Chapter 1571 - The Women of the Xiaocang (Part Two)

"What's so difficult about that? Ask Uncle Lin to take you."

"He has no time—he can't leave the factory for a single day. He originally promised to take me on a round-island trip to collect several rare plant specimens." Sonia idly curled a lock of golden hair around her finger. "I've only participated in a few expeditions to the savage mountains, plus one boat trip to Pratas Island."

"They're called the Li District, okay? Don't just casually call people savages..."

"Is that so? I think from any perspective, they can hardly be considered civilized." Sonia clearly didn't care, showing none of the "political correctness" of her descendants in another spacetime.

"If only the Long-Range Exploration Team could recruit you," Qian Duoduo said. "But that would require Uncle Lin's consent."

"What is the Long-Range Exploration Team?"

"They run around in the wild every day, collecting specimens from the three kingdoms of nature. It would definitely suit your interests."

"Mm-hmm," Sonia listened with interest. "I know of it, but there is one among them who commits acts of sin. Working with him..." She didn't continue, probably feeling it inappropriate for someone of her status to comment on a Senator.

Lin Ziqi was confused—what "acts of sin"? Qian Duoduo, however, knew she was referring to Cui Yunhong of the exploration team. He kept three or four male Life Secretaries, one of whom was an incomparably beautiful Caucasian boy Quark Qiong had purchased from Basra. He lived quite a comfortable life.

"You like science, right? He does too. And his knowledge of natural history is far greater than your master's," Qian Duoduo said. "What does it matter if he likes men or women?"

"No. It is something God dislikes..." Sonia remained steadfast in her faith.

The conversation hit a lull, so Lin Ziqi decided to change the subject. "Sonia, you're Portuguese, right?"

"Yes. My hometown is Cascais, just outside Lisbon. My father is a respectable gentleman, with a family history tracing back to the liberation of Lisbon by crusaders in 1147. My ancestor was from Basque—a knight. As for my mother, she comes from English nobility."

Lin Ziqi wasn't interested in her family history. "I just find it a bit strange. My impression is that Portuguese and Spanish people all have black hair and dark eyes. How come you have blonde hair and blue eyes?"

Sonia looked at her quizzically. "Respected Miss, have you seen many people from the Peninsula?"

"Seen a few, I guess." Lin Ziqi said vaguely. To be honest, her impression came from watching television. Though in Lingao, besides Mendoza, there were indeed a few Spanish naturalized citizens.

"Your impression is quite accurate. But I inherited my hair color from my mother. I mentioned earlier: my mother comes from English nobility. She has beautiful blonde hair."

"Ah, I see." Lin Ziqi thought Sonia was quite pitiable, being abducted thousands of miles away to become Uncle Lin's concubine, and couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy. "Is she doing well?"

"She was summoned by the Lord long ago." Sonia showed no sorrow when mentioning this. Human life in this spacetime was fragile, and everyone grew accustomed to death from a young age.

"What about your father?" Lin Ziqi's gossiping instincts stirred.

"He's probably managing a plantation in some captaincy in Brazil, or perhaps on some galleon crossing the Atlantic." Sonia frowned and crossed herself. "Or perhaps he is already by God's side—we haven't seen each other for many years. The last letter I received from him was from Brazil."

Lin Ziqi's sympathy flared again. This Portuguese lady, though reduced to slavery, spoke of her family background with authority and an irrepressible air of arrogance. Yet her family had long been shattered.

"You said you were captured while on a sea expedition. Didn't your father try to stop you? A girl going to sea alone—it's too dangerous."

"Ah, he didn't mind that. First, I have many brothers and sisters—perhaps ten if you don't count father's illegitimate children." Sonia said nonchalantly. "Second, our family have been sailors since the time of Prince Henry the Navigator. There is an inscription in our family cemetery at the church: The sea is our grave."

Lin Ziqi was speechless. She truly felt unable to understand people of this spacetime—such indifference toward death and kinship.

Suddenly, she spotted a bicycle slowly approaching on the small path in the distance. The rider was none other than Zhang Yunmi.

She wasn't riding fast, leisurely enjoying the sea breeze and sunshine. Her white shirt fluttered in the wind, and her navy blue skirt lifted occasionally with the pedaling, revealing a glimpse of thigh... The bicycle wove through the coconut grove, flanked by the sea and sand—a scene straight from a youth film.

Lin Ziqi sighed softly. Though she was a woman herself, she couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. She quickly stood up and waved vigorously at Zhang Yunmi.

Zhang Yunmi waved back, pedaled hard a few times, and coasted over. The tires glided lightly over the cinder path, mixing with the crunching friction of sand, stopping just as the wheels were about to rush off the road surface. She hopped off lightly and walked over, holding the handlebars.

"Sorry, sorry—I'm late." Zhang Yunmi smiled, kicking down the kickstand. "This must be Sonia!"

Sonia hadn't expected the other party to know her and quickly curtsied again.

"Don't be so formal. I'm Zhang Yunmi." Zhang Yunmi waved her hand. "Duoduo, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we start right now?"

"No rush—have a drink first." Qian Duoduo took out a bottle of kvass, and the girls gathered together, chattering away.

Zhang Yunmi was a particularly warm and infectious person, with a "fresh and clean" look. At 160 centimeters, she was neither tall nor short, with a well-proportioned, slender figure and long black hair—a beauty by old spacetime standards.

Seeing her cheerful appearance, there seemed to be no hint of family troubles. Could her old dad have been exaggerating? While she was letting her thoughts wander, Qian Duoduo had already started preparing everyone for the launch.

This kind of small boat was very light. In the US, it was usually kept directly on a trailer and simply pushed into the sea via a ramp at the beach. Loading it just involved dragging it up with a vehicle winch—or if one was strong enough, loading it by hand.

Qian Duoduo's method was similar. The boat cradle had wheels underneath. She had everyone pull out the securing pins around the perimeter and remove the wheel chocks.

"Everyone, push together!" With Qian Duoduo's shout, the five girls exerted force together, and the cradle carrying the small boat began to roll forward on the cinder path.

Although the wheels were wooden, the bearings were iron ball bearings, and Qian Duoduo had lubricated them well beforehand. Aside from requiring a bit of effort to start, pushing was effortless once it got moving.

"Don't push too hard—use steady force!" Qian Duoduo directed as she pushed.

The cradle rolled steadily and evenly, soon arriving at the planned launch site: a stretch of sandy beach. Here Qian Duoduo had made preparations in advance: a wooden platform, two long logs acting as slipways, and a bucket of tar.

After positioning the boat cradle, everyone busied themselves again, installing the securing pins and wheel chocks one by one. Lin Ziqi wanted to be lazy and suggested installing just the chocks, but was overruled by Qian Duoduo.

"Safety procedures can't be changed randomly. Otherwise, accidents will happen."

"You're acting so grown-up," Zhang Yunmi teased.

"Who are you calling grown-up!" Qian Duoduo was displeased. "I'm not a little kid!"

"Okay, okay—you're very leader-like..."

"Call me Captain!"

Following Qian Duoduo's instructions, they fixed the two slipway logs diagonally onto the boat cradle, inserting one end into the shallow water. Watching Qian Duoduo and Zhong Xiaoying running back and forth between the beach and the shallow water, busy as bees, Lin Ziqi quickly said: "Let me help." She moved to take off her shoes, and Sonia wanted to follow suit.

"Don't bother. You're dressed so beautifully—if you get tar on you, it's ruined!" Qian Duoduo put her hands on her hips. "We'll be done in a moment."

Zhang Yunmi, however, said: "I'll do it."

Before Qian Duoduo could object, she took off her skirt. Lin Ziqi almost screamed—but fortunately, she was wearing a swimsuit underneath.

"What's with that expression?" Zhang Yunmi smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I'm not that uninhibited." With that, she took off her shirt too, shoved both garments into Lin Ziqi's hands, and ran down to help set up the slipway.

Once the slipway was in place, Qian Duoduo and Zhong Xiaoying applied tar to it before running back up. "Undo the straps! In order, starting from Number One!"

The small boat was secured to the cradle with ropes. To prevent accidental falls and injuries during transport and slipway setup, they were only to be untied at the very last step.

The boat, now untied, still sat steadily on the cradle. Qian Duoduo had everyone insert pry bars into the sides, one for each person. Just as they were about to pry, Qian Duoduo suddenly remembered something.

"Wait—I forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"The naming ceremony!" She ran under the shed and brought back a coconut and a colorful ball. She hung the ball on the bow. Then, mimicking what she'd read in books, she held up the coconut and loudly proclaimed:

"Unclassed Sailing Boat Xiaocang / Laid down April 1, 1633 / Completed today / Hereby named / May 10, 1634 / Captain Qian Duoduo."

With that, she smashed the coconut hard against the bow. The coconut struck the iron-clad bow with a joyous crack, splitting into several pieces. Fragments flew directly into the hair of Lin Ziqi and the others, eliciting a chorus of high-pitched screams.

(End of Chapter)