Outside the Boluo Tan Cave, Fang Er was followed by the Li Tai brothers, while Changle, like a little rabbit, hopped and ran through the grass. Occasionally, a few pheasants flew by, making her let out happy screams.
As they walked, a large patch of coconut trees appeared ahead. "Brother-in-law, these trees are so thick!" Changle exclaimed, running over and hugging a coconut tree, tilting her head to look up. Coconuts hung from the branches, glistening green.
"Come back, don't stand under that tree," Fang Er called out to her.
"Ah?" Changle was a bit confused but obediently stepped back. The Li Tai and Li Ke brothers, being bolder, looked at the coconuts above and asked Fang Er, "Mountain Master, can we eat these?" From their perspective, the coconuts on the tall trees were no bigger than fists.
"Heh! We'll know if we try!" Before Fang Er could reply, Li Ke rushed forward. As he neared the tree, he leaped up and kicked the coconut tree with all his might.
"Imperial brother, dodge quickly!" Li Tai saw several coconuts dislodged by the kick. With such height and acceleration, a falling coconut could be fatal if it hit someone on the head! Hearing the warning, Li Ke immediately cupped his head and retreated, laughing heartily.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Three coconuts landed exactly where Li Ke had been standing.
Fang Er glared at Li Ke, "If you do that again, you can roll back to Chang'an yourself!"
"Hehe, there won't be a next time," Li Ke said, scratching his head and picking up the three coconuts from the ground. When he walked over to Fang Er, he asked with a sly grin, "Mountain Master, how do you eat this thing?" This fellow seemed to have been pent up for too long and was becoming more and more carefree since coming out. The gloominess he exhibited in Shenyang was nowhere to be seen.
Fang Er, speechless, beckoned Wang Xuance to his side, took a short knife from him, cut open the coconut shell, and made an opening before handing it to Li Ke. "Try it, the water inside is drinkable."
"There's clear water inside the fruit of this tree?" Li Ke was surprised. He took the coconut and took a large gulp. His eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Wow, it's quite sweet!" Changle, seeing this, curiously approached. "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, get one for me!"
"I want to try too!" Li Ke offered his half-empty coconut, but received a glare in return. "I don't want to drink what you've drunk!" Changle pouted, not sparing him any face. Fang Er could only smile and open another one for her. Finally, the three siblings each held a coconut, drank the water, and then scooped out the flesh.
Sugar was scarce in this era, even for the imperial family, with maltose being the most common sweet. The sweet coconut water and flesh provided them with a novel taste experience.
Glancing at the sky, which was beginning to darken, Fang Er prepared to lead them back to the Boluo Tan Cave. However, Li Ke, that rascal, ran back to the coconut trees and started kicking them again.
Thump, thump, thump! The sound of coconuts hitting the ground echoed continuously.
"Huh?" Just as Li Ke was about to retrieve the coconuts, he let out a sudden exclamation. Fang Er's heart leaped, and he hurried over to see what was happening. He saw creatures resembling spiders, brandishing their front legs triumphantly at Li Ke.
"What the hell are these? They're not spiders!" Fang Er realized. "These are coconut crabs!"
"Slurp~~" Li Tai's eyes gleamed as he stared at the coconut crabs and asked Fang Er, "Mountain Master, are these tasty?" The creatures were huge, and judging by their size, they could feed at least three to four people!
"Can't you have a little more ambition?" Fang Er said, poking his forehead with a finger. He then handed the task of collecting coconuts and catching crabs to Wang Xuance and others, picked up Changle, and walked towards the Boluo Tan Cave. "Let's go. We'll know if they're tasty later." Li Tai and Li Ke quickly followed.
Back at Ke Laoyang's royal city, no, it should be called Tianyou City now. Although it was still a palisade wall, there would surely be major construction in the future. "Momo duo, Bai qian gongye~" As soon as Fang Er returned to the wooden house, he saw Ke Laoyang beaming at him with a wide grin. Momo duo was his name. That awkward accent was definitely taught by Liu Laoqi.
In the evening, a bonfire was lit in the city. A group of native women, gathered around the fire, sang incomprehensible songs in their peculiar dialect while dancing. Well, if these movements, which looked more awkward than square dancing, could be called dancing. Yet, even so, Changle was delighted, her smile not leaving her face. She ran into the midst of the women and followed their movements, dancing along.
These native women had been informed by Momo duo in advance that these noble guests were the future masters of the island. Seeing the elegantly dressed, innocent, and adorable Changle dancing with them, they danced with even greater enthusiasm.
Crack! The animal skin on one of the women suddenly slipped off, revealing her bare body beneath. The woman quickly bent down to pick it up, her breasts trembling in the firelight. After retrieving the animal skin, she repeatedly bowed towards Fang Er, speaking in the local dialect.
"Bu kan wo zhi shi yi zhi yang~"
"Lu cao yin wei wo bian de geng xiang~~"
Fang Er: "........." Language barriers were truly awkward. He glanced back at Wang Xuance, "Make a note, send a scholar over later to teach them to read, write, and speak the Tang dialect."
"Yes, Gongye!" Wang Xuance nodded in agreement, then took out a small notebook and jotted it down to avoid forgetting. Liu Laoqi sidled up, a mischievous grin on his face, "Gongye, this woman says please don't blame her, it was unintentional."
Fang Er waved at the woman, signaling her to go back and put her clothes on properly before coming out. However, a short while later, there was another *crack*. The animal skin on a second native woman slid off.
Fang Er: "!!!" This was definitely intentional!
"Bu kan wo zhi shi yi zhi yang~"
"Yang er de gu shi nan yi xiang xiang~~"
This woman, after picking up her animal skin, also swayed her breasts and shouted at Fang Er. "Tell Momo duo, if there's a third one, I'll skin him alive!" Fang Er reprimanded Liu Laoqi. "Damn it, this guy is too much." Even the Li Tai and Li Ke brothers looked at them with disdain.
These native women could be described in three words: short, smelly, and dark. Not just ugly, but smelly! It was only because Changle was young and found it fun that she ran to dance with them. If Chai Yue were here, she would surely have stayed far away.