Chapter 359: Ideas
Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Ideas
Bai Suihe did not dare to aspire for the kind of audacity that Lord possessed, but considering claiming a nearby island to rule seemed worth pondering. Previously, she thought she could retire on her family’s wealth, which now seemed quite naive.
Moreover, this plan requires not only financial support but also manpower, which is a big issue.
The current number of people under Gu Kaiyuan and her are barely sufficient.
Gu Kaiyuan closed the door, looked at Bai Suihe earnestly, and said, "I want to know your true thoughts."
Bai Suihe also responded seriously, "The future situation in the court will be very unstable. Even though we’re in Lingnan now, we might still be affected.
Although many changes have occurred, future uncertainties are beyond our control. We can’t entrust our fate to the unknown. I want to find a way out for ourselves."
Although these words seemed somewhat arrogant, they were merely a drop in the ocean; the struggles of the powerful would never regard them. However, the fight for imperial power is brutal, and the small countries along the border are always watching like hawks. Once civil strife begins, external threats will follow closely.
Even just the conscription could be enough to tear apart families from lower levels.
Unless they truly hid deep within the mountains and forests, which currently are far from paradise.
But if these situations didn’t occur, living as wealthy idlers with some additional fallback plans would be good.
As for those "time-traveling" women in books who rise to high positions, that’s something she wouldn’t dare to imagine.
Bai Suihe knows her own capability and also knows that even though Gu Kaiyuan has been given a second chance at life, he is just a bit more prescient than others. If his scheming skills were truly formidable, his last life wouldn’t have ended so tragically.
Gu Kaiyuan said, "I know of a few uninhabited islands. I initially thought of using them as a fallback option, but upon seeing your ship, I conceived another idea."
Bai Suihe looked at him encouragingly, and Gu Kaiyuan took a deep breath before continuing, "Actually, we can venture further."
Bai Suihe was a bit surprised by this; Gu Kaiyuan, a native ancient person, was so foresighted?
"We used to capture some pirates before, and from their confessions, I learned that beyond the sea, there are many other countries, or more accurately, tribes. Some of them haven’t even mastered agriculture, which is why those pirates despise going there."
At the mention of pirates, Bai Suihe furrowed her brow. Do such despicable people also exist in this world?
The island she knew of did have mineral resources.
If they had already organized to plunder on such a scale, it required careful deliberation.
"Are you referring to those pirates..."
"Those little rascals," Gu Kaiyuan replied disdainfully. "They only dare to bully small border villages, but in recent years, they’ve become more rampant, secretly targeting nearby towns too."
Recalling those bothersome species, Gu Kaiyuan’s eyes were full of disgust, "They are of no consequence. Once our ship is built, I’ll take you to raid their lairs."
Bai Suihe’s eyes lit up, "You know the location of their lairs?"
This was indeed unexpected, as navigating the sea was notoriously difficult.
"I don’t know their main camps, but I am aware of a few of their stopping points. This requires careful planning."
Although he was having Yun Ni and others help train some people, it was still not fast enough.
"That’s still good," Bai Suihe wasn’t disappointed either. The journey must be taken step by step.
Bai Suihe suddenly felt a surge of motivation, picked up a pen, and sketched a few support ships, attentively noting down their specific functions beside them.
Gu Kaiyuan solemnly stored these at the bottom of a chest, but later found it inappropriate, so he asked Bai Suihe to store them all in her space, silently muttering, "Take it slow, take it slow..."
Bai Suihe also knew these matters couldn’t be rushed, so she kept the drawings safe and continued her babysitting life.
Gu Xingyang indeed was the easiest baby to care for. Whatever he wanted, he would convey to her through his consciousness. Nanny Pang and others found it intriguing that the young master was different from others and would likely have great fortune in the future.
After the New Year, the weather noticeably improved; sometimes after consecutive sunny days, the thick quilts could be removed.
"Though there’s more rain here, it’s not as dry and cold as the North."
One day, after Bai Suihe finished her tasks, Nanny Pang started chatting idly with her.
"Although it’s not that cold, it’s very humid here," Bai Suihe said. "Yesterday, I even saw centipedes coming and going from the back mountain. If it gets any hotter, I’m afraid all kinds of critters will emerge."
She had only recently finished her confinement period and was able to walk around freely.
Though she hadn’t gone up the mountain, she frequently wandered around the foothills, "But there is a good thing. In no time, there will likely be wild vegetables to eat. I saw some sprouts emerging yesterday."
This place does hold an advantage during winter; at least it’s not barren and bleak.
The mistress and servant engaged in casual conversation, and then saw Dong Mei approaching joyfully.
"What’s the good news? Why so cheerful?" Bai Suihe asked curiously.
"Miss, our house has already been roofed." Though they were told to change their address, in moments of joy, the two maids still called her Miss.
Receiving a glare from Nanny Pang, Dong Mei stuck out her tongue and quickly regained composure, "Madam, I just went to the village, both of our houses have finished roofing. Once tidied up, we can move in."
"That’s quite fast," Bai Suihe was genuinely happy for them. Finally, they have a place to call their own.
"I don’t have much to do right now; I’ll go with you to take a look."
When Bai Suihe had previously walked by, the place was bustling with workers, making her choose not to join the crowd. It was indeed a speedy construction job.
People truly put in maximum effort back then; there was no such thing as slacking off.
Hoping for Dong Mei and Chun Xiang to guard this place, Bai Suihe deliberately spent money building them two brick houses with courtyards. The two foolish girls thought they made a huge gain, insisting Bai Suihe sign a selling contract—not the government one—which allowed her to dispose of them if they ever acted disloyally.
Bai Suihe was amused, gaining a deeper understanding of this world’s education on loyalty.
Gu Kaiyuan was calm, telling Bai Suihe to store the contracts, which would put everyone’s mind at ease.
The contracts of the people he trained were already in Bai Suihe’s space, filling a whole box.
Nanny Pang held the now-awake Gu Xingyang in her arms, following behind Bai Suihe.
Unbeknownst to her, the little baby in her arms began to wave his limbs, "Mama’s going out to play, I want mama to hold me."
Following the request, Bai Suihe turned around, "Nanny, please hand me the child, I’ll carry him."
Nanny Pang resisted, "Madam, though you’ve finished your confinement, your body still needs care. I can carry the child."