Chapter 2474: My Wife Is a Pirate 04

Bu Changji leaned in Jin Chen's embrace, relaxing for a while; that deadly cough finally subsided completely, leaving only a fiery aftertaste in his throat.

The warmth from Jin Chen's body seeped through his thin clothes, actually making him feel a bit drowsy and weary.

No, he couldn't sleep; he still had important matters to attend to.

Bu Changji slightly withdrew from Jin Chen's warm embrace, as if just coming to his senses from fright, "Thank… thank you, benefactor."

Jin Chen raised his eyebrows, feeling that the distance between him and his wife had been widened by a hundred thousand miles by that form of address.

"No need to call me benefactor; just call me… by my name."

Bu Changji quickly corrected himself, "Jin Chen Dage, I was snatched onto the ship by those damned pirates, the journey was rough… I was originally a merchant from East Huaguo…"

He paused slightly there, his gaze somewhat wandering.

The final leg indeed was leaving the waters of East Huaguo, so it wasn't entirely a lie.

"My name is… Jiu Shi."

Jin Chen almost laughed out loud upon hearing that name.

This fake name is truly fake.

But he showed nothing on his face, merely assuming he didn't want to reveal his Heir Apparent identity, he nodded in cooperation and said in a normal tone, "This place is still within East Huaguo's borders; it's White Wave Sea Island."

"The seaside front hollow where we live is called White Wave Hollow."

He reassured, "Here are honest, hardworking fishermen who make a living from fishing. The pirates occupy the stone tower on the east side; they look fierce, but as long as we don't provoke them, they won't easily come down the mountain to harass the villagers. You can stay here peacefully, don't be afraid."

Jin Chen's words fell into Bu Changji's ears and basically matched the information he had obtained from Fang Yunyao.

He felt somewhat relieved, knowing the fisherman's words were true, and he gained a more concrete understanding of White Wave Hollow's situation.

Further probing would only arouse suspicion, so he simply lowered his eyelids, putting on an appearance of gratitude.

"Thank you, Jin Chen Dage, for informing me."

Only then did Jin Chen rise, "You rest; I'll go gather the remaining fish glue."

He needed to hurry and properly store the dried fish glue, keeping one batch for personal use and another to be transported by water to the town after the fishing season to sell for money.

He lived alone, relying on the sea for sustenance, and his life was fairly comfortable.

But now there's a young Heir Apparent in the house, and the expenses have grown considerably.

He couldn't really let his wife follow him to endure a bitter life of eating dried salted fish, could he?

Jin Chen sat on the small stool outside, using the last light of day to efficiently collect the dried fish glue and sea products, letting Ling Gun Gun happily chew on the dried fish nearby.

Jin Chen calculated in his mind.

This season, catching some sea cucumber or scarce abalone from the sea would fetch the most money.

As for testing his swimming ability, Jin Chen wasn't the slightest bit worried.

In the blink of an eye, the sky darkened, and the sea breeze brought a chill.

Jin Chen went to the side room to wash off the salty sweat from his body, changed into a clean coarse‑cloth short jacket, and brought in a basin of clear water.

Bu Changji was leaning against the head of the bed; hearing the movement, he lifted his eyes to look.

Under the dim oil‑lamp light, the sturdy youth's face still dripped with water from his recent rinse, droplets falling into his wheat‑colored neck; the sea‑sweat of daytime labor was gone, and his already handsome visage now showed a wild cleanliness and vigorous vitality.

Bu Changji's heart jumped inexplicably, and he was momentarily dazed.

Immediately, he saw Jin Chen holding the basin of water, and with a start he sat up straight, "I… I can do it myself!"

Jin Chen was amused by his reaction, gave a low chuckle, and placed the water basin on the small stool beside the bed.

"Naturally, I'm letting you do it yourself."

He pointed at the basin, "If you have any hidden bruises or scrapes, seawater can easily cause them to fester; check yourself, early detection and early treatment."

Jin Chen's tone was frank, with no hint of intimacy.

Bu Changji's ears felt slightly hot; he realized he had overreacted, silently cursed himself, but forced his expression to stay composed.

Fortunately, this fellow is an upstanding person…

He recalled the pirate‑brand tattoo on his waist, licked his somewhat dry lips, and glanced at Jin Chen with a flickering gaze.

"Could you… avoid me for a moment?"

Jin Chen complied, merely uttering an 'oh', turned and went out the door, thoughtfully closing it behind him.

Bu Changji heard him drag a stool, sit in the courtyard, and genuinely look up at the stars, with no intention of peeking.

Only then did Bu Changji relax, swiftly removing his clothes and washing himself.

The clear water soaked his skin, washing away the sticky sweat and residual sea‑odor, bringing a sense of refreshment.

The clean clothes Jin Chen set aside were coarse‑cloth; though not particularly soft, they were new and washed spotless.

Bu Changji silently put them on, feeling a sense of steadiness.

He had many underlings, plenty of flattery and fawning, attentive service, yet no one made him feel as… strange as this fisherman‑like fellow did.

He simply suppressed the turmoil in his heart, quickly tidied up, and pushed the door open to go out.

The moon over the sea was at its fullest; even watching it, Jin Chen didn't find it boring.

Hearing the movement, Jin Chen turned his head toward the sound; moonlight fell on his face, adding a touch of depth.

He asked, "How is it? Any hidden injuries?"

Bu Changji shook his head, "No."

He hesitated a little, then spoke somewhat awkwardly, "Tonight… how will Jin Chen Dage sleep?"

He reckoned in his mind that if this fellow were to sleep on the ground mat, even though he was still weak, he ought to yield a bit.

He was usually ruthless and merciless, unable to understand why he felt a bit soft‑hearted today.

Who would have thought, Jin Chen didn't even think, just blurted out, "Don't worry, the bed is big enough."

Bu Changji: "???"

He almost thought he had misheard; was this suggesting they share the same bed to sleep?

If it were just two rough fishermen squeezing in, that would be fine, but... but he knows full well, he has homosexual inclinations, he feels that way toward men.

No, absolutely not!

Bu Changji instinctively refused, "No, not proper! I'll sleep on the floor, benefactor you take the bed."