The GORGEOUS Mermaid Who Lands in the Eighties: Nine Brothers and Endless Pampering! - Chapter 9

Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe exchanged glances. Neither of them had a problem with the idea.
Having both families cramped into one place was truly a tight squeeze.
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe were twin brothers who had been inseparable since childhood. Back in their grandfather’s day, life had been unimaginably tough—there were even famines. After having the two boys, Grandma Yun’s health had suffered, and she couldn’t carry any more children.
So, the two brothers had grown up playing together. Even after splitting the family, their plan was just to build their homes side-by-side. As long as their hearts were connected, family separation didn’t really mean being apart.
“Dad, we’re fine with it,” the two brothers chorused.
Yun Xiaowu’s eyes were sparkling: “So, does this mean we’ll get a big house soon with our own rooms? Jiao Jiao, you’re sharing with me then!”
Yun Xiaoliu immediately protested: “Why you?! I want to sleep with Jiao Jiao, too.”
His little sister was soft, smelled sweet, and somehow never attracted mosquitoes—sleeping right next to her was the best.
Yun Xiaojiu tugged Yun Jiao’s small hand: “Xiao Jiu wants to be with little sister, too.”
Yun Xiaoqi and Yun Xiaoba put their hands on their hips: “Hey! We already agreed Jiao Jiao sleeps with us next week! Fifth Brother, don’t be so bossy. She belongs to us all!”
Yun Jiao: “…”
Sometimes, having too many big brothers was definitely a burden.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough! We’re talking business, now quieten down, a lot of you!”
Under the patriarch’s stern glare, the little rascals instantly fell silent, though their eyes were still shooting daggers at each other, none of them willing to back down.
“If we want a new house, everyone has to pull their weight. We need to work as a team. From now on, you boys stop running off to play so much. Go with your mothers and scour the beach more often. Even if you don’t find anything worth selling, bringing back a pile of clams or oysters will save us a bit on groceries.”
“We understand, Grandpa.”
Once the talks about the boat and the house were wrapped up, the Yun family’s two eldest sons, Yun Chendong and Yun Chenxi, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke.
“Grandad, Dad, Mum, I want to join the army.”
“We looked into it. We just need to register in the county town, and as long as we pass the physical, we’re in.”
As he talked about joining up, Eldest Brother Yun’s eyes glowed with conviction, and the other Yun boys’ eyes widened too. Joining the army was a great source of pride in that era.
Everyone looked toward the family head, Old Man Yun Mu.
The old man asked, “You’ve checked all the details?”
Eldest Brother Yun Chendong nodded: “Yes, we’ve found out what’s what. Both my second brother and I plan to take the test.”
Yun Chenxi, standing next to him, flashed a brilliant, white smile: “Yeah, I want a shot at it, too.”
Though they were twins, they didn’t look alike. The eldest resembled Yun Linhai more, while the second took after Shen Yunlian, with a slightly more gentle appearance.
“It’s just… the family,” Eldest Brother added, a note of worry entering his voice.
Their only concern was that if they left, the family would be short of working hands.
Yun Linhai clapped his two sons on the shoulder. “Worry about the family? Don’t be silly! Joining the army is brilliant—a huge honor for the family. Your uncle and I are here to cover things.”
The old man chimed in: “And I’m not so old I can’t still put in a decent day’s work!”
Clearly, the entire family wholeheartedly supported the eldest and second son’s decision to enlist.
Yun Chendong and Yun Chenxi had already researched what the medical checks involved. The day they were due to head to the county town, they set off early for the township. Since the adults were a bit nervous, Father Yun decided to go with them in the end.
Yun Jiao, too, desperately wanted to visit the county town. She clutched her dad: “Daddy, go.”
“Brothers, go.”
She didn’t need to try and look pitiful; her beautiful, innocent face, with her small eyebrows slightly drooping, made her look inherently miserable anyway. Her large, bright, dark eyes looked up at them, practically begging.
Unsurprisingly, Father Yun and the two brothers immediately caved.
“Alright, then! Daddy will take you for a look around the county town!” Yun Linhai scooped his daughter up at once.
The father and sons packed up, said their goodbyes to the family, and set off. The other lads at home tried to kick up a fuss to follow, but aside from getting a couple of light smacks, they didn’t manage to melt their parents’ hearts.
They hitched a ride on the village tractor to the township, and then walked the rest of the way to the recruitment office. Family members couldn’t go inside for the physical assessment itself.
“So many people!”
Clutching her dad’s neck, Yun Jiao peered around with wide, curious eyes.
Little did she know, many people there were also staring at her. A delicate, bright, and snow-white little girl like her was virtually unseen in the entire county. Even in the county town, the coastal location meant the sun was brutal, and most people had dark, tanned skin. A girl who was so pale she seemed to glow, looking like a little porcelain doll, was naturally going to draw a crowd.
“That child is truly stunning,” a person nearby struck up a conversation with Father Yun.
Father Yun puffed out his chest with pride: “Of course she is! She’s my daughter. You couldn’t find a girl as gorgeous as my lass for miles around.”
“How do you manage it? What does she eat to keep her skin so fair?”
“My girl’s skin is just like that naturally. She doesn’t tan. She’s often running around with her brothers on the beach, but while my boys get tanned like charcoal, she just gets fairer. She’s always been like this, ever since she was a baby.”
Everyone else could only look on with envy. Father Yun certainly didn’t hold back when it came to praising his daughter.
Yun Jiao wasn’t fazed, letting people look at her openly. She continued to look around at the people with her big, curious eyes. Most people were looking at her kindly.
After dropping the two sons off for their medicals, Father Yun knew they would be a while, so he took his daughter to look around.
“Come on, lass, let’s go and get some meat buns.”
They couldn’t afford a meal in a restaurant, but they could definitely afford meat buns.
“Boss, two pork buns, please.”
The buns here came in both pork and fish, but people living by the sea were sick of fish, so the pork ones tasted much better.
Yun Jiao took the hot bun from her father’s hand. Her mouth was small, and she had to take a couple of bites before she reached the meat filling.
Father Yun was still buying steamed bread and more buns. His two sons would be starving when they came out, and he needed to take some food home for the family, too. He felt a genuine pang of pain spending that money—fifty pence for a single meat bun! But they were huge, practically the size of Yun Jiao’s face.
He was currently trying to haggle with the boss. Yun Jiao stood beside him, exceptionally quiet and well-behaved, her snow-white skin almost blinding.
Suddenly, she felt someone’s eyes fixed on her. Following the gaze, she spotted an old woman. Specifically, the woman was staring intently at the bun in Yun Jiao’s hand.
Yun Jiao tilted her head to look at her. “Would you like some?”
The old woman patted her clothes pocket, looking slightly embarrassed as she said, “I don’t have any money.”
Yun Jiao thought for a second, broke her bun in half, and handed the woman a piece.
“My treat.”
The elderly woman smiled sweetly as she accepted it: “Thank you, my good girl.”
Yun Jiao took a big bite of the meat bun, and it was so delicious that her eyes squeezed shut. So tasty!
“Come over here, my dear, I have something pretty for you.”
The old woman pulled two red hair ties from her pocket. The ties had faded slightly, having been stored for who knows how long, but they looked very clean and well-kept.
Father Yun finally noticed the woman and, feeling a bit cautious, pulled Yun Jiao behind him.
“Who are you?”