At the end of June, persistent rain drizzled relentlessly.
Otter Kai, sitting atop a barrel on the ridge of a field, threaded red earthworms onto an iron hook.
In the rice paddy, frogs leapt to the tips of leaves, opening their mouths wide to bathe in the rainwater, moistening their skin, and taking deep breaths. Whenever someone trampled by, it startled dozens of them into a chaotic scramble.
"Hey!"
Little Shunzi, leading Xiaokui and Wen Shiyun, leaped forward, carefully clenching his palm before pulling it forward.
With hands full of mud and bits of grass, his little fingers uncurled one by one, revealing a small, dark-brown frog, gasping heavily, nestled between his curled index fingers.
"For you!"
Little Shunzi pinched the frog's legs and stretched out his hand to offer it.
Wen Shiyun's eyes widened as she treasured this hard-won creature.
The return of the sea saints to court, upon reaching Pingyang, provided a rare opportunity for interaction.
