Xiao Xian’s competition today was scheduled for the afternoon, so it was still early, and she didn’t go out. After staying at home for a while, she couldn’t find anything to do, so she simply made a phone call back to Ge Village.
This time she called early, and Sister-in-law Wangcai stood at the entrance of the village and shouted, bringing Mr. Zhu over.
Xiao Xian talked about all the interesting things that happened during the recent New Year celebration, Zhu Shijun didn’t interrupt, just listened, and when he heard something amusing, a hearty laugh came from the other end of the phone.
It seems that Grandpa has been doing well lately, having been in Beijing for over half a year. Xiao Xian had thought of Ge Village several times, and now, hearing Grandpa’s laughter, she missed the people and things in the mountain village even more.
"Grandpa, you sound like you’re doing really well recently," Xiao Xian said excitedly.
"Really? It seems that the saying that learning mahjong can prevent Alzheimer’s in the elderly is true," after the busy farming season, during the New Year celebration, the village chief dragged Zhu Shijun into playing mahjong.
People in the village played mahjong for small stakes, just a few cents, mainly for the fun and to chat about various household matters.
Zhu Shijun never used to gamble, but now, taught by the village chief, he got into it and started playing seriously.
As time went on, whenever Mr. Zhu had nothing to do, he would call some mahjong friends to play a round. Being astute in officialdom, he was even shrewder at the gambling table, several times leaving the village chief penniless for cigarette money, which caused his spouse to scold him several times.
Listening to Zhu Shijun, Xiao Xian also laughed along, "Uncle Jin is really straightforward; with his temper, how could he play mahjong? By the way, Grandpa, I haven’t heard from Yezi."
Xiao Xian found it strange. When Yezi said goodbye, he was already a step behind. Now, don’t tell me he is even slower; it’s been half a year, he’s more than just a step slow.
"Yezi, oh, something big happened at his home," Zhu Shijun’s tone made Xiao Xian jump, Yezi, tough as a little tiger, also encountered trouble?
After New Year, the ice on the Chishui River quickly disappeared, and after several spring rains, the water on the rocky beach gradually rose.
That day, after finishing training, Yezi picked a dry spot on the rocky beach, waiting for Little Pig to fly back from Dongnan Miao Village.
Before long, the sun had just risen above the highest tree on the rocky beach, and a streak of red bird shadow swiftly landed on Yezi’s shoulder.
Little Pig had been flying back and forth between Dongnan Miao Village and the rocky beach, becoming more agile, and a slender feather had sprouted on its head.
"Little Pig, you’ve worked hard," Yezi merely glanced at the water surface, and a few silver fish poked their heads out of the water. Little Pig, quick-eyed and fast-clawed, snatched a silver fish. As the fish left the water, Little Pig tilted its neck back and gulped it down. The silver fish was long, but Little Pig’s neck was short, almost choking itself in the process.
"Don’t rush, take it slow, no one is competing with you. Besides, I can now summon many silver fish at once. If you like, I’ll call out a few more," Yezi chuckled. The silver fish looked quite pretty, covered in tiny transparent scales, and a silver line running along its spine—but it tasted awful. Yezi tried one out of curiosity at first, and it was almost like eating mud. He didn’t know why Little Pig and that broken stone from Fiji were so fond of such fish.
Little Pig brought back some news. This year was the first year Yezi spent away from Miao Village, and it was the fifth year since Xiao Xian had moved from Ge Village and then left. On New Year’s Day, Yezi also spent it soaking in cold water, with his New Year’s Eve dinner being a few mouthfuls of Royal Jelly from a wasp nest.
For the past few months, Yezi was able to control the silver fish and some birds in the mountains, but he was powerless against the wasps in the dense forest and some smaller mosquitoes between the mountains.
"Mama is pregnant?" After hearing this news, Yezi’s previously gloomy mood instantly lifted. It had been a full fourteen years since Mama last had a child, from his birth till now. By the time he could leave the rocky beach, would Mama’s belly possibly have his little brother or sister out by then?
"Mama asked me whether I want a younger brother or sister?" This question brought by Little Pig stumped Yezi.
"Maybe a sister would be better, one that looks like Xiao Xian when he was six, or like Taohua—soft and adorable, irresistibly lovable. But I can’t bully a sister. Having a brother wouldn’t be bad either, I can bully him as I please, and when he grows up, he could help father in silver making, so father won’t have an excuse to make me work the bellows every day." Yezi pondered laboriously.
"Instead of thinking about these, you might as well think about how to get off this rocky beach," the boulder Fiji blandly spoke up, visibly irked by the lazy boy.
"What’s the hurry? Give it half a year at most, three months at least, and I’ll definitely have those wasps in the dense forest under control. Just don’t get scared by then," Yezi, now familiar with Fiji, knew him to be a stone with a grim face but kind heart, and thus spoke more freely.
Speaking of the wasps in the dense forest made Yezi’s heart pound with fear.
In recent months, the birds flying in the sky and the fish swimming in the waters, even the nearby beasts, he could control each one. But the swarm of wasps that only listened to the order of the Queen Bee and Fiji left Yezi clueless.
In the art of Beast Taming, controlling larger animals in smaller numbers was easier. However, dealing with thousands of tiny wasps made it much more complex.
Yezi had tried repeatedly, only managing to ensure he could jump into Chishui River along the fastest route when the swarm of wasps approached, to avoid getting stung into a swollen head like the first time.
"Hmph, as for me, I’m just a stone and have been here for several years already, I’m not afraid to wait. But that childhood friend of yours, named Xian, whether he will wait for you is uncertain," Fiji’s words hit Yezi’s sore point, leading Yezi, no longer concerned about the issue of having a son or daughter, to head towards the dense forest without looking back, going to tame the wasps.
Thank you "co^0^co", "New Dragon King", and "Yawu" for your fan tickets,
Five Fans’ additional update will be delivered tomorrow,
This month we will strive to continue the momentum from last month, hoping everyone’s support remains steadfast~
**(To be continued. If you work, you are welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)