“Bang, bang, bang—”
"A Sheng! A Sheng! Are you home?" Uncle Jin knocked hard on the tightly closed gate and called out to someone inside.
He frowned. Why is there no one here today?
The Wang family treated their servants kindly, and he lived a decent life, occasionally even bringing in relatives. The two families had a good relationship, and there were always people at home.
Could it be that...
He slapped harder.
The family huddled together in the cellar, trembling with fear. A Sheng's eight-year-old son had better hearing than his father who had been soaked in water all year round, so he pulled his father's wrist.
"Dad, it sounds like uncle's voice."
"Ah? Is your uncle here?"
Why would he come back at this time? Afraid that his son had misheard, he leaned over the ladder and put his ear close to the cellar door to listen carefully for a while.
Then he was overjoyed, "It really is your uncle!"
Then he quickly climbed out of the cellar.
"...Asheng! Are you home?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Ah Sheng ran out to open the door.
Uncle Jin breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a voice answering from behind the door.
When he saw his cousin, he felt sad again. His cousin had lost weight again, and his face was skinny and without a pound of flesh.
"Brother! Why are you back? We hid as soon as we heard that outsiders had entered the village."
Uncle Jin came to his senses and realized that there was no time to waste, so he quickly pulled him towards the beach.
"Let's talk as we walk. Our master has two distinguished guests and wants to take them out to sea. We'd rather stay close to the coast, not too far, and safer. You'll be responsible for rowing the boat for them and helping with the fishing. You don't have to do anything else. I'll give you two liters of beans a day!"
Ah Sheng's eyes almost popped out, knowing that his cousin would never lie to him. This time it was his turn to pull his cousin forward.
"On the beach? Where did this distinguished guest come from? Why is there such a great news?"
"Just remember one thing: talk less and do more! Just obey and do your job, and don't ask any more questions!"
"Hey, okay, okay!"
The sun was high in the sky, and Butler Wang had already entered the carriage and was waiting. Jiang Yue and the others then entered the cabin.
This small cabin is just right for Jiang Yue, but it seems a bit cramped for Jiang Nian, who has long arms and legs.
Jiang Yue was checking the boat for any leaks. If water got in, the boat would be doomed.
Hearing someone running over, she turned around and saw a skeleton pulling Uncle Jin towards her...
He looked exactly like the people she had seen on the street. He had obvious sun spots on the areas not covered by his clothes, and his skin was darker than those inland.
This kind of black is different from the black that comes from being sun-dried for several months. It's like being marinated in soy sauce...
"Mrs. Jiang, this is my cousin. He can row a boat and often goes out to sea. He's a good swimmer and knows a lot about all kinds of sea fish!"
Uncle Jin was barely catching his breath, and Jiang Yue was afraid he might pass out.
Ah Sheng was standing aside, feeling nervous and nodding repeatedly, fearing that the distinguished guest would dislike him.
"Could you please come up and paddle for a bit?"
This is what it means to test your skills.
Uncle Jin pushed Ah Sheng, and he gritted his teeth and stepped forward, pushing the wooden boat out first. Then he climbed onto the boat with soft hands and feet, took a few deep breaths, and then took the oar.
Seeing that the noble wasn't staring at him, Ah Sheng relaxed after paddling for a while. He had been fishing at sea in his family's small wooden boat since he was eight years old, and the paddling motion was more vividly remembered by his hands than by his brain.
Seeing his skilled rowing movements, Jiang Yue didn't bother to talk too much or play tricks, so she asked, "Uncle Jin, when is the best time to go fishing?"
This person should be five or six years younger than Uncle Jin, and should be called brother, but she already calls Uncle Jin "uncle", and the generations cannot be messed up.
Uncle Jin's voice trembled, but he still answered honestly, "The wooden boat is small and can't go far. If we're just going offshore, we can leave at the beginning of the Yin hour. If it's a large ship, we have to set off around the Chou hour."
That's between three and five in the morning, when we sleep the deepest.
"Okay, then we'll hire you to help row the boat and fish for three to five days, and you'll be paid two liters of beans a day. During this time, you'll live at your house and won't need to prepare any food. You'll be paid one liter of beans a day for the room. Do you think this is suitable?"
Uncle Jin was very excited, "It fits perfectly!"
Three liters of beans a day, how can it not be suitable?! I wish I could stay longer!
"Okay, let's go back and come out again at Yinshi."
Uncle Jin treated them like his own and said, "Everyone wants to grab a boat and go fishing these days. If we leave the boat outside, it will be easily stolen. We have to hide."
He rowed the two of them to a small corner. After mooring the boat, he pulled down a large amount of reeds and spread them all on top, making it look less conspicuous.
Jiang Yue looked to one side and saw three or four boats there. Some were smaller than hers and could probably only hold two or three people.
It turned out that they were all hidden. She wondered how a fishing village could not even have small wooden boats. How could it be called a fishing village?
Perhaps, the villagers who make a living by going to the sea are now hiding because they see strangers?
Uncle Jin took the two of them out through a small path, his body covered with weeds.
He smiled awkwardly, not knowing whether the noble man would be angry.
Jiang Yue didn't think there was anything wrong.
I walked around for a while before returning to the original place.
Jiang Yue pulled out a dozen pears from her own carriage and put them directly on Butler Wang's car.
Steward Wang and the others were bored waiting and were about to fall asleep when they were awakened by a "bang".
Jiang Yue smiled and said, "Thank you for your help. This is free. Everyone should try it."
Butler Wang smiled and was still being polite, but his hand was already on the fruit and he would not let go.
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