Chapter 22: The Boss of the Poultry Mafia

Jiang You’s lips twitched slightly, and she laughed awkwardly. “My labor is quite valuable too!”

Seeing that the man was not willing to continue the conversation, Jiang You hugged his strong, firm arm and suggested, “Uncle Fu, let’s have a competition to pick grapes! Ten minutes, let’s see who picks more!”

Fu Jin couldn’t even be bothered to roll his eyes. “Childish.”

“Hey, Uncle Fu, why are you so dull? Look at Wen Nian and me—we even have competitions to see who can shell more melon seeds in a minute!”

Fu Jin remained silent but headed towards the grape vine.

“Uncle Fu! Come on, let’s play! Let’s play!”

The girl clung to his arm and swung back and forth. Her bright eyes sparkled, and Fu Jin had often wondered how it was possible for a pair of eyes to be so clear and bright, like rippling waves under the moonlight.

After a long pause, the man finally muttered, “Hmm.”

Jiang You cheered with joy.

Fu Jin thought to himself that he must be ill—who else would compete with a little girl to pick grapes in the middle of the night?

Jiang You fetched a basket and scissors from Uncle Wu, handed one set to Fu Jin, and asked him to set the timer. Fu Jin set it to ten minutes, pressed “start,” and before he could blink, the little girl was gone in a flash, her voice echoing in the air, “Uncle Fu, wait to eat my grapes!”

She was faster than a rabbit.

Fu Jin let out a laugh from his throat, unable to stop himself, not sure whether he was laughing at her or at himself.

But he still quickened his pace and entered a vineyard, cutting down a few bunches that Jiang You had left behind.

Fortunately, there were a lot to choose from.

Several minutes later, Jiang You returned with a full basket, looking very pleased.

In her haste, while picking grapes, she had wandered deep into the orchard.

She was holding the basket, trying to retrace her steps, her mind filled with thoughts of Fu Jin’s reaction when he tasted her grapes.

Lost in thought, she suddenly heard some faint “gaa gaa” sounds.

She followed the sound and saw a small tent beneath a tree.

She set the basket down and peered inside. There was a small bamboo basket, and the sound came from inside.

Curious, she pulled out the basket and saw three little yellow, short-haired baby geese.

They had small round heads, flat orange-yellow beaks, and dark, bright eyes—adorable little goslings!

They were so cute!

Jiang You had seen them before at her grandmother’s house in the countryside, but after her grandmother passed away, she hadn’t seen them again.

Excited, she took one of the little goslings in her hands and began playing with it.

Ah, how she wanted to keep one!

She loved animals, but due to her mother’s busy work schedule and her own academic burdens, she never had the chance. Seeing the little goslings now made her heart melt.

Just as she was enjoying herself, she suddenly felt a piercing gaze.

Turning her head, she saw a large, imposing white bird standing directly in her path.

The bird flapped its wings, as though preparing for battle.

At that moment, the large bird locked eyes with her, as if preparing to charge.

This was no ordinary bird—it was the notorious “boss” of the poultry world: the great goose, a terrifying figure that ruled the farmyard.

The goose, furious at the sight of Jiang You with its babies, let out two loud “gaa gaa” sounds, spread its wings, and charged toward her with alarming speed.

“Ah—!” Jiang You quickly set the gosling down, grabbed the grape basket, and sprinted away!

Fu Jin had already picked a basket of grapes and, remembering that Jiang You liked cherries, headed to the cherry grove.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream tore through the quiet night.

Fu Jin’s expression froze in fear. He immediately sprinted toward the source of the sound.

“Yoyo! Yoyo, where are you? Uncle Wu! Hurry, call for help! Uncle Wu!”

The man’s teeth were clenched, his face pale as fear surged through his body.

“Uncle Fu! Uncle Fu, help me!”

“Yoyo—!”

Fu Jin halted, pinpointing the sound’s origin. As he was about to move forward, a figure rushed down the path toward him.

It was the girl, her face terrified, her movements frantic—if one didn’t know better, they’d think she was being chased by a ghost.

“Uncle Fu! There’s a big goose! A big goose! Ahhh! The goose is biting me! Ahhh! Big goose!”

Fu Jin was stunned…

A… big goose?

He stood frozen for two seconds before hearing the unmistakable sounds of the bird, and all his doubts were immediately resolved.

“Gaa gaa—gaa—gaa—gaa gaa—”

When Jiang You saw Fu Jin, it was as though she had found her savior. She ran even faster, her feet barely touching the ground, as though she was flying.

“Uncle Fu! The big goose is biting me! The big goose is biting me! Ahhh! Ahhh!!!”

Her face was pale, her hair flying loose, her shoes having fallen off, and the basket she was carrying knocked over, spilling grapes everywhere…

Just when it seemed that Jiang You would crash into him, Fu Jin grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him, and with the other hand, seized the goose’s neck.

The aggressor immediately stopped, letting out a final “gaa gaa” as if begging for mercy.

Uncle Wu rushed over, quickly understanding the situation upon seeing the scene.

Uncle Wu, his face sunburned and dark, didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, but in the end, he couldn’t help but burst into a hearty laugh, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

“Ah! The big goose bites people, Miss Jiang was frightened!”

Fu Jin handed the goose to Uncle Wu and turned to look at the trembling Jiang You.

The little girl was visibly shaken, tears streaming down her face, her voice shaky and pitiful.

Fu Jin fought back the urge to laugh and asked, “Did it bite you?”

Jiang You shook her head, feeling miserable. “My legs are long.”

Uncle Wu couldn’t hold back another laugh, and Fu Jin cleared his throat to cover it up before asking, “Then why are you crying?”

Jiang You pulled the basket to her chest, looking so pitiful it was almost heartbreaking, like a little animal. “They’re all gone… all of them…”

All the grapes that Fu Jin had picked for her were gone…

She wailed, “Wahh… wahh…”

At that moment, Fu Jin wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, to protect her from this sudden mishap and make everything okay.

How could he?

How could he feel this way?

Yoyo… Yoyo…

He had known her since she was six months old.

She had cried in his arms, laughed, even peed…

She was a girl who grew up under his very eyes.

She had grown up.

And now, he found himself wanting to hold her more than ever.