camera with him and was also carrying a bag of Baozi.
"I want to go too."
Yun Jiao stared at the bag of Baozi, drooling with craving.
"Alright, alright, of course you can come..."
Seeing her intense craving, Wang Yi enthusiastically handed her a big, white, plump meat Baozi.
"Sirs, you have one too."
"No, no, you eat them yourself."
"No need to be so polite, I’ve got more. I appreciate you guys taking me out today."
This kid, Wang Yi, really knew how to get on people’s good side.
Clutching the large Baozi, Yun Jiao nibbled away like a happy little hamster, her soft cheeks puffed out and round. Her clear eyes were filled with pure satisfaction.
Watching her eat, Wang Yi felt that the Baozi in his own hands tasted even more delicious.
Since both Yun Jiao and Wang Yi were going today, Yun Chendong and Yun Chenxi decided not to. It would be too crowded on the boat otherwise.
"Oh, you brought a fishing rod. You made this yourself, didn’t you?"
Yun Jiao said proudly, "My dad made it for me."
"Don’t they have professional fishing rods? Will this one actually work?"
Yun Linhe replied, "Professional fishing rods? They don’t sell those things in a small place like ours."
Wang Yi said, "Oh. So how big of a fish can you catch with this rod?"
"Fifteen or twenty pounds shouldn’t be a problem, but whether you can actually catch one that big is a matter of luck."
Fifteen or twenty pounds... just how big would a fish like that be? He was getting eager to try.
Once the boat was out at sea, Yun Jiao and the others released the sea turtle back into the water.
"Will it follow us?"
Yun Jiao replied, "It’s going to look for food."
She was getting ready to fish.
Wang Yi watched from the side as she took a small dried shrimp from her crossbody bag, hooked it as bait, and cast her line. Then she simply sat down cross-legged on the deck and paid it no mind.
It was Wang Yi’s first time out at sea, and he was quite excited, staring into the water to see if he could spot any fish.
He was just about to ask Yun Jiao about the human trafficker incident when the fishing rod suddenly twitched.
Wang Yi was even more excited than Yun Jiao, the one who was actually fishing.
"It’s moving, it’s moving! The rod’s moving! Quick, pull it in!"
Yun Jiao held the fishing rod, her lips pressed firmly together, the picture of calm. For someone so young, she had the demeanor of a seasoned general, forming a stark contrast with the boy hopping and shouting beside her.
The fish on the line seemed quite large, as the rod was bent into an arc.
Wang Yi was worried she’d be yanked into the sea at any moment.
Fortunately, Yun Jiao’s strength was nothing to scoff at.
Both Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe stopped what they were doing to stare at the surface of the water.
Soon, Yun Jiao had played the fish until it was exhausted and pulled it out of the water.
"It’s a Stonefish! A big Stonefish!"
"Quick, get the landing net!"
What a great start to the day! They hadn’t even cast the nets yet, and their Jiaojiao had already caught such a huge fish with a simple bamboo rod.
Yun Linhai’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "It’s a Tiger Stonefish."
Yun Linhe was ecstatic. "See? When it comes to luck at sea, we have to rely on our Jiaojiao."
Having seen such a huge fish get caught with his own two eyes, Wang Yi was exceptionally thrilled.
Only after the fish was hauled onto the boat did he realize with annoyance that he had forgotten to take a picture.
"What a huge fish! Quick, quick... Sir, take a picture of me."
He handed the camera to Yun Linhai.
Yun Linhai took it gingerly. This thing was precious.
"I don’t know how to use this."
"I’ll teach you. It’s really simple."
All he wanted right now was a photo with this big fish.
Yun Linhe was a quick study, so in the end, the camera was handed to him.
Wang Yi squatted behind the Tiger Stonefish, flashed a wide grin, and made a peace sign.
After taking the picture, he pulled Yun Jiao over as well.
"Come on, Yun Jiao! You caught the fish, so let’s get a picture together."
Yun Jiao wasn’t shy. She squatted down next to Wang Yi, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled, and also made a peace sign.
After the photos, Wang Yi was brimming with enthusiasm. "Are you going to fish some more? Let me try! Let me have a turn!"
Yun Jiao handed him the fishing rod.
"Go ahead and fish."
’I’ll let you, since you gave me that big Baozi and included me in the picture.’
Wang Yi must have had beginner’s luck.
Before long, he had also caught a fish.
Although it wasn’t as big as Yun Jiao’s, it was a relatively rare type of sea fish.