Chapter 194: The First Step

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: The First Step

For this beachcombing trip, they deliberately walked ahead of the crowd. Instead of lingering in the usual area behind their yard, they headed straight down the shoreline. As a result, many eyes naturally fell on them—specifically, on the unusual rain boots they wore.

Everyone knew that wearing ordinary shoes to the sea guaranteed they would be soaked. Usually, people wisely took off their footwear and waded barefoot. After all, most families in this village were far from wealthy; if their shoes got soaked every day, they might not have a dry pair left in case of an emergency outing. Plus, the sand and shallow waters often hid sharp shells and small critters. Ruining a good pair of shoes was a painful loss. Furthermore, wearing waterlogged shoes felt just as miserable—if not more uncomfortable—than standing directly in the water. For these reasons, most villagers preferred working barefoot, enjoying the freedom of movement while avoiding a myriad of troubles.

However, to everyone’s surprise, the shoes worn by the Ling Family were completely different from the common cloth shoes they were used to seeing. Even when splashed with seawater, the boots maintained a peculiar, slick luster that made them look exceptionally unique.

A few curious villagers approached to get a closer look. To their absolute astonishment, they discovered that the pant legs tucked inside the boots were completely dry, without a single water stain. Whatever condition the pants were in before they put the shoes on, they remained in that exact same condition. Such a miraculous sight was hard to believe! Witnessing this, the onlookers couldn’t help but lower their voices, whispering excitedly to their close friends about these magical shoes.

Yet, despite the swirling doubts and intense curiosity, no one dared to step forward and ask about them. Perhaps it was because they weren’t familiar enough with the family to strike up a conversation, or maybe everyone was simply too busy with their own chores to dwell on it. Thus, once their initial curiosity was somewhat satisfied, the villagers turned away and went back to work.

Standing off to the side, Hua Buwan appeared entirely calm and composed. She felt no anxiety whatsoever. She knew that as long as she successfully planted the seeds of curiosity and desire for these shoes, people would inevitably come asking about them sooner or later.

When the beachcombing concluded, the group divided their harvested seafood into two portions. One half was set aside for their own meals, while the other was carefully placed into buckets of water to keep the catch alive. They planned to take these to the market the next day to earn a bit of money for household expenses.

Hua Buwan had already made up her mind to wake up early the next morning and join them on their trip to that mysterious place: the morning market of Dongxuan Country. She was brimming with anticipation, eager to personally experience the unique lifestyle and local customs of the ancient people in this land.

She held so much curiosity and yearning for this morning market. She longed to witness the dazzling array of stalls and the bustling atmosphere of the trades. If she was lucky, she might even pick up a few tricks of the trade regarding how to arrange and run a stall. That way, when the time came for her to set up her own, she would be fully prepared and handle the business with ease.