CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: THE FESTIVAL OF DEADLY GREED

She had just asked Yang Dachuan and Ms. Wang, and neither of them knew, as they hadn’t come in previous years either. They happened to see a bun shop, so she thought that she might as well buy a few buns to fill their stomachs in the morning, while also asking for information.

"Xiaxia, slow down, there are lots of people!"

"I got it!" Yang Chuxia waved her hand at Ms. Wang with her back facing her, and then continued to run towards the bun shop.

"How much do you sell these vegetable buns for?"

The bun shop owner saw it was a pretty young girl with two sesame twist braids and talked to her gently.

"Little girl, the vegetable buns are one coin each, and the meat buns are two coins each. Do you want the vegetable ones or the meat ones, and how many?"

"What kind of fillings are there in the vegetable ones?"

"For the vegetable ones, there are cabbage fillings and green vegetable fillings."

Yang Chuxia nodded, thinking she should get vegetable buns. Although the meat buns were not expensive, they were expensive to her. She had only dozens of coins in total and she better not be extravagant.

"Boss, could you give me twelve cabbage buns?"

"Alright!"

The shop owner was quick to wrap the buns and hand them to Yang Chuxia, giving her an extra piece of sugar cake.

"The sugar cake is a gift for you."

"Thank you, uncle!" Yang Chuxia happily accepted the buns and sugar cake, thinking that most people in ancient times were simple, and Old Lady Hua must have been an exception.

"By the way, uncle, I wanted to ask you something!"

"Go ahead, little girl!"

"I heard today is the Sea God Festival, so where is the sea where the rituals are held? My family and I came from the village to watch the festivities, but we don’t know where to go."

The bun owner laughed and pointed to the crowd behind Yang Chuxia, "Do you see all these people? They are going to the ritual. This year’s Sea God Festival is held on the South Sea. If you want to go, just follow them."

"Okay, thank you, uncle!"

After getting the information, Yang Chuxia happily held the buns and turned around to leave.

"Little girl, wait a moment."

"What is it, uncle?" Yang Chuxia looked puzzledly at the bun shop owner.

Then, the bun shop owner looked around and whispered into Yang Chuxia’s ear, "Little girl, let me give you a reminder. If you can avoid joining the festivity, don’t go. If you really want to see it, make sure you stick with your family and don’t run around."

"Why is that, uncle?"

"Little girl, let me tell you that every year, many fishermen can’t buy sea maidens for the rituals. If they’re lucky, they can find a corpse to make do. But if they can’t, they try to find a substitute. Some kind people offer high prices to the parents of little girls. But those with bad intentions will kidnap the girls in the crowd, cover their faces with a handkerchief during the ritual, and by the time the family realizes it, the body has long sunk into the ocean."

At this point, the bun shop owner looked at Yang Chuxia again and continued, "The best age for a sea maiden in the rituals is between ten and fifteen years old. Looking at you, little girl, you’re probably around eleven or twelve, and you’re quite pretty. I’m afraid someone might have their eye on you once you’re at the South Sea. I’ll tell you what, the prettier the sea maiden a fisherman sacrifices, the more prosperous their catch for the year. So, little girl, be extra careful."