Time Travel: A Fisherwoman Goes to the Sea to Raise a Baby

Chapter 411 Song Guanhua's Escape

Even as the moon rose high in the sky, the streets remained bustling with noise.

Aoyama took their luggage out and put it on the donkey cart.

"Er'er, take good care of yourself while you're away from home. Aunt Jiuya can't help you much. Here's some money, use it as you need to..."

As Jiuya spoke, she stuffed the money bag into Er'er's hand. She had heard that the little girl's master was very rough and often ate and slept in the open when he went out to practice medicine.

If they had money, they would improve their food and accommodation.

"Thank you, Aunt Jiuya. I appreciate your kindness, but I really can't accept your money."

Er'er quickly pushed the money bag back.

Uncle Qingshan has already troubled us a lot on a regular basis, so it would be unreasonable for Aunt Jiuya to ask for more money now, no matter how much she has.

"Hey! Take this, you little wriggle."

Jiuya grabbed Er'er's hand and stuffed the money bag into her hand, then pushed her onto the donkey cart.

"Let's go!"

Jiuya closed her eyes and waved her hand, and Qingshan quickly pulled the donkey cart away.

After everyone left, Jiuya glanced at the row of children standing beside her, while only three people—Qinqi Shuhua—stood at the door to see them off.

Jiuya frowned: "Where is that kid Song Guanhua?"

The three children all shook their heads.

"Huahua said she went to play with Hou Lei, so she's not home right now."

Song Guanqin was also a little puzzled. Hua Hua usually liked to pester them the most, so it was somewhat puzzling that he would take the initiative to go and play with other children.

……

The wind was strong at the dock, causing the lanterns on the stone steps to sway from side to side, casting long, thin shadows through the sparse light.

Er'er, carrying a medicine box on her back, looked up at the huge cargo ship in front of her.

The boat, dark and moored on the shore, bobbed with the waves, making a creaking sound as it rubbed against the shore.

"Uncle Qingshan, how much does your cargo ship cost?"

Er'er asked curiously.

Qingshan freed one hand to gesture: "This is an old government ship. I have an acquaintance who bought it back at a relatively low price."

Finally, it was renovated again.

Er'er looked surprised. Two thousand taels of silver.

She could never earn this much money in her entire life; Uncle Qingshan is incredibly capable.

The young girl, with admiration on her face, handed the talisman to the soldier in front of her, letting him scrutinize her face.

Judging from his sullen face, he seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Are you done yet?"

Qingshan suddenly spoke, and the soldier, seeing it was him through the lantern light, quickly put on a smile.

"So it's Boss Song! What's up? Are you related to him?"

The officers and soldiers hurriedly returned the household registration to Er'er.

"The younger generation in the family!"

Qingshan didn't want to say much. After Wu Yunzhi finished checking his household registration, he walked ahead and said, "After I finish my shift, let's go to Fuchanglou for a drink."

He left a comment and led Er'er and Wu Yunzhi to the bottom of the boat.

The ship was being loaded with cargo, and the gangplank was a bit steep, so Er'er subconsciously looked back.

People born in the sea often spend their entire lives by the sea, just like she spent her eight years living in Ping'an Town.

Thanks to my master, I now have the opportunity to go out and travel.

"Why are you standing there in the cold? Hurry up and come up!"

Hearing the footsteps behind him stop, Wu Yunzhi hurriedly turned around to look.

After resting for an afternoon, Wu Yunzhi was full of energy and vitality.

Stepping onto the deck, the view was different from that on the shore.

The air was filled with the smell of tung oil mixed with all sorts of dried seafood.

More than a dozen muscular, shirtless crew members were using the light of windproof oil lamps hanging on the mast to slowly lower the crates into the lower deck via ziplines.

The wooden crates collided, making a dull thud.

Er'er subconsciously looked over and discovered that in addition to dried seafood, there were also quite a few mountain products.

"This way."

Aoyama led the master and apprentice carefully up the narrow gangway, avoiding the busy crew and the mountains of cargo, and made their way to the top deck of the long cabin.

The top deck of the upper cabin was clearly much quieter than the lower decks.

Qingshan pushed open a half-closed wooden door. The room inside was about the same size as Er'er's house, but it was quite clean.

A faint scent of wood and dry air dispelled the mixed smells on the deck.

A round porthole was open. Er'er put down her medicine box, walked over, and looked out. She could see the fishing lights on the opposite bank, like scattered gold pieces on black silk.

"How's it going? The terms are alright, aren't they?"

This ship is the largest cargo ship in the Qingshan Trading Company; it can hold four or five hundred people.

"No one lives in the upper cabin on weekdays, so the smell might not be as pleasant. We've already opened the windows to ventilate it."

As he spoke, Qingshan placed the bundle he was carrying on the table.

Just as they were about to lead Wu Yunzhi to the cabin next door, Steward Lin came over immediately.

"Boss!"

Qingshan nodded slightly: "Manager Lin, pass on the order that these two must be taken good care of and not neglected. Their food, lodging and all other needs must be arranged properly and thoroughly."

Manager Lin glanced at the two of them, and Qingshan led Wu Yunzhi to the side as he spoke.

"Mr. Wu, it's windy at sea at night, remember to close the windows."

He gave Wu Yunzhi these words in a hoarse voice, then turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.

"Uncle Qingshan, this money..."

Er'er heard the noise and hurriedly came out of the cabin.

"Take this and spend it wisely."

Qingshan uttered a remark, and his footsteps quickly disappeared below the gangway.

Er'er rushed to the porthole and saw Qingshan talking to Manager Lin.

After the cargo ship was loaded, Aoyama prepared to disembark.

"Don't worry, boss, I will definitely take good care of the two people in the upper cabin."

After Lin the steward finished speaking, Qingshan walked towards the springboard.

Suddenly, he noticed a dark figure flash past him and headed up the gangway, but when he looked to the side, he saw nothing.

I think I'm just seeing things.

Just then, the cargo ship shuddered slightly, the mooring lines were untied, and the sound of the anchor chains rattling filled the air.

The ship began to move slowly, gradually leaving the dock behind.

Only Er'er and her master remained in the cabin.

The little girl closed the window, took out a medical book from her bundle, and then found a comfortable spot on the bed to curl up.

I had just opened the medical book when I immediately heard the sound of heavy footsteps.

Er'er listened intently and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

The door hinges creaked slightly, breaking the tranquility of the cabin.

The little girl's mind went blank for a moment as soon as she opened the door.

Her voice caught in her throat, her face filled with disbelief, and she blurted out instinctively, "You... how did you get on the ship?"

……

On the dock, Qingshan waited listlessly for his chicken soup wontons, probably because he had beaten up Song Guanhua that afternoon.

That brat barely ate any dinner before running off.

Qingshan smiled helplessly and took the cooked wontons.

"You really are a gentleman! I'll go back and apologize to you right away..."

Qingshan murmured softly, holding a bowl in his right hand while his left hand hurriedly pulled out a copper coin from his chest.

"Old Li, I'll take this bowl back with me for now and return it tomorrow."

As Qingshan walked along the bluestone path, he was still imagining how greedy Song Guanhua would look when he saw the chicken soup wontons.

Unexpectedly, several familiar figures suddenly rushed out, nearly knocking over the bowl in his hand.

Jiuya ran around in a sweat, following the example of the four arts of qin, qi, shu, hua.

They were all panting heavily, their faces filled with panic, as if something was chasing them.

Aoyama quickly steadied the bowl in his hands and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic? Is there a fire in the house?"

Jiuya grabbed his arm, her fingers icy cold, her voice trembling, and asked abruptly, "Qingshan, did you... did you see Huahua on the boat when you sent Er'er and the others onto it?"

"Song Guanhua?"

Aoyama was taken aback by the question and subconsciously shook his head: "Wasn't he at home? Why would he be on the ship? Did something happen?"

Song Guanqin stamped her foot in anxiety, then quickly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her bosom and showed it to Qingshan: "Father! Take a look! That rascal Huahua... he said he's going to go out and explore with Er'er, to learn some skills!"

"what?"

Aoyama's heart sank. He looked down and, in the dim light of the day, made out the crooked handwriting on the paper.

"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, I'm going with Er'er to broaden my horizons. I won't be going to elementary school anymore, don't worry. Here's a drawing."

I've learned a lot!

Song Guanhua was only seven years old!

"That bastard!"

Aoyama felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to his heart, and his mind went blank.

He instinctively turned around, picked up the bowl of piping hot chicken soup wontons, ran back to the wonton stall not far away, and hurriedly put the bowl down.

"Quick! To the dock!"

Qingshan roared and ran towards the dock with Jiuya and his three sons.

"Where's the boat?"

Jiuya stood on the stone steps and looked down. It was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything at all.

"It's gone, the ship has already left."

Qingshan was so angry that he kicked the pole next to him.

At that time, inside the upper cabin, Song Guanhua curiously opened the opposite cabin door.

He heard the noise, turned around abruptly, and his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

"So you were here! I thought you were in this room."

As Song Guanhua spoke, she puffed out her small chest, raised her chin high, and grinned triumphantly.

Then, in a crisp, proud voice, she said, "I boarded the ship myself!"

"Who asked how I got on the ship! I asked how you ended up on the ship!"

Er'er was dumbfounded, not daring to imagine how anxious Uncle Qingshan and Aunt Jiuya must be if they couldn't find him.

Before Er'er could react, Song Guanhua, like an eel, slipped sideways and darted through the gap between Er'er and the door frame.

The speed of their movements was astonishing.

With a clear goal in mind, I walked to the crib and sat down quickly.

He quickly took off his mud-splattered cloth shoes, gave them a hard kick, and the two shoes fell to the clean wooden floor with two "thuds".

Song Guanhua sighed comfortably, her two bare little feet dangling by the edge of the bed.

By the light of the candle, Er'er noticed that Song Guanhua's face seemed very red and his hair was completely wet, as if he had just fled from disaster.

"Tell me the truth."

Er'er stood in front of Song Guanhua with her hands on her hips, looking furious.

Song Guanhua pouted and said, "I'll hide in the lower cabin after dinner!"

The air there wasn't very ventilated, and he needed to hide from people, so he remained completely still in the servant's small bed.

That's not easy.