The Song brothers each took one of the sweet potatoes the woman had given them, and sent the rest to the back hall of the temple.
The dried fish, wrapped in oil paper, had a slightly fishy smell...
Worried that it was inappropriate to eat in the temple, Song Chenghou carried Wen Shishi outside. The brothers each ate a few pieces with their fingers, and then the food was gone.
"It's so delicious!" Wen Shishi said happily, her rosy lips glistening with oil.
Upon seeing this, the Song brothers unconsciously raised the corners of their lips.
The sound of women's joyful laughter came from not far away. The Song family looked over...
As the tide receded, a large area of mudflats was revealed.
Many women, leading children, wearing triangular bamboo hats and carrying wooden buckets, walked towards the mudflats.
"Hey! Here!"
In the distance, a woman, dressed in the same attire, waved to them.
However, he was carrying an extra bamboo hat and several wooden buckets.
Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the child they had rescued yesterday and the woman who had brought them food and clothes this morning.
The Song brothers informed the abbot and immediately rushed over.
The woman handed them an extra bamboo hat and a bucket, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, this is the only hat I have left..."
The sun is strong at the beach; if you stay in the sun too long, you'll easily get sunburned and your skin will peel. You should take turns wearing them...
And these wooden buckets can be used to hold fish..."
Song Chenghou and the others accepted the outcome with smiles.
A bamboo hat was naturally placed on little Wen Shishi's head.
When she fell into the sea, Wen Shishi's shoes were long gone. She had been held by her brother in the morning and was now eager to step onto the soft sand.
The shallow seawater, carried gently by the breeze, brushed against her feet, as if playing with her...
Wen Shishi giggled, holding onto her flimsy hat with both hands, and bounced around in the seawater.
She was only about knee-high to Song Chenghou and Song Chengjian, and wearing a bamboo hat the size of a pot lid, she looked like a giant mushroom from the Song family's perspective...
All that could be seen was the umbrella handle and the tiny, fair, rounded feet peeking out as the child ran and jumped.
The Song brothers stood quietly watching, both of them raising the corners of their lips.
“My benefactors, please be careful when you catch fish.”
The ocean may seem rich in resources, but it's actually fraught with danger. You all saw what happened to my little one yesterday...
There could be danger at any time. Many fish and crabs in this sea are poisonous; some should not be touched, and some should not be eaten.
I'll catch two in a bit, and you guys can see what kind I caught and then catch the same kind...
Xiao Bao's mother gave him instructions and held his hand tightly, not daring to let go for a moment.
She turned to her son and instructed him, "Xiaobao, you can't catch fish anymore. You can only play with the fish that Mommy catches, understand?"
The child called Xiaobao is completely different from when he was poisoned by the fish fin yesterday. His eyes are now dark and bright, sparkling with life. He seems to be a very clever child.
Xiao Bao remembered yesterday's lesson and nodded sheepishly.
The Song brothers, along with Xiaobao and his mother, mingled with the tide-chasing crowd.
Amidst laughter and chatter, women and children wearing bamboo hats bent down, searching for fish in the shallow water and mudflats.
Song Chenghou was worried that the waves would hit Wen Shishi, so he wanted to pick up his younger sister...
To everyone's surprise, Song Chengjian acted even faster.
Although Song Chenghou never showed it during the journey, his younger brothers knew his physical condition and were worried that he would get tired.
Song Chengxin and Song Chengxin on either side couldn't help but withdraw their hands and watch expectantly.
Song Chengjian looked around at the people gathering seafood and noticed that, in addition to buckets, they also had iron tools that looked like hoes.
Song Chengjian then asked Xiaobao's mother, "Sister-in-law, what is the purpose of these hoes they are holding?"
Xiao Bao's mother explained with a smile, "Those are for digging up clams and oysters. There are many kinds of clams, each with different sizes and patterns..."
Once the shells are opened, the meat inside is tender and delicious, and you can eat it all.
By the way! Hainan Island is famous for its purple clams. If you find any purple clams, about the size of a small fist, you can keep them...
When the merchant ships arrive, we can sell to them, either for money or daily necessities, medicine, tools, etc.
Upon hearing this, the Song brothers perked up.
They were penniless and worried about not having a way to make money.
Song Chenghou looked around and suddenly realized that among the crowd of people gathering seafood, besides his ten brothers, whose skin color and facial features differed, Wen Shishi's appearance was also more like theirs...
The rest of the people were of similar build, with dark skin, deep-set eyes, and high noses, and their bone structure was significantly different from that of the Da Yin people.
So Song Chenghou asked Xiaobao's mother, "Sister-in-law, are you also Li people?"
Xiao Bao's mother smiled and shook her head, "I am a Dong person. Among these people, there are Dong people and also Li people..."
People live together, have similar habits, and look very alike...
Actually, there are still many differences—faith, clothing, weapons, etc.—but life is tough, and we can't be too particular about such things..."
Upon hearing this, Song Chenghou immediately grasped the key point and continued to ask, "I've heard that people from the Dayin Kingdom were once exiled here, so why don't any Dayin people live here?"
Xiao Bao's mother looked at her innocent little boy and sighed, "You must have heard about the Shengli people who came down from the mountains to kidnap people and enslave them..."
This is all true.
In Yazhou, the Dayin people, or other ethnic groups, if they did not live in groups, were either captured by the Shengli people...
Or they might be kidnapped by other pirate ships at sea...
Therefore, now, in the entire Yazhou region, apart from you and the abbot, there are no other Great Yin people.”
The Song brothers were horrified upon hearing this.
"A pirate ship?" Song Chenghou asked.
“Yes,” said Xiaobao’s mother. “Although the people of Yazhou are poor and have nothing to plunder, there are two ports on Hainan Island that stop here…”
One is in Wan'an Prefecture, because it is close to Guangzhou and Fujian, making transportation convenient;
The first one is located in our Yazhou, because it is surrounded by the sea on three sides, making it convenient to dock.
Merchant ships that came and went and docked were frequently plundered at sea.
Besides cargo, even the seafarers were taken away and sold into slavery in places like Japan and South Vietnam...
Utterly despicable!
Sometimes, their boats would dock at night and kidnap the scattered residents...
Their boats were so fast that even if the residents had small boats, they couldn't catch up, and manpower couldn't stop them..."
Upon hearing this, the Song brothers gained a new understanding of the azure sea.
"Therefore, whether we are Li or Dong people, we mostly live together..."
In this way, if any risks arise, we can withstand them together...
Xiao Bao's mother continued, "You might be wondering, don't the Li people all live on Limu Mountain? Why would they come down from the mountain?"
In fact, Hainan Island was originally mostly inhabited by the Li ethnic group, who lived both in the mountains and at the foot of the mountains.
Later, the Great Yin Dynasty tightened its control, and a large number of officials and soldiers poured in, causing the people to split into two factions...
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