Presumably because making the gas masks had taken considerable time, they were already unable to reach the village according to the original schedule.
After exiting Fishtail Gorge and walking about five or six li, the sun began to slant westward. At this point, they still had over six li to go before reaching Silver Moon Beach.
Old Man Sha looked at the sky with some concern. “We’ll have to travel in the dark tonight. Are you kids afraid?”
The children who had fallen asleep in Fishtail Gorge were now all awake. Faced with this unfamiliar environment and the prospect of their new home, they were filled with excitement.
One after another, they declared enthusiastically, “We’re not afraid!”
Xiaoshi’s little mouth seemed coated with honey, always ready with flattery. “With Father here, we’re not afraid of anything.”
Yue Zhixian’s grin stretched from ear to ear upon hearing this, and he immediately couldn’t resist boasting about how, at Xiao Yunyan’s age, he had single-handedly sailed out to sea, drifting on the ocean for many days before returning completely unscathed.
Just as the children were looking at him with admiration and envy, Old Man Sha kicked him off the carriage. “You stubborn fool, still daring to bring that up? Who was it that cried and screamed for help at the sight of our fishing boat back then?”
Yue Zhixian refused to admit it. “I didn’t call for help—I was just really thirsty.”
“Hmph, your parents in the underworld probably had to beg everyone until their shoe soles wore thin, dragging your grandparents along, just to save your miserable life.” Old Man Sha curled his lip, still angry when recalling the events of that year.
Heaven knows how they had terrified the entire village.
Those who made their living at sea, even if they only fished in coastal waters with small wooden boats, faced sudden storms and waves on the ocean.
Thus, since ancient times, a rule had been passed down: fathers and sons must not sail on the same boat.
Since Yue Zhixian’s parents had passed away early, leaving him as the only descendant in his family, the village forbade him from boarding any boat.
At the very least, they absolutely would not allow it until he had married and produced offspring.
If he wanted fish, whenever the village went out to sea, they would give him a share.
But this rascal, forbidden from boarding the boats, secretly took a small boat out to sea by himself.
Knowing nothing, he simply drifted with the wind and waves on the ocean.
By sheer luck, protected by the Sea Goddess, heaven did not claim him.
But after that incident, everyone kept a strict watch over the boats, giving him absolutely no opportunity.
Now, hearing Old Man Sha mention this, Xie Mingzhu suddenly remembered a serious problem.
She had always assumed the poverty of the local people was due to the poisonous miasma and the sparse population.
But she had forgotten that perhaps the miasma was only part of the reason—more significant were the hurricanes, thunderstorms, and floods along the coast.
She had been too presumptuous, using her own world as a reference.
She had forgotten that this was still a backward feudal era, without precise scientific instruments. Even if they had experience in observing the weather, its accuracy was likely not high.
Moreover, the construction materials available now were mostly wood, with mountain stones at best.
Thus, even a typhoon that wasn’t massively destructive would be enough to destroy their small boats and wooden houses.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but sigh in frustration. Making this place prosperous would be as difficult as reaching heaven.
Who knows how many generations of effort it would take!
Yue Zhixian jumped back onto the cart at this moment. When Old Man Sha tried to make him walk again, he quickly picked up the dry grass, “I still need to weave straw sandals for everyone!”
Only then did Old Man Sha relent.
He then took the opportunity to introduce their Silver Moon Beach to Xie Mingzhu. “Our Silver Moon Beach originally belonged to the Blue Moon people who lived on Phoenix Mountain. But over seventy years ago, a hurricane swept across the sea. That night was filled with thunder and lightning, and many of our tree houses were struck.”
Many people were burned alive in the mountain fires.
However, Old Man Sha didn’t witness the scene himself, as he was only sixty this year and was born at Silver Moon Beach.
But according to the elders, the suffering of their Blue Moon tribe was extremely tragic, no better than the fate of the original fishermen who disappeared from Silver Moon Beach.
With no other choice, their tribal leader had to lead the Blue Moon people down the mountain.
When they reached Silver Moon Beach, they found it desolate and in disarray. The local fishermen had long been swept away by the hurricane, and all the houses were destroyed.
“At that time, the court hadn’t yet sent officials to our Lingnan region. What Silver Moon Beach was originally called is untraceable, and we don’t know who the fishermen living here were. All they left behind was in that small Ancestral Hall built from coral stones.”
Inside, a stone statue of the Sea Goddess was enshrined. The Blue Moon people had worshipped the Mountain God in the mountains, but now that they relied on the sea for survival, they switched to worshipping the Sea Goddess.
After finishing his story, he turned and saw the children’s faces pale with fear, so he quickly added, “Don’t be afraid. Such catastrophic disasters occur only once in a hundred years. In all our years at Silver Moon Beach, we’ve only encountered two hurricanes, and we took shelter in advance both times, so the losses weren’t great.”
In reality, however, Yue Zhixian’s parents had died in a hurricane disaster over a decade ago.
But Yue Zhixian didn’t mention it.
Letting Xie Mingzhu and the others know would only add to their fears.
Besides, following him and Old Man Sha to Silver Moon Beach was their only viable option.
Could they really go to the Salt Fields instead?
As they talked, the night grew deeper.
But the sky by the sea was clear and transparent. At times like this, Xie Mingzhu always felt the illusion that she could reach out and pluck the stars. Her fear and unease about the future gradually diminished.
Yet she also realized that natural disasters were unpredictable in this era, so they still needed to find a way to leave—this wasn’t a place to stay long-term.
Moreover, from what Old Man Sha and the others implied, even with the sea nearby, most people only managed to fill their stomachs halfway.
It made sense. Although this place wasn’t entirely primitive, it was remote and backward. The court had only stationed officials here for just over fifty years.
Separated by these towering mountains, they were completely isolated, lagging far behind outsiders in both culture and technology.
Thus, their boats were merely flat-bottomed fishing vessels, suitable only for fishing in shallow waters.
Their fishing equipment was also outdated and worn.
Naturally, their catches weren’t substantial.
No wonder Yue Zhixian had initially claimed there were endless crabs, shrimp, and clams at Silver Moon Beach—it turned out they were all shellfish.
These shelled creatures often came ashore, so he could catch them on the beach without venturing into the sea.
Additionally, the variety of spices here was far less abundant than elsewhere.
Over time, even seafood could become tiresome to eat.
As for farming, they were completely clueless. The glutinous rice fields they cultivated—Xie Mingzhu had seen them on the way out from the county town—were sparse and patchy, a truly pitiful sight.
Of course, it might also be due to substandard seed selection, resulting in poor harvests.
Fortunately, this place was blessed with a uniquely favorable environment, abundant with diverse wild fruit trees, ensuring they never lacked fresh fruit throughout the year.
This perfectly compensated for any potential vitamin deficiencies.
Unconsciously, nestled beside the children, she began to feel a wave of fatigue wash over her, her eyelids growing heavy and refusing to stay open.
The distant stars and the endless expanse of mountains and forests seemed to drift further and further away.