Chapter 130: Stealing a Moment of Leisure Amidst the Toil

Seeing that the atmosphere had become lively once more, Du Yun stopped paying attention to the chatter and turned her gaze toward the scenery in the distance.

The Lotus River was not a broad, clear expanse of water, but rather a vast wetland. Great swathes of reeds and lotus flowers grew from the surface, their lush, vibrant green hues lending a sense of vitality to the entire river. Du Yun watched the distant lotus blossoms, their pink petals swaying in the breeze like the skirts of graceful young maidens. Simply looking at them was enough to lift her spirits. Inhaling the damp, slightly briny air and listening to the rhythmic lapping of the water, she felt her heart gradually grow tranquil.

Ever since she had transmigrated into this world, Du Yun had rarely enjoyed such relaxation. At first, it was the struggle to earn money, and later, the desperate fight for survival; she had been pushing herself relentlessly, never finding a moment to rest. At her worst, she had gone days and nights without a single hot meal. Now that she had finally let her guard down, she felt as though her very bones were softening. She reached out with a slender arm, letting her hand trail in the water. The clear, cool stream flowed through her fingertips, prompting her to playfully splash a spray of droplets into the air.

"Giggle," Du Yun couldn't help but laugh softly, feeling like an innocent child.

"Sister, sister, is it fun?" Seeing how happy Du Yun was, Du Yin couldn't resist leaning over to join her.

"Be careful now, you're still young. It would be terrible if you accidentally fell in!" their mother said softly, watching her second daughter play while her youngest son and daughter looked on with envy. Playing was fine, but she worried about the danger.

"It’s alright, Mother, I’m holding her." In high spirits, Du Yun pulled Du Yin into her lap. The two sisters sat side by side at the edge of the small boat, trailing their hands in the water and filling the air with laughter that rang out like silver bells.

"Slow down, don't get your clothes wet," their mother said with a helpless smile, offering only a brief word of caution before letting them be.

As they played, the sound of flapping wings suddenly echoed from afar. Following the noise, they saw a snow-white water bird beating its wings as it took flight toward the horizon.

"Wow, a bird!" Du Yin’s face flushed with delight as she clapped her small hands, overjoyed.

"That is an egret. The one from the poem, 'Two orioles sing in the green willows, a line of egrets ascends to the blue sky,'" Du Bo chimed in, unable to resist showing off his literary knowledge.

"Oh my, Du Bo is quite something, reciting poetry already!" Du Yun teased, looking at her younger brother’s serious, pint-sized expression.

"Sister..." Du Bo blushed, but the corners of his mouth curled upward; he was clearly pleased by his sister’s attention.

The two women sitting at the bow of the boat exchanged glances of surprise and envy upon hearing the boy recite. It seemed that a bright, scholarly child was cherished and admired by parents everywhere.

"Our Du Bo is a studious boy. Can you think of any other poems that fit this scenery?" Du Yun asked with a smile, intentionally giving him a chance to showcase his learning. She truly wanted to gauge his progress, but it was also part of a broader strategy: she was here to inspect the character of the Tang family, and they were surely doing the same to her family. Since they were sharing a boat, she wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

"Hmm..." Du Bo surveyed the surroundings—the reeds, the lotus flowers, and the sparkling, rippling lake. Verses he had learned began to tumble out one after another. Line after line, he infused the boat with a scholarly air reminiscent of the Wei and Jin periods.

"That child is truly gifted!" the two women at the bow whispered to each other, their gazes fixed on Du Bo with such intensity that they looked as though they might try to whisk him away to be their own son.

"Heh, that’s a fine lad!" the second uncle of the Tang family also looked on with envy. He thought to himself that if his own children were as sharp, they would surely be able to go to the city in the future instead of staying here in the countryside to pole boats like him.

Before long, they reached the spot where the two women were to disembark. After they left, Uncle Tang steered the boat toward the home of Du Yun’s grandmother. With only relatives remaining on board, the atmosphere grew even more relaxed.

Du Yun leaned back against the gunwale, her eyes half-closed as she swayed with the movement of the boat. She trailed her fingers in the water, feeling finger-length fish dart between them, which gave her an idea. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she slowly expanded her mental perception. It enveloped the surrounding water, bringing every blade of grass and every reed into her mind as if everything were under her absolute control.

A large fish, startled by the boat, gave a sudden flick of its tail, seemingly intending to flee into deeper water. In the next instant, it vanished—and a "Fresh Fish x1" appeared in Du Yun’s storage inventory.

"I didn't expect that to work," she thought with a secret thrill, becoming even more immersed in her mental world. In her eyes, a realm constructed of psychic energy unfolded. Every subtle ripple in the water was rendered with precision, a sensation akin to having dived into the water herself.

Large fish swimming in the depths, schools of tiny shrimp near the surface, snails crawling on reed leaves, and the sprawling growth of water caltrops and duckweed—a marvelous and dazzling new world opened up to her.

Subconsciously, she began to gather the edible items she observed: the large fish, the water caltrops, the clusters of small river shrimp. Although she hadn't caught them with her own hands, the sense of accomplishment was immense. Seeing the count of fresh fish in her inventory climb past ten, she decided that was enough for now and turned her attention back to the scenery with a satisfied smile.

A breeze swept over the water, and Du Yun closed her eyes, enjoying the cool air on her face. In the distance, she could already hear the laughter of children on the riverbank. She knew they were nearing her grandmother’s house, and her mind shifted back to a state of alertness. There was still much to learn about the Tang family, and she would need to be observant.