Chapter 4: The Tormenting Little Abode

You are not staying in the water without coming ashore, so where do the barnacles come from

Su Gu conversed with the sailors at the dock: "Is it common to encounter deep-sea ship girls at sea?"

Little Tilbits rebutted: "It's quite troublesome; it can be called whatever you like."

No.

It is elder sister, elder sister!

Confident in his quick wit, even without money, Su Gu easily thought of a solution to the problem. He said, "I will ask the sailors at the dock; cargo ships generally require the protection of ship girls. Then we can make it to board a ship, promising to provide protection. You can act as the protector since you are a ship girl."

Little Tilbits displayed a bewildered expression and said, "Alas, I have never eaten lychee"

In the afternoon, he happened to walk to the dock in the county town. At the dock, he stepped on the stone bricks covering the ground and looked at the neatly arranged large warehouses by the roadside. The area was bustling with people, and huge passenger ships were anchored on the sea. On the narrow road, various black cars resembling Ford models from the Republic of China era, tall horses pulling beautifully decorated carriages, rickshaws, and handcarts were present. Due to several ships being stranded in the county town, the number of vendors at the dock was greater than ever. The narrow road was filled with various black cars resembling Ford models from the Republic of China era, tall horses pulling beautifully decorated carriages, rickshaws, and handcarts. Because several ships were stranded in the county town, the number of vendors at the dock was greater than ever, with travelers, vendors, sailors, opportunists, workers pushing wooden carts to transport goods by the roadside, street performers sitting on the ground entertaining with monkey shows, beggars, and all sorts of people, making this place resemble a museum exhibiting the scenery of the Republic of China in the 1930s.

"Nonsense, you usually call Sister Shengwang and Sister Hude so well, why not just call her Aunt Hude then?" He squinted his eyes, recalling the time in middle school when he went to the amusement park. He wanted to borrow a map from the woman in front of him, but as soon as he called her 'Auntie', he immediately saw her almost jumping in response, followed by a long lecture of "Call me Sister" and "Call me Sister". If Little Tilbits were to call Aunt Hude, that scene would surely be quite spectacular. Then he was subjected to a long tirade of "Call me Sister" and "Call me Sister" again. If Little Tilbits were to call Aunt Hude, that scene would surely be quite spectacular.

At this moment, on the busiest street in the county town, a coconut vendor has set up a wooden table under the shade of a tree. Beside the table, a little girl with short pink hair is holding a coconut, displaying an unpleasant expression on her face. The reason for her displeasure is the adult sitting opposite her, who is suppressing a smile.

Others appear to be only in their teens, how can one call them auntie

... ...

Auntie? Two coconuts, two coconuts

As the sky darkens, the evening glow of the sunset casts a rosy hue over the dock. He watches a ship depart, and then sees another vessel slowly approach the shore. On the dock, sailors throw down the mooring lines from the deck, and the dock workers then secure the lines tightly. This dock lacks a gantry crane, and the cargo ship does not have large containers. Workers by the dock are building a platform for the cargo ship, and someone stands on the ship speaking about something. Soon after, the workers begin unloading goods from the ship.

At this moment, Xiaoti Erbitz was fiddling with a coconut and said: "It is impossible to see what it looks like from the back; isn't it similar to an older sister or an aunt?"

Summer

Su Gu tapped his fingers on the dining table and said, "Isn't it said that Lexington is in Gui City? We need to take a boat, right?"

Will you help me change the paint? I want to apply red paint

Then there is a sweet smile: "Call me sister"

Sitting in front of the table, Tielbitz shook his legs and said, "Admiral, what have you been discussing with those people all this time?"

As night falls, dinner consists of seafood

Su Gu smiled and asked, "Which city is your fleet heading to?"

I used to always dream that I was standing in a port, with many airplanes flying above my head, dropping numerous bombs down; it was truly terrifying

Guicheng is the city where Lexington is located, which is quite far from here

However, Little Tilly is certainly not a weakling, retorted: "Alright, alright, let's call her Aunt Hood, let's call her Grandma Hood"

Admiral, can you knock the barnacles off us

In the end, the rather aggrieved Tielbitz held a coconut, enduring the malicious laughter of a certain unscrupulous adult

If one cannot distinguish clearly, it is certainly appropriate to call her "sister"; after all, there is no mistake in calling someone "sister". In any case, referring to someone in a younger manner is definitely not a mistake.

Why

After Su Gu became the governor, he returned to the county town in the afternoon. The next day, he took Xiao Tielbits for a stroll around, including a visit to the local church. The church was not large and offered little of interest, merely a distant view of a group of people worshipping. Although he had just experienced such a miraculous event, transitioning from one world to another, he still believed that it was merely unknown science rather than divine. To this day, he still reluctantly identifies as an atheist, though not very firmly; to some extent, it could be said that he respects the supernatural while keeping his distance. After leaving the church, he prepared to return to his residence along the street

Under the dim light, Su Gu held the chopsticks and said, "But the money I have on me is simply not enough for us to buy the tickets, so I was thinking of other ways"

Su Gu was taken aback for a moment and said, "I don't want to do it either, but I don't have the money for us to take a passenger ship. I have already mentioned that I am very poor."

Su Gu understood the life of the battleship Tirpitz, which had hardly been active throughout its existence, yet ultimately sank due to the bombing by the British forces. In the darkness, he whispered, "Whatever you say."

Not long after, as night fell, the lights were turned off. Little Tilbits was sleeping in her bed, while Su Gu was sleeping on the cool mat on the floor. Although they could share a bed, Little Tilbits was a young girl, and Su Gu felt it was important to be self-aware first.

At this moment, he looked at the little Tielbits bouncing ahead and said, "Have you heard of another way to eat lychee? Dipping it in soy sauce."

Su Gu fell silent for a moment and calmly said: "In fact, there is another reason for not operating passenger ships, and this reason is particularly important. When setting sail, it will be quite late, whereas cargo ships can depart the next day once they are loaded, although the conditions are somewhat harsh."

Aunt, aunt, I want two coconuts

Little Tilbits did not speak, scraping her bowl clean, as she sat high up on the chair, her legs dangling in the air, swaying without knowing what she was thinking. Soon after, Little Tilbits suddenly raised her head and said: "Do we really have to take the cargo ship? It must be quite uncomfortable."

Su Gu suddenly felt a surge of guilt

However, escorting cargo ships requires a significant amount of fuel and ammunition, and the costs of replenishment are even higher than those for passenger ships, incurring additional expenses.

At the ticket window on the dock, Su Gu looked at the schedule displayed on the glass: "How much is a ticket to Guicheng?"

... ...

The response received indicates that the cost of the ticket is simply unaffordable. Ultimately, the work he has done so far has yielded very little in terms of salary. Coming here means that his previous savings have no relevance to the present situation. Currency is unable to circulate at all, and his entire salary is essentially tied up in housing expenses. Everything requires spending money, including the wardrobe, furniture, and basin.

Little Tilbits's voice suddenly paused, and he said: "Admiral, may I sleep with you?"

"Um, Admiral, I would like to hear a story"

Su Gu continued to remain silent, and then said: "Oh, indeed. Hmm... Is it enough for you to have only these dishes for dinner? Children need to eat more to grow properly"

Before long, he felt Little Tilbits sleeping beside him, her small hand grasping his clothing

Admiral, I have caught you. You won't suddenly leave again, will you? Even if you try to leave, you won't be able to escape.

"But I have money, it was given to me by Sister Meow in the past, and I have never spent it." Little Tielbitz grabbed a handful from his pocket and released it on the table, after which coins clinked and fell down.

The owner of the coconut juice stand is a girl of only a little over ten years old, but because she has tied a floral cloth on her head, she appears to be much older, as that is an attire typically favored by older women. However, one can still see faint fuzz on her slightly dark face, indicating that she cannot be very old.

However, the shipping routes cannot approach the coast, and there should be areas that the naval base cannot cover.

I recall the conversation we just had

The journey of Little Tielbits has been fraught with hardships all along, and only now, upon finding her admiral, has she settled down. At this moment, holding a bowl, she realizes that her admiral has finally shown some awareness of his role. She responds, "Hmm, and then?"

This coastal county has just experienced a rain shower, and now the skies have cleared. The sky is a deep blue, as if washed clean, stretching endlessly. However, the coolness in the air dissipates quickly, and soon one can see the locals sitting in the numerous archways of the bridges, seeking relief from the heat.

Indeed, large fleets are always accompanied by ship girls for protection, but for smaller vessels, it depends on luck

Is there anything more distressing for a young girl than being called "Auntie"? She couldn't even attend to her own business, even though the other party was just a little girl, yet she still called out.

It is not so easy to encounter deep-sea ship girls, as there is a naval base guarding every sea area.

Is painting a problem? Not at all.