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

Chapter 280 Miniature Ship

"This can't be rushed. You should focus on recovering from your injury first!"

Xu Yiyi didn't agree immediately, as there weren't many capable people in the military camp at the moment.

She had learned from the nautical charts that the waters around Ghost Tooth Reef were unpredictable, and if one went there rashly without proper preparation, it would only add a few more floating corpses to the gold transport ship.

After leaving Lin Ke's room, Xu Yiyi followed Zhao Cheng to the public kitchen.

But to my surprise, the place was in complete disarray.

When Zhao Cheng saw the scene before him, he thought he had come to the wrong place.

Xu Yi noticed his strange expression and stepped inside.

What came into view was Sihai, the chubby little boy, standing on the table, waving a tattered flag he'd somehow pulled out, and shouting in his childish voice.

"Attack! Attack them!"

Her face turned bright red with excitement, looking like a little beast baring its teeth and claws—a typical example of someone who loves to watch the excitement.

Er'er, on the other hand, was like a mother hen protecting her chicks, glaring at them and standing in front of A-Yue.

She was clutching a fire poker in her hand, rice grains stuck to the end of her braid, and her knuckles were white; it was clear she was extremely angry.

Sanchuan held the old man and the young man, Wuyuan, and stood behind them without getting close, but his little face was also very tense.

The atmosphere inside the communal kitchen was tense and stagnant.

Xu Yiyi glanced around and saw several soldiers shrinking into a corner after Zhao Cheng entered, their faces showing smirks, remaining silent.

A-Yue stood in the middle without saying a word, the morning light brushing against her brow bone, making her look exceptionally heroic.

Zhao Cheng immediately sensed something was wrong, but before he could figure it out, Xu Yiyi spoke up.

"What's going on?" she asked in a cold voice.

Er'er's voice trembled with anger, "We were sitting inside drinking porridge peacefully when these people threw sand into A-Yue's bowl and even called her an idiot..."

The soldiers immediately fell silent.

One of them, forcing a smile, argued, "Captain, we were just joking, we didn't do anything..."

Zhao Cheng stepped forward first, shouting sternly, "You bunch of bastards! You have no shame for insulting your comrades? Is this what you call doing nothing? I don't think so, huh?"

Upon hearing this, everyone huddled in the corner, too afraid to utter a sound.

"According to military regulations, anyone who insults a fellow soldier will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane. Go and receive your punishment yourself."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers' legs went weak, and they almost collapsed to the ground.

Twenty strokes of the military rod left his buttocks raw.

Meanwhile, Sihai was still jumping around on the table, waving a small flag and cheering, "Attack! Attack them!"

Xu Yiyi sighed helplessly, picked up the little troublemaker, hoisted him onto her shoulder, and patted the chubby boy's bottom hard.

"Wait!"

Seeing that the group was about to leave, Sanchuan stepped forward with Wuyuan in his arms and said, "Apologize to Ayue. She's not stupid, not now, and certainly not before."

Er'er chimed in, "That's right. As a captain, A-Yue was hit by seven arrows while saving other soldiers. Even in that situation, she made the decisive decision to direct the warships to the shore, allowing half of the soldiers to swim ashore and save their lives. Can you do that?"

The little girl stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at the people in front of her.

"What abilities do any of them have?"

The soldiers, their faces flushed with embarrassment, pushed and shoved each other as they awkwardly approached A-Yue.

"Feel sorry!"

……

Er'er put her hands on her hips and yelled, "Speak louder! Who are you talking to?"

The girl had a loud voice and a strong presence, and with Zhao Cheng present, the soldiers also became timid.

"Captain Guo, I was wrong in what I did before. I was a scoundrel. I apologize to you."

One of the soldiers bowed and continued, "Please forgive me, sir."

With one person taking the lead, others followed suit and dared not be perfunctory anymore.

"Alright, everyone disperse."

Zhao Cheng gave an order, and the people in the kitchen gradually dispersed.

"Is A-Yue all better now?"

Zhao Cheng strode forward, his armor clanging loudly.

He stared into A-Yue's eyes.

Those eyes, which were hazy and indistinct yesterday, are now as clear and bright as a cold pool reflecting the glint of a knife.

The thief is very clever.

A-Yue suddenly smiled and said with a teasing tone, "You should have seen how superb Old Wu's medical skills are. I've had three acupuncture treatments. If it's still not good, then it's not right."

Zhao Cheng paused for a moment, then suddenly patted A Yue on the shoulder.

"That's good. The adults will be happy to know."

Zhao Cheng said with a smile. A Yue was momentarily dazed, and before she could speak, he said something.

He simply pulled the person away.

Seeing this, Xu Yi could only wait in the public kitchen with the children.

"Big sister, come and try it, the porridge here is quite delicious."

Er'er shoved the fire poker back into the hands of the cook who had been squatting in the corner watching the commotion, and excitedly served her older sister a bowl of porridge.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, only Zhao Cheng returned.

"Where is A-Yue?"

Er'er looked behind him; there was no one there.

"The master is talking to A-Yue. I'll take you to the boat shop."

Lin Ke knew that Xu Yiyi was eyeing her ship, so after waking up, he specially handed his token to Zhao Cheng and asked him to take some people to take a look.

"Boat shop?"

Er'er turned her head and glanced at her older sister.

"Where are we going? What are we doing? Don't we have a small boat at home?"

Si Hai was also confused, but after watching Zhao Cheng walk out, he followed him eagerly.

"You'll know once you get there, won't you?"

Sanchuan shoved Wuyuan, who was fussing for his older sister to hold him, back into her arms and said to Er'er in a mysterious tone.

Zhao Cheng, carrying the token, led them toward the shipyard of Zhechong Prefecture.

Before we even arrived at the location, we could hear the sounds of hammering and the shouts of the craftsmen coming from inside.

Upon entering the boat shop, a lively and bustling scene immediately greets you.

More than a dozen bare-chested craftsmen are busy at work.

The dock is well-organized with a clear division of labor.

On the left, you'll see the timber area, where top-quality teak and cedar are neatly stacked according to specifications.

On the right should be the processing area, where several master craftsmen are using ink lines to mark lines, while in the dry dock in the center, more than a dozen craftsmen are busy at their respective workstations.

Zhao Cheng walked up to an old craftsman and asked him a few questions.

Then a craftsman with calloused hands came forward and said, "Madam Xu's boat is in the third dock. The keel has been laid and the ribs are being installed."

Xu Yi nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping briefly over the workshop.

Various types of wood were piled up separately, tools were placed in fixed locations, and even wood shavings were swept into piles, creating a sense of order amidst the chaos.

On the third dock slipway, her ship was already taking shape.

The ship's hull, which is about three meters long, is steadily placed on the slipway, and workers are installing the ribs.

Compared to the warships under construction nearby, which were dozens of meters long, her ship looked much more delicate, like a small toy, about the size of three small fishing boats.

"As requested by Madam Xu."

The old craftsman pointed to the hull and explained, "The bottom of the ship has a double-layer structure with a waterproof compartment in the middle."

Xu Yiyi squatted down without saying a word, her fingers tracing the seams of the keel.

The mortise and tenon joints fit together perfectly, showing that these craftsmen have a certain level of skill.

"Is this our family's boat?"

Er'er stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe it.

"This is our own boat! With this boat, we won't need to take other people's boats to come to the prefectural city or the county town anymore."

Sanchuan walked around the ship once, having already imagined what it would look like before he came.

Now that he looks at it, it's better than he imagined.

Sihai pressed his little face against it, overjoyed.

Zhao Cheng was amused by the child's actions.

"Big sister! This is really our family's boat! Our family is going to have a big boat too..."

Er'er realized what was happening, rushed behind her older sister and hugged her tightly, cheering.

Seeing this, Sanchuan and Sihai also ran over and hugged her tightly.

This made Xu Yiyi keep crying out in pain.

Wu Yuan was also grinning foolishly, and seeing his older brother and sister laughing, he couldn't stop smiling too.

After a while, the children finally came to their senses.

"here!"

She pointed to the middle section of the hull, "Adding another layer of fish glue to the waterproof bulkhead will make it even more waterproof."

The old craftsman nodded and wrote down Xu Yiyi's request.

Xu Yiyi continued her examination.

The sides of the hull already have reserved positions for pulley sets. This was specially designed by her based on the pulleys that Sanchuan made for her, so that one person can operate the sails and it is also convenient for her to collect cargo when going out to sea.

"Has the steering wheel been installed?"

"It's still under construction."

The craftsman pointed to a corner of the workshop where several people were assembling an intricate gear set: "They were all made according to Madam Xu's requirements."

As they were talking, several children skipped and hopped to the bow of the boat, exclaiming, "It's so wide and big here!"

The two-story ship is not very big, so the second floor can be set up with a maximum of two cabins.

At that time, one room for the girls and one room for the boys should be enough.

The lower deck can not only store cargo but also be used for cooking.

It's not much different from the big fishing boat of Uncle Pinghai in the village.

"Don't worry, Madam Xu! This boat will be built perfectly for you. Lord Lin gave the instructions, and it will definitely be launched by the end of the year."

The craftsman patted his chest and guaranteed it.

Sihai stood behind, counting on his fingers.

"Not counting this month, there's still November, December, and January!"

Sihai tapped his chubby fingers: "Three more months! That's a long time."

The child wailed, wishing he could ride home on his own family's ship today.

"It won't be long. If it can be finished before the Lunar New Year, I'll bring you to see the Nuo opera."

Xu Yiyi said that she originally did not plan to take these children to join in the festivities.

But thinking about it, I'll have my own boat then, and I can invite Uncle Pinghai and Aunt Si, Xu Anyang and Sister Honglian along, so I won't be afraid of losing the child.

Thinking this way, I felt a warm glow inside.

After leaving the boat shop, Xu Yiyi planned to pack her things and return to town.

Lin Ke's injuries hadn't healed, and the matter of retrieving the fish token was still undecided.

Staying here and spending money every day is painful for her.