Mutated Tao

“What rules?” Yang Xiaohai couldn’t help but become curious. Farmers on land didn’t have so many rules.

“What rules? Sea rules, of course. We boatmen have a few, like certain surnames can’t board the boat or certain words can’t be said on the boat. The boat people have even more rules than we do, even down to where they can relieve themselves.”

“I don’t know all the details. When you get home, make sure to ask your family so you don’t accidentally break any taboos.”

“Alright.” Yang Xiaohai tried to piece together an image of the boat people in his mind with the boatman’s description.

“But there’s one good thing about the boat people. Whenever there’s anything floating on the water, be it alive or dead, they have to fish it out for a look. If they don’t, their ancestors will be angry.”

With that, the boatman strongly tugged on his fishing rod and pulled up a blue-green fish glistening with seawater. The boatman nodded with satisfaction at his catch, then pulled out a knife from his waist and gutted the fish. He sliced it into thin and translucent pieces. As he poured some soy sauce over the fish, the flesh seemed to tremble as if it were still responsive.

The boatman picked up a few pieces with his fingers and put them into his mouth, chewing on them contentedly. “Want to try? The freshest fish is always the best. Anything that has been out of the water for more than fifteen minutes is sold to those clueless people on land.”

“No, thank you. I don’t eat raw fish,” Yang Xiaohai said, shaking his head lightly.

“Then you’re missing out. This fish is at its fattest now.” the boatman popped another piece into his mouth.

He continued, “Aren’t you looking for the boat people? We’re here. See those boats clustered together? That’s the place you’re looking for.”

Yang Xiaohai widened his eyes and looked in the direction the boatman was pointing.

He saw houses standing on stilts near the water’s edge. They were surrounded by a mix of old and new wooden boats.

“Is that my home? The place where I was born?” Yang Xiaohai felt a surge of emotion. He had endured countless hardships and traveled from Great Liang back to Hou Shu just for this day!

As the flat-bottomed boat approached the wooden island, he began to understand why the boatman had doubted he was from the boat people.

Years of exposure to the elements had given the boat people dark and weathered skin. They wore loose blue-black clothes, with the men often bare-chested and barefoot.

Their dark, smooth skin was adorned with scale tattoos, which covered some even on their faces. Both the men and women had similar tattoos.

Though the boat people looked at him with hostility, Yang Xiaohai felt an inexplicable sense of kinship.

“Excuse me, do you know someone called Chi Baishui?” Yang Xiaohai cautiously asked an old boatman on a nearby boat about his father’s name.

The old man just slammed his window shut with a stern face and shut off Yang Xiaohai’s friendly gaze.

With no response, Yang Xiaohai moved on to the next person. However, each one ignored him, and their hostility was evident in their expressions.

When he was starting to feel anxious, someone finally spoke to him, “What do you want with Chi Baishui?”

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a wet beard, which suggested he had just come out of the water.

Yang Xiaohai excitedly gestured, “I’m Chi Baishui’s son! I’m his son!”

“Son?” The man scrutinized Yang Xiaohai. “I don’t recall Chi Baishui having a son.”

“Can you take me to see him? He’ll recognize me once he sees me. I really am his son.”

The middle-aged man glanced at the flat-bottomed boat then waved his hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

Yang Xiaohai nodded, gave some instructions to Zhao Xiumei, then jumped into the water and swam over.

Under the man’s guidance, Yang Xiaohai leaped quickly between various boats. Most were old and patched up, but they felt strangely familiar to him. After some time, the middle-aged man brought Yang Xiaohai to an old, worn boat.

An elderly woman with graying hair and blue-scaled facial tattoos was sitting at the bow. Her tattoos mingled with her wrinkles, which gave her a bizarre appearance.

She looked confusedly at the middle-aged man. “What’s going on, Jiang Erlang? Who is this boy?”

“Is Uncle Baishui here? This boy says he’s your son,” Jiang Erlang signed to the elderly woman.

When she understood what he was trying to convey, her eyes widened and she looked at Yang Xiaohai. “You... you...you’re...Fifth Child?”

Yang Xiaohai was in a daze as he stepped forward, his body trembling slightly. He recalled hearing that his mother had become deaf, and this woman fit the description.

“Mom?” Yang Xiaohai asked hesitantly.

The elderly woman seemed to understand what he said, and she stumbled forward to embrace him.

She rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a faint birthmark on his elbow.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she exclaimed, “Fifth Child, it really is you! I never thought I’d see you again!”

Yang Xiaohai realized this woman was indeed his mother, then threw himself into her arms and hugged her tightly.

When he felt the sense of familiarity and warmth he had only dreamed of before, Yang Xiaohai felt that all the hardships he had endured were worth it. He finally had a mother.

He could proudly defend himself if anyone dared to insult him again!

“Fifth Child, I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” The elderly woman cried as she hugged Yang Xiaohai tightly.

The lost son that the Chi Family had sold off had now returned. Once his identity was confirmed, the other boat people softened their attitudes towards him.

When Yang Xiaohai was worried about how to get his cart from the flat-bottomed boat to his home, many boat people brought their boats to help.

After a flurry of action, Yang Xiaohai brought Zhao Xiumei, the three monkey children, and their carriage onto the Chi Family’s boat.

“Mom! This is my wife, Zhao Xiumei.” Yang Xiaohai gestured to make his deaf mother understand.

“Good! You’re so capable, being married at such a young age!”

“Mom, this is mutton from Qing Qiu. Try it. It’s very tasty!”

As Yang Xiaohai spoke with his mother emotionally, the other boat people gathered around and watched the warm reunion with smiles and occasional whispers.

Jiang Erlang saw that Yang Xiaohai was genuinely looking for his family, and his expression grew much gentler.

He whispered to a small boy beside him, “Where did Uncle Baishui go? This is so important, and he’s not here.”

“Uncle Baishui took his son to the Dragon King Temple.”

“Go inform him that the fifth child he sold in the past has found his way back.”