Chapter 37 Encounter
Upon hearing that there was rice, Su Yun eagerly dragged Wanwan along the next day to set off to search for it.
Su Yun, wearing a small straw hat and holding a small hoe, leisurely hummed a little tune as she walked along the bank of the stream. She had been to this area with Ye Feng before when she was looking for herbs, but they hadn't gone too far.
So after walking for a while, I lost my way.
She looked at the fish in the water and asked doubtfully, "So, you saw the rice on the riverbank?"
"Of course not! It was further ahead, in a small ditch. That area is a haven for crayfish. By the way, I think your hat is quite nice. Can I wear it?"
Wanwan was always full of curiosity about everything on the shore, whether it was flowers, grass, or human objects. She was always very curious, just like the Little Mermaid in the fairy tale.
Su Yun was wearing nothing more than a very ordinary white straw hat, and she looked at it with interest the whole way.
Unable to bear her gaze any longer, Su Yun had no choice but to take off her hat and hand it to her, saying, "Here, take good care of it and don't lose it."
"Okay!" Wanwan excitedly took the hat and put it on her head. Then she looked at Su Yun with great pride and asked, "How is it? Does it look good?"
Su Yun touched her conscience and nodded, "It's very beautiful!"
It must be said that the beauty of mermaids is truly a racial advantage; a simple straw hat is transformed into a noble hat by the black-haired girl in the water.
Pyth, if you ignore the fact that the noblewoman is in the water and has a long fish tail.
It must be said that the white straw hat really suited her black hair.
Wanwan picked another white wild rose and pinned it to her hat.
At this time of year, wild roses bloom everywhere, with pure white petals and yellow buds. Although the petals are simple, they are neat single-petaled flowers, but their abundance makes them stand out. A string of white flowers grows on long vines, blooming by the water, reflecting their own image, which is very beautiful.
Wild roses like these were quite common when she was a child. At first, she didn't know what they were called. Later, when she was in college, she accidentally came across a plant guide and found out that these inconspicuous little flowers were real roses, native to China. They later traveled overseas and made a great contribution to the improvement of rose varieties (real roses) in foreign gardens. Originally, roses could not bloom multiple times on one stem. Most of the ones that covered the walls in patches that she saw later were genetically modified.
However, over time, these somewhat monotonous wild roses gradually became less common, as more people moved around and more wasteland was reclaimed, and they slowly disappeared.
Unexpectedly, she saw it again, and it was even more blooming than before. Su Yun liked it very much, and Ye Feng often picked some to bring back for Su Yun to use in flower arrangements.
Looking at the girl in the water wearing a straw hat and adorned with flowers.
Su Yun smiled slightly and sincerely exclaimed, "Very beautiful."
Wanwan happily plucked a flower branch and tossed it to Su Yun on the shore, saying, "I'll pick one for you too."
Su Yun took the flower branch and, following her example, tucked it behind her ear.
"You're beautiful too," Wanwan complimented her in return.
Just as Su Yun was about to say thank you, Wanwan changed the subject, "Since you accepted my flowers, then this hat is mine. I want to wear it and show it to Xue Po!"
Su Yun was speechless: "What do you need a hat for, you fish that swims underwater all day? Give me back my hat right now! Hurry up!"
"Hehehe, it's none of your business, I'm going to take it." With that, he plunged into the water and swam away quickly.
However, the hat had no ties, and as Wanwan's body tumbled, the water splashed a few times.
When she emerged from the water again, the hat was nowhere to be found...
"Huh? Where's my hat?"
Su Yun: ...
That's my hat, okay...
But she was too lazy to argue anymore; they were all gone anyway.
Su Yun didn't say anything, sighed, and resignedly walked forward. Wanwan, on the other hand, turned her tail and went back to look for the hat that had been washed away by the water.
Su Yun ignored her, knowing she would naturally follow when she couldn't find her.
Honestly, mermaids swim much faster than humans walk. Su Yun once saw Wanwan swim from more than ten meters away to her in a flash and catch the fruit she deliberately threw down to tease her.
Its speed is comparable to... uh, an underwater torpedo?
Although it may not sound like the graceful image of a mermaid, that's the truth.
Mermaids are not the beautiful and harmless creatures of fairy tales, but rather fierce and dangerous rulers of the water.
Even something as gentle and beautiful as Shepburn has sharp claws.
That's why...
That's probably why she felt at ease...
Su Yun looked up and saw that on the other side of the river, in a direction far beyond her sight, was the direction from which the water was rushing... She gazed into the distance, her thoughts drifting away...
In the end, Wanwan never managed to get the little hat back.
Unable to bear the scorching sun any longer, Su Yun casually picked a large green leaf and placed it on her head to shield herself from the increasingly intense heat.
Wanwan saw him looking thoughtful, and then quickly slipped away.
When she returned, there was a bright green lotus leaf on her head.
Su Yun's eyes lit up, and she asked in astonishment, "Where did you get these lotus leaves?"
Wanwan played with the lotus leaf in her hand. The lotus leaf was pulled out of the water, and a few water droplets rolled back and forth in the green plate like crystals, which was very beautiful and colorful. Wanwan was having a great time. "Just a little bit down there!"
Su Yun was completely bewildered. Given the mermaid's swimming speed, she couldn't possibly figure out which point was "down there." Finally, she could only stammer, "Okay, I'll take you to see it later."
Wanwan played with the lotus leaf and casually said, "No problem."
The two walked for about ten more minutes. Wanwan played with the lotus leaf in her hand for a while, but then got tired of it.
Looking at the lotus leaf in his hand and then at the broad green leaf on Su Yun's head, he reached out without ceremony and said, "Let's switch. Give me the one on your head."
Su Yun was quite helpless, so he casually handed the leaf back to her. Anyway, there were many leaves around here, and he didn't know what they were called. They looked like the kind of broad-leaved ornamental plants that had somehow grown up by the river.
"Yours looks better."
Wanwan happily put the leaf on her head again, just like Su Yun had done, and nodded to her reflection in the water with great satisfaction.
Now that she's gone from a noblewoman to a country bumpkin, she's actually quite happy.
Su Yun couldn't help but laugh.
The two walked forward for about half an hour, and then, following Wanwan's directions, turned into another small river.
Fifty meters ahead, the stream narrowed and eventually turned into a small canal. Wanwan pointed to the side of the canal and said, "This is it."
Su Yun looked up and saw that both sides of the ditch were almost entirely lined with neat fields.
"Wow, I never expected this to be a paddy field!" Su Yun exclaimed in surprise.
The river flows slowly in along the ditches, and through the extensive network of irrigation canals, it flows into the fields.
"Paddy fields?" Wanwan tilted her head, puzzled. To her, everything except water was land.
But seeing Su Yun's surprised expression, she still dutifully pointed to a small, inconspicuous corner by the roadside, "I only know this is rice. I passed by it when I went to Mingjiang before, and Xue Po told me about it..."
"Ahhh! There really is rice." Su Yun looked in the direction Wanwan pointed out and indeed found a small clump of rice growing in the damp ditch. The rice leaves were thin and long, and all were tender green. At first glance, they were no different from weeds. If it weren't for the tender ears that had already sprouted, there would be no way to find them.
Su Yun was almost moved to tears of gratitude that she finally had rice to eat.
She praised him repeatedly, saying, "Wanwan, you're really amazing! You're fantastic!"
The little mermaid was overjoyed at the praise, her tail slapping excitedly against the water's surface, as if to say, "Of course! Don't you know who I am? You foolish humans simply can't understand me..."
Su Yun finally found the staple food and was so happy that she didn't have time to argue with her. She excitedly ran to the edge of the paddy field and carefully observed it.
Sure enough, although most of the barren paddy fields were dry and overgrown with weeds, if you looked closely, you could still find some rice plants that were struggling to survive growing scattered near the water inlet, but they were all submerged by weeds.
Seeing this, Su Yun quickly squatted down to examine the rice carefully, fenced it off separately, cleared away the weeds around the rice stalks, watered it, and then tried to clear the irrigation ditches to keep the soil as moist as possible...
These seedlings are in a precarious position right now. They're in their middle age; if they're small enough, they can be transplanted, and if they're large enough, they can be harvested. But they're neither big nor small enough to be transplanted easily, so we can only wait until they mature and keep them as seeds.
So Su Yun picked up the small hoe and cleaned it carefully again.
Wanwan watched her actions curiously from the side: "Aren't you going to take it home to eat?"
"We still need to wait, we need to be patient," Su Yun replied.
"You humans are really strange. Sometimes you're in a hurry, and sometimes you're not."
Su Yun was stunned for a moment. At first glance, these words seemed very straightforward, but upon closer listening, they contained a lot of truth. Su Yun never expected that Wanwan could say such philosophical things.
However, Wanwan herself was clearly unaware of this. After glancing at Su Yun weeding and watering the plants, she said, "The crayfish's nest is a little further down. Should I go catch them?"
Wanwan clearly couldn't forget yesterday's feast and wanted to have it again.
"Sure, if you want, you can!"
"Huh, you're suddenly being so agreeable? I don't believe it." Usually, when Wanwan makes requests, like wanting chicken, pork, or fish soup, Su Yun always ignores her.
Only when Su Yun wanted to eat fish would she ask Wanwan to catch fish in exchange; otherwise, she was left to fend for herself and take care of her own food and lodging. This sudden accommodating attitude was hard for Wanwan to believe.
"Of course not!"
After listening, Wanwan gave a knowing look: "See! I knew it, you'll have some demands again, won't you?"
Su Yun was busy clearing the irrigation ditch with a hoe, and replied without looking up, "I don't have any requirements. I'll cook as much as you catch, since Xue Po rarely likes to eat."
Shepard usually eats very little, whether it's from the river or the land. It's rare to see her like to eat lobster, so Su Yun thought of making more for her.
Wanwan huffed, "Hmph, I knew you weren't that kind. Shepherd is mine, don't even think about it."
Su Yun retorted without holding back: "Hehe, I don't believe it. Xue Po fed me shrimp, but she didn't feed you."
Wanwan, who wasn't fed, was speechless. She recalled the scene from last night when Xuepo gently fed her by hand.
Ahhh! She's never experienced that kind of treatment before. Ah, she wants it so badly, ahhh...
Why didn't she have it? Ugh, I hate it so much!
Wanwan was speechless, and could only look up at the sky, screaming inwardly.
But Su Yun smiled smugly and continued to add insult to injury, "It was Xue Po who took the initiative! I just accepted it like that."
"So proactive"—this phrase perfectly captures Su Yun's smugness, which caused Wanwan to be stabbed and die instantly from thirst.
Ah, her heart ached terribly, yet she had no way to refute it, after all, Su Yun was telling the truth.
She could only sink into the water in frustration, her mouth opening and closing, bubbling and gurgling in anger...
Did you see those sprays of water?
Oh! Those weren't water droplets, but her tears of resentment...
Seeing the other person bubbling with anger, Su Yun finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Pfft, Wanwan, you really look like a pufferfish when you're angry!"
Hearing her laugh so loudly, Wanwan became even angrier. "Who looks like a pufferfish? Have you ever seen such a beautiful pufferfish? Humph, don't be so smug. If it weren't for the fact that I've never had the chance before, I wouldn't..."
She stopped talking when she saw Su Yun's eyes suddenly darken.
Ah, how did I suddenly say that? Realizing she had misspoke, Wanwan abruptly stopped herself.
"sorry……"
She lowered her head, not daring to look at the other person, afraid to see Su Yun's angry, sad... or disappointed expression.
"What's there to apologize for..." Su Yun didn't show the anger or fury she expected, and calmly responded to her unease, "I already knew!"
"You already knew?" Wanwan asked, looking up abruptly when she heard her words.
The human girl stood on the edge of the field, her hands clasped on the hoe, gazing calmly towards the direction the river was flowing. Her face showed neither sadness nor disappointment, but rather a serene expression as she looked towards the distant river, the direction from which it led to the main river...
"I was just thinking that, at least before I leave, I should have a few more good meals with you all..." Her tone was calm, but there was a lingering sense of melancholy.
A gust of wind blew by, and the white petals in my palm floated away with the wind. All good things must come to an end, and people who meet will eventually part ways.
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