Chapter 5: More Than Just Good Luck, No Check-in Tomorrow Morning

“Eldest Sister, are we going to sell these three pieces of cotton fabric?”

Bai Yu picked up a piece of cotton, pulling it wide with both hands to measure its dimensions. “This piece is enough to make a full set of clothes. If we use it for Miao Miao’s size, we could even make two sets.”

Bai Xi looked at Bai Yu with expectant eyes.

“Let’s make clothes,” Bai Yu said, setting the fabric down. “It’s been a long time since any of us had anything new to wear.”

“Are we really making them?” Bai Xi asked excitedly. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch the fabric, but she quickly pulled her hand back, afraid of wrinkling it.

Bai Miao didn’t quite understand Bai Xi’s excitement, but she was happy to have new clothes. Kneeling, she leaned in and tilted her head toward Bai Yu, repeating Bai Xi’s question: “Are we really making them?”

Bai Yu chuckled and reached out to poke Bai Miao’s forehead. “I’ll make you two new outfits, how does that sound?”

Bai Miao flopped onto the fabric, spreading her arms and wiggling as if she were swimming. “Yay!”

Bai Xi laughed too, picking out a light-colored piece of fabric. “Let’s use this one for Miao Miao. She stays on the boat most of the time, so it won’t get dirty easily.”

Bai Yu asked her, “Which one do you want?”

The three pieces of fabric were all different colors. One was light blue, which she had assigned to Bai Miao, and the other two were blue and brown.

Bai Xi’s gaze shifted between the remaining two pieces before looking back at Bai Yu.

Bai Yu nodded. “Either is fine with me. They’re both brand new, so pick the one you like.”

Bai Xi smiled and scooped up the blue piece, hugging it to her chest.

Bai Yu gently took hold of a corner of the remaining brown piece.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to pick it up, but the fabric was pinned under Bai Miao’s body and couldn’t be pulled out.

With the fabrics chosen, both sisters couldn’t help but smile.

After a moment of joy, Bai Xi scratched her head as she looked at the material. “Eldest Sister, do you know how to make clothes?”

Bai Yu looked at the fabric as well, falling silent.

Children of poor families learn to manage a household early, and both of them knew how to sew and mend. However, their skills were limited to basic repairs. They could patch a hole or sew a bag, but making a complete garment from scratch was something they had never done. After all, they had never had the opportunity to start with fresh fabric.

Furthermore, there were no tools for cutting fabric on the boat.

Bai Miao finished “swimming” on the fabric and noticed her sisters’ silence. She tried to look up, but realized she couldn’t see them from that angle. She struggled to roll over and spoke while lying on her back. “Second Aunt knows how to make clothes.”

Bai Xi’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! Second Aunt knows how.”

Bai Yu frowned. “But how would we explain to her where these three pieces of fabric came from?”

Hearing this, Bai Xi’s brow furrowed as well.

Since their parents passed away, the three of them had always traveled with the boats of their Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle. They had only started operating independently a short while ago. Both uncles’ families knew exactly what they owned.

The two or three sets of clothes they had for changing were made by taking apart their late parents’ old clothes and resewing them. To suddenly claim they found three pieces of brand-new cotton fabric in the cabin would be impossible to justify.

As for buying them, they had enough money if they pooled it together, but they hadn’t brought any fabric back when they went ashore yesterday. If they suddenly produced fabric today, people would certainly find it strange.

Still lying down, Bai Miao held up the cloth bag filled with Shells. “Can’t say ‘Check-in successful’.”

“We definitely can’t mention that,” Bai Xi said, reaching out to cover the bag. “No one outside the three of us can ever know about this.”

“The matter of the Shell certainly can’t be spoken of,” Bai Yu agreed. “But it’s not like we’re completely out of options. A finished garment is just pieces of fabric sewn together. We can take apart an old outfit, use the pieces as a pattern to cut the new fabric, and then sew it back together. Wouldn’t that make a complete set of clothes?”

“If you put it that way, I can do it!” Bai Xi said immediately. She thought for a moment, her eyes darting around. “Eldest Sister, I really can do it. That way we don’t have to go to Second Aunt.”

The more Bai Yu thought about it, the more she liked the idea. “Then once the rain stops, we’ll go find Second Aunt and say… say that one of my old outfits has become too small and I plan to cut it up to make clothes for Miao Miao. We’ll just ask to borrow her scissors for a day.”

Bai Xi nodded. “Great idea, Eldest Sister!”

Bai Miao followed suit, nodding. “Great idea, Eldest Sister!”

Bai Yu smiled and pulled Bai Miao up, discussing their plans for the clothes. “Miao Miao is starting to grow, so we can make the clothes a bit larger so she can still wear them in a couple of years. We can take apart last year’s small clothes and piece them together to make an outfit for going into the water. The scraps from the new fabric can be used to make undershirts and underwear.”

Outside, the rain hammered against the boat deck, creating a pitter-patter sound.

Inside the cabin, the three of them chewed on steamed buns that had grown even drier after sitting for a day. They talked about their plans for the future. A life that had once seemed to lead toward a dead end now appeared to have a new path.

That path was shrouded in mist, but a faint scent of flowers seemed to drift from that direction.

“The rain has stopped.”

“Let’s cast the net now.”

The two sisters moved back and forth between the bow and the stern. Drawing on their experience, they picked a good spot and lowered the fishing net.

At the same time, they began busily tending to the chores brought on by the rain.

The bucket for collecting rainwater was already full. They covered it to prevent leaves from falling in; this would be their drinking water for the next few days.

The wet areas on the deck needed to be wiped dry as quickly as possible. If left damp, the wooden planks would rot easily and deteriorate quickly. Dirty spots also needed to be cleaned one by one.

They checked the storage area for charcoal and firewood to ensure it wasn’t damp. If it was, they would have to find someone to repair it the next time they went ashore. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to keep charcoal, and they would be forced to eat raw food on the boat.

Cold food was one thing, but raw food would ruin their health.

After finishing their rounds of chores, the two began to haul in the net.

Perhaps because the rain had just ended, or perhaps because few people came to this area, the fish and shrimp below were extremely active. They could feel the weight as they pulled the net, and when it came up, it was indeed a bountiful harvest.

The opportunity was rare. Once the first net was emptied, the two quickly cast it again.

When they hauled it up a second time, it was another great catch.

Added together, these two hauls were even larger than the amount they had sold yesterday.

Their small boat simply couldn’t hold many fish and shrimp.

The day was still relatively early, but going back and forth to the shore would take a lot of time. Bai Yu made a quick decision and had Bai Xi untie the ropes, punting the boat toward where their Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle’s families were located.

The harvest over there was decent today, though naturally, they hadn’t sold as much as yesterday.

Hearing that Bai Yu planned to sell fish, they packed their catch onto one boat, letting that larger vessel lead Bai Yu’s small boat to the shore to sell the fish together.

This time, they went back to the same spot as yesterday.

The fish and shrimp from the three sisters’ small boat sold for over a hundred copper coins today.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bai Yu leaned in and whispered into Bai Xi’s ear.

Bai Xi listened and whispered a few words back.

After the sisters reached an agreement, Bai Yu went ashore. Using the excuse of buying supplies they had missed yesterday, she openly brought out the three pieces of fabric she had obtained that morning.

Fabric made into clothes was meant to be worn. While they could have hidden it, it was naturally better not to keep secrets if they didn’t have to.

Once the fabric was brought out, both sisters gave the same response to Second Aunt’s questions.

“Just these three pieces of cotton fabric. They aren’t very large, but they’re just right for us to make clothes, so we bought them all. The price was cheaper than usual.”

“They aren’t small at all; you can make a full outfit out of these. You really stumbled upon a good opportunity,” Second Aunt said, unfolding the cotton to examine it closely. “It’s possible someone sneaked these out of a fabric shop, which is why they could sell them to you at such a low price.”

Bai Yu and Bai Xi exchanged a glance, not expecting that their lie would accidentally align with such a plausible reason. “There are people who do that?”

“There won’t be any trouble, will there?” Bai Yu asked, feigning worry.

“What trouble could there be? If you had a fixed residence on land, you might fear someone finding you. But you’re on a boat. Next time, just don’t go back to that spot. Even if someone wanted to find you, they couldn’t,” Second Aunt reassured them, stroking the material with deep envy. “It’s a pity such opportunities are rare. You’re truly lucky.”

The two sisters looked at each other again, both seeing the meaning in the other’s eyes.

In reality, it was far more than just luck.

“Second Aunt, now that we have this fabric, we want to make some clothes. You’re usually the one who makes our clothes, and I’m not very good at it. I want to learn,” Bai Xi said, following through with their plan.

Although the source of the fabric was now accounted for, she still needed to learn how to make the clothes herself.

Bai Xi explained her entire plan for learning needlework. Second Aunt saw no problem with it. After listening, she went back into her cabin to get a pair of scissors for Bai Xi to take and use.

“No rush to return them; I don’t have any use for scissors right now,” Second Aunt said, handing the scissors and the fabric to the two of them. “Just let me know when you need them later.”

Afterward, she shared some garment-making techniques to prevent them from running into problems halfway through and wasting their efforts.

Bai Xi listened intently, committing everything to memory.

While they were talking, several boats nearby began to move.

They were changing fishing spots today and needed to find a new place to settle before deep night fell.

Bai Xi and Bai Yu picked up their punting poles again, adjusting the bow of their boat to follow the main group.

Every time they reached a settling point, they would stay for several days, so the initial choice of location was crucial. It wasn’t that they couldn’t stay in one place forever, but every area had its rules, and not all fishermen living on the water were allowed to stay.

After all, if too many people fished in one spot, it would affect the number of fish and shrimp in the vicinity, impacting the income of the local fishermen.

However, finding a spot took quite a while this time. By the time they found a suitable location, the sky had turned completely dark.

“Xiao Yu, you two rest here for tonight. Tomorrow morning when it’s light, we’ll find another spot for you.”

“Understood, Second Aunt.”

As they spoke, everyone got busy tying the boat ropes to suitable spots on the shore.

The sky was pitch black, and the water was even darker. Someone on the shore held a dim kerosene lamp. Whenever someone went ashore to tie a rope, the lamp would be brought over to provide a bit of light.

This stretch of water was wide. Bai Yu quickly tied the rope, glanced toward the distant horizon, shivered, and hurried back into the cabin. She pulled down the curtain and lay down.

She spoke in a low voice: “Miao Miao, you can’t check-in when you wake up tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll cover her mouth when the time comes,” Bai Xi said.

Bai Miao: “Mm.”

Hearing the tender voice by her ear, Bai Xi chuckled. “You’re saying ‘mm’ now?”

Bai Miao: “Mm.”

Both Bai Xi and Bai Yu couldn’t help but laugh, their hands gently patting their youngest sister between them.

“Go to sleep.”

Bai Miao: “Mm-mm.”