Chapter 62: Distribution Needed; They All Have This Strange Strength

“Third Brother.”

“Xiao Xi, Miao Miao.” Bai Wei lay on the bed, wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages. Even his face did not look very well, but when he saw Bai Xi and Bai Miao coming over, he still managed a smile.

“Third Brother, are you okay?” Bai Miao ran over and leaned against his bedside to ask.

Bai Wei suddenly remembered the time before their accident, when Bai Miao had leaned against the boat and asked him, “Third Brother, have you been well lately?” It felt as if that day was only yesterday, yet now, Bai Miao was no longer a three and a half year old child; she was nearly five.

“Third Brother is very good. Are you good, Miao Miao?”

“Miao Miao is also very good,” Bai Miao said, reaching down to open her backpack. She pulled out a bun. “Third Brother, have a bun. Eating will make your body better.”

“Miao Miao should eat it herself.” Bai Wei knew at a glance that this was a ration Bai Yu and Bai Xi had prepared for her to eat if she got hungry, so he naturally would not take food from a child.

“Third Brother, eat,” Bai Miao held the bun up to Bai Wei’s mouth. “Eat well, drink well, and your body will be well.”

“Alright, I’ll eat,” Bai Wei opened his mouth and took a bite, saying in surprise, “It’s meat.”

“Mm-hm, is it tasty?” Bai Miao crouched by his bed, her large eyes wide as she smiled and asked him.

“It’s tasty, very tasty.” Bai Wei took the bun himself and ate it in small bites.

After chatting with Bai Wei for a while, he looked at Bai Xi and Bai Yu. After observing them carefully for a moment, he said, “You two have grown quite a bit taller. It seems that after the accident, life has been decent for you.”

“Yes, we are all very well. We don’t worry about food or clothes,” Bai Xi nodded. Looking at Bai Wei’s appearance, her voice choked up slightly. “But you, Third Brother, you look so much thinner than before.”

“Thin is just thin, but I’m still okay. At least I survived, didn’t I?” Before Bai Yu appeared, Bai Wei had been at death’s door. He was quite open-minded about it; he didn’t think the past suffering was that hard, only that being rescued before dying was a stroke of immense luck.

Before this, his greatest worry had been the three girls.

Other children had adults by their sides, but they only had the three of them. Without adults to rely on, life would have been very difficult.

Bai Wei held the half-eaten bun in his hand and spoke of the past: “Actually, before meeting the pirates, our situation was quite alright. When those people left, they just scattered some joss paper and didn’t hurt us. Since we lived on the water to begin with, even after moving to the sea, we still had ways to survive.”

“Were you close to any islands then?” Bai Yu asked.

Bai Wei shook his head.

Bai Yu did not ask further about how they lived without fresh water.

Living at sea, one could eat fish. Although eating it raw wasn’t ideal, eating a freshly slaughtered fish raw wasn’t a big problem; at least it filled the stomach.

As for fresh water, there were only two solutions: either rainwater, or… one’s own water.

“What happened later? How did you run into pirates?” Bai Yu asked.

“We spent some time and found an inhabited island. Although we couldn’t understand the language, those people were quite nice and let us stay for the time being. The conditions weren’t great, but it allowed us to live on land,” Bai Wei adjusted his sitting position, accidentally touching a wound and letting out a soft hiss of pain before continuing. “Just like that, we lived there peacefully for over a year, until the pirates appeared.”

Bai Yu frowned. “The pirates just went straight onto the land?”

“Yes,” Bai Wei nodded. “The pirates came suddenly. The people on the shore knew how cruel and vicious those pirates were. They didn’t want the women and elderly of their families to be captured, so they gathered together to intercept the pirates. In the process… many people died…”

“Why did the pirates interrogate you?” Bai Yu asked again.

Bai Wei: “I’m not entirely sure, I only have a vague idea. I heard that over a year ago, someone transported several million taels of silver to those islands and hid them in a secret place. To find that silver, the pirates needed to find the original residents of the island. That’s why they tortured me, to make me reveal the possible locations of those who fled.”

Bai Yu caught the keyword from his words: “Over a year ago?”

“I know what you’re thinking. In fact, since I learned about this, I’ve also been wondering if the people the pirates mentioned who hid the silver over a year ago were the same ones who brought us out,” Bai Wei looked at her. “But I really don’t know anything. Before being caught by the pirates, I never heard any news from those fishermen.”

“Even if you didn’t get any news, the information the pirates got wouldn’t come from nowhere.” Bai Yu was certain the pirates wouldn’t look for so-called silver for no reason, but now that the pirates on the island were basically wiped out, it was hard to determine exactly where the news came from.

The thought flashed by, and Bai Yu suppressed the idea of investigating further, continuing: “The pirates on the island have been eliminated now. Most of the remaining fishermen have chosen not to return home and want to continue settling on the island. I will have them sail around to search for people. By the way, Third Brother, was everyone with you?”

Bai Wei shook his head. “When we were forced to transport goods out, all the ships were scattered. We searched for a long time and only found Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, and their nephew and niece. I don’t know where the rest are.”

Bai Wei wasn’t the only one on his boat. Besides him, there were his younger brother and sister. Including Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, and the nephew and niece, there were six people who escaped.

Besides these two boats belonging to the Bai Family, there was one with Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and Bai He; one with the Eldest Brother and his wife and children; and one with the Second Brother and his wife and children. The whereabouts of the people on the remaining three boats were still uncertain.

“No matter where they are now, we must find them,” Bai Yu said directly. “Third Brother, tell us the location where you were captured by the pirates. We will send ships there first to look for people. As for the other ships, I will have them fly our Bai Family flag and sail around to search. If our family members see it, they should be able to recognize it.”

Bai Wei nodded. “Alright, then I’ll have to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble. We are family; we should look out for each other,” Bai Yu said, looking at the exhausted Bai Wei. “You should rest well and recover from your injuries. Don’t go out until you’re healed. You have so many cuts on your body; it won’t be good if they get inflammation because you didn’t rest properly.”

Bai Wei nodded, then asked, “What exactly is inflammation?”

Bai Yu thought for a moment. “It means that once there is inflammation, the body tends to fester. I can’t say exactly what it is. When you’re a bit better, let Miao Miao teach you to read and study, and then you’ll know.”

Bai Wei looked at Bai Miao blankly.

Bai Miao stood up with a whoosh. “Third Brother, don’t look down on me. Miao Miao is very capable! I even taught Eldest Sister and Second Sister.”

“Huh?” Bai Wei looked at Bai Yu and Bai Xi.

The two of them nodded in unison.

Bai Yu: “Miao Miao is smart. She has a photographic memory for reading and characters. We have to read things in books many times to remember them, but she only needs to look once. So if Bai Xi or I don’t understand something, we ask her.”

Bai Xi added, “It’s not just that. Miao Miao even self-taught many languages from books. She can understand everything these fishermen on the island say. When you can get out of bed, you can let Miao Miao translate for you, and then you’ll be able to communicate smoothly with those fishermen.”

Bai Miao put her hands on her hips, looking up at Bai Wei with a dissatisfied pout. “Third Brother, you don’t believe me.”

“I believe you, I believe you. How could I not believe you?” Bai Wei said quickly. Whether it was true or not, he just had to coax her; it had been like this before. “Then when Third Brother is a bit better, will Miao Miao teach me to read and help me translate for the fishermen?”

“I can do it, I’m very strong,” Bai Miao said, clenching her fists. “Third Brother, you need to get better soon.”

Bai Wei nodded. “I will.”

He was currently in the recovery phase. After obtaining the general direction of the island from him, as well as the approximate hiding spots of the family members left behind, the three sisters left him to rest properly without further disturbance.

Afterward, they confirmed the final location of the island by combining the direction Bai Wei provided, the sailing time, the descriptions from the other fishermen captured alongside him, and Bai Miao’s familiarity with the local geography.

“This is it, no doubt about it.”

“Then we need to go there as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I’ll go,” Bai Yu said, looking toward the other fishermen who had suffered much like Bai Wei, though they seemed to be in slightly better condition. “Do you want to come with me?”

“I do.”

“I want to go too. My family is still over there.”

“Count me in. I know the specific route.”

“But if you leave, what happens if pirates from outside come here?” someone asked. It was the man who had been next to Bai Wei when Bai Yu rescued him. Bai Yu could understand his words without needing a translation.

“Don’t worry,” Bai Yu said, pointing to Bai Xi beside her. “This is my sister. Don’t let her size fool you; her strength is no less than mine. Even if the pirates return, she can handle them. However, you’ll need to keep a sharp lookout. You can’t let the pirates sneak up on you. If they do, my two sisters will be fine, but you all will be in great danger.”

The man who asked the question looked at Bai Xi, seemingly gauging her strength.

Bai Xi didn’t say a word. She walked to the side and effortlessly lifted a stone pedestal as if it weren’t made of stone at all, but tofu. In fact, she looked even more relaxed than if she were lifting a block of tofu.

This display stunned not only the man who asked but everyone else standing nearby.

“What incredible strength.”

“Is that really a stone?”

“How could it be fake? No wonder these sisters dared to break in here; they both possess such monstrous strength.”

“This is a great thing! With both sisters being so strong, we don’t have to be afraid even if the pirates come back while we’re on the island. No matter how many pirates show up, we can handle them!”

“That’s right. Now we can finally feel safe staying here. I saw a good patch of land nearby that’s perfect for growing crops. We should get them planted as soon as possible.”

Bai Miao softly translated these comments into Bai Xi’s ear.

Bai Xi nodded as she listened. When someone mentioned farming, she spoke up. “Since we have taken over the pirates’ island, everything on it belongs to us. Although there are many resources here, they still need to be managed carefully. Everyone gather this afternoon. We will register your names and what you are skilled at. At that time, I will organize your work assignments on the island.”

“Are we going to be working for you?” someone asked.

Bai Xi shook her head. “It’s not exactly working for us; it’s working for yourselves. Those who work will be paid wages. We will find ways to secure more grain and cloth, and you can use your wages to exchange for food. Of course, if you don’t want to be assigned work, you are free to go fishing on your own.”

“Is the grain the kind grown from the soil?”

“Of course. It’s the kind of food that will actually fill your bellies.”

As Bai Miao translated Bai Xi’s words, the fishermen couldn’t help but look delighted.

Living by the sea meant they could live off the sea, but eating only seafood never truly satisfied their hunger. If they could also have grain grown from the earth, they were naturally more than willing to work.