Tang Qiyue watched as Hu Peng came to call Zhan Zeyi. The two men pretended that nothing had happened.
"Something's happened," Hu Peng whispered.
After hearing the report, Zhan Zeyi told Hu Peng to go ahead first. He returned to the house and spoke to Tang Qiyue.
"There's a mission. We'll be out at sea for a few days. Take care of yourself."
He grabbed his training uniform while meeting Tang Qiyue's surprised gaze.
"Don't worry. It's just a routine mission."
Although Tang Qiyue had never experienced something like this before, Hu Peng's expression earlier didn't look like it was merely routine.
Still, she nodded.
"Then… be careful."
Tang Qiyue suddenly handed him a small transparent pill wrapped in plastic.
"Take this with you. Don't use it unless you're on your last breath."
She didn't explain what it was, but Zhan Zeyi wasn't foolish enough to think it was something ordinary.
"Alright."
He placed the pill in his shirt pocket and buttoned it securely.
When he reached the door, he suddenly turned back, hugged Tang Qiyue, and whispered in her ear:
"Wait until I come back and prove whether I'm strong enough."
Tang Qiyue was speechless.
There was no need to rush that much.
Outside, there was already a commotion—Hu Peng and the others were probably waiting. Zhan Zeyi didn't linger and quickly left.
This was the first time Tang Qiyue had seen him off on a mission.
Although she didn't feel deeply attached to him yet, an inexplicable feeling stirred in her heart.
Just as she watched Zhan Zeyi and Hu Peng running toward the dock, Zheng Hongxia and Zheng Hongjuan returned from the fishing village.
"Don't worry," Zheng Hongxia said calmly. "It's not dangerous. As long as they don't open fire, they'll be back in three days at most."
But Tang Qiyue caught a different part of that sentence.
"Open fire? What do you mean?"
Only then did Zheng Hongxia realize Zhan Zeyi probably hadn't told her the details of the mission.
Zheng Hongjuan quickly explained.
"It's those restless sea monkeys again. They often intrude into our waters and cause trouble. Usually the navy just drives them away, but sometimes pirates appear, and support is needed."
Zheng Hongxia nodded.
The country was still weak at the moment, and neighboring forces were constantly probing their borders. That was why Zhan Zeyi and Political Commissar Wu had been tasked with training a special team.
Their team specialized in naval combat operations.
Hearing this, Tang Qiyue grew even more worried about their safety.
"Don't worry," Zheng Hongxia reassured her. "They're all experienced soldiers. They know how to protect themselves."
She then asked about the fisherwoman's condition.
Keeping busy helped people avoid worrying too much.
Tang Qiyue learned that Dr. Qin had stayed in the fishing village to care for the injured woman.
Since a doctor was watching over her, there shouldn't be any problems.
As for the fisherwoman's husband, Zheng Hongxia said coldly that he definitely wouldn't escape punishment.
While chatting, the three women walked along the beach.
Soon only a small black dot of the departing boat could be seen on the horizon.
Zheng Hongjuan suddenly kicked off her shoes and ran into the water.
"The fishermen said there are pearl oysters on the other side of the island. I wonder when we'll get to see them!"
Meanwhile, Tang Qiyue and Zheng Hongxia continued walking along the shore, discussing the situation of women in the fishing village.
Eventually Zheng Hongxia asked about Tang Qiyue's medical skills.
Tang Qiyue didn't avoid the topic.
"Although our Tang family are merchants, my maternal grandmother's family were once imperial physicians. Their surname was Li."
Zheng Hongxia immediately reacted.
"And before my uncle and aunt sacrificed their lives, they studied medicine abroad. When the country was in crisis, they returned and worked in battlefield medical rescue."
Tang Qiyue normally didn't mention her relatives. Her mother had a poor relationship with that side of the family and was essentially driven away.
Later, the relatives disappeared one after another, and her mother refused to talk about them.
Zheng Hongxia studied Tang Qiyue carefully.
There really was a sense of familiarity.
"I see," she said quietly.
She didn't question further, which meant she accepted Tang Qiyue's explanation.
"I only learned a little," Tang Qiyue added modestly. "I'm not really good at treating patients."
Zheng Hongxia didn't believe that at all.
Instead, she asked,
"So what do you plan to do now? Would you like to work at the clinic?"
As someone responsible for military families, Zheng Hongxia had to help arrange things for Tang Qiyue.
Tang Qiyue shook her head.
"No need. Dr. Qin is doing a good job. I just arrived on the island and I'm not thinking about work yet."
She was still young, and Zheng Hongxia understood.
"Then when you decide what you want to do, let me know."
Tang Qiyue agreed readily.
At that moment, Zheng Hongjuan suddenly screamed and ran toward them in panic.
"What happened?"
Zheng Hongxia's expression changed immediately.
The ocean was far more dangerous than people realized.
"Sister! There's a sea snake!"
Zheng Hongjuan's face was pale. She was extremely afraid of snakes, especially venomous sea snakes.
Zheng Hongxia quickly pulled her out of the water as the snake slithered closer.
Tang Qiyue, however, wasn't afraid at all.
In fact, she was excited.
Sea snakes were valuable. Their meat was highly nutritious, and their skin was also useful.
She looked around, picked up a seashell with sharp edges, and walked toward the water.
Under Zheng Hongjuan's stunned gaze, Tang Qiyue flicked the shell forward like a skipping stone.
The sea snake suddenly went wild.
Soon the seawater turned red.
Tang Qiyue calmly used a branch from the shore to hook the snake and drag it onto land.
"My goodness… how did you do that?" Zheng Hongjuan asked in shock.
Tang Qiyue grabbed the snake by the neck to make sure it was dead.
"Sea snake skin is a great ingredient," she said happily. "And the meat is very nutritious. We can stew it tonight."
Zheng Hongjuan shivered, rubbing her arms.
She would never dare to eat something like that.
Zheng Hongxia felt the same but chose not to discourage Tang Qiyue when she saw how excited she looked.
Tang Qiyue didn't care whether others approved.
Checking the time, she said goodbye to the sisters and returned home.
Originally she planned to cook the snake for dinner.
But when she scanned it with the trading system, she discovered the sea snake was extremely valuable and worth a large number of points.
So she immediately gave up the idea of eating it.
However, when she tried to exchange it for something, she discovered that the trading system had a limitation.