There are a lot of interesting things to see when you go shopping, but Minna gets bored within a few days. She was young and had little interest in the city's monuments, at most glancing at the places mentioned in history textbooks. Every time she passed by the circus premises or the theater, she was disappointed, and within ten days, she offered to leave.

Xiao Tianjian had no choice but to agree. Actually, Innie is a very interesting city, but unfortunately many places are not suitable for children like her. Taking advantage of the fact that the people from the Xiao family branch were going to transport goods south to Doro Port, he decided to take a hitchhiker with his granddaughter.

The cargo ship was very large, and continued southeast along the great river, and soon encountered several rivers joining it, and then, two days later, turned into the Khambay River.

The shore here is no longer a big city, but a rural scene. On both sides of the bank are endless farmland, with a few hills and a few groves of trees. The fields are planted with green crops, and the fields are crisscrossed by small roads and streams, and there are several waterwheels erected to carry water from the river to the hillside. The houses were dotted with stars, and when the smoke rose at sunset, the children ran by laughing, followed by their parents, shouting loudly for the children to be careful.

Minna leaned on the side of the boat and looked at this scene, only to feel warm in her heart, remembering the scene when she used to live in Qiqi. In the evening, when my father returned from the knight's house, my mother would greet her on the road outside the door, and then we would go to her to play in the nearby woods, and the family of three would go home, and Winnie and Grandpa Marshall would have already prepared dinner.

She wanted to get off the boat and run like the kids. Since she entered the Shaonan Kingdom, she has never run on the spacious ground again. This time I went to Ito, and I heard that it is a big city second only to Yini, and most of them will not be able to relive the old days.

But the ship of the Xiao family trading house was going to transport goods to the harbor, and it was in a hurry, so it was impossible to stop for such a reason. Minna noticed that the people in the branch didn't seem to like her very much, so she didn't say much, but she was a little depressed.

When she finally arrived at Doro Harbor, she finally saw the long-awaited sea and the big ship, but she couldn't lift her spirits, and she was not even interested in her grandfather asking her to go to the beach with her. Xiao Tianjian thought she was sick, but he asked the doctor to come and see her, and said she was fine.

Puzzled, he quietly asked his little granddaughter why she felt unenergetic. Minna hesitated for a moment and whispered, "The people in the Enni branch and the Doro branch hate me, and they pretend to be kind to me in front of my grandfather, but when you are away, they ignore me. In the past, when my mother went to the magic capital, the people in the branch there did the same to my mother. Grandpa, don't they like me and Mom? But we didn't know them before, could it be because of Dad? ”

Xiao Tianjian listened, and didn't know how to answer for a while. He was also helpless. In order to win the trust of the people of the Heda family, the son deliberately made a false impression to make the other party think that he was dissatisfied with his father's years of neglect and discrimination from the Kajia family and was hostile to the Xiao family and the Kajia family. And after he knew, he had the intention of letting the people of the firm help his son and ease the relationship between the two parties by the way, but the son refused out of confidentiality, and it seemed that he could only find a way to untie the knot on the side of the firm after his son successfully completed the task, but now it is difficult to say anything.

After thinking about it, Xiao Tianjian said: "Since you don't like them treating you like this, let's just not go with them." The ship of the comptoir is going to depart tomorrow morning, and we follow it all the way, but we don't have time to have fun. How about we find another boat and slowly head north? ”

Minna was very happy to hear this, but she was a little hesitant: "But aren't we going to meet Mom and Dad in a hurry?" It's been a long time since I've been in Yini......"

"It's okay, it's okay." Xiao Tianjian waved his hand, "It's rare to come once, I want to come again next time, I don't know when, anyway, your parents don't know that we are going to find them, and it's okay to play for a few more days." ”

Minna smiled and nodded vigorously: "Okay." She immediately began to pack her belongings and left the compound with her grandfather, and she didn't care what the people at the branch would think about it.

The grandparents and grandchildren stayed in an inn near the port and enjoyed their vacation leisurely.

Located at the mouth of the Khambay River, there is a pocket-shaped natural harbour near the sea, which is an ideal place for boats with its low terrain and gentle currents. The high mountain cliffs north of the harbor keep the cold currents from the north, while the sea breeze from the southeast keeps the summer heat from the seaside city, so the Dora climate is spring-like and home to many wealthy merchant families.

Minna went to the harbor every day with her grandfather to see the big ships, the goods that Esther had delivered, including even spices from the merchant house of her grandfather, Viscount Jufa, and to wander the streets to see all kinds of beautiful shells, corals, ornamental fish, and feast on fresh seafood. She actually wanted to swim, and she had lived in the Magic Capital for two years, a skill she had already learned. But Xiao Tianjian thought that the sea in the harbor was too dirty and did not allow her to go, so she was scared, so she decided to take her to another place to swim.

Outside the port, along the cliff that stretches for hundreds of miles in the north, straight into the southern territory of East, there is a large bay, the bay is called the Coral Sea, there is a small island with a radius of more than ten kilometers in the sea, because of the coral reef around the island, it is named Coral Island, it is a well-known resort. Many of the wealthy or aristocratic families in the south of Shaonan and East would come to the island to recuperate in summer and winter, so in addition to the twenty or so villas of the rich on the island, there were only a few small wooden huts for the boatmen to spend the night, and there was not even a single inn.

The grandfather and grandson hired a medium-sized wooden boat and sailed out to sea to the verdant island in the distance.

Leaving the bustling harbor, Minna looked back from afar and saw thousands of ships docked in the harbor, neatly arranged, with countless small boats and sampans shuttling in between, transporting people and goods to and from the shore. Compared to these small boats, the ships seemed to be behemoths, and the masts of these ships could still be seen when the ship she was on was far away from the large buildings in the harbor. Outside the harbor, there is an endless stream of ships sailing in and out. On the high cliffs on the shore, gray-white lighthouses are erected.

The sea breeze blew gently, with a few wisps of fishy smell, and a little freshness and coolness, driving away the heat of midsummer. The sun shines on the surface of the sea, reflecting a golden light. Far from the bustling harbor, the water is calm, and although you can see the rushing water as it passes by the side of the boat, if you don't look closely, the entire Coral Sea is as calm as a giant sapphire.

Minna felt the rhythm of the boat floating up and down with the waves under her, naughtily bent down from the side of the boat, dialed the clear water, and suddenly saw a black shadow in the sea not far away, bluffed, retracted her hand, looked carefully, but found that it was a few big fish, looked back at her grandfather in surprise, Xiao Tianjian smiled and borrowed a big net from the owner and his son, threw it into the sea, and only waited for half an hour, and then netted more than a dozen fat big fish.

He handed the transparent fish meat under the small blade he carried with him to his little granddaughter, and Minna ate it, only feeling that it was sweet and crisp, and it was much more delicious than the grilled fish she had eaten before. The old boatman smiled and asked his son to bring some lemons, and she ate sashimi with sour lemon juice, and drank the fragrant fish soup that the young man simmered in a crockpot and a small charcoal stove, and felt very happy in the sea breeze.

The island in the distance had grown twice as big as somehow, and Minna had caught a glimpse of it, thinking she had dazzled. When the boatman and his son saw it, they hurriedly dropped their work, ran to the bow of the boat, bowed in the direction of the island, closed their eyes, and muttered something in their mouths.

Minna felt inexplicable, so she asked her grandfather what they were doing, Xiao Tianjian smiled, lowered his voice and said: "People here think that is Dragon Island, it will only appear occasionally, and ordinary people can't see it, if they see it, it means that a storm is coming, and people who are begging for a living on the boat will pray to the dragon god." In fact, although it is Dragon Island, it is actually just a mirage, and it is still far away from here, so it is impossible to see it. ”

Minna blinked and asked, "What is a mirage?" ”

"Well...... Xiao Tianjian scratched his head, "I don't remember clearly, it should be a natural phenomenon caused by the refraction of light, it can occur in places like the sea, the big lake, the desert, etc., anyway, you just need to know that it is a mirage, if you get closer, you may see it more clearly." ”

Minna nodded, and sat down beside him, waiting for the extra part of the island to disappear, and the boatman and father and son ended their prayers and returned to continue sailing.

Soon they approached Coral Island, and Minna could clearly see that the island was full of greenery, and in the middle was a low hill, and a few corners of the houses were exposed in the woods, which were probably the villas of the rich people. The shore is a circle of white sand beaches, and people are strolling on it. The color of the water's edge is different from the blue of the sea, but it is turquoise, and the water is faintly colorful.

Minna wondered what it was at first, but when she asked her grandfather, she found out that it was a coral reef. Because there are coral reefs offshore, boats entering and leaving the island only enter and exit from one place, and there is a gap in the reef.

Minna's boat did not enter the port, and under Xiao Tianjian's instructions, the boatman, father and son, drove the boat around the island for half a circle and came to another shore. The color of the water here is lighter, but the colors in the water are more vivid. Minna looked at the fish swimming in the clear water, and was itched to see the boatman and boy jump into the water to touch the shell coral, so she jumped into the water too. Xiao Tianjian called her twice, but still smiled and didn't care.

The water was very cool, diving into the sea, with all kinds of brightly colored corals at her feet, and small fish swimming around, Minna teased them for a while, and then went back to the surface to breathe. The young man had already returned to the boat, put the few beautiful fish he had caught in a large crockpot filled with seawater, and shook the small red coral branch in his hand at Minna: "Little girl, let's play with this." ”

Minna smiled and thanked her, plunged into the water again, touched two shells and got on the boat as a gift in return. The young man looked at the shells a few times, pried them open with his knife, and found that one of them had a small pearl, and took the meat out and put it in a bowl, and he returned the pearl to Minna. Minna didn't ask for it, but she was interested in what was wriggling on a few large corals he touched, and quickly took out a glass bottle and silver scraper from the bracelet, collected the little insects into it, and said with a smile: "I want this!" This is a rare potion material. ”

The young man was embarrassed, and glanced at Xiao Tianjian, but he just smiled: "It's okay, such a small pearl is nothing, you can take it." "The sea near here is his private property, and there are a lot of seashells, but the pearls produced are too small, and the yield is not high, which is really nothing for him who is rich in the world.

The young man was still there to push back, but the old boatman saw that Xiao Tianjian was a rich man and persuaded his son to accept the pearl.

As he spoke, the boat had entered a small bay with a gap about ten meters wide in the coral reef. Minna's grandfather and grandson took a boat to the shore and were about to pay for the boat, but they were rejected by the other party. A small pearl, though not precious, is enough to pay for ten boat trips.

On the slope of a hill fifty or sixty meters away from the beach, there is a small wooden house, surrounded by a lush fruit forest, which is Xiao Tianjian's "villa". Minna entered the house, found dust everywhere, and hurriedly released the sweeping turtle and rag bat, and then ran outside to help her grandfather get something to eat.

There is a mountain at the back, which can block the wind and rain on the sea, there are fruit forests around, the beach is not far from the house, and there is a natural pier, which is an excellent location. There were many powerful people who had the idea of this place, but after hearing that the master was Xiao Tianjian, they all dispelled their thoughts.

Life in the chalet is very laid back. Minna sleeps until she wakes up naturally every day (Xiao Tianjian sleeps later than her, so he won't call her), when she is hungry, she can pick fruits to eat (fruits here are very rare and cannot be eaten on the mainland), or go to the sea to catch fish and touch shells (I collected some small pearls and corals, and I plan to give them to my mother), build sandcastles on the beach when I am free, and lie down in a hammock under the tree on the shore when I am sleepy. If you get tired of playing, you can dig wild moss or seaweed in the mountains and the sea, some of which can be eaten, but most of them are used as potions in glass bottles by Minna.

Sometimes she would go to other people's places to look, but every time she was confused. Those people, who lived in such a playful place, were still dressed in neat and beautiful clothes, sat on the balcony or in the garden, chatted politely and drank tea, took small sips of fine pastries brought from the mainland, and talked about the capital in a whisper, and then the women would hide their mouths and smile, and the men would arrange their hats on their heads, even if they were sweating profusely, and would not take them off. They don't swim in the sea or play on the beach, at most they just take a walk, blow the sea breeze and eat some aquatic products.

Minna knows that this is the so-called aristocratic demeanor, she has long been accustomed to her mother's behavior since she was a child, but even her mother Dora, in a place like the Magic Capital, will not stick to aristocratic etiquette, let alone on such a vacation island? She really didn't understand, what was the difference between these people coming here and staying in the big city?

The leisurely days lasted for seven or eight days, and seeing that the weather was a little overcast, and the humidity in the sea breeze was heavier, Xiao Tianjian speculated that a storm would come. He checked the food he and his granddaughter had brought with him, and found that there was not much left, although he could rely on fruit and fish and shrimp to feed his stomach, but once there was a storm, it was inconvenient to go out, so he decided to go back to the mainland.

But they had trouble finding a boat. Most of the boats docked on the island were privately owned, and they all went back to Doro with their owners, and the few remaining wooden boats looked a little old, and the owners refused to go to sea, insisting on waiting for the storm to pass, they had enough water, and the sheds they lived in were sheltered from the wind, and they were not worried about not being able to survive.

Minna sat with her grandfather on the rocks on the shore and sighed in unison. She thought for a moment and suggested, "Let's pick more fruit, grill more fish, and put it in bracelets and rings, can't we?" I've also brought a magic stove, so we can survive even if we don't have much food. ”

Xiao Tianjian thought for a while and sighed, "I have to do this." The thought of having to eat fish for a few days in a row made him a little depressed.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind them: "Are you looking for a boat to leave?" I can help you. ”

Minna looked back when she heard the sound, and saw a beautiful girl who looked thirteen or fourteen years old standing behind them, with golden curly hair, snow-white skin, and a pair of sea-blue eyes, which made her smile even more charming. The girl was dressed in a sky-blue embroidered tulle dress and a small lace parasol with an ivory handle, and stood there gracefully. Minna remembered that she had seen the girl in those villas, and that she was one of the people who whispered and drank tea to cover her mouth and smile.

"Hello, may I ask if you are ......" Minna greeted the other party politely. The other party smiled sweetly: "My name is Bianca, and my villa is not far from here." I'm here with my brother, and I'm going to take a boat back, do you want to come along? She pointed to a large two-story boat parked at the dock not far away, and the crew was busily carrying things onto the ship, apparently intending to set sail.

Minna looked at her grandfather happily, and Xiao Tianjian also smiled: "That's so thankful." "It's okay to stay, but it's better to be able to go back to the mainland.

There were enough rooms on the ship to entertain their grandparents and grandchildren, Xiao Tianjian took a cursory glance, and then offered to thank Bienca's brother, except for the two siblings and the servants and crew on the ship, there seemed to be no one else on the ship.

They soon met Bianca's brother, a boy between a teenager and a young man, with the same blond hair and blue eyes as his sister, and the same beauty and charm. He commanded the crew to prepare for sailing, turned around and greeted Xiao Tianjian with a smile: "Fortunately, I am Hubert, Hubert Bowie, and this is my sister Bianca." Then he turned to Minna: "And this lovely young lady, it's a pleasure to meet you." He lifted Minna's hand and kissed the back of her hand gently.

Minna froze, no one had ever treated her with such courtesy, she quickly retracted her hand, and suddenly remembered her mother's teachings, so she hesitated to curtsy, and then turned to look at her grandfather, and found that his face was a little strange.

At this time, the ship opened, and the deck rose with a canvas and a flag embroidered with the family crest. Xiao Tianjian stared at the flag and said lightly: "I originally thought it would ...... You are the nobles of Shaonan. He glanced at Bianca's skirt and Hubert's white shirt and black waistcoat.

Hubert laughed: "We are Easterners, is there anything inconvenient for you?" His Excellency Count Shaw. ”

Xiao Tianjian didn't say anything, and Minna had some bad premonitions. How did they know Grandpa's name?

Bianka covered her mouth and chuckled: "Does Your Excellency Count have any doubts?" Is it because of my father? ”

Hubert smiled: "You should remember, right?" He once challenged you, but you refused. Afterward...... Because he is friendly with the heir of the Mattis family, he suffered a small loss from you, and he didn't even keep the family inheritance......"

He paused and smiled deeper: "Are you worried that our brother and sister will be bad for you?" Today, ten years after my father's death? ”

(Oops, guess what a beautiful boy and a beautiful girl would do?) ）