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

Chapter 490 A promising talent for martial arts

Why can't I beat a kid?

This problem is like a curse, it just won't go away.

In terms of strength, he was far greater; in terms of height and arm length, he had a clear advantage; in terms of lineage, his master was a general; in terms of weapons, everyone else was using spearheads covered in cloth…

From any perspective, he should have completely overwhelmed his opponent.

But the truth is, he lost face in front of everyone both times he made a move.

"My lord, we're back at the manor."

The sound jolted him back to reality. He took a deep breath, barely managed to calm himself, and lifted the sedan curtain.

He and Misu rented this house together, while Xue Shiyu preferred peace and quiet and lived in another house.

All three of them were from Chang'an. They had been Xiang Yu's students since before he resigned from his official post, and they followed him here after he did.

When Wen Zaisi went in, he saw Misu being forced to practice boxing by Master Wu, her face full of displeasure.

Misu's eyes lit up when she saw him. "Oh! You're back so soon? I thought you were going to cheat us and we'd have to fight again."

Wen Zaisi snorted and ignored him.

"What? Are you angry? Or do you feel embarrassed?" When Misu saw that he wouldn't talk to her, she went straight up and pressed her face against his.

Wen Zaisi pushed away his face, which was so close to hers. "Aren't you annoying?"

Misu smiled with satisfaction at his reaction.

"Not at all, how could I be annoyed? It's rare to see you get the short end of the stick."

After saying that, the chubby boy burst into laughter.

The laughter finally stopped after a while.

Wen Zaisi sat in the courtyard, somewhat dejected, while Misu pouted and sat down as well.

"Don't think about it anymore, there's no need to be upset. You... there is indeed a bit of a gap between you and Sihai."

As Misu spoke, she gestured with her chubby little hand.

"Tsk!"

Wen Zaisi glared at him.

Misu immediately cowered and instinctively shrank her neck.

"It's not just me saying that, even Xue Shiyu said so," he muttered.

Wen Zaisi was absolutely furious.

He asked doubtfully, "Could it be that General Lu didn't teach me properly? Or am I just too dull-witted to grasp the true meaning?"

The more Wen Zaisi thought about it, the more he felt that only this reason could explain why he lost to a little kid.

Misu scoffed.

"No, no. You've misunderstood. Think again! You've got it all wrong!"

He leaned closer, a rare serious look appearing on his chubby face, and lowered his voice, saying, "We both know General Lu's character and abilities. Since he has taken you as his disciple, there's no reason for him not to teach you properly. Your gun stance looks quite impressive, and you're quite strong too."

He paused, recalling the moment when Sihai was sparring in the backyard, and his tone became more certain: "The reason you lost, or rather... felt that you were outmatched, is entirely because every move Sihai made was filled with a reckless killing intent!"

"Killing intent?" Wen Zaisi was taken aback.

“Yes, it’s murderous intent!” Misu nodded firmly. “Didn’t you feel it? General Lu taught you kung fu, martial arts, but what that old man taught him… to me, it looks more like a method of killing!”

Wen Zaisi was stunned for a long time after hearing this.

"You were probably too busy eating to notice the murderous intent in his actions?" His tone was laced with sarcasm.

Misu immediately rolled her eyes at him.

"I was eating, that's true, but at the same time... I was also watching very intently, okay?"

He clicked his tongue and continued his analysis: "When you fight him, you're thinking about exchanging martial arts skills, it's a competition, so you'll follow the rules and hold back. But what about Sihai? All he cares about is how to hit his opponent. He doesn't understand or care about aesthetics or rules! Your horizontal thrust and sweeping attacks are weaknesses and opportunities in his eyes! How can you compete like that?"

After hearing his analysis, Wen Zaisi also felt that something was not quite right.

He said with certainty, "Sihai is so small, what does he know? I think it's his master who's carrying the killing intent."

As Misu spoke, she took off her wristband. "Yeah! What's the background of his master?"

Wen Zaisi shook his head and squinted his eyes: "He claims to be a restaurant helper, but I don't think so."

Misu paused for a moment. "I guess he was a wanderer in his early years, and with all that experience, he's naturally different."

He spoke nonchalantly, tossing the wristband in his hand into the servant's arms.

"Alright, stop thinking about it and go to sleep."

If he falls asleep in class again tomorrow, his monthly allowance will really be deducted.

He patted Wen Zaisi on the shoulder and went straight back to his room.

Wen Zaisi felt that Lao Lu was no ordinary person.

But he couldn't figure it out either.

At the same time, Uncle, Grandpa, Uncle, and Grandma came out after finishing their hot pot meal.

Their cheeks were slightly flushed, and their foreheads were covered with fine beads of sweat. Stimulated by the cold wind outside, they did not feel cold at all, but instead felt a kind of refreshing and invigorating feeling.

Xu Honglian smacked her lips, still savoring the taste.

"That's great! It's really great!" Xu Pinghai exclaimed loudly. "On such a cold day, sitting around such a hot pot, the spiciness is so satisfying, and the freshness is so delicious, it's even more enjoyable than drinking a bellyful of turbid wine."

Ah Si smiled and chimed in, "The key is the variety! You can taste five or six different flavors from just one pot. How did you come up with such a delicious idea?"

Although Uncle didn't say anything, what pleased him most was Xu Yiyi's homemade rice wine, which was warm and sweet, and went perfectly with the pot.

"Sister Yi's brain is top-notch, one of hers is worth ten of mine."

Xu Anyang snorted softly, while Xu Yiyi smiled faintly and remained silent, handing the well-fed Wu Yuan to her great-aunt.

"Sanchuan, Sihai, come and go home with your grandparents."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sanchuan quickly put his books down, slung his book bag over his shoulder, and came out of the house.

Sihai was somewhat reluctant, so Xu Yiyi patted his head and sent him out.

As the moon rose high in the sky, the number of people in the restaurant gradually dwindled.

"Sister Yi, we'll probably have to buy more ingredients tomorrow. We've already used up all the ones the uncles brought this morning."

Xu Anyang sighed and leaned against the counter, watching Xu Yiyi do the accounting.

She was quick-witted and nimble-minded, and soon she had Xu Anyang completely bewildered.

"Ouch...ouch...it's giving me a headache."

Xu Anyang let out a howl and sat down on the stool.

Xu Yiyi glanced at him and said, "You need to learn how to do accounts properly from Sihai tomorrow, and Sanchuan should pay more attention when he teaches you to read! You're so inconsistent, you still don't know many characters."

Xu Anyang waved his hand weakly.

"Why would I learn that stuff? You and Sihai are enough. Besides, I get a headache just looking at words."

Xu Yiyi frowned, looking at him with displeasure, "So lazy and you still want to open a branch?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Anyang immediately stood up, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "What does this have to do with opening a branch?"

“Once we open a branch, someone will definitely need to manage it! If you don’t learn the skills, are you going to let an outsider manage the other branch? Or am I supposed to run around between the two?”

Upon hearing her words, Xu Anyang quickly shook his head.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to study hard and try to open a branch as soon as possible."

The thought of soon taking over a restaurant energized Xu Anyang, making him incredibly motivated.

Hearing that the guest wanted wine, he went over excitedly.

As soon as Lao Lu came in, I saw his eyes shining.

"What's wrong? Did he find some money? Why is he so happy?" Old Lu said casually, moving closer to the counter.

"Where would you find money to pick up?"

Xu Yiyi snorted softly, "Help me string these copper coins together."

As she spoke, she pulled a large handful of rope from under the counter and slapped it onto the counter.

Old Lu couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If I had known that I would have to do work here, I wouldn't have come."

He moved the money box over rather roughly, muttering to himself.

Xu Yi forced a fake smile.

"What do you call it when you ask me to string money together? It's simple and easy," she said, turning a page of the ledger.

Old Lu rolled his eyes at her. "It's not my money that's being used to make these strings! I'm just doing this for free."

Xu Yiyi curled her lips and rolled her eyes at him.

"You said yourself that you didn't want wages."

Old Lu snorted.

The old man and the young boy finished the work despite their disagreements.

Xu Yiyi gave the same instruction without fail: "Be alert while you sleep tonight."

Several older women left first, while she and Xu Anyang followed at the very back.

"I'm so tired! Today was really tiring."

Xu Anyang felt so tired that he had lost weight, and he boarded the boat listlessly.

"Sister Yi, just thinking about how angry Hong Gang's face turned pale makes me feel really good!" Xu Anyang sighed.

Xu Yiyi thought about the money she had earned today, which amounted to more than two hundred strings of cash, not counting the costs.

This is unprecedented; even when business was booming before, I've never made this much money in a single instance.

I'm so happy inside.

I thought that doing a small business in a small town would be enough to make a living.

As a result, the business grew bigger and bigger.

This is largely thanks to Ping'an Town's unique location, which attracts many merchants. Coupled with their excellent craftsmanship, the business gradually took off.

"Everyone has worked hard these past few days. Especially today, the first day of the hot pot banquet, we were so busy we didn't have a moment to breathe. After a few days, once the accounts are settled and wages are paid, I will give everyone an extra bonus as a reward."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Anyang's eyes lit up instantly.

He reached up and picked at his ear. "Did I hear that right? They gave out bonuses again?"

Xu Yiyi nodded with a smile.

"Did you all hear that? You'll get an extra bonus when we get paid in a few days."

Xu Anyang yelled, and the young man rowing the boat trembled, almost crashing into a fishing boat moored in the harbor.

"Wow! Long live Sister Yi!"

"That's great! Thank you, Sister Yi!"

The young men who ran the errands became even happier.

One of them got so excited that he forgot he was on a boat and suddenly stood up, causing the small boat to rock violently and almost capsize.

"Ouch! Watch out!"

"Sit down! Sit down now!"

Xu Yiyi quickly called out to stop them, frantically trying to steady the boat and the few boys who were having too much fun to think about.

After a brief period of chaos and laughter, the small boat finally regained its stability.

But the atmosphere inside the cabin became even more enthusiastic. The previous fatigue was dispelled by this unexpected good news, and everyone's eyes lit up.

Xu Yiyi looked at them, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

……

The next morning, the sky was overcast.

The outside is already bustling with activity, the sound of the tide never stops, and the island seems to come alive in an instant.

It's already dawn, but the fog is still pouring over the island like milk, blurring the dark blue rocks and lush forests into hazy silhouettes.

The mist drifted slowly along the sea surface. Xu Yiyi pushed open the courtyard gate and immediately felt a bone-chilling cold.

She took out a thickly lined jacket from the wardrobe.

On the bed, Wu Yuan sat up with a smile, his eyes fixed on her.

"Are you hungry? You woke up so early."

Xu Yiyi quickly went forward to help him put on his clothes and carried him out.

Hearing the noise, Sanchuan quickly got out of bed, while Sihai groggily turned over and went back to sleep.

"Big sister, are we going to take this sheep to the restaurant later?"

While milking the sheep, Sanchuan watched another ewe grazing.

Although Wuyuan can eat other foods now, he still needs to drink goat milk every morning and evening, so after the goat at home ran out of milk, Xu Yiyi immediately bought another one.

A sheep that doesn't produce milk will naturally be eaten!

San Chuan's mouth started watering uncontrollably at the thought of the grilled lamb skewers he had eaten before.

"Yes, we'll eat it. Let's take it with us when we go to town later."

As Xu Yiyi spoke, she carried a bucket of water into the kitchen.

The siblings only started washing up after the water boiled.

Xu Yiyi first wrung out a scalding hot towel and handed it to Sanchuan.

Watching him take the steaming cloth, bury his whole face in it, wipe it vigorously a few times, and then take it off, his little face was flushed and moist from the steam, and the stray hairs on his forehead were also wet, sticking to his smooth forehead.

He looked less mature than usual, but more childlike and adorable.

He had just handed the cloth back to his older sister when a biting sea breeze swept in without warning, carrying a salty, fishy chill that went straight into his collar.

Sanchuan shivered violently from the cold, instinctively shrinking his neck and curling up his small body.

He lifted his wet little face and looked up at the gray sky, which seemed to be brewing rain.

Recalling the scenes of Chang'an that Xue Shiyu and the others had mentioned during their casual conversation, she couldn't help but feel a mix of curiosity and envy. Turning to Xu Yiyi, who was wringing out a cloth, she asked:

"Big sister, I overheard Xue Shiyu and the others chatting and saying that it snows in Chang'an in winter, it's all white and so beautiful, you can build snowmen and have snowball fights. Why is it that here... it only rains and never snows?"

Xu Yiyi draped the wrung-out towel over the shelf next to her, listened to Sanchuan's question, and looked up at the lead-gray sky, which seemed to be soaked in moisture.

She frowned slightly and explained gently, "Sanchuan, we are on an island, surrounded by the sea on all sides."

Then he reached out, as if drawing a circle in the air: "Seawater retains heat better than land. In winter, no matter how cold it gets, the warm and humid air currents from the sea will continue to rise. So our winters are damp and cold, but rarely cold enough for rain to condense into snowflakes and fall."