Chapter 16: Another Typhoon Comes

Tomorrow, we’ll go to the county and check on the pot.

Tonight, we’ll steam some crabs to eat.

Gu Yi thought for a moment—she still had fish, shrimp, scallops, and oysters—so why not make a garlic seafood vermicelli pot?

Dalang had already obediently started the fire.

Wang Yulan looked worried, “Yi’er, do you really think the typhoon will hit? Do you think Aunt Cao will make it back?”

“The chance of a typhoon is small, but it’s not impossible. They’re gambling that it won’t come again, but if it does, they won’t be able to escape. It’s a matter of life and death. Regardless, it’s their choice.”

Living by the sea, they naturally understood the patterns of typhoons better than an outsider like her. They took risks based on this knowledge, but what they didn’t understand was that nature doesn’t follow a set pattern or reasoning.

Wang Yulan sighed. “Yi’er, you’re right. We can’t afford to take the risk. If we earn less, we earn less.”

The spices available in this era were plenty, and Gu Yi happily used them as she prepared the seafood. She laid vermicelli at the bottom of a clay pot, then added the shrimp, crabs, and shellfish, covering it with a lid to cook.

It didn’t need to cook as long as chicken soup—after about fifteen minutes, the fresh, spicy aroma wafted through the room.

Gu Yi quickly picked up the pot and called everyone to prepare for dinner.

By now, the sky had darkened slightly.

The five of them sat around the table, ladling the broth over rice, picking up some vermicelli with their chopsticks. They ate with great enjoyment.

Jia Yue, the little one, struggled to slurp up the vermicelli, looking like a little hamster.

The shrimp had turned a bright red, and with the backs split open, they not only absorbed the flavors better but were also easy to peel. Gu Yi picked up the shrimp head, peeled off the shell, and took a bite. The shrimp meat was crisp and tender—just chewing it was an enjoyment in itself.

As Gu Yi looked around at her family, enjoying the meal, she noticed that her mother and younger sisters didn’t seem as thin as when they first arrived in exile.

A sense of satisfaction washed over her.

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap shook the house.

The family, who had been eating with gusto, jumped in surprise.

Then, through the door, they heard the sound of heavy rain, followed by a series of loud cracks, like a whip striking the ground.

A sense of unease settled in everyone’s hearts.

The wild wind from the sea brought with it a salty, damp scent, whipping the rain across the faces of the family members still eating.

The typhoon was upon them.

The weather had changed so suddenly, with no warning, leaving everyone unprepared.

Dalang quickly ran and slammed the door shut.

Luckily, all the fish had been brought inside earlier. If they hadn’t, after this rain, they would have been returned to the wild.

“Aunt Cao… I hope she’s okay,” Wang Yulan’s voice trembled.

She was relieved that her family hadn’t gone to the dock with Aunt Cao, but she couldn’t help but worry, hoping that Aunt Cao had already reached the dock and hadn’t yet returned.

Or perhaps she had already returned, and was at her doorstep.

Just not out at sea, on a boat, returning through the storm.

At times like this, no matter how good a swimmer you are, you can’t protect yourself. The waves would tear you apart and feed you to the fish.

Despite her anxiety, they could only wait for news at home.

Gu Yi reassured her, “Aunt Cao is lucky, she’ll be fine! Mother, let’s stand by the window and wait for news!”

Not long after, the rain and wind showed no sign of letting up. Among the sounds of the storm, there was a faint cry.

Gu Yi’s brows twitched sharply. It seemed something had happened.

“It sounds like someone is crying!”

The family exchanged looks and turned their gaze toward the coastline.

The typhoon showed no signs of stopping.

As time passed, the cries grew louder.

The voice grew more familiar.

Wang Yulan shouted, “It’s Aunt Cao! It’s her! Something happened to her!”

Dalang said, “If she’s crying, then something must have happened to Uncle Cao or her son!”

Gu Yi squinted. In the distance, she saw a large group of fishermen struggling against the wind and rain, their faces grim.

They were back.

It seemed they had encountered the typhoon on their way back.

Not long after, Cao Xia ran out of the house, desperately fighting the wind and rain as he ran towards his parents.

Since Cao Xia hadn’t gone, it seemed likely that Uncle Cao had been the one who got hurt.

Wang Yulan ran to the door, ready to open it.

“Mother, wait!”

Wang Yulan was anxious. “Aunt Cao is so kind-hearted, she’s helped us so much. We should go help her!”

Indeed, Aunt Cao’s greatest virtue had been that, when others in the village avoided them, she didn’t care about their past, approached them willingly, and even saved Gu Yi’s life by preventing her from dying soon after her rebirth.

“Put on your raincoats! We’ll shield ourselves from the wind and rain!”

Gu Yi quickly grabbed two raincoats from the corner, and after both she and her mother put them on, they hurried through the storm to the fishermen.

She reminded her three younger siblings, “Stay at home! Don’t come out!”

As they got closer, the fishermen were soaked through, looking disheveled, with their hair scattered and their faces, soaked by the rain, showing the full extent of their sorrow and despair.

A few hours earlier, many of them had set out.

Now, fewer were returning.

When Aunt Cao saw Gu Yi, she practically lit up, her eyes shining with hope as she cried out, “Little Miss! Come help me save my husband!”

Two men were carrying Uncle Cao, his leg bleeding heavily from a wound.

Gu Yi wasted no time. “Quickly, take him back to your house!”

Aunt Cao shouted for them to hurry.

“Aunt Cao! Little Miss Gu! My wife is also injured! Can you help us first?” someone else cried out.

Gu Yi glanced at Aunt Cao, “Aunt Cao, can you let them all go to your house?”

Aunt Cao nodded tearfully. “Bring them all, but my husband must be helped first!”

Gu Yi didn’t need to be told twice. Of course, she would treat Uncle Cao first since his leg was bleeding heavily, and the injury was severe.

“How did he get hurt?” Wang Yulan, walking beside Aunt Cao, comforted her but couldn’t help asking.

Aunt Cao cried harder. “On the way back by boat, the wind and rain suddenly picked up. The weather had been fine, but it changed so suddenly. The storm capsized everyone’s boats. My husband accidentally hit a rock. Several others were washed away and couldn’t be saved! The boat… the boat broke too.”

That boat was their livelihood.

The entire expedition had been a disaster.

Back at Aunt Cao’s house, the two men carefully laid Uncle Cao down.

Gu Yi called, “Aunt Cao, scissors, hot water, clean cloth—bring them here! And also some wine!”

Aunt Cao wiped her tears. “I have everything except the wine!”

The village head arrived and shouted from outside, “I have some! I’ll send someone to get it right now!”

Aunt Cao’s face relaxed a bit as she rushed to find the clean cloth and scissors.

Gu Yi resumed her professional, expressionless demeanor. She first checked Uncle Cao’s pulse and his complexion.

He had lost a lot of blood, his face was pale, and he had passed out, with only a faint awareness.

Once the scissors arrived, Gu Yi carefully cut open his trousers and revealed a large wound that had turned white and red.

Aunt Cao cried harder when she saw the injury.

“How could this happen? What are we going to do? How will his leg ever heal? Gu Yi, will Uncle Cao be okay?”

Gu Yi tightly bound the wound with a clean cloth to reduce the bleeding.

“Has the hot water arrived?”

Aunt Cao shook her head. “A Xia is still boiling the water. It’ll be ready soon.”

Gu Yi carefully wiped away the blood from his thigh with a clean cloth.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Aunt Cao, once the water is hot, clean the wound around his injury. I’ll go home and get some medicine.”

Gu Yi quickly donned her raincoat and ran back home.

Luckily, she had purchased a lot of medicine for emergencies. She had also gathered some herbs from the mountain last time, which would come in handy.

She arrived back at Aunt Cao’s house, where she saw Wang Yulan looking pale, glancing at her and then at Aunt Cao.

Wang Yulan was clearly worried about her daughter treating such a serious injury. She couldn’t stop her heart from pounding with concern.

She didn’t care who else was hurt—her daughter was the most important to her.

If Aunt Cao refused help, she wouldn’t allow her daughter to treat it.

“I need to tell you something, Aunt Cao.”

Aunt Cao, tears in her eyes, said, “What is it, Wang Niangzi?”

“Yi’er’s medical skills aren’t very advanced. She hasn’t studied for long, and with Uncle Cao’s severe injury, I’m afraid she might not be able to fully heal it…”

As a compassionate healer, Gu Yi had no reason to refuse, but if the outcome wasn’t as expected, Wang Yulan didn’t want her daughter to face any criticism.

She had seen families torn apart by misunderstandings many times before.

Even though she knew Aunt Cao was in great distress, her family’s well-being was still her top priority.

If Aunt Cao didn’t agree, she would never let Yi’er treat the injury.