Chapter 58: Work Hard, Consider the Work Your Board and Lodging

The small pool on the ship was originally used for keeping fish. Even before the ship was upgraded, it had been there, otherwise any fish caught would easily die without being kept in water.

After several upgrades to the vessel, the pool was now much larger than it had been at the start. However, they no longer had a need to raise fish, so they had turned the pool into a place for bathing and swimming.

Bai Xi was somewhat prepared for the condition of the three women, but when she actually saw them enter the water and reveal the mangled skin beneath, she still could not help but feel a surge of indignation.

Before long, the water in the pool turned a dark, reddish-black.

Part of it was the dirt on their bodies, and part of it was the blood scabs being washed away.

There were no obvious bleeding wounds, but even the scabs alone turned the pool water into a sight that was hard to look at.

The three women also saw the filth in the pool. Instead of weeping over the scars on their own bodies, they apologized over and over, saying they were sorry for dirtying the water.

“The water doesn’t matter, it can be changed, but the injuries on your bodies are very serious,” Bai Xi said softly. “When you come out later, I will apply herbal medicine for you.”

As she spoke, she drained the water from the pool and then used a water skin with a massive capacity to refill it with clean, fresh water.

After washing like this twice, their bodies were finally clean, revealing old and new scars covering them from head to toe.

Bai Xi brought out camisoles and undergarments for them to change into before applying the pre-prepared herbal medicine to their bodies.

When Bai Yu came over after handling the matters on the pirate ship, this was the scene she witnessed. She could not help but clench her fists. “How could those pirates be so cruel?”

“That is why they are pirates,” Bai Xi said as she carefully applied the herbs, unable to stop herself from speaking harshly. “Eldest Sister, we must deal with those pirates properly. Who knows how many people they have harmed!”

“Mhm, we will set out first thing tomorrow morning.” Bai Yu could not bear to look. She turned to the drained pool and took a water skin to clean it.

After the injuries on the three women had been treated with herbs, Bai Xi settled them into a cabin on the first deck, letting them sleep in one room. After instructing them to rest well, she returned to the second deck.

Only then did she have time to talk to Bai Yu about the pirate ship. “Did you leave it in the Forest Plane?”

“Yes, but there wasn’t quite enough space, so it’s tilted for now. If that ship is useless, we can just chop it up with an axe later,” Bai Yu said, pointing to a crate nearby. “These are fabrics taken from the pirate ship. See how you want to handle them.”

Bai Xi walked over to the crate and opened it. Seeing the fabrics inside, she reached out to touch them. “So smooth. Is this the silk material mentioned in the books?”

“I don’t understand fabrics,” Bai Yu replied. Bai Xi was the one in charge of clothes and materials, and when reading, she mostly looked at books related to textiles. “Anyway, it’s all here. You decide what to do with it.”

Bai Xi nodded and pulled out a piece of soft, white material. “This can be used for undergarments.”

At this point, she looked at Bai Yu. “Eldest Sister, do you think we can give the sewing work to those three downstairs? Making clothes is very simple, and they can learn. When I was with them just now, they kept saying they were sorry, as if they were afraid of troubling us. Giving them something to do might make them feel better.”

Bai Yu agreed with her suggestion. “Then you teach them.”

Bai Xi stood up and pulled out several pieces of cotton fabric from a corner of the cabin that had come from a Check-in. “Let’s use these. We’ve saved up quite a bit of cotton lately and don’t usually need it. We can let them make their own clothes.”

Having finished their discussion, they began to pack up for bed.

The ship was out at sea, and they couldn’t leave it entirely unattended, so during these few days out, they slept on the ship.

Fortunately, the current ship was larger than before, and they had an anchor to stabilize its position. It wouldn’t rock too much with the waves, so even sleeping on the ship at night, they could fall into a comfortable slumber.

In the middle of the night, someone in the first-deck cabin suddenly startled awake.

Once one person woke up, she disturbed the other two who were not in a deep sleep, causing them to wake as well.

Light filtered through the window as the moonlight outside faintly entered the cabin. It made the room less dark, but since it was night, it wasn’t particularly bright either. If they raised their hands, they still could not see their fingers.

“Am I dead?”

“Is it death? Or were we saved?”

“What happened today feels like a dream. Is it a dream after death? Are we all dead?”

“Did we all have the same dream after dying?”

“It hurts. My body hurts so much. Do people still feel pain after they die? Why haven’t my parents come to find me? Did they forget me?”

“Are we really dead? Is it really a dream?”

“It feels a bit like a dream. There were three of them, and there are three of us, right?”

As they spoke, the voices in the cabin gradually faded.

The three were still awake, but they just sat there. No one spoke, as if they were quietly experiencing the tranquility after “death.”

For a long, long time, there was no change in the cabin.

“Are we really dead?”

“Pain? I heard people say before that you don’t feel pain anymore after you die. Why do we still feel pain if we’re dead?”

“We are still on a ship.”

As she spoke, one of them stood up. Facing the faint moonlight, she walked to the door and pushed it open.

“Can we walk out of the cabin?”

Another person followed.

The first person stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck.

The moonlight outside was very bright, allowing them to see each other clearly and also see the full moon in the distance.

This moon was something they had not seen for a very long time.

The three stood on the deck, quietly watching the moon for a while.

“It’s nice to be able to see the moon before dying.”

“The water at night is so beautiful.”

One of them walked to the edge of the deck, looking down at the water below. As she watched, she began to smile. “There is a moon in the water too. It’s so big, it looks like I could catch it at any moment.”

“Are we going to catch the moon?” another person walked to her side.

The third person followed as well, also quietly watching the moon in the water.

They all felt an impulse to go down and scoop up the moon¹.

Just then, a window in the second-deck cabin opened, and a head popped out. “What are you doing on the deck? Go back to sleep. It’s so late and you’re still not sleeping.”

The three looked up simultaneously.

“What did she say?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand either. Only that young girl’s words can be understood.”

Bai Yu leaned against the window. She could faintly see their confused expressions and knew they didn’t understand her words. However, Bai Miao was sleeping right now; she was still young and needed enough sleep, so Bai Yu couldn’t wake her.

But a language barrier didn’t mean they couldn’t communicate.

Bai Yu gestured to them, pointing toward the first-deck cabin, then folded her hands against her cheek in a resting motion.

This time, all three understood her movements.

“Is she telling us to go to sleep?”

“It seems so, but then we can’t catch the moon.”

“If we fall asleep, maybe dying won’t hurt so much?”

“Then let’s go back to sleep. It will be better once we’re asleep.”

“Mhm.”

The three spoke amongst themselves, looked up at Bai Yu leaning out the window, and gave her a smile. Then they walked back toward the cabin and went inside.

Bai Yu kept her head down, watching until she was sure they had all entered the cabin before lying back down to continue sleeping.

This sleep lasted until dawn.

When she woke up in the morning, Bai Yu remembered the strange occurrence from the night before. She quickly got up and went downstairs. She pushed open the cabin door and saw that all three were sleeping soundly before she closed the door again.

As soon as Bai Xi woke up, Bai Yu told her the news immediately. “You were right. Their situation doesn’t look good. It seems like they have no will to live. You should start teaching them how to make clothes as soon as possible. Having something to do might help them feel better.”

Bai Xi was also startled.

Although they were not related to the three women, they were the ones who had rescued them.

These women weren’t pirates. They shouldn’t die silently in the sea like pirates did. They deserved a better future and a chance to live well.

Bai Xi gathered her sewing supplies and prepared some food before knocking on the cabin door on the first level.

She had to knock for quite a while before those inside responded.

The moment the door opened, the person’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe Bai Xi was standing before her again. Looking at the bright sun in the distance, she found the light somewhat blinding.

Bai Xi had already discussed the situation of these three with Bai Yu. She didn’t say much, simply smiling as she brought the food inside.

Without Bai Miao there to translate, she just set the food down and used hand gestures to tell them to eat.

Then, she laid out the fabric, needles, and thread she had specifically brought down. She opened the window on the other side, letting the sea breeze and bright light flood into the cabin before finally leaving.

The other two women sat quietly, only speaking after Bai Xi had left.

“Another day. Is it really dawn?”

“Dead people can’t see the sun, can they? We can see the sunlight.”

“It’s so bright. It’s just as bright today.”

“Do you want to eat?”

The two dazed women immediately stood up, walked to the table, and picked up their bowls.

Their breakfast was still meat porridge. It wasn’t as hot as yesterday, and the taste was just right. Their hungry stomachs were instantly filled with the warm porridge.

After eating their fill, the three of them simultaneously placed their hands on their stomachs.

“Full again.”

“Can dead people eat their fill every meal? Life here seems even better than it was before we were captured by the pirates.”

“This porridge is so delicious.”

“If dead people can live such a good life, I want to stay here forever.”

“Will we? Can we?”

As the three were talking, Bai Xi walked in, leading Bai Miao, who had finished washing up.

“You have to work while you’re on the ship. Your work will count as payment for your meals,” Bai Xi said, pointing to the sewing basket she had placed in the cabin earlier. “I’m going to teach you how to make clothes. Until the clothes are finished, you aren’t allowed to leave the ship at will. Do you understand?”

The three looked at each other.

Then they asked in pleasant surprise, “As long as we make clothes, we can stay on the ship?”

Bai Xi nodded. “But you must do the work well. You can’t just quit whenever you feel like it. And without my permission, you cannot leave the ship.”

They couldn’t be like last night, staring longingly at the sea as if ready to jump.

The three women didn’t think too deeply about it. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, they nodded repeatedly. “We will definitely work hard!”

Translator’s Notes