They had a pleasant meal with the old couple. The fisherman's wife explained to them that since all their children had left the nest it felt rather lonely along this span of marshland. She was more than happy to have them join her and brought out a wide array of food. There were steam-buns and yam and fish that only Yuan Xuelan ate. It was by far a fancy or complicated dinner but it was nice and homely.
The Ivory Sword Saint didn't say much but nodded at their words, eating with dainty neat bites. Next to him, Yuan Xuelan chatted up a storm, leaning toward the old couple to both listen and ask questions. He asked about each of the couple's eight children and what they were out in the world doing.
He also asked about an old boat tied to the little dock and asked if they could borrow it.
The fisherman was hesitant at first but Liu Sumeng offered to pay up a sizable boon for their trouble, enough to buy themselves a new boat and more.
