PCJ – Chapter 97 White Mist

“Sis, brother-in-law, what about Jiaohua when you go to Guangdong?”

Whenever the topic of going to Guangdong came up, it inevitably led to discussions about Zhang Jiaohua. Zhao Lanying had brought up this topic countless times.

“Of course, he’ll stay at home. I originally wanted him to stay with his grandparents, and they agreed. Grandfather tends to favor the eldest grandson, so I was a bit worried about leaving Jiaohua with them. But there was no other option. However, Jiaohua didn’t want to go.” Speaking of this matter, Liu Qiaoye looked troubled.

“Sis, don’t worry. Let Jiaohua come to Fengshui Bridge. I promise to treat him as my own. I know I didn’t do well before, but Sis, you have my word: if I fail Jiaohua, may I be struck by lightning.” Zhao Lanying raised her hand in a vow.

“No, no, Lanying, you shouldn’t swear so casually. I trust you. But Jiaohua doesn’t want to go anywhere; he insists on staying at home.” Liu Qiaoye hurriedly pulled down Zhao Lanying’s hand.

“But how can that work? Jiaohua is so young. How will he manage food and drink by himself?” Zhao Lanying asked urgently. It was clear she was very concerned about Zhang Jiaohua.

“I’ll handle all the household chores myself. I’ll do them as well as anyone else.” Zhang Jiaohua’s voice came before he entered the room.

“Jiaohua, living alone is not child’s play. Just think about it: fetching water, chopping firewood, milling rice—can you manage any of these tasks? Even if you don’t farm, you’ll still need to plant vegetables. How will you get your food if you don’t? Do you know what season to plant which crops? Fertilizing, watering—can you handle any of these farming tasks?” Zhao Lanying rattled off a series of questions.

“Of course I can manage. My mom has asked me all these questions, and I have solutions for everything. Not only will I plant vegetables, but I’ll also farm and raise pigs. When I make money, my parents won’t need to go to Guangdong to work.” Zhang Jiaohua said earnestly.

Zhao Lanying shook her head, “Jiaohua, with you like this, how can your parents feel at ease going to Guangdong?”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay at home. I can take care of myself. Wherever you send me, I’ll come back. You won’t be able to stop me.” Zhang Jiaohua pouted, clearly very annoyed with the topic.

In the morning, Meizi’ao was shrouded in thick fog. The wild grass by the roadside was covered with a fine layer of dew, looking as if a thin layer of snow had settled on it.

Zhang Youping got up early, rolled his trousers up to his knees, and wore a pair of leather sandals. He was heading to Fengshui Bridge to inform the Liu family about Zhao Lanying’s visit. The Liu family had likely been in an uproar since yesterday.

Zhang Jiaohua needed to go to school in the morning, wearing a pair of small liberation shoes. Despite his careful steps, his trousers and shoes still got wet from the roadside vegetation. Actually, much of the water was his own doing. Little kids like to kick at the flowers and grass by the road and watch the white droplets slide off the leaves, disappear into the grass, or get absorbed by their pants. The game was endlessly fun for Zhang Jiaohua, much more enjoyable than reciting meaningless texts in class. So he took slow, short steps, prolonging the happiest moments.

By the time he reached Meizi’ao Primary School, his trousers were quite wet, and his shoes soaked, with thick yellow mud sticking to his soles. At the cement drainage by the school, yellow mud scraped off his shoes, clearly marking the liberation shoe’s wavy tread pattern.

In the roadside fields, spider webs covered the rice plants, with dew drops hanging like white pearls on the golden stalks. The fields were full of various insects, many of which had likely become meals for the web-spinning spiders overnight.

While his little master shirked his duties, Zuan Sanbao also strayed from its tasks, often engaging in mouse-chasing, though it wasn’t skilled at it like a cat. Dogs don’t eat mice, so many mice escaped after a miserable ordeal. Besides competing with cats, Zuan Sanbao also harassed butterflies and dragonflies along the road.

When Zhang Jiaohua arrived at school, the bell had already rung. He quickly slipped into the classroom and sat in an empty seat in the back row.

“Jiaohua, why are you so late? Half the class is over,” asked Mute, who had arrived earlier and moved faster, so they hadn’t crossed paths.

“I got my clothes wet on the way and had to go back to change.” Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head.

“Did you fall into the paddy field? Did you catch a soft-shelled turtle?” Mute teased.

“The dew was heavy. I got wet walking through the mountains.” Zhang Jiaohua sat down and randomly pulled a book from his bag, but it turned out to be the wrong subject for the current class.

“Jiaohua, it’s math class. Why are you taking out a language book?” Mute asked in confusion.

Zhang Jiaohua rummaged in his bag and pulled out the math book, which was worn from use, with many pages folded.

“How many chestnuts did you collect yesterday?” Mute, who missed the trip, asked regretfully.

“A basketful. After removing the husks, there might not be much left. But there are plenty of chestnuts in the mountains. If you want some, come with me next time. I also caught two wild chickens yesterday.” Zhang Jiaohua said with disdain, feeling that Mute had let him down.

“Ah…” Mute almost cried. He had missed out on two wild chickens due to his mother’s interference.

“Haha, will you come with me next time?” Zhang Jiaohua laughed.

“Yes, definitely. Next time, I’ll sneak to the mountains ahead of time. Just meet me there,” Mute said, fearing Zhang Jiaohua might ditch him.

Gong Ziyuan threw a piece of chalk, but his aim was off, hitting Zhang Lageng in front instead.

“Wrong target, wrong target. Zhang Jiaohua, Zhang Lageng, you two stop joking in class,” Gong Ziyuan said, somewhat exasperated.