Chapter 10

Tian Mi had once read a report in some year.

According to a certain expert’s statistics, the treasure sunk to the seabed throughout history amounts to astronomical figures, estimated between billions and trillions of yuan.

Regardless of whether these numbers have accurate backing, anyone with even a slight interest in this area knows it is a confirmed fact that treasures exist underwater.

As a diving enthusiast, Tian Mi certainly knew this. However, due to the limited depth she could dive, she had never encountered any shipwrecks or treasures.

Ever since she heard from her father, Tian Hongxing, that a large ship had once sunk in the coastal waters of the county town, she intentionally wandered around the village in the following days, asking the older villagers for specific information about the sunken ships near the coast.

Unfortunately, the time had passed too long, and most of the villagers only knew hearsay. The information they had passed around had changed hands so many times that it had long since become distorted.

Tian Mi couldn’t say she was disappointed, as her main purpose was still to catch fish.

Fortunately, Gu Yan’s house wasn’t far from the coast. After asking around as she walked, she finally reached her destination after about an hour.

In her previous life, Tian Mi had never been here, but being a southerner, she had paid some attention to this national-class port.

However, as she looked back several decades, the ship navigation channels, safe mooring spots, and the massive, endless ships she had seen in videos all vanished into thin air.

At that moment, all that lay before Tian Mi was an undeveloped, desolate fishing port with only a few shabby fishing boats on the sea.

Having lived in the county town for two years, the original character had some knowledge, even if she mostly stayed at school.

For example, the few dilapidated fishing boats in the distance were actually a shared family asset.

Moreover, these fishermen were allowed to catch fish under policy, and even had business dealings with state-run restaurants and weaving factories.

Tian Mi planned to sell the fish she caught at a lower price to the fishermen, knowing that even if she took a loss, it wouldn’t matter.

Of course, the most important thing was that this arrangement was mutually understood, and no one would report it.

—

The weather today was nice, with calm seas and warm sunlight.

Around the seawater, aside from the spots where fishing boats docked having been cleaned, the rest was overgrown with weeds and littered with stones, all dry and desolate.

Such a dreary yet beautiful natural scene would have made the wealthy and leisure-loving Tian Mi want to stop for a moment and capture the moment with various equipment. Unfortunately, at this time, her pockets were empty, and she had no mood to appreciate it; instead, she just thought about how the withered branches and stones could serve as good hiding spots.

Tian Mi looked around and found a hidden corner, quickly taking off her heavy outer clothing. With the snake-skin bag she borrowed from Gu Yan, she wasted no time and jumped into the water.

The underwater environment was not unfamiliar to Tian Mi, who often went diving. Once she entered the sea and confirmed that she could breathe freely, just like in freshwater rivers, she swiftly swam towards the deep sea.

The ocean was vast and boundless.

Tian Mi had no idea how long she had been swimming; all she knew was that the water became clearer and clearer, like flawless sapphires, reflecting the corals, seaweeds, and various colorful fish in a vibrant fairy tale world.

Everything in front of her was so beautiful that when another school of unfamiliar fish swam close to her, she couldn’t resist her playful spirit. She kicked her legs and plunged into the school of fish, disrupting their formation.

Then, she saw the fish scatter in panic, her eyes curving into a mischievous smile.

—

Today, Tian Mi had a clear goal for her dive.

It had to be clear because she only recognized a few types of fish, with the expensive and rare one being the large yellow croaker.

However… it seemed her luck wasn’t very good; large yellow croakers were not so easy to come across.

At least, after swimming for a long time with her snake-skin bag in tow, she hadn’t seen a single large yellow croaker, let alone a small yellow croaker’s tail.

Just as she was contemplating whether to catch a few random fish and ask the fishermen if she could sell them, her gaze was drawn to the swaying long whiskers in front of her.

No way…

Thinking of a certain possibility, Tian Mi immediately stopped and lightly hid behind a coral, peeking out to take a look!

It really was a large lobster!

She was a bit confused about the species, but it looked somewhat like the exquisite lobster she had eaten before, only much larger than any she had encountered.

It’s happening, it’s happening!

This one lobster would cover her costs, right?

Imagining the value of the lobster, Tian Mi seemed to see stacks of cash coming at her…

Catch it! She had to catch it!

—

Anyone who has caught shrimp knows that most shrimp species are very fast when they escape, let alone this deadly lobster.

Before the hunt, Tian Mi had made many preparations.

However, when the snake-skin bag was thrown, it still managed to get away.

At that moment, Tian Mi wasn’t sure what she was thinking; perhaps she was blinded by the prospect of money. With a push of her legs, she chased after the lobster.

It fled, she pursued; it had wings but couldn’t fly!

Holding onto this strong belief, with tremendous effort, Tian Mi finally managed to trap the large lobster in the sack.

To prevent it from puncturing the bag and escaping, she tightly bound the lobster with seaweed, securing it within the snake-skin bag.

Once she had everything sorted out, she suddenly realized she had been able to keep up with the lobster’s speed…

Oh my gosh!

She hadn’t really mutated, had she?

Tian Mi was both surprised and delighted, but since the location was not ideal, she forcibly suppressed her excitement, grabbing her prize and hastily returning to shore.

Strangely enough, she managed to remember the route she had taken to get here, even though in her previous diving experiences, she needed high-tech assistance to navigate.

Great, she really had mutated!

—

Perhaps the large lobster had unlocked Tian Mi’s good fortune.

Her return journey was luckier than her arrival; she stumbled upon a school of large yellow croakers.

Having the experience of racing with the lobster, it was much easier to catch the fish. She even had time to leisurely pick out the biggest ones from the school, putting several large yellow croakers into another snake-skin bag before deciding she was satisfied and ready to go ashore.

When Tian Mi returned to where she had entered the water and popped her head out from the seabed, she was completely dumbfounded.

Although she knew she had been in the water for quite a while, it had been too long, hadn’t it? It was already dusk.

She clearly remembered that when she had come, it had still been noon…

Suddenly, Tian Mi thought of something and quickly turned to look at the fishing boat’s location.

Thank goodness! Luckily, there was still one boat remaining.

She let out a huge sigh of relief, not daring to delay any further, and hurriedly made her way ashore.

As soon as she left the water, the temperature dropped sharply. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, Tian Mi still shivered uncontrollably.

However, she couldn’t worry about that now. Gritting her teeth, she pulled up the two snake-skin bags.

Then, she rushed to where she had left her coat, squatting in a depression in the rocks. She took out the clean clothes from her bag, quickly changed, and wrapped herself in the thick outer coat, finally feeling like she was alive again.

It was still very cold, after all; her hair was still wet.

But she couldn’t bother with tidying up. Grabbing a towel, she hastily rubbed her hair dry and wrapped her head and face with a triangular scarf. Then, dragging the two snake-skin bags, she headed toward the fishing boat…

—

“Is someone coming over?” Wang Li, who was helping her husband collect the fishing nets, looked up while stretching her back and saw a shadowy figure.

Upon hearing this, the man next to her also lifted his dark, honest face and squinted in the direction his wife was pointing. “Yes, someone is coming; they should be here to sell seafood.”

Years ago, there used to be a market here, where buying and selling was free and bustling.

However, due to policy changes over the past few years, not many people came anymore.

Of course, “not many” didn’t mean “none.” Those who couldn’t make a living still came to fish for food.

If they were lucky enough to catch large fish and were unwilling to eat them, they would sell them to fishermen like them for some money, and then those fishermen would sell them off.

Actually, such practices weren’t allowed by policy, as making a profit off the price difference counted as reselling.

But when people are struggling to survive, who cares? Besides, no one would specifically come to the seaside to catch them.

To put it bluntly, if they weren’t truly desperate, who would dare risk their lives at sea without a boat? After all, people had died before.

The couple had fished for decades; what hadn’t they seen? Sometimes, a wave would roll in, and a person would just disappear.

It was precisely because she understood the risks and difficulties involved that as long as someone came to sell fish and the quality was acceptable, their family would buy it. After all, it was both a way to make money and to do a good deed.

“Ah, look at that figure; it’s a girl! I’ll go help her,” Wang Li said after a while. Once she finished putting away the fishing nets and looked up again, she was close enough to see that it was indeed a woman. Seeing her struggling to walk, she approached warmly.

—

At this point, Tian Mi was indeed feeling a bit overwhelmed; her arms were sore, and her palms were burning with pain.

The lobster was fine, but the yellow croaker was really heavy.

It was also her greed that filled the big sack to the brim; just the fish alone weighed around thirty or forty catties. She stumbled along the way, feeling utterly exhausted.

On top of that, her hair was damp and clinging to her head, making her feel a bit dizzy.

Tian Mi knew very well that if she didn’t go home soon, she would definitely catch a cold.

But she couldn’t leave now; she had already gone into the sea, caught the fish and shrimp, and only needed to sell them to complete her efforts. There was no way she would let it all go to waste. She could only hold back her tears, biting her lip to persevere.

To be honest, she had overestimated herself.

Fishing in the sea was indeed not difficult for her; it could even be described as enjoyable. Even when catching the large lobster, she hadn’t hurt herself.

But she hadn’t considered how terrible the situation would be once she got ashore—not to mention the burden of carrying something so heavy over such a long distance.

Even in early winter, having a wet head was a challenge.

She could only hope… hope that the fish and shrimp she caught today would sell for a good price; otherwise, if she caught a cold, she wouldn’t even have money to buy medicine.

Thinking this way, Tian Mi, who had never faced hardship in her life, felt a pang of sorrow that made her want to cry…

—

“Oh my! It’s actually a little girl.” As she got closer, Wang Li could see clearly that under the headscarf was a young girl, looking even younger than her daughter, fresh and delicate.

However, the girl didn’t seem to be in good shape. Her complexion was pale, her lips dry, and in the cold weather, her hair was still dripping water. Seeing her in such a frail state, Wang Li felt a surge of sympathy and took the initiative to ask, “Miss, are you here to sell fish?”

Tian Mi observed the woman, who appeared to be in her early fifties. She likely fished regularly, so she was a bit darker and sturdier than the average woman, but her eyes were gentle, indicating she was probably easy to talk to.

This realization eased Tian Mi’s heart. She forced a smile and said, “Yes, Auntie. My family isn’t doing too well. I’m quite skilled at catching fish, so I came to try my luck. I heard you buy fish here?”

Completely misunderstanding Tian Mi’s words, Wang Li thought the young girl’s family must be struggling, and she nodded sympathetically. “We buy! We buy! As long as the fish is good, we’ll take it. Please open the bag and let me see what fish you have.”

After saying this, she noticed the girl’s slender figure and pale face, and she took the heavier bag from her, stepping lightly to lead the way.

Seeing this, Tian Mi felt grateful and let out a sigh of relief as she followed behind.

When they reached the boat, Tian Mi, eager to know how much the exquisite lobster was worth, took the initiative to open the bag and indicated for both of them to take a look.

“Aiyo! How is this shrimp roe so big?” Wang Li exclaimed, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief.

Tian Mi didn’t understand, thinking that her loud voice was due to surprise, and she smiled modestly, “I finally caught this, Auntie. I don’t know how much this lobster is worth?”

She weighed it in her hands; it had to be at least five or six catties. A wild exquisite lobster—this must be worth several tens of thousands in her previous life, right?

Wang Li…

Wang Li met the young girl’s hopeful gaze and was momentarily at a loss for words, fearing she might discourage her.

However, the man beside her didn’t have such concerns. He shook his head and bluntly rejected, “This thing is not edible and won’t sell for much.”

A bolt from the blue!

A thunderclap!

The smile of expectation on Tian Mi’s face gradually shattered into pieces.

What…?

What the hell??!