Overnight, Shen Lu became the nominal wife of a battle-scarred garrison commander stationed on a lonely island.
Poisoned into silence, she couldn't speak. She had no dowry, and her family hadn't given her a single coin. They dumped her on the island as if she were already dead.
On top of that, three little troublemakers, the orphans of fallen comrades, pointed kitchen knives at her. The rice jar was nearly empty, and supplies had stopped coming three months ago.
Everyone on the island waited for a spectacle. How could a mute woman possibly live with a fearsome general whose scarred face kept everyone away?
Shen Lu glanced down at the holographic map of the sea in her mind and smiled.
The fish shoals, mineral veins, and hidden reefs were all clearly marked.
Couldn't speak? No problem.
She picked up a charcoal pencil and wrote the first order of the day on the wall: When the tide goes out, gather seafood. Then eat.
The three starving kids grabbed their bamboo baskets and raced with her toward the beach.
Years later, the neglected island the imperial court couldn't be bothered to govern had become the greatest maritime hub, bustling with ships from every direction.
And that fearsome general was chasing his mute wife all over the island, begging her to give back the trade ledger for their overseas business.
Shen Lu wrote a line on a piece of paper and handed it to him.
"Want the ledger? First hand over the hundredth grasshopper you made for Third Girl."
Lu Huai froze.
At that moment, Third Girl was peeking around the door with half her face visible, clutching an iron box. Then she quickly ducked back inside...
