Chapter 551 - 552: Fishing Village

Chapter 551: Chapter 552: Fishing Village

Bai Suihe knew nothing of the Gu family’s scheming. At this moment, she was admiring the scenery along the way. Today, Nanny Pang had taken Gu Xingyang to sit in the rear carriage, while Gu Kaiyuan rode alongside them on horseback. The two maidservants also stayed quietly in their corner, making the moment exceptionally peaceful.

They had set out early in the morning, so the current temperature was at its most comfortable. Once the sun hung high in the sky, no matter how much Bai Suihe wanted to enjoy the view, she would have no choice but to hide obediently inside the carriage.

The location Gu Kaiyuan had chosen for the shipyard was excellent, but it was quite far. The carriages traveled along the official road for three days before finally arriving at their destination. Looking at this small fishing village hidden away in a remote corner, one would likely never find it without a guide.

The stone houses that originally belonged to the villagers had now become the new homes of the master craftsmen.

The carriages stopped at a small courtyard. It wasn’t large, but it was relatively tidy. Gu Kaiyuan explained, "This is a resting place I specifically set aside for my own use. It used to be the village chief’s residence. Take a look and see if there is anything else you need to add, and just instruct them to get it done.

"However, it’s quite a distance from the county town, so I’m afraid it won’t be until the day after tomorrow that we can buy everything."

Bai Suihe went inside and took a stroll around. This small farmhouse must have housed a flourishing family in the past, as it surprisingly had ten rooms. The house had clearly been cleaned and reorganized. There were no traces of its previous inhabitants; the only things present were some daily necessities in the main room that Gu Kaiyuan had used during his past visits. They had brought quite a few people with them this time, but there was more than enough space for everyone to stay.

"This is already quite nice," Bai Suihe said without being overly critical. Having such conditions in a rural village was already great.

Moreover, this house had a wonderful feature: standing just outside the courtyard, one could see the boundless ocean not far away. The waves crashing against the reefs gave Bai Suihe a surreal feeling, as if she were in a dream.

"Let’s rest for now. I’ll take you over to the shipyard later when it cools down," Gu Kaiyuan said. "I know you like beachcombing. I’ll ask about the latest tide times in a bit, and then I’ll have someone take you out to play."

Upon arriving here, Bai Suihe appeared exceptionally serene, as if all her worries had vanished. Plus, she was staying in an unbeatable ocean-view room this time, so her good mood was a given.

She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, I know you’re busy. If you want to head over to the shipyard first, go ahead and get to work. Let me stay here and soak in the ocean breeze."

As soon as Gu Kaiyuan had entered the village, several managers had started following him. They were currently standing outside the courtyard waiting, so there were likely many matters waiting for him to handle. Although Bai Suihe was curious about the shipyard and wanted to know how far the progress had reached, she knew there was no rush. Gu Kaiyuan had been handling everything up to this point; if she intervened now, it would only cause trouble.

Gu Xingyang was also thrilled by the sight of the ocean before her. She waved her little hands, eager to charge straight toward it.

Nanny Pang held her tightly with an exasperated smile. "My little ancestor, I know you want to go play, but there’s no need to rush.

"The waves are so big right now. Even if you want to go down to the water, you have to wait for the wind and waves to calm down a bit, or wait for the tide to go out."

Coming here had also relaxed Nanny Pang’s mood. She had seen the sea before, but her state of mind back then was completely different from now.

The few of them walked all around the front and back of the house, enjoyed the ocean view for a while longer, and then began to tidy up their new home. After all, they would be living here for a long time, so of course, they had to make it as comfortable as possible.

Just as they finished tidying up everything, several women walked in carrying baskets of seafood. According to them, they were the family members of the craftsmen. Hearing that the masters of the household had arrived, they specifically brought over their earlier beachcombing harvest to add a dish to their table. Bai Suihe thanked them repeatedly and gave them some of the pastries she had brought along as a return gift.

With so much seafood, Bai Suihe simply took the two maidservants and sorted it all out. The crabs, conches, and the like would be directly steamed later. Among the catch were a few sea fish weighing two or three catties each, which Bai Suihe picked out to make fish soup or braise in soy sauce.

Just as they were bustling about with the preparations, Gu Kaiyuan returned, his expression somewhat gloomy.

Bai Suihe knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

Gu Kaiyuan knew there was no way to hide it, so he said, "A few days ago, a village was completely looted by those Wokou pirates."

"Is it far?" Bai Suihe was a bit worried. After all, the manpower they had brought this time was limited. The only ones who knew martial arts were Gu Kaiyuan, Lin Hua, and Lin Wei. Oh, right, there was also Nanny Pang and their self-defense drugs.

"It’s only a dozen or so miles from here," Gu Kaiyuan said with a heavy expression. "They just sent out the message yesterday. It’s a good thing we came."

Bai Suihe sensed something abnormal. "The timing isn’t right. Didn’t you say before that they usually only land after October? Why are they here so early this time?"

Gu Kaiyuan wasn’t sure either. "Perhaps there are some unforeseen changes? But since they’re here, they definitely won’t spare this area. Our village will probably be targeted too, so we need to make preparations first."

"Didn’t anyone report this to the authorities?"

"They have," Gu Kaiyuan replied. "It’s just that the location I chose is quite remote. If those government officers are short-handed, I’m afraid they won’t be able to spare anyone to look after us here.

"What we need to do now is find a way to save ourselves. That village was completely looted, and they didn’t leave a single survivor. Right now, we have no idea how many people the enemy actually has."

He spoke with evident worry. "How about you take the child and go to the city first? Once I settle things here, you can come back."

Bai Suihe, however, didn’t back down in the slightest. "I’m not going. Don’t worry, I have the ability to protect myself.

"If those people dare to make a move on me, we’ll have to see if their lives are tough enough to handle it."

As she spoke, Bai Suihe couldn’t help but think of the nearly century of humiliation her country had suffered. Although this was a different dimension, the perpetrators belonged to the exact same race. When it came to such despicable people, Bai Suihe felt that even if she had to bear the sin of killing, it would mean nothing to her.

Besides, with such excellent candidates to become her Medicine Men, Bai Suihe was afraid that if she missed this chance, there wouldn’t be another opportunity like it. Using these people to test her drugs, she wouldn’t feel the slightest psychological burden. She might even feel that the dosages she administered weren’t heavy enough.

Shaking those wicked thoughts from her head, Bai Suihe added, "Besides, who knows where they will go next? Rather than worrying about each other from afar, it’s better for our family to stay together so we can at least look out for one another.

"You also know that I’ve concocted quite a few drugs recently. If possible, keep a few of them alive so I can properly test them out."

Gu Kaiyuan looked at her intently. "I will handle these matters. Don’t dirty your hands because of them."

"Rest assured, most of my drugs won’t take a person’s life. At most, they will just make them wish they were dead.

"The commoners of the Rong Dynasty are our compatriots. Since they’ve hurt our people, they must pay the price."

As she spoke, Bai Suihe somehow grew a bit excited. Now, she was actually looking forward to those people hurrying over.