I asked you to dig wild vegetables to pay off your debt, not go up the mountain to pick up money!

When I opened the note, there was no writing on it. Instead, there was a picture of a plump woman crying with her mouth wide open.

"Master, this can't be you, right? That sharp-tongued man drew it well, it looks quite like you."

"..."

Forget it, since he gave me a sign, I'll accept this portrait reluctantly.

"Xiangxiang, you're just a big bastard. I asked you to find a suitable place to install the teleportation array. Did you find it?"

Xiangxiang felt embarrassed about this.

"The level is too low. Xiangxiang can only see a few hundred meters away. There's nothing suitable right now."

Looking around, there was a large beach with no obstructions. If she placed the teleportation array here so thoughtlessly, anyone on the beach would definitely see her.

On the other side of the beach is a low hillside with no dense vegetation. I originally thought that setting up the teleportation array would be a simple matter, but now I find that it is extremely difficult.

"Sister Aning, what are you looking at? Do you want to go up the mountain?"

When Yu Xiaochuan and his sister arrived, they saw Song Anning standing blankly on the beach, staring towards the mountain without blinking.

"I want to go to the toilet, I want to find a more secluded place, but there is no shelter on the beach."

Song Anning knew that he was very familiar with this beach and said this deliberately.

Yu Xiaoyu quickly pointed in a direction and said, "Sister Aning, Xiaoyu knows a place where no one will find it."

After saying that, she ran away with her short legs, her worn cloth shoes revealing her big toe. Because she was still growing, the clothes and shoes she was wearing were much smaller than hers.

The brother and sister couldn't even afford to eat, and it was already very difficult for them to survive, so naturally they had no time to think about these things.

Song An Ning saw it and was stunned for a moment before following her footsteps.

After walking about a kilometer and turning a corner, there was no one here. The dead fish dried on the beach added a sense of desolation.

"Sister Aning, I've been here before. People in the fishing village think it's too far and rarely come here. Look at that little river..."

Looking in the direction of Yu Xiaoyu's finger, the stream flows down from the mountains and slowly merges into the sea. Walking along the stream into the mountains, the vegetation gradually increases.

"Sister Aning, please go ahead. My brother and I will be waiting for you here."

Song Anning nodded. This place was well hidden by the leaves. She walked forward for a while alone. Xiangxiang suddenly shouted excitedly:

"Master, go further. There is a cave halfway up the mountain. There are no wild animals in the cave. It's perfect for setting up a teleportation array."

Looking behind her, she could no longer see Yu Xiaochuan and his sister, but she was not in a hurry to go to the cave. She walked around for a while before going back.

Before they knew it, the receding tide slowly surged up. Without stopping, the few people quickened their pace, carrying the small wooden buckets.

Yu Xiaochuan stared at Song Anning's wooden barrel, which was full of small fish and shrimps, and sighed in his heart: It's obvious that he has no experience in sea fishing. This half barrel of stuff can't even be sold for ten cents.

Then he thought again, although Song An Ning was dressed in ordinary clothes, he could probably afford to stay in an inn that cost 200 wen a day, so he should not be short of money, so he said tentatively:

"Sister Aning, you can take these shrimps back to the inn and ask them to cook them for you. Fresh food tastes the best."

The things in the barrel were left there deliberately. After spending half an afternoon at the beach, it was really unacceptable to have nothing to gain. So she handed the barrel to Yu Xiaochuan and asked him to give it to the store owner. She just had to wait and eat it.

Linhai Town often has merchants from other places coming to experience the sea-hunting. The shop owners have long been accustomed to it and use the seafood in the buckets to make several dishes, all of which taste good.

"Xiaochuan, take me to a teahouse after dinner."

"You want some quiet time?"

"No, the more lively the better."

Yu Xiaochuan frowned and thought for a while, and soon thought of three companies that met the requirements for Song Anning to choose from.

Teahouses and taverns are places where it is easiest to hear gossip. She came here for two reasons: one was to catch seafood and unlock the illustrated book, and the other was because of He Guangzong's words. The fact that Su Chen could say that to her that day meant that there was indeed something wrong somewhere on the seashore, and her father and elder brother were very likely there.

However, she couldn't ask anyone about this matter. She hoped that she would have better luck and could hear something from others.

When the three people walked into the teahouse, the originally bustling lobby was quiet for a moment. A young girl, a ragged and thin boy, and a child were there.

Most of the people who came in to drink tea and chat were middle-aged men in their thirties or forties. When they saw Song An Ning and the other two, they looked at them curiously and then ignored them.

The teahouse was bustling with people and noisy. She chose a seat in a corner, ordered a pot of tea and two plates of soft and sticky cakes that children liked.

"Sister Aning, this little thing costs over a hundred coins!"

For him, one hundred and fifty wen would have to be earned by taking his sister as a guide for five days.

"We can afford it, so you can eat it without worry."

She sipped her tea while paying attention to the conversations of the people around her. However, most people were talking about daily trivialities and there were no clues as to what she expected.

Just when Song An Ning was feeling a little disappointed, the two people at the next table put their heads together and whispered something.

"Xiangxiang, what are they talking about?"

"That bearded uncle said that two days ago, when he went out to sea, he encountered a group of people dressed strangely, all of them looking ferocious, and then..."

"Then what?"

"The uncle was scared, so he rowed away."

"..."

Boy, I'm so excited.

Two more pots of tea were added, and Song Anning felt a little impatient. Just as she was about to leave, the table behind her started a new topic.

"Yes, it's Dawan Village. A lot of people are gone, men, women, young and old."

"You're talking nonsense. With so many people missing, the government won't care? You're just talking nonsense."

"I really didn't say anything nonsense..."

The two people's voices became lower and lower, and even Xiangxiang couldn't hear what they were saying. She tried to get closer, but was afraid of attracting their attention.

At this moment, Yu Xiaochuan stood up and walked out.

Yu Xiaoyu's face also looked bad, and he quickly ran after him with his short legs.

"?"

Seeing the brother and sister like this, combined with what he had known before, Song An Ning also guessed a little.

If she was right, the Yu Xiaochuan siblings were from Dayawan Village. After something happened at home, they disguised themselves as beggars and came to Linhai Town to beg for food.

She still remembered Yu Xiaochuan's strange reaction when he heard the three words "Ping'an Town" when they first met at noon.

"Ping'an Town, Dawan Village, the seaside, Wanhetang, illegal salt..."

What if one person did everything, buying up large quantities of medicinal herbs, monopolizing the medical clinics and making a fortune, making illegal salt, and killing or arresting people in the seaside fishing villages...

A terrible thought arose in her mind: If this assumption were true, this person was planning a huge conspiracy, and using her own strength to resist it would be like an ant trying to shake a tree.

At this time, Yu Xiaochuan also sat back with his sister, saying that the teahouse was a bit stuffy because there were too many people, so he just went out to get some fresh air.

Song An Ning didn't ask any more questions. After hearing most of the news, he paid the bill and prepared to go back.