Double Box Record

Chapitre 59

The little pumpkin earnestly invited a fisherwoman to teach him how to catch crabs.

The old fisherwoman stared at Shu Jun, a blush rising on her dark, wrinkled face. Her voice was unusually gentle: "Would the two young masters like to catch crabs? Let us do this rough work so you don't get your clothes dirty."

Shu Jun didn't say a word. She took out a silver ingot from her pocket, looked at it from the left and right, and probably thought it was too big. She put it back and took out another piece of silver, which was not much bigger than a fingernail. She asked Little Pumpkin to hand it to her: "No need to say anything more, just sell us the things for catching crabs."

The tool for catching crabs isn't a fishing rod at all, but a tattered and strange net with some rice or other food tied to it. The net is tied to a long bamboo pole, which is then inserted into the shallow water. After that, you just have to wait.

Shu Jun sat at the bow of the boat, his eyes fixed on the net as if it would soon be teeming with plump crabs; his eyes practically lit up.

The fishermen and their wives around them watched the elegantly dressed and beautiful master and servant with wide, eager eyes. Everyone crowded around to see how many crabs they could catch.

A short while later, the torn net stirred. Little Pumpkin cheered and rowed the boat over. When they pulled up the net, they found a lot of crabs crawling inside.

"Master, Master! Look!" He was so excited that his face turned red as he held the crab up in front of him.

Before Shu Jun could speak, the fishermen on the shore cheered. Little Pumpkin waved to them triumphantly, thinking he had caught the most. But when he looked closer, he realized that the people weren't praising him at all.

"Master, it seems someone over there is stealing our thunder." Little Pumpkin was immediately indignant. "Let's go see who it is!"

Shu Jun pulled a large crab out of the net, saying as he looked at it, "Who cares about them? As long as we caught a crab. This is enough for you to eat. Crabs are cooling in nature, so don't cry if you get diarrhea from eating too many."

"Let's go take a look!" Little Pumpkin had a childish temper and couldn't stand others overshadowing him. Without waiting for Shu Jun's reply, he rowed the boat in that direction.

Sure enough, there were many people gathered on the nearby shore, still marveling at the sight.

Little Pumpkin craned his neck to look, and saw a person dressed in black sitting on the bank. The person was slender and wore a straw hat, so it was hard to tell if he was male or female. He was holding a fishing rod and leisurely fishing. In no time, he caught a big fish and threw it directly into the wooden bucket next to him.

There were already more than a dozen fish piled up in the wooden bucket, all of which looked like he had caught them.

Little Pumpkin turned around and said, "Master, that person's fishing skills are much better than yours!"

Shu Jun lazily looked up and saw the person put away their fishing rod and stand up. They had a slender and graceful waist and were clearly a woman. She easily lifted the wooden bucket, and water splashed out. The bucket was actually still filled with water.

She left two large fish behind, and poured the rest back into the lake along with the water.

Although it was early autumn, the weather was still a bit hot. She raised her straw hat slightly and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Beneath the hat were a pair of bright, star-like eyes, a straight nose, and beautifully shaped red lips. The corners of her lips turned up without any hesitation, revealing a row of neat white teeth when she smiled.

She was a spirited and dashing young woman.

Shu Jun couldn't help but stand up from the bow of the boat, squinting as if he wanted to confirm it again.

It really was her, unchanged, still laughing heartily and clearly, like a leisurely white cloud in the sky. But I could vaguely sense some changes—she had grown taller, appearing even more slender, yet without a trace of fragility.

The previous reckless and foolish air had completely disappeared, replaced by a calm and composed demeanor, like a finely polished gemstone that had been kept in a box, its brilliance rarely revealed.

Little Pumpkin let out a strange cry, and a crab jumped from the bow of the boat into the lake, splashing up ripples, somewhat like Shu Jun's mood at that moment.

She left so sadly, and Shu Jun had thought she would become depressed, taciturn, or even harbor deep hatred. Well, he really didn't expect her to still be able to smile, traveling the world alone with her sword, carefree and at ease.

I hesitated, unsure whether I should call her.

Little Pumpkin, however, had already shouted, "Sister—! Master, it's Miss Ge!"

But she was too far away to hear them, and left chatting and laughing with the fishermen while carrying her bucket.

Shu Jun's handsome eyebrows suddenly furrowed, as if he had thought of something. Little Pumpkin grabbed his sleeve and shook it violently, shouting, "Master! Master! Are you stupid?! Aren't you going to chase after her?!"

Shu Jun thought for a moment and then realized, "So the person who was asking around about the Juxia Gang in Chenzhou was her."

Looking down, he realized his sleeves were almost torn to shreds by Little Pumpkin. He glared at him with a look of utter disappointment and pouted, "Master, were you just spacing out on purpose? Don't think I don't know! Forget about saving face right now, finding the person is the most important thing!"

He couldn't help but chuckle, giving him a light tap on the head, and said leisurely, "No rush, let's see what she's planning to do first, it seems quite interesting."

Chapter Two

In the center of Dongjiang Lake lies Doushuai Island, where the Doushuai Lingyan Rock is world-famous, commonly known as the Immortal Cave.

When Yichun arrived on the island, it was already late, and the sun was about to set. She took out a tattered sheepskin from her bosom, which was covered with a map of mountains and rivers—it was a map of Doushuai Island.

The map clearly indicated where the Juxia Gang's headquarters and branch offices were. The Juxia Gang of Chenzhou was based on the island.

Yichun turned the map horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and upside down, but he still couldn't understand it.

When she first saw the map, she was overwhelmed by the sight of mountains and rivers, and had no idea which direction to go.

After wandering around aimlessly for a while, I suddenly saw a large tree in front of me with most of its bark stripped off, revealing a white trunk. Someone had carved an arrow on it, pointing directly to the west.

She looked up and around, then looked down at the map... estimating that going west should be the right direction, she followed the arrow.

After walking for a short while, sure enough, there was another tree ahead with several pieces of bark peeled off, and an arrow on it.

This piqued Yichun's curiosity, so she simply followed the arrow downwards to see what the final result would be.

After walking for less than half an hour, the view suddenly opened up, and we found ourselves back by the lake.

A hemp rope was tied to an old tree by the lake, and a small boat was attached to the rope. A small stove was placed at the bow of the boat, and a pot of large crabs was steaming on the stove. They should be almost cooked, their shells bright red.

The long-absent Little Pumpkin took a pot of warmed yellow wine from the hot water basin, filled two small wine cups on the table, and then waved to her with complete ease: "Sister, come and eat some crab?"

Yichun was stunned.

The curtain in the cabin was lifted from the inside, and Shu Jun leaned out halfway, his dark eyes scanning her body and face for a long time before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"Say hello," he told himself. "Just say it's been a long time. The three taels of silver you gave me last time was too stingy; it was clearly an insult. That's why I specifically came to find you to return the money. Also, there's no hurdle in this world that can't be overcome. Try to think positively. You're still young, you have a long life ahead of you, and you'll meet better people in the future, like me. You see, I'm pretty good, aren't I..."

However, these words don't seem easy to say, especially not from his mouth.

So he stared at her fiercely for a long time, and finally beckoned her over: "Come here, come here."