Cui Shijiu from the capital sent someone to urge for the tribute pearls. Cui Wu claimed that there had just been a big fire, not only destroying the pearls but also losing the accounting ledgers. The messenger did not grant any leniency because of this. Cui Shijiu reminded Cui Wu that, according to the higher-ups’ demands, not a single pearl could be missing. Knowing that the visitor was a formidable figure, Cui Ding fled overnight with his stash of gold to avoid trouble.
When Danwu woke up, she was already out of danger. She went up to the deck to once again express her gratitude to Zhang Jinran for saving her life. Zhang Jinran spoke of the many beautiful sights he had seen during this trip away from the capital, saying the most amazing were the pearl divers who leaped back and forth between the ship and the sea. To Danwu, the beautiful scenes Zhang Jinran described sounded bittersweet; these pearl divers jumped between the sea and the ship merely to survive, perhaps avoiding sharks or even killing their own comrades.
Stills from Episode 3 of “The Story of Pearl Girl”
As the ship sailed all the way to the dock, Danwu recalled that when she parted from her mother, she had accidentally dropped the blood pearl her mother gave her on the beach, which was picked up by Cui Ding. This time, when she saw Cui Ding, she instructed her younger brother to wait obediently at the dock while she went to retrieve the keepsake from her mother.
Before the Pearl Tower was burned down, Cui Ding had sold all the pearls to Yan Zijin, but later his subordinates informed him that the gold was fake. Cui Ding hated Yan Zijin to the core. However, Yan Zijin’s people had been watching Cui Ding, and as soon as they saw him escape ashore, they blocked his path.
Her mother’s killer was her mortal enemy; enraged, Danwu grabbed a big wooden stick and desperately attacked Cui Ding. Yan Zijin did not stop her, letting Danwu vent until she was done. Danwu saw the blood pearl that had rolled away and was about to pick it up, but her hand was harshly stepped on by Yan Zijin, making it impossible to reach.
The people on the ship thought Danwu was stealing. Although she insisted that the pearl was hers, she could not escape the fate of being punished. Yan Zijin ordered his men to tie Danwu up with ropes and hang her under the deck. Danwu held tightly to the ropes, and with her strong willpower, she was finally pulled back up onto the deck.
That night, Danwu did not rest for a moment. She went straight to the cargo hold in the ship. She had already found the blood pearl but was caught by Yan Zijin’s subordinates. Yan Zijin reminded her that she wouldn’t get the pearl back this way because she was too weak. Only when she became stronger could she retrieve the pearl.
Stills from Episode 3 of “The Story of Pearl Girl”
Danwu asked Yan Zijin to name a price. She originally wanted to negotiate, but unexpectedly, every time she mentioned a price, Yan Zijin would increase it by another million. Finally, they settled on a price of three million. Danwu had to find a way to earn money to redeem the pearl. She asked Yan Zijin to give her some time; once the ship docked, she would have an opportunity.
Yan Zijin’s subordinate, Kang Ju, had taken a liking to Danwu. After a long time drifting at sea, he felt very bored. Having met Danwu several times and finding her sharp-tongued, clever, and brave, he suggested to Yan Zijin that they might as well keep her around. Yan Zijin did not agree, reminding Kang Ju to find something to do and not to get any ideas about Danwu.
