Chapter 12: Are You Looking for That Young Lady?

“Did you find out about that place?” the Prince asked.

Yan Ce frowned, “I’ve gone through many books and asked many people. The place you described is truly strange, it doesn’t seem to be local. Perhaps we’ll really have to send someone out to sea to take a look.”

The place was very high with many floors, and people wore shorts and short shirts. The clothing was strange, and the night was brightly lit with colorful lights. There was also a beautiful young lady in the dream, emmm, honestly, he had once had such bizarre dreams as a child.

Yan Ce was more inclined to think that this was the Prince’s dream, but the Prince seemed convinced that such a place truly existed.

“Are you looking for that young lady?” He couldn’t help but ask. The Prince, who was always strange and cruel, had never been close to young ladies.

Xiao Jing Su smiled meaningfully, his mouth barely concealing the coldness.

“Ugh.”

For some unknown reason, Xiao Jing Su suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head.

“What’s wrong? Does your head hurt again?”

This was the same problem that had started recently—random headaches. Yan Ce was helpless.

Xiao Jing Su gestured, indicating that he was fine, the pain subsiding.

But as he looked at the table full of delicious dishes, he lost his appetite entirely.

Yan Ce noticed he was fine and, feeling hungry himself, motioned for Xiao Jing Su to eat.

Xiao Jing Su’s expression remained indifferent.

“You eat.”

“It’s delicious, this fish is good.”

Yan Ce took a bite of the East Star Grouper, “The fish is tender and flavorful, it’s delicious.”

Xiao Jing Su gazed at the well-cooked fish, feeling a slight stir in his heart. Perhaps a taste wouldn’t hurt.

He picked up a piece, tasted it, and found it indeed good.

The two of them, each with a pair of chopsticks, finished the fish.

…

The siblings went to the butcher’s shop and bought two jin of pork, then got some vegetables and several jin of beans.

“Do you want to eat better food?” Gu Yi blinked and asked.

Dalang certainly did.

She pulled her younger brother to the blacksmith’s shop.

“Master, how much for an iron pot?”

The blacksmith looked at them in surprise, “You want to make an iron pot?”

Iron was expensive, usually used to make weapons or farming tools. Few people used it for cooking utensils, and only wealthy or noble families would have such items.

Some blacksmiths didn’t even know how to make an iron pot.

Gu Yi nodded. She wanted to cook stir-fried dishes, and many dishes could only be made in an iron pot. Not having the right tools was truly frustrating.

“Eight taels. It’ll take at least half a month to finish. Do you still want it?”

Gu Yi’s eyes widened slightly, then she gritted her teeth, conflicted.

Dalang spoke up, “We’ll pay the deposit and come back to pick it up in half a month.”

She looked at her younger brother, “Eight taels, and all our savings will be gone.”

“Well, we won’t starve by the seaside. We can just keep catching fish and earn more. The fish are caught by you, and the money will be made. Mother won’t complain.”

Gu Yi couldn’t help but pat his head. She was so pleased with this younger brother, who wanted to be a little man, with such sensible thoughts.

She paid the deposit, confident that her brother could earn the money, and of course, she had even more confidence.

So, she gave the blacksmith two taels as a deposit, and the two of them set off for home.

No one had tried eating the sea urchins, and Gu Yi didn’t plan to exchange them for money just yet.

After all, the feeling of enjoying good food alone was wonderful. After they had eaten for a few days, they would sell them.

When they arrived home with their arms full of goods, the little girl immediately ran up excitedly.

Her little hands had reduced in swelling significantly and looked mostly red, almost healed.

Dalang, still protective of his sister, immediately squatted down and carried the little girl on his back, bringing her home.

Gu Yi couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

At home.

Wang Yulan casually asked, “How much did you sell the fish for?”

Gu Yi gestured with her fingers, “Seven.”

“Seven hundred wen?”

Gu Yi shook her head.

“Seven taels,” Dalang replied.

Gu Yi: “…” She gave Dalang a sharp glare.

“That much?” Wang Yulan was slightly surprised. Second Brother, who appeared to care about nothing, also looked over in surprise.

The siblings nodded, “The East Star Grouper is quite expensive. We sold it directly to the restaurant’s kitchen and got seven taels. We also sold the rest and agreed that next time we can sell it to him directly.”

Wang Yulan couldn’t help but think back to the false alarm from the previous day.

It turned out that the red fish had been caught by their eldest daughter while practicing swimming. She was lucky, and with these seven taels, their family’s life had become a little easier.

Gu Yi took the opportunity to say, “Mother, I think I have a talent for swimming. Perhaps after the drowning incident, it was like a blessing from a deity. I suddenly became more lucky, able to catch even bigger fish. I can now hold my breath for a long time underwater.”

Wang Yulan was silent for a moment.

“Blessed by a deity…”

The young girl nodded vigorously, “Yes, it must be a blessing from a deity.”

She was determined to go fishing at sea, but the condition was that she had to convince Wang Yulan not to stop her.

Wang Yulan felt conflicted and uneasy. When she thought of the danger Gu Yi would face, she couldn’t help but tremble. She had been worried for her husband for many years, and now she had to worry for her children.

Second Brother spoke up, his face stern despite his young age, “This is a desolate land, by the sea. How could there be fishermen who don’t go out to sea? Living off the sea isn’t like farming. Fishermen will never starve; dying in the sea is a fisherman’s fate.”

Wang Yulan froze, her heart shaking violently. Her face went pale.

Second Brother’s words were cold, but they struck the truth—while one might not starve by the sea, the risk of danger was inevitable.

And this wasn’t only true for their family. In this village, if you asked around, which family hadn’t lost someone in the sea? Fishermen who lived to a ripe old age were a rare exception.

Most fishermen never knew when the weather would change, the wind would blow, or when a boat would capsize, and then they would be gone.

Gu Yi stared at Second Brother, feeling an odd sense of unease. He was only a little over eight years old, yet he seemed so perceptive of the world.

Dalang added more fuel to the fire, “We’ve ordered an iron pot in the county, eight taels. If we don’t catch enough fish soon, we won’t be able to pay the remaining amount and won’t get the pot.”

Wang Yulan gasped. These two spendthrifts had spent all the family’s savings just for food.

Now, she had no choice but to let Gu Yi go into the sea.

She comforted Wang Yulan, “Mother, I’m confident. I swim well, and I will be safe. Once we earn enough money, we’ll buy a house and move to the county.”

Wang Yulan’s heart rose with hope, “Good, but don’t be reckless. You can’t go alone, either go with Dalang, or find someone in the village to go with you.”

She made many requests and gave more advice, and Gu Yi agreed to all of them.

It was already afternoon.

Second Brother was having his final dose of medicine. Actually, his acclimatization had already improved, and he was taking this last dose just to solidify his recovery.

The main issue was malnutrition. The five of them had some degree of malnutrition, but Second Brother’s was the most severe.

It wasn’t that they didn’t have food, but like the original owner, he had a similar issue and couldn’t adapt to the environment. On the way into exile, he’d rather starve than eat the dirty and unpalatable food.

In order to help the family recover quickly, Gu Yi had intentionally begun improving their diet.

For dinner tonight, they would have chicken, chicken soup, and steamed fish.

Everyone knew Gu Yi had cooked. In the afternoon, Gu Yi wasn’t at home, so Wang Yulan cooked.

Jia Yue remembered something and ran up to Gu Yi, smacking her lips, “Sister’s cooking is the best. Can we eat sea urchins tonight?”

Gu Yi replied, “Then let’s add a sea urchin egg custard.”

It had been a long time since they had eaten it. She missed it.

In fact, there was still some time before dinner.

Gu Yi couldn’t help but pat her round belly. Even when hungry, the little one’s belly was still round. She quietly asked, “Didn’t you eat enough at lunch?”

The little one blinked and nodded quietly.

Both of them smiled. Their mother’s cooking was so bad.

Gu Yi remembered eating meat buns with Dalang in the county and felt a bit guilty. From the remaining fish catch, she took out two oysters, using tongs to roast them over the stove.

She silently counted the numbers, then opened the oysters and put them into her little sister’s mouth, “Is it good?”

Her little sister chewed with her cheeks puffed out and nodded hard.

Since it wasn’t yet time for dinner, Gu Yi decided to do something else.

She took a bucket and walked toward the back of the village.

“Sis, what are you doing?”

“Digging soil.”

“Let me join.” Dalang took the bucket from her.

Little Jia Yue followed behind, holding a small basket, determined to go with her brother and sister.

A little further behind the village was another village, and beyond that, the mountains. The soil there was much better than by the sea, much more fertile and suitable for growing vegetables.

Gu Yi planned to dig some soil for planting onions and chives, so they wouldn’t need to buy them anymore.