Transmigrated as a Peasant Baby Who is Pampered by All

Chapter 526: Chapter 323: Fish Pond (Part 2)

The peanuts are home-grown and were fried by Second Aunt herself. After frying them slowly and gently, just a pinch of fine salt is sprinkled on them, making them perfect for accompanying drinks.

Uncle Liu took a sip of his drink, closed his eyes in enjoyment and said, ”What are you worried about? They can’t make it here. If they could, they’d be even more tempted than I am.”

He started to complain.

”This New Year, it’s been all about keeping up appearances every day. I suggested that we stay here for the New Year since we come back every few days anyway. But they insisted on calling me and Ze’er back.”

”I can manage, but how long has it been? Ze’er is already looking thin. They know about Ze’er’s health, yet still insisted on bringing him back.”

Xiaomi glanced at Liu Ze, who was talking to Second Sister not far away. How could he be thin?

It hasn’t even been half a month since we left; how could he have possibly lost weight? Do they think the therapeutic effects of the Spiritual Spring water over these years have no impact?

Xiaomi pouted, ”Grandpa Liu, clearly, it’s you who are indulging your appetite, and you just have to drag Brother Ze into it.”

”Haha,” Uncle Liu laughed heartily, ”You really can’t hide anything from this little rascal.”

Xiaomi pretended to huff, proudly lifting her delicate chin in a gesture that proclaimed, ”I am really smart.”

Uncle Liu and Liu Ze came back in the morning, while everyone else was reading. Xiaomi would only go up the mountain with Wei Ziang in the afternoon.

With nothing much to do, Xiaomi rested her chin in her hands and chatted with Uncle Liu about fishing in the fish pond. It would definitely be more enjoyable than fishing in the pond.

The fish in the pond had been fished by Uncle Liu for months. Even with the allure of Xiaomi’s Spiritual Spring water, it’s become much harder to catch them now.

There’s no choice; for these past months, Uncle Liu has been fishing daily, consistently catching something, but the fish in the pond can’t replenish that quickly.

Luckily, there are other ponds in the village, so Uncle Liu doesn’t have to focus solely on the pond.

Listening to Xiaomi talk about fishing under the shade of trees once they’ve grown, Uncle Liu chuckled.

”Little girl, don’t you know that cypress trees grow slowly? It’ll take at least a decade for them to grow as big as the tree by the pondside. Your grandpa is getting old and probably can’t wait that long.”

It was both a joke and a truth; even though Uncle Liu had a good mindset, he was nearing seventy and, at that age, you never know when you might go.

Xiaomi pouted, ”No way, Grandpa Liu, don’t worry. I’ve planted other trees, besides cypress, that will grow quickly. In just a few years, you’ll be able to fish in the shade by the fish pond.”

She was referring to the grape vines, which she had noticed budding in recent days. Once they grow a bit more, she could set up a grape trellis.

”Moreover, once there’s more water in the fish pond and the fish are bigger, you could fish early in the morning or in the evening when it’s cooler, without needing to worry about the sun.”

”Oh, and in a few days Daddy will get someone to redo the duck pen by the fish pond. We could have them specially build a small pavilion next to it, and wouldn’t that be perfect for fishing, Grandpa Liu?”

Thinking about it, she realized it was a great idea: ”When the time comes, we can place a small table in the pavilion, and you can fish while sipping tea and eating snacks. How pleasant!”

Uncle Liu had lived with the Jiang family for several years, like a close relative, teaching them many things while also learning from them.

Naturally, it was because of Uncle Liu that the Jiang family had enjoyed the Liu family’s protection, living peacefully for all these years.

To Xiaomi, Uncle Liu was like their real grandfather.

Even better than their real grandfather.

At least Uncle Liu wouldn’t think about selling the girls in the family to buy food, right?

With sincerity answering sincerity, Grandpa Liu’s kindness to them was met with Xiaomi’s true respect and appreciation.

Listening to Xiaomi’s vision, Uncle Liu could almost see himself leisurely fishing under the pavilion.

Xiaomi also mentioned she had sowed lotus seeds in the fish pond. Even if one doesn’t fish, appreciating the blooming flowers while drinking tea under the pavilion would be quite delightful.

The elderly and the young chatted joyfully in the courtyard, envisioning the pleasures of summer. At one point, Uncle Liu even got a pen and paper, sketching out designs for the pavilion.

And for the duck pen—since he was drawing, he might as well sketch it too.

Considering the noise ducks and geese make, the duck pen was on the opposite side of the fish pond, as far from the house as possible.

The fish pond wasn’t far from the pigsties, but being a bit raised in terrain and aligned with the Jiang house, the usual wind direction from the village entrance conveniently avoided the pigsty smells.

The pavilion was placed near the foot of the mountain, a bit further from the pigsties, ensuring neither noise from ducks and geese nor the odor from pigsties would disturb it.

They continued their discussions until Second Aunt called them for lunch, leaving their plan unfinished.

After a hearty lunch, Uncle Liu took a nap; at his age, eating made him sleepy.

Xiaomi, on the other hand, was full of energy and dragged Wei Ziang up the mountain.

With the Lantern Festival approaching and uncertainty about future breaks, it was essential to seize this chance for Wei Ziang to absorb more spiritual energy.

As for Wei Ziang’s initial subtle reminders, Xiaomi and Ling’er hadn’t noticed.

Perhaps they were too careless, or maybe too confident.

Or perhaps they simply trusted Wei Ziang too much, who knows?

They entered the familiar space, accompanied, as always, by the little white cat, Little Mi, and of course, Little Hei.

Little Hei hadn’t joined them only on the first day; perhaps it got the message from Little Mi. From the second day, every time they went up the mountain, Little Hei would follow.

Then it would enter the space and absorb spiritual energy, or relish the varied treats given by Ling’er.

What amused Xiaomi the most was that during these times, Little Hei never thought of its own puppies.

Until now, none of the three puppies had ever entered the space.

It was reassuring for Xiaomi that their house was somewhat far from the village, and typically, no one went up to the higher ponds on the mountain, making it easier for them to enter and exit the space.

Before long, the Lantern Festival arrived.