Chapter 9: Passed Down Through Generations

A gift from nature—who would refuse it?

Mu Mian didn’t care about getting dirty. She immediately rolled up her sleeves and reached in to grab the fish.

Her sudden arrival startled the trapped fish, making them thrash wildly and splash water all over her face.

The fish were quite large and extremely slippery, making them difficult to handle. Her hands were small, and without a good grip, even having strength wouldn’t help much.

Losing a free meal like this would be heartbreaking.

After struggling for a moment, Mu Mian withdrew her hands and quickly grabbed some nearby vines. These vines were incredibly sturdy—perfect for tying up the fish.

After securing the vines, Mu Mian plunged her hands back into the water. With swift, decisive movements, she tightly bound one of the fish.

Once she was sure it wouldn’t be able to escape, she started untangling the vines that had originally trapped it. Then, holding the vine tightly, she pulled the fish out of the water.

The moment it left the water, the fish flapped wildly. Mu Mian sat up and tied it securely to the side of her basket. She couldn’t put it inside—there were duck eggs in there.

Just as she started working on the second fish, the commotion caught the attention of some children.

One of them, Dazhuang, ran over while shouting, “Wow! Mu Mian, you caught a fish!!”

Despite his name meaning “big and strong,” Dazhuang was actually thin and dark-skinned. However, his voice was indeed loud. His excitement made him even louder, startling Mu Mian, who had already noticed them coming.

Then, as if triggered by the sudden noise, the fish in her hands began struggling even harder.

Before she could react, the vine she was using snapped. The large fish flapped twice in the direction of freedom, moving so fast that by the time Mu Mian realized what had happened, it was just one more flip away from returning to the river.

Mu Mian’s eyes widened. That was a huge chunk of meat!

Panicked, she clenched her small fist and swiftly punched the fish’s head.

The fish, which had been struggling fiercely for its life, instantly went limp. Its head caved in slightly, and it stopped moving altogether.

It looked incredibly peaceful.

Mu Mian picked up the fish and turned to face Dazhuang and the other children who had just arrived.

Under her gaze, Dazhuang abruptly skidded to a stop. Staring at the fish’s dented and bleeding head, he blurted out, “I wasn’t trying to steal your fish!!”

Why was she looking at him like that?! He really wasn’t!

Oh no, his mom was right—this girl was terrifying!

She had actually smashed the fish’s head with a single punch!

If she could do that to a fish, she could definitely do it to him!!

Woo woo woo, so scary!!

Mu Mian: “………………”

Just now, it was Dazhuang who shouted, so she naturally looked at him.

When Dazhuang paused, Xiao Chengzi and Xu Lele excitedly leaned over, glancing at the fish and then at the river.

Xiao Chengzi was eager to try. “Wow! That’s a big fish! Sister, where did you catch it?”

Xu Lele had the same expression. “Are there more? Are there more?”

Mu Mian held up the two fish and pointed to the spot where she found them, explaining, “They got themselves tangled in the grass roots, so I caught them easily.”

A group of children immediately gathered around.

Dazhuang pushed aside the weeds. “It’s true.”

Xiao Chengzi laughed. “These fish are so dumb.”

Dazhuang glanced around. “It’d be great if we could find two more dumb fish.”

Xiao Chengzi looked toward the river. “There must be big fish in there.”

Mu Mian instantly turned to her little cousin. “Don’t even think about going in! The water is so cold, your legs could cramp easily.”

This warning wasn’t just for Xiao Chengzi but for all the children.

Xiao Chengzi huffed. “I know! I’m not going in. I’ll just look along the shore to see if there are any more dumb fish.”

Not only him, but the other children also started searching.

Since there had been incidents of children drowning before, none of them considered going into the water.

Mu Mian wasn’t concerned about finding more fish elsewhere. One of the fish she caught was still alive, so she planned to take it home first.

A dead fish had to be eaten soon, but a live one could be kept for a few days.

To keep the fish from dying, Mu Mian wrapped some water in leaves and carried one fish in each hand along with her basket as she headed home.

Since everyone was still working in the fields, she didn’t encounter any adults on the way.

When she arrived home, her grandmother was tending to her private plot again. Any available space was immediately planted with something—never left idle.

Seeing her granddaughter return, Zhao Meihua initially just glanced over casually. But when she got a clear look, she let out a loud “Whoa!”

“Where did these come from?!”

As she spoke, she quickly looked her granddaughter up and down. Her clothes were dry, which meant she hadn’t gone into the river.

Mu Mian knew what her grandmother was thinking, so she explained everything.

The old lady stared at the fish with the same astonishment as the kids earlier. These fish were really that dumb?

But still…

“You’re lucky,” Zhao Meihua sighed.

Even if the fish were dumb, without someone noticing them, they would have stayed there indefinitely.

Mu Mian grinned. She had always been lucky!

Setting down her basket, she glanced toward the water jar. “Grandma, let’s eat the dead one tonight. We can keep the live one for later!”

Zhao Meihua found a basin for her granddaughter. “Alright, you caught them, so we’ll do as you say.”

Once in water, the near-lifeless fish flopped around weakly before regaining some strength.

Mu Mian lifted the greens in her basket and showed them to her grandmother. “Grandma, I also found some wild duck eggs. Let’s have two each!”

Zhao Meihua looked over.

Sure enough, they are round and slightly smaller than chicken eggs, there were about six or seven of them.

She smiled and patted her granddaughter’s head. “Your father was right. You truly have good fortune ahead.”

Mu Mian beamed. “I’ll make sure you enjoy a good life!”

Zhao Meihua laughed. “Alright, I’ll be waiting then. How do you want the fish cooked?”

Mu Mian thought for a moment. “Let’s make fish soup. I’ll bring a bowl to Little Aunt later.”

Her Little Uncle might seem a bit unreliable, but he had always been kind to his nieces and nephews. Especially before having Xiao Chengzi, he would share any good food he had with the kids.

In her memories, she had always received the most. When there wasn’t enough to go around, her Little Uncle would say, “You’re the only one who gets it. Don’t tell your big and second sisters.”

Two fish weren’t enough to split among three families, but her aunt was still in postpartum recovery. She needed nourishment, and breastfeeding two children wasn’t easy.

—

That evening, Mu Fugui returned from the slaughterhouse. The moment he saw the two fish, he excitedly lifted his daughter high into the air. “You are worthy of being my daughter! You are amazing!”

Mu Mian, suddenly two meters off the ground, was in total panic.

“Ahhh! Dad! Put me down!”

Mu Fugui laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you.”

Liu Shuangcui, who had just stepped out with a basin of hot water, put it down and smacked her husband on the back. “What are you doing?! You haven’t even washed up! You’ll stink up our daughter!”

Mu Fugui let out a loud “Ow!” before muttering under his breath and finally setting his daughter down.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Mu Mian quickly backed away from her father. Seeing that the fish soup was ready, she eagerly grabbed a food container. “Grandma, pack some up. I’ll take it to Litle Aunt.”

Zhao Meihua secured the lid tightly before handing it to her granddaughter. “Walk slowly and be careful—it’s hot.”

Mu Mian checked the temperature. It was indeed hot, so she wrapped the container in a piece of cloth before heading to her Little Uncle’s house.

As soon as she stepped into the yard, she saw her Little Uncle cooking. During the busy spring plowing season, the days were packed with work, and since her Little Aunt was recovering, their midday meals were prepared by the old lady and they just made breakfast and dinner themselves.

Mu Mian called out, “Uncle, I brought fish soup for my Auntie.”

Mu Xinglong quickly stepped out of the kitchen, took the container, and opened it. The soup was creamy white and smelled delicious.

Xiao Chengzi swallowed hard. “Sister! Is there any for me?”

Mu Mian replied, “It’s for your mom.”

Xiao Chengzi looked deeply disappointed. “Why can’t I go through postpartum recovery too? I want to eat well too!”

Mu Xinglong ignored his silly son and grinned at his niece. “Good girl, you always think of your aunt. I knew spoiling you all these years wasn’t in vain!”

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Mu Mian felt hands grab her underarms. The next second, she was lifted two meters off the ground again.

Mu Mian: “???”

Mu Mian: “!!!”

What’s going on with these two brothers?!

Why do they both like to lift kids high into the air when they’re happy?!

Mu Mian shut her eyes and screamed, “Uncle! Put me down!!”

Her uncle was even worse than her father—not only did he lift her, but he even tossed her up!

Some of the elderly neighbors who overheard the commotion shook their heads and whispered to each other. One old woman muttered, “Little Fifth Mu is already this old, yet he still acts like a young man, always playing around with kids.”

Her husband replied casually, “Just like Old Mu.”

Clearly, there was no shortage of people in this world who could see through appearances to the truth.

Unfortunately, Mu Mian hadn’t realized this yet. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so eager to take on this task.

Luckily, as soon as she shouted, her uncle set her down.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Mu Mian let out a sigh of relief, only to notice her uncle shaking his arms afterward.

Mu Xinglong glanced at his little niece. He had to admit, the girl had some weight to her. His wife always said the girl was too thin, but he didn’t feel that at all.

Xiao Chengzi raised his arms. “Dad, me too! Lift me up!!”

Mu Xinglong picked up his son and lifted him a couple of times.

Xiao Chengzi was not satisfied. “Dad, throw me! Throw me high!!”

Feeling the weight of his son, Mu Xinglong fell silent: “……”

Mu Mian giggled. “Your dad has no strength.”

Mu Xinglong, who had just been searching for an excuse to brush his son off, was speechless: “……”

His little niece was getting craftier by the day.