Chapter 23

Song Wenhui quickly brought over a basket and packed all the sea urchins into it. She carried the basket on her back and also held a bucket of fish in her hand.

“Auntie, you take the fish back first and make sure to take good care of it. I’ll go check on the trap and be right back.”

Jiang Wan said this, pulling her cousin along to find the spot where she buried the trap yesterday.

Since the tide was low now, her trap was far from the seawater, making it unlikely for anyone in the village to notice it.

“Cousin, do you think such smelly fish will really attract anything?”

“Of course! While it smells bad to us, it’s a delicacy to sea creatures. People from different regions have varied tastes, so imagine how different species must feel! Just look at the village dogs—they love eating… um…”

Before she could finish saying “poop,” her cousin Yin Ning covered her mouth.

Yin Ning looked around to make sure no villagers were nearby before letting go, her cheeks adorably flushed.

“Your mouth! How can you say such words…”

A young lady shouldn’t talk like that—it would ruin her image if anyone overheard.

“Cousin, we’re all from the village now, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. When I went out to sea, I heard the local ladies talking even more bluntly than me! We should do as the locals do; there’s no need to remember all those fancy rules of etiquette. It’s exhausting.”

This thing can’t be said, that thing can’t be done—she was almost glad she’d been exiled.

“Come on, let’s go and check if the trap’s still there.”

Jiang Wan pulled her cousin along, and as the two walked off, two people hidden behind nearby rocks collecting octopus finally stood up.

“Brother Yue, that new lady from the capital sure talks interestingly.”

The young man had a dark complexion, but his white teeth shone.

“You should behave and stay out of their business.”

Lian Yue just glanced at them and then looked away, putting the octopus into his own basket. Lian Qiao straightened up and began discussing serious matters.

“Brother Yue, lately, Wanyuzhai has stopped buying fish, and the price at the docks has dropped a lot. Should we sell our fish at a lower price too, or look for other options?”

“For now, let’s drop our prices like the others. With this heat, if the fish isn’t sold, it’ll spoil anyway.”

The weather would only get hotter, and the fish more delicate. Since he wasn’t all-powerful, he had to go along with the others for now.

Unaware of familiar faces nearby, Jiang Wan led her cousin to the spot where she’d buried the trap, parted the weeds around it, and broke into a smile as she looked inside.

“Cousin, look!”

She pulled the trap out, and as Yin Ning leaned over to look, she saw crabs waving their big claws.

One, two…

“Cousin! One of the crabs has a missing leg!”

“It’s fine. When there are a lot of crabs, they fight. It’s no big deal if they lose a leg; we’re just going to eat them ourselves.”

With her mind already set on going to the city, Jiang Wan picked up the trap and headed straight home without delay.

At home, the herbs were all bundled up and placed in a basket, along with a bright red coral grouper. Today’s earnings from the city trip would depend on these.

“Let’s go, let’s go—we need to wait for the boat at the dock.”

From the coastal village, traveling by land to the city took a long time, while going by water cut the time in half. With many fishing boats and rafts from each village, most people traveled to the city by water.

Whether it was a fishing boat or a raft, as they passed each village dock, they’d stop if they saw people waiting. Each person paid one coin for the ride, and the trip to the city brought in a little extra income.

Jiang Wan and her group of three didn’t wait long at the dock before paying three coins to board the boat.

“Oh! Is that a spotted grouper?”

On board was a woman from a neighboring village, who, upon seeing the fish in the bucket, stared in amazement and circled around it.

“It’s been four years since anyone’s caught one of those. You girls have some good luck.”

This was the first time the lady had seen a spotted grouper up close, and she was a bit excited.

“No wonder the men all love this fish. Look how vibrant red it is—so festive!”

Yin Huaixi raised her eyebrow and started chatting with the woman.

“Auntie, do you remember how much the last spotted grouper sold for?”

“I sure do! It went for five taels of silver!”

Sea fish usually sold for just a few coins per pound, and even the pricier ones only went for a few more. When the fisherman sold that fish for five taels, it shocked everyone.

“Just ask Old Yu—he’ll remember too.”

The woman called out to the man outside the cabin, who confirmed the price of five taels.

Yin Ning covered her mouth in astonishment, while Jiang Wan felt a little disappointed.

She’d hoped this fish might fetch ten or even twenty taels, but it was only five—she realized she’d been too greedy.

Still, five taels wasn’t bad. In the village, earning five taels wasn’t easy, and if today went smoothly, her family could get many things they needed.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wan felt happy again. The sisters sat by the wooden bucket, listening to gossip from the neighboring village and admiring the beautiful scenery outside, and time flew by.

Soon the fishing boat stopped near the docks. Yin Huaixi, confident in her daughter, held the bucket in one hand and her niece in the other. The three asked for directions to the city gate, paid two coins each, and finally entered the city.

Since childhood, Yin Ning had lived within the family residence and hardly left home except for gatherings or temple visits. She barely knew the streets of the capital, let alone this unfamiliar city of Yuanxi.

The young girl looked around nervously, her eyes filled with curiosity yet shy from people’s gazes. When she looked at her cousin, however, she saw Jiang Wan confidently looking around, even sweetly asking people on the street for directions a few times.

Her admiration for her cousin deepened instantly.

“Let her go. She probably wouldn’t even be able to finish her sentences.”

“Mother, that uncle just said the two best restaurants in town are on Changhong Street, and there’s also a pharmacy there. Should we head that way first?”

Yin Huaixi nodded; they definitely needed to sell the fish first. If it died suddenly, it wouldn’t fetch a good price, and the bucket, full of water, was really heavy—she could barely carry it anymore.

“Is Changhong Street far?”

“A bit, but we’ll get there quickly if we take the alleys.”

Jiang Wan’s sweet talk had gathered a lot of useful information. Changhong Street, along with the surrounding streets, was a bustling market area, known for its high prices. Many locals took shortcuts through the alleys to shop for meat and vegetables there, so they could just follow those residents to get close to Changhong Street.

Without stopping for a sip of water, the three of them followed groups of shoppers through winding alleys until they finally reached a somewhat lively street. After asking around, they found out they were only a short walk away from the restaurants.

One restaurant was called Fengweilou, and the other, Dongfuju.

“Come on, let’s check out Dongfuju, the closer one.”

Noticing her mother was struggling, Jiang Wan took over the bucket, and she and her cousin carried it together as they made their way to Dongfuju, asking for directions along the way.

Ahem… they nearly walked past it, but luckily her cousin, who could read, noticed the sign and stopped her just in time, preventing them from giving themselves away.