Chapter 9: Diving for Fish

Gu Yi had initially felt guilty, thinking she should have kept a closer eye on Jia Yue, should have warned her about the sea urchins and how painful their sting could be.

Her anger smoldered inside her, and when she saw Lin Shi, the frustration exploded.

Without a second thought, she slapped Lin Shi across the face.

Slap!

A bright red handprint appeared on Lin Shi’s left cheek.

The swift action stunned Lin Shi and left the surrounding people in shock.

“Gu Jiayi! You hit me!” Lin Shi exclaimed in disbelief, her voice rising.

Before she could recover, Gu Yi slapped her again.

Slap!

Gu Yi’s right hand was sore from the impact, but the burning anger in her heart was momentarily soothed.

“I’ll kill you!” Lin Shi screamed, charging at Gu Yi.

The others shouted, attempting to stop the fight, but they were more interested in watching the spectacle than intervening.

Gu Yi, feeling strong and full from the meal, seized Lin Shi’s hands and threw her over her shoulder with ease.

They were standing ankle-deep in the sea, and Lin Shi crashed into the water, her mouth open in surprise as she swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater.

The seabed was littered with sharp stones, and she landed hard on her back, the sharp pain sending her into a prolonged cry of discomfort.

“You little bastard! I’m going to tell your mother! How dare you hit your elders like that!” Lin Shi shouted angrily.

“You ungrateful little thing, do you think you’ll ever get married now?”

The villagers nearby muttered among themselves, casting wary glances at Gu Yi.

Though Lin Shi was an elder, Gu Yi’s actions had been harsh—throwing her into the sea like that. If Lin Shi had hit a rock, she could have been seriously hurt, or worse, even killed.

“What elder? That old woman was thrilled when we signed the severance agreement. What makes you think she’s an elder?” Gu Yi shot back.

“And you dare come up to me, running your mouth about my sister? Do you want me to spill all your dirty secrets? We’re not even related anymore, and you can’t embarrass me any more than you already have!”

The villagers’ eyes widened in curiosity. They had no idea what kind of scandal Lin Shi had been involved in.

Lin Shi paled, flustered, and then began to panic. “You dare! What dirty secrets do I have? Stop making things up!”

She scrambled to her feet and ran off as fast as she could.

Gu Yi, still thinking about Jia Yue, grabbed the bucket and hurried back home.

Thankfully, her professional instinct to prioritize safety kicked in. On their last trip to get medicine, she had bought some common herbs as backups.

At home, Wang Yulan was gently squeezing the blood out of Jia Yue’s hand and washing it with clean water.

The little hand was swollen and turning red.

Jia Yue sobbed softly, snuggling into her mother’s embrace.

Gu Yi closely inspected her sister’s finger.

“Yi’er, how is Yue’er doing?” Wang Yulan asked with concern.

Gu Yi smiled reassuringly. “There’s no danger. The swelling is normal. I’ll brew some medicine for her so she heals faster.”

She quickly gathered the herbs and began preparing the medicine.

She also found a small bottle and applied the herbs to Jia Yue’s finger as an external treatment.

The little one cried herself to sleep, exhausted from the pain.

“The medicine will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Once she wakes up, let her drink it and then she can sleep again.”

The family members relaxed, the tension easing.

Dalang, feeling relieved, ran off to fetch water from the nearby river.

When he returned with a bucket of water, Gu Yi noticed him and called him over.

“Dalang, come here.”

Dalang hesitated, then poured the water into the large barrel. “Big Sister?”

Gu Yi didn’t speak at first, but she placed a hand on his arm.

He winced in pain. “Does it hurt?”

He shook his head.

Gu Yi, almost four years older than him and a head taller, looked down at him. “Why are you in such a rush to fetch water? Aren’t you worried you won’t grow taller if you keep this up?”

She remembered the lively, carefree Dalang in the General’s residence. He had loved practicing martial arts and dreaded reading books or attending lessons. He couldn’t wait for his martial practice each day.

Being exiled had changed them all, but Dalang had undergone the most change.

His mentality had matured quickly, and he had taken on many adult responsibilities, working hard to provide for his younger siblings. He was already so mature for his age, but he was still just a ten-year-old boy.

Dalang froze for a moment, his eyes wide. “Really? I won’t grow taller?”

He hesitated, “But many people have been carrying water since they were young, and they’re not short. Don’t scare me, Big Sister.”

Gu Yi squeezed his cheek. “You could have grown much taller, but you’ve had to carry burdens that others your age don’t. You’ll grow up to be average in height. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Next time, use your head. Don’t fill the bucket all the way—just half-full. I’ll help you carry it.”

Dalang blushed, avoiding her gaze. “I can carry it. You don’t need to help. Fetching water isn’t something a young lady should do.”

He felt it was his duty to take on responsibility as a man.

Dalang ran back inside.

Gu Yi looked at the sky, grabbed a bucket and a net, and headed toward the beach.

The salty sea breeze blew, cooling the air and dispersing the heat trapped inside her clothes. The sunset had turned the horizon a faint red.

As darkness crept in, Gu Yi reached the shore, set her bucket down, and fastened the net bag to her body. With a splash, she plunged into the water.

Like a fish, her body moved effortlessly through the sea.

As soon as she submerged, her head was surrounded by a transparent shield for protection.

Taking advantage of the still-light sky, Gu Yi swam freely in the sea, beginning her hunt for fish.

The underwater world was stunning. Every time she stirred the sand, she found a new creature.

Tiny octopuses hidden inside shells, crabs the size of her palm scurrying for cover—Gu Yi wasted no time collecting them.

The fish were beautiful, with some glowing like lanterns, illuminating the water.

She swam towards a coral reef, spotting sea urchins clinging to the rocks. She used her pincers to carefully pry them off and collected them in her net.

The bag filled up quickly.

Then she caught sight of a large red grouper, followed by two large starry groupers. These fish were beautiful and sizable, worth a lot if sold.

She couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement, wishing she could catch all three. But she knew it was unlikely.

She zeroed in on the biggest starry grouper, swiftly throwing the spear. It hit the fish’s tail perfectly.

The fish struggled, sending the other two swimming away.

Gu Yi held onto the fish, placing it into her net.

She continued collecting shells, snails, crabs, and shrimp.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something huge.

A shark, its grayish-white skin almost as large as her.

She couldn’t help but widen her eyes. A baby shark!

She swallowed hard. If she caught it, she could make dozens of silver taels.

But she knew she couldn’t take the risk. If there was a baby shark, a bigger one might be nearby as well.

Without hesitation, she swam back towards the shore.

As she neared the shore, she heard someone calling her name.

“Big Sister! Big Sister…!”

It was Dalang’s voice.

She turned and saw him already knee-deep in the water, panic written all over his face.

“Dalang!”

Dalang had already seen her. He’d spotted her head rising from the water and nearly had a heart attack, thinking it was some kind of water ghost.

When he realized it was Gu Yi, his heart calmed, but the shock still lingered.

He rushed to meet her.

“You need to go back to shore. I’ll be up in a minute!”

Dalang stopped and waited in the water for her to reach him.

The sky was almost completely dark now, but the moonlight still illuminated his pale face.

Gu Yi called out, “I just went for a swim to catch some fish and practice swimming.”

Dalang stared at her, his anger rising. “Swimming? You were out there in the deep sea by yourself?”

He had already been worried when he saw the bucket by the shore and realized she wasn’t around. For a moment, he had thought she might be trying to drown herself again.

His concern boiled over, and he was filled with anger and sorrow.

Gu Yi felt a pang of guilt, realizing how alarming her behavior must have been to him.

“Look, Dalang, I think I have a talent for swimming. I can hold my breath for a long time. If I really wanted to, do you think you would still be seeing me now?”

Dalang’s anger flared, his face turning red. “You’d better explain that to Mother,” he snapped.

Gu Yi’s heart dropped. “Don’t tell Mother. It will just make her worry. You can say the villagers’ uncle is teaching us swimming.”

“It’s too late!”

Dalang smiled, a hint of relief in his expression. “Mother’s probably already on her way here.”