A turtle? Where did this turtle come from in these mountains?
Fu Wan and the others found it strange and quickly walked forward.
When I got closer to the spirit, hey, there really was a turtle.
The turtle still had a lot of dried mud on its back, but the patterns on its shell were still clearly visible. Fu Wan even noticed several cracks on the shell when she got closer. A mountain turtle—the kind I encountered in my hometown this year. "Where did this turtle come from on this mountain road?"
Fu Ming couldn't help but feel strange, as they were quite a distance from the riverbank, a distance that would have taken them more than ten minutes to walk.
Not to mention the tortoise; how long would it take to crawl with just its four short legs?
"Judging from its appearance, it should be a mountain tortoise. It probably came out to sunbathe because the weather was nice."
Ye Lin squatted down. The turtle, which had just poked its head out, retreated in fear upon seeing him. Its shell looked bigger than his palm, so the turtle was probably quite old.
"Mom, this turtle looks just like Fugui, so does it eat small fish?"
Fu Ling squatted down and watched for a long time. The turtle and the sea turtle looked somewhat similar, and the little girl immediately thought of Fu Gui, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
Seeing that there was no pond around, the little guy started worrying about what the turtles would eat.
And you know what? That really stumped Fu Wan.
What do the turtles in the mountains eat? You'll have to ask Ye Lin.
Ye Lin looked around at the surroundings, pondered for a moment, and then voiced his guess.
"The mountain tortoises usually eat rice straw and peas from the ground, and insects on the road are also its food."
Wild animals in the mountains generally eat a wide variety of things; they will try almost anything that is not poisonous and can fill their stomachs.
Upon hearing this, Fu Ling and the other children, including Qin Mingzhu, immediately perked up.
They immediately picked out a few small fish from the bucket and placed them in front of the mountain tortoise. The tortoise obviously smelled the fishy smell, and after waiting a few seconds and seeing that Fu Wan and the others had no intention of harming it, it slowly poked its head out of its shell and then picked up a small fish and ate it.
Seeing the mountain tortoise eat the small fish, the children were excited again, but they didn't dare to make any big movements, lest they scare the mountain tortoise.
"Alright, let's hurry back. If we keep messing around like this, the fish I'm holding will die!"
Having seen so many animals in the mountains, Ye Lin was naturally not surprised to see mountain turtles.
In the mountains, there's a superstition that these things are believed to possess a spirit, and you should avoid them if you see them on the road.
Since he couldn't eat it or sell it, Ye Lin was naturally more concerned about the big bluefish in his hand.
"Okay, let's go back!"
Fu Wan pulled Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu along as they walked forward. Even after the children had gone quite a distance, they still kept looking back, unable to forget their surroundings. Fu Wan couldn't help but glance back as well. The mountain tortoise was still lying there, eating the small fish that fell from the sky, savoring each bite with obvious delight.
"Brother Lin, whose grave is that over there?"
Fu Wan rarely travels this route, and has only visited Qingshan Village a few times in recent times, so she naturally doesn't know much about these things.
"Oh, there, that's the burial site of Ye Liuzi's grandparents."
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, "You know what, those two old folks are both over ninety years old, they're the oldest in our village."
Upon hearing this, Fu Ming's expression immediately turned strange.
He quickly walked over to Fu Wan and whispered, "Wan, do you think that mountain tortoise lives in the graves of those two old people?"
Fu Wan's skin crawled instantly. She thought about where the mountain tortoise had appeared, and realized it was right behind that longevity grave.
A "longevity grave" is a type of grave. However, the difference is that a longevity grave is a grave prepared and inscribed with a tombstone while the elderly person is still alive.
Such longevity graves are usually built when the elderly person turns sixty, with the younger generation finding someone to build them. At the same time, relatives, friends, and villagers who helped with the construction are invited to a feast.
Moreover, the inscriptions on these longevity tombs are different from those on other tombs. Fu Wan only realized that the tomb was empty after seeing the words "Longevity Domain" on the tombstone.
Ye Lin was not far from Fu Wan, so he naturally heard Fu Ming's words.
He thought for a moment and said, "You know what, it's actually possible."
Although mountain tortoises occasionally like to come out and bask in the sun, they usually live in dark and damp caves.
"Maybe that's why those two old people lived so long?"
Fu Ming added that although what he said sounded absurd, it made some sense.
Turtles are a symbol of longevity.
"Alright, whatever. If it's really that amazing, Lingling and the others just fed it a lot of small fish. Won't this turtle thank them later?"
Fu Wan made a casual remark, and even she herself laughed at it.
Since Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu couldn't understand what the adults were saying, they simply let go of Fu Wan's hand and ran ahead with Ye Zhenxing and Ye Xiaofeng.
As soon as the group entered the village, they attracted the attention of the villagers.
"Hey, Ah Lin, where did you get this big bluefish?"
A young man immediately came over, his eyes glued to Ye Lin's hand, unwilling to leave.
As for Fu Wan and Fu Ming, they were simply relegated to the background.
“We caught it in the river. Brother, if you want to eat it, come to my house later and I'll cut off a tail for you.”
Ye Lin's generosity was not without reason; the person who approached him was none other than his next-door neighbor.
He's usually not home, and this guy has helped his family a lot.
"Look at what you're saying, would I be greedy for your fish tail? I haven't eaten since last night, just saving my stomach for your family's lunch today!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Lin couldn't help but laugh. What? He hadn't eaten last night? He had seen this man squatting at the door this morning, drinking a bowl of porridge.
"Enough said, this fish is almost dead. Come over for lunch!"
After saying goodbye to the man, Ye Lin hurried home.
Fu Wan and Fu Ming didn't fall behind either. The group walked quickly, and even when some villagers wanted to see the fish, Ye Lin refused, saying the fish were about to die.
But this did not stop the villagers from wanting to watch the excitement. Before long, Ye Lin arrived home, and a group of villagers had gathered at the door to watch the spectacle.
The Ye family courtyard was bustling with activity. As soon as Ye Xiaocui and Boss Fu arrived, they immediately rolled up their sleeves and joined in helping with the cooking.
Ye Xiaocui followed Li Chunhua, picking and washing vegetables, while Boss Fu helped clean up the wild rabbit.
Chen Guifang was also off today, but she didn't just sit there. She kept washing vegetables and dishes, she just couldn't stop.
As for Ye Jun's wife, Liang Cuifen, she was quite far along in her pregnancy, sitting next to him with a large belly. She originally wanted to offer some vegetables as a token gesture, but Li Chunhua refused, telling her to just watch from the side.
She didn't refuse much, since she had been asked to come and help by Ye Jun.
It was at this moment that Ye Lin and his group entered the courtyard in a grand procession. As soon as they entered, everyone in the courtyard instinctively looked up in response to the commotion.
The next second, everyone was shocked by the big blue carp.
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