Chapter 183: Island Vacation
Hearing the voice, Yiyi turned around and saw it was the long-haired man she mistakenly rescued before.
"Was it you who paid just now?"
Xie Yuanzhou nodded directly and said, "Yes, consider it a thank you gift for saving me last time."
Yiyi replied, "I can’t really say I saved you last time. You would probably have been fine without me."
Xie Yuanzhou smiled brightly and said, "No, even as a man, there’s danger, since my looks attract attention everywhere I go; it’s only natural people might covet me."
Hearing this, Yiyi was speechless for a moment and then couldn’t help but twitch her mouth. This guy seemed a bit too narcissistic.
But she had to admit he had a point; many people were already looking their way, and everyone, regardless of gender, was focused on the long-haired man. Even Fei Erya was staring before finally snapping out of it. She wanted to ask Yiyi about it but decided not to, as she sensed Yiyi wasn’t that familiar with the man.
"Alright, I’m leaving now. With my looks, I always end up being the center of attention in crowds; it’s quite bothersome," he said and prepared to leave.
Yiyi stepped forward, intending to pay him back for the clothes.
"Little girl, I don’t like owing people anything, so you must accept these clothes." With that, he left quickly.
"Wow, he sure runs fast."
Fei Erya couldn’t help but remark, "Even his back is beautiful."
Holding the clothes, Yiyi felt uneasy, furrowing her brow in discomfort at receiving a gift from someone who was almost a stranger.
"Little girl, since it’s a thank you gift from him, you’d better accept it. Such things are usually something to be happy about, so why the frown?" said the sales clerk in the clothing store. Good-looking people often receive favors, especially someone as handsome as Xie Yuanzhou, who makes people want to look again and again, so the clerk couldn’t help but speak up for him.
Hearing this, Yiyi directly placed the clothes on the counter.
"If you think it’s such a happy thing, then they’re yours."
"No, no, I can’t take them. Little girl, doing that could affect my work."
Hearing this, Yiyi said nothing more and just took the clothes and left.
Fei Erya noticed Yiyi wasn’t very happy and laughed, "Yiyi, he just didn’t want to owe you anything and didn’t want more ties with you, so he wanted to settle the debt. Don’t overthink it."
Yiyi hadn’t thought about it like that before, only feeling odd about receiving a gift. But hearing Fei Erya’s words, she felt much better.
In all fairness, if she received a favor from a stranger, she would find a way to return it too.
Thinking this way, Yiyi’s mood improved, "Alright Erya, let’s go buy other things."
The two wandered around, spending the entire morning, but eventually got everything they needed.
"Erya, let’s go home first to put everything away, then we can go to the clothing store for lunch."
When Ding Yuejun saw the two coming over, she asked with a smile, "Yiyi, Erya, did you get everything you needed?"
"Mom, we’ve almost got everything."
Ding Yuejun, hearing this, nodded quickly and said, "That’s good. Now wash your hands, Sister in law Lin has already made lunch, let’s start eating."
On the day of Yiyi and Fei Erya’s departure, Ding Yuejun got up early to make breakfast for them, then went with them to the medicine shop to meet up with Guo Ming.
"Don’t worry, Madam. With Master Guo along, there will be no problems," said Mo Ping, noticing Ding Yuejun’s nervousness and trying to comfort her.
Although Guo Ming was somewhat aloof, Ding Yuejun couldn’t help but remind him, "Master Guo, please take care of Yiyi and Erya. Please keep an eye on them while they travel."
Guo Ming didn’t speak, but he nodded.
Ding Yuejun felt a bit more at ease seeing this.
"Mom, if you’re worried, why not just come with us?"
Yiyi really didn’t want to see her mother working so hard every day. Even though she had been turned down before, she couldn’t help inviting her again before leaving.
"I won’t go with you. You go and have fun; I’ll stay and work on my embroidery."
Seeing her mother insist, Yiyi said nothing more and then departed with Fei Erya and Guo Ming.
"Yiyi, when will we get there?"
Fei Erya was traveling far for the first time and was curious about everything.
Actually, Yiyi hadn’t been to Jidong Island before either, but she had asked around, so without thinking much, she replied, "We should be there by evening."
"Wow... So Jidong Island is really far away."
"Yes, it’s to the far east, so it’s a bit farther than usual places."
Originally, the two were chatting, but unexpectedly, Guo Ming chimed in, "So we still have a long boat ride ahead." He hadn’t asked before and hadn’t imagined it was so far.
Yiyi nodded and said, "Yes, the boat ride is a bit long."
Guo Ming raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything more.
When the three arrived on Jidong Island, it was indeed evening.
"Wow... The sky here is so beautiful."
Fei Erya looked up, feeling the sky seemed broader than she was used to seeing.
Yiyi also looked up at the sky, feeling her heart lightened, "Yes, it’s really beautiful."
But they didn’t look around much more and went directly to the place Yiyi had reserved to stay.
"The island isn’t really developed yet, so the places to stay are just in people’s homes."
Seeing the house, Fei Erya quickly said, "Staying here is just fine."
Guo Ming had even fewer requirements for lodging, so the three happily placed their belongings in their rooms.
"Little girl, you must be Yiyi, the one who reserved the room earlier, right? There aren’t really any restaurants here, so just join us for dinner," said Lü Beihong, the hostess of the house, warmly inviting them to dinner.
Yiyi quickly responded, "Thank you, Madam."
"Oh... I’m not a madam. If you’re willing, just call me Aunt Lü."
"Aunt Lü."
Yiyi immediately changed her address.
Although it wasn’t in a restaurant, Lü Beihong prepared a sumptuous seafood dinner, including freshly stewed sea eel, steamed swimming crab, stir-fried clams, boiled squid with hot dipping sauce, braised yellow croaker, pomfret and bean soup, and the only vegetable dish of stir-fried cabbage.
"We don’t have much else here, but we do have plenty of seafood. I hope you’ll enjoy it."
"Aunt Lü, we’re totally used to seafood. Houshan Town also primarily serves seafood."
Hearing this, Lü Beihong laughed and said, "That’s great, eat while it’s hot."