In the kitchen, Old Zhou rushed out holding a large ladle. Seeing Li Wu pinned under the goose, which was still flapping its wings in struggle, he dashed over like the wind to rescue the child.
A crisp snap echoed, and under everyone's gaze, the goose's wings gradually stilled.
Hu Zhenghao and the others found the scene oddly familiar—Li Wu was already being cradled in someone's arms, still clutching the lifeless goose.
"Child, are you alright? Where did it peck you?"
Chef Zhou was visibly anxious. Before Li Wu could even answer, he noticed the boy stubbornly clinging to the goose, refusing to let go.
"Quite the grip you've got," Chef Zhou remarked, realizing the goose was already dead.
"Waaah—it pecked me! My butt, my arm..."
Though men seldom shed tears, the pain in his rear wasn't the worst of it—the humiliation was. Li Wu couldn't hold back his sobs.
"Shh, don't cry," Chef Zhou soothed, unused to holding such a hefty child.
"Grandpa Zhou will stew this goose for you. I'll save you a drumstick later."
"No! I wanna bite its head—teach it a lesson for pecking me!"
Li Wu's tears vanished as quickly as they’d come.
"Fine, fine."
"What happened? I could hear the child crying from afar!"
Uncle Yang pushed his cart back into the yard and immediately spotted Old Zhou holding a chubby kid, who was gripping a white goose by the neck—its limp feet dangling, clearly lifeless.
"It's nothing. This goose doesn’t recognize people. The kid got pecked a couple of times."
Yang Yufen had already hurried over.
"Pecked? Is he bleeding? Check him properly! I told you the fence was too low!"
Uncle Yang was frustrated with himself for not raising it sooner. Usually, the orchard was only frequented by adults, all busy with fieldwork. The geese rarely escaped as long as they were fed on time. Yet somehow, they’d gotten out twice when visitors came.
"Alright, let go of the goose first. Let Grandma check you."
Yang Yufen reached out to take Li Wu, but the dead goose between them made it impossible.
"Oh... Grandma, I didn’t mean to," Li Wu mumbled, finally snapping out of it and looking sheepishly at the goose he’d strangled.
Professor Wen approached, and Yang Yufen took the goose away while the professor lifted the boy’s clothes to inspect the injuries.
Old Zhou set the child down on the ground.
"Thank goodness, no broken skin—just bruising. Might be hard to sit properly for a few days."
Professor Wen sighed in relief, though her heart ached for him.
"We’ll get you an ice pop to numb it. Tomorrow, we’ll rub it with a boiled egg."
Yang Yufen examined him too.
"Grandma, wouldn’t it be better to eat the ice pop? It doesn’t even hurt that much..."
The little glutton’s remark earned him a light smack on the back from Yang Yufen.
"Always thinking about food! The older you get, the more you resemble your father as a child—forgetting the pain as long as there’s a treat. ‘Where there’s milk, there’s a mother.’ Don’t go getting yourself tricked by strangers offering snacks!"
Yang Yufen scolded half-heartedly.
Shen Xianjun had been a well-behaved child, except for his bottomless stomach. Back then, even basic necessities were scarce, and with Shen Xianjun being sickly, his diet required extra care.
Yang Yufen was strict, but Shen Xianjun’s grandmother would secretly bribe him with treats to win his favor. What did a child understand? Every time he fell ill, it was Yang Yufen who stayed up night after night caring for him.
Shen Xianjun only remembered being forced to drink bitter medicine by his mother, forbidden from eating this or that—only his grandmother was kind, always sneaking him tasty treats. He had completely forgotten why he had fallen ill in the first place.
"I'll buy you two popsicles. If they melt, you can just drink them like sweet water."
Though her words sounded stern, Yang Yufen quickly softened, doting on the child again.
Li Wu, hearing he would get two popsicles, barely registered anything else his grandmother said and nodded eagerly in excitement.
"These two, father and son, really have a history with that big white goose. Last time it escaped, it was caught by Xianjun, who just tossed it back. But this time, when the kid came around, the goose met its end. It’s just as well—if it had pecked the child again, it wouldn’t have been a small matter. I’ll put the melon in water and go find something to raise the fence higher."
As Uncle Yang spoke, Li Wu and the others grew curious about where the other geese were kept.
"Can we go see the other geese?"
"Does that mean your pain’s gone?"
Yang Yufen looked at her grandson with amused exasperation.
Li Wu touched his bottom—it still hurt, but he could walk.
"Grandma needs time to buy the popsicles anyway. I just want to look."
"Aren’t you scared?"
Professor Wen couldn’t help asking.
"No!"
Qian Jiabao, who had been hiding at the back, spoke up. She had seen clearly now—all you had to do was grab the goose by the neck. Qingqing was so sweet, immediately shielding her. But this younger brother, Li Wu, was a bit reckless!
Miaomiao was a little afraid, but with her sister Yaoyao there, along with so many other older kids, she felt less scared.
Children’s memories are short. When they saw the big white geese floating on the pond, they only marveled at how pretty they were, forgetting their earlier fright.
Uncle Yang, worried the kids might be traumatized, deliberately herded the geese into the pond and even led the children to collect goose eggs.
"Wow, these eggs are huge—bigger than my fist!"
Li Wu held up his fist to compare with a goose egg, and the little girls all made fists to measure too.
"Uncle Yang, those lotus flowers are so beautiful."
Yaoyao pointed at the blooming lotuses in one corner of the pond.
"Aren’t they? Later, I’ll get a hook and pick a few for you. The rest can stay until they turn into seed pods, and then I’ll pick them for you to eat the lotus seeds. Fresh lotus seeds are crisp and sweet."
Yang Yufen rode her bike to buy a whole box of popsicles, and by lunchtime, everyone was enjoying one.
"This place is so nice. I wish we could play in the water."
Qian Jiabao gazed longingly at the river nearby.
"Our teacher said we’re not allowed to play by the river or go swimming during vacation," Qingqing reminded her sternly.
"I know, I know! I was just thinking about it," Qian Jiabao quickly clarified.
On their first day at the orchard, aside from Li Wu getting pecked twice by the goose, everyone had a wonderful time. The goose was stewed that evening, and Li Wu not only got a drumstick but also the satisfaction of seeing the culprit that had pecked him end up in his bowl.
After the goose feast, they had chilled watermelon, soaked in cold water. Sitting in the spacious courtyard, the children gathered around the table, helping themselves to slices of watermelon while the adults relaxed on benches under the eaves, watching them play.
Old Zhou and Uncle Yang were surrounded by the kids—one for his delicious cooking, the other for being the grandpa they’d grown closest to since arriving.
"Don’t let Uncle Yang’s one eye fool you—he was the best sniper in our company. He could judge a target’s distance with just his thumb."
Chef Zhou regaled the children with tales of the past, recounting the old stories from his experiences. The little ones listened with rapt attention, their eyes brimming with admiration.
