How could I not know?
The third brother remembered that since his father had arrived so quickly, and he couldn't bear to part with the wine, he could only down half a cup in one gulp.
As a result, I drank too quickly and got a little drunk, my face turned red.
He pretended to be unwell and lay in bed refusing to eat.
The family physician examined him and spoke to his father, but he was too dizzy to hear clearly what the physician said.
All he knew was that someone sat down on the edge of the bed and flicked his nose, saying:
"You little glutton! If it weren't for the doctor saying that your constitution is a bit cold and that drinking alcohol in moderation is fine, I would have spanked you!"
"I've discovered you, you little glutton! Didn't you notice? We've changed all the wine at home. A little bit of rice wine isn't nearly enough to satisfy your father's cravings!"
"You little glutton are getting a good deal, but your dad is suffering!"
......
Tears streamed down the third brother's face, while the second brother choked back a sob.
The second child tried to cover up the truth, saying, "The crab was delicious, but it was too spicy! It almost made me cry!"
The third brother scoffed, but still said:
"That's true."
After finishing their meal, the villagers went home to rest.
The village chief reminded everyone to take a short rest today, go beachcombing as usual in the evening, and try to finish building the houses tomorrow.
To avoid any unforeseen complications.
We just went beachcombing, and all the seafood was eaten by everyone. If we go beachcombing again in the evening, we can exchange some of it, so we can still earn money.
After the Song and Fan families helped clean up the scene, they left one after another.
The eldest sister-in-law brought out the mint water and poured a bowl for the county magistrate and the village chief.
"Sir, are there many ships in the South Island?"
Ruan Meng suddenly asked with great interest.
Deng Zisong put down his bowl, took a closer look at Ruan Meng, and squinted.
Is that what he thinks?
The village chief also put down his bowl and became serious.
Ruan Meng blinked, giving a frantic hint.
Yes! That's exactly what you mean!
Magistrate Deng took a breath and began to explain earnestly:
"There are quite a few ships on the southern islands, but compared to the Guangdong and Guangxi regions..."
After nearly a month on the island, Ruan Meng realized that, apart from the difference in place names, the geographical layout of this alternate time was actually very similar to that of Hainan Island and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions in her previous life.
"There are very few boats. Currently, there are three types of boats on the South Island."
"One type was the official ship, which was responsible for transporting precious treasures such as ore from mining and pearls and agarwood from fishing to the shore and sending them to the imperial court."
"At the same time, daily necessities such as vegetables, rice, and cloth were transported ashore for the use of officials and their families. The size and quality of the official ships were naturally excellent, and the quantity was also considerable. However, they were generally not allowed to be used for private purposes."
"The second type is companies like He Family Restaurant and Xinglin Hall, which transport supplies back and forth. Companies with strong financial resources, such as He Family Restaurant, have a number of cargo ships of excellent quality, size, and quantity."
"But how many restaurants on the island are of the size of He Family Restaurant? In the other three counties combined, there are less than ten. Most merchants rely on merchants with merchant ships to purchase supplies on their behalf."
"Of course, merchant ships will incur additional costs, so the prices of goods on the island will be much higher than on land."
"Another type is the fishing boats used by fishermen. Most of them can only stay within the vicinity of islands and reefs, relying on oars for power. If they encounter a storm, it will be a disaster and they can't go far at all."
"That's referring to the better boats. In our county, Zhengjia Village and Yuanjia Village have more than a dozen decent fishing boats, like those in Fengjia Village..."
The village chief chimed in, "We don't have any. We only have a few rafts. The men in the village work on the boats, specifically on the official boats. They regularly hire people to fish for pearls and agarwood in the deep sea..."
What Ruan Meng heard from the village woman was similar to what she had heard in her previous life in ancient times: pearls, agarwood, and mineral deposits all belonged to the imperial court.
Even if the official boats did not catch anything, but the common people caught something, they could not keep it for themselves; otherwise, it would be a serious crime.
Ruan Mengdao said, "Sir, village chief, after what happened this morning, I feel even more strongly that for a village to prosper, it cannot be without people."
"Whether it's concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks or facing difficulties together..."
"In the future, how can we expand our business and bring back the people who work in the mines and on the ships? We can buy our own boats, go out to sea to fish, and grow our own land and medicinal herbs. What a promising future that will be!"
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