Chapter 897: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 897: The Consequences of Taming a Bird (3)
"Yanyan, you're here!" Grandpa Ding, who was on the shore drinking water, greeted Mo Yan immediately.
"Grandpa Ding, thank you for your hard work. Have some water! It's freshly drawn from the well and is nice and cool!" Mo Yan smiled as she handed him the water bucket.
Grandpa Ding didn't hold back, scooping up a bowl of water and gulping it down. Wiping his mouth, he laughed loudly, "The water Yanyan brought is so cool and sweet, with no muddy taste at all."
Mo Yan smiled without responding, and quickly called others over to drink. The weather was too hot, and the depression in the land made it stuffy. If they didn’t hydrate often, heatstroke could become a real concern.
The others, hearing her, also came up to the shore, dumping the wild grass from their baskets onto the levee. The sun would dry the grass out, and later, they could throw it into the rice field as fertilizer.
After they drank to quench their thirst, Mo Yan suggested they take a break before continuing the weeding. No one refused her kind offer, and they sat under the peach tree by the pond to rest.
The peach tree, planted around the pond last year, had a sparse number of peaches that had already grown to the size of a small child's fist. In a month, they would be ripe and ready for harvest.
After a while, Grandpa Ding suddenly said, "Yanyan, the day before yesterday, there was a heavy rain. I came here to fix the levees and noticed that the fish in the pond had come up to the surface. Some are already about a foot long. They've grown so fast, which shows that the pond is good for fish farming. I think you could take the opportunity to catch them and release new fish fry into the pond. That way, we can catch them again in the fall."
The fish fry had been placed in the pond last spring, brought from the Clear River, a mix of different species. To have grown to a foot long in a little over a year was truly a testament to the power of the spiritual spring water.
"One foot long? They've grown that big already!" Mo Yan was thrilled. Since she had put the fish fry in, she hadn't paid much attention to them, and she was surprised at how quickly they had grown. "Alright, I'll buy the fishing nets in a couple of days, and Grandpa Ding can gather some people to help catch them."
"Got it! Leave it to me, I'll make sure it’s done properly!" Grandpa Ding agreed enthusiastically.
As soon as he finished speaking, the others began calling out. "Grandpa Ding, don't forget about me when the time comes. Back home, I'm the best at catching fish. No one in the village is better than me."
"We all came from the south; who doesn't know how to catch fish? Just stop showing off."
"Don't believe it? How about we compete and see who catches the first fish when we get into the water?"
"Hmph, let's compete then! Who's afraid of you?"
...
Grandpa Ding, annoyed by the bickering, snapped, "Stop arguing! The pond is deep and quite large. It’ll take more than one or two people to catch all the fish. You all better show up, or I’ll use my slipper to smack you!"
When the others heard this, they all laughed happily. "That’s a deal! But Grandpa Ding, don’t forget me when it’s time to catch the fish!"
Listening to the noise and laughter, Mo Yan smiled without interrupting. She thought to herself that a peaceful life like this, filled with warmth and camaraderie, would never grow tiresome.
...
After finishing her rounds in the herb garden and orchard, Mo Yan was satisfied with the condition of the plants and decided to head home. On her way back, she unexpectedly encountered Liu Tinglan, who had been sent by Xin’er to find her.
"Why are you here?" Mo Yan asked in surprise.
Ever since the formal engagement between the Liu and Shen families was announced a few days ago, Liu Tinglan had been kept on a much tighter leash, allowed to leave the house only for essential matters, to avoid any mishaps before the wedding.
Liu Tinglan approached, linking her arm with her best friend and smiling. "I missed you, so I came to see you!"
[End of Chapter]