Chapter 3

This girl is wearing the standard clothing of the Tanka people. No matter what dynasty it is, the Tanka people are still the Tanka people, with not much change. Hong Tao was not afraid of the Tanka people; the simpler and more honest the people, the less he feared them. What he feared were those with too much education, who had too many rules and too many tricks, making it hard to deceive them.

"Are you a Han boy, and did your boat sink?" The middle-aged man who was rowing the oars pulled Hong Tao onto the boat, looking up at him, who was more than a head taller. Although his accent was heavy and his pronunciation unclear, Hong Tao still understood him.

"Yes, it sank. I drifted for more than a day before I met you. Can I have some water to drink?" Hong Tao was indeed a bit thirsty. The seawater was bitter, and after spitting it out, his mouth and nose felt like they were on fire, very uncomfortable.

"Azhu, bring a bowl of soup." The middle-aged man gestured for Hong Tao to get on the big boat first, then called to the girl on the boat. The girl ran into the cabin, and before Hong Tao could steady himself on the big boat, she ran out with a dark bowl.

"Thank you! You're called Azhu?" Hong Tao took the bowl and glanced inside. There were some seaweeds, which he couldn't identify, and half a scallop. It smelled good. However, he didn't drink the soup but smiled at the girl and asked for her name.

"Moderator!..." The girl was very straightforward, directly giving her name, then ran to the adjacent boat. The gap between the boats was only half a meter, but it didn't stop her. She jumped a few times and ran to the other side of the three boats, entering the cabin.

"Moderator!" This name left Hong Tao dazed. He wondered if he had really traveled back in time. Could there be such a grand title in ancient times?

The old man and the middle-aged man on the boat didn't pay attention to Hong Tao. They were using a wooden bucket to load fish from the small boat's cabin. Hong Tao looked down from the big boat and saw that the catch wasn't great. There were two or three foot-long mackerels, one flounder, and two crabs. This seemed to be their entire catch for the day. By the direction of the sun, it was already afternoon. They had only caught this much seafood in a day, not even enough for their family to eat.

"Little brother, where are you from?" Before Hong Tao finished the seafood soup in his bowl, the girl who had run away came back with a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. The man spoke with a Shandong accent, which made Hong Tao feel more at ease, at least he could understand him.

"Sir, my home is in Nanyang Australia. My surname is Hong, and my name is Tao. This time, I was carrying a ship full of spices to Quanzhou for trade. Unfortunately, I encountered a giant whale in the sea, which capsized my ship. I drifted for a day and a night before being rescued by these two kind people. I am very grateful, but I don't know where this place is or how to address you." Since he could now communicate, Hong Tao's lies flowed like a torrent of water. He tried to make his speech more classical, but he had never been good at classical Chinese and didn't know what dynasty this was, so he could only do his best.

Nanyang Australia didn't exist, but since he was making up a story, he chose a place that wouldn't be easily exposed or verified. The southern coastal regions of China had long had trade relations with Southeast Asian countries, so Hong Tao didn't dare to use the names of these countries. He didn't know what they were called in ancient times, and if they recognized or had regular contacts with people from those places, it would be troublesome.

As for the whale, Hong Tao was sure it had always been called a whale, not a Kunpeng or something else. This was something he had learned from his random internet browsing. The "Gujin Zhu" (Ancient and Modern Notes) states: "The whale is a sea fish. The largest can be a thousand miles long, the smallest several dozen feet. The female is called a nai, and the largest can also be a thousand miles long, with eyes like bright moon pearls."

Listen to this: the largest can be a thousand miles long. Capsizing a cargo ship, no matter how you look at it, is plausible. Even in the Republican era, ordinary people wouldn't dare to make up such a story, and there would be no way to verify it.

"My name is Chen, and my given name is En. The ones who saved you are Banfu and his second son Ban Xiaoer, and this is his daughter Ban Zhu. This place is Jiyang County in the Guangnan West Road, Ningyuan Bay. I have heard of Quanzhou, but it would take about 20 days by water. You would need to take a large sea ship from Qiongzhou. But I don't know where this Australia is?" Chen Ming'en spoke clearly, answering all of Hong Tao's questions in a few sentences. However, Hong Tao had more questions. Guangnan West Road? Jiyang County? Ningyuan Bay? His history teacher had died early, and he didn't remember where these three places were. He only vaguely knew that Qiongzhou was Hainan Island.

Hearing these three place names and the way Chen Ming'en spoke, Hong Tao was almost certain that he had been thrown back in time by some celestial being. That celestial being must have found a toy, which was him, and had thrown him into a strange place, watching him crawl around, unable to find his way home, and laughing at it. How could a celestial being have such low morals! Why would he get angry with a mere ant like him? Even if he scolded him, he should just listen, as he had been scolded many times before. Every day, countless people around the world scold him!

"Australia is more than ten thousand miles away, and it would take more than a hundred days to travel by large sea ship. This is my first time leaving home to trade, and I encountered a shipwreck. I won't go to Quanzhou. Without my goods and luggage, I would starve to death there. I wonder if Mr. Chen needs any help? I can fish, and my family lives by the sea. I just need a meal every day." Now, everything else was just talk; what mattered was finding a place to eat and sleep. It was getting dark, and if no one took him in, he would be in the dark, with nowhere to sleep. Even if it wasn't cold, sleeping on the beach at night would be tough.

"You can fish? You're not a monk?" Before Chen Ming'en could answer, the girl, who was called either Moderator or Ban Zhu, interrupted. She had been listening to their conversation by Chen Ming'en's side, not avoiding them, her big eyes wide open, examining Hong Tao thoroughly, as if he were a strange animal she had never seen before.

"Monk? No, we all have short hair where I come from..." When Hong Tao heard the word "monk," he was indeed tempted. Actually, being a monk in ancient times wasn't bad. It was said that monks could engage in business, own land, and even marry and have children, making them a privileged class. But then he thought, he didn't know a single line of Buddhist scripture, and the ancients were very superstitious. If they found out he was an impostor, they might tie him to a big rock and throw him into the sea. It was safer to be a fisherman and stay alive.