Chapter 604: Side Story: Xingxing, Yueyue
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ever since he and Li Yu went sightseeing on a ship, he had heard Li Yu tell him about the legends of the sea. Xingxing had been fascinated by sailing on the water.
He changed his lazy habit of not interacting with outsiders. Every day, when he was free, he would look for the shipwrights on the ship to learn navigation skills.
Because he was born with divine strength, good looks, and a sweet mouth, the boatmen were all willing to teach him how to control the ship. He learned to detect the direction of the wind and the direction of the water to differentiate where there were undercurrents and hidden reefs at the bottom of the water. Xingxing learned with relish. When he returned, he pestered Li Yu to tell him the stories of those red-haired people.
Yueyue, on the other hand, was not interested in the boat at all. Every day, he would either fish with his parents or study with Zhou Jia. He was an elegant and beautiful youth.
From Jiangning to the estuary, Xingxing liked the majesty of the sea more and more after going out to sea for half a month. He often nagged at Li Yu that he wanted to go to the sea on his own to take a look. He wanted to see the Five Continents Ocean and the yellow-haired monster living on the other side of the sea.
Li Yu looked at him and said seriously, “Maritime navigation and inland river navigation are two different things. Weather change at sea is unpredictable. You have to learn about how to survive and acquire navigation skills. Even old fishermen don’t dare to go to sea rashly. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the nearby fishermen and find someone who crossed the sea. The boatmen on our ship should know something.”
Zhou Jia was afraid that he would secretly run away. He said to him, “Xing’er, after you and Father return to the capital, Father will go to the palace to get you navigation books. After you have comprehended it, we’ll talk about it when the time is right.”
Xingxing looked at his parents’ worried expressions and said with a cheeky smile, “Father, Mother, don’t worry. Do you think Xing’er is such a rash person?”
Zhou Jia looked at him. “That’s good. Don’t let your mother worry.”
Xlngxing sat beside Li Yu roguishly and raised his hand to promise, “Mother, I promise not to worry you.”
Li Yu understood that the more you stopped a boy his age, the more he wanted to go against you.
“Think about what I said yourself. Tomorrow, you can get off the boat and go to the street market. Ask those merchants who sell fake goods and see if I’m exaggerating.”
Xingxing nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with Second Brother and buy some gifts for Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law.”
No one understood the Xlngxing better than Yueyue. Looking at the light in his eyes, he knew that he had not given up on sailing.
At night, when the brothers were resting, Yueyue said to him, “Xing’er, Big Brother likes to fight. You’ve always wanted to travel the world with your sword. Now that you want to sail on the sea, you have to think for your parents.”
“I’ll ask around tomorrow. Without complete preparation, I won’t act rashly.” Xingxing spread his hands and looked at Yueyue. “Second Brother, don’t worry.
Even if I want to leave, I don’t have that much money to buy a ship to go out to sea!”
Yueyue glanced at him. “I know you have a better brain than I do. I hope you think twice before you do anything.”
Xingxing smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry! I wouldn’t dare if Mother doesn’t agree! I’m the Monkey Sun who can’t fly out of the Buddha’s palm.”
“Sigh! I wonder where Mother heard those stories. They’re really strange.”
The next day, the brothers got off the ship early and went to the street market. When they arrived at the shop that sold fake goods and bought gifts, they asked the shopkeeper about the most famous ship owner nearby and the skills necessary to go out to sea.
The captain looked at the identical brothers and smiled. “Little brother, the wind and waves at sea are higher than the embroidery building of an official’s daughter. When a wave comes down, even bitter bile will be spat out. This is not the most difficult thing. The saddest thing is to look at the endless sea but have no water to drink. Once, we encountered a storm at sea, and the fresh water on the ship was finished. It didn’t rain either. In the end, we could only drink our own urine.”
Yueyue looked at the captain in shock. “Uncle, can’t we drink water from the sea?”
The captain laughed and said, “The water in the sea is salty and can’t be drunk. You’ll die of thirst if you drink it. Little brother, if you want to go out to sea, you have to master the pattern of the ebb and flow of the tide. You have to observe the sun during the day and the stars at night. On foggy days without stars, you have to know how to read the water compass to avoid being buried in the sea. There’s a lot of knowledge involved!”
The brothers bade farewell and came out of the boat. They returned to the boat with a gift and told Li Yu and her husband what they had found out from the boat owner.
Li Yu looked at the Xingxing. “Father and Mother didn’t lie to you, right? If you want to go out to sea, you have to understand what the captain said.”
Zhou Jia patted him. “Alright, after we return to the capital, I’ll ask Lord Liu of the Imperial Astronomers to teach you how to view the stars and look at the compass.”
After returning to the capital, Zhou Jia also asked Lord Liu to teach Xingxing how to observe the stars and even found a book for him. The couple thought that he would back off, but he had made up his mind.
Two years later, he was ranked on the Golden Ranking List and entered the Hanlin Academy to do editing. After Xingxing obtained the scholarly title, he participated in the martial arts examination the next year and was the top scholar.
The first thing he said when he saw Yueyue was, “Second Brother, it’s fine as long as you’re at home accompanying Father and Mother. I want to go to the Ning River Army.”
Yueyue looked at him in surprise. “It’s been a few years. Haven’t you forgotten your idea of sailing?”
“No. I plan to work in the Ning River Army for a few years. I’ll go out to sea with Boss Huang. You can give me your private money and I’ll help you earn money.”
Yueyue rolled his eyes at him. “Don’t you know where my private money is?
You’d better tell our parents what you’re thinking of and not let them worry.”
Xingxing spread his hands. “They didn’t even come back for our exams.
Discussing with them will have to wait until I find them!”
Yueyue sighed. “That’s right! This time, they brought Brother Seven Pounds to
Liangzhou. They said that they wanted to draw the mountains and rivers of Great Yong, as well as the small towns and villages in the state capital. They wanted everyone to look at the map and find their home.”
“This isn’t an ordinary landscape painting. Who knows when they’ll come back?”
Xingxing stood up and patted Yueyue’s shoulder. He hugged him and walked back. “Second Brother, Mother said that you’re our Zhou Jia’s, warmhearted man. Be good and serve Uncle and Grandmaster at home! I’ll set off tomorrow.”
The warmhearted man smiled gently. “Alright! I don’t like to move around. I like to stay at home quietly. Go do whatever you like. I’ll wait for you at home.”
Many years later, Great Yong produced an outstanding naval general who led the Great Yong Navy out of Great Yong…}
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