The Crown Princess is busy fishing

Looking at her outfit, Xie Jingwan rubbed her forehead, finding it hard to look at.

“Girl, look at all this you bought. You’re a girl, don’t always follow your dad’s example.”

Lin Yuge looked around, somewhat puzzled.

"Mother, what's wrong? I just bought some tools that will be used in shipbuilding. And this time I didn't learn from them, they learned from me."

Xie Jingwan no longer wanted to speak. She used to think that her daughter resembled her more.

Now I realize that all three of them in this family are the same.

The two arrived at a stall in the village, where almost all the coconuts were sold out.

The group was chatting and laughing as they prepared to pack up and go home.

On the way back, we walked into the forest behind the mountain.

Lin Yuge walked up to Wang Youcai and asked, "Uncle Youcai, do we have any hard timber in this back mountain?"

Wang Youcai scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Hardwood, there is one kind. This wood is very sturdy."

“In the past, some people in the village used it to make hoe handles. It was very handy to use, hard and durable, and it was not easy to break no matter how you used it.”

Lin Yuge's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Uncle Cai, where can we find this kind of wood in the mountains?"

Wang Youcai pointed to a direction deep in the mountains and said, "Go that way, there's a valley, I've seen it around there before."

"But that place is difficult to traverse, and we don't know how many are left. Fisherwoman, why are you asking this?"

Lin Yuge shook her head and said nothing.

He only vaguely replied, "It's a secret for now! We'll talk about it later! I haven't made up my mind yet."

For the next few days, Lin Yuge went to the beach every morning.

In the afternoon, I set up the carpentry scaffold I made and peeled the bark off the camphor and cedar trees in the yard one by one.

She neatly stacked the peeled wood in a corner of the yard.

Every time Xie Jingwan saw her with sawdust on her head and looking so disheveled, she felt heartbroken.

But I didn't know what to say to her, since it would be pointless to say anything anyway.

Although Lin Yuge knew that her mother did not approve of her doing these things, she wanted to finish processing the wood as soon as possible and dry it.

She could only pretend it didn't happen and continue working hard.

After all, it will take a long time for the wood to dry completely.

That morning, the fishing boat finally returned.

When everyone went to fetch the boat, they found that there wasn't a single fish left on board, and a small boat was moored nearby.

But upon closer inspection, the people disembarking from the boat all looked excited, so it seems nothing bad happened.

At this point, the people began to talk about what they had gained from the trip.

Lin Yuge, standing to the side, finally understood.

It turns out they sailed directly to the mouth of the bay, sold the fish, and then turned back. No wonder it was a day later than last time.

Just then, Lin Fanghai and his son got off the small boat, followed by two other people from Lin Qingzhou.

Lin Yuge looked closely and realized that it was the Lu family master and servant from that day.

Lu Ziheng, that older brother's classmate.

As the group approached, Lin Qingzhou excitedly said, "Mother, little sister, we're back! Look who I brought back!"

As soon as Lu Ziheng disembarked, he saw Lin Yuge and her daughter.

He quickly stepped forward.

With a warm smile on his face, he bowed respectfully to Xie Jingwan.

"Aunt Lin, it's been a long time! How have you been?"

Xie Jingwan replied with a smile, "Young Master Lu, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. What's wrong, Young Master Lu?"

“Auntie, Qingzhou told me that you are doing quite well these days. The scenery around here is beautiful, so I came to take a look out of curiosity.”

Lu Ziheng smiled, lightly tapping his folding fan, looking quite content.

Then, turning his gaze to the surroundings, he nodded repeatedly and said, "Qingzhou, you really didn't lie to me. This place is nestled against the mountains and by the water, with golden sands and waves, green trees and blue skies. It truly deserves to be called a scenic spot on earth."

"Of course, I never lie."

I can't stand the way my son is so cocky.

Xie Jingwan quickly interrupted him: "Alright, hurry up and take Ziheng back, don't let anyone follow you here in the sea breeze."

Everyone walked back together.

Walking to the front of the house, I looked at the dilapidated thatched hut that seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Lu Ziheng's mouth gaped open, his face full of disbelief. "You live here? How can anyone live here?"

Lin Fanghai gave an awkward laugh.

He explained, “Nephew, we’re new here, so it’s good enough that we have a place to stay. We wouldn’t ask for anything more.”

Lu Ziheng was speechless for a moment, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart and couldn't help but sigh.

"Little sister, did you do all this?" Lin Qingzhou exclaimed in surprise.

The group looked over at the sound and saw him pointing with trembling hands and a look of astonishment at the pile of logs neatly stacked in the yard.

"Yes! I was bored and saw that pile of wood, so I dealt with it myself."

Lin Yuge glanced at him, not understanding why he couldn't accept this after all the work he had done.

"Little sister, you're amazing! You're almost as good as me!" Lin Qingzhou gave her a thumbs up.

After saying that, she secretly glanced at Xie Jingwan and asked in a low voice, "Mother didn't say anything to you, did she?"

"Yeah, I did say that, but I didn't listen," Lin Yuge replied calmly, earning Lin Qingzhou's admiring look.

Lu Ziheng, standing to the side, asked in confusion, "What are you doing with all this wood?"

Before Lin Yuge could speak, Lin Qingzhou blurted out, "Of course, it's shipbuilding!"

Now it was Lu Ziheng's turn to stare wide-eyed, his face full of surprise.

"You can build ships?"

Lin Qingzhou chuckled and said frankly, "How would I know that? You know perfectly well that the Ministry of Works doesn't build ships."

"At most, I learned some carpentry from the craftsmen. Maybe I can help my little sister out."

"Then how does Lin Xiaomei know how to build boats?"

Seeing that Lu Ziheng was becoming suspicious, she was afraid that her son would let something slip.

Lin Fanghai quickly stepped forward and made up an excuse.

He concealed the truth by saying, "My daughter has always been fond of these arts of divination, and she even studied with a master craftsman who built pleasure boats for a period of time."

“We live by the sea now, which makes it inconvenient to get around, so she thought of trying to build a boat.”

Lu Ziheng was greatly surprised. He did not expect that Lin Xiaomei did not like makeup, but was obsessed with shipbuilding, something he thought should be done by men.

He looked at Lin Yuge with admiration on his face.

He said sincerely, "Little Sister Lin, even many men are not necessarily proficient in shipbuilding. I never expected you to have such an interest in it. It is truly admirable."

"Brother Lu, you flatter me. I was just doing this out of boredom."

Lin Yuge lowered her head slightly, unconsciously fiddling with a small piece of wood in her hand.

She didn't want Lu Ziheng to think she was deliberately showing off.

After all, in this era, it was still quite shocking for a woman to do such a thing.

Seeing that Lu Ziheng wanted to continue asking questions.

She quickly said to Lin Fanghai, "Dad, I want to go to the back mountain to see if there is any wood suitable for making the keel."

"Daughter, are none of these acceptable?" Lin Fanghai hesitated upon hearing this.

Lin Yuge shook his head and explained, "If you're building a fishing boat for nearshore areas, camphor wood is fine, but it can't withstand too much wind and waves."

"And I asked Uncle Youcai today, and he said that the back mountain should have the kind of wood I want."

Lin Fanghai thought for a moment before nodding and saying, "Then I'll go ask the village chief. We're not familiar with this back mountain, so we'll need someone from the village to take us there."

Lin Yuge was overjoyed and quickly urged, "Then Father, please go quickly, I'll wait for you."

Xie Jingwan shook her head and quickly invited Lu Ziheng into the house.

"Ziheng, come in and sit down. Don't mind them; they forget everything when these things are mentioned."

Lu Ziheng gently waved his folding fan, a relaxed smile on his face.

He said nonchalantly, "Auntie, it's alright. I'm just here for sightseeing. It's quite interesting to see all this!"