The Whole Village Thrives After Adopting a Lucky Girl

The rain had been pouring for an entire day, turning into a torrential downpour by midnight, with lightning and thunder that frightened Chunniang to the point that she couldn’t really sleep that night.

It was only when the rain stopped the next day that she let out a sigh of relief.

After a night of torrential rain, the river Chuanhe had brimmed to the point that it was just about to overflow the riverbanks.

Jiang Sanlang stood by the surging riverside for a long time, becoming almost certain of something lingering in his mind.

It seemed likely that his daughter’s dream could come true.

A single night of torrential rain could fill the river to such an extent, what if it rained heavily for another night?

He dared not think about how he and his family would deal with an oncoming flood.

Chuanhe used to overflow, even flooding the low-lying farmland and occasionally flooding villagers’ homes, but it quickly receded each time, so the villagers didn’t bother much.

However, ever since his daughter had predicted a major flood, an alarm had suddenly rung in the hearts of Jiang Sanlang and his wife.

Looking again at the Chuanhe after the rain, it seemed more and more dangerous.

No, it was better to move to Xiaonan Mountain as soon as possible.

Looking back, Xiaonan Mountain was not far from the village, just a few miles away, and the smoke from the village could be seen from the mountainside.

It seemed plausible for a few more households to move to South Mountain.

Determined, Jiang Sanlang turned around to find the village chief, Uncle Chen

San.

After the rain cleared, the sun was bright and the weather grew gradually hot.

Today was the first day of WuDu Month. Yingbao, wearing the five-colored wristband embroidered by her mother, five-colored silk threads tied to her ankles, wearing a five-colored shirt, and five-poison-embroidered shoes, went to a river gully with similarly dressed Dani, Erin, and Huzi to catch shrimps and pick some reeds on the way, using their leaves to make dumplings when they got home.

Xiaolu trudged along behind them, occasionally munching on fresh grass by the side of the road, his short tail wagging happily.

Dani, with the reeds growing lushly and their leaves quite broad, asked her little sisters and cousin to stay on the bank while she went down to the riverside to pick leaves.

She soon filled a bamboo basket and, stepping carefully, walked back up the bank.

At that moment, a wild chicken suddenly fluttered by them, startling Huzi into yelling, “Chicken! Chicken! Catch it, Big Sister!”

Dani glanced at it, “The wild chicken has flown far, we can’t catch it.”

Putting down the basket by Erin’s feet, she turned around and went back to the riverside, “I’m going to see if there are any wild chicken eggs in the reed bushes.”

Normally, wild chickens and wild birds would nest in the grass or in the reeds, and the place where the wild chicken had just taken off might even have wild chicken eggs.

Sure enough, a pleasantly surprised shout came from within the reeds, “Ah! There really are wild chicken eggs!”

Yingbao, Erin, and Huzi craned their necks in an attempt to see where the wild chicken’s nest was.

After a while, Dani, wading through the water, came out laughing heartily, showing the wild chicken eggs in her clothes to her brother and sisters, “Look, there are eight.’

Huzi squeezed in to try and grab one but was swatted away by Erin, “Don’t touch, you’ll break them.”

The four-year-old immediately started calling out in annoyance, jumping up and down in an attempt to grab them.

Suddenly, his little hand was grabbed by Yingbao.

Huzi instantly froze, quiet as a mouse, then turned and grinned at Yingbao, “I wanted to give them to Yingbao to play with.”

“I won’t play with them, we still have to catch shrimps.” Two-year-old Yingbao consoled him as an older sister might, “Huzi, be good, we’ll cook the wild chicken eggs for you when we get home.”

Huzi nodded furiously, gave a sniff, and instantly changed into a well-behaved baby.

Dani led her siblings to a large puddle with aquatic plants and started to catch shrimp with their net.

The shrimps at this time were fat and big, just twenty or so could be cooked into a whole dish.

As Yingbao was too small to handle the net, she toted along a basket and leisurely ambled about.

Seeing Dani, Erin, and Huzi all concentrating on the puddle, she squatted down, and silently took a large clump of arrowhead plants from her pocket and arranged them along the banks, pretending to have just dug them up from the ditch.

Then she shouted, “Sister Dani, come quick, I found huge arrowheads!”

Dani came over when she heard the sound, glanced at what was in her little cousin’s hand, and was somewhat surprised. “Is this really water chestnut?” They were huge. She had never seen water chestnuts as big as eggs before.

Yingbao, regardless of how shocked Dani was, picked up a water chestnut plant and swished it in the water, pointing at several water chestnuts hanging beneath, “These should be edible.”

She picked one off, washed it, bit a chunk, murmuring, “Sweet, and so tasty.”

Huzi had forgotten about eating water chestnuts last year. He picked up a water chestnut plant, rinsed it, cheerfully tore off a big water chestnut, and crunched it with a satisfying sound.

Seeing this, Dani crouched down and picked off the water chestnuts one by one

and put them in the basket.

Dani didn’t hesitate for long, she also came over to help.

This time, Yingbao had a small basket full of water chestnuts that she had just plucked from the rootless grasses.

The group of siblings gave up on catching shrimp, taking home a basket of water chestnuts and a basketful of reed leaves.

“These are water caltrops, aren’t they?” Jiang Liu and Zhou Family’s eldest daughter-in-law were very surprised the first time they saw such large water caltrops, “Where did they come from?”

“Yingbao found them,” Dani and her sister said in unison.

“Where did she find them?” Jiang Liu asked.

“Over by the irrigation ditch.”

Dani was still a bit confused; she asked Jiang Liu, “Grandma, can we really eat

Jiang Liu picked up a water chestnut, rubbed it in her palm, took a bite and chewed it, “It’s not numbing, it’s crisp and sweet, should be edible.”

She then passed one to her eldest daughter-in-law, “You try it too.”

Zhou’s eldest daughter-in-law took it, went to the kitchen to rinse it under the water, then took a bite. “Tastes like water caltrops, but even sweeter.”

Jiang Liu chirped at her granddaughter with a grin, “Are there more by the irrigation ditch?”

Dani looked perplexed, and then turned her gaze to her little cousin.

Yingbao said in haste, “There should be, let’s go look again tomorrow.”

She hoped to gather all the water chestnuts from her secret cave. Maybe she could also plant some in their own and her uncles’ fields, which could be a source of income.

If they don’t sell, they can eat them. It would be better than letting them rot in the cave.

Jiang Liu patted Yingbao’s head, smiling, “Then go look again tomorrow. If you find more, let grandma know. I’ll send your second brother to help dig.”

“Okay.” Yingbao nodded. She was certain she would find many more water chestnuts.

When Yingbao got home, she showed her mother half a basket of large water chestnuts.

“These are the water chestnuts Dani, her sister and I found.

“Such large water chestnuts?” Chunniang picked one up and looked at it. “Quite rare.”

The two little infants on the kang also crawled over to grab them.

They were both teething, anything they grab, they would put in their mouths. Yingbao moved the basket away a bit, “Wait until they’re cooked before you eat.”

Seven or eight-month-old infants have delicate digestion; they can’t eat raw food. Besides, these things grew underwater; who knows if there might be small bugs inside.

Chunniang took the water chestnuts to wash them clean, cooked them all, and drained them into a yellow basin.

The two little ones drooled as they watched their sister peel the water chestnuts, making excited noises.

Yingbao peeled the cooked water chestnut and gave it to her little brothers. Seeing their enjoyment, she also took one and crunched on it.

The two little ones were relishing it, drooling all over their clothes.

Chunniang had to keep wiping their mouths and little hands, only to be flicked away by the infants, who protested with babbling sounds..