Chapter 1127: The Enthusiastic and Simple Grandpa Afu

While chatting, she praised the man's little grandson in every possible way, showed him the proof of her attendance at the Canton Fair, and even took out a jin of brown sugar from her shoulder bag as payment; only then did he agree to give her a ride.

She hadn't lied to him, saying only that she had never seen the sea, that coming to Guangzhou once was no easy feat, so she wanted to see the ocean, and also exchange some seafood with villagers to bring back for her family to taste.

Seeing her identity was in order, plus the young lady's family was truly honest, and of course, most importantly, because of that bag of brown sugar, he agreed to take her along.

The old fisherman steering the boat, Grandpa Afu, was a warm-hearted man; after the boat had traveled a stretch, seeing that Liu Chuxue was interested, he began chatting with her.

Liu Chuxue took out a small handful of fruit candies from her pocket and handed them over: "I am seeing the sea for the first time in my life; please, old sir, tell me more so I can broaden my horizons."

Grandpa Afu didn't want to take them at first, but seeing Liu Chuxue keep her hand extended for him to take, and thinking of his own little grandson and granddaughter at home, he accepted them with a simple smile: "Then many thanks."

Perhaps feeling he had taken her candy, he spent the journey educating Liu Chuxue with quite a bit of knowledge.

He pointed to the waters in the distance where white waves churned: "Young lady, look, that area of deep water color is the 'Three-Layer Current'; tributaries of the Pearl River converge from three directions."

Liu Chuxue actually knew a thing or two about this, of course from her previous life when she had visited and learned that the undercurrents beneath this water could sweep stones away; let alone fishing boats, even large ships had to go around it.

Perhaps afraid of scaring Liu Chuxue, Grandpa Afu didn't mention these things; after traveling a while, he pointed again to a stretch of shallow-green mudflats on the left: "When the tide recedes there, two or three li of land are exposed, all soft mud; step on it and you'll sink to your knees. It hides sandworms and green crabs, but you must withdraw before the tide rises, otherwise once the seawater surges up, you won't have time to run."

After traveling another stretch, the boat gently swayed; Grandpa Afu held the gunwale and gazed toward the horizon where sea met sky: "Beyond that lies the true ocean. When the south wind blows, the waves can reach a person's height, and the boat sways on it like a leaf; but if the north wind rises, the sea surface can become as flat as a mirror, so clear you can see the shadow of fish leaping out of the water."

Seeing something, he suddenly lowered his voice: "Do you see that? That 'Ghost's Worry' oh, it's a reef. At high tide, only its tip shows. It has swallowed several fishing boats before, but strangely, the fish around the reef are especially fat. Some villagers risked going to fish up quite a few Yellow-Browed Fish; boiling them into soup makes the tongue fall off from freshness."

As he spoke these words, his face wore an expression of intoxicated reminiscence.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty and fishy smell, slapped against her face. Grandpa Afu looked at the distant horizon where sea met sky: "This sea has a fierce temper, yet it is genuine. If you respect it by three parts, it will leave you a way to survive; if you dare to deceive it, it can swallow you down to the bone. Our ancestors have made a living here for generations, relying on having figured out its nature."

From his expression, Liu Chuxue saw his respect and attachment to the sea.

Afterward, he told Liu Chuxue that the seafood near Jiaotang East Village mostly consisted of fresh products from the brackish water confluence at the Pearl River estuary, including green crabs, clams, sea shrimp, pomfret, Yellow-Browed Fish, as well as dried goods like dried shrimp and seaweed.

This made Liu Chuxue's interest even more intense: "Grandpa Afu, I have an unreasonable request."

Grandpa Afu didn't understand the specific meaning of that phrase, but he understood the gist: "Speak."

Liu Chuxue avoided the family sitting behind, gathered together teasing the children, took two boxes of Daqian Sect cigarettes from her bag, actually from her spatial storage, and held them out before Grandpa Afu.