The days passed by peacefully .
Lin Wanwan didn’t leave the Lin Family Manor throughout the entire month of the lunar December, though sometimes she would shut herself in to think deeply. During these times, not even little Qingyu dared to disturb her.
Kun Lun stood at the door like a black tower, not letting even a single insect fly in.
During these days, Xiao Chong would occasionally come by to scrounge for food and drink, unable to forget the dishes and fine wines at Lin Wanwan’s home.
Of course, more importantly, Lin Wanwan’s insights about the Ta Mountain Dam really resonated with him. Whenever he encountered an obstacle, he would ride over to talk to Lin Wanwan for inspiration.
On the twenty-sixth day of the lunar December, a small dinghy suddenly appeared at the small pier of the Lin Family Manor, with two strangers standing on it.
"Hey, fisherman, is there a lady named Lin Wanwan here?" The tall man with a broad face and ears asked Lin Mengjin, who was tending to the fishing boats at the pier.
Lin Mengjin sized up the stranger, frowned, and replied with a question: "Who are you? What are you doing at Lin Family Manor?"
"You have guts! How dare you talk to an official like that." The tall man didn’t wait for the boat to stabilize, but leaped directly onto the pier from the dinghy.
He looked up and murmured to himself, "No doubt about it, this is the place. That grand building up front must be that lady Lin’s residence."
Then he told the person behind him, "You wait here, I’ll go notify them."
Without waiting for a response, he headed straight towards the landmark school building in the village.
Lin Mengjin hurriedly tossed his work aside, grabbed a large fish fork, and dexterously leaped from the boat like a monkey, chasing after the tall man: "Stop right there! How dare you intrude on Lin Family Manor! Everyone! Intruders! Grab your weapons!"
With Lin Mengjin’s shout, the young and strong men in the Lin Family Manor dropped what they were doing, grabbed their tools, and rushed onto the village path.
In an instant, nearly a hundred young men wielding fish forks, farming tools, axes, and bows surrounded the tall man, frightening him. Despite his bravado, he barked, "What do you want? Are you rebelling? I’m with the government!"
Lin Mengjin snorted, "You think saying you’re with the government makes it so? I could say I’m with the royal family! Explain yourself — what do you want with Lady Wan? With that sneaky look in your eyes, were you sent by one of those nosy local squires who can’t admit defeat? Take another step and you’ll be speared and fed to the fish in the sea!"
"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!" The slightly weaker man behind, hearing the commotion, quickly tied the dinghy to the pier and ran over to explain, "We really are with the government. This is Lin Family Manor, right? We’re officials responsible for managing the South Pier. A ship from Qiong State docked at the pier this morning, requesting delivery for Lin Wanwan of the Hou Tao Lin family. We are ordered to deliver the message."
"A ship from Qiong State?"
"Big brother, where’s Qiong State?"
"Hmm, probably a poor place, can’t you hear it’s called ’poor state’?"
The tall man grumbled, "Asan, why talk to these country bumpkins? Who’s afraid of them?"
The one called Asan walked over to his side, shook his head slightly, and whispered, "Poor mountains and evil waters breed unruly people. Look at the viciousness on their faces, they’re all coastal folk who risk their necks. Forget it, there’s no point in fighting them."
The tall man mumbled but said nothing more. They were used to being domineering on their own turf, and ordinary folks usually treated them with a lowered head, so they became somewhat arrogant.
This time, unexpectedly arriving at a manor full of unruly people, though pissed off, he held it back.
When a quail is before you, you might kick it when displeased; but when a wolf stands before you, it’s best to be reasonable.
We’re all civilized, no need for fighting and killing.
The coastal people are the toughest among all fishermen, and they’re very united; at sea, in times of distress, a single cry for help would see everyone pitching in, known or unknown — it’s the code of the sea.
The outer sea folk are even fiercer because they often have to fight with pirates, each having taken a few lives at least, unlike those honest fishermen river fishing who are easily bullied.
Fishermen living on riverboats are considered the lowest among fishermen, they don’t even have their own homes, living on boats. People don’t call them fishermen but boatmen.
Seeing the two strangers behave, the young men gradually dispersed.
Since they were from the government and not here to cause trouble, there was no need to offend. Anyway, on the Lin Family Manor’s turf, a shout would gather everyone, and these two outsiders wouldn’t dare cause a fuss.
Clever ones had already informed Lin Wanwan in the school. Lin Wanwan was teaching arithmetic to the children and smiled upon hearing the news, indicating she understood.
These days, counting the days herself, she also thought the ship should arrive soon. To receive a whole ship of gifts before the New Year was a wish fulfilled. Thɪs chapter is updated by N0velFire.ɴet
Lin Wanwan, with Hua Nong and Kun Lun, received the two messengers, clarified the procedures for shipping entry, gave each of them twenty coins for tea, and sent them off.
Soon after the two left, the entire Lin Family Manor heard about Lin Wanwan’s brother sending her a ship of New Year’s gifts, leaving the whole manor astounded.
And the first to know about this was Mao County’s County Magistrate Xiao Chong. As the local official overseeing all affairs in Mao County, the pier matters also fell under his jurisdiction.
Upon receiving the news, he was at the Ta Mountain Dam construction site, directing personally.
Hearing that a ship named after him had arrived at the pier, he was quite puzzled. Without much thought, he quickly rode to the pier to meet the boatmen and crew.
The crew, employed and knowing nothing about the owner, gave unclear answers, while a Qiong State man named Sun Chuyao handed Xiao Chong an unsealed letter and gift list, claiming his master, Zhen Shiyin, sent New Year’s gifts to his junior sister Lin Wanwan, and he himself was part of the gift, presenting his family’s indenture as well.
Having reviewed the gift list, Xiao Chong found it mostly filled with exotic items like cotton, cotton seeds, cotton cloth, flowerwood, spinning wheels, spices, peanuts, sunflower seeds, many of which he had never heard of.
Deciding to personally oversee the ship’s entry procedures, Xiao Chong wanted to clearly see the ship’s contents.
Upon asking Sun Chuyao, he learned the sender not only sent a ship of rare treasures to Lin Wanwan but also ten beggar children and a young elephant, which left Xiao Chong with an odd expression, it was just too much.