Zhou Yan and Zhu Huaizhang left one after the other, and no one brought over the big steamed buns.
The three of them—one adult and two children—stood under the eaves like fools. Jin Shanyao hand blankly and said, "This isn't what I imagined."
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci exchanged a glance, suppressing their laughter, "Hmm... you wouldn't believe it?"
Jin Shanyao looked at the siblings, " Jing'an Prefecture is by the sea, and its seafood is absolutely superb... Would you like to try some freshly caught Crab?"
The siblings' eyes brightened slightly, and they nodded in unison. Meng Anzhi glanced at Fang Rui not far away, "Auntie... can we go out?"
"Of course," Jin Shanyao said, striding to Fang Rui's side. " Rui'er... shall we go see the sea?"
Fang Rui's lips twitched, and he said irritably, "Don't try anything funny... Just go inside and wait, the big steamed buns will be here soon."
Jin Shanyao her tongue, "Why are you so stubborn? What did Lord Zhou say... he told you to keep an eye on me, see... do you know what that means?"
She held up two fingers to her eyes. "If you're not coming with me, why are you looking at me? Come on... I'll take you to eat seafood," Jin Shanyao, grabbing Fang Rui's shoulder without further ado.
Fang Rui felt as if his shoulder bones were about to be crushed, and he gasped in pain. Just as he was about to reprimand her Jin Shanyao took out a talisman.
He spat on the talisman and slapped it on the man's forehead.
Fang Rui felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. He tried to lift his hand to remove it, but he couldn't break free of the restraints. He was so angry that his face turned red and he cursed loudly, but the sound escaped his throat and disappeared into the air.
He lost his voice???
Fang Rui tried to shout several times, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound. His eyes widened in terror. It must be because of the talisman. So he tried desperately to blow air into it and shake his head to get rid of it.
The talisman seemed to be stuck to his forehead; no matter how hard he tried to shake it off, he couldn't get rid of it.
Jin Shanyao, acting like they were best buddies, led him to the stable and, as if no one else was around, harnessed the oxcart. The groom dared not say a word and quickly let them go.
The group boarded the oxcart.
Jin Shanyao began chatting with Fang Rui, "Is your prefecture far from the sea? Is there only one pier? Is the coastline long? Where can you go beachcombing?"
Fang Rui waved the Jin Shanyao, speaking at an astonishingly fast pace, yet not a single sound came out.
As if understanding, Jin Shanyao answered to herself, "Oh... in the south, huh? No wonder there's so much moisture in the south!" She patted the cow's rump and said excitedly, "Go south out of the city gate, and stick close to Dahuang..."
The old ox mooed and followed Dahuang, galloping away. Xiaoli lay comfortably on the oxcart.
It only took it an hour to travel to and from the capital, and this will be a time of great favor. Let the silly dog run on the ground.
The oxcart sped by, and before the scenery could be clearly seen, it had already passed by. Fang Rui stood frozen, unable to move, staring ahead in terror.
My heart was already in my throat, as if I were about to King of Hell any second.
Three-quarters of an hour later, the oxcart stopped in an open area. Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci stood on the cart, staring blankly ahead.
The boundless sea stretches out before you, its azure waters rolling onto the shore layer by layer with the wind, a breathtaking sight.
Looking at the sea, Meng Anci said awkwardly, "Auntie, there's so much water."
Meng Anzhi was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth. "If it fell into the sea, would it not survive?"
"Yes, if you fall in, you'll be swept away by the sea, and if you're swept into the deep sea, you'll definitely die." Jin Shanyao said, nudging the person next to her, "Am I right, Rui'er..."
Fang Rui suddenly realized he could move again, and immediately tried to pull off the talisman on his forehead. Because he used too much force, he almost ripped his skull off.
He winced in pain but couldn't make a sound. He rubbed his forehead and tried to peel the talisman off little by little along its edge, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it off.
Fang Rui gave up completely. He lifted the talisman, poked the Jin Shanyao his shoulder, and rolled his eyes at her when she looked over.
Jin Shanyao slapped his hand away and pressed the talisman flat again. "See, you're getting emotional again... I took you to see the sea, and you just stood there staring at me? If you keep staring, I'll gouge your eyes out and use them as bubbles to stomp on."
Fang Rui silently looked away, keeping his eyes glued to the talisman on his forehead, not daring to glance at it.
Jin Shanyao saw people gathering seafood in the distance and smiled at the siblings, saying, "Come on... let's go down and take a look."
Seeing them walking towards the beach in their shoes and socks, Fang Rui felt smug... Just you wait, a big wave will soak your shoes and socks in no time, making your feet white, wrinkled, and peeling.
The talisman on his forehead bounced up and down with each breath, like a Little White.
It was the first time the siblings had seen the sea, and they were quite excited. They ran towards the shore, but when a wave came crashing in, they were so scared that they giggled and ran back.
Seeing them having so much fun, Jin Shanyao laughed along. She walked over to the woman and glanced at the oysters in the basket. "Auntie... what are you doing?"
The woman looked up at her and said, "Picking up seafood? Do you even need to ask?" Then she continued bending down to pick up seafood.
Jin Shanyao noticed that she was hesitant to walk, her gaze falling on her ankles. She then took out an ounce of silver and handed it to her. "I'll buy your earthen basket and small shovel. Is this enough?"
Upon hearing this, the woman was first taken aback, then overjoyed and exclaimed, "Enough, enough, enough..." She hastily wiped her hands on her clothes, hurriedly took the tael of silver, and ran home, fearing that Jin Shanyao her mind.
Jin Shanyao, carrying a basket, called out to the siblings, " Anzhi, Anci... come and collect the seafood!"
The siblings had never collected seafood before, and they ran forward with great curiosity, their eyes both falling on the basket. The earthen basket was mostly filled with oysters, along with a few squid and Crab.
Jin Shanyao handed a small shovel to Meng Anzhi, then carried a basket of dirt herself. The three of them bent down and picked up dirt along the coast, having a great time.
Dahuang and Xiaoli also gathered around, digging here and there.
Meng Anci stared at the little crab and asked doubtfully, "Auntie, is it dead?"
Jin Shanyao, "It's all an act."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Crab darted sideways, its eight legs flashing in a blur, before plunging headfirst into the water.
The three of them burst into laughter upon seeing this.
Fang Rui sat on the oxcart and scoffed. "She's about to die, and she still has the leisure to collect seafood with the kids. With a brain like that, even if Lord Zhou didn't intervene, she wouldn't be able to protect Anzhi Hall's family fortune."
After an unknown amount of time, Jin Shanyao returned to the oxcart with the two children. She placed the earthen basket on the cart and declared with boundless pride, "Let's go to the villagers' house and have them cook for us!"
"Let's go..." The siblings raised their hands and cheered. Dahuang and Xiaoli jumped onto the oxcart, while Fang Rui's gaze fell on their feet.
Sure enough, I'm completely soaked... Serves me right, who goes into the sea barefoot? You'll just float away like a fish in water.
Jin Shanyao him on the head with her backhand, saying in a sinister tone, "Were you just ignoring me when I was collecting seafood?"
Fang Rui instinctively tried to refute, but no sound came out when he opened his mouth, so he quickly shook his head in denial.
But Jin Shanyao her hand and slapped him again, saying, "The book says you can't trust a man's words... Sure enough, you dare to lie right under my nose."
Fang Rui's head was buzzing from the blow, and he felt dizzy... He felt like his brain had been smashed to pieces.
The oxcart headed towards the area with many farmhouses. As soon as it entered the village, it heard a burst of laughter. The woman who had just sold the earthen baskets was sitting in the courtyard chatting with a man.
"I met a benefactor today who gave me an ounce of silver right away... You wouldn't let me go beachcombing, otherwise I wouldn't have had today's harvest."
The man rubbed her lower back and laughed, "Yes, yes... you're lucky, you meet a helpful person as soon as you step out the door."
"Of course! I'll save this silver and have it made for Yuniang when she comes back..."