"Who knows when we’ll go out next time. Why don’t you turn into a little parrot, then you won't need an ID."
"Dream on! This size is my final limit."
A bird that judges things based on size has no right to complain about her clothes.
"Did you hear the compliments on my clothes when we were outside? Everyone said it looked good~"
She tugged at the light yellow fabric of her dress, a style similar to a horse-face skirt. With a shake, runes flowed over it, as light as air, and despite the simple cut, it had an extraordinary charm.
Yaoguang sneered, "That's because their clothes are uglier. Humans are getting better and better; even ordinary people can reach the sky, but their taste is getting worse. But your friend is impressive, still insisting on walking on stilts. I get tired standing on a single claw~"
Gu Nan would walk on blades for the sake of beauty, and to make up for her height of 158 cm, she always wore 8 cm high heels when she went out. Zhao Zhao admired this.
After chatting with Yaoguang about some trivial matters, Da Linzi and his parents arrived.
Her second uncle was very excited, and Qin Yunmei’s expression was somewhat complicated and difficult to describe. Zhao Zhao couldn’t be bothered to analyze her thoughts. She greeted them to sit down and went to serve fruit.
Da Linzi, still brimming with excitement, said eagerly, "Zhao Zhao, let’s go out to sea tomorrow! Here’s the key, keep it safe."
"Let’s see the weather. If it’s good, we’ll go out for a spin. Second Uncle, Second Aunt, enjoy the fruit. This apple is really nice; try it."
Xiong Haitao was just as excited as Da Linzi. He had been fishing for half his life, and no fisherman dislikes boats. "Zhao Zhao, you’re doing well. I heard Da Linzi say you bought a large fishing boat that can go to the deep sea. This really brings glory to our old Xiong family; it’s the only one on the island!" He felt like he had shown off a lot today.
"I also thought a large boat would be safer."
"That’s true, a large boat is safer!" He thought about how happy he would be if his younger brother were still alive. If the boat had been better back then, he might not have died so tragically...
Qin Yunmei was unaware of his complicated feelings and directly asked, "With both a fishing boat and a yacht, it must have cost a lot of money. Zhao Zhao, where did you get so much money? Even just the down payment for a loan is considerable. Fishing is tough now, how will you manage as a girl?"
Xiong Haitao was also overwhelmed. It was his first time on a yacht of this class, and it was his niece’s. His excitement clouded his mind and he hadn't thought about these issues.
"Did Da Linzi not say?"
Da Linzi shook his head, "I was too busy talking to my dad about the yacht and getting the driver's license."
"Here’s the thing. When I was in Kyoto, I was lucky enough to find an antique, which I had been keeping for myself. When I returned to the island, I wanted to renovate Grandpa’s small inn and buy a boat to explore the deep sea. It was also a wish of my parents’ generation. All of this required a large amount of money. A little over half a month ago, I sent that antique to the auction house in Magic City, and it was successfully auctioned. That’s where the money came from."
Her second uncle immediately believed it and was pleased, "You girl has good luck. The old man said you’d definitely have a future, and indeed, you’re lucky!"
Qin Yunmei asked, "If it was auctioned, it must have been worth a lot, right? How much? Where did you find such a large one? I haven’t heard of anyone finding something so big..."
Xiong Haitao was displeased, "Why are you asking this? Even if you found it, you wouldn’t recognize it."
"Why can’t I ask? Who knows if it was the old man’s antique..." She said, while staring at Zhao Zhao, probably observing her micro-expressions. Her second aunt was not just an ordinary sharp-eyed person.
Zhao Zhao smiled.
"You don’t know what the old man had in his estate? You’ve been here for thirty years, and you’re asking such questions in front of the kids. I see you’re getting more backward as you age!" Xiong Haitao said angrily.
Zhao Zhao quickly tried to calm her second uncle down, shifting the topic to Da Linzi: "I’ve registered a fishing company. Da Linzi will be my assistant from now on. He’ll get a fixed monthly salary of 6,000, and once the fishing boat is delivered, he’ll share the commission just like the rest of the crew when we go fishing."
Da Linzi was excited, "So much? I’ll have a salary every month too?"
Xiong Haitao glanced at his foolish son. He didn’t even know how to get a yacht driving license. "I’m reassured that he’s with you. He’s always loved following you and Grandpa since he was young. It’s just that now the fishing industry is not doing well, and shipowners don’t distribute bonuses anymore. They pay by the day, so a salary plus bonuses like yours is rare."
"Da Linzi usually also operates a drag net yacht. Second Uncle, don’t worry. I’ve got this under control."
After packing some fruit for the family to take away, Zhao Zhao returned to the space to practice.
Her proactive behavior amazed the playful Yaoguang.
A beautiful girl with her hair down, dressed in a light green and yellow gown, danced with a sword under the divine tree. The whole realm of Yaoguang came alive.
Yaoguang seemed to return to the world before it fell into slumber, when its consciousness was not very clear. The divine maiden in splendid red robes and the figure dancing with a sword in front of it slowly overlapped. It was dazed for a moment before vanishing instantly.
When it came back to its senses and took a closer look, the differences were still significant; the killing moves weren’t sharp enough.
Of course, it was now a time of peace, unmarred by the baptism of blood in the age of decline.
Once Zhao Zhao finished her training, Yaoguang flew around lazy Zhao Zhao twice and asked, "Has something happened that I don’t know about? Has the red rain fallen from the sky?"
Zhao Zhao restored the Ice Soul to its original form and skillfully styled her hair into a double bun. "I’m not who I used to be."
"How so?"
"Listening to Lord Yaoguang, I’ve worked hard to improve myself."
"Speak plainly."
"Alright, the fishing boat needs 30 crew members, and these 30-plus people will be my responsibility in the future. I’ll pay their salaries, take them out to sea, and ensure their safety. To be honest, there is a bit of pressure," she said, making a small gesture with her hand to indicate "a bit."
Yaoguang was delighted. Such good news! She should have bought the boat earlier! Without pressure, where would a lazy fish find motivation?
It landed on Zhao Zhao's shoulder and sincerely suggested, “Let’s buy another boat!”
As soon as the words were out, it was unceremoniously brushed off.
ALL NOVEL