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Chapter 8: Popsicle

In the height of summer, the sunlight in the southwestern mountains was especially scorching, burning the skin like fire and making people feel truly uncomfortable.

Chen Feng put a straw hat on the little cutie, dressed her in a long-sleeved sun-protective jacket, and sprayed some child-safe mosquito repellent on her. The little baby impatiently grabbed her father’s finger, eager to catch cicadas to buy some treats.

The little girl still wore a bottle around her neck filled with warm water, and in the other hand, she held a net bag, a special tool used for collecting cicadas.

She bounced along joyfully, full of excitement.

Chen Feng followed behind, teasing her, “Linglong, do you know what a cicada is?”

The little baby tilted her head, blinking her big eyes at her father, then let go of his hand and ran under the osmanthus tree. She dug around in the grass for a bit and soon held up a stiff, long-dead cicada, exclaiming in her childish voice, “Papa!”

Chen Feng marveled, “Our Linglong really is clever. She actually knows what it is, so capable!”

Chen Dachang also carried a net bag and wore a straw hat, ready to catch cicadas. Seeing his granddaughter’s performance, he showed no hesitation in giving her a big thumbs-up. “My family’s Linglong is amazing.”

The praised little one giggled with joy and then pointed at Little Silly, who had dozed off again under the tree. She stretched out her little paw, bared her teeth, and mimicked Silly biting a singing cicada, making the whole family burst into laughter.

Outside the yard, the bamboo forest grew thick, and cicada songs were everywhere. Linglong, who had already climbed over the tall threshold, waved her net bag and shouted, “Papa catch~”

Like a little calf charging, she ran into the bamboo grove with her head lowered, her short legs toddling shakily. Chen Feng closely followed behind the little one to keep her from falling flat on her face.

The tiny girl was too short. When she spotted a cicada, she stretched her arms hard, her cheeks turning red with effort, but still could not reach it. Finally, she could only look at her father with aggrieved, teary eyes, her little mouth trembling as if she might cry at any moment.

It really was not that she did not try her best—it was just that she lacked the ability!

So Chen Feng picked up the little one and smiled. “With this, we can catch those cicadas now. Come on, reach out.”

Seeing the cicada screeching on the branch, the little one became so excited that she stretched out her little paw, unhesitatingly pressed down, and caught the cicada.

Feeling the big black cicada struggle in her hand, the little one stuffed it forcefully into the net bag, tightened the cord, and even though it flapped its wings, there was no way it could escape.

The little one waved the net bag happily and exclaimed in her soft and childish voice, “Papa catch!”

Chen Feng nodded with a smile. “Mm, Daddy knows, that cicada was caught by our Little Linglong.”

“Keep going—if we catch more, we can buy something delicious.”

Little Linglong nodded earnestly and puffed up her cheeks as she declared, “Popsicle~!”

The baby’s words still came out sticky and unclear, but she was so adorably soft and funny. Chen Feng hugged her as they searched for those annoying cicadas in the bamboo grove. Every time the little one caught one, she screamed with excitement.

Blazing sunlight pierced the leaves, thin rays casting an enchanting glow in the air, while the ground looked as if dozens of pearls had shattered on it.

The little girl did not mind the heat at all. After busying herself for nearly an hour, sweat had soaked through the towel on her back and stuck her hair to her forehead, but she did not care in the slightest.

Chen Feng had the little one drink some water first. With a snap of his fingers, a gentle breeze curled through the grove, blowing away the summer heat.

The little girl sat on her dad’s feet, gulping down water as she stared at the net bag in her hands, which held fifteen caught cicadas.

Her eyes sparkled with happiness.

“Let’s rest for a bit. Then we’ll go sell these cicadas, and Daddy will teach you to read and write.” Chen Feng gently wiped the little one’s sweat with a towel and pinched her soft cheek with a smile.

A cool, gentle breeze blew, and the little one’s body soon felt dry and comfortable. Chen Feng took her by the hand and walked toward Auntie Zhang’s mahjong parlor at the village entrance.

All over Qingquan Village, there were vast stretches of bamboo forest. From above, it looked like rolling seas of green.

Every year, not only cicada buyers came here, but plenty of people came to collect bamboo shoots, bamboo fungus, and bamboo worms.

Auntie Zhang’s house stood at the entrance of the village and was very convenient. She ran a mahjong parlor, and the courtyard had a special awning for shade—no need to endure the sun outdoors.

A small cargo truck was parked by the roadside near the mahjong parlor. The cicada buyers, four of them, already set up electronic scales and boxes for cicadas, while some villagers crowded around to ask them all sorts of questions.

Some people had already prepared their cicadas and were weighing them right then.

Auntie Zhang’s place bustled with lively, noisy activity.

When Chen Feng arrived with his adorable Little Linglong, many eyes fell on them.

Old Grandpa Fu laughed, “Feng boy, are you taking your baby out to play?”

Chen Feng responded modestly, “Old Grandpa Fu, I brought Linglong to sell cicadas. The little one caught so many and wants to sell them for popsicles.”

Auntie Zhang’s house was both a mahjong parlor and a small store, and business in the countryside did not require much formality.

She generously said, “Why buy popsicles? Linglong can have whichever one she likes from Grandma Zhang’s.”

Chen Feng refused politely. “Thank you, Grandma Zhang, but we should not take anything for free. She needs to develop good habits from an early age.”

Linglong proudly raised the net bag in her hand, unable to hide her excitement. “Catch~!”

Chen Feng carried her over to the cicada buyers. The man was over forty, round as a small Maitreya Buddha, and he wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. When he saw the little girl hand him the net bag, he smiled and said, “Let me count how many there are.”

He counted quickly and then pulled out seven yuan and fifty cents for the little one.

She was so excited that she shouted, “Papa, ice, popsicle~!”

She waved her little bills nonstop, jumping for joy.

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