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Chapter 7: The Cicada Buyers Arrived

Sunlight poured down onto the ground, so bright it was almost blinding. Yi Qinghua and Chen Dachang looked at the relaxed, carefree backs of their son and granddaughter, exchanging glances with each other.

They wondered just what level their son really was. Even after retiring from the army, he still had bodyguards!

Although they had not seen much of the world, they had at least graduated high school and struggled for decades in society, so they did have some experience.

If they had not received that annual wage transfer, they would have thought they never even gave birth to this child.

Chen Dachang remarked with feeling, “It is good that Little Feng is back now, we should not worry so much. If there is anything we need to know, our son will tell us.”

“There are some things, even if we knew, it would be useless.”

Yi Qinghua rolled her eyes at her husband. “Do I look stupid to you?”

“My son is capable, so I can just enjoy my life in peace. Why would I bother asking about this and that? Am I sick in the head?”

“Go get some water for the chickens!”

Hearing her lion’s roar from the east, Chen Dachang flared his nostrils in frustration. Over the years, he had already learned a lesson: never try to reason with a woman.

He turned around and walked back into the yard. He fetched a big basin of water, set it in the chickens’ enclosure under the tree, and then grabbed a broom to clean up.

Otherwise, he would get yelled at again!

People would say he could not even handle these little chores!

He secretly hoped his son would never be like him—a henpecked husband.

At home, he truly had no status, how miserable~

At the front gate, Yi Qinghua called out toward the yard, “I am going to town to buy two watermelons. Keep an eye on the house, alright?”

Chen Dachang waved his hand. “Go on, go on, take your straw hat—do not get heatstroke out there.”

Yi Qinghua went back inside to get her straw hat, opened the side door of the courtyard, and rode her electric tricycle out, humming Teresa Teng’s love songs as she leisurely headed toward the town.

Chen Feng, on the other hand, led his little daughter, with Little Silly following behind, for a stroll in the shade by the creek.

A bright-feathered kingfisher stood on a bamboo branch, swaying lightly.

Under the sunlight, the creek sparkled, as if a string of incandescent bulbs rolled and tumbled in its waters.

On both sides of the stream stretched shoals where lush grass grew, and among the pebbles and rocks, wildflowers dotted the ground.

Chen Feng led the little girl to the big stone by the creek and sat down. The shade from the trees blocked out the scorching heat.

Little Silly ran happily into the water, lay down with just its head exposed, and squinted contentedly.

Linglong cried out, stomping her little feet in envy.

Chen Feng pulled her into his arms, took off her shoes, and held her little hand. He encouraged her, “Daddy is holding you. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Her delicate, tender little feet cautiously stepped into the water. The cool feeling made the little baby so excited she bounced on the spot, her face blooming with joy.

“Wow~” She bent down, pressing her head close to the babbling stream, staring at her reflection and crying out in her milky voice.

A fish as small as her pinky finger mischievously swam past her toes.

The adorable little girl stretched out her lotus-root arms, scooping at the water in excitement. “Catch fish~”

She fixed her gaze on the fish, then, letting go of her father’s hand, plunged her own little paws into the water!

Then, her small hands balled into fists. Looking rather fierce, she raised them out of the water.

She carefully opened her palm, but only water slipped away. Not even a fish’s shadow showed up, and she stared at her empty palm in disbelief, tilting her head, which made Chen Feng chuckle.

This little cutie was learning to catch fish just like him.

With her little mouth pouting, Linglong looked up at her father, full of confusion—why could Daddy do it, but she could not?

Chen Feng flicked his finger in the water, and several little fish leapt to the surface.

The little girl’s eyes went wide. She shouted in excitement.

She reached her tiny hands towards them but lost her balance and plopped down in the water. Luckily, the stones underneath were all rounded and smooth, so she was not hurt. With some effort, she pushed herself up and beamed at her father.

Then she screamed and chased after the fish that floated away with the current.

Even though she was soaking wet, the little one was still full of interest.

Only her diaper suffered in the process. Chen Feng took it off, letting the little baby play even more happily.

Otherwise, she would just land on her bottom again and again.

Little Silly lifted its head, watching the little companion catch fish in the stream, and also stretched out its paw to tease a fish swimming nearby.

Chen Feng laughed as he captured on camera the amusing sight of the little one trying to catch fish.

After a while, Little Linglong grew tired and had not caught a single fish. She lunged into her father’s arms and, before long, fell soundly asleep.

Looking at that tiny body sleeping in his arms, Chen Feng gently stroked her soft cheek, eyes filled with nothing but affection.

Her tender, delicate little face, her perky nose, her cherry lips, and those long lashes fluttered lightly—Chen Feng thought she was so beautiful, like a rare treasure.

The cicadas sang, the breeze blew, and the bamboo rustled.

A gentle breeze rippled the creek water, which sparkled like pearls and jade in the sunlight.

Soft, refreshing energy flowed from Chen Feng’s palm into the little girl’s body, rapidly improving her constitution and making her even more intelligent.

From then on, no disaster would ever befall her; luck and happiness would always follow her.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Chen Feng smiled and recited, “Jade-like Linglong, draped in green and dotted with red.”

“Little one, you are truly blessed.”

The little baby flipped over in her father’s arms, smacked her lips, and slept so deeply that drool trickled down her cheek.

At the courtyard gate, Yi Qinghua stopped her tricycle and shouted toward the creek, “Son, come back and eat watermelon!”

Hearing his mother’s voice, Chen Feng stood up, picked up the little one’s shoes, called for Little Silly, and headed toward the gate.

Little Silly trotted behind, shaking water from its fur with every step.

It spotted a cicada on the ground, bounced over to grab it, so the cicada’s song echoed from its mouth. Its tail stuck up in joy, and it looked lively and adorable.

Back in the yard, Chen Feng gently woke the baby while his mother had already sliced a ripe watermelon and placed it on the stone table under the tree.

Smelling the aroma of the watermelon, Little Silly reared up excitedly, leaned on the little round stool, stared with big, round eyes, and tossed the cicada into the grass, sticking out its pink tongue greedily.

Linglong was still half-awake. She snuggled into her father’s arms, yawning.

Her mother used a face towel soaked in well water to wipe the little one’s face. The chilliness snapped Linglong awake in an instant.

She sniffed her nose, gazed at the watermelon on the table, and babbled sweetly, “Eat melon~”

Chen Feng had already taken a big bite and smacked his lips, savoring it as he heard the little one’s milky voice. He grinned, “Mmm, yes, this watermelon is delicious.”

Seeing her father fail to pick up on her real meaning, the little one grew anxious. She reached out with her arm, pouting, “Baby~ eat~”

Chen Feng laughed and cut the watermelon into small pieces, put them on a plate, and handed one to her.

At last, the little one beamed, stuffing pieces of watermelon into her mouth and grinning from ear to ear.

Little Silly grew anxious, licking its lips and pawing pitifully at Chen Feng and Little Linglong.

Seeing her friend like this, Little Linglong sniffed, then divided her watermelon with Little Silly. One piece for each, and they both enjoyed it happily.

Just then, someone knocked at the door. Yi Qinghua went over, saw who it was, and could not help but laugh, “Auntie Zhang, what brings you here?”

Except for the residents at the village entrance, most families in Qingquan Village lived far apart from each other. The closest neighbor to Chen Feng’s family lived two hundred meters away, making their place especially peaceful.

Auntie Zhang lived near the entrance and ran a mahjong parlor. When she had nothing to do, she rode her electric scooter into the village to pick up or drop off friends who played mahjong.

Chen Feng’s mother used to be an avid mahjong player herself, but had not had time since taking care of her granddaughter.

“Qinghua, the cicada buyers are here this year.”

“Fifty cents each, fifty yuan a kilo—they’re weighing them at our place. I just came to let you know,” Auntie Zhang said with a big smile, stretching her neck to glance at Chen Feng holding his daughter in the courtyard.

“Young fellow looks more and more handsome, really!” She sounded quite intrigued.

Yi Qinghua was especially proud. “Of course! If my son entered the industry, even Li Tanhua would have to stand aside.”

Then she sighed a little, “It’s a pity I have to care for my granddaughter, so this year I can only let Dachang catch cicadas for me. Fifty yuan a kilo! In previous years, just by myself, I could easily earn two hundred yuan a day.”

“Chen Dachang! Did you hear me? Go catch cicadas and bring some yummy treats back for my granddaughter!”

Little Linglong, burping from being stuffed, smiled ear to ear at her grandma’s words, babbling with her milky voice, “Eat~”

Auntie Zhang laughed, “I’ll go tell the others, then. Linglong is getting more and more well-behaved, and she can talk now.”

Mother beamed so widely her face bloomed with happiness, said a few polite words, and saw Auntie Zhang out.

Meanwhile, Auntie Zhang walked away, but kept glancing back at Chen Feng in the yard, occasionally clicking her tongue, “Good looks, great build—if my son were half as handsome, his girlfriend might not have dumped him.”

“Some people are born for this sort of life. It’s nothing to be jealous of.”

Mother heard her and rolled her eyes. She already knew when buying the watermelon—the entire village probably thought her son was living off a rich wife.

But, well, it seemed she could not refute it.

Actually, though, she felt extremely proud inside. Her boy had bodyguards, wasn’t that impressive?

Of course, everyone else believed these soldiers were bodyguards hired by Lu Caiwei, but that was just ignorance—she could understand that.

She turned into the yard and saw Chen Feng talking to his precious granddaughter. “Sweetie, from the day you were born, making money will always be a central part of life.”

“Whether it’s studying or making money, you have to start young.”

“With money, you can buy all sorts of delicious and fun things. With knowledge, you can tell right from wrong and not get tricked by bad people.”

“You may not understand now, but just learn from Daddy,” Chen Feng said while watching his daughter’s confused face. He smiled and took her little hand, “Let’s go catch cicadas—the ones that scream so awfully.”

“Fifty cents each, if we catch two, we can buy an ice pop.”

“Do you want to eat ice pops?”

The little darling who had never tried an ice pop before sparkled with excitement, nodding vigorously, “I want~”

Chen Feng gave a hearty laugh, “Let’s go, time to set off!”

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