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

Chapter 481 Evodia

Xu Anyang stood up abruptly.

"What the hell?" Old Lu angrily followed him out.

Upon seeing the sign at the entrance of Ruyi Residence, Lao Lu felt a surge of energy rush to his heart.

"This is simply outrageous."

Blatant price-cutting and undisguised provocation.

Xu Anyang was so angry that his face turned pale, and his chest heaved violently: "This is... they want to force us to our deaths!"

Old Lu's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his teeth were clenched so hard they were practically popping out of their sockets.

Just as he was about to step forward and kick the sign away, Xu Anyang stopped him again.

Old Lu's face turned ashen, and he said through gritted teeth, "I tolerated you for not letting me hit someone earlier, but now you're stopping me from kicking a sign?"

Afu, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and chimed in, "Yeah! This guy surnamed Hong is going too far. Are we just supposed to put up with it?"

"Damn it! This is outrageous!"

No sooner had they finished speaking than a chubby figure swept past them—it was Fatty Wang, returning from his lunch break.

He had clearly seen the sign too, and his small eyes were full of anger.

"Wait..." Xu Anyang reached out to stop him.

Without any hesitation, Fatty Wang rushed to the entrance of Ruyi Residence, raised his foot, and kicked the wooden sign with all his might.

With a loud clang.

The wooden sign flew through the air, tracing an arc before crashing heavily to the ground, scattering several pieces of wood.

This kick was decisive, powerful, and heavy.

Xu Anyang, who was still blocking Lao Lu's way, was dumbfounded.

Old Lu, who was trembling with anger, was also stunned.

Even passersby stopped in their tracks, staring in disbelief at the sudden turn of events.

After kicking it, Fatty Wang still felt unsatisfied and spat at the wooden sign on the ground.

"What kind of junk is this? How dare it block your Grandpa Wang's way? It's an eyesore!" Fatty Wang said angrily.

As soon as Hong Gang came out and saw this scene, his face immediately darkened.

These people keep causing trouble, they really think Hong Gang is a paper tiger.

"Fatty! You've been my cook for years, we're pretty close, so why can't you stand to see me doing well?"

Hong Gang's tone was filled with anger: "Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future. Is it really necessary to go to such extremes?"

Fatty Wang scoffed, "Pah! You still have the nerve to bring up old times with me? Who really did the despicable thing?"

He suddenly stepped forward, pointed at Hong Gang's nose, and cursed: "When you were doing business before, you used inferior products, cut corners on ingredients, lined your own pockets, and did a lot of dirty things. You're a complete scoundrel who can't be helped."

Unable to compete with our Wufu Restaurant, they started resorting to these underhanded tactics, like putting up a sign to maliciously lower prices..."

As he spoke, Fatty Wang spat at the cracked wooden plaque on the ground, his face full of disdain.

"I think you don't want to reopen your business, but rather to corrupt the atmosphere of all the restaurants in the town, right? I'm kicking down your sign to do justice to the heavens."

This barrage of angry curses left Hong Gang's face turning red and white in turns.

He glared fiercely at Fatty Wang.

Fatty Wang's barrage of veiled insults and accusations, which exposed his past misdeeds, resounded like thunder on the street.

Everyone assumed that Hong Gang, who had been publicly insulted, would be furious, and a fierce argument would be inevitable.

Lao Lu and Xu Anyang involuntarily tensed their muscles, ready to step forward at any moment.

However, to everyone's surprise, the alternating red and blue color on Hong Gang's face only lasted for a moment.

He stared at Fatty Wang and let out a cold laugh, clenching and unclenching his fist.

He didn't refute, didn't argue, and didn't even glance at Fatty Wang again.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he ordered the dumbfounded servant beside him in a gloomy tone: "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and clean up this piece of junk!"

After saying that, he turned around and went back into the restaurant.

The servant was left to frantically clean up the broken wooden plaques on the ground.

……

"Let's go!" Wen Shichen said calmly, lowering the curtain of the sedan chair.

"Master, do you think they can cause any trouble?" Steward Li shifted his gaze from the two restaurants and continued walking forward with the sedan chair.

"Make a scene? You can't be sure. Xu Yiyi doesn't seem like she has a good temper."

Wen Shichen chuckled, "But there's definitely going to be some fun to watch."

“What you say is absolutely right, my lord.”

Manager Li, with his obsequious demeanor, forced a smile upon hearing Wen Shichen's laughter.

At this moment, Lao Lu, who had returned to the restaurant, seemed to be deep in thought: "That bastard is definitely plotting something bad!"

"A dog that bites doesn't bark."

Xu Anyang snorted softly, also feeling that Hong Gang wouldn't let the matter rest.

"He's panicking too. His business dealings have never been very clean to begin with, and now he's pulled this stunt, disrupting market prices. In the short term, everyone might just watch the show, but in the long run, will the other big restaurants just stand by and watch him act so recklessly? Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. In the end, we won't even need to lift a finger; someone else will take care of him!" Fatty Wang said calmly.

"And another thing! You should also do the math on his vegetable prices. Our vegetable prices are based on low profit and high volume. Except for some dishes made with expensive ingredients that are more expensive, if he gives us an 80% discount, his profit won't even cover the cost of the decent ingredients! He's completely losing money to make a name for himself, and he's just paying out of his own pocket to keep the business afloat!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Anyang immediately began to calculate.

But his mind was completely blank at the moment, and he couldn't figure it out no matter how he tried.

But that didn't stop him from thinking that Fatty Wang was right.

He slapped his thigh hard: "That's right! Hong Gang isn't running a charity. How much wealth does he have to keep throwing money away like this every day? In time, without anyone else even having to pressure him, he'll bleed himself dry and won't be able to hold on!"

After listening to their reasonable analysis, Lao Lu's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a bit.

"But he not only tried to outprice us, he also copied our dishes."

Seeing that the two of them were somewhat relieved, Xu Anyang quickly spoke again.

"What?" Fatty Wang exclaimed.

Xu Anyang nodded weakly.

“That’s right. We lost two jars of the secret ingredient before, right? We managed to recover enough to make up one jar, but the other one is still missing. I suspect Hong Gang has probably bought it.”

"It's my fault! Why did I hire those people as craftsmen? Now look what's happened. Not only is Hong Gang trying to outprice us, but he's also copying our dishes, which is even more fatal."

Xu Anyang regretted it every day, but it was all in vain.

"That shouldn't be the case! Isn't it said that the ingredients for this secret recipe are hard to find? How could he have figured it out?" Fatty Wang wondered.

"There is one ingredient that is hard to find, but it is also possible that he used something else instead, because the smell is slightly different from what Sister Yi made."

He remembered that Sister Yi had mentioned that there was an ingredient called Evodia rutaecarpa that was very similar to the chili peppers she grew.

The flavor is complex, a blend of bitterness and spiciness.

Fatty Wang sighed deeply, "At this hour, where is the boss?"

Xu Anyang shook his head.

"Sihai and Wuyuan are both gone; they must have gone back to the island," Old Lu guessed.

Xu Yiyi did indeed take the two children back to Wanghai Island.

The fishing boat was moored on the river, and she held Wuyuan and pulled Sihai ashore.

The sea breeze in late autumn was unusually sharp, ruffling the hair at her temples.

As soon as I landed, I saw how lively the island was.

Several constables dressed in their official robes, with iron rulers hanging from their waists, were walking from house to house, accompanied by Xu Pinghai.

The tax collector in the lead had a slightly dark complexion. He held an account book and a steelyard in his hands. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority. Behind him, the runners carried wooden boxes or measuring instruments.

A tense atmosphere hung in the air.

Yes.

The day for paying the autumn tax has arrived.

"Yi-Yi is back?"

A-Si greeted Xu Yi-Yi a few times.

"Auntie, have you paid your taxes?" Xu Yiyi asked curiously.

A-Si nodded. "I just paid. I reckon I'll get to your place a little later."

Xu Yiyi pondered for a moment, then glanced at the boat moored on the river: "Shouldn't we carry this boat back first?"

Ah Si waved his hand, "No need, your uncle will bring the police to measure it later."

As he spoke, A-Si helped her pull Si-Hai home.

……

"Is the fish you've caught this year enough? If not, you'll have to pay in cash."

Xu Yiyi put Wu Yuan down and went into the house where the fish were stored.

The house was tidy up inside. Xu Yiyi assessed the situation and carried down three baskets of dried fish.

"Thankfully, the house didn't flood when the hurricane hit, otherwise all of these fish would have been lost."

As soon as he finished speaking, A-Si sighed.

"You know what, the last hurricane was really deadly; several people in the tribe lost their lives because of it..."

Neither of them was in a good mood when the topic came up.

They are all fishermen, and they cannot easily change their profession; their livelihood depends on the sea for generations.

Such things happen frequently and cannot be stopped.

"By the way, Ah Da's family is probably having some difficulties. Duo Bao's illness is intermittent and can't be cured completely. He coughs badly every day, and it breaks my heart to hear it."

Asi said with a worried expression.

Xu Yiyi had excellent hearing and could hear Duobao's heart-wrenching coughs for several nights in a row, each sound making one's heart tighten.

She was aware of her family's situation.

While they weren't starving, the constant spending meant that even the most well-off family was starting to feel the pinch.

In addition, the hurricane caused severe damage to Ah Da's family.

The houses were mostly destroyed, and the boats were smashed.

Because the family's money is being used to treat Duobao's illness, the repairs haven't been completed yet.

Even with all these difficulties, they still refused to accept help from the clan, and even refused to accept money from Xu Yiyi.

That's pretty stubborn.

As they were talking, Xu Pinghai led the tax collectors to the door.

Xu Yi looked at him flipping through the account books, her voice flat, "This year, as usual, we will verify assets and collect household taxes."

"The length, width, and condition of the fishing boat have all been verified," Xu Pinghai continued.

Then the other officers carefully counted the quantity and quality of the fishing gear drying inside and outside the house.

Xu Pinghai stayed by Xu Yi's side, occasionally adding a few words about the family situation.

As the tax collector listened, he fiddled with his abacus, quickly assessing the household's class based on the size and age of the boat, the quantity of fishing gear, and the condition of the stone house.

Fishermen have no land, so the tax burden mainly falls on the tools and equipment they use to make a living.

After all the verifications were completed, the tax collector reported the number.

Xu Yiyi listened quietly, her mind already racing with calculations, which were roughly in line with her guess.

The tax collector glanced at it, and the constables began to inspect the quality of the dried fish.

Watching the officials take away the goods and draw a red circle next to her name in the ledger, Xu Yiyi felt a little relieved.

The tax collector's serious, businesslike expression softened slightly.

He put away the steelyard, turned to look at Xu Yiyi who was holding and comforting her younger brother, and forced a gentle smile on his face, while the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened.

"I've long heard that brat Xu Yinli say that his eldest daughter is intelligent and capable. Seeing her today, I can confirm that he's right."

Xu Yiyi unconsciously forced a smile onto her lips.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the tax collector led his men to the next household.

"Is this man very fierce? He's been collecting taxes on the island every year since before your father got married. Your father was a very good-natured man, and he could talk to anyone, so he had some connections with him."

Xu Yi thought for a moment, and realized that Xu Yinli had also come on the day he erected the cenotaph.

But the two didn't get a chance to speak before he left in a hurry.

"Let's go! We're at A-da's house."

As Ah Si watched Xu Pinghai lead people to Ah Da's door, he quickly called Xu Yiyi over.

The tax collector looked at the scene before him with a hint of surprise in his eyes, but still maintained a serious, businesslike demeanor.

Xu Pinghai approached A-Da and said, “The fish you dried this year all got damp, and the newly dried ones aren’t ready either. Let’s use my fish to pay the taxes first.”

"Use mine, I'm closer, and the constable can take it away right away after the verification."

Xu Yiyi suggested that, before A-Da could refuse, she would run home and take out the taxes that A-Da's family needed to pay.

After every household in the clan had paid their taxes, the island looked as if the sea breeze had swept over every family.

The evenings of late autumn come exceptionally early, and the sky quickly darkens, with leaden-gray clouds pressing heavily on the sea.

The sea breeze became fierce, carrying a biting chill, howling across the empty mudflats and low stone houses, making one's cheeks sting.

Xu Yiyi made some simple hot food for Sihai and Wuyuan, and only after watching them finish eating did she feel a little warmer.

"Big sister, can't I go to town with you? Just send Wuyuan to Grandpa's house." Sihai pouted and acted coquettishly as he watched his older sister clearing the dishes.

"No way! We agreed that you wouldn't go to a restaurant tonight because it's cold. The wind is ridiculously strong. What if it blows you sick?"

Xu Yiyi's tone was firm and left no room for negotiation.

"Besides, aren't you afraid that leaving Wu Yuan alone will make him cry and ruin his voice?"

As she spoke, she put the clean dishes and chopsticks back into the kitchen.

Only after her hands, which had become icy cold from washing dishes, warmed up did she pick up Wuyuan.

With her other hand, she took Sihai's reluctant hand and said, "Let's go!"

"Humph!"

The child gave a soft hum, let go of Xu Yiyi's hand, and ran into the increasingly dark night against the wind.