Chapter 403: By the Sea
Chapter 403: Chapter 403: By the Sea
With such a massive temptation dangled right in front of him—tantalizingly out of reach—Chen Dafu had no choice but to banish the thought. Since he was destined not to reap any material benefits, he might as well focus on doing a good job. He wondered if he could snag a promotion upon his return; that would at least make this trip worthwhile.
Right now, Chen Dafu was much more worried about his wife, children, and grandchildren. He wondered if they had safely returned to the capital by now.
His Majesty had assured him that the raid on his home was merely a performance and that everything in his estate would be sealed and protected. But after being away for so long, who knew if anything unexpected had happened?
Since he hadn’t returned with them, he truly feared his wife wouldn’t be able to keep the younger generation in line.
His Majesty was far too stingy. If he wasn’t allowed to take a cut of the seized assets, the least the Emperor could do was raise his salary. Just look at this lowly County Magistrate—even a distant nephew of his was wealthier than Chen Dafu!
He couldn’t bear to look at the confiscated riches anymore; the more he looked, the more his blood boiled. Chen Dafu stood up and said to the guard beside him, "Let’s go. We’re heading back to the prison. I can’t believe they still refuse to confess everything even at this point."
He needed to witness their miserable state to clear his head, otherwise, he truly feared he wouldn’t be able to stick to his principles.
Meanwhile, in Haicheng.
Gu Kaiyuan and Bai Suihe traveled all the way to Haicheng. The city was surrounded by the sea on three sides, and the most common goods circulating in the markets were dried seafood.
Merchants from inland counties often came here to purchase these dried goods. The moment they stepped onto the main street, the overpowering scent of fish hit them. Worried that her baby wouldn’t be used to it, Bai Suihe pulled out a scented silk handkerchief and tucked it near the edge of the baby’s blanket.
"Mother," Gu Xingyang babbled, waving her little hands in the air. "Don’t you love eating seafood? This is a great place."
Gu Kaiyuan glanced at Bai Suihe. "Let’s keep walking a bit further. I heard there’s a small fishing village up ahead where we can get the freshest seafood."
Bai Suihe nodded. She also wanted to enjoy the ocean breeze. The smell in the market was indeed a bit unpleasant, but she was quite fond of the dried goods themselves. They were completely natural, with no fear of contamination. "Let’s buy some of these dried goods to take back later. I remember they sell them in Zhang County too, but the quality there isn’t as good as it is here."
"The high-quality ones are carefully selected and sent straight to the capital," Gu Kaiyuan explained. "Since we’re here, we naturally have to pick out some good ones to take home. You and our daughter rest here for a moment while I go give some instructions."
Knowing he had tasks to delegate, Bai Suihe stood to the side with her daughter in her arms. Zisu and the other servants were already used to this dynamic; whenever the master and madam took the young miss out, they insisted on taking care of her themselves. Only under special circumstances would they hand the baby over to the servants.
Gu Kaiyuan returned quickly. As soon as he came back, he took Gu Xingyang into his arms, and the family headed toward the fishing village.
"Why haven’t I heard you mention buying land here?" Bai Suihe asked, finding it a bit strange. This time, Gu Kaiyuan hadn’t sent anyone to look at farming estates; he had only looked at storefronts.
"There’s very little arable land in this area, so buying a few shops will be enough," Gu Kaiyuan said, enjoying the oncoming ocean breeze while remembering to shield his daughter from the wind with his hand.
Bai Suihe nodded in understanding. Being a fisherman here was a matter of necessity. If given the choice, people would much rather farm a few acres of land and live a stable life than risk their lives battling the sea.
While it was true that people relied on the sea if they lived by the sea, trying to eke out a living amidst the crashing waves in nothing but a tiny fishing boat was no simple task.
She wondered how many fishermen spent their days soaking in the sea every year, yet still struggled to feed their families.
The closer they got to the ocean, the stronger the briny scent became. Soon, a bay came into view, with a few solitary fishing boats bobbing in the water.
"The ocean!" Gu Xingyang waved her little hands. So this was the smell of the sea.
It was also the first time Zisu and the other inland-born servants had ever seen the ocean. They could hardly conceal the excitement on their faces.
Smiling, Bai Suihe told them, "The beach is just up ahead. Go on and take a look, but remember to stay safe. Don’t let the reefs cut you."
Zisu and the others hesitated at first. After all, they were servants; how could they just leave their masters?
"Go on, all of you. I’ll take good care of the Madam and the Young Miss." Throughout the journey, Gu Kaiyuan had never neglected his martial arts training, practicing every morning and evening. The servants knew how skilled he was in combat. With the master by the madam’s side, they had nothing to worry about.
Watching the servants sprint excitedly toward the beach, Bai Suihe smiled and shook her head. "It seems your words carry more weight now."
Gu Kaiyuan cast a sidelong glance at her, his tone light and teasing. "Madam, would you like me to call them back and give them a good scolding?"
Whenever people arrived at the seaside, they subconsciously relaxed. Coupled with the blue skies and white clouds today, they felt completely refreshed and invigorated.
Bai Suihe chuckled. "Let’s not. We shouldn’t be killjoys. Let’s go take a look ourselves. Who knows, we might even find some seafood."
The coastline here was completely undeveloped. Reefs and sandy stretches intertwined naturally, a stark contrast to the fully commercialized, sprawling beaches of modern times.
However, this pristine state gave it an even more poetic ambiance. The rhythmic sound of the crashing waves composed the sea’s own song.
"So beautiful," Bai Suihe sighed in admiration. Her gaze locked onto the waters below. The tide hadn’t come in yet, and the stranded tide pools were her next targets.
Walking on her tiptoes, Bai Suihe approached her goal with careful steps. There were no rubber boots or water shoes in this era; if her shoes got wet, she would truly suffer.
With her sharp eyesight, she spotted a massive mud crab hiding behind a reef, and her eyes practically sparkled with excitement.
"I see a huge crab!" Bai Suihe pointed at the mud crab in thrill. "We’ve got our seafood for today."
"You hold the baby," Gu Kaiyuan said. "I’ll go catch it."
He didn’t want Bai Suihe taking any risks. The reefs here were covered in barnacles and shells, making them incredibly sharp.
Besides, he didn’t think crabs were particularly delicious anyway. They were all shell, and eating them was simply a waste of time.
But since his wife was so interested, he didn’t want to spoil her fun. He figured he would coax her into holding the baby while he did the heavy lifting.
Bai Suihe, however, was entirely unwilling to step aside. In just that short span of time, she had also spotted mussels clinging to the rocks and sea snails resting in the tide pools. The marine bounty here was even richer than what she had seen in short videos in her past life. This was basically an open-air buffet waiting to be foraged; she would be doing herself a disservice if she didn’t dig in personally.
Left with no other choice, Gu Kaiyuan could only let her have her way. The main issue was that the baby in his arms wasn’t making things any easier. Gu Xingyang was waving her little hands around, looking even more frantic than her mother. If she weren’t so small, she would have probably leaped out of his arms to join the hunt.
His mind was flooded with her cheerful shouts. "Mother, Mother! I see a bunch of huge sea urchins over there!
"Mother, Mother! That giant starfish is so cute! Pick it up for me!
"Mother, I want that big seashell!
"Mother, there’s a huge octopus hiding under that rock!"
Gu Kaiyuan lightly patted Gu Xingyang. "Keep it down a bit. If you keep doing this, how is your mother going to enjoy the fun of the treasure hunt?"
Gu Xingyang fell silent. She thought, "I want to have some fun too..."