Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 343 - 340: Just a Small Fishing Village

As night fell, the moonlight shone like silk, and the sound of the guqin resembled flowing water.

Dugu Di sat high on the windowsill, listening to the sound of the guqin, gazing northwest with an indifferent expression that betrayed no emotion.

A moment later, his guard Yan Mu silently appeared behind him, whispered a few words into his ear.

"Understood, go."

Yan Mu clasped his fists, saluted, and retreated backward.

Just as he was about to flip over the courtyard wall, Shu Qi suddenly appeared, stopping him: "The young master said that such matters cannot be done in Mao County; otherwise, it will be handled according to official procedures. Throughout Mao County, heroes are not allowed to break the law with force."

Yan Mu gripped the handle of his sword, coldly stating, "Everyone serves their own master. Do you think you can stop me?"

Shu Qi clapped his hands, and two more figures dressed in black appeared from the darkness, surrounding Yan Mu: "Here, my young master’s word is law."

Yan Mu frowned for a moment, assessing the strength of both sides, and finally released the sword handle. He returned to the veranda outside where Dugu Di was, kneeling silently outside.

Although Yan Mu said nothing, with Dugu Di’s keen hearing, he naturally knew that it was Yan Mu returning, and he couldn’t help but laugh, "Zifang’s domineering spirit hasn’t changed one bit!"

He remembered being young then; a group of them, boys at eleven or twelve, eager to imitate the Peach Garden Oath. When ranking by age, clearly the youngest, Xiao Chong, made many absurd arguments, asserting that they must be ranked by height. If not, then by skill in martial arts or literary essays—anything but age, eventually becoming the leader of their group as he wished.

Now, was he playing this out in response to his well-intended yet harsh advice? That brat, taking good advice for a donkey’s liver and lungs!

Dugu Di took a flute from his waist and began playing along with the sound of the guqin.

After a night of sailing, at dawn, the ship docked at the Hai City Pier.

When Lin Wanwan left, she was in strange attire, alone, without identification. Upon her return, she was adorned in silk and satin, accompanied by a maid and a servant, possessing a Village Lord Jade Token, gaining access to all the high-end inns of Hai City.

However, Lin Wanwan did not head towards the town; she still chose to lodge at an inn by the pier.

This time, she did not need to go herself. Hua Nong carried her Jade Token and copper coins to book a courtyard of an inn made of blue-brick tiles with ease.

Lin Wanwan, wearing a veiled hat, stood aside under the attentive service of a young servant, watching the shop’s staff and the Kun Lun move her luggage, while Hua Nong kept an eye on them.

Although Lin Wanwan told her family she’d only be out for a day or two, Yun Shang hurriedly prepared a lot of daily necessities for her; Yun Shang, the great housekeeper of the inner court, was very thorough.

Once settled, Lin Wanwan took the Kun Lun out to explore the market next to the pier, leaving Hua Nong to watch their belongings.

These crates held priceless treasures; they couldn’t be left unwatched.

In the morning at the small fishing village pier, the most abundant goods were naturally seafood. Lin Wanwan picked a few items and had them sent to the inn, where Hua Nong would settle the bill.

Standing at the ancient, simple pier of Hai City, Lin Wanwan’s mind was flooded with images of the coastline from future generations. The vast sea of today would become flourishing fields in a thousand years, marveling at the wonders of nature.

The coastal lands of Hai City, like Mao County, suffered from severe salinization issues, making farming difficult. It wasn’t until the late Tang Dynasty, when Prince Yue of Wu Yue excavated water conservancy projects, that the land gradually became suitable for planting.

Currently, the commoners of Hai City face harsher living conditions than those in Mao County; the number of noble families alone speaks volumes. In the early Tang Dynasty, only one aristocratic family, the Wu County Lu Clan, descended from Lu Xun of Eastern Wu, resided here.

The barren land couldn’t attract phoenixes, worlds apart from the bustling metropolis of a millennium later.

Mao County was now constructing the Ta Mountain Dam; once completed, the salinization issue would rapidly improve. Hai City, unless a butterfly flaps its wings to expedite water conservancy, would have to endure another two hundred years of hardships.

The spontaneously formed workshop by the pier wasn’t large, and Lin Wanwan quickly completed her rounds. At the last stall, she unexpectedly found two pieces of Golden Cod Fish Roe. How could she pass up such a rare treasure? She had to buy them!

The villagers didn’t deem these items significant, but Lin Wanwan valued them! Fish glue was far superior to bird’s nest; while opinions on the nutrition of bird’s nest varied, the nutritional and medicinal benefits of fish glue were visibly evident.

Happy with her purchase of two Golden Cod Fish Roes, Lin Wanwan returned to the inn and instructed Hua Nong to store them properly.

With no shortage of money, she decided not to sell such fine items, opting to keep them and savor them slowly. In modern times, these items were nearly extinct, hard to buy even with wealth, as they were protected species.

Back at the inn, the shopkeeper had rented a luxurious carriage from the town for Lin Wanwan.

Entering the courtyard, Lin Wanwan instructed Hua Nong to store the Golden Cod Fish Roe.

Soon after sitting down, a neighbor guest arrived with a maid to pay a visit.

Hua Nong had already put away the Golden Cod Fish Roe and had gone down to the kitchen to prepare a seafood feast for Lin Wanwan, leaving just Lin Wanwan and a language-unfamiliar Kun Lun in the courtyard.

Thus, Lin Wanwan personally welcomed the visitors, which greatly pleased them, as they hadn’t expected such courtesy from Lin Wanwan.

The visitor was a Countess traveling with her husband to trade between the Lion Country and the Great Tang and Japan, accompanied by two equally beautiful maids.

Hai City was one of their fleet’s temporary replenishment points along the way. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

They hadn’t gone to Mao County because they’d heard the County Magistrate there was quite formidable. Their ship carried many contraband items, so they avoided Mao County’s major port, opting for the relatively lax and chaotic fishing village of Hai City.

This visit to Lin Wanwan was prompted by the knowledge of a noble lady from the Great Tang residing next door. At that time in the world, the nobility of the Great Tang was the most respected globally.

The reason why the G-Count from the Lion Country traveled with his wife was often to entertain noble women of the Great Tang.

Their fleet, stopping for supplies at the Tang’s ports, constantly needed to offer tributes to the Emperor of the Tang, effectively serving as toll fees.

Lin Wanwan welcomed the visitors into the courtyard, discovering that the Countess could speak the official Tang language. Though heavily accented, it was remarkable for a foreigner, filling her with pride for the Great Huaxia.

During the Tang Dynasty, indeed, the world came to learn our China’s language!

Lin Wanwan could now converse in the official language as she had been studying with Heng Wu for quite some time.

As she communicated with the exotic G-Countess from the Lion Country, she faced no barriers.

After being seated as host and guest, Hua Nong quickly set aside her kitchen work and returned.

A lady like Lin Wanwan having just a simple-minded Kunlun slave attending female guests wouldn’t do; although Hua Nong wasn’t as clever as Yun Shang, she had some sense.