My Daoist Life Chapter 63

After the exams were finished, the weather suddenly changed. The sky turned light yellow, and a light could be seen emerging from the horizon. Grandpa said that this was obviously the light reflecting from the snow. It's going to snow. Snowfall would always make the children of our age very happy.

In the afternoon, the snowflakes were rising and floating around in the sky. I took along Old Yellow to the field. A lot of radishes had been planted this year. This meant that I didn't have to pull out the ragweed, but I still needed to pull out the radishes before the snowfall comes and covers them. If I am unable to retrieve the radish before the snow, then I would have to dig up the snow every day and pick out the radishes one by one.

Huang Shulang and Ma Jindong came puffing and panting.

"Master, it's going to snow." Huang Shulang said excitedly.

"Master, where are you going?" Ma Jindong asked.

"I am going to pull out the radishes. After the snowfall, everything will be frozen." I didn't stop walking as I spoke. Every time I spoke, a white mist came out from my mouth.

"We'll also come." Ma Jindong this time grabbed the initiative, letting Huang Shulang give a cold glare to Ma Jindong.

Li Lijuan also came running over while wearing thick clothing, "Why didn't you tell me that you two were going to meet Master? I know that Master is going to be pulling out radishes. When I went home, my Grandparents had already pulled out the radishes and cut some cabbages. I also cut a lot of cabbages. Master do you have cabbages in your home? I will send some cabbages to your home."

"I have some, which reminds me, I will also have to cut cabbages later." Only now I discovered that a girl's heart is softer compared to a boy.

"Master, my father also asked me to deliver ten catties of meat to your home." Huang Shulang immediately said somewhat unwillingly.

Ma Jindong also said: "My parents will be slaughtering sheep tomorrow, I will bring some mutton to Master."

Li Lijuan's eyes reddened.

I immediately kicked both Huang Shulang and Ma Jindong: "Do you take your Master to be a beggar? What stuff will you deliver? Shut up with all this nonsense and quickly help me pull radish. If you again feel like starting with this nonsense, then you had better get lost immediately."

Black bean was happily running in the snow with his three wives. Huang Shulang's Black Tiger and Ma Jindong's Leo upon seeing Black Bean had the same reaction as a rat has upon seeing a cat. [TLNote: Black Tiger and Leo are the pups raised by Huang Shulang and Ma Jindong respectively]

Upon seeing me scold Huang Shulang and Ma Jindong, Li Lijuan's mood brightened: "Master, I have learned how to knit a sweater. I will give you one. The sweater will give your warmth."

"No need, I don't fear the cold. I wouldn't wear your sweater." I said.

"Then I will knit one for Grandpa Er." Li Lijuan was an obstinate girl. [TLNote: I don't know why it took me this long to think that instead of Second Grandpa, it might be Grandpa Er…my apologies]

I didn't object to her knitting a sweater for Grandpa. Grandpa was old, and this winter was cold. If he were to wear a sweater, it would naturally keep him nice and warm.

Seeing that I didn't object, Li Lijuan's face broke out into a smile.

Huang Shulang has a fearsome mouth, but when it came to action, he was no match for Li Lijuan. He had always been lazy at home and never did these kinds of things, unlike Li Lijuan. The children in poor households had to learn housework at an early age. Ever since Li Lijuan was small, she had started helping out her grandparents with all kinds of housework.

Unexpectedly, Ma Jindong was also doing a very good job. He was the eldest child in his family, naturally, he would mature even earlier.

I was naturally the fastest and could easily single-handedly top all three of them. We treated pulling out the radish as martial arts practice. Each and every radish was pulled out with speed as if the radishes were concealed weapons, the whole sky was covered in radishes flying about. Although it resulted in a lot of radishes falling onto the ground, our laughter never stopped. Without the adults around, we had even more freedom. We were like the Red Autumn family, flying freely in the sky.

It snowed very heavily, and by the time we reached home, the fields were already covered in white. Even our bodies were covered in the white snow. Our hair and eyebrows had turned white, and we were like four old men. Old Yellow didn't care about snow falling onto its body and it unexpectedly turned into a white ox sculpture.

However, Black Bean seemed like he was a lump of fire. Any snowflakes that fell onto his body melted immediately. His pitch-black body seemed quite conspicuous against the backdrop of the white snowy field.

"Huang Shulang, right now you truly look like Huang Shulang." I said while laughing. [TLNote: Wordplay here, the "Shulang" in the latter part of the sentence means Weasel, Huang obviously means Yellow, same as ever]

"Hehe, Master, where would you find a Huang Shulang (Weasel) fat as me?" Huang Shulang said while scratching his head. If it was somebody else who had said this, he would have resorted to force by now, but he was helpless in front of me.

"Huang Shulang (Weasels) also have fat." I said jokingly.

Ma Jindong and Li Lijian kept giggling by themselves not daring to utter a single word.

Huang Shulang said with a forced smile, "Master, stop teasing me already."

"How did you all fare in your exams?" I also didn't intend to continue wordplay with Huang Shulang.

When I brought this matter up, Huang Shulang immediately brightened up: "Master, this time I will definitely take the second rank. The exam questions were too easy this time around, I already checked. I can even guarantee hundred percent marks in Mathematics, with certainty to gain high marks in Literature and Language."

Ma Jindong also said with ample self-confidence: "Master, I finished writing this time's exam in half an hour. I spent the rest of the time checking and I went through my answers several times. I double-checked all my calculations in Mathematics, and I am certainly confident of scoring a hundred percent."

On the other hand, Li Lijian was quite modest: "I feel that my performance was not bad, but I don't know how much I will score."

Huang Shulang immediately said in a mocking tone: "Li Lijuan, we used to not work hard and were not able to beat you in terms of results, but this time we have worked hard and you will not be able to compete against us."

I couldn't help but say: "Huang Shulang, have you heard of a word called Modesty?"

"Modesty? I know it. I am very modest." Huang Shulang said while laughing mischievously.

I couldn't help but kick Huang Shulang into the gra.s.s on the side of the road. The gra.s.s had been covered with a layer of snow and even falling onto it would not ruin one's clothes and there was less likelihood of getting injured.

Ma Jindong and Li Lijuan started laughing.

All three of them stayed till the late hours in our house and when people came over to take the three back, only Huang Shulang was crying and refusing to go back. Huang Kui and his wife also couldn't manage to take away Huang Shulang. With Grandpa taking the side of Huang Shulang, Huang Kui could only give up. By now, Huang Kui had full confidence that by staying with me Huang Shulang would learn well.

Ma Jindong also had similar thoughts, but he couldn't be as courageous as Huang Shulang. Li Lijuan was a girl and so was naturally embarra.s.sed at the prospect of sleeping over at my house.

Early the next morning, when I opened my eyes, I saw that the outside world had already become white and the bright snow was spurring my eyes making it difficult to open them.

"Wow! It snowed!"

Huang Shulang who likes to stay in bed quickly put on his clothes and shoes and ran downstairs to go outside. Little brats attach much importance to leaving the first footprints on the white brocade-like cover of snow. I rushed into the yard in our house with Huang Shulang and ran into the field. The Black Bean family had already come over and started following us. Even Three Flower brought its group of piglets to run around. The piglets upon seeing white everywhere thought it was food and tried to eat it, but their stomachs never felt full.

The Red Autumn family patrolled the skies.

"Jiu!" Red Autumn seems to have discovered a prey.

"Let's go! Red Autumn has found prey!" Huang Shulang and I chased after it.

Black Bean ran even faster than us and rushed along his three mistresses to the place where Red Autumn was screeching.