Time Travel: A Fisherwoman Goes to the Sea to Raise a Baby

The county seat is not too far from Ping'an Town, and Qingshan intends to speed up.

I got back to the restaurant just in time for dinner.

As soon as I entered the backyard, I saw Sihai touching Wuyuan's pink little mouth. The child was amused and immediately opened his mouth to bite his brother's finger.

Sihai's already round eyes became even rounder.

"Big sister! Wu Yuan has grown teeth..."

Sihai looked at Xu Yiyi who came in excitedly. Xu Anyang, who was squatting outside the kitchen and lighting a fire, curled his lips when he heard this.

"What's so strange about this! Wu Yuan is already seven months old, isn't it normal for him to have teeth?"

Speaking of this, Xu Anyang suddenly became arrogant.

He heard from his mother that he was only five months old when he started to grow teeth, much earlier than his elder sister.

The same goes for walking. I learned how to walk before my sister.

Sihai is still very excited and likes watching his younger brother change little by little.

"Let Big Sister see it."

Xu Yiyi walked over with a bit of curiosity and held the tender little baby in her arms, gently scratching his rosy cheek with her fingertips, her voice as soft as freshly steamed rice cake.

Wu Yuan turned his eyes to look at her, and suddenly he started to giggle, his little body bouncing up and down, revealing his lower front teeth that had just emerged, with shiny saliva on his gums.

You can't see this unless you look carefully.

"Oh, they look like little grains of glutinous rice!"

Xu Yiyi's eyes curved into crescents, and her fingertips gently touched the two small teeth. Wu Yuan was so itchy that he tried to hide, but then he grinned, revealing his toothless upper gums, with sunshine in his dimples.

Her heart softened, and she suddenly hugged him in her arms, rubbing her nose against his milk-scented hair, and kissed him several times, causing the little guy to cry "Ah!", and his chubby hands grabbed her hair and refused to let go.

"Hey! Are you playing with your brother?"

As soon as Xu Honglian came in, she saw the three siblings gathered together, laughing happily.

He joked.

"Sister, have you sold all the handkerchiefs you embroidered?"

Xu Anyang looked up when he heard the voice. The basket that Xu Honglian had carried out when she went out was originally filled with embroidery, but now it had been replaced by other items.

"We've sold everything. I'm here to help you today. Let's go back together in the evening."

As she spoke, Xu Honglian hung the basket under the eaves and took over Xu Anyang's job of making fire.

"How was it? Didn't they fight?"

Seeing that everyone was busy with their own things, Lao Lu came up to Xu Yiyi to ask.

"How could that be possible! What is the origin of this incense? Xu Guining is really ruined this time."

Xu Yiyi looked at him curiously, then squatted in the yard to prepare to write a letter.

As soon as these words were spoken, Lao Lu became extremely proud.

"Is my incense good? They say Xu Guining won't be able to cause you any trouble in the future, and that's for sure."

Lao Lu said this excitedly, feeling extremely satisfied with the incense stick.

"Okay, okay... What's the origin of that incense of yours? It can actually paralyze people just by smelling it?"

Xu Yiyi was really curious that there could be such a rare thing in the world.

"I stumbled upon it while wandering the martial arts world in my early years. I'm not quite sure what it's called, but I just know it has this wonderful use."

Lao Lu scratched his head and sat casually next to Xu Yiyi.

"Have you put the incense away properly? Don't leave it lying around so the kids can play with it."

Xu Yiyi suddenly remembered and spoke.

"Don't worry! This thing is very expensive. If Xu Guining wasn't so annoying, I wouldn't be willing to use it."

Lao Lu shook his head and shifted his gaze to the table.

Xu Yiyi was writing something with a pen.

"What? You want to cooperate with that kid Lin Ke?"

Xu Yiyi didn't respond. After writing the last word, she carefully folded the letter, put it into a plain white envelope, and sealed it with red paint.

"It's not a collaboration, I just told him the whole story. He should decide what to do next."

Xu Yiyi spoke lightly.

"I thought with your personality, you would sneak out and get it yourself."

That's a whole boat full of gold. If you get it, you'll have it for the rest of your life.

"Hey! Don't say that!"

Xu Yiyi warned, told Sihai to keep an eye on his brother, and personally took the envelope to Qingshan.

Several days passed in a flash, and Xu Yiyi went to the dock to find Qingshan every day.

Before Lin Ke’s reply arrived, the Autumn Festival arrived.

Two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xu Yiyi was busy making mooncakes by the oven in the backyard.

The fresh aroma wafts out of the oven, which is completely different from the sweet and greasy smell of ordinary mooncake shops.

"Sister Yiyi! Is this... is this really possible?"

Xu Anyang stared at the mixed stuffing on the chopping board, finding it hard to imagine.

Xu Yiyi raised the corners of her lips slightly, dipped her fingertips in the filling, and took a sip. It tasted salty and fresh with a slight sweetness, and was as refreshing as the sea breeze.

"For those of us who live by the sea, of course we have to eat seafood mooncakes!"

Early in the morning she carried a bamboo basket and went to the shallows to look for food.

"Is this okay?"

Er'er was also a little curious about what it would taste like.

“The key to food is to adapt to local conditions. Anyway, it’s edible.”

Xu Yiyi didn't dare to make a guarantee because it was her first time too.

Ordinary mooncakes are mostly made of red bean paste or five-nut paste, which are sweet, greasy and rich. However, the humidity at the seaside is high, and eating too much can easily cause indigestion.

Only then did she decide to make a different kind of mooncake - seafood baked mooncake.

The skin of ordinary mooncakes is thick, so Xu Yiyi specially changed it to crispy skin.

Wrap the pastry in the water-oil dough, roll it out, fold it, and then roll it out again. Repeat this process several times to make the pastry layers distinct.

After wrapping the filling, gently press it into a flat round shape, brush a layer of egg liquid on the surface, and sprinkle a few black sesame seeds for decoration.

The fire in the stove crackled, the mooncakes on the baking tray gradually turned golden, the crispy crust bloomed layer by layer, and the fresh fragrance filled the air.

The fresh aroma of the seafood can be better revealed.

When the mooncakes came out of the oven, the sun was setting and the sea was filled with golden light.

Sanchuan and Sihai couldn't hold back any longer and reached out to grab her, but she gently slapped them away: "It's hot!"

After it cooled down a bit, she broke open a piece of scallop and shrimp mooncake. The crispy crust fell off, and the filling inside was fresh and shiny. The sweetness of the shrimp and the freshness of the scallop were intertwined, making it even more intriguing than ordinary mooncakes.

"Big sister! This is delicious!"

Er'er's mouth was full of oil and his eyes were shining.

After the success of the first batch, Xu Yiyi followed the same method to make sea cucumber, abalone, crab roe and squid shreds, oyster meat, and seaweed and sesame.

The fillings alone are dazzling.

Even if the experiments made with these ingredients are unsuccessful, the taste will only deviate slightly, and the products will still be extremely delicious.

The mooncakes came out of the oven one after another, and soon filled up the drying basket in the yard.

Sanchuan was happy at first, but was stunned later.

"Big sister! Are you addicted to making mooncakes?"

Another batch of mooncakes came out of the oven, and Xu Yiyi excitedly put them out.

After hearing what Sanchuan said, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

It seems like she made a bit too many mooncakes!

"It's okay, it's okay, there's just a little filling left."

Er'er was making mooncakes on the side, waving her hands and talking nonchalantly.

"Give it to my uncle and his family later! Uncle Qingshan! Lord Lin and his family should have sent some out. It's almost done."

Xu nodded and said, "We can also put it up when we go to worship at the Temple of the Sea God tomorrow!"

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the bronze bell of the Sea God Temple in Lingxi County broke through the mist.

"Sister! It smells so good!"

Sanchuan ran into the kitchen barefoot, his eyes half-closed but his face full of anticipation.

"Run slower, be careful not to fall."

Xu Yiyi smiled and wiped her hands on her apron. "Go wake Sihai up quickly. Breakfast will be ready soon."

It was a rare holiday, and Sanchuan, a child who usually seemed a bit mature, became much more lively and jumped there. After a while, Er'er also came in rubbing his eyes.

"Sister, when do we eat the sheep? Tonight?"

Er'er asked curiously, the sheep they bought at the beginning had no milk left.

Xu Yiyi brought Qingshan back from the provincial capital with another one, so there was no need to keep the original one.

During this period, the children in the family would clamor to eat lamb whenever they thought of it.

It’s a pity that A Yue likes it and keeps stopping me from moving.

"No, I won't eat tonight! After we finish worshipping the Sea God, I'll take you to the capital city. I heard there's a very lively lantern festival tonight."

Xu Yiyi looked at his sister-in-law and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

"Today is the day to offer sacrifice to the Sea God, you all must behave well."

As she served the porridge, she warned, "Especially Sihai, don't crawl under the altar in the Temple of the Sea God like you did last year."

Sihai made a face and said, "I'm four years old now, I'm not that childish!"

"Sister, let me watch him!"

Sanchuan touched Sihai's round head with a smile.

Breakfast was simple white porridge with salted fish, and each person had a boiled egg.

The children ate with gusto. Xu Yiyi just drank a few mouthfuls of porridge quickly and began to count this year's offerings.

She carefully packed the fruits she had prepared last night, including a few green pears, a handful of red dates and bananas, into a clean blue cloth bag.

She also checked whether the incense, candles, and paper money were all in place, and finally wrapped the mooncakes made two days ago in oil paper and placed them on the top layer of the bamboo basket.

Er'er brought out a whole cooked yellow croaker with scales still on from the kitchen, while Sihai brought out cooked lobster, abalone and scallops.

"Big sister is still short of steamed cakes."

Er'er carefully placed the fish on the basket, and the steamed cake was cooked in a short while.

"Sister, the tide is receding!"

Sanchuan ran in from outside and reported, "I saw Uncle Pinghai's boat waiting at the dock!"

Xu Yiyi looked up at the sky. The sky in the east was already dyed with a light orange.

"Hurry, put on your new clothes, we'll be leaving now."

A quarter of an hour later, the five siblings and A Yue locked the door and walked towards the river along the fishing village path.

The worship at the Temple of the Sea God is so grand that even the fishermen who have been out to sea all year round have returned.

Anyone who can move, young or old, men or women, must go.

Xu Yiyi walked in front, carrying a heavy bamboo basket in both hands and the little fat baby Wu Yuan on his back.

Sihai was carrying a small bundle of paper money and would turn back from time to time to urge them to walk faster.

Er'er and Sanchuan were carrying fish, wine and other things.

The fishing village was already bustling with activity in the early morning, with people from almost every household heading towards the dock, carrying various offerings.

Xu Yiyi greeted the village women she knew from time to time.

"Yiyi, what kind of mooncake filling did you buy this year?"

Aunt Lin asked with a smile.

"Aunt Lin, the mooncakes in our house are not bought! They are made by my eldest sister herself, and they are delicious..."

Sihai said this with a swish sound.

Don't be too proud with your hands on your fat waist.

"Really? Your eldest sister has always been good at cooking."

Aunt Lin said this with a smile, and Sihai hurriedly took out several mooncakes from the basket when he heard it.

One here and one there.

Everyone who sees it will praise it.

"Aunt Lin, your taro cake smells so good!"

Sihai sniffed like a greedy little cat.

Aunt Lin proudly shook the food box in her hand and said, "I added some peanuts from the new harvest this year. I'll give them to you to try when we get on board."

The river was crowded with people. The large boats that usually went out to sea to fish were now anchored on the shore, with red ribbons hung on the bow and stern, making the boats look particularly festive.

Uncle Pinghai’s fishing boat was the second largest in the village, and more than twenty people had gathered on it.

"One One! This way!"

Uncle Pinghai stood at the bow and greeted everyone loudly, his dark face full of smiles.

Xu Anyang beside him was busy arranging the villagers to board the boat in an orderly manner.

Xu Yiyi and his sister-in-law carefully walked onto the gangway.

Sihai looked around excitedly and almost bumped into an old lady carrying a live chicken.

"Be careful!"

Xu Yiyi scolded her softly and apologized to Grandma, "I'm sorry, Grandma Li."

Grandma Li waved her hand. "It's okay, all kids do that. Your family prepared quite a few offerings this year."

Grandma Li took a look and found that except for the youngest Wu Yuan, everyone had something in their hands.

Xu Yiyi smiled shyly: "These are just some simple things I made at home, nothing compared to the grand ceremony at your house."

The boat was bustling with activity.

The women showed each other the offerings they had prepared, including whole roast chickens, carefully made cakes, fresh fruits, and some families even brought homemade rice wine.

The men gathered in groups of three or four to chat, with topics ranging from this year's catch to the upcoming sacrificial ceremony.

The children were chasing and playing on the deck, and were scolded by the adults from time to time.

"Sister Yi Yi!"

Several little girls gathered around her, staring eagerly at the bamboo basket in her hand. "Can you show us the mooncakes you made?"

Xu Yiyi smiled and lifted a corner of the oil paper, revealing a golden mooncake.

As they were distributed one by one, Sanchuan realized it at this time.

Fortunately, my eldest sister made enough mooncakes, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough to share.

"Everyone, please find your seats and take your seats. The boat is about to depart!"

Uncle Pinghai's resonant voice echoed. Accompanied by the boatmen's calls, the large boat slowly sailed out of the river.

"I'll get you some seafood..."

Asi Bo Niang came over with a basket, and Xu Yiyi took a curious look at her.

"I've been so busy these past two days that I forgot about it. I said I'd give it to you last night."

The temple aunt stuffed the seafood gold into the tribute of Xu Yi's family.

This seafood gold is paper money in the shape of boats, fish and shrimps made from gold paper, most of which are folded by oneself.

Xu Yiyi didn't think of this when performing a sacrifice for the first time.

Just as he was speaking, his uncle and aunt came and helped Xu check everything.

Picked out one of the lobsters with broken whiskers.

"Fish must have their scales on, shrimp's whiskers must not break off, as it's unlucky if they do, and steamed cakes must also have flower-shaped shapes."

When my uncle and aunt were talking about the details, Xu Yiyi finally remembered.

I was busy distributing mooncakes a couple of days ago and overheard it.

Fortunately, my uncle and aunt came to help check it out.