Early the next morning, after his routine workout with Valentina, Chuck returned inside the residence.
Just as he sat down at the dining table, picked up the boiled water Yitong had cooled in advance, gulped it down into his belly, and was letting out a satisfying sigh of pleasure, a plump figure appeared outside the door.
"Young Master Chuck, regarding the matter I spoke of three days ago, I wonder if you..."
"Come over and sit down first."
Chuck was somewhat surprised that she woke up so early, seemingly not needing to adapt to their schedule on the deserted island at all. But on second thought, in an era without electric lights, everyone naturally worked at sunrise and rested at sunset just like them now, so he no longer found it strange.
"Drink some."
A glass filled with a milky white liquid was gently pushed in front of her by Chuck. The surface of the glass still retained a slight warmth, blurring the edge of the glass with a thin mist.
"This is..."
"Goat's milk. Never had it?"
Liu Siyao was stunned for a moment, then took the glass, sniffed it gently, and couldn't help widening her beautiful eyes in surprise.
A rich, fragrant smell assaulted her nose, mixed with the sweetness of syrup. It was even more mellow than the borderland酥酪 (crisp cheese/yogurt) she had occasionally tasted a few years ago, and even carried a hint of elegant aroma like tea.
This... is goat's milk?
Although somewhat surprised in her heart, even a Tang Dynasty woman would still find it hard to resist the temptation of sweet milk. So she looked up and glanced at Chuck again, then carefully picked up the glass, slightly parted her sandalwood lips, and took a sip.
The next moment, a fragrant, smooth, and rich taste instantly spread over her lips, teeth, and oral cavity, causing Liu Siyao's tightly knit brows to involuntarily relax, and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
"It's actually so delicious..."
But the next second she snapped back to reality, realizing they were currently discussing a crucial matter. How could this be the time to savor goat's milk? Thus, she immediately put down the glass in her hand and looked at Chuck seriously again.
"Young Master Chuck, this humble woman has waited until dawn as you instructed. You should give a definite answer this time, right?"
"Sigh..."
Looking at Liu Siyao's serious expression, Chuck sighed helplessly, and ultimately pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Look at what this is first."
To make Liu Siyao understand reality, merely speaking wouldn't have any convincing power; it would only make this woman more suspicious of him.
But coincidentally, she was a merchant, and a merchant's most important skills are observation and judgment. So rather than Chuck painstakingly explaining, it was better to bring out an item sufficient to prove the truth, and let Liu Siyao see clearly and recognize reality herself.
Liu Siyao blinked, then stood up and picked up the pitch-black, brick-like object from the table. The sense of weight once she held it also startled her.
What is this thing??
Smooth to the touch, like a mirror surface, and pitch-black like ink...
Could it be... black jade?
The first thing Liu Siyao associated it with was this kind of pitch-black jade stone she had previously seen by chance once. It was said to be produced in the extreme south. Although extremely rare, because its color was too pitch-black, it was not popular, and therefore its value was quite low.
What does he mean by showing me such a low-value jade artifact?
"On the side, there's a protrusion. Not the three on this side, the other side, yes..."
"?"
"Why are you looking at me, press it down."
Chuck picked up the glass and waved his hand, wearing an expression that said 'you'll understand everything immediately'.
Liu Siyao was truly made somewhat dizzy by him, but ultimately could only do as he said and gently pressed that strange protrusion.
The next moment, the originally pitch-black "black jade" actually suddenly lit up. An image of a seductive, half-naked blonde girl lying prone on a bed, raising her jade feet and blowing kisses at the camera, appeared before her completely off guard.
Unsurprisingly to Chuck, Liu Siyao let out a cry of "Ah!", directly tossing the mobile phone in her hand away. Chuck, who had been prepared long ago, quickly grabbed it in mid-air with sharp eyes and quick hands, preventing this precious mobile phone from being smashed.
"This, this, this, this..."
The female merchant, who had always been quite calm and composed since arriving on the island, completely lost her composure this time. Her face was deathly pale. Extending a trembling finger pointing at the strange thing in Chuck's hand, she actually entered a stuttering state for a moment.
"This thing is called a mobile phone. As the name suggests, it's a machine held in the hand. It's a product from over a thousand years after your era."
"Its main functions are talking through the air, recording time... Click, see, this is the expression on your face just now. And playing music, Hajimi~ Namerudo (Japanese song lyrics). By the way, this one just now is top-tier music from a thousand years later."
Regardless of Liu Siyao's receptivity, Chuck fiddled with the phone while outputting an amount of information that could be considered brain-reconstructing for her.
It wasn't until Liu Siyao's expression went from terrified to horrified, then to confused, and finally to numb, her eyes somewhat glazed, that Chuck finally stopped the introduction of the mobile phone and began the most crucial part.
He put down the phone, picked up the glass on the side, cleared his throat, and after giving Liu Siyao a little time to organize her thoughts, spoke again.
This time, he cut straight to the point.
"Although I don't know exactly which era you are in, in short, the Great Tang has perished."
As soon as these words came out, Liu Siyao's already numb expression turned pale again.
"How is that possible... how is this possible..."
Liu Siyao finally spoke tremblingly, but her voice was so small it was almost inaudible, her face frighteningly pale.
Initially, she just thought Chuck was talking nonsense to deceive her. But when she witnessed the things this artifact called a "mobile phone" could do, she asked herself: having been a merchant for many years, even if she hadn't seen most things in the world, she had mostly heard of them. Yet there was absolutely nothing similar or even close to this item... Intuition told her that this was absolutely not something that could exist in this mortal world.
So she listened to Chuck's subsequent words with increasing fear and trepidation.
The Great Tang... perished?
Yes, back then, the monstrous disaster stirred up by those two barbarian rebels An Lushan and Shi Siming almost shattered the Great Tang's empire to pieces. But that was nearly fifty years ago... The current Emperor wasn't as weak as the previous few. The imperial court had won successive battles in recent years, the great victory in Huaixi was only a few years ago. The commercial markets in Yangzhou and Yuezhou were increasingly bustling every year. The Great Tang clearly still had its destiny intact...
If it were in the past, she absolutely wouldn't believe these words. But right now, as a subject of the Great Tang, she actually didn't know how to refute this man spouting nonsense in front of her. Thus, her already pale face looked even worse.
Chuck turned a blind eye to this, just blindly narrating.
"Not just the Great Tang, but the subsequent Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. Just like the Great Tang, although they all prospered for a time, in the end, it was nothing more than fatuous monarchs, rampant corrupt officials, exorbitant taxes and levies, leaving the people with no means of livelihood. Thus the common people rose in rebellion, overthrowing the old dynasty and establishing a new one. One dynasty after another, but the results were mostly the same."
"If that is truly the case, won't the world never see peace?!"
Liu Siyao finally couldn't hold back. She slapped the dining table heavily, spilling a few drops of warm milk from the glass. She actually stood up directly, her cheeks flushed, glaring at Chuck with widened eyes. In her heart, she only felt this person was truly a colossal fool; not a single word out of his mouth could be believed!
"What are you anxious for? I haven't finished yet."
Chuck crossed his legs, casually waved his hand, ignored her aggressive gaze, and continued speaking on his own.
"It was about a little over a hundred years from where we are now. Many blonde, blue-eyed foreigners came from overseas, just like them. While we were changing dynasties over and over again, they were advancing generation after generation on the other side of the ocean. Thus foreign enemies invaded, ceding territory and paying indemnities, the common people were slaughtered. After enduring nearly a hundred years of dark days, eventually great men toppled the old system and built a new country based on the people. The whole nation worked hard with one heart. In just a few short decades, a broken country became a prosperous and powerful golden age again. Then no outsiders dared to bully us at will anymore, and the common people naturally had peace."
Chuck squeezed remaining middle school knowledge points from his impoverished brain, then used his currently powerful logical thinking and memory to summarize and integrate them in his mind. After finishing unhurriedly in the end, he didn't forget to raise the mobile phone in his hand and add a sentence.
"Of course, this 'mobile phone' is currently also far ahead of the foreigners, at least the signal is."
"Young Master Chuck speaks good lies... do you truly take me for a child?"
Liu Siyao's face looked extremely ugly. Although Chuck's words made her mind a tangled mess, her spirit hazy, and even sent a chill down her spine, she ultimately couldn't accept it. In the end, she could only treat it as Chuck deceiving her, not wanting to send her off the island back to Jiangnan.
However, Chuck wasn't surprised by this reaction of hers; he could even understand it.
After all, it's hard for people to believe things outside their cognition. For example, if next time a cyber girl from the future washed ashore and told Chuck that a thousand years later the world wasn't destroyed by Trisolarans or an omnic crisis, but conquered by a tribe of octopuses from the bottom of the sea, Chuck would probably also want to disassemble her cyber head first to see if there was a short circuit somewhere.
But understanding doesn't mean supporting. After all, Chuck being patient up to this point was already doing his utmost.
"Anyway, whether you believe it or not, the facts are as such. You can continue to use that bed in the cave. As long as you help me look after the silkworms normally, I will continue to provide your three meals a day. But if you want to go out to sea, forgive me for not being able to accompany you. If you insist on going out to sea, you can chop trees and build a boat on this island yourself. I can lend you tools."
After Chuck finished speaking, he snapped his fingers. Before long, Yitong brought an iron axe from outside the house.
Handing the iron axe to Liu Siyao, Yitong looked at the two glasses of "goat's milk" on the table. Her beautiful face couldn't help but burn. Secretly shooting Chuck a reproachful look, she turned and stepped into the kitchen with red ears.
The bedroom door was pushed open. During the time the two were talking, the women in the house also got up one after another, starting a new day on the deserted island.
Liu Siyao looked at Chuck and the surrounding women walking past her one after another. In her heart, she confirmed again a reality that chilled her to the bone.
Whether the words this Chuck said were deceiving her or not, one thing couldn't be wrong.
He and these beauties around him looked like they were already dead set on spending the rest of their lives on this island.
Father was right, living in this world, ultimately one can only rely on oneself for everything.
Thinking this, Liu Siyao painfully closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
If she couldn't return to Jiangnan, the Yaoguang Society founded single-handedly by her father would probably collapse instantly. In that case, she might as well have truly died in that shipwreck.
Therefore, she simply treated those words Chuck said as false.
Organizing her tangled thoughts, Liu Siyao ultimately bowed to Chuck again, apologizing for her loss of composure just now.
"This humble woman was momentarily anxious and showed much disrespect. I offer my apologies to Young Master Chuck. Since that is the case, then please allow this humble woman to continue staying temporarily for a few more days. Once I have prepared a boat, I will go out to sea alone and trouble the Young Master no further."
"Of course, no problem. Please go ahead."
Chuck smiled and waved his hand gently. Then he completely ignored her, turned around, reached out and pulled Julia, who had just come out of the room, into his arms, and got sweet and intimate with her.
Taking the opportunity, Julia sat on Chuck's lap. A pair of jade legs naturally wrapped around his waist. Her small face buried in his sturdy chest, golden long hair cascading over his shoulder. Her whole person hung on his body like a koala.
"Darling, you look so handsome today~"
The large mare's voice was soft and squishy, carrying a hint of coquettish sweetness. Presumably, it was last night's "agreement" that made her love for Chuck soar to an unprecedented height.
Seeing this, Chuck chuckled softly. His large hands directly grabbed her amazingly bouncy snowy buttocks, unhesitatingly kneading them forcefully.
"Horny first thing in the morning?"
After speaking, he unceremoniously grabbed her soft, fluffy blonde hair with one hand, forcefully pulling Julia's exquisite small face back in front of him. Then he raised his other hand to pinch that soft, smooth chin. Under the gaze of her hazy and submissive green eyes, he domineeringly took her sweet, soft lips into his mouth, wrapped around her soft pink tongue, and sucked heartily.
Julia's delicate body trembled. Peach hearts immediately appeared in her eyes, and a satisfied whimper escaped her throat. Her slender arms instinctively wrapped around Chuck's neck, her jade feet locking tightly behind the chair back. The area between her legs gradually grew wet, and she responded even more passionately.
Liu Siyao on the side completely petrified in place. Her almond eyes widened slightly, her cheeks rapidly flushing with a blush visible to the naked eye.
Just a moment ago they were still discussing serious business, yet in the blink of an eye, he was holding this blonde foreign woman tightly right in front of others, even opening his mouth to kiss as if no one else was there... Even this blonde foreign woman displayed a seductive posture she couldn't even imagine.
That appearance was simply more wanton than the most wanton woman in a brothel.
Yet she was completely ignored, like an errand boy serving tea and water in a brothel. She could only stand stiffly in place, watching this blonde foreign woman wrap around Chuck like a kitten, letting out bursts of blush-inducing sounds.
Liu Siyao only felt her throat tighten. That pair of heavy, massive breasts tightly wrapped by her soaked silk dress heaved violently with her rapid breathing, almost bursting the lapel.
Having struggled in the Jiangnan commercial sea for many years, she was quite knowledgeable. She knew there were quite a few men with three wives and four concubines at home, indulging in lust in broad daylight. But seeing it with her own eyes, today was the first time.
Liu Siyao subconsciously took half a step back. The cyan silk dress clung to her plump, beautiful body, her knees also trembling slightly. She bit her lower lip tight, attempting to maintain her state of mind, only to find her own fingers trembling slightly uncontrollably.
"Then... then this humble woman will take her leave first..."
Her mind in a tangled mess, holding the axe in her hand, Liu Siyao turned and hurriedly walked out of the residence.
After stepping out of the door, she didn't forget to whisper softly.
"It's one thing to sing and dance every night normally, after all, this is your home. But to do this kind of thing right in front of someone's face..."
"...Truly shameless!"