Chapter 382

At this moment, laughter came from the doorway—Liu Rushi.

Turning his head, Su Qiao saw Liu Rushi enter, her cherry lips covered by her hand, eyebrows curved in delight.

"Master has finally woken up—is your head still hurting?"

"No more rest. Thank you both for looking after me last night. We'll stay one more day in Tianjin, then set sail southward tomorrow. You decide—do we take the sea route or the canal?"

Su Qiao seized Liu Rushi's outstretched hand; her powdered face flushed red.

Even though their relationship was already very intimate, she still felt shy.

She tugged twice but couldn't pull free, so she let him have his way.

She glared at Su Qiao: "If it doesn't delay official business, wouldn't the canal be better?"

"Are you worried about sea storms?"

Su Qiao saw the worry in her eyes and stopped asking.

Liu Rushi nodded. "Yes, I've heard many say the sea's storms are nothing like those on the canal—they're far more destructive, terribly frightening."

"Haha, don't worry. Though we take the sea route, we won't sail straight into the open ocean—we'll hug the coast. The danger isn't that great."

Su Qiao smiled and explained to her.

Hearing this, Liu Rushi's eyes lit up—she was naturally very clever.

With just a little explanation from Su Qiao, she immediately understood: sailing along the coast had many advantages.

First, it was less likely to encounter danger—even if a sudden storm arose, there would be room to buffer.

Second, it was hard to get lost—so long as you followed the coast, you'd inevitably find your destination.

"So that's how it is—I'll follow my husband's lead. We'll take the sea route south."

"Have you never seen the real sea, Rushi?" Su Qiao asked her.

Liu Rushi shook her head. "I've seen it, sort of—I saw the tidal bore in Qiantang a few times."

Su Qiao paused, then nodded. "The Qiantang tidal bore is indeed one of the world's wonders. When we sail south, we can go see it again."

"Today we have free time—let's go out and stroll. See what you like, buy a few things. We leave tomorrow."

"Good!"

……

That night, Zhao Lin and the others came again to host a banquet; Su Qiao politely declined, but he did not refuse their gifts.

These people all had some good things.

After all, goods flowed between southern ships and northern traders, and many ended up in the hands of officials like them.

Many merchants gave gifts, and numerous noble families received hereditary stipends—they didn't need to struggle hard to live far more luxurious lives than ordinary people.

Luxury items and fine goods would inevitably flow into their hands.

They settled the arrangements for boarding the ship and sailing south the next day.

Zhao Lin specially selected a newly launched naval warship to send Su Qiao and his party southward.

It was also a convenient favor to offer.

After all, Su Qiao was, in any case, an imperial envoy bound for southern duties.

Whether good or bad, they needed to use a warship to send Su Qiao south.

But to cultivate a good relationship with Su Qiao, Zhao Lin chose an excellent ship and carefully selected elite naval troops to escort them.

Even the cannons mounted on the warship were more formidable than those on other vessels.

Su Qiao accepted this favor; after resting one day in Tianjin, he boarded the ship with Liu Rushi and all the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhao Lin and the Tianjin officials came in person to see them off.

The warship slowly sailed into the sea, leaving the Tianjin wharf behind.

"Huh—soon I'll see the real sea. Just thinking about it excites me."

Su Qiao and Liu Rushi were assigned the best cabin—it was large enough to comfortably hold three people.

The remaining Embroidered Uniform Guard were also well accommodated, two per room.

Most of them had never seen the sea before, and they were full of expectation and excitement.

When the warship left the murky shallow waters and truly glided smoothly into the deep blue sea.

The boundless blue sea and sky opened their eyes wide.

After all, most people of this era had never seen the sea.

Compared to the vast, mysterious sea, the once broad and colorful canal seemed small and petty.

Su Qiao pulled a chair onto the deck and lay back in it.

He wore a wide straw hat to shade his face, held a fishing rod in his hand, its hook baited and sunk deep into the sea.

Beside him sat a large empty wooden barrel.

Liu Rushi leaned her arm against Su Qiao's, also wearing a straw hat, seated beside him.

Gazing at the boundless sea before her, Liu Rushi murmured softly: "No wonder you always praise the sea's vastness—only by seeing it with your own eyes can you feel its depth."

Su Qiao's eyes were half-closed; he was about to speak when he felt his fishing rod twitch.

A fish has bitten!

Su Qiao beamed, opened his eyes, and sat up sharply.

"A fish?" Liu Rushi immediately released his arm, her beautiful eyes gleaming with excitement.

Clearly, she eagerly anticipated what fish Su Qiao might catch.

The sea fish was strong; Su Qiao slowly let out line, easing it when the fish struggled, then reeling in when the fish grew tired.

After nearly an incense stick's time of struggle, even Ma Kui and the other guards gathered curiously to watch.

Soon, the fish had exhausted itself completely.

Su Qiao's eyes lit up; he immediately reeled in the fishing line quickly and slowly pulled the fish out.

Heavy!

Very heavy!

Su Qiao felt as if his luck had exploded.

On his first sea fishing trip, he caught a big fish.

Don't forget his bait was merely a few inches of small fish, not some large chunk of fish.

Seeing Su Qiao struggling to pull, everyone stepped in to help.

Soon, a large yellowfin tuna was hoisted out of the sea by everyone.

"Wow! Such a big sea fish!"

Su Qiao took a look, realized it was a yellowfin tuna, not a bluefin tuna, and felt slightly 0.3 disappointed.

Although the yellowfin tuna is not as precious as the bluefin tuna.

Yet, encountering a tuna at all is luck.

The large yellowfin tuna was thrown onto the boat by everyone.

Everyone was extremely happy and rushed forward to quickly kill the fish.

"This is a yellowfin tuna, a rare sea delicacy; the flesh is exceptionally tender and can be eaten raw. Later, I'll have the kitchen prepare this fish for everyone to taste."

This big fish weighed over ten jin, nearly twenty jin, enough for everyone to share.

"Great! I've never eaten such a big fish before."

"It seems Mr. Su has eaten this; he knows what kind of fish it is. No wonder they say Mr. Su is amazing."

"Exactly. Tell me, do you think eating such a big fish would be good for the body?"

"Possible. We'll find out when we try it later."

……

236, poker and mahjong!

Waiting for Su Qiao's instructions and guidance.

The big tuna was divided into two parts.

One part was sliced for a fish hot pot; the other was cut directly into A thin layer to be eaten raw as sashimi.

Fortunately, Zhao Lin and the others had specially arranged a top-tier chef for Su Qiao.

Fearing Su Qiao wouldn't get used to eating on the sea, the chef's skills were extraordinary; his ability to slice, carve flowers, and mix dipping sauces was superb.

With just a little guidance from Su Qiao, it was prepared.

Su Qiao tasted it; the flavor was indeed extremely delicious.