Little Sparrow, obey my command!

Without the rooster's loud crowing, Meng Yan almost couldn't get out of bed. Luckily, the stone slab was hard enough, and the more he rolled around, the more energetic he became.

Shaking her head to wake herself up, she first scanned the room. All the furnishings were exactly the same as before she went to bed, so it seemed that Yue Lang, who had been enjoying the sea view last night, had not yet returned.

The greetings from neighbors on the street rose and fell. Although I couldn't understand them, I could feel their warmth and friendliness, like sunlight shining through a small window, warming my heart.

Finding no mirror in the room, Meng Yan disregarded her appearance and grabbed a handful of hair by feel. The hair felt about the same as usual, so she tied it up with a hairpin and reached out to open the loud wooden door.

The hand that was about to knock on the door was pulled back by the owner who had just come to his senses. It was none other than Yue, who had enjoyed the natural scenery all night.

"You're up so early, Miss Yan!"

"Not as early as you."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two walked side by side into the street to bask in the sun.

The news of the arrival of strangers in the village spread like wildfire yesterday, and now the two of them standing on the street are enough to attract a lot of attention.

"Miss Yan, why don't you seize the opportunity? In a few days, they'll get used to it, and we won't be as dazzling anymore," Yue Lang whispered in her ear.

Meng Yan turned his face away from the tickle, but his expression showed that he was deep in thought.

"What's wrong? Have you made a new discovery, or did I say something wrong?" Someone eagerly leaned closer again.

Pointing to the rising sun on the horizon, Meng Yan turned to him and asked, "What's a good time to do?"

Yue Lang paused for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "...Sleep?"

Meng Yan shook his finger. "Let's eat."

Yue Lang: "..." Okay.

He had just turned around, intending to find a family he could get along with, when he heard a loud female voice calling to them. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a young woman wearing a floral headscarf.

"Go take a look? They're calling us."

Meng Yan nodded, casually scooped up Yue Lang, and walked towards the girl.

"Sister, are you hungry? I've cooked extra porridge, and I also have steamed shrimp and crab. Why don't you try some to fill your stomach?"

Yue Lang relayed the message dutifully, even including the form of address and tone, which made Meng Yan's brows twitch as she secretly tightened her grip on his hand.

The person next to her quickly returned to normal, and with a forced smile, continued to relay the message: "She said she doesn't quite understand what I'm saying, but she can understand your sign language, so you should just talk to her if you have any problems."

"This isn't right, is it?" Yue Lang's face was full of disbelief. "My accent isn't that heavy, is it? Besides, I can understand everything they're saying. It's a bit hurtful."

"But they can understand sign language, Miss Yan, so you can communicate without any obstacles!"

Some people's emotions change so quickly that Meng Yan almost doubted the authenticity of his injury, but after just a slight turn of his head, he was infected by that cheerful smile and thanked the kind girl with joy.

The pleasure was temporary. As soon as the girl spoke enthusiastically, she silently realized that it seemed that she was the one who had been unable to understand what she was saying all along.

Despite the many twists and turns, she managed to sort out the situation in the fishing village during her breakfast break.

In the early years, people came here from all over the country, speaking in their own local dialect that only they could understand. They saw their neighbors every day, how could they not speak?

A few impatient ones took the lead, squatting under the trees by the sand when they had nothing else to do, gesturing with their hands. Compared to having to guess what others meant each time, gestures were obviously much more effective. The word spread quickly, from one person to ten, and from ten to the whole village. People with different accents relied on their newly learned language to get through one thought after another on this sandy land.

Unfortunately, Yue Lang's words sounded like a local accent to them. They could occasionally make out some of the words, but most of the time they could only hear him babbling incoherently.

Coincidentally, Meng Yan's sign language was so familiar and endearing, and the little girl was quiet and unassuming. After half a day, everyone had a very good impression of her.

As luck would have it, they each had their own areas of incomprehension, but together they complemented each other perfectly, learning everything from hearing to speaking.

"Thanks to Miss Yan, I can eat and drink here without being treated like a savage and thrown back into the mountains." Yue Lang put the peeled shrimp into Meng Yan's bowl, then reached for the next one to peel.

With a swift movement of his knife, Meng Yan easily separated the crab, placing it shell-on into his bowl. He then picked up a peeled shrimp and ate it, his eyes following Meng Yan's movements until the next shrimp was placed in his bowl.

"Miss Yan, you have such skillful hands, I thought you would enjoy peeling shrimp and dismantling crabs."

After finishing the shrimp on Meng Yan's plate, Yue Lang began to ponder the scattered crabs in his own bowl.

"I haven't eaten much of these. I'm afraid that if I fall ill, you won't be able to go back. Besides, the intricate mechanisms are a skill, and eating requires both hands and brains, which is troublesome. I just like to take a stroll in the kitchen when I have nothing to do, and eat whatever my senior brothers and sisters cook."

"Your sect still cooks together in a communal pot? Judging from the mooncakes last time, you must eat quite well on weekdays." Yue Lang broke off a piece of crab shell. "We believe that as long as we're alive, it doesn't matter what we eat. Anyway, none of us are really good at cooking. Although everyone's dishes are very different, the taste is not the same."

That must taste absolutely awful...

The kind-hearted girl who brought the food to the two hungry tourists called herself Xiaoling. She settled them on the table and then hurriedly left, heading towards the seaside on urgent business.

No one was home, and the cupboards weren't locked, so they let two strangers into the house without any worries, telling them to wander around after they finished eating.

Seeing that Yue Lang had finished spitting out the last piece of crab shell, Meng Yan picked up the plate without saying a word, went to the nearby shore and washed it with sand and stones. After the surface was cleaned by the sunlight, he put it away, stacked it up and put it back on the table.

Yue Lang followed along at all times. When Meng Yan pushed the plate into the water, he pushed it in too. When Meng Yan grabbed a handful of sand and rubbed it on the plate, he followed suit and applied a layer of dirt. When Meng Yan finished washing the plate, he sat down slowly and watched him. He was diligently cleaning the sand off the bottom of the plate.

For someone who finds eating troublesome and is too lazy to eat, how come washing dishes is easier than drinking water?

He was completely baffled. When he turned back, Meng Yan had already washed all the tableware except for the plate in his hand.

Looking at the thick stack of spoils at her feet, Yue Lang wished he could bury himself in the ground with the dirt he used to wipe the plates.

Yue Lang loosely closed the door for Xiao Ling, stretched, and took a few steps. Seeing no one following behind, he walked back and saw Meng Yan nodding her chin thoughtfully. In front of her, the only thing swaying was the wooden door that had just been closed and then opened again.

"Is there a problem with the door? Or if you like this piece of wood, let's ask the neighbor where they cut it. We can make our own whole tree. It's not appropriate to just ask someone else for their door."

Yue Lang had met many people who were particularly fond of things. One junior disciple in the sect had painstakingly planted wheat seedlings, but after a rain, he was left with a pot that was half rotten. He lost his appetite and wandered around the sect like a lost soul every day. Everyone rushed to bring him wheat seeds from outside the sect. The following year, he moved into a large wheat field and finally found the same seedlings as the previous year. His wheat seedlings became a "beautiful story" in the sect.

Meng Yan is always with her work tools, and it's clear she has a fondness for wood. I just hope she's interested in the wood itself, not the natural beauty that has been weathered by the wind for years.

"There's a minor problem," she said, snapping back to reality.

Yue Lang hesitated between her and the door, unsure whether she was referring to the wooden door or herself.

"The corrosion is too severe, and there are signs that it is separating from the frame. It is not attached to the wall and the frame. The inside of the latch is loose, and the door panel has been corroded for a long time. It is easy to hurt people when it is windy, and it is also dangerous when going out in normal times."

Her explanation was clear and concise, easy to understand. Even a layman like Yue Lang could glean some of her meaning. Without Meng Yan needing to elaborate, he already understood her thoughts.

"Do I have any tools? At least if I go on a long journey, I won't be carrying axes, saws, or carving knives with me."

Meng Yan shook his head. "Ask the neighbors?"

"I accept the order."

Yue Lang rolled up his sleeves and knocked on the door, his eyes meeting those of a child who was barely waist-high behind it.

The child looked up at him and said, "..."

Yue Lang opened his mouth, then slowly closed it again: "..."

"Miss Yan, please speak." He stepped aside, smiling as he stood to the side, waiting for the two to speak.

Are there any adults at your home?

"No, if you want to know anything, you can ask me."

"Where did you cut your door from?"

"I have no idea."

Yue Lang burst out laughing. "Why don't you ask him where the adults are now?"

"We process the fish at the dock; the small ones are kept, and the large ones are transported away to be sold."

Before leaving, Meng Yan asked again, "Do you have any tools like axes or machetes at home?"

"You'll have to ask the adults; they don't let us say 'yes'."

Patting the child's clever head, Meng Yan led Yue Lang toward the dock.

.

Many ships, large and small, have drifted out to sea and are scattered about, seemingly heading to different places to make trade.

Near the shore, several figures were busy on the beach and fishing boats. When no one was paying attention, the small fish in the net jumped out of the net and just lay down to rest on the shore when the fisherwoman casually threw them back into the water with a splash.

"Wouldn't it be considered a nuisance if we went over there?"

I think so.

"Should we still lend it?"

"Borrow, borrow from your own family."

Yue Lang responded cooperatively, only realizing the unfamiliarity of the location after he finished speaking, "Where are we borrowing it from?"

"Peaceful Valley," Meng Yan said calmly, taking out a bead and smashing it onto the tail of the small mechanical kite.

Watching her movements, Yue Lang licked his lips, which had been dried by the wind. For some reason, he had a strange feeling that if the mechanical sparrow hadn't had a limited carrying capacity, it might have brought not just tools, but burly men who would shout "Junior Sister" and land on the ground.

The scene was too shocking, and he returned to reality.

"But this bead can only summon the mechanical sparrow in one direction, right? Are you going to send the message that you need the tools back to the valley first, and then wait a few hours before coming out in the middle of the night to get the axe?"

It's not that it's impossible, but I'm afraid that if I happen to run into ordinary people at night, I'll be caught red-handed. If I explain that I wanted to repair their doors, break their windows, and make tables and chairs, probably no one will believe me.

"I made arrangements before I left. I left a letter at the courtyard gate. These mechanical sparrows are specially designed to transport heavy objects. They are kept separate from the ordinary ones. If there is any movement, my senior brothers and sisters will definitely see it. Only after they release them can the big sparrow fly away from the valley." Meng Yan showed Yue Lang several particularly conspicuous beads.

"You wrote down what you wanted and the corresponding mechanical sparrow in the letter. Whichever one you call, everyone in the valley will pack it according to what you wrote in the letter, saving the time of traveling with the mechanical sparrow."

Meng Yan gave him an appreciative look, then turned to the dock to observe the fishermen's busy activities.

Yue Lang had only spoken casually, but he hadn't expected that Yue Lang would guess so perfectly. He was inexplicably energized, as if he had suddenly realized a great truth.