Chapter 6: Plotting, Counterattack

Gu Yi remembered that the woman was one of the people involved in the scuffle at the beach yesterday.

Uncle Yuan frowned as he looked at her, “They’re from our village too. We see each other every day, so how are they strangers now?”

What was up with He Chunli? Normally, she wasn’t the type to argue over such trivial matters.

“He Chunli, I know you like their looks, but don’t tell me you’re…” He Chunli covered her mouth and laughed, glancing sideways at Gu Yi and her mother.

It seemed like a casual remark, but the other women giggled along.

Uncle Yuan’s face darkened.

Gu Yi clenched her fist immediately.

If no one took it seriously, it was just a joke, but sometimes, rules and boundaries were crossed when jokes were made too often.

Aunt Cao, hearing this, frowned, realizing He Chunli wasn’t being kind. She looked at the mother and daughter and was about to speak when Gu Yi spoke up.

“So, what’s wrong? Aunt, go ahead and keep talking.”

Gu Yi’s expression was calm, but her peach blossom eyes naturally carried a smile, masking her hidden threat.

Wang Yulan’s face darkened, and she tugged at her daughter’s sleeve.

He Chunli, still covering her mouth with a smile, said, “Don’t get upset, little miss. We’re just having a bit of fun.”

The little miss smiled, “Aunt, my mother and I know we’re good-looking, and we don’t need others to remind us with their jokes. You don’t need to have such lowly thoughts either. Just like I wouldn’t assume you’d want to cheat with a handsome man when I saw you staring at him.”

He Chunli’s breath quickened, and she clearly became angry. “What nonsense are you talking? We’ve only met a few times, and you’re already making up stories about me!”

Seeing her get mad, Gu Yi’s smile widened. “You don’t need to meet many times. Just hearing what you said earlier was enough to know what kind of person you are.”

“I just want to remind you, some things are better left unsaid. Everyone knows that you have a sharp tongue and keep getting slapped, but no one says anything about you.”

The people on the boat couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Haha… you’re a clever one, little miss!”

Others tried to hold back their laughter, but Aunt Cao burst into laughter, slapping her thigh with no attempt at hiding it.

She referred to her as “little miss” respectfully, but every word she spoke was a subtle jab at He Chunli.

The villagers had long grown tired of He Chunli’s sharp tongue. Seeing Gu Yi respond so skillfully made it clear that she wasn’t someone to be bullied.

“Yeah, Chunli, your face isn’t even healed, and you’re still running that mouth of yours. We don’t need you to play the fool, you can entertain yourself.”

Another round of laughter echoed.

He Chunli’s face turned an array of colors—green, red, and purple from the bruises—adding to the rainbow of shades on her face.

When the boat reached the dock, she shot Gu Yi a furious glare before storming off the boat.

The mother and daughter also disembarked.

The villagers, all traveling in pairs, split from Gu Yi’s family as soon as they got off the boat.

Only Aunt Cao led them to set up their stall and sell their goods.

They walked for a while before arriving at the fish market.

Wang Yulan expressed her concern, “Yi’er, they’re from the village. We’ve offended them. Do you think we’ll get into trouble?”

“Mother, no matter who they are, once a joke is made, and we don’t respond, we’ll just be seen as easy targets. How could we live a peaceful life if we keep letting people bully us?”

Aunt Cao, listening, cast an approving glance at Gu Yi. “Little miss is right. Most people here aren’t bad, but there are some rotten ones. If you let them push you around once, there will be a second time, and a third time.”

Wang Yulan shook her head. “It’s my fault for always enduring. That’s why we were bullied. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Gu Yi smiled. “Let’s go sell some fish!”

Aunt Cao claimed one stall, and the mother and daughter set up next to her.

The people at the beach were all tanned, while Gu Yi and her mother stood out with their outstanding looks.

Especially Gu Yi, who seemed impervious to the sun, her skin still pale despite the scorching heat. She stood out immediately in the crowd.

Taking advantage of their looks, customers quickly started approaching as soon as they set up.

Wang Yulan, still not used to being exposed in the public eye, felt extra embarrassed to be selling fish for a living.

But Gu Yi had no such qualms, and seemed completely at ease.

“What else do you have?”

Gu Yi introduced, “Eels, octopus, ugly fish, shrimp, crabs—everything’s fresh. What would you like?”

The customer asked, “How much are the eels and octopus?”

Wang Yulan, summoning her courage, swallowed her embarrassment and replied, “The eels are four jin for 350 wen, and the octopus is four and a half jin for 150 wen.”

The customer happily paid and took the fish.

Soon, more customers came, and in no time, the bucket of seafood was sold out, along with the fish from Aunt Cao’s stall.

Aunt Cao laughed heartily. “I’ve never sold fish so smoothly! They sold out so quickly!”

Wang Yulan couldn’t help but laugh too.

They made over seven hundred wen that day!

They packed up their things and prepared to go buy supplies.

Aunt Cao didn’t need anything, so she planned to wait at the dock for them.

With the thought of buying medicine for Second Brother in mind, the mother and daughter kept an eye out for any shops, and finally reached a pharmacy at the end of the street.

“Mother, there’s a grain store across the street. You go buy the grain, and I’ll get the medicine.”

Wang Yulan nodded.

Gu Yi entered the pharmacy and immediately listed the herbs and dosages she needed.

“Little miss, does someone in your family have an illness? Do you have a prescription from a physician?”

“Someone in my family is unaccustomed to the local climate… I’m the physician!” Gu Yi listed the herbs and dosages, clearly having memorized them.

The pharmacy boy scratched his head. “Little miss, you can’t just randomly prescribe medicine. If you make a mistake, the consequences could be serious!”

He was worried because she looked younger than him, and he was afraid she might think reading medical books was enough to start prescribing.

The physician, hearing this, walked over and listened.

The physician asked for the symptoms, and Gu Yi answered each question in detail.

After a moment of thought, the physician’s voice became excited. “Little miss, you really are a physician! This prescription is a little different from mine, but after thinking about it, it might even be more effective!”

The pharmacy boy was stunned.

“Little miss, who did you learn medicine from? Who gave you this prescription?” the physician asked.

Gu Yi pressed her lips together. “I read it in medical books. Please just get the medicine for me.”

The physician guessed that the little miss must come from a family of doctors because it was rare for a woman to learn medicine.

“Would you be willing to sell this prescription?”

Gu Yi looked up in surprise. “Sell it? You can give me whatever you think is appropriate.”

The physician was even more surprised. “You really are generous! I’ll have the boy prepare more medicine, and I’ll waive the payment for you. I’ll even give you two more taels of silver.”

Gu Yi thanked him. “But the illness isn’t serious. There’s no need to get more. Just five days’ worth of medicine is enough.”

The physician’s admiration for her grew even clearer.

“I also want to get some other herbs…”

The pharmacy boy fetched the usual herbs, none of which were expensive.

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After finishing their purchases, the mother and daughter walked out, each carrying their goods as they continued to shop.

Gu Yi said, “The physician liked my prescription so much that he didn’t charge me for the herbs. Instead, he gave me two taels of silver.”

Wang Yulan raised her brows, a proud smile on her face as she looked at her daughter. “Yi’er, you’re really impressive.”

She was truly proud of her daughter—not only did they save money on the medicine, but they also earned two taels. Who else’s daughter could be as capable as hers?

Apart from the grain, there were still many things they needed for the home.

They needed fishing gear, such as forks and nets, and also clothes. Wang Yulan noticed that Gu Yi’s clothes were ragged and dirty, so they went into a clothing store.

They bought two rolls of fabric for each of the four children, as well as shoes and socks.

“Mother, you haven’t bought anything yet.”

“I don’t need anything, just buy for the children first.”

Gu Yi tugged at her, dissatisfied. “Mother, if you don’t buy something, I won’t be able to wear the new clothes either.”

The storekeeper, overhearing, commented enviously, “You’re really fortunate. Your daughter is so filial.”

“Mother, go pick something!” Gu Yi urged.

Wang Yulan smiled helplessly and picked out two rolls of coarse cloth before paying.

The total for the rice, fishing gear, and fabric came to just over three taels, leaving them with more than four taels.

They went to the market and bought five jin of pork, two jin of bones, some dried radish, bamboo shoots, and fresh vegetables.

Fresh vegetables were hard to come by. The village, being near the sea, rarely had vegetable growers. The area near their little stone house didn’t even have proper conditions for farming, and the nearest mountain with wild vegetables was an hour’s walk away.

Eating fresh vegetables was a luxury.

After shopping, their arms full of goods, they headed back to the dock.

It was already afternoon, and they weren’t sure if the three children had eaten. They were eager to return home.

Aunt Cao had been waiting for a while and waved when she saw them.

They sat on the boat and waited for the village boat to arrive. Before long, Uncle Yuan returned with several villagers.

Seeing Aunt Cao, one villager exclaimed, “How did you sell everything so fast? Normally, we wouldn’t be done by this time!”

They had spent most of the day selling fish, and some were still struggling to finish. They had to wait for other boats from the village.

Aunt Cao casually kicked her legs up. “I sold everything a while ago. Took a break for half the day.”

“Where did you sell them? They sold so fast?” Another villager asked, astonished.