Chapter 197: True Seafood Freedom

Chapter 197: True Seafood Freedom

Mo Jiuya glanced at the sky and realized it was still early for their meeting with Henry. He tied the mule cart to the side of the road and led He Zhiran to the county office to see the commotion.

It turned out that the crowd gathered in front of the county office were there to report Cui Wen's misdeeds, as they had heard that the county magistrate intended to punish him.

Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran exchanged glances; neither of them expected that after serving as the assistant county magistrate for over a decade, Cui Wen had harmed so many people. Indeed, he deserved death.

From the situation before them, they could infer that Meng Huaining must be swamped with work right now. Thus, they abandoned their initial plan to visit him.

As the couple watched the spectacle with great interest, they heard a familiar 'bird language' from behind them.

"Hello, Mrs. He Zhiran, you're very punctual."

Both of them turned around simultaneously.

"Hello, Mr. Henry. We can head to the fishing village now."

Upon hearing that they would be going to the fishing village, Henry immediately became animated, expressing his joy to the fullest.

"Wonderful, I'll compensate you for your help."

The two of them, along with Henry, climbed into the mule-drawn carriage. He Zhiran sat inside as usual, while Henry took a seat beside Mo Jiuya.

Mo Jiuya was also new to the area and unfamiliar with the surroundings of City Yun.

Asking for directions to the fishing village along the way, they finally arrived after half an hour.

The fishing village bore no resemblance to West Ridge Village. There were no fields here; instead, the villagers' houses were built along the outskirts of the sandy shore.

Fishing nets hung on the fences of every household, and in their yards, there were no vegetable gardens. Instead, they had haphazard piles of oars and wooden barrels, tools of their trade.

It was clear that the villagers of the fishing village did not till the land but relied on the sea for their livelihood.

The carriage rolled gently into the village, and they encountered a man carrying a load on his shoulders. Mo Jiuya politely asked, "Excuse me, is this the fishing village?"

The man first glanced at Mo Jiuya before studying the blond, blue-eyed Henry for a moment before replying,

"Yes, this is the fishing village. Who are you looking for?"

Mo Jiuya continued his inquiry, "May I ask if there is a skilled shipwright around here?"

The man found the question amusing. "Repairing boats? Most of us in this fishing village can do that. Our livelihood depends on fishing, and we've been handling boats since childhood. How could we not know how to fix them?"

Mo Jiuya didn't mind the man's amused tone. He pointed at Henry beside him and said, "This foreigner's ship is damaged, and he's looking for assistance to repair it. Of course, he will provide appropriate compensation for their help."

Upon hearing that there was payment for repairing the boat, the man's attitude immediately changed.

He set down the load on his shoulder.

"I can fix it. Where is the boat?"

He Zhiran knew that it was time for her to step in.

She asked Henry in English.

"Where is your ship located?"

"It's right at the dock, not far from here."

He Zhiran informed the man about Henry's ship's position.

Upon hearing that the foreigner's ship was at the dock, the man seemed to lose his courage.

He was familiar with the vessels moored there, mostly large cargo ships, entirely different from his humble fishing boat.

The man cautiously inquired, "Are you talking about repairing one of those massive cargo ships?"

He Zhiran translated once more.

Henry indicated that his ship was an enormous cargo vessel, many times larger than the fishing boats they had just seen.

He conveyed Henry's description to the man.

The man was now utterly disheartened.

"I can't fix a boat like this."

"Then do you know who can?" He Zhiran inquired.

The man gestured towards the western end of the village.

"Keep walking until you reach the end of the village. There's a man named Hu Cong there. I doubt anyone else could repair a boat like this."

Mo Jiuya was familiar with the name Hu Cong. To confirm his suspicion, he asked, "Is the Hu Cong you're referring to the one who was assigned here by the government a few years ago as part of a penal labor program?"

The man nodded and then countered with a question of his own, "Do you know him?"

Mo Jiuya didn't admit it outright, "No, I've only heard of him."

Although the man didn't directly answer his question, Mo Jiuya was confident that this Hu Cong was the person he knew.

Hu Cong had once served as an official in the Ministry of Works. Though Mo Jiuya hadn't had extensive interactions with him, they were acquainted to some extent.

A few years ago, during the Empress's birthday celebration, she had ordered the Ministry of Works to rush the production of a set of wheelbarrows for serving food.

At that time, Hu Cong was in charge of this task.

Perhaps he had offended someone, as the completed wheelbarrows were sabotaged behind his back. When the palace maids and eunuchs were serving the dishes, the wheelbarrows suddenly collapsed, causing the prepared food and drinks to spill everywhere.

The Empress flew into a rage over the incident and pinned all the blame on Hu Cong, resulting in his eventual exile.

Mo Jiuya didn't want to reveal too much about himself to a stranger. If he admitted knowing Hu Cong, the man might ask how they became acquainted, leading to a tiresome explanation.

Noticing Mo Jiuya's reluctance, the man kindly warned, "Hu Cong is an odd fellow. He never interacts with the villagers and only repairs boats based on his mood. It's all up to luck if you find him willing to help when you visit him."

As the two continued their conversation, the man hoisted his load back onto his shoulders.

He Zhiran emerged from the carriage at that moment. With just a casual glance at the man's bamboo baskets, she involuntarily swallowed her saliva.

They were filled with giant lobsters.

Not only that, but there were also mantis shrimps – all of which were her favorite delicacies in her previous life.

Regrettably, in her previous life, she was merely a humble military physician surviving on stipends, unable to indulge in seafood as she pleased.

Transmigrating here, she had indeed achieved financial freedom, but with these untraceable items, she couldn't risk purchasing them blindly.

Now, she would finally fulfill her true seafood liberation tonight.

"Brother, are you planning to sell all these seafood you've picked?"

The man failed to detect the longing in He Zhiran's eyes.

"These aren't worth much, but I'd hate to just throw them away. So, I thought I'd bring them to the city and try to sell them at a lower price."

At a lower price?

How low?

"Brother, what price do you plan to sell these seafood for?"

The man casually picked up a still-moving lobster: "This king prawn, regardless of size, is 20 coins each."

Next, he pointed at the basket of mantis shrimp and said, "This mantis shrimp is sold at three copper coins per pound."

To avoid being perceived as an outsider, He Zhiran did not show any sign of surprise upon hearing two terms that were entirely different from her previous life.

Especially the case with the large lobster. The character 'dragon' was taboo in this era; who would dare to use it in naming a marine creature?

As for the mantis shrimp, they indeed resembled mantises somewhat, so such a name made sense.

At present, she was most concerned about the prices of these two seafood items.