IDWBE -Chapter 75 Sun-Drying Salt

Sanhe was scorching hot. Coupled with poor preservation techniques, no matter how fresh the food was, leaving it out even briefly would attract swarms of flies.

So, even though the coast was only sixty or seventy li away, fresh seafood was impossible to get!

Whenever the fishermen rowed here for two days and two nights, the fish already carried a faint fishy smell.

Sometimes, to satisfy a craving, he ate fish dried with sea salt—but the poor quality of the salt meant that each bite came with mysterious little particles.

He worried that one careless bite might cause kidney stones, and without lasers to break them, he’d suffer terribly.

After sailing about ten li, Zixia and some others got seasick, vomiting so violently their bile almost came out.

Seeing Zixia pale as death, Lin Yi ordered a small boat lowered so they could return on their own.

Of course, Zixia protested—but Lin Yi didn’t give her a chance. Without ceremony, he pushed her off the big ship.

Helpless, she took eight people—men and women—aboard the small boat and rowed back the way they came.

The large ship drifted downstream slowly, still under sail. It took a full day and night before it exited the West River.

Where the West River met the sea, the muddy riverwater and the sea water were distinctly separate.

Lin Yi stood at the bow, looking at the sparkling sea under the sunlight, arms outstretched, wanting to embrace the ocean fully.

Seabirds flying alongside the ship chased Fang Bin’s pigeons relentlessly, leaving them no escape. Fang Bin had no choice but to cage the pigeons, preventing them from flying out again.

Traveling along the coast, they occasionally passed fishing settlements, with many fishing boats moored along the shore.

Tian Shiyou said, “Your Highness, the water here is shallow. Big ships can’t dock. We have to sail fifty li south to Bird Island. The water there is deep, with bays on both sides—perfect for docking.”

Lin Yi nodded and pointed to a silver-glimmering beach along the shore, “Are they sun-drying salt?”

Tian Shiyou grinned proudly, “From the northern Shangjing Road to Qizhou and Wuzhou, then to Yong’an and Nanzhou, all use government salt, boiled over fire. Only our great Sanhe uses sun-dried salt!”

Lin Yi asked, “Because Sanhe has no winter and plenty of sunlight?”

Tian Shiyou shook his head, smiling, “Your Highness, Sanhe is too poor to afford so many stoves. Burning firewood every day would waste so much timber. Though forests are abundant, chopping is labor-intensive—we Sanhe people don’t do that. Besides, our salt is private; the cost is too high to sell profitably.”

“Then what are you proud of?”

Lin Yi kicked him angrily!

Tian Shiyou took the blow obediently.

Dodging would only cause trouble with the eunuch later. He was experienced enough in these matters despite his short time at the prince’s residence.

“Your Highness,” he groaned theatrically, pretending it hurt. “Truly awe-inspiring!”

“Next time, don’t talk so annoyingly,” Lin Yi said, having vented his anger.

Then he asked, “How much salt can be sun-dried in a day?”

Tian Shiyou proudly replied, “One person can produce over two hundred jin in a day!”

“That much?” Lin Yi’s eyes widened.

“Not really,” Tian Shiyou said. “There’s still much preparation—building salt pans, preparing brine, controlling tides. It’s complicated. Small producers sell to big producers, and trading routes aren’t smooth—it’s a bit troublesome.”

“True,” Lin Yi agreed. That explained why Sanhe was so poor.

After two more days of travel, they finally reached a bay with over twenty small boats and one large ship moored.

Onshore was a market, haphazardly built with two rows of wooden stalls. Small clusters of people wandered the street—gaunt, thin, bony—but many still had large bellies.

Lin Yi immediately recognized the signs of schistosomiasis.

They looked at Lin Yi’s party expressionlessly. Only when their gaze fell on Wen Zhaoyi and Mingyue did their eyes brighten sharply.

Occasionally, someone greeted Tian Shiyou warmly. He would grunt in response.

“Are all these people fishermen?”

Even a seventh-rank expert like Mingyue felt uncomfortable under so many eyes.

Tian Shiyou chuckled, “Some of the time, they’re fishermen; some of the time, pirates.”

Mingyue asked, “And the rest of the time?”

“They sun-dry salt, boil sugarcane, and grow tobacco,” Tian Shiyou explained.

Then he turned to Lin Yi, “Your Highness, ahead, my people await. We’ll use horses and mules.”

“To your home?”

Lin Yi looked around the road as he spoke and grew increasingly disheartened.

Poor! Truly poor!

Compared to Baiyun City, this was paradise.

A group of dark-skinned, yellow-haired children ran around wildly, laughing and raising dust.

The more carefree they were, the more Lin Yi felt uneasy.

Their joys and sorrows seemed entirely tied to food.

“Just ten li ahead,” Tian Shiyou said excitedly, “I’ve set up my home there. It’s too remote here—the inn is shabby. Better for Your Highness to stay at my place.”

As they neared his home, Tian Shiyou’s excitement grew.

At a ramshackle hut, Liu San from the local militia pushed open the door. Six men playing dice inside looked up in surprise and delight.

A tall, thin man ran out, “Master, if you don’t come back, we’ll have to go to Baiyun City to find you!”

Tian Shiyou said, “Enough talk! Prepare the mules and horses—borrow from others if needed—then we go home.”

“Yes, Master!”

The tall man waved, and everyone ran behind to bring seven horses and two mules.

Soon after, they borrowed thirteen more horses, mules, and donkeys from nearby.

Lin Yi chose a donkey, with Hong Ying leading it.

Beyond the market were fields of sugarcane and lychee trees.

Lin Yi rode the donkey, munching on sugarcane. Every time he spat out the cane residue, the donkey stepped back and chewed it.

Finally, he stuffed the residue into his sleeves and, at a river crossing, tossed it in while the donkey wasn’t looking.

After winding through eighteen mountain bends, they entered a broad river valley.

The roar of the waterfall grew clearer. Lin Yi looked up to see a cascade from the mountain stream plunging into a massive lake below.

“Your Highness, we’re almost there,” Tian Shiyou said proudly.

After two more li, the huts became denser, inhabited. Everyone who greeted Tian Shiyou received a bow in return.

Nestled among the huts was a large mansion with a carved wooden sign: Tian Manor.

“A local tycoon,” Lin Yi commented.

The main gate opened, and over twenty servants and maidens accompanied five women out. Tian Shiyou laughed and greeted them warmly.

Then, in front of Lin Yi, a crowd knelt.

The banquet was lavish, but Lin Yi ate only a little and slept until late the next day.

After washing up and breakfast, he went with Tian Shiyou to inspect the so-called salt fields.

Riding a donkey, they rounded a hill. From the top, everything opened up—a pristine beach, deep blue sea, and one island after another.

It truly looked like a paradise on earth.