At that time, there were basically no sources of pollution in the countryside. The sky was clear, the river water was a deep blue, and the air was unbelievably fresh. Two cheerful children sweated as they played in the crystal-clear creek, the scenery breathtaking, like a poem or a painting. The only flaw was that the hills on both sides lacked trees, with only some low shrubs and crops. It was just a slight imperfection in an otherwise perfect scene.

Time passed little by little, and the water in the dam gradually decreased. The small fish and shrimp hiding among the water plants and stones darted about in panic. Third Brother and I exchanged a smile, both overjoyed.

Tonight, we could have a hearty meal of fried small fish!

“Aiya, Little John, what are you doing? Come up, come up right now…” Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, the shout startled the two children out of their wits.

Oh no, oh no!

There was no need to look back; just from the voice, I could tell—Mom had arrived!

Chapter 9: Radio

“Charles, what’s going on? Haven’t I told you a thousand times not to take Little John down to the river? Why won’t you listen? If something happened to Little John… what would we do?” Mom was flustered, not even bothering to take off her shoes, and jumped straight into the river, scooping me up in her arms.

A wave of sourness welled up in my heart, and I actually felt like crying.

Even in my previous life, I hadn’t seen Mom for almost a year. I was always working away from home, rarely able to be with my family.

On the riverbank, Big SisterSecond SisterThird Sister stood in a row, making funny faces at me.

Only then did I realize that Mom was still scolding Third Brother non-stop. Poor Third Brother stood in the water, blinking and holding a bucket, not daring to make a sound.

I rolled my little eyes and came up with a plan.

(Once again, let me state: after I grew up, I had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, thick brows and big eyes—a model of handsomeness. Considering I spent half my previous life as a nobody, with few people caring about me, it’s only right to indulge in a bit of narcissism now and then. Dear readers, please don’t be disgusted.)

“Mom, don’t blame Third Brother, it was me who wanted to come.”

“Little John, I’ve told you, you’re just a child, you’re not allowed to play in the water.” Mom carried me to the bank, checking me from head to toe to make sure I wasn’t hurt, then finally let out a long sigh of relief and complained.

I was experienced in dealing with Mom. I immediately reached out my little hands, threw myself into her arms, hugged her neck, and said with a smile, “Mom, you never come back to see me. I really miss you.” Mom instantly broke into a big smile, all her anger vanishing, and she showered my cheeks with kisses.

“Little John, my good boy, mommy misses you too!” I secretly laughed to myself. This trick had worked for decades—always effective.

“Mom, the water’s almost gone. Let’s catch all the fish and take them home. I want to give some to Mr. Smith; he hasn’t had fish in a long time.” This wasn’t just for show—I really meant it. Mr. Smith had it so hard. Besides, I couldn’t just tell Mom I wanted to eat meat—that would make her feel guilty. I’d already failed as a son in my previous life; could I really keep being so thoughtless after being reborn?

“Mr. Smith?” Mom was momentarily confused.

She didn’t know yet that I had become Mr. Smith’s student.

“Yes, I study with Mr. Smith every day now. That’s Mr. Smith. He’s so good to me—teaches me Chinese, math, and even English.”

“Little John is such a good boy, so sensible and filial.” Mom praised me for loving to study, but her eyes were still fixed on the dam.

“Mom, look, we’ll catch the fish soon. It would be such a pity to give up now. It would be like failing at the last step!” That was quite a sophisticated thing to say. I wasn’t trying to show off, but with my closest family, I had no reservations and just blurted it out. As soon as I said it, I regretted it a little, but luckily Mom didn’t notice.

“Aiya, look at my good boy! Just in first grade and already using idioms.” Mom smiled so much her eyes turned into slits.

I seized the opportunity: “I learned all this from Mr. Smith.”

“All right, let’s catch the fish and take them to Mr. Smith. Howard, Ethan, you two go help.” Howard is Big SisterHoward Walker.

Big Sister and Second Sister agreed and rolled up their pants to get into the river. Third Sister wanted to go too, but Mom stopped her.

“Little Emily, you’d better not go.” Third Sister was not even ten yet, and actually loved to play, but had no choice but to stand on the bank, looking on longingly.

I grinned and made faces at her.

Third Sister was so angry she turned away and ignored me.

Sigh, what’s going on here? After crossing over, not only has my body become young again, but my mindset is getting younger too. Could it be that subconsciously I’m taking advantage of being little, deliberately acting cute?

Who cares! I’m only seven anyway, at the age of being adorably young. In my previous life, it was trendy to act young—rumor had it that female college students in Shanghai were so “young” they drank water from baby bottles. Compared to that, my behavior is nothing.

With Big Sister and Second Sister joining the fray, things moved even faster. In less than half an hour, the little dam was almost dry, and all the fish, shrimp, loaches, and crabs were caught—none escaped. Although we didn’t weigh them, judging by the look of it, there must have been about two jin. Especially one extra-large yellow eel, like a little water snake, probably weighed three or four liang.