A Young Woman's Heart

"Don't worry, teacher, my boat is very stable!"

"It doesn't look very big."

"...There are many houses next to mine that are smaller than mine."

Indeed, there were even boats as big as kayaks nearby, which could only carry one or two people at a time, and no more.

These are usually for passengers only, not for cargo, and they're done once they're delivered to the seaside market.

"With so many boats at the dock, are there really that many people on this island?"

“It’s not just people from our island.” Jiang Tao stepped aside, watching Mr. Xue board the ship first, and answered Mo Xueyao’s question. “People from nearby islands also come here to do business; it’s not bad to earn some extra money.”

"Here, have ten yuan." Mo Xueyao handed him a ten-yuan bill.

"You really want it?"

You don't want it?

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Tao hurriedly accepted the money, his face beaming with an unstoppable smile.

This must be a fishing boat. There was a strong fishy smell on the boat, but at least it was cleaned up fairly well, and I didn't see anything rotten or smelly.

Most of the boat was covered by a black awning.

This thing is similar to a rain shelter, roughly corresponding to the cabin of a car. It is made of bamboo or straw and is very thick. Unless the rain is really heavy, it will hardly get the inside wet.

There were many boats like this on the West Lake, but those tourist boats were all quite long, while this one, though shorter, was wider.

When I was on shore, the boat seemed small, but once I got on board, it surprisingly felt spacious.

The seating consisted of simple benches, with a small bed and a low table with peeling paint next to it. There was a window on each side, also made of woven bamboo, installed without a single nail, which was quite ingenious.

Jiang Tao stood at the bow of the boat, seemingly testing its balance: "Teacher Xue, please sit a little further out!"

"Okay." So Mr. Xue and Mo Xueyao switched places.

"Alright!" Jiang Tao jumped up and down at the bow of the boat, startling Hua Yinyin so much she almost closed her eyes. "Then, let's go!"

"Let's go." Mo Xueyao nodded as she paid.

And so, amidst the cries of "50 cents a person to the market," "20 yuan for the whole day," and "Big cargo boats are coming to sell things," the small fishing boat gradually sailed away into the distance...

……

Chapter 52 The Market on the Ship (Part 2)

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Jiang Tao rowed the boat again and again, propelling it forward with his own strength.

Although this boat would be considered a medium-sized fishing boat on a river, it would still be as small as a canoe at sea.

Not far away, a speedboat roared past, heading towards the shore.

These appear to be ships carrying crew members on sightseeing trips to the island villages.

They are usually tourists who happen to be passing by.

Tourists on these boats pay less, and the larger boats take them along as a side trip, essentially making a free profit. Of course, they'd rather take them than not take them.

It's a win-win situation for both sides.

"The sea is quite calm today, no wonder it was a day we all agreed on together."

"Is this still calm?" Mo Xueyao felt that the waves could be described as turbulent.

"Yes, it's quite stable," Jiang Tao replied naturally.

The boat trip wasn't very far, and perhaps because of his strength and speed, it took about fifteen minutes. At the end, what he saw was no longer an endless sea, but several large ships standing there like floating structures.

The one in the very middle is the biggest, and it even has three floors on top, like a small building that has been moved here.

The sun rose a little higher in the sky, and as it drew closer, the outlines of those dark shadows became clearer.

They were small boats, arranged irregularly and of different sizes, yet somehow they gave one a sense of order and harmony.

There were even people swimming in the sea next to the boat.

It's practically a city on the sea.

The large ship was like a skyscraper, while the smaller buildings beside it were various structures with different functions...

Wow...it's so lively!

“Some people who live on the shore, and even some from the city, come here because they can buy cheap and good local specialties.” Jiang Tao said with a hint of pride, raising his eyebrows and looking up. “Usually, there are one or two thousand people at each market! Hmm… maybe more.”

"Wow, it's so lively! What does that biggest ship sell?"

"That? Uh, that's not a cargo ship, that's a gambling ship."

"Gambling? That's not allowed, is it?"

"Well... on the surface, that ship is a big arcade with a KTV, a bar, and an arcade. Just avoid the rooftop—that's a gambling den with all sorts of shady characters."

"Will there be bodyguards or something like that in movies standing guard?"

“Uh…” Jiang Tao scratched his head. “My dad and I have been there. There weren’t any bodyguards, but whenever someone caused trouble, people dressed in different clothes would step forward.”

"Your dad takes you gambling?"

"The time he sold the tin sheets in his house, took a hundred yuan in, gambled it all away in one round."

"Pfft..." Hua Yinyin chuckled, "And then what happened?"

"Then my dad tried to borrow money, but he was kicked out."

"Why not lend it? In movies, it's usually the loan sharks who lend money at exorbitant interest rates."

"That ship doesn't lend money, it only accepts cash, and it doesn't allow lending to each other. If you find out, you'll be kicked out, or something like that."

Mr. Xue stroked his chin and commented, "The last vestige of conscience?"

"Anyway, if you want to play video games, you can go. Kids often go to that arcade; they have all kinds of game machines!"

Mo Xueyao tilted her head, taking a closer look at the large ship: "I feel like this market was also started by the owner of that large ship."

"Yeah, at first there was only that big ship, and then some smaller big ships came along." Jiang Tao wiped his sweat, plopped down on one of the ships, and slowly rowed with a small oar. "Alright, we're here. Let's take a spin around outside!"

"How do we get inside?"

The boats were moored haphazardly, making it difficult to navigate in or out. The outer area was manageable, but the inner area was even more densely packed, making it almost impossible for the boats to move.

"Let's explore the outside first. There's plenty of space all around!" Jiang Tao said, his mouth full of a lollipop. "After we're done, we'll stop by the big ship. You guys go inside and explore, and I'll wait for you outside."

"Over there on the big ship?"

"Yes, there is a temporary dock next to each large ship, which is used to secure the ship. I can just fix the ship to that temporary dock."

"Alright, let's get a little closer!"

"Hmm, don't rush, teachers, you have a whole day to explore at your own pace!"

The small boat slowly approached. Many of the boats on the outer perimeter were temporarily moored to drop people off, and would leave again after arriving.

Since it's still morning, there are basically only people coming in, not going out. In a few hours, people will start returning, and then we'll be able to pick up guests coming and going.

Although it didn't look far, it took almost ten minutes of paddling before we actually got close.

The vendors would call out their wares, and some people whose boats couldn't get through would jump into the sea, swim to the vendors' boats, hand over their wet banknotes, take what they wanted, and swim back.

"It's not as convenient as Jiang Tao described at all!" Mo Xueyao complained.

"Hey, it's okay, teacher. What do you need to buy? If you can't get it, I'll go down and get it for you."

"Forget it, it's too dangerous to let the kids swim in the sea."

"Teacher, don't worry, I'm much safer at sea than you are!" Jiang Tao confidently poked his chest with his thumb. "Leave it to me!"

"Oh, there are cows for sale there! Only one cow can be sold per boat..."

“Those are all old cows, they’re probably sold to butchers, and then they’ll use a small portion of the money to buy a smaller one.” Jiang Tao stood on tiptoe and took a look. “Those big ships carry a lot of calves and lambs like that. My family bought some too, and we still keep them!”

"Is it alright for us to stand at the front?" Mo Xueyao stood at the bow of the boat. Although the awning took up a large part of the boat, it was still spacious enough for three or four people to stand comfortably.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's just slow now, it's fine."

"Um... Little Yao Yao, help me up..." On the very unstable little boat, Hua Yinyin didn't dare to stand up at all.

"Afraid?"

"It feels so shaky!" she muttered, then hurriedly squatted down again.

"Haha, if you can't stand up, that's fine. Just sit down. There's a window, isn't there?"

"Damn it... this boat is too small! The boat we came on didn't rock at all!"

"Not bad, at least you didn't get seasick on this small boat—wait, Xiaoxue didn't get seasick this time either, this is obviously more rocky than the big boat, right?"

"Just let the boat sway gently." Mr. Xue grinned, revealing a few white teeth that seemed to reflect the sunlight overhead.

Hua Yinyin practically crawled to the bow of the boat. She squatted down, gently touched the seawater, and whispered with a bitter face, "It's over, Xiao Yaoyao."

"what?"

"I think I've forgotten how to swim..."

"...Then you must not fall."

"I'll try my best." She nodded obediently, then hugged her knees and sat motionless on the small stool in front of the boat.

The small boats mainly sell local specialties, while only the larger boats sell small commodities or handicrafts.

"It's just like browsing a street market, isn't it, Xiaoxue?"

"Hmm." Mr. Xue nodded. "There are also quite a few things that you can't find at the street stalls."

There are quite a few fish vendors here, and the people who buy fish all look like they're from the city, dressed like islanders. Almost no one actually buys fish.

Perhaps for them, eating seafood is nothing unusual.

As the saying goes, people who live by the sea eat from the sea, but they get tired of it after a while. In their eyes, this food might not even taste as good as fresh vegetables.

“Little Yao Yao…” Hua Yinyin weakly tugged at Mo Xueyao’s trouser leg, “Look there…”