Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

As the enormous whale was dragged onto the beach, everyone gathered to witness this spectacular sight. For these people, it was truly the first time in their lives that they had observed such a large animal up close.

"My God, what a huge fish! It's terrifying!"

"Such a big fish, it must have so much meat. If I had it all, I could eat it all my whole life and still not finish it."

"Eat it for the rest of your life? Dream on. It'll go bad in three days. I don't know how the Lin family caught it. They couldn't have just gotten lucky and found it."

"Go outside and pick one up and see. Didn't you see the iron spear on the big fish? It's obvious they killed it."

"They're really something. Oh well, I guess I'm a sailor of the Lin family now too. Never mind."

"Dream on! We just finished that damn test, and the Lin family said we won't know the results until tomorrow. You might not even get selected."

"Fuck you, even if you don't get elected, I won't."

It was the time when the villagers had finished their day's work and were preparing to go home. Suddenly, they stopped and watched.

Lin Hao simply said to Uncle Fu, who had come to handle the situation, "Uncle Fu, tell those villagers not to go back. Anyone who comes to help dispose of the whale carcass, regardless of age, will receive a pound of meat."

When the news reached them, cheers erupted from the crowd.

In an era where meat is only enjoyed during festivals, the allure of a pound of meat to the villagers is unimaginable.

Although this whale is old, it is indeed very large, measuring 15 meters in length and weighing over 20 tons. Even under the most conservative estimate, it should be able to produce 10 tons of whale meat and more than 4 tons of whale oil.

The most valuable item was whale oil, which was a true hard currency in that era and the most valuable part. Whale meat, on the other hand, was more troublesome and needed to be processed within a few days, otherwise it would all rot.

In order to deal with the whales in a timely manner, the entire population of Dongluo Island was mobilized, with the most important task being to extract whale oil from the whale blubber.

More than twenty large iron pots were set up on the beach, and whale blubber was constantly being cut off and thrown into the pots to be rendered into oil.

At first, everyone used firewood as fuel to press oil, carefully collecting the oil residue after it was pressed, as it was a valuable resource. However, there was simply too much of it, so Lin Hao directly ordered the oil residue to be thrown into the fire. As a result, the fire burned even brighter, leaving only a large pile of firewood.

The numerous containers that Lin Hao had asked Uncle Fu to prepare came in handy, and one wooden barrel after another was filled.

However, they did encounter problems when processing the whale meat.

There was too much whale meat; the salt on Dongluo Island was simply not enough to process it all, but discarding it was also out of the question.

Ultimately, Lin Hao decided to smoke the meat.

Ordinary smoking can only process a small amount of meat, so Lin Hao simply converted two large houses into smoking rooms. There was a lot of wood left over from the oil frying area, which could be used directly to smoke whale meat.

However, this increased the workload.

Since there was more meat than they could eat, Lin Hao simply started processing the whale meat on the spot, using various methods such as frying, grilling, and boiling, and then allowed everyone who helped to eat it freely.

The night on Dongluo Island had never been so lively. In Lin Hao's view, the entire bay was completely illuminated by firelight. The aroma of oil mixed with the fishy smell of whales permeated the entire bay. Hundreds of people, like busy ants, slowly dismembered the huge whale and turned it into all kinds of supplies.

Everyone was chewing on freshly cooked whale meat, their faces beaming with enthusiastic smiles, showing no sign of the fatigue from working that night.

"Brother, did you kill this big fish?"

Lin Hao turned around and saw a chubby-faced little guy standing behind him, about seven or eight years old, wearing an exquisite embroidered short jacket, but his eyes were fixed on the huge whale carcass in the distance.

Two girls followed behind the child. The older one was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with an elegant figure and the beginnings of beauty. What was most striking were her bright, clear eyes.

The younger one was about ten years old, with her hair in two buns, her cheeks still flushed with the soft, rosy glow unique to children, and her face full of innocence.

"Of course, your brother is amazing, right?" Lin Hao rubbed the little boy's head. This guy was Lin Hao's younger brother. The other two were his sisters. Lin Chengzong was the eldest brother in the Lin family, so he naturally had the most children. Besides the eldest, Lin Hao, there were two daughters and two sons. However, the youngest, the fifth brother, was still young and probably hadn't been born yet.

"Xiaoyue and Xiaoyi, you two came out to see what's going on." Lin Hao nodded and smiled at his two younger sisters. Compared to his mischievous brother, Lin Hao preferred his sisters. They were sensible, obedient, and, most importantly, cute.

"Brother, so there really are fish as big as mountains like you described? What do such big fish eat to grow so big?" Lin Yue, the slightly older of the two girls, asked curiously.

"They eat tiny fish and shrimp in the sea. See their big mouths? They can swallow all the water within a range of several meters in one gulp, and then filter the seawater, leaving only the fish and shrimp inside."

After answering Lin Yue's question, Lin Hao picked up Lin Yi and asked with a smile, "My dear Yi'er, why are you out with your sister? Did you finish the needlework task Mother assigned you?"

Lin Yi was held in his arms, and she didn't struggle. She wrapped her little hands around his neck and smiled with her eyes crinkling.

"Almost done, almost done!"

She shrank back a little sheepishly, then quickly added, "The fish I embroidered are much prettier than this one!"

Lin Hao chuckled and gently tapped her forehead: "You're so good at talking."

"Brother, brother, this fish is so big! If we can finish it, will it last us a really long time?"

He counted on his fingers, but got confused halfway through.

"All you ever think about is food," Lin Hao said with a laugh, but then thought about it seriously. "If we were to actually eat it all, it would probably take the whole island to finish eating it for more than a month."

"When I grow up, I want to catch fish this big just like my brother!" the little guy immediately puffed out his chest and said.

Lin Yue couldn't help but laugh out loud, and said softly, "You, don't cause trouble for your brother."

Her voice was gentle yet composed, clearly showing she was much more mature than her peers.

Holding her bouncing younger brother back, Lin Yue then said to Lin Hao, "Ever since they came to the island, Mother has been afraid of danger and has kept them locked in their room. They've been so bored these past few days. We had to argue for a long time before Mother finally agreed to let me take them out to play for a while."

Also, Yue'er finished her needlework assignment a long time ago, and even embroidered a gift for her brother.

As she spoke, Lin Yue handed a sachet to Lin Hao.

It was an exquisite pale yellow sachet, with meticulous embroidery and even stitches. The surface of the sachet was outlined with simple cloud patterns and bamboo leaves in light lines, the design elegant and unpretentious, and the edges were edged with fine gold thread, showing that a lot of thought had been put into it.

Lin Hao took it and brought it closer to smell it. He found the fragrance to be mild and not strong. First, there was the refreshing scent of calming herbs and sandalwood, followed by a faint hint of the unique aroma of mugwort. The layers were distinct but not chaotic.

"Mmm, smells really good." Lin Hao smiled, hung the sachet on his waist, and casually asked, "Did Yue'er add mugwort to it?"

"Brother has a really good nose." Lin Yue smiled smugly, then explained earnestly, "Brother, didn't you say that mosquitoes are an important way to spread diseases? I thought adding some mugwort would repel mosquitoes, so I secretly put some in. I don't know if you'll like it."

"I like everything Yue'er gives me, my dear Yi'er, what about yours?" Lin Hao pinched Lin Yi's cute nose and then teased her.

"Oh dear, Mother is calling us back, I have to go back." Lin Yi immediately changed the subject, then stopped Lin Yue and the others and ran off in a flash.

"Be careful, it's getting dark, don't trip. We'll go back after playing for a while!" Lin Hao could only helplessly remind him.