After leaving the inspection office, Xie Yuan went to the seaside as usual to inspect the defense post stations. Then, he intentionally went to Chang Ning's home located in the south of the city, called him out, and relayed Wen Lan's words. Chang Ning's hopes were immediately dashed, and he stood there dumbfounded for a while. Not giving up, he said, "Sir Xie, did you hear correctly? She... did she really say that?" Seeing his superior nod without saying much, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This doesn't seem right... She always smiles when she sees me. My mother said, when a girl often smiles at you, she must like you..."
Xie Yuan instinctively didn't like these words, resisting the urge to knock some sense into him, and said lightly, "My cousin is naive and inexperienced. She is willing to talk to you because you are kind to her. Sometimes she laughs a few times too. Don't think too much into it."
Chang Ning thanked him listlessly. Xie Yuan looked at his retreating figure and thought that the next time he had a chance, he would have to let his cousin know that if she wasn't interested, she shouldn't casually laugh with other men, to avoid such misunderstandings again.
~~
Chunfang came back the next day, looking much better. It turned out that her father had hired a physician who prescribed medicine, and his condition had indeed improved. The whole family was happy. Her mother was afraid that she would be inconvenienced by staying away for many days, so she sent her back.
"My father's condition has improved a little, but these days in the village, every household is worried," she sighed. "If we can't find big pearls, when the eunuch and the imperial envoy come, who knows how they will harass us..."
The vast ocean, aimlessly searching for clams like this, indeed had very little hope. All Wen Lan could do was pat her on the shoulder and offer some comfort.
Chunfang's smile reappeared, saying, "Fortunately, my father has improved a lot. It's also fortunate that you and the old lady have helped. Otherwise, I don't know what I would do. It shows that when it rains, it pours, but things will get better."
Wen Lan felt much more at ease when Chunfang returned. The next day, Chunfang took a look around the kitchen, which Wen Lan had been managing for the past few days, and found that there was a shortage of some provisions like oil, salt, and vinegar, so she planned to go buy them. Wen Lan also needed to go to the street and saw that Madam Ma was taking a nap, so she went out with her. When they returned with the groceries, as they were walking, someone suddenly called out Chunfang's name from behind. They stopped and turned around to see a fisherwoman around Chunfang's age, barefoot with rolled-up pants, and a basket of seaweed tied around her waist, panting as if she had just come back from the sea, and she said, "Chunfang, your father went to the sea and started spitting blood. Why don't you go check on him?"
Chunfang's face changed, the things in her hand fell to the ground, and without looking back, she ran in the direction of the village.
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Wen Lan was also surprised and didn't bother with the scattered items on the ground, quickly following behind.
She knew that Chunfang had an older brother who had unfortunately drowned in the sea at the age of ten, so she was especially close to her parents. She often heard her talk about how much her parents doted on her. Now, suddenly hearing such news, it's no wonder she was so anxious.
A few miles south of Bai Long City was Le Min Village. It was Wen Lan's first time here. Along the way, all she saw were low, dilapidated huts. When she arrived at Chunfang's home, there were already a dozen people gathered at the door. She followed Chunfang through the crowd and saw many people inside as well, a man lying on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, and a pool of bright red blood on the floor.
"Dad, what happened?"
Chunfang exclaimed and rushed over.
The man opened his eyes, smiled, and with one hand supporting himself on the bed, asked, "Why have you come back again? It's not good to delay the work at the Eastern House. I'm fine, go back quickly."
She had heard Chunfang mentioned before that her father was not yet forty. But at this moment, the thin and haggard man with purplish lips in front of her already had gray hair at his temples and deep wrinkles on his forehead, making him look like he was over fifty. His finger joints and the exposed knee joints were visibly swollen and deformed. Wenlan knew this was due to severe rheumatism. The pearl people in this area, due to their long-term exposure to the sea without protection, would inevitably have occupational diseases as they reached a certain age. In addition to rheumatoid joint deformities, the most common are lung diseases, skin diseases, and impaired vision, and so on.
Chunfang had already shed tears. A middle-aged woman beside her looked at Wenlan and hesitantly asked, "Are you..."
Her facial features resembled Chunfang's, so Wenlan guessed she was Chunfang's mother, and replied, "My last name is Li, Xie was my cousin."
Chunfang's mother was stunned, then immediately became flustered, hurriedly fetched a stool and tried to wipe it down with her sleeves to offer Wenlan a seat. Wenlan knew that if she didn't sit down, the other party would be uneasy, so she stopped her from wiping the stool and sat down, saying thank you.
Chunfang's mother said with difficulty, "Madame San, don't make my family ashamed. If it weren't for you and Madame Xie lending us money last time, I don't know what would have happened to Chunfang's father, not to mention the care Chunfang received in your home."
Wenlan politely replied, and Chunfang kept crying on the side.
Chunfang's father reached out and touched his daughter's head, and with a wry smile said, "Stop it, don't make fun of our guest."
Suppressing her feelings of sympathy, Wenlan said, "It's okay. I and her were on the street in the city. We just happened to hear news about Uncle. Since I often heard Chunfang mentioning you before, I came to visit, hoping not to disturb Uncle's rest."
Chunfang's father hastily waved his hand and said, "Madame San, please don't say that. You coming to a place like this gives us face..."
"Dad, what happened before?" Chunfang immediately asked, and people around started to explain, so Wenlan quickly understood what had happened.
---
It turned out that the pearl people here had accumulated experience over generations in diving and had identified seven or eight pearl-rich oyster areas, but Yinyin Long Beach was not among them. Moreover, due to the nearby terrain and ocean currents, the water was deep and turbulent, and the underwater situation was unpredictable. When the waves were high, it looked like there was a sea dragon causing trouble on the seabed, and that's how the area got its name, which was considered a forbidden zone by the pearl people. The teenager who died trapped by a giant clam there had excellent swimming abilities and was bold enough to venture into this area.
Chunfang's father, named Li, was renowned in the Ten Villages for his swimming ability and was respected as "Li the Eel." His real name had been forgotten among the pearl people, but he had always enjoyed a good reputation. When the teenager disappeared in this area, it was he who, on behalf of the teenager's family, took many risks and ultimately recovered the body along with the giant clam. Now, with so many people in distress, Li the Eel was unable to figure out a solution and could only lament and worry, which reminded him of a past event.
When he dived into Yinyin Long Beach, he found strange and rugged underwater terrain, and below the drowned teenager, he vaguely perceived what seemed to be another giant clam attached to a hole on the other side of a rock. However, after returning to shore, he did not mention it to anyone. It was not until a few days ago that he remembered, and he conceived the idea to investigate it again. Though he was no longer as strong as he used to be, under the immense pressure, he had to try, as leaving the villagers to be forced into overfishing would only lead to more deaths. With his condition improving slightly, he had decided to go back to Yinyin Long Beach the day before, along with Dongbao, to try their luck. Dongbao accepted his invitation and they took a pearl boat to Yinyin Long Beach. After finding the approximate location, Li the Eel guided Dongbao underwater. After two days of searching, they finally touched the location mentioned earlier today. However, the water at this location was already more than ten feet deep, posing a huge test for both the physical and psychological endurance of a person. Although Dongbao was young, his underwater skills and experience were inferior to Li the Eel, and this depth was already the limit, making it impossible to dive further. Li the Eel let him go up first, and he continued to search, finally finding the place where the clam was attached as he remembered. The clam was indeed still there, and the attachment with the rocks and crevices had become inseparable over the years. With his physical strength reaching its limit, he couldn't budge it at all and had to return. However, as soon as he got on the boat, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and began to vomit blood. It was only after being sent back home and resting for a while that his strength gradually recovered.
Someone had located the clam containing the large pearl, but there was only Li the Eel who had the ability to go down and retrieve it. But now he was in this state...
The villagers were in deep distress over the heinous land, and the house was shrouded in gloom.
"It's my fault, Uncle Seabass..." Dongbao said with a guilty look on his face. "I'll go down tomorrow. Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will bring up the giant clam."
Li the Eel shook his head and said, "You have reached your limit; not to mention being unable to continue diving, even if you did, it wouldn't work. People have already died. When your father passed away, he entrusted you to me. I don't want you to have any accidents." With that, he glanced at the people around him, stood up, and said, "Let's all disperse. I'm fine. This is just an old ailment, I spit out a bit of blood, it's not fatal. I'll rest today and go back down tomorrow, and I'll definitely succeed!"
"Dad..." Chunfang shouted, but Li the Eel interrupted her, smiling, "Dad is really fine. You and Madame San go back to the city, don't worry about me."