Chapter 674
Chapter 674
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 674
>Chapter Title: Ship
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“What rules?” When the boatman said that, Yang Kid grew curious. The farmers on shore didn’t have so many rules.
“What rules? The rules of the sea, of course. We boatfolk have a few ourselves—certain surnames can’t board the ship, certain words can’t be spoken aboard. But the Tanka people have even more taboos than we do. Even taking a piss or a dump depends on feng shui.”
“I don’t know all of them. When you get home, ask your elders. Best not to break any taboos.”
“I see…” Based on the boatman’s description, Yang Kid tried to piece together an image of the Tanka in his mind.
“But speaking of the Tanka—there is one thing about them that’s truly good. Anything floating on the water, whether alive or dead, must be hauled up and examined. If they don’t retrieve it, their ancestors will blame them.”
As he spoke, the boatman gave his fishing rod a sharp tug. A bluish-green sea fish broke the surface, glistening with crystal-clear seawater.
Pleased with his catch, the boatman drew a dagger from his waist and swiftly gutted the fish, slicing it into thin, translucent pieces of sashimi.
When soy sauce was drizzled over the flesh, it seemed almost to tremble as though still alive.
The boatman pinched a few slices between his fingers and popped them into his mouth, chewing contentedly. “Want to try? Fish should be eaten fresh. If it’s been out of the water for more than a quarter of an hour, that’s what gets sold to those ignorant landfolk.”
“Thank you, but I don’t eat raw food,” Yang Kid said softly, shaking his head.
“Then you’re missing out. The swim bladder’s at its fattest right now.” With that, the boatman stuffed more sashimi into his mouth.
“Aren’t you looking for the Tanka? We’re almost there. See those boats clustered together? That’s the place you want.”
At those words, Yang Kid’s eyes widened as he looked in the direction the boatman pointed.
Near the sea’s surface stood houses built on stilts above the water, and around them were moored boats of varying ages and conditions.
“That’s my home? The place I was born?” Yang Kid stared at it, emotions surging. He had gone through countless hardships traveling from Great Liang back to Later Shu for this very day.
When the flat-bottomed boat drew close to the wooden “island,” Yang Kid finally understood why the boatman had doubted he was Tanka.
After years of sun and wind, the Tanka’s skin was deeply tanned. They wore indigo-black clothes dyed from rough hemp cloth; the trousers were loose and wide, and the men were bare-chested and barefoot.
Across their dark, smooth skin were tattoos of fish scales—men had them, and women did too, even on their faces.
Though the Tanka people looked at him with hostility, Yang Kid felt an inexplicable sense of closeness toward them.
“Um… Uncle, do you know someone named Chi Baishui?” Yang Kid stood on the boat, cautiously asking an elderly Tanka man about his father.
The old man shut the wooden window panel with a stiff face, cutting off Yang Kid’s hopeful gaze.
Seeing he wouldn’t answer, Yang Kid moved on to another. But one after another, none replied; all seemed deeply wary of him.
Just as anxiety began creeping into Yang Kid’s heart, someone finally spoke.
“What do you want with Chi Baishui?”
It was a middle-aged man, his beard still wet as if he had just come out of the water.
Gesturing excitedly, Yang Kid said, “I’m Chi Baishui’s son! I’m his son!”
“Son?” The man hesitated, looking him up and down. “I don’t remember Chi Baishui having a son like you.”
“Can you take me to see him? Once he sees me, he’ll know! I really am his son.”
After hearing him out and glancing at the flat-bottomed boat he stood on, the man waved his hand. “Come with me. I’ll take you.”
Yang Kid nodded, gave a few instructions to Zhao Xiumei, then jumped into the water and swam over.
Under the man’s lead, Yang Kid hopped quickly from boat to boat. Most were old and patched in many places, but to Yang Kid they felt strangely intimate.
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they stopped before an old, worn boat.
At the bow sat an elderly woman with graying hair. Blue fish-scale tattoos covered her face, blending with her wrinkles in a strange pattern.
Looking puzzled, she asked the man, “What is it, Jiang Erlang? Who’s this child?”
“Is Uncle Baishui here? This boy says he’s your son,” Jiang Erlang gestured.
Understanding his meaning, the hard-of-hearing woman’s eyes widened as she looked at Yang Kid behind him. “Y-you… are you Fifth?”
Dazed, Yang Kid stepped forward, trembling. The information he had found earlier said his mother had gone deaf. This woman fit that description perfectly.
“Mother?” he asked hesitantly.
The old woman seemed to read his lips. She staggered forward and pulled him into her arms.
Then she rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a faint mark on his elbow.
When she saw it, the tears pooling in her eyes spilled over. “Fifth! It’s really you! I never thought I’d see you again!”
Realizing she truly was his mother, Yang Kid threw himself into her embrace and held her tightly.
Breathing in the warmth and scent he had only known in dreams, he felt that all the hardships he had endured were worth it. He finally had a mother.
If anyone ever called him a “motherless dog” again, he could finally answer back with pride.
“Fifth! Mother failed you! I’m so sorry!” the old woman cried, clutching him.
Once the Chi family’s sold-off son had returned and Yang Kid’s identity as Tanka was confirmed, the others’ gazes softened considerably.
When Yang Kid worried about how to get the carriage from the flat-bottomed boat back home, many Tanka rowed over to help.
After much bustling about, Yang Kid, Zhao Xiumei, the three monkey children, and their carriage were finally brought onto the Chi family’s boat.
“Mother! This is my wife, Zhao Xiumei!” Yang Kid gestured animatedly so his deaf mother could understand.
“Good! Married so young—how capable!”
“Mother, this is lamb from Qingqiu. Try some—it tastes great!”
As Yang Kid excitedly spoke to his mother, other Tanka gathered around, smiling at the warm reunion, whispering among themselves.
Jiang Erlang, now convinced Yang Kid had truly come to find his family, looked much gentler.
He quietly asked a young boy beside him, “Where’s Uncle Baishui gone? Such an important moment, and he’s not back.”
“Uncle Baishui took his son to the Dragon King Temple.”
“Go tell him. Let him know the Fifth he sold years ago has come back on his own.”
(End of Chapter)