Zhang Xiao spoke first, "Lingniang, it's better not to go in. Tomorrow, my cousin will go to the Zhao family at the village entrance to hire a raccoon dog to bring back for you."

“Other cats aren’t like it. I only want it. None of you should go in. Too many people will scare it. I’m used to running around in the mountains and I can react very quickly. If there’s any danger, I can just run out.”

Knowing that Yunling would do whatever she set her mind to, Yun Chu didn't say much. She just secretly picked up a scattered branch and rushed inside as soon as she heard Yunling's call.

Zhang Xiao was still worried. He was the one who brought the person out. What if something happened to him? How could he explain it to his aunt and uncle?

"My cousin will come in with you."

“Brother Xiao, let me go in with her. If she doesn’t want to leave, I’ll just knock her out with a needle and carry her out.”

Zhang Xiao thought this was a good idea and repeatedly told Yunling to be very careful before he finally agreed.

Yunling cheered, and Pei Lin handed her the hem of his own clothes, saying, "Hold on tight, so you don't get separated."

They're treating her like a little kid. Her eyesight is excellent, even at night. Instead of worrying about her getting lost, they should worry about themselves.

Seeing that Yun Ling hadn't made a move, Pei Lin exclaimed in surprise, "You still want to hold my hand?"

Yunling rolled her eyes at him and went inside. Pei Lin also rolled his eyes, pulled his outstretched hand back, and followed her.

The further they went in, the darker it became. After turning a corner, it was like walking in complete darkness. Pei Lin hadn't planned to go through the cave before coming here, so he didn't bring a tinderbox. He could only sprinkle some medicinal powder on Yun Ling's back and rely on his sense of smell to stay close to her.

Yunling looked around, finally stopping in front of a small ray of light. It was the eyes of a wildcat, which was perched on the top, squinting down, its expression a mix of wariness and a touch of arrogance.

Yunling wasn't in a hurry. She just stood there and looked at it. When it tilted its head, she tilted her head too. When it opened its mouth, she opened her mouth too.

It couldn't help but show a puzzled expression, as if to say, "You can see me?"

Yunling said happily, "Would you like to come home with me? I won't restrict you. You can do whatever you like. You can go up the mountain to play, or play with Xiaobai. Our food is very good, with meat and dried fish. My family is very nice, and they will treat you as family too."

The wildcat sensed the continuous kindness emanating from Yunling, and its eyes widened. The light it emitted startled Pei Lin, who was caught off guard, and he instinctively put his arm around Yunling's shoulder.

"If you're willing, jump down, and I'll catch you."

The wildcat stretched, still exuding that arrogant air, as if warning Yunling: "You'd better catch it, or I won't let you off the hook."

Come on~

As soon as Yunling finished speaking, her hand felt heavy, and the wildcat nestled in her arms, its eyes coldly staring at the person behind her.

Yunling then realized that Pei Lin was standing behind her, with his hand on her shoulder.

Pei Lin immediately moved his hand away, awkwardly touching his nose. How could he be so embarrassing?

"Oh? You're scared? How come you're even more timid than a mosquito?"

"I...I...what am I afraid of? It's just that your little bald head is so bright, I'm using it to light my way."

"you!"

Yunling's biggest concern was her bald head. Now that Pei Lin had touched on her so sensitive topic, she couldn't help but lose her temper. However, she couldn't find a reason to refute him, so she could only stomp on Pei Lin's foot and storm out.

Pei Lin cried out in pain, lowered his head, but the corners of his mouth turned up.

**

Yun Shenghua and Zhang Shi expressed their incomprehension but great respect for Yun Ling's decision to bring home a stray cat and name it Dahei.

On the way home, Yunling carried the cat without any hesitation, attracting many curious glances. When they passed the front door of the main house, Yunling deliberately said loudly, "This is a wild cat from the mountain. If it catches you, even the best medicine can't save you."

Liu couldn't help but shudder. She was already wary of that stinky dog, and now a stray cat had appeared. If she went there and got scratched by the cat, wouldn't her life be in danger?

That won't do!

Since Liu didn't cause any trouble, the other members of the eldest son's family naturally wouldn't want to make things difficult for themselves.

Yunling was very pleased with their tact, but someone had to suffer the consequences of Dahei's claw attack, and that was Xiaobai.

When Xiaobai saw Dahei, it first watched it from afar. After getting used to its scent, it slowly circled around it and even wagged its tail in a downward-facing dog position to invite it to play.

The more Xiaobai wagged its tail, the more its fur stood on end. Finally, it couldn't help but slap Xiaobai across the face. Startled, Xiaobai quickly hid back under the covers. But the dog was still determined and came out to provoke it again a moment later.

Seeing that the cat and dog were getting along well, Yunling felt relieved.

After spring, Yun Chu turned ten years old, and Zhang Shi began to let her hair grow. Yun Ling also pestered Zhang Shi, wanting to grow her hair too, because she didn't want to be called "little bald head." Zhang Shi had no choice but to grant her wish.

Yunling was in a great mood, and the bee colony she attracted was larger than last year's. She scraped the winter honey from the two bee-attracting boxes to check the larvae inside. After confirming that everything was normal, she put half of the foundation into the beehive and waited for the bees to complete it.

The newly attracted bees are placed in two other beehives and kept for a period of time. Once the bee colony has collected honey and produced new combs, Yunling cuts off a small portion to make melted wax.

She took out a piece of oak wood that she had cut from the mountain before the New Year, and used a knife to carve one end to the appropriate size. She estimated that the base of the platform was about seven millimeters and the opening of the platform was about eight millimeters, so she controlled the king-raising stick to be about nine centimeters. After carving it, she polished it carefully, and the king-raising stick was finished.

Yunling then took out the frame strips and placed them across a bowl of water and a bowl of beeswax. She first applied the wax to the edges of the frame strips and then covered them with a thin strip of cloth.

Then dip the queen-rearing stick in water once, apply wax several times, and then put it in water to cool. After cooling, the queen base will have taken shape slightly. Just apply wax one last time to fix it on the nest frame bar.

Remembering the bowl Yun Ruochun had mentioned earlier, Yunling teased, "Auntie, this is the bowl we made. Do you want one?"

Yun Ruochun looked down at the thing, which was much, much smaller than a candle, and felt a surge of affection for it. "Ling-jie, are you not using it to play house?"

At Yunling's age, they always longed to be adults, gathering in small groups under the big tree at the village entrance, picking out unique leaves and flowers to eat, using flat, long stones as plates, and chopsticks as two twigs.

They always had one person act as the manager, another as the cook, and the rest as guests, having a great time. Even when they were sometimes chased away by fierce adults, they would run away to another place, take out the bright red quilts they brought from home, drape them over themselves, and take turns being the bride.

Now that she's grown up, she longs to go back to her childhood and stay in this house a little longer.