The sun in the sky withdrew its dazzling daytime brilliance, and the afterglow was no longer glaring. Only a red disk remained hanging in the west until it fell into the sea. Tong Wenyao took Xiaoxue and Xing'er to admire the last of the afterglow. Dongzi said, "Boss, a year ago I couldn't have imagined that I would see such a magnificent view today. It's really shocking. The sea is so vast and boundless. Thinking about the past, we lived in a small place and did evil things. It was really short-sighted."

Xing'er was very happy to hear Dongzi say such words, and she had been urging Dongzi to learn to read. Even Tong Wenyao was a little surprised when she heard Dongzi say that he was short-sighted and asked, "Dongzi, you've learned quite a few words today?"

Dongzi said proudly after hearing this, "It was Xing'er who pushed me to learn to read. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so short-sighted." Xing'er said from the side, "Miss, I thought Dongzi would be your right-hand man, so I allowed him to attend Confucius' lectures."

After hearing this, she praised: "Xing'er, you did a good job, and Dongzi, you learned well too."

Xing Er smiled so much that her eyes narrowed when she received the young lady's praise. She fed the grapes in her hand to her mouth and said, "Miss, the lady asked me to take this grape tart. Please have it!"

She was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when she saw the grapes. She was worried that her family would not have enough fruit to eat before she left. After returning from the county, she specially took out a lot of grape tarts and pears from the space. She didn't expect her mother to let her bring them with her. Fortunately, they were on the boat and it was not as bumpy as riding in a carriage, otherwise the grape tarts might have been crushed.

I guess they took quite a lot, but the further south we went, the hotter the weather became. Tong Wenyao said, "Xing'er, keep one or two bunches for you and Dongzi, and give the rest of the Portuguese tarts to Uncle Wang. This fruit won't keep long, and it will rot if left out for too long."

After taking a look, Xing'er said, "Okay, Miss." She put the Portuguese tarts in the fruit plate on the table, went back to the room and took the small basket of Portuguese tarts to find Wang Liao.

Wang Liao was originally wiping his goose-feather knife in the room. After hearing some movement at the door, he turned to look at her.

Seeing that it was his employer's servant, he stood up and prepared to respond.

"Uncle Wang, my young lady saw that you were working hard on patrol, so she ordered me to bring some Portuguese tarts for you to try!" Wang Liao walked to the door in two or three steps and saw the Portuguese tarts in the basket in her hand. These were obviously fruits from the Western Regions. He had led a team to escort merchants there before. Good Portuguese tarts could cost ten taels of silver for a bunch. Judging from the quality of the ones she sent, if he took them to buy, it would cost at least forty or fifty taels of silver per bunch!

It can be said that this is the kind of Portuguese tart that only the rich and powerful can eat. He still remembered that when he escorted the merchants back, the Portuguese tarts were placed in a clay bowl that was covered with a lid. This way, the moisture could be locked in and the Portuguese tarts would not dry out. However, the Portuguese tarts in the basket were full and it was obvious that they had been carefully preserved to be so well preserved. How could he and his brothers deserve to eat such good fruits?

He repeatedly declined, saying, "This is too valuable. I can't accept it!" Xing'er handed the basket forward and said, "The young lady said that these Portuguese tarts are best enjoyed fresh. If they are left out for a few more days, they will go bad. So you can have them!"

"Thank you, Mr. Tong! Thank you, Miss Xing'er, for bringing it over."

As soon as Xing'er left, Wang Liao brought the Portuguese tarts to the brothers and distributed two or three to each of them, except those on guard duty.

Ma Zi asked, "Brother Wang, where did you get this Portuguese tart from the Western Regions? It looks like it was just picked." Wang Liao put one into his mouth, and the juice burst out in his mouth. The sweet juice mixed with the sweet taste made him half-close his eyes.

After swallowing it, he answered his brothers' questions, "This Portuguese tart was given to us by a customer! She saw how hard we were working on patrol, so she gave us the few remaining Portuguese tarts to try!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Zi burst into praise, his words filled with admiration. "Ms. Tong is truly kind and righteous. We're often exposed to wind and rain while escorting, and yet she remembered and even sent us Portuguese tarts. She's so considerate and thoughtful. If anyone makes things difficult for Ms. Tong, I, Ma Zi, will be the first to object."

Wang Liao collected the remaining Portuguese tarts and said, "These are for the brothers on duty. To be honest, these Portuguese tarts are very valuable. In the capital, they would probably cost fifty taels of silver per string. In the Western Regions, where Portuguese tarts are produced in abundance, they would probably cost ten taels of silver per string. If each of you eats two or three, that would cost one or two taels of silver."

After these words were spoken, some people who had not eaten yet carefully held the two Portuguese tarts in their hands. If Brother Wang had not said so, they would have swallowed them whole and not been able to taste the saltiness. But if Brother Wang had said so, they would have to taste them carefully.

After saying that, Mazi took the Portuguese tart in his hand and tasted it carefully with great care. It was indeed different from the fruits they ate. This Portuguese tart did not even have any seeds in it and was very juicy.

At night, Tong Wenyao lay in bed, forcing herself to close her eyes. Uncle Wang came over and said, "We will pass Suigang Station at midnight tonight. If nothing unexpected happens, you can go back to sleep. If something unexpected happens, you will have to stay in the room and they will be watching outside. However, there are other options, such as abandoning ship. This is also a choice to be made when there is no other choice."

The sky outside was getting darker and the temperature around was getting colder. It was February now, and the weather was hot during the day and cold at night.

The sound of the wind and waves on the sea was very loud, and Tong Wen Yao was awakened by the noise outside at midnight. Xing'er was guarding beside her and was obviously awakened by the noise outside. Thinking of what Uncle Wang said was unsafe, Xing'er hid the banknotes in the secret button of her clothes. Tong Wen Yao was not worried about the valuables because most of them were placed in her space, and she could let them see the "so-called valuables." They were all fakes, so if there was really a robbery, then there would be no harm in giving them fakes.

Except for the hairpin given by her mother, all the other jewelry she wore were fake. However, Tong Wen Yao thought about it and put the hairpin given by her mother into the space, and took out a silver hairpin. Her mother's hairpin was bought for her mother by her father before, and it was of great significance. This time, after she went out, her mother gave her the hairpin, which really surprised her.

You know, when she was exiled, life was so difficult that her mother was reluctant to sell the hairpin, and now she actually gave it to her! Thinking of what her mother whispered to her, her eyes darkened. She didn't expect that her father would know someone from Lucheng!

A voice came from outside the door. It was the voice of Manager Bai, "Miss Tong, have you rested?"

After Xing'er opened the door, Xiaoxue walked over to her and stared at Manager Bai. Although he knew the leopard wouldn't bite, he was still a little scared at being stared at like that. Even so, he remained calm and said, "Miss Tong, please put out the candles in the room. We'll be crossing the Sui Lan Sea in a cup of tea, so we have to be careful."