Chapter 34 The Disgusting One Is You

Fortunately, it was class time now, and no one noticed what was happening at the principal’s office door.

All the way home, Xia Yan was like a little tiger baring her fangs, trying to show off in front of Lin You, but unfortunately, Lin You was a lion—there was simply no comparison between the two. In the end, her bravado never found its way out.

When they arrived home, Lin Nuannuan had already eaten lunch next door. The two of them made a simple bowl of noodles at home to tide themselves over.

In the afternoon, the weather was pleasantly warm.

Xia Yan hugged Lin Nuannuan as they lay on the bed, telling stories. Before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep, and when she woke, it was already past two o’clock.

With nothing else to do, she remembered the fish Wang Guilan had brought yesterday, and an amusing idea popped into her mind. “Nuannuan darling, shall Auntie take you to catch some fish?”

Xia Yan went to the kitchen and found some large bones left over from the day before, smashed them, and wrapped them in a cloth. Then she went next door to borrow a fishing net from Wang Guilan. Hearing that Xia Yan was going fishing, Wang Guilan brought her own child along and together they headed for the river.

Life in the mountains was like this: in leisure, you grow vegetables and catch fish. It was simple, but it brought a quiet joy.

When they reached the riverbank, Xia Yan took out the cloth bundle of smashed bones and tossed it into the borrowed net. She found a small opening downstream and set the net there, tying the opening with a string so that once the fish swam in, they couldn’t escape.

Everything was ready, and now it was just a matter of waiting for the fish to enter the net.

Wang Guilan walked over, curious.

Watching Xia Yan’s practiced movements, she asked, “Little Xia, have you caught fish before? You’re so skilled. What did you throw in just now?”

“Those are the bones the boys gnawed on the night before. There’s still some meat left, so I smashed them up for bait.”

Wang Guilan nodded, watching as small fish began to swim over. “That’s a good method—wait for the fish to come. Big fish eat it themselves, and the small fish can feed the chickens and ducks.”

The two adults and two children squatted by the river, squinting and watching for a long while before heading home. It would be a while yet before they could retrieve the net.

Back home, Xia Yan grabbed a hoe and went behind the house. Earlier, Wang Guilan had given her some vegetable seeds. Spring was coming soon, and it was the perfect time to plant.

After half an hour of work, Xia Yan had only managed to plant less than half the seeds. She was so exhausted her back wouldn’t straighten.

As the ancients said, “Who knows how much labor goes into each grain of rice on our plates?”

Only those who have worked the land can truly appreciate how hard it is to grow every single grain.

She grabbed the towel hanging around her neck and wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck. Setting the hoe aside, she took Lin Nuannuan and headed for the river.

Next door, Erdan saw Lin Nuannuan and followed along. Wang Guilan put down her needlework and came too.

Xia Yan untied the string from the stick by the riverbank and gave a hard tug. To her surprise, it was quite heavy. The two little ones stepped up to help, their faces full of determined effort.

With a splash—

The three of them hauled the net from the water, and the catch was quite good. There weren’t many big fish, but there were plenty of small ones.

Wang Guilan leaned in for a look. “Little Xia, you’re amazing! So many fish in one net.”

“Nuannuan, bring the basin over. Auntie will fry fish for you tonight.”

Xia Yan’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled. With this netful of small fish, she could fry up a huge plate.

“Aunt Wang, take some home later. These little fish are delicious fried crisp. Erdan can have a treat, too.”

Wang Guilan shook her head. “They’re tasty, but use up too much oil. All the oil in my house wouldn’t be enough for frying.”

In these times, grain and oil were rationed, and oil coupons were the most precious of all.

Xia Yan said nothing, resolving to send some over once she’d finished frying them that evening.

Since there was still time, they squatted by the river and cleaned the fish in the basin.

Wang Guilan kept the fish guts and packed them separately, saying she’d take them home to feed the chickens.

By the time they finished, dusk had fallen.

Xia Yan carried the basin full of fish and walked back to the family compound with Wang Guilan.

Just inside the gate, they ran into Liu Xiuying—the wife of the First Battalion instructor who’d asked Xia Yan to bring sweets the other day.

“Oh, Lin Captain’s family, what are you doing with so many little fish? Feeding the cat?”

Since Xia Yan hadn’t brought her sweets last time, Liu Xiuying hadn’t forgotten.

“Sister Liu, we don’t keep cats. These are for ourselves,” Xia Yan replied, intending to brush her off and leave, but Liu Xiuying, hearing this, grew even more sarcastic.

“For yourselves? Captain Lin is so stingy, letting his wife and child eat cat food. Aren’t you afraid of fish bones stuck in their throats?”

Xia Yan: ...

Is this woman right in the head, cursing people to their faces?

“Liu Xiuying, if you can’t speak properly, stop talking nonsense. I think you’re just hoping to take some fish home, aren’t you?” Wang Guilan retorted.

“Wang Guilan, did I ask you? Mind your own business. If you’ve got so much free time, why not look after your sickly daughter-in-law?” Liu Xiuying, eyeing the two bigger fish, blushed when her intentions were exposed.

“Liu Xiuying, say that again and I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

“Go ahead, I’m not afraid of you.”

The scene frightened the two children; Lin Nuannuan even burst into tears.

Seeing this, Xia Yan’s eyes flashed. While comforting Lin Nuannuan, she subtly tossed the handful of fish guts she held, which landed perfectly into Liu Xiuying’s gaping mouth.

“Ugh!”

The fishy stench made Liu Xiuying squat down and retch.

“Oh my, Sister Liu, are you all right?” Xia Yan feigned concern.

“You... ugh... you did that on purpose.”

Liu Xiuying both spoke and vomited.

“Sister Liu, that’s not fair. You scared the child, and I got flustered. Throwing what was in my hand was accidental—how could I guess your mouth was so wide...”

Xia Yan looked aggrieved.

Hearing this, Liu Xiuying, never one to suffer a loss, got up to lunge at Xia Yan.

But Xia Yan sidestepped lightly, stuck out her foot, and Liu Xiuying fell face-first, swallowing even more dirt before she finished spitting out the fish guts.

The women watching nearby burst out laughing.

Liu Xiuying was the kind of person everyone disliked in the compound; nearly every household’s women resented her, and seeing her come to grief now brought them endless satisfaction.

“Sister Liu, are you all right? What are you doing? I can’t accept such a grand gesture from you. Quick, get up.”

“You little vixen, I’ll tear your face apart today!”

Liu Xiuying got up and lunged again. Xia Yan shielded Nuannuan behind her and took up a Wing Chun stance. Her master had told her, speed was the essence of Wing Chun.

But she had never used it in actual combat before, and seeing Liu Xiuying with her hair flying wild, her heart skipped a beat.

Wang Guilan was too old to take on Liu Xiuying.

Just as Xia Yan prepared to launch Wing Chun’s first move, “Little Idea,” Liu Xiuying suddenly froze in place.