Chapter Seven: Kinship Upon Kinship

“Why do you sleep so early? Why do you fall asleep so quickly?”
“Only those who are tired sleep early! Those with nothing to do are still awake!”
“Jala Guma! Jala Guai!”
In the small fishing village by the sea, countless bonfires were blazing. Young men and women of the Li people sang melodious mountain songs and danced joyfully.
The Li people celebrated with singing and dancing, as if it were a grand festival.
Dishes and local wine, brimming with the unique flavors of the Li people, were brought in a steady stream to a bamboo house. In the open hall, countless Li villagers, men and women, old and young, were gathered.
Once known as the village fool, Li Sanjian now sat as a hero in the hearts of all the Li villagers. He occupied the seat of honor in the hall, his table laden with delicious food.
The elders of the village, including his maternal grandfather Fu Gui and his two uncles, sat around him, showering him with praise.
His mother, Fu Ernian, sat by his left side, gazing lovingly at the only child she had left, her heart blossoming with happiness.
“Haha, Jian’er, my good child,” Fu Gui raised a bowl of rice wine and said to Li Sanjian, “This time, it’s all thanks to you. We’re all family here, so I won’t say more. Come, Jian’er, drink this bowl of wine.”
After Li Sanjian bargained with Chen Yide and the other merchants, they finally agreed to buy quality pearls at a price of two hundred strings of cash each, and the lower-quality pearls at two hundred strings per catty.
Though Chen Yide and his associates would still profit handsomely, for Fu Gui and the others, this was like a fortune falling from the sky. The price was more than two hundred times what they had received in previous years. With this income, Fu Gui and the other boatmen would be free from want for several years, and no longer would they need to risk their lives diving for pearls every year. How could they not be deeply grateful to Li Sanjian? How could they not be overjoyed?
Fu Gui looked at his grandson—who not long ago was called a fool—and was sincerely happy, both for his grandson and for his daughter.
Li Sanjian took the bowl, frowned, and downed a large gulp, immediately choking and coughing as the wine burned its way down his throat. Though the rice wine was not strong, for someone who had never drunk before, it felt like a blade cutting down his throat and chest into his stomach.
“Father, honestly! Jian’er doesn’t drink, why make him?” Fu Ernian scolded as she patted Li Sanjian’s back.
Blushing, Li Sanjian coughed again, waved his hand, and said, “Mother, I’m fine. Grandfather, I can’t take credit for all this. Before, Chen Yide and the others only took advantage of your ignorance of the outside world to drive down the price of pearls.”
This was the plain truth. Fu Gui and the other boatmen had lived by the sea for generations and never left Qiongtai. They knew nothing of the outside world, nor the value of pearls, which could neither be eaten nor used. Over the years, under the oppression and exploitation of officials and wealthy merchants, they had come to believe that pearls were worth only a few sacks of rice or a few jugs of wine.
“But Jian’er,” Fu Ding took a swig of wine and asked, “You’ve never left here either. How did you know?”
“Me?” Li Sanjian hesitated. “Ever since I fell into the sea last time, I was asleep for a long while. In my dreams, an immortal came and told me many things.”
Most people in this world believed in gods, so Li Sanjian used that as an excuse.
“A god?” Fu Gui asked in astonishment. “What did the god look like?”
“I…I couldn’t see clearly, but I think it was a woman,” Li Sanjian stammered.
“It must have been the Sea Goddess, Mazu, who came to guide you,” Fu Lin said excitedly.

Fu Gui nodded, “That must be it. Jian’er, if you’ve won the Sea Goddess’s favor, you’re sure to have a bright future. What are your plans?”
Plans? Li Sanjian fell silent, deep in thought.
He knew now that he was in the Song dynasty, but what could he do here? Nothing he had learned in his previous life was useful, except perhaps painting.
In this world, the emperor valued heroes, and literature was revered above all else. If Li Sanjian didn’t want to live his life as a fisherman in this village, there were only three paths: study for the imperial exam and become an official, join the army, or become a merchant.
But Li Sanjian could barely read, so the exams were out of reach. He understood that the imperial examinations were not easily passed; a decade of study didn’t guarantee success, and some never succeeded at all.
As for joining the army, with his weak body, that was even less likely.
That left commerce, but business required capital and connections—neither of which he had.
The path of a merchant was thorny and difficult, and Li Sanjian understood that better than anyone.
“Jian’er?” Fu Ernian watched Li Sanjian drift off in silence, worried he’d fallen ill again.
Snapping out of it, Li Sanjian looked at his mother, then said to Fu Gui, “I have no plans yet, but I swear that I’ll make sure Mother lives a life of wealth and comfort.”
His eyes were resolute. Hearing this, Fu Ernian was moved to tears and hugged him, sobbing, “I don’t want riches, my child. I just want you by my side, healthy and safe. That’s enough for me.”
“Now, now, Ernian, why cry on such a happy day?” Fu Gui laughed. “You should be proud to have such a filial son.”
Suddenly, a group of young Li women, singing and dancing, approached Li Sanjian. One beautiful girl filled his cup as she sang, openly expressing her affection for him.
Li women, unlike Han women, had fewer taboos and rituals. They were bold in love and hate, expressing their feelings in song.
Li Sanjian had brought great wealth to the village, attracting the admiration of many young women. He was only thirteen, but strikingly handsome, his skin fair and delicate—though a little too thin.
But what did that matter? A night together was nothing to fuss about.
Embarrassed, Li Sanjian blushed deeply, staring into his cup, unsure what to do.

Fu Ernian glared fiercely at the young women, her heart bristling with anger. My Jian’er is just a child—how dare they try to seduce him? she thought.
Before she could speak, Fu Ling’er, the nine-year-old daughter of Fu Ding and Li Sanjian’s cousin, burst out, “You can’t seduce my third brother! He’s my brother!”
With her dark bangs and sweet, pouting face, Fu Ling’er looked especially adorable in her indignation.
Fu Gui roared with laughter. “Ling’er, you’re still a child. When you grow up, you can sleep with your brother. Jian’er, if these girls want to keep you company, why refuse?”
Li Sanjian’s eyes widened in shock; he was at a loss for words.
He had some understanding of local customs, but hadn’t expected things to go this far. He simply could not accept it.
Besides, though his mind was mature, his body was still that of a child. If he indulged himself now, his health would only decline further.
He stammered, “Gran…Grandfather, I’m still…young, and Ling’er…that’s not right…”
“Third Brother,” Ling’er pouted, “don’t you like me?”
“Ah?” Li Sanjian’s mouth dropped open. “Of course I like you, Ling’er, but you’re my cousin! Brothers and sisters can’t…do that.”
Fu Gui chuckled, “You’re not real siblings, so what’s the harm? Today, as your grandfather, I’ll promise Ling’er to you as your wife. What do you say?”
“This…this…” Li Sanjian stammered again. At this moment, he finally believed the old saying about ‘marrying within the family.’
“Father,” Fu Ernian finally spoke to ease Li Sanjian’s embarrassment, “they’re both still children. Let’s talk about this when they’re older.”
“That’s right, Father,” Fu Ding agreed. “They’re too young to understand anything. There’s no rush.”
Truth be told, Fu Ding looked down on Li Sanjian a little—he was so weak. Boatmen spent their lives at sea; without a strong body, how would he manage? Though Li Sanjian was clever, cleverness alone didn’t fill bellies.
Fu Gui laughed, “Very well, let’s just drink today. We can talk about this later.”
At that moment, just as Li Sanjian was dying of embarrassment, a commotion erupted at the door as several people burst in.
“The Chief Wang Kunrui is here!” someone announced at the entrance.
What? The Chief himself? Fu Gui and the others were astonished. To them, the Chief was even more formidable than the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
They rarely ever saw him—what could bring him here today?