The air was filled with the familiar smell of the sea.
Above, the sun shone brightly, and beside them, the incessant sound of waves crashing against the shore.
In the village,
A few children, around twelve or thirteen years old, were laughing and swatting away flies near the dried fish their families were drying.
Turning their heads, they saw the village chief’s youngest daughter and exclaimed.
"Little tagalong, going to see the mute boy again?"
"Hahaha, tagalong and mute, stop talking, you’ll make me die laughing."
Seeing the small bundle wrapped in scraps of cloth in her hand, they immediately understood.
"Little tagalong, what delicious food do you have today?"
"Don't go find the mute boy, he can't talk to you anyway. Why not play with us?"
Who wants to play with you guys?
Across the way, Zhang Xiaobei rolled her eyes, not wanting to bother with these people at all.
She ran towards the direction of the houses, finally stopping in front of a simple dwelling.
"Mute boy, are you there?"
There was no answer from inside, but soon, the main door was opened.
Revealing a tender face of a boy, around eleven or twelve years old.
Like the other children in the village, the boy's skin was tanned.
But his frame was even thinner.
Actually, he was already thirteen. Perhaps due to poor nutrition, he always looked younger than his peers.
Because he didn't speak, and his face lacked expression, he always gave off a dull, indifferent impression.
Seeing Zhang Xiaobei, the mute boy nodded,
Leaving the door half-open, he returned inside.
Zhang Xiaobei was already accustomed to this, and she entered the house with her bundle.
The house was as simple as it appeared from the outside.
It had everything it needed, but nothing it didn't.
For example, no pretty scallops or conch shells, no mirrors.
Even the stool was just a small wooden stump.
But once the door was closed, the room felt like a secret little base.
Free and interesting.
"Mute boy, what are you doing?"
Zhang Xiaobei walked over and took a wooden stump, sitting down in front of him.
"..."
The mute boy, who was mending a fishing net, continued his work without stopping. He glanced at her, then continued to focus on the net.
The fishing net was not large and had many signs of repair.
But it was enough to catch some fish and shrimp, ensuring the mute boy, who had lost his parents, wouldn't starve.
"How was the catch today?"
Zhang Xiaobei went straight to the back kitchen and looked into the vat.
Unusually, there was a large, plump fish inside.
"Wow! Looks like you had a good catch today..."
"How do you plan to eat it? Steamed? Or grilled?"
She asked this because the mute boy usually ate fish in these two ways.
He seemed to like them very much.
"..."
The mute boy hung up the fishing net. Hearing her words, he paused.
He picked up a twig from the side and made a simple gesture.
"Grilled? My mother says eating too much of that makes you hot-tempered."
Zhang Xiaobei beckoned to him, "You're done with your work, right? Come, I have something good to show you."
Saying this, she placed her bundle on the table.
When the mute boy came over, she opened the package, revealing a few small red things inside.
"Ta-da! My mother's homemade sesame candy!"
"I secretly brought you some, see if it's delicious."
The mute boy looked at the sesame candies and waved his hand.
He gestured for her to keep them for herself.
"Hey, just eat them, quickly try one." Zhang Xiaobei pushed the candy towards him.
The mute boy, unable to refuse, took a piece.
It was sweet, with a hint of fishiness.
They lived close to the sea, so everything they made had a fishy smell.
"How is it, how is it? Is it delicious?"
Zhang Xiaobei's eyes were wide, full of anticipation.
The mute boy was about to gesture with his hand.
Zhang Xiaobei interjected, "I know, it's sweet, right?"
The mute boy nodded.
"You thought this was the good thing I wanted to show you?"
Zhang Xiaobei smiled slyly, "Look at this!"
She quickly took something from her waist and placed it on the table.
"Ta-da!"
The mute boy across from her was stunned.
The object was no bigger than a fingernail, smooth and round, emitting a faint halo under the light.
It was very beautiful and seemed precious.
A pearl?
"I found it myself, pretty cool, right?"
Zhang Xiaobei raised her eyebrows, her joy evident.
In their village, there was a custom.
The first pearl each child found, its size, color, and smoothness, signified the child's future.
The bigger, brighter, and rounder it was, the better the future would be.
And this pearl, while not a top-grade one, was still in the upper-middle range of pearls.
The mute boy nodded, impressive.
He looked at the pearl for another two seconds before averting his gaze.
[You will have a good life in the future.] he gestured.
"Thanks. Hehe~"
Zhang Xiaobei responded with a giggle, tilting her head, looking at the pearl on the table with affection.
The mute boy watched for a while, then gestured: [I'm going to grill the fish].
Then he turned to the back kitchen, skillfully took out the plump fish from the vat, and began preparing lunch.
"This fish is really fat, enough for you to eat until tonight."
Zhang Xiaobei carefully put away the pearl and praised him casually.
With nothing else to do, she propped her chin on her hand, watching him grill the fish, and chattered about village affairs.
The originally simple and quiet room became slightly livelier.
"I'm telling you, Aunt Lin's dried fish disappeared three days ago, and she was cursing in the yard all morning. She's really something..."
"Do you think there really is a Sea God in this world? Uncle Lin came back yesterday and told us he saw the Sea God."
"By the way, are you going to the Sea God festival?"
The mute boy, who was grilling the fish, paused his movements, then lifted the fish he was grilling.
Depends.
If he wasn't hungry and was in a good mood... he might go take a look.
...
Jiang Lin watched these scenes full of life.
He didn't know if he was dreaming or if he had unlocked another past life's memory.
Because this time, the perspective was a bit strange.
Previously,
What he saw was mostly presented from a first-person perspective.
But this time...
He seemed to be in a god's-eye view?
Not only the mute boy and Zhang Xiaobei, but even everything happening in the entire fishing village, he could see it all.
While Zhang Xiaobei and the mute boy were chatting,
In a house in the fishing village, Uncle Lin was also discussing the Sea God festival with the village chief.
Because the dark shadow he saw under the boat was too terrifying, he firmly believed that the Sea God had appeared.
But if the Sea God appeared, there must be a reason.
"The Sea God festival is coming soon, Village Chief. Is the Sea God reminding us to prepare more offerings?"
The village chief was also contemplating this matter. "The harvest season is approaching. If that's the case, increasing the offerings is certain."
Uncle Lin said excitedly, "See? See? I told you we should pay attention to every manifestation of the Sea God!"
"Who would dare to joke with the Sea God, right? That would be like cutting off our own food supply."
After a discussion, the two summoned the heads of each household in the village.
They tallied what each family would contribute for the Sea God festival.
"Sea God festival...?" Jiang Lin murmured.
If this was unlocked memory...
He wondered which period this was from.
Was it the villagers' faith, or was there truly a Sea God?
According to the records of the Underworld,
In the past, many gods who were worshipped and offered sacrifices to were actually powerful demonic beings.
And this special power was only relative to humans.
However, as he encountered more and more things,
Jiang Lin knew that some gods had demonic beings as their prototypes.
If their abilities grew strong enough and they gained many believers... and then received recognition/amnesty from the Heavenly Palace.
Becoming a god was feasible.
...