Maester Edric pushed open the door and went in. He saw Edmund standing by the window, gave a simple bow, and said with some joy, "Young Master Edmund, the child has been born. It's a boy. Mother and child are both safe. His face looks a lot like your brother when he was a child, but his hair is silver like his mother's. The child looks very healthy."
Upon hearing the news, Edmund's face lit up with delight: "Oh? Really?"
The old scholar smiled and nodded: "Absolutely true, young master."
Edmund paced back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back. "Very well, have the kitchen prepare some good food. Also, does my father know?"
The scholar lowered his head slightly, looking embarrassed: "I haven't had a chance to report to the Earl yet."
Edmund stopped, his expression serious and his gaze firm: "Then let's not talk about it. You know my father's stubbornness; he'll keep it a secret for as long as possible."
The scholar hesitated: "But the Earl will eventually remember, and what about those servants..."
Edmund gave a wry smile: "It's alright, I'll give the order to keep quiet. If Father finds out, just say it was my order and pin the blame on me."
The scholar took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and said, "Yes, I know what to do, Master Edmund." He then bowed to Edmund and left.
Gavin's birth brought little joy to the cold castle; only his mother, Alice, watched him with delight.
When Zhang Ming regained consciousness, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. Everything around him had become enormous and blurry, while his own body felt so small and powerless.
Then, to his horror, he discovered that he was unable to speak or even perform simple movements. His small body was completely out of his control.
The unfamiliar environment and situation confused Zhang Ming. Then, he remembered that he had been playing games at home and accidentally knocked his water glass onto the keyboard. After a series of crashes, he lost consciousness. Could it be that I have transmigrated? Transmigrated into a baby?
He tried to observe the people around him, those unfamiliar faces. There was only one woman, with wet silver hair and purple eyes filled with endless tenderness.
Is this my mother in this life? He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only the sound of a baby crying came out.
Aegon 282
Zhang Ming, or rather Gavin Fo Hua, was standing on the beach, clutching an iron pot tightly in his hand, gazing at the azure sea. He carefully walked to the shore, squatted down, and slowly lowered the pot into the water. Once the pot was full of seawater, he felt the weight of the water and the pot. With difficulty, he lifted the pot and walked step by step to the pile of firewood he had prepared beforehand.
Gavin put down the iron pot and began skillfully building a fire. His little hands busily manipulated the branches and dry grass, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.
This body is still too small; it gets so tired after doing so little work. But things will be easier from here on out.
He brought his hand close to the hay, snapped his fingers, and a tiny flame appeared out of thin air between his fingers, instantly igniting the hay. The flame leaped merrily, gradually growing stronger.
Gavin looked at the fire he had lit out of thin air with his fingers. Although he was used to it, he was still very excited every time he used it.
This ability was discovered when he was four years old. At the time, he was trying to start a fire with a flint, but the flint was probably damp, and he struggled for a long time without success, and his hands became very sore.
Just as he made his final, furious attempt, a spark appeared in his palm, which terrified him. He thought he was hallucinating. After calming down, he tried again and sure enough, a flame appeared. Although the flame flashed and then went out, Gavin was certain that it was not a hallucination.
Gavin was overjoyed to suddenly gain such amazing abilities. After calming down, he didn't tell anyone, not even his mother in this life.
After all, based on his observations of his surroundings over the years, he had transmigrated to a world similar to the Middle Ages, and he was afraid that if he rashly displayed his extraordinary abilities, he would be burned at the stake as a monster.
Gavin, having figured it out, told no one but practiced quietly when he was alone. Now he can light a flame at will and maintain it for up to one minute.
Gavin placed the iron pot steadily on the fire, his eyes fixed intently on the seawater inside. As the flames heated it, steam began to rise from the seawater, and gradually, water droplets condensed on the pot's surface and rolled down. Gavin's little face was flushed red from the heat, and he held a twig in his hand, occasionally poking at the fire to make it burn brighter.
The seawater in the pot churned and bubbled continuously. After most of the water evaporated, a layer of white crystals appeared at the bottom of the pot. However, these crystals were not yet pure, but this was the salt that ordinary people in the world ate.
Without hesitation, Gavin quickly extinguished the fire and let the iron pot cool slightly. Then, he carefully removed the coarse salt from the pot and placed it on a clean cloth. Next, he took some water, gently poured it over the coarse salt, and began to stir. After stirring evenly, he put the mixture back into the pot and heated it again for a second purification.
The third time, they added a handful of wood ash, and after repeating this process several times, crystal-clear white salt blocks appeared at the bottom of the pot.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Gavin carefully collected the refined salt, put it into a small cloth bag, and began to crush it.
After finishing his task, Gavin carefully tidied up the fire and arranged the pot. Carrying the iron pot, a satisfied look on his face, he strode towards the town below the castle.
On the way back to town, Gavin touched the bag of salt he was carrying in his arms, a happy expression on his face at the fruits of his hard work for half a day.
This small bag of salt could be sold for 5 copper stars. In this town, 2 copper stars could be exchanged for 1 loaf of bread. However, the bread was very hard and could not compare to the bread Gavin had eaten in his previous life. The bread here could even be used as a weapon after it cooled down. In terms of hardness, it was no less powerful than a brick.
The town below the castle is close to the sea. The people here do not lack salt, but most commoners can only afford coarse salt, which has a very bitter taste. Only the nobles in the castle can eat fine salt, which is mostly mined from salt mines. The people here have not mastered the technology of refining sea salt, and the price of fine salt is ten times that of coarse salt.
Gavin secretly used his knowledge from his previous life to make and sell some of the products to supplement his family's income. He and his mother had lived in the castle for a period of time before, and since he sold only small quantities each time, he had not attracted any attention so far. However, if he continued to sell them, it might attract the attention of those with ulterior motives, and in serious cases, it could even bring danger.