bookrebus Chapter 206 Tang Yu
Chapter 206 Tang Yu
Fortunately, Grandma Tang had some knowledge of weather forecasting and relied on the laws of tides to go to the beach. With the family's meager savings, she managed to raise Tang Yu with great difficulty.
Because she spends most of her time at sea and lacks proper tools, Grandma Tang suffers from severe rheumatism. A couple of years ago, she could still walk around outside, but now she can only walk around at home, and she has to rest after every step. In addition, no one is willing to take Tang Yu to the sea to fish, and Grandma Tang is also unwilling for her only grandson to do this. So Tang Yu basically works as a guide for outsiders in the prefecture.
They've persevered for so many years on meager income.
Song Jiaojiao fell in love with this small fishing village as soon as she arrived. There was a large beach near the sea, and to the left of the beach was a rocky reef area where the villagers mostly went beachcombing.
The seawater is crystal clear, just like the Maldives of the past.
To the right is a small mountain with steep cliffs facing the sea, constantly battered by waves. Beyond the mountain lies a vast expanse of mudflats. At low tide, many villagers glide across the mudflats on homemade planks, carrying baskets filled with mudflat fish. These fish are known for their delicious meat, especially when used in soups, which are incredibly flavorful.
Another type is used to hold mud crabs. Mud crabs are delicious, but they are hard to find. Without experienced fishermen to guide you, you will only return empty-handed. Due to their difficulty in finding, mud crabs have always been priced high in the market.
A pound of mud crabs can fetch one tael of silver. Mud crabs are quite large, and they are generally not caught if they are less than a pound. A lucky and experienced fisherman can catch seven or eight taels a day.
But that's the annual expenses for an average family.
"Tang Yu, is he home?" Song Jiaojiao hadn't seen Tang Yu in his usual spot today and had to ask around to get here.
In front of us are three small houses with walls made of oyster shells and roofs covered with seaweed. According to locals, such houses are very wind-resistant and keep warm in winter and cool in summer.
"Who is it?" An elderly woman with a hunched back and a cane slowly came out of the house and opened the door for Song Jiaojiao and the others.
Upon opening the door, the old woman saw Song Jiaojiao, dressed elegantly and clearly not from their social class, and asked in confusion.
"Who are you looking for?"
With a friendly smile, Song Jiaojiao asked, "Grandpa, is this Tang Yu's house?"
"Yes, is there something wrong with Xiaoyu?" Grandma Tang asked warily, wondering if Xiaoyu had offended someone outside.
However, judging from the gifts Song Jiaojiao and her entourage were carrying and the smiles on their faces, they didn't seem like people who came to cause trouble.
"Here's the thing, my daughter was kidnapped by human traffickers yesterday. It was Tang Yu who led us to rescue her. After I settled my child, Tang Yu left. I had to ask around to find out where this place was. Today, I went to his usual workplace but didn't see him. I thought he was at home," Song Jiaojiao explained with a smile.
"Oh, is that so? The child didn't tell me when he came back. It was just a small favor. It's good that the child is found. Xiaoyu didn't go out today. It's high tide today, and Xiaoyu went out to go beachcombing early in the morning." Grandma Tang looked at the sky and continued.
"Judging by the time, she should be back soon." Grandma Tang had barely finished speaking when she heard Tang Yu's hurried footsteps approaching.
Tang Yu ran to Grandma Tang's side, shielding her behind her, and looked at Song Jiaojiao warily, asking, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"You must be Tang Yu. Do you remember the little girl you saved yesterday? That's my daughter. I've come today to express my gratitude. I hope I haven't bothered you."
As soon as Song Jiaojiao spoke, Tang Yu remembered that he hadn't paid close attention to Song Jiaojiao's appearance yesterday because he was in such a hurry to save people.
“Madam, please don’t stand on ceremony.” Tang Yu said, looking at the villagers who had gathered outside. “Please come in with me, Madam. My home is simple, please make do with it.”
"Grandma, let's go inside first. You can't stand for too long with your legs like this." Tang Yu helped Grandma Tang into the main room, and Zhou Dayong carried in the thank-you gifts he had prepared in the car one by one.
"This is a small token of my appreciation. Thank you so much for your help, young man. Otherwise, my daughter would have been hard to find." Song Jiaojiao formally bowed to the two men. They were unfamiliar with the area, and without the guidance of a local, Mu Xue would have had a hard time getting away.
"Madam, you're too kind. I just happened to run into them and couldn't stand those people," Tang Yu said with a gentle smile, her ears turning slightly red.
Business was slow yesterday, so he wandered around the streets, hoping to find someone who needed directions. Unexpectedly, he saw this group of people suspiciously carrying a little girl. Curious, he followed them. Luckily, the group was guilty and didn't notice him, which led to what happened next.
"Of course, these are just ordinary items, nothing valuable. Please accept them." Song Jiaojiao had learned that the family was not wealthy, so she hadn't bought anything expensive, just everyday necessities like grain, oil, and cloth. She was afraid that if they had any valuable items, outsiders would know about them and they would attract thieves. Tang Yu only lived with his grandmother.
“Alright, then we won’t refuse any longer, Madam. It’s getting late, why don’t you stay for a meal? Little Fish had a pretty good catch today.” Grandma Tang said kindly to Song Jiaojiao.
Outside the courtyard were the seafood Tang Yu had brought back from his beachcombing trip. Song Jiaojiao glanced at them and found that there was indeed quite a lot of stuff.
"Then I'll gladly accept your offer." Song Jiaojiao didn't refuse. She genuinely liked this place and wanted to inquire about the possibility of renting a house here and settling down here.
"Alright, Xiaoyu, go and cook!" Grandma Tang said to Tang Yu with a smile.
"Chunhua, Dayong, you two go help too." Song Jiaojiao only brought her maid and Zhou Dayong with her this time. She had planned to leave after giving the gifts, but she didn't expect this fishing village to be so comfortable, which is why she decided to inquire about it.
"Aunt Tang, there's something I'd like to ask you about?" Song Jiaojiao said.
Although Grandma Tang was puzzled, she still replied, "Madam, please feel free to ask. I will tell you anything I know."
"It's nothing major. I just came to this village and fell in love with it. I wanted to ask if there are any vacant houses for rent?"
"Well, you'd have to ask the village chief about this. There are a few empty houses in the village, but they haven't been repaired for years, so they're probably not in very good condition."
Because of my leg injury, I haven't been able to leave the village much these past few years, so I'm not very familiar with it anymore. How about this, after lunch, Xiaoyu will take you to the village chief's house to ask?"
Grandma Tang has severe rheumatism in her legs. She is a little more comfortable in the summer, but in the spring and autumn, she needs to take medicine all year round. The winters here are not very cold, but the sea breeze brings some warmth.
"That's great! Now I won't be running around like a headless fly," Song Jiaojiao said with a big laugh.
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The author is going to give birth and be in postpartum confinement this month, so updates will be less frequent. Please understand, my dear readers.