Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 278 277 Mermaids
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be an acquaintance.

That bathhouse attendant from the Yu-nei-mu family!

The last time Feng Xiuhu held his hand and chatted with him, he mentioned that he worked as a laborer at the docks and had a rebellious younger brother who wanted to join the fish market gang.

The burly man smiled and nodded: "I didn't expect you to still remember me."

Feng Xiuhu struck up a conversation with him: "You work on the timber in Youye and unload cargo at the port. Aren't those two jobs enough to keep you busy? Why are you now running ships?"

The burly man touched his hair sheepishly: "The jobs at sea are the most lucrative lately, who would turn down money?"

He put his arm around the young sailor beside him and said shyly, "It just so happens that my younger brother also can't concentrate on his studies, so I decided to bring him along to do some hard labor and also temper his character."

The young sailor's eyes still held a hint of defiance as he glared at Feng Xiuhu sideways.

Feng Xiuhu asked him, "Are you the kid who wanted to join the fish market gang?"

He was indeed quite young, with only a few green hairs growing on his lips.

Upon hearing Feng Xiuhu's question, the young sailor raised his head and said disdainfully, "Outsider, huh? What kind of world is this, still a fish market gang? The fish market gang is nothing but bullshit, I've looked down on them for a long time."

"Wow." Feng Xiuhu raised an eyebrow. "You've got ambition! Right now, the most prestigious gang in the port area is the Wrench Gang, why don't you go and submit your resume?"

The young sailor scoffed, "What's so great about the Wrench Gang? A bunch of dusty, dirty workers who dare to call themselves 'glamorous'? If you really want to be glamorous, you should join Mad Tiger's choir. That's what real power is!"

Feng Xiuhu nodded: "I think you're right."

Upon receiving the affirmation, the young sailor beamed with pride: "After I finish sailing this month, I'll join the choir."

Feng Xiuhu poured cold water on his enthusiasm, saying, "But the choir doesn't hire child laborers, and they won't want you if you go."

The young sailor was taken aback: "How come I didn't know about this?"

Feng Xiuhu said, "I just placed the order."

The young sailor, enraged, made a move to roll up his sleeves: "Who the hell are you? You're the one who's decided..."

The strong man quickly grabbed him.

The young sailor looked back and realized that his fellow sailors had all disappeared into the distance.

The burly man whispered in his ear, "This Master Feng... is the Mad Tiger."

Upon hearing this, the young sailor stared blankly at Feng Xiuhu.

Gradually, his body began to tremble uncontrollably. A moment later, his legs suddenly gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

The strong man reacted quickly, lifting him up again and smiling obsequiously at Feng Xiuhu: "Master Feng, please don't take offense. He's all talk and no action, but he's actually quite timid."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand to indicate that he didn't mind, and just then Mike caught up.

Upon seeing this, he misunderstood: "You want to keep a mermaid?"

Feng Xiuhu was baffled: "Why would I keep this thing?"

Mike breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "I thought you were going to rob me."

"I'm not that kind of person."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand and craned his neck to look into the wooden tub.

Suddenly, there was a splash of water, and a head popped out of the wooden tub: "We are not 'things,' we are people too."

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a beautiful woman with long, wet, curly hair that cascaded neatly over her shoulders. She rested her arms on the edge of the tub, slightly pouting, and cast a captivating, slightly resentful glance at Feng Xiuhu.

The burly man reacted immediately, raising his steel fork and shouting at Feng Xiuhu, "Master Feng, step back! This beast is extremely cunning; don't let her bewitch you!"

He brandished his steel fork, striking the rim of the barrel. The mermaid quickly withdrew her arm, her face showing panic and fear, a pitiful sight. The burly man, however, remained unmoved, thrusting the fork again towards the mermaid's face, shouting, "Go back!"

The merman finally stopped hiding her true colors, her eyes flashing with ferocity, and let out a furious, piercing scream: "Ah—!"

The sound was extremely piercing, and Feng Xiuhu instinctively covered his ears, also getting a clear look at her mouthful of ferocious sharp teeth.

The steel fork was thrust into her mouth, and the merman plunged back into the water with a splash.

The burly man roared, "If you dare come out again, I'll kill you!"

Feng Xiuhu was thoroughly entertained.

He rubbed his ears and looked back, only to find that the sailors were acting as if nothing had happened.

Feng Xiuhu was surprised: "Why aren't you feeling unwell?"

The burly man smiled and pulled a small object out of his ear and handed it over.

Feng Xiuhu looked down and found that it was a snail shell the size of a fingernail.

The burly man explained, "This thing is called a 'sky cliff snail.' It's not worth much, but if you put it in your ear, you won't be afraid of the female fish's calls, and it won't affect normal communication."

Feng Xiuhu picked it up and examined it for a moment. He found that the inside of the shell was different from the smooth surface of a normal conch. Instead, it had an irregular and uneven vortex shape. He guessed that it was probably because of this structure that it had the property of reducing specific sound waves.

Suddenly, the eclipse in his mind chuckled: "I thought this thing had disappeared."

"What do you mean?"

Feng Xiuhu asked.

The burly man was taken aback, thinking he was being asked a question: "I mean, this thing is specifically used to guard against female fish. Our fishermen in Fancheng have used it for generations."

Shi explained, "This kind of conch was actually bred by the gods who worshipped the Five-Colored Feathers. During that period, the gods and the merfolk were not always on good terms, and there were actually several battles. So this thing was specially bred to deal with the merfolk."

"That's why it's called that. I thought the Sky Cliff Snail had disappeared with the destruction of the gods, but I didn't expect to still be able to see it today."

Feng Xiuhu looked at the small conch in his hand: "The more inconspicuous something is, the stronger its vitality is often in the wild."

The burly man laughed and said, "Who says otherwise? This stuff is everywhere in the mud and sand of the shallow sea to the east."

Feng Xiuhu looked up; he had just sensed something was amiss: "Why did you specifically emphasize that it was to guard against the female fish?"

Just as the burly man was about to explain, the young sailor beside him suddenly interrupted eagerly: "I know! It's because only female fish make that sound."

Feng Xiuhu was immediately surprised: "There's such a difference?"

The young sailor smiled ingratiatingly: "There's a big difference between male and female fish!"

Feng Xiuhu took out a silver plate and tossed it to him: "Alright, then tell me in detail."

The young sailor happily caught it and hurriedly thanked him, saying, "Thank you for the reward, sir!"

Feng Xiuhu's face darkened again. The young sailor realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject.

He picked up a pitchfork and tapped another wooden bucket: "There's a male fish in here."

Upon hearing this, Mike couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "You guys hit the jackpot, catching two at once?"

The burly man had noticed the butler's robes on him long ago and dared not be negligent: "It's been like this lately, with mermaids popping up frequently. Once we take these two to sell, the money will be divided among the ship's crew, and each of us will earn at least ten silver plates."

P.S.: Fishing is all about patience; the rainbow fin is about to give up.

(End of this chapter)