The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

Deep within the reeds on the shallow riverbank, soft, delicate chirping sounds rang out incessantly.

Wearing rain boots, the village chief tiptoed into the soft, muddy ground, and, in the dim light of day, parted the clumps of cattail stalks.

Seven or eight plump ducklings covered in light yellow and grayish-brown soft down huddled together under the egg-keeper's belly for warmth. The egg-keeper wrapped its wings around them and responded with soft, low quacking.

If you listen closely, you can hear a few clear, melodious chirping sounds amidst the chirping.

The village chief's eyes lit up; it sounded like the cry of a gosling!

"Guard the egg, I'll turn on my flashlight, there will be some light, don't be afraid."

The village chief covered the tip of the flashlight, and with a snap, a few rays of light squeezed out from between his fingers.

The egg-guarding creature squinted at the sudden light and shifted its body slightly.

A small white gosling, covered in thick, creamy-white down, with a round head and a size larger than a duckling, peeked out from behind the egg-guarding gosling. Its short, wide, orange-red beak was slightly open, uttering clear, intermittent quacking.

The village chief turned off his flashlight, his face beaming with undisguised joy. He took a few blades of grass from the egg-guarding nest and slowly retreated from the dense thicket of cattails.

After retreating a full ten steps, the village chief's previously cautious steps became much lighter, and his eyes were full of undisguised smiles.

Now we can take this brood of wild ducklings and goslings back to the village and settle them in.

The village chief walked faster and faster.

As dawn broke, a small fire was already burning in Granny Liu's courtyard. Ji Chuntao and Zhao Hu squatted by the stove adding firewood, and wisps of smoke drifted away with the mountain breeze.

Grandma Liu squatted by the fence in the yard, rinsing her mouth with a gurgling sound. The wooden door of the small mud house was ajar.

"Village chief, why are you in such a hurry? What happened?" Granny Liu spat out the foam in her mouth and glanced at the small bamboo basket that the village chief was carrying. It was covered with coarse burlap, so she couldn't tell what was inside.

The village chief lowered his voice: "I went to patrol the river just now, and the whole brood of ducklings that were guarding the eggs has hatched. There are seven or eight ducklings, and the goose egg has also hatched. It must have hatched last night, and its feathers are all soft and fluffy now! I plan to bring the guarding egg and the brood of little ones back to the village together."

Grandma Liu was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! My little girl has been talking about the ducklings and goslings these past few days!"

"Of course, I thought she would be happy to see something new, so I came over specifically to call her."

"Wait a moment, I'll go call her." Grandma Liu put the cup back on the shelf in the yard and quietly pushed open the door.

The quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed) bulged out in a small bulge, revealing only a tuft of messy hair.

"Darling, your village chief grandpa said that all the ducklings on the riverbank have hatched, and the goslings have also hatched. He plans to go and bring the family guarding the eggs back, and he's asking if you want to come along..."

The words had barely left her lips when the little girl, who had been half-asleep, suddenly sat bolt upright: "Go!"

Ya Ya's eyes weren't fully open yet. She reached out and grabbed the clothes next to her and put them on. "Oh dear, you can't wear this. This is an apron that Chun Tao made for your aunt."

Grandma Liu quickly took off the apron with the red mushroom print on it.

The morning dew was heavy in the mountains, and the wind carried a chill.

Grandma Liu picked up the rainbow sweater and put it on Ya Ya, then wrapped the pale yellow cotton-padded jacket around Ya Ya's thin body, and found the rain boots to put on her.

Only then did they lead the dazed Ya Ya outside.

A mountain breeze blew in her face, instantly dispelling the drowsiness that had been clouding her eyes. Ya Ya shivered, rubbed her eyes hard, and immediately saw the village chief waiting at the courtyard gate with a bamboo basket slung over his shoulder.

"Grandpa Village Chief!"

The village chief bent down and waved to Ya Ya: "Little girl, come on, let's go catch the egg."

"Okay!" Ya Ya skipped along beside the village chief. Grandma Liu held up a towel dampened with hot water. "Wipe your face first! Remember to brush your teeth when you get back."

An elderly person and a child walked briskly towards the riverbank.

As they approached the reeds, the village chief signaled to Ya Ya to be quiet, and he also slowed his pace.

Ya Ya understood and tiptoed after him.

The soft chirping sounds from the cattails grew closer, and Ya Ya couldn't help but smile.

So many fluffy little dumplings!

Ya Ya stared at the village chief's movements.

He squatted down, lured away the egg-guarding creature with a small insect, and then carefully reached out to gently gather a nest of soft, fluffy little balls into a bamboo basket.

The egg-guarding creature caught a glimpse of this and instantly bristled, flapping its wings as if to charge forward.

He was muttering to himself as if to say: "You old man, you have no martial ethics! I've been taking care of your child, and you still want to confiscate my house!"

Ya Ya quietly took half a step back and gently tugged at the village chief's sleeve with her little hand: "Grandpa Village Chief, Shou Dan seems angry."

The village chief, quick as a flash, reached out and firmly grasped the base of the egg's wings on both sides, gently pressing it down to carefully place the egg into the bamboo basket.

"Don't be afraid to guard the egg, I won't harm you, just behave yourself."

The egg fluttered its wings twice in the basket, making the basket clang, but with a nest of warm chicks nestled beneath it and the familiar scent of the grass by the nest, its restlessness gradually subsided.

Seeing that the egg-guarding had stopped making a fuss, the village chief gently covered the bamboo basket with a coarse linen cloth.

Ya Ya leaned closer to the bamboo basket: "Don't worry, Shou Dan. We'll take you back to the village and find you insects to eat every day from now on."

A round bulge appeared under the bamboo basket's cover. Ya Ya peeked through the gap and met Shou Dan's wide, wary eyes.

"Ah!" Ya Ya covered her mouth and took a few steps back.

The egg-guarding guy is still very angry. I need to stay far away so he doesn't accidentally hit me.

……

As more people entered the courtyard, the village chief, carrying a basket and leading Ya Ya by the hand, began calling out names: "Tiger, Da Niu, you two go and build a nest for the eggs!"

Guarding the eggs?!

Little Bean, who was practicing calligraphy with a twig in the corner, suddenly brightened up and ran over with Little Shuanzi, chattering away in the basket.

The villagers who heard the ducklings chirping were delighted and gathered around in twos and threes, wanting to take a look.

The village chief quickly raised his hand to quiet them down, "Everyone, keep it down. The mother duck is protecting her chicks; if you scare them, they'll start splashing around again."

Ya Ya clutched the village chief's trouser leg with her little hands, blinking her big eyes as she watched Uncle Zhao and Brother Da Niu busy themselves. She asked curiously, "Grandpa Village Chief, the chicks also incubate the eggs, so why do we need to build another nest? Can't they live together?"

The village chief shook his head gently: "Chickens are afraid of dampness, ducklings can't live without water, and it's uncomfortable for them to sleep on both sides. Besides, goslings are strong, and when they fight for food, they will crowd the chicks so they dare not come forward."

Grandma Liu chimed in, "During the day, the yard is open, so we can let them play together for as long as they want. We'll keep an eye on them so they won't fight. But when it gets dark, we'll have to separate them into two places to rest. We'll put out dry straw for the chicks on one side and a water basin for the ducks on the other, so they don't bother each other."