In the past, Jiang Yunshu wasn’t very sharp and rarely went out, so she didn’t recognize most of the children in the village.
“Xiao Bao, we finally found you!”
Just as the child in front of her couldn’t be comforted, two other little ones came running across the fields like tiny cannonballs.
Seeing someone approach, Xiao Bao cried even louder.
Tears streamed down his face like beans spilling out.
Jiang Yunshu wiped his tears dry. Looking at the two fair, chubby little kids, she picked up the coat from the ground and draped it over Xiao Bao.
“Thank you, big sister. This is my younger brother. He’s usually timid—he must have been frightened today.”
It was the little girl speaking. She had round, almond-shaped eyes.
Whether from anger or running too fast, her face was flushed red, and her little braids bounced as she moved.
Da Bao gently patted Xiao Bao’s back, his voice still childish and soft.
“Don’t be afraid, Xiao Bao. Big brother will protect you.”
But Xiao Bao kept crying, his gaze fixed toward the pond.
Er Bao held his hand and lowered her head to wipe his tears.
“They bullied you again, didn’t they? I’ll go teach them a lesson!”
She was fuming, her two braids swishing across her cheeks.
Jiang Yunshu held her small hand.
“Little one, you can’t beat them by yourself.”
Er Bao’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Even so, I won’t let them bully my brother! They always throw his things far away and make him pick them up. Today, my brother and I weren’t paying attention, and they did it again. I won’t let them get away with it!”
Looking at the three children who resembled each other, Jiang Yunshu quickly realized—they were triplets.
That was quite unusual. She had never heard of anyone in the village having triplets.
Da Bao, slightly taller, was clearly the eldest.
He held Xiao Bao’s hand and patiently comforted him.
But Xiao Bao seemed troubled, crying nonstop without speaking.
Jiang Yunshu followed his gaze.
The little boy was still staring at the pond—had he lost something important?
She crouched down and wiped the water droplets from his hair.
Recalling how he hadn’t cried for help even while choking on water earlier, she softened her tone.
“Little one, if someone bullies you again, you should ask others for help. The more you endure it, the more they’ll think you’re easy to bully.”
Da Bao lowered his head, looking somewhat guilty. His voice was quiet.
“Big sister… my little brother… he can’t speak.”
Jiang Yunshu was slightly surprised. He couldn’t talk?
No wonder—even when his life was in danger, he hadn’t made a sound.
Though they had only just met, she felt a surge of sympathy.
No wonder those naughty kids bullied him so much.
Someone who couldn’t speak couldn’t complain to his parents or express his pain.
Jiang Yunshu pointed toward the spot in the pond where she had pulled Xiao Bao out. Xiao Bao nodded.
She patted his head.
“Just call me Auntie. Don’t worry—I’ll get your things back. Wait for me.”
With that, Jiang Yunshu turned and jumped into the pond, sending ripples across the surface.
Seeing her dive in without hesitation, Xiao Bao forgot to cry.
Er Bao stood at the edge, anxiously staring at the water.
“Pretty Auntie, it’s dangerous down there! Please come back up!”
Da Bao held his brother’s hand with one hand and his sister’s with the other, equally nervous as they watched the pond.
They had heard that several people had drowned in this pond before.
If something happened to her while trying to help them, what would they do?
Jiang Yunshu didn’t respond from the water.
The three little ones stood there, staring at the surface in unison.
Lotuses bloomed in the pond, and water plants, along with other debris, obscured the view.
Jiang Yunshu pushed aside the weeds and spotted a white bag.
She picked it up—it felt heavy, though she didn’t know what was inside.
She tucked it away and surfaced.
The siblings immediately noticed the movement and looked over.
“Pretty Auntie, are you okay?”
Jiang Yunshu brushed her hair back with one hand and held up the bag.
“Little one, is this what you lost?”
Xiao Bao had been worried about her safety, but she moved like a beautiful fish spirit—
the water seemed unable to harm her at all.
His clenched fists slowly relaxed.
He shook his head. This wasn’t his.
Jiang Yunshu put the bag aside and reassured him,
“I understand. I’ll find your things. Don’t worry about me.”
Then she dove back into the water.
Now that they knew she was a strong swimmer, the three children weren’t as anxious.
In the pond, lotus flowers occasionally swayed with the current.
Jiang Yunshu found a silver bracelet among the weeds. It was finely crafted—clearly valuable.
It was probably what Xiao Bao had lost.
Fish swam around her as she moved, bubbles trailing above her head.
When she surfaced again, she shook the bracelet in her hand.
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
Xiao Bao looked guilty, lowering his head in frustration, unable to express himself.
Jiang Yunshu immediately understood—this wasn’t it either.
Er Bao gently hugged her brother.
“Xiao Bao, do we have something like what you lost? If we do, you can point it out to Pretty Auntie.”
That reminded Xiao Bao. His tear-filled eyes lit up.
He timidly raised his head and pointed at the longevity lock hanging around Er Bao’s neck.
It was a jade pendant. Jiang Yunshu couldn’t clearly see its quality underwater,
but such locks were usually gifts from elders to children—no wonder Xiao Bao valued it so much.
Da Bao immediately understood. He removed the pendant from his own neck and showed it to Jiang Yunshu.
“Pretty Auntie, it’s this necklace. Our dad gave these longevity locks to us when we were little. All three of us have identical ones.”
Now that she knew what to look for, Jiang Yunshu had a direction.
She returned to the pond, fish circling around her.
There were many things in the pond. To find a single pendant, she could only search area by area.
Xiao Bao had fallen in this direction—those naughty kids probably threw it nearby.
Jiang Yunshu took a deep breath. In the water, she felt no resistance;
the ripples seemed to support her movements.
Even though it was nearly autumn, she felt no chill from the water.
The three little ones watched nervously.
Under the sunlight, a ripple suddenly formed near the lotus flowers.
Da Bao’s eyes lit up.
“Auntie’s coming!”
Jiang Yunshu surfaced. With one hand brushing her hair aside, she raised her arm.
“Is it this one?”
Under the sunlight, the warm jade pendant gleamed brilliantly.
Her hair was haloed by light, making her look like a mermaid who could grant wishes.
Xiao Bao stared, completely entranced. He finally stopped sobbing and nodded vigorously.
Only then did Jiang Yunshu swim back to shore.
She crouched down to meet his gaze and handed him the jade pendant.
“Things given by your family should be kept safe. And if someone bullies you again, you need to learn to fight back.”