jdhmnovel Chapter 143 Snowball
Chapter 143 Snowball
Early the next morning, Xu Yiyi held the kitten in a cloth bag and slung it across her waist.
Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua knew that a kitten had come to their house, and they all crowded around Xu Yiyi.
Pairs of small hands trembled as they touched the kitten. "Old Four, you fool, don't get so close. You'll scare the kitten."
The third brother Song Guanshu pushed the fourth brother Song Guanhua away.
The four children looked at the kitten eagerly.
"Look, your father is so afraid of cats that he can't sleep well at night. We can't keep one at home."
Jiuya happily exposed her husband's shortcomings in front of the children.
"Dad! You're such a grown man, and you're afraid of cats?"
The eldest brother Song Guanqin frowned and looked at Qingshan with some doubt and a hint of ridicule.
"Who's afraid of cats? Don't listen to your mother's nonsense."
Qingshan spoke in a rough voice, as if he was trying to give himself courage.
The two left the Song family one after another and headed for the dock.
It was not yet fully light, and a hint of paleness appeared in the east.
The cool air permeated the streets and alleys.
The stone pavement along the way was wet with dew and a bit slippery.
Most of the shops along the street were still closed, and the closer to the dock, the louder the noise became.
The shouts of porters and the hawkers' cries were intertwined.
Xu Yiyi bought two shrimp cakes from the lady who sold them, showed her household registration to the officer, and slowly boarded the Song family's merchant ship.
As soon as Qingshan saw her, he hid far away.
"Don't get so close to me!"
Qingshan looked as if he was facing a great enemy, which made people laugh.
"Uncle Qingshan, I'm really curious, why are you afraid of kittens?"
Xu Yiyi asked curiously while taking a bite of the shrimp cake.
Qingshan's body stiffened slightly, and a hint of unnaturalness flashed across his face.
He unconsciously took a small step back and looked away.
"This thing... is very evil..."
Xu Yiyi tilted her head, her eyes filled with even greater curiosity.
"When it cries, it's as scary as a ghost's scream. When I was a child, my eldest brother's black cat scared me. Since then, I've subconsciously avoided furry animals."
Qingshan cleared his throat, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"So you better stay away from me."
After saying that, Qingshan went into the cabin.
"Will you take the helm today, Master?"
Qingshan shook his head. The cat scared him so much that he had no strength left.
Xu Yiyi glanced at him and pushed the kitten that came out of the cloth bag back into his pocket.
At the dock, ships are lined up densely.
The sails of the merchant ship swayed gently in the breeze, and the boatman at the bow was adjusting the ropes.
There were people constantly moving cargo on the deck.
Xu Yiyi took a deep breath, and the smell of moisture from the sea water and fish rushed into his nostrils, and he ate all the shrimp cakes into his stomach.
There was a lot of cargo on the boat, so Xu Yiyi couldn't help but feel anxious and wanted to slow down the boat.
After sailing for most of the day, we finally returned to Ping'an Town.
Xu Yiyi did not dare to delay at all and rushed off the boat and ran towards the government office.
By then, more than half of the two-day deadline had passed.
Zhong Congyun hasn't come back yet.
"Your pearls are quite good, round and smooth. Except for the big one, you can take the rest back."
Old Wu looked down upon those tiny beads.
"Has Inspector Zhong not returned yet?"
Xu Yiyi went out and asked an official, but did not get a satisfactory answer.
"It's not difficult to pick calamus, but the difficulty lies in the fact that it grows too far away from here. It takes quite a while to get there and back. If we don't get back tonight, the poison in Lord Fang's body might be uncontrollable."
Old Wu stroked his gray beard and sighed deeply.
Xu Yiyi came out of the government office, feeling somewhat depressed.
After all, Fang Zhiyi had a good relationship with her, so she felt very uncomfortable when she suddenly heard such news.
Now I just hope that Zhong Congyun can pick the calamus as soon as possible and come back.
"Sister——"
Sihai ran out of the stall carrying Wuyuan on his back, but he ran so fast that he fell to the ground with a thud.
Without even having time to cry out in pain, he quickly climbed up and threw himself into Xu Yiyi's arms.
Wu Yuan seemed to be stunned by the fall, and looked at Xu Yiyi with dull eyes.
"Sister, you're back. I missed you so much."
The next moment, Wu Yuan came to his senses.
Lying on Sihai's back, the two brothers bared their teeth and claws like monkeys, chubby, white and tender monkeys.
"You haven't gone back yet?"
Xu Yiyi took Sihai's little hand and went to the stall to take a look.
Er'er is still selling cakes, and a few people come from time to time, so business is pretty good.
"We were originally going to go back, but my second sister said my eldest sister would be back today, so we just waited here."
Sihai let go of his elder sister's hand, walked to the back of the stall and took out a small box.
Like a treasure.
He took out a white object from inside.
"Big sister, lower your head..."
Sihai shook the corner of Xu Yiyi's clothes, and she leaned over and lowered her head.
Sihai stuffed the thing in his hand into her mouth, covering her mouth with his fishy, sweaty little hand.
The sweetness spreads across the tip of the tongue, quickly filling the entire mouth from a light sweetness.
The sweet taste flowed down Xu Yiyi's throat, dispelling her bad mood.
Every time I smack my lips, I want to keep the sweetness a little longer.
"Is the Ding Ding Candy delicious?"
Sihai looked at his elder sister with a smile.
Xu Yiyi nodded obediently.
It turns out that the hard, chewy candy is actually malt sugar.
"Don't go back to eat at this hour. Big sister will take you to eat something delicious."
Xu Yiyi shouted and closed the stall.
A group of people strode out and walked along the bluestone path.
Sihai and Xu Anyang were chattering about the delicious food they would have later.
Er'er held Xu Yiyi's hand and looked around excitedly.
Xu Yiyi had a smile on her lips, and the aroma of food wafted faintly into the air.
The pace of several people became faster and faster.
……
After leaving the restaurant, Xu Yiyi took the children to the grain store to buy rice, noodles and rice vermicelli.
The rice noodles sold very well the night before yesterday and diners were all thinking about it.
Xu Yiyi bought a lot.
At this time, Xu Anyang's advantages are apparent.
One man carried all the things Xu Yiyi bought, full of energy.
No wonder the aunt in the tribe said it was a pity that Xu Anyang didn’t go out to sea. If he had more strength, others could save a lot of effort when casting the net.
"Madam Xu, would you like some pork?"
Back at the dock, the uncle selling pork shouted.
Xu Yiyi took a look and said, "This meat is not very fresh."
She didn't want it.
The uncle sighed, "It's like this when the weather is hot. It sells better in the morning, but after noon the meat is not fresh and no one is willing to buy it."
Xu Yiyi chatted with him for a while.
He picked two fat chickens and some radishes with dirt on them. The children at home didn't like to eat them, so Xu Yiyi didn't plant them.
It was a rare opportunity to come across it, so I bought a few pounds.
Xu Anyang rowed the boat back to the island only after his hands were full.
My great uncle sat by the river as usual. When the weather got hotter, more children came out to swim.
He watches it every day.
"Are you back?" The uncle looked at the people coming down the boat and greeted them.
"Did you find the medicine?"
The uncle was also worried about Fang Zhiyi's injury. After all, the previous county magistrate of Lingxi County only knew how to squeeze the people's money. It was rare to have a good official who cared about the people.
It would be such a pity if I just died like this.
"We've found the pearl, but we're still missing a medicine. It depends on whether we can get it back before dark."
Xu Yiyi was also worried.
The two chatted for a while, and then Xu Yiyi was pulled back by Sihai.
The tribesmen saw Xu Anyang holding something in his hand and teased him.
"Is Anyang planning to talk about his wife? He bought so many good things."
Xu Anyang blushed.
"Aunt, I'm still young, don't worry, the things I'm carrying belong to Sister Yiyi."
Xu Anyang, who usually has a loud voice, now speaks in a gentle manner.
She bit her lip and ran away in shame.
When I got home, the kitten that had been sleeping in the cloth bag woke up.
Make a meowing sound.
"Big sister! Kitty's voice."
There was surprise in Er'er's tone, and Xu Yiyi then remembered that she had brought back a cat.
He quickly took out his hand from his cloth pocket and put the palm-sized kitten on the ground.
He walked unsteadily, his big eyes looking around the yard curiously.
"Sister, is this our kitten?"
Er'er carefully picked up the kitten and gently stroked it with her little hands.
His eyes were filled with joy.
A Yue took a look and used a shell to collect some water for the kitten.
Er'er put the kitten back on the ground and saw it walking lightly to the big shell.
He sniffed warily at first, then lowered his head slightly.
The pink little tongue licked the water surface gently.
"Big sister, Kitty's tongue is like a spoon! It stretches and retracts, and the water is taken into the stomach."
Er'er and A Yue's eyes stopped on the kitten.
The kitten was drinking water happily. It began to half-close its eyes, and its throat occasionally made a gurgling swallowing sound, and its mustache trembled slightly with the movement.
"What's its name, sis?"
Er Er raised his head and looked at it. "It doesn't have a name yet. You give it one."
Xu Yiyi rubbed his hands carefully.
Sihai sat on a bamboo mat holding the sleeping Wuyuan, looking at the kitten with a pout.
"Why are you unhappy?"
Xu Yiyi pinched his little face.
Sihai first snorted to express his dissatisfaction, "I don't like kittens, they are not cute at all."
Sihai pouted and looked at the kitten with some disgust.
"Nonsense, kittens are so cute!"
Er Er glared and retorted.
"Since the kitten doesn't have a name, let's call it Snowball. I heard from Sanchuan that it snows in the north, and the snow flakes are soft and white like cotton wool. Although I haven't seen it, kittens' fur is also white and soft. Calling it Snowball is the most beautiful name..."
Er'er was very happy, and A Yue was even happier.
"Can I sleep with Snowball in my arms at night?"
A Yue looked at Si Hai with eager eyes, and he looked bitter and resentful.
Look at that little kitten, it’s so small and can’t even walk steadily.
Why do my second sister and master like it so much?
Sihai bit his lip, unable to understand, and looked at him fiercely.
He kissed Wu Yuan on the face.
"Kittens aren't cute. My fat little brother is the cutest..."
After saying that, he looked at the cat gloomily.
"You can't sleep with Snowball in your arms. Snowball is too small. What if you get caught on top of it when you're not well-behaved during sleep?"
Er'er looked disapproving, and Xu Yiyi just looked at her with a smile without saying a word.
He fished out a small fish from the pond, crushed it, and mixed it with porridge to feed Snowball.
……
The warm afternoon sun shines on my body, as if a big hand is caressing me gently and invisible.
The children's heads began to feel dizzy, and Sihai was still holding his younger brother.
At this moment, my eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds and drooped uncontrollably.
Finally, he and Wu Yuan lay on the bamboo mat together.
A Yue and Er Er returned to their room. Xueqiu had slept all the way and was now very energetic.
After eating and drinking, he patrolled the house.
Finally, it lay down at Xu Yiyi's feet, wagging its tail lazily.
Er'er is a diligent little girl and keeps the house clean.
Xu Yiyi poured the rice and flour into the grain jar.
Then, I sat in the yard and enjoyed the sea breeze.
Everywhere you look, you see dried seafood hanging out to dry.
Fishing nets were hung around the yard, with small dried fish densely packed on the nets, shining silver in the sun.
The ropes in the yard were hung with pickled salted fish, and sieves were placed on the low racks.
Various shellfish were drying on the sieve, including dried scallops, dried oysters, curved large shrimps, dried squid, and dried abalone.
In a corner of the yard, bundles of kelp were piled up.
It's full of life, but the smell is a bit suffocating.
This is the confidence of the people living by the sea. If Zhan Jilan were still alive, such a scene would not be easily seen.
Aunt Li couldn't help but sigh when she saw this scene as soon as she entered the room.
"Will you be using the boat later? If not, lend it to me for a while while I go to town."
Xu Yiyi shook his head. "The boat is parked on the river. Feel free to use it if you want."
Aunt Li chuckled twice. Before coming, her daughter said that Xu Yiyi was stingy.
I won't lend her a boat easily.
She didn't believe it, because she had watched the child grow up.
Although since my father passed away and my mother ran away, the child's temper is not as easy to get along with as before.
But he is still a good child.
It was just as she had imagined.
"You're old enough now. I can't say much about it since your father just passed away, but you should think about your marriage now. Don't let yourself become an old maid..."
Aunt Li looked at Xu Yiyi sitting in the rocking chair. She looked very pretty and had a nice figure.
To exaggerate a bit, except for Er'er, who is still young, there is probably no other girl on the island who can compare to Xu Yiyi.
When she thought of this, Aunt Li felt a little moved.
Although Zhan Jilan is not a very good person, he is definitely good-looking.
Because of her good looks, all the children she gave birth to are very good-looking.
"Aunt Li, I'm not in a hurry. I have to observe mourning for my father."
Xu Yiyi made a few prevarications, and Aunt Li naturally couldn't be persuaded.
Because she never thought about getting married.
……
The sunlight penetrated the mottled window, and Er'er, who was sleeping with a red face, woke up and hugged Snowball tightly.
Sihai couldn't bear to see this and held Wuyuan's milk bowl in his hand.
She fed her brother milk spoonful by spoonful.
"When Sihai takes his brother out to play, don't go near the water. Big sister is going out."
Xu Yiyi touched Sihai's little head and kissed Wuyuan's little forehead.
She understood that Sihai didn't like Xueqiu because he felt that Xueqiu threatened Wuyuan's position.
Just now, she was holding Wu Yuan in her arms and saying how cute he was.
Cuter than Snowball.
This is what Sihai said.