Sky Curtain: My Happy Daily Life Exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 61 Catching Tadpoles in the River

Little Sizi squatted by the stove, her short hands adding firewood bit by bit. The firelight made her rosy cheeks look like a ripe apple.

Grandpa stuffed a thick piece of firewood into the stove, and the flames leaped up. Little Sizi shrank back in fright, but then leaned closer, wrinkling her little nose to smell the smoke and fire, and said in a clear voice, "Grandpa, the fire is like a little sun!"

Grandpa chuckled and playfully pinched her little nose: "Our little Sizi is a lucky star; even the fire burns brightly with her!"

Just then, there was a knock at the door in the yard. Grandma wiped her hands and went to open it. There stood Grandma Wang, the neighbor, holding a basket of freshly picked toon sprouts, her voice booming: "Sister-in-law, I heard you have a little guest? These toon sprouts are just sprouting, very tender. Make some tofu for the child!"

"Oh, Aunt Wang, you're too kind! Please come in and sit down!"

Grandma ushered them into the house, and Grandma Wang immediately spotted Little Sizi by the stove. Her eyes lit up: "This must be Chenchen's Little Sizi! He's so handsome! Just like a doll in a New Year's painting!"

Little Sizi smiled politely, her big eyes crinkling, and said in a clear, sweet voice, "Hello, Grandma!"

"Oh, what a sweet little thing!" Grandma Wang smiled, took a piece of milk candy from her pocket, and stuffed it into Xiao Sizi's hand. "Here, this is candy from Grandma, it smells so good!"

Little Sizi clutched the candy, looked at her grandfather, and he nodded, saying, "Thank you, Grandma Wang." Only then did she look up at him and say, "Thank you, Grandma!"

Grandma Wang had only been sitting for a short while when several more neighbors arrived after hearing the news—Grandpa Zhang carried a string of his own cured salted meat, Aunt Li brought a plate of freshly steamed glutinous rice cakes, and even Little Maodou from next door, who had just started elementary school, brought a glass jar filled with his collected colorful glass marbles, which he insisted on giving to "Little Sizi."

The courtyard suddenly became lively. Little Sizi was surrounded in the middle, clutching candy in her hand and holding a glass marble in her arms. Her eyes were wide open, and she smiled at everyone she saw.

My mother smiled and thanked the neighbors, saying, "Thank you all so much. You always go to so much trouble to come."

"What are you saying!" Grandpa Zhang waved his hand. "Your little Sisi is so adorable, we're happy to help! Besides, life's good now, we have everything we need, we just want some fun!"

Just then, Grandma came out of the kitchen carrying a small bowl of wild vegetables and tofu, and the aroma instantly filled the yard.

Grandma Wang sniffed and exclaimed in surprise, "Sister-in-law, what are you making? It smells so good!"

"Wild vegetable tofu!" Grandma smiled as she lifted the lid, revealing steaming green and white tofu. "It's made with freshly ground soy milk, shepherd's purse, and bitter greens. You should try some!"

The neighbors all picked up their spoons and took a bite, their eyes immediately lighting up: "My goodness! This is amazing! The aroma of beans mixed with the refreshing taste of wild vegetables, it's even better than meat!"

Little Sizi held his small bowl, scooped up a big spoonful, and brought it to Grandma Wang's lips: "Grandma! Good, Grandma!"

Grandma Wang smiled, opened her mouth to catch it, and nodded repeatedly, "Mmm! So delicious! Our little Sizi is so good!"

Under the vast sky, the people of Wanchao stared in astonishment. "The neighborly relations in this later era are too good! Even a casual guest receives a gift from the neighbors!"

"That wild vegetable and tofu dish looks delicious! I want to try it too!"

"And those glutinous rice cakes, salted meat—how come their lives are so prosperous!"

Zhu Yuanzhang craned his neck to the sky, exclaiming, "Look at this! In later generations, every family's ordinary meal is more lively than our New Year's celebration! They can eat whatever they want! I wish my Ming Dynasty could be like that!"

"Chongba, that's a thousand years from now, we can't compare. We've done a great service by pulling the people out of the war. Good days will come slowly." Empress Ma patted him gently.

"Sister, you understand me best!" Zhu Yuanzhang felt a warmth in his heart.

Qin Shi Huang stared silently at the sky, his heart churning with turmoil: "I thought I was destined to rule for ten thousand generations, but it seems I overestimated myself. The abundant daily life of later generations is equivalent to a month's worth of food for the people of Qin. My burden is heavy!"

"My people eat so poorly, yet they still have to toil to build the Great Wall. Future generations will be rich and leisurely, having to do nothing. It seems that building the Great Wall will have to be done slowly. The people are suffering."

Liu Che's eyes shone brightly, and his youthful spirit was high: "This is a true golden age! If the people are not prosperous and happy, it cannot be called a golden age."

Looking at the bustling courtyard in the sky, Li Shimin sighed softly, "When will my Chang'an see such harmonious neighbors and prosperous people?"

Empress Zhangsun held his hand and said softly, "Your Majesty, the sky shows the scenery of the future, and it is also the direction of our dynasty."

As long as Your Majesty cares for the people and works diligently to govern, Chang'an will one day be as prosperous as Lujia Village.

Li Shimin nodded, his gaze hardening: "I will certainly do my best."

After the villagers left, my uncle and aunt returned. My aunt rode an electric bike with my cousin Li Han sitting on it.

"Little sister! I'm back!" My cousin waved from afar, standing on the front pedal of his bicycle.

My aunt has a pretty face and a smile that's as beautiful as a flower.

"Little Sizi! Auntie just saw you, you're so cute!" Auntie stopped the car, bent down with a smile, and touched Little Sizi's hand.

"Alright, you guys go inside and have some fun. I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back." Uncle rode off on his bike.

Lu Chen looked and saw that his uncle had gone to buy drinks.

"Li Sheng, come back! We have everything at home! You bought the drinks. We even have ice cream!" Grandma called out quickly.

"Oh! That saves me trouble!" The uncle turned around and pulled Xiao Sizi into the house to wash her hands.

In the kitchen, Grandma and Mom had already put all the dishes on the table: a tender braised pork knuckle glistening with oil, golden and crispy eggplant slices, braised pork belly that was fatty but not greasy, and freshly mixed toon and tofu and vinegar meatballs. The table was full of food, and the aroma was irresistible.

My aunt brought over bowls and chopsticks.

Lu Chen and his uncle set up the table, got drinks, and also his grandfather's wine.

Let's eat!

Xiao Sizi and Li Han sat on either side of their grandfather, the two little ones incredibly excited.

"Oh my! This is the first time our little Sisi is eating at Grandma's house! Eat more, my little darling!" Grandma exclaimed with emotion.

"Mmm. Thank you, Grandma! I'll have porridge again!" Little Sizi gripped the spoon tightly, ready to eat.

"Hehehe, what a well-behaved child. I wish we had a little girl like that too," Auntie said to Uncle with a smile.

"I hope so. Come on, Sizi, have a big piece of meat! Nothing tastes better than big pieces of meat." The uncle picked up a piece of soft, tender braised pork belly for little Sizi.

Little Sizi saw the bright red, glistening braised pork and quickly scooped it up and put it in her mouth. Her little eyes immediately narrowed: "It smells so good! So soft and tender—"

Then she scooped up a spoonful of wild vegetable tofu, her eyes immediately lighting up: "This is good too!"

Grandma smiled and picked up a piece of cabbage roll for her: "Here, try this. It's filled with vermicelli and minced meat. It's not greasy."

Little Sizi took a bite, her cheeks puffed out: "Mmm! It's good too! Everything Grandma makes is good!"

"Sizi, try the braised pork knuckle." Lu Chen picked up a trembling piece of pork knuckle.

"Hehehe, again, bro, what's this again?" Little Sizi was very curious about this strange piece of meat.

"This is meat from a pig's leg!" Lu Chen smiled.

"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed too.

"Little sister! Eat the pig's leg! It's delicious! Ouch~~" Li Han also took a bite.

"Mmm~~ Good! Bouncy!" Little Sizi tore at the pork knuckle with all her might, her mouth smeared with red broth.

"Little sister, you're a little kitten!" Li Han pointed at the little ox.

"Brother, you're the same as me!" Little Sizi pointed at his older brother.

"Hahaha···"

The family sat around the table, chatting and laughing. The neighbors in the yard hadn't left either; they brought small stools and sat by the door, talking about the interesting things happening around them, and bursts of laughter erupted from time to time.

"Li Qiu, our family has welcomed a baby girl, shouldn't we hold a ceremony? When a family welcomes a new member, shouldn't we have a celebration and invite everyone to a meal? That's the custom, isn't it? If we don't do this properly, it won't be right," Grandma advised from the side.

Mom thought about it for a moment, "That makes sense. A baby is born and needs noodles, so we should treat everyone to a meal. Otherwise, it'll look like the baby was stolen. I'll talk to Lu Cheng when we get back."

"Didn't your two aunts remind you?" Grandma said, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Maybe they didn't expect it. After all, the child just arrived, and no one was mentally prepared. They've probably never experienced anything like this before," Mom thought.

"We have to invite everyone while it's still fresh, otherwise it won't be as interesting. We're not doing this to collect money from everyone. The child is so big now, and he's never had a birthday celebration at our house before." Grandma patted Sizi's little head affectionately.

"Whose child doesn't have parties and celebrations from birth to the full moon, the 100th day, and the birthday? Our little one is so pitiful!"

"Oh, Mom, little Sizi isn't so pitiful anymore now that she's with us. Sizi, have some orange juice," the uncle interrupted his grandmother.

"Yes, not pitiful at all. Our Sizi is blessed! They eat well, dress well, and are loved!" Grandma was relieved.

Under the sky.

The people of Wanchao felt a warm feeling in their hearts when they saw this.

How lucky the little princess is to have been born into such a loving family.

No, they are two loving families.

Both my maternal grandparents' and my father's families were enveloped in love.

Everyone in the village is kind-hearted.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were relieved.

"Guanyinbi, our Sizi is so lucky!"

"The rhinoceros is blessed with good fortune; it found itself a good nest all at once."

Li Tai grew anxious: "Grandpa, Grandma, when is Sizi coming back? I really want to eat all that delicious food!"

Chang Le raised an eyebrow. "There's no use in you being anxious. Si Zi can't come back now. Besides, even if she comes back, she can't bring food, and she's not necessarily going to take you to the modern world."

"Sister! Can you please stop making me angry?!" Li Tai was almost driven mad with anger.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Since Sizi can go, perhaps everyone has a chance," Empress Zhangsun could only try to persuade the child.

On the sky.

The family enjoyed a delicious and harmonious meal together.

Little Sizi leaned against her grandmother's chest, holding half a piece of glutinous rice cake in her hand. Her eyes slowly narrowed, and a smile appeared on her lips. She seemed to understand why the wild vegetable tofu at her grandmother's house was so delicious.

Because it's filled with love.

After dinner, Lu Chen borrowed a small net from his uncle, ready to help the little ones catch fish.

My mom was very happy, carrying the packed lunch that my grandma had given her.

Beep beep beep! Lu Chen drove his car, taking his mother and Sizi to his third grandmother's house.

"Little sister!"

"Shall we go catch tadpoles?"

Two older boys were waiting for her in the yard, holding food cans.

"Brother! Let's catch tadpoles! Right now!" The little guy rushed over and hugged Lu Chen's leg as soon as he saw Lu Chen park the car, looking up at him eagerly.

"Okay, I'll take you there now!" Lu Chen said with a smile, picking her up in his arms.

"Come on, you three little guys, sit in the truck bed and don't make a fuss, or you'll fall off and smash your heads!" Lu Chen threatened.

"Um!

""

"We won't cause trouble!"

The three little ones sat cross-legged in the back of the truck.

Over here, Mom took out a bag from the basket Grandma gave her. Inside were sticky rice cakes and glutinous rice balls that Grandma had made, specially for Third Grandma.

"Oh! Why did you bring this to me? Making all this food is quite a hassle!" Third Grandma was overjoyed but embarrassed.

"My mom knows you love this, so she made some today and brought it for you to try," Mom said gently.

"Please thank your mother for me; she's gone to a lot of trouble. I have plenty of beans here; tell your mother to come and get them when she needs them." Grandma San picked up a piece of glutinous rice cake and took two big bites.

"Delicious! It has a light and refreshing flavor! I love this; it tastes like roses."

Grandma San's face lit up with joy. "Li Qiu, I've told the family that we need to give Si Zi a little celebration. Our Lu family has a new member, shouldn't we let everyone know? It's not easy for our family to have a daughter in two generations, we have to make it a big deal!"

"Third Aunt, there's no need for such a fuss. Let's just treat everyone to a meal." Mom wanted to keep things low-key.

"No way! You two don't need to worry about the firecrackers and stuff, you two brothers can handle it! We'll just hire a chef for a day! No need for any chores from our family, it'll save us a lot of trouble!"

"Okay." Mom nodded. "I'll go back and discuss it with Lu Cheng."

"What's there to discuss? It's settled then! Let's choose the 16th, which is the day after tomorrow. It's a good day. Let's prepare tomorrow and discuss with the chef what dishes to make."

"Alright, Third Aunt, you can give me your opinion tomorrow." My mother always followed Third Grandmother's lead.

"Of course, even if you didn't tell me, I would still check it out for you. I'm not comfortable with that." Third Grandma looked worried.

Here.

Lu Chen led the little ones to the clear stream at the edge of the village.

This is a river dam, built by the county in the last two years. It's a long, silvery dam stretching for several kilometers across the east end of the village.

The top of the dam is as flat and wide as a highway.

Walking on it, one side is a river, a stream, and a sandy beach, and the other side is farmland with willows swaying in the breeze. It's a truly beautiful sight.

A gentle breeze caressed my face; it was so refreshing.

This building is now a landmark of the entire village and a great place for a stroll.

Down along the riverbank, people come in droves to fish and play, and people from Lianwai Village come to sightsee and have fun.

Along the riverbank, there are also farmhouses, barbecue stalls, fishing areas, and fruit picking gardens.

People under the sky stared wide-eyed once again.

Qin Shi Huang: "Is this an ordinary village? My Great Wall is not even as good as the river embankment in this village! This is simply a giant dragon!"

Liu Che: "This place is simply paradise on earth! No village in my great Han Dynasty has ever been this perfect! It's as solid as steel! The people are even happier than the imperial family!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "My goodness! These people have rebelled! They live better than us! They have food, drink, and entertainment! What kind of logic is this?!"

Looking at the long dike, Emperor Qianlong was filled with emotion: "This is a road to heaven! I even want to walk on it! The north can be this beautiful! The Old Summer Palace should also have a dike like this!"

On the sky.

The stream babbles, its surface shimmering in the sunlight, and the aquatic plants are lush and green.

Lu Chen, with the three little ones, carefully searched among the rocks and water plants in the shallow water.

"Little sister, look! Here! There are so many little black dots!" Lu Ning excitedly pointed to a spot.

Lu Chen placed the little ox on a flat, large rock by the stream and went off on his own.

He gently parted the water plants and sure enough, he saw a group of tiny tadpoles, each the size of a sesame seed and with long, thin tails, swimming leisurely together.

"Wow! Little black fish!" Little Sizi exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the water with her tiny hand as she lay on the rock. "Wag your tail!"

"These aren't small fish, they're tadpoles." Lu Chen carefully scooped up a few with the small net he brought, put them in a small bucket, and carried them, water and all, to Xiao Sizi. "Look, they'll grow into little frogs."

Little Sizi stared wide-eyed, peering closer at the little creature swimming in the bowl, its long eyelashes almost touching the water's surface: "A little frog? Croaking?"

She puffed out her cheeks like a frog and made a childish "croak" sound, which made Lu Ping and Lu Ning on the shore laugh.

"Yes! They're the little frogs that croak." Lu Chen laughed too. "They're still babies, so they're black, and they swim in the water."

Lu Ping and Lu Ning also caught some and put them into canning jars.

Little Sizi was overjoyed to see more and more tiny black dots clustered together in the bucket. She reached her little hand into the water to touch them, but the tadpoles nimbly scattered, making her giggle.

"Guoguo, baby tadpoles, are you looking for your mother?" she suddenly asked Lu Chen, her eyes clear.

"Hmm—they're living on their own now, growing up slowly, and they'll be able to jump ashore when they turn into frogs," Lu Chen explained gently.

"Oh, he'll be able to find his mom when he grows up!"

The little ox nodded as if it understood, then stared intently at the little creatures in the water, its face filled with wonder and joy.