Chapter 149: Taking Advantage

October 17, 2023

Author: Zi Tao

“Mu Chenze, you’d better not ask. Whatever it is, let’s talk about it later. I’m tired.”

Chu Xuan made as if to close the door.

Mu Chenze quickly used both hands and feet to block the courtyard gate.

“You’re really strong. Let go first. I just want to ask you one thing—has your period ended?”

“My period?” Chu Xuan repeated, then realized what he meant.

A grown man asking about this?

She replied helplessly, “If it hadn’t ended, would I have asked you to teach me to swim? It’s long gone!”

Mu Chenze remembered the old Chinese doctor saying a girl’s period usually lasts three to seven days. “Which day did it end?”

Chu Xuan answered carelessly, “The day you were admitted to the hospital.”

Mu Chenze waved his hand and left.

Once he was out of sight, Chu Xuan smacked her forehead. Why did she answer him?

He’s really attentive, even caring about how many days her period lasts.

Was he this considerate in their past life? Seems like he was. After they got married, he was always the one to buy her sanitary pads.

Thinking of this, Chu Xuan scolded her past self again for not cherishing him.

Where could you find a man this good?

On his way home, Mu Chenze’s face felt hot. How did he even manage to ask that? Would Chu Xuan think he was weird?

Even if she thought he was weird, he had to ask and make sure.

Tomorrow, he’d find time to consult the old doctor again.

He just wanted her to be healthy and live a long life.

***

The next morning, a little after 10:30, Chu Xuan arrived at her secret spot for foraging by the sea, carrying her gear and a basket.

Her eyes lit up.

The beach was full of swimming crabs, each one bigger than her palm.

Swimming crab meat is snowy white, tender, and delicious, rich in protein, and both the roe and the fat are nutritious.

But the fat in swimming crabs is different from that of land animals—it’s mostly unsaturated fatty acids, which are great for the blood and nervous system, and help lower blood lipids.

This was a gold mine.

Chu Xuan put down her basket, took out her long tongs, and in less than half an hour, caught over fifty crabs.

She ignored the small crabs and clams.

This season, swimming crabs are at their fattest and fetch a good price.

She went over to the tidal pools and caught another thirty or so, mostly female crabs.

There were also lots of mantis shrimp—plump, lively, and jumping around.

Mantis shrimp, also called “prawns that crawl,” are best eaten as females in spring and males in autumn.

They’re expert ambushers.

Even lobsters and crabs often fall prey to them.

Their club-like appendages can destroy a crab’s nervous system in an instant, and their spiny forearms strike prey as fast as a mantis.

Chu Xuan caught over sixty mantis shrimp in a row.

Just then, Mu Chenze’s voice sounded from the shore, “The tide’s coming in! Bring your catch up to the bank.”

Chu Xuan knew when to quit. “Got it!”

When she put her basket down on the shore, Mu Chenze came over carrying four tied-up sea ducks.

He glanced at her basket. “You had good luck today.”

“Yeah. Are you taking these to sell in the city, or selling them to Li Tong?”

“I’ll take them to the city. I can get twice as much for them.”

“Alright.”

Chu Xuan looked at the beach—the tide was coming in.

Mu Chenze took out a long rope he’d prepared, tying one end to a tree trunk and handing the other end to Chu Xuan.

She took it and tied it around herself.

Seeing Mu Chenze in good spirits, she smiled, “Did you come over after catching up on sleep?”

Mu Chenze tossed his head and raised an eyebrow, trying to look cool. “That’s right. I got back at six this morning. Over two hundred jin of grilled fish was bought up by Lian Mei’s relatives. I’ll deliver the payment this afternoon.”

“No rush. You tie yourself up too.”

Chu Xuan handed him another rope.

Mu Chenze said deliberately, “No need. I’m a great swimmer.”

“No way! You have to tie it.”

“So troublesome! Unless you help me.”

Chu Xuan laughed heartily at his request. “No problem! Come here!”

Mu Chenze stepped closer.

Chu Xuan quickly tied the rope for him.

Mu Chenze suddenly noticed Chu Xuan’s profile was quite pretty.

He couldn’t help but praise her, “Chu Xuan, if you keep up with your weight loss, your face is already looking much better than before!”

“Thanks for the compliment! You never miss a chance to encourage me to lose weight, do you?”

Chu Xuan thought back—he hadn’t encouraged her like this in their past life.

He’s much sweeter this time around.

Mu Chenze was in a good mood. “I’m just telling the truth.”

Chu Xuan just smiled and tied the other end of the rope to another tree.

She was about to take off her shoes when Mu Chenze stopped her.

“There are a lot of crabs on the beach today. Better keep your shoes on!”

So she wouldn’t get pinched.

Chu Xuan hesitated, “But I didn’t bring any spare shoes.”

“Look what I’ve got here.”

Like a magician, Mu Chenze produced two pairs of cloth shoes.

One men’s, one women’s.

Both black, the most basic style.

There weren’t many styles in this era.

“Mu Chenze, do you think we could make money by selling new styles of cloth shoes?”

“If you sell a lot, sure. Small quantities aren’t worth it. And new styles are hard to find. But I’ll keep an eye out since you mentioned it. Do you think these shoes are ugly?”

Chu Xuan quickly replied, “Not at all. I really like the shoes you bought.”

“Liar. I can see you think they’re ugly. Just wear them for today.”

“I don’t mind.”

She left the cloth shoes on the shore, waded into the water in her own shoes, planning to change into the cloth ones when she came back.

Mu Chenze immediately followed.

They chose a waist-deep spot to practice swimming.

Floating, treading water, simple strokes…

Chu Xuan did very well.

After an hour, Mu Chenze praised her generously, “I thought you’d have to relearn everything after a few days off, but not only did you remember, you’ve improved a lot.”

Chu Xuan was delighted.

But soon, her foot cramped.

She used the self-rescue method Mu Chenze had taught her.

Gradually, the cramp eased.

Mu Chenze watched her the whole time, only relaxing when he saw her pain disappear.

“Why are you cramping again? Maybe you swam too long and used up too much energy, causing muscle fatigue and spasms.”

Chu Xuan shrugged, “I’m fine now. Maybe I just burn a lot of energy with any activity. For someone like me, losing weight should be easy. I’ll try to swim an hour every day from now on.”

“You have to promise me—don’t go swimming alone without me.”

Mu Chenze was very serious.

The more serious he was, the more Chu Xuan wanted to tease him.

“What if I don’t promise? Will you cancel our partnership?”

“I…” Mu Chenze was at a loss for words, swimming in circles for a bit before realizing she was teasing him.

So he decided to tease her back.

“I’ve decided—if you don’t promise, I’ll tickle you!”

He made as if to tickle Chu Xuan.

She clumsily tried to dodge, but her limbs weren’t coordinated and she slipped under the water.

Mu Chenze, afraid she’d choke, reached out to grab her arm.

He missed her arm but ended up catching her around the waist instead.

His first thought: she’s really heavy.

Second thought: his hand was in a rather inappropriate spot…

No matter how easygoing Chu Xuan was, she realized something was off.

Mu Chenze was taking advantage of her.

Once she steadied herself, she snapped, “Take your hand off me!”

Her tone was very stern, and Mu Chenze quickly let go, startled.

Chu Xuan walked toward the shore…

Mu Chenze thought anxiously, Oh no, I’ve made her mad. Will the consequences be serious? Will she refuse to let me teach her to swim again?"