Chapter 64: Gradual Establishment, Fishermen Performing Their Duties

“Xiao Yu, how did you get so strong?”

“It is a long story. Anyway, all you need to know is that I am very strong now. Even if we encounter pirates again, I can handle them,” Bai Yu said, looking at the group. “The pirates’ island has already been occupied by us. The environment there is much better than here, so let’s all go live there together. What do you think?”

The others looked at each other. After some hesitation, they finally nodded.

It was not just the Bai family. The rest of the people also persuaded their families and chose to leave together.

Some people whose family members had passed away during the struggle against the pirates were left alone. Under the persuasion of others, they also agreed to leave.

By this point, almost everyone had chosen to leave the area.

The group began walking down the mountain.

When the ships made their return journey, they were filled to capacity with people.

Upon arriving at the island, the ships docked at the shore were still flying the skull flags. This gave the returning group a fright, but fortunately, explanations quickly reached their ears.

Once they understood that the flags were kept to avoid raising suspicion in case any pirates traveling far away suddenly returned, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

As the ships fully docked, the people on shore greeted them with smiles.

“Are those… Xiao Xi and Miao Miao?”

“It is good that you are back,” Bai Xi said as she jumped onto the boat. She was pulled aside by Eldest Aunt, who looked her up and down carefully. “I am fine, Eldest Aunt. We are all doing well.”

“That is good. I was so worried about you,” Eldest Aunt said emotionally. “When that incident happened, my biggest fear was that you would be in danger out there alone. You were both so young. Back on the mainland, it would have been one thing to let you wander a bit, but out at sea, I had no idea what might happen to you. I am just glad you are both safe.”

“Yes, and I am glad you are all safe too,” Bai Xi said, helping her off the boat. “We will stay here from now on, and things will only get better.”

On the other side, Bai Ye and Bai Lian picked up Bai Miao.

Bai Miao tilted her head up and chattered away to them, asking about their days drifting at sea and their lives on the island.

As she spoke, the eyes of those around her turned toward her, and relaxed smiles gradually appeared on their faces.

Later, when they saw Bai Wei and noticed his injuries, they realized his condition was much more serious than Bai Yu had described. However, now that he was right before their eyes and they could see his actual state, their worry was overshadowed by the feeling that “it is enough that he is alive.”

Bai Yu and Bai Xi stepped outside.

“Not long after you left, the scouts saw a pirate ship approaching from a distance,” Bai Xi told her. “But fortunately, all the ships near the island were still flying the skull flags, so they didn’t notice anything wrong. We discovered them early and took precautions. As soon as that pirate ship landed, we dealt with them. We kept the crew alive and have them detained for now. We can question them in detail about the source of the news regarding the hidden silver.”

“Alright, we will have Miao Miao translate when the time comes,” Bai Yu said, looking around. “I see a few more houses being built over there.”

“Yes, since you all were coming, I was afraid the original pirate houses wouldn’t be enough. Those old shacks weren’t very good anyway, so I had people set up new ones to make it more livable,” Bai Xi said, taking Bai Yu to see the surroundings. “However, with so many people, I am afraid we won’t have enough food. We need to bring over the grain grown in the Forest Plane. The rest can be supplemented with the fish we catch.”

“Let’s also dig up some sweet potato seedlings and plant them directly on the island. That way, the sweet potatoes grown here can be given directly to the fishermen to eat,” Bai Yu suggested. “Once these fishermen have settled down, I will take the ship and some people out to look around and see if we can start some trade.”

“If we are doing trade, we can buy some fabric from the Magic Plane. They have plenty of materials there. It happens that many of the women on the island are in poor physical condition and can’t do heavy labor; we can have them make clothes.”

“Good. You handle the matters on the island, and I will handle things outside.”

“And keep an eye out for Second Uncle and the others.”

“Yes. Once the situation on the island stabilizes a bit, we can let the fishermen go out to sea. We will have Miao Miao draw more pictures for them to take along. If they meet anyone, they can ask. Maybe we will find them that way.”

Finding people lost in the vast ocean was incredibly difficult. It would be hard to do it on their own, but if many fishermen helped in the search, the chances would be much higher.

However, the prerequisite was to let the fishermen settle down peacefully on the island.

Over the following long period, Bai Xi followed the contents of her books to gradually change the layout of the island. Some of the pirates’ original dilapidated houses were demolished, and a batch of new houses was built.

The fishermen also performed their respective duties, carrying out the tasks assigned to them.

With enough to eat and drink and no need to worry about pirate attacks, the fishermen were very happy, even if life wasn’t exactly luxurious. Even Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt quickly adapted to life on the island, working alongside the others to earn a living.

As for money, they had originally planned to use the copper coins of the Feng Kingdom. However, after making inquiries, they found that the current situation in the Feng Kingdom was not good. Several wars had broken out within the country, and the fishermen were afraid that the coins in their hands would suddenly become worthless. No one wanted them.

Out of necessity, Bai Yu could only bring a batch of the cheapest copper coins from the Magic Plane to serve as the circulating currency on the island.

Although such a currency could also become invalid, the three sisters held high prestige on the island and were its backbone. Without them, the people on the island could not live in peace. Everyone was willing to accept the copper coins that Bai Yu brought back.

Of course, copper coins were not the only currency. Because the island’s location was quite unique, with several countries nearby, every time Bai Yu took people out for trade, she would bring back a variety of currencies along with supplies. Over time, the currency of almost any country could be found on the island.

When fishermen were about to set out for a certain country, they could exchange for that country’s currency on the island in advance.

“Eldest Sister.”

“Miao Miao, why are you out here?” Bai Yu walked to the bow of the ship and looked at Bai Miao standing there, saying with a smile, “Without realizing it, Miao Miao has grown so tall. I didn’t even notice.”

“I am eight years old now, not a three year old child,” Bai Miao pouted, handing her something. “This is a trace of Sister He that someone discovered two days ago. It happens to align with your route this time. Go take a look.”

“I hope it is real this time,” Bai Yu said, taking the map marked with a location. “So many times before, we thought we found them, but we never did.”

“The ocean is so big, after all. None of us know where they ended up,” Bai Miao said with a sigh. “But perhaps no news is good news. At least it means they haven’t met with disaster. There are so many pirate dens nearby, and they aren’t in any of them.”

Since occupying this pirate island, in addition to normal trade and searching for people, Bai Yu would lead her people to wipe out any pirate nests they encountered if they were confirmed to be villainous.

Every time they cleared out a pirate den, another group of fishermen would come to their island. Over time, their population grew, and their trade expanded.

This time, Bai Yu was heading to another country about a month’s journey from the island.

The map Bai Miao gave her was for a small island about halfway through that journey.

“Boss, we are ready to set sail.”

“Let’s go,” Bai Yu said, taking two steps back and looking at Bai Miao standing on the island. “Miao Miao, make sure to teach well. The newcomers need to learn our language as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to communicate in the future.”

Bai Miao felt helpless. “They aren’t very smart.”

“Of course, no one is smarter than you,” Bai Yu laughed. “It’s alright, take your time. Once you’ve taught them the basics, let someone else take over. I’m leaving now. I hope that when I return, I can bring Sister He back with me.”

As she finished speaking, the boat began to move slowly.

Bai Yu raised her hand and waved to Bai Miao.

Bai Miao waved back before turning to walk back. Along the way, she encountered many fishermen who smiled and greeted her when they saw her. “Good morning, Miss Miao Miao.”

“Good morning! There’s pork and potato stew in the canteen today. Remember to go eat if you want some. If you go too late, it might be all gone.”

“Thank you, Miss Miao Miao. I’ll definitely be there.”

After walking for a while, she met several more fishermen. Some of them were pulling others along, arguing as they approached Bai Miao.

Among them were a few newcomers who didn’t speak the language well, being dragged along by the fishermen who had lived on the island for a long time.

Miao Miao listened for a moment and quickly understood the nature of the dispute. She turned to the new fishermen and said, “Those fields over there are managed by specific people. Even if the soil looks a bit dry, someone will come to water it. If you go and water it yourselves, the crops might end up being overwatered and die.”

Having said that, she turned to the others with a stern expression. “They meant well and couldn’t bear to see the fields neglected. Was the watering not done on time today? If this happens again, someone else will be assigned to look after the fields.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Miao Miao. Something came up suddenly today and I was delayed. It won’t happen again.”

“It’s normal to have things come up occasionally, but the farm work is very important. Be more careful in the future. This crop of rice is almost ready for harvest, and it would be a waste to lose it now.”

“Understood, Miss Miao Miao.”

Bai Miao nodded and then spoke to the newcomers, telling them to make time to attend the lessons.

“If you don’t attend the lessons to learn the language, it will be very hard for you to live on this island. Only by learning the language can you continue to stay here. Once you’ve adapted to life here, your days will be just like theirs.”

The new fishermen nodded repeatedly and bowed to the older fishermen they had been arguing with.

Bai Miao walked away with a serious face, but when she saw Bai Xi standing not far away, she ran over with a smile. “Second Sister.”

“Miao Miao has grown up. You handled that so well.”

“Of course! Miao Miao is eight years old now, not a little kid,” Bai Miao looked up at her with a grin. “Second Sister, I can do even more things in the future.”

“You’re already doing so much. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t even be able to communicate with them,” Bai Xi said, reaching out to pat her head gently. “But Miao Miao really is amazing. When you’re a bit older, Second Sister will have plenty more tasks for you.”

“Mhm!” Bai Miao nodded solemnly.