Jiang Xia stood up: "I'll go open the door."
Jiang Xia opened the door and saw Zhou Chenglei, looking travel-worn.
"Dad, is Mom alright?" He immediately noticed the redness on Jiang Xia's chin.
Jiang Xia's skin was extremely fair, making the redness particularly noticeable, as if she had been hit.
"Come in and talk." Jiang Xia stepped aside to let Zhou Chenglei in.
Zhou Chenglei entered the room and couldn't help but gently touch her face: "What happened to your face? Why is it so red?"
Jiang Xia pulled his hand away: "It's nothing. My dad was taken away yesterday afternoon and hasn't come back yet."
Jiang's mother stood up and saw Zhou Chenglei holding Jiang Xia's face with a pained expression, feeling a little embarrassed. "Ah Lei is here?"
Zhou Chenglei saw Jiang's mother's expression and understood everything.
He suddenly felt a surge of anger!
No matter what happened, he shouldn't have taken his anger out on Jiang Xia!
Zhou Chenglei's expression was cold and harsh. He glanced at Jiang's mother, then looked away and, in front of her, cupped Jiang Xia's face to examine it closely: "Does it hurt? It's all swollen! How did this happen? I'll put some medicine on it!"
Then he asked Jiang's mother, "Mom, do you have any medicine? I'll put some on Xiaxia. It's quite swollen, did you bump into something? Otherwise, why is it so red? Where did you bump into something so badly? How could you be so careless!"
Zhou Chenglei was giving Jiang's mother no face at all, pretending not to know and deliberately asking her questions to embarrass her!
Jiang's mother was Jiang Xia's mother, and although he couldn't do anything, otherwise it would be considered disrespectful, his words made Jiang's mother feel utterly ashamed!
"Yes, I'll go get it." Jiang's mother was truly ashamed, feeling both heartache and regret. She was even a little embarrassed to face her son-in-law and quickly ran to find the medicine.
She truly regretted it; she had been too angry just now!
Zhou Chenglei wouldn't let Jiang's mother off the hook. He continued to berate Jiang Xia: "You're always distracted when you walk, never watching where you're going! How many times have I told you? I can't stop you from bumping into things! You're such a grown woman, what if you get hurt when you're pregnant? Have you hurt yourself anywhere else? Let me see!"
These words made Jiang's mother pause, her heart pounding even harder!
She regretted it immediately after the abortion! Now she truly wished she could go back to the moment she opened that door!
If Jiang Xia were pregnant and accidentally got hurt, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Luckily, Jiang Xia had dodged just now.
Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia's hand and examined it carefully.
He wasn't just pretending; he was genuinely worried.
He was afraid she might be hurt elsewhere. He
was also heartbroken!
How could he hit her?
He was furious and had nowhere to vent his anger!
After Jiang's mother went into the room to find the first-aid kit, Jiang Xia glanced at Zhou Chenglei, "It's alright, it's nothing, just my face."
She knew he was deliberately trying to embarrass her mother to vent his anger on her behalf.
Zhou Chenglei, not noticing anything amiss, pulled her hand and led her to the sofa. "Does it hurt?"
Jiang Xia shook her head. "No, I dodged for a moment. Do you have any ideas about Dad?"
"What happened?"
Jiang Xia recounted what Zhou's mother had said, then mentioned the pearl being auctioned for 100,000 yuan.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chenglei tightened his grip on her hand reassuringly. "It's alright, they'll probably just call him in for questioning. Dad will come home once things are cleared up."
100,000 yuan is a considerable sum. Someone had reported it, and they had indeed found that Jiang Xia's account had suddenly gained 100,000 yuan. Calling her in for questioning is normal. He figured everything would be fine once the overseas auction situation was clarified.
At this moment, Jiang's mother brought out a bottle of safflower oil and sat down on Jiang Xia's other side. "Apply some safflower oil; it can also help with bruising."
She unscrewed the cap, intending to apply the medicine for Jiang Xia.
Zhou Chenglei reached out. "Let me do it!"
He was afraid she might accidentally hurt Jiang Xia.
Jiang's mother had no choice but to give the safflower oil to Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei pressed his index finger against the bottle of safflower oil and poured some onto his finger. He then carefully rubbed it onto Jiang Xia's face. "Don't do it again! You're not a child anymore!"
Jiang's mother: "..."
It felt like he was talking to her!
The safflower oil had a strong smell. Seeing that he wanted to pour more and apply more, Jiang Xia quickly grabbed his hand: "Okay."
Zhou Chenglei then stopped, screwed the cap back on the safflower oil, glanced at his watch—it was almost 10 o'clock. It wasn't a good time to call and disturb others, since most people were asleep at this hour. But his relationship with that person was unusual.
Even if he found out some information, he would have to wait until tomorrow.
Zhou Chenglei dialed a number.
The phone rang for a long time without being answered, then the call automatically dropped.
Zhou Chenglei hung up expressionlessly and dialed again.
The phone rang for a long time again, and just before it automatically disconnected, an impatient voice came from the other end: "Who is it? You'd better have something very important to say! Otherwise, I'll twist your head off and kick it like a ball!"
Zhou Chenglei: "My father-in-law has been taken in for questioning."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if he was thinking about who his father-in-law was. "Wait a minute, let me ask."
Then the call ended.
Jiang Xia asked curiously, "Who did you call?"
"Brother, I'll introduce you to him sometime." Zhou Chenglei glanced at her chin, still finding it an eyesore.
"You and Mom go to sleep first, I'll wait for news here."
Jiang's mother said, "No need, I'm not sleepy."
Jiang Xia asked Zhou Chenglei, "Have you eaten? I'll make some noodles."
Zhou Chenglei knew immediately that she hadn't eaten, and immediately stood up: "I'll go, you rest for a bit."
Jiang Xia: "No need, I'll go."
Jiang's mother: "I'll go! You do
n't know anything about these things." Jiang Xia stopped arguing, thinking of something.
Jiang's mother went to the kitchen to busy herself.
At this moment, the phone rang and there was a knock on the door at the same time.
Zhou Chenglei answered the phone, and Jiang Xia went to open the door.
As soon as Jiang Xia opened the door, she saw her father rummaging through his briefcase for his keys. Not finding them, he knocked on the door, almost hitting Jiang Xia on the head.
"Dad!" Jiang Xia called out. A
voice came from the other end of the phone: "Our father-in-law hasn't come home yet? The people from the Discipline Inspection Department released him yesterday afternoon."
"Just got back. It's my father-in-law!" Zhou Chenglei hung up immediately.
Jiang's father saw that it was Jiang Xia who opened the door, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes, then he smiled: "Xiaxia, when did you get back?"
Jiang Xia took his briefcase: "Just got back today, are you alright?"
"Dad," Zhou Chenglei called out as he came to Jiang Xia's side.
"Ah Lei's back too." Jiang's father entered the house with a smile. "It's nothing, what could have happened?"
Jiang's mother quickly turned off the stove and came out of the kitchen. Seeing Jiang's father, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Are you alright?"
Jiang's father: "Of course I'm alright, what could have happened?"
Jiang's mother: "Didn't you hear that someone reported you and then you were taken away by the Discipline Inspection Commission?!"
Jiang's father sat down on the sofa, looking a little tired: "Saying I was taken away is an exaggeration. The Discipline Inspection Commission just asked me to come in for questioning."
The other party's attitude was very good, how did it become a rumor that I was taken away?
Jiang's mother: "Then why did it take so long?"
Jiang Xia saw that Jiang's father looked tired, poured him a glass of water, guessing that he was also hungry, and went to the kitchen.
Zhou Chenglei pulled her back, gesturing for her to stay, and went to the kitchen himself.
Jiang Xia glanced at his tall and handsome back as he walked into the kitchen.
She looked away and listened to Jiang's father speak.
Jiang's father: "How long? Didn't I tell you the night before last that I was going on a business trip to a neighboring city and wouldn't be back until tonight?"
Jiang's mother: "..."
She did say that, "But who knew you could go on a business trip after being taken away? I thought..."
Jiang's father chuckled and said, "What did you think? It was just routine questioning, asking me to cooperate with an investigation. They asked a few questions, and once they figured it out, that was it."
Not only was there nothing, but he actually gained quite a lot!
The details of Jiang Xia's money were quickly uncovered, as the auction was large-scale and featured in newspapers and magazines in several countries.
A call to the overseas offices confirmed the authenticity of all receipts.
However, a whistleblower letter claimed that Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had seized a fish farm area applied for by fishermen, and that their application for the area was approved too quickly, with only theirs being approved while others were rejected.
It alleged that only Jiang Xia and his group were allowed to farm fish in that area, and no one else was permitted!
It also claimed that a shipyard was supplying Jiang Xia with large ships, a publishing house was paying him exorbitant royalties, and train attendants were buying dried fish at inflated prices.
This matter involved multiple departments and raised suspicions of oppressing ordinary citizens and collusion, so the investigation was quite thorough.
The results left the disciplinary officials speechless and shocked.
Speechless because it was the first time they had seen a thief crying "stop thief!"
Shocked because their daughter and son-in-law were so powerful!
Jiang Xia's translations of the original books sold out shortly after their release in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with the publishing house's printing department working 24/7 to reprint them.
His translations of scientific magazines were also extremely rigorous and accurate; many scholars only read his versions. The publishing house even mentioned that people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences had approached the publisher, wanting to hire Jiang Xia as a staff member, albeit for simple tasks like copywriting and data organization. But even that wasn't easy; without real talent and connections, it was impossible to get in.
As for catching pickpockets at the train station, he already knew, but he didn't know they'd caught so many.
And the shipyard! That was even more remarkable. The two of them not only secured orders worth tens of millions for the shipyard but also solved two technical hurdles.
Don't dismiss the whole ship-giving story as fabricated; he thought it was reasonable for the shipyard to do so, and what's wrong with offering a discount?
Xia Xia said she was helping the shipyard with a small favor—was this really a small favor?
Solving the Kent Ring problem—how much foreign exchange could one ship save the country? How many orders will this bring to the shipyard in the future?
Jiang's father was invited over that afternoon and left the Discipline Inspection Commission that same afternoon for a business trip, leaving with a sense of honor.
However, another fisherman was suspected of bribery in the matter of contracting the sea area, so the investigation needs to continue.
The people in the Discipline Inspection Commission are all tight-lipped, which is why Jiang's mother couldn't find out much, and everyone assumed Jiang's father was still there.
No one knew he had already been taken to another city by the Discipline Inspection Commission's car!
Jiang's father didn't know if the Discipline Inspection Commission had figured things out yet, so he didn't say much and didn't call his mother to tell her. He had mentioned he was going on a business trip, but she had even informed Jiang Xia.
Jiang's father only mentioned what he could say, such as the publishing house and shipyard matter.
He smiled at Jiang Xia and said to Jiang's mother, "Our daughter is really amazing! Just like me! Haha..."
Jiang's mother smiled: "So, is everything alright now?"
Jiang's father smiled: "Nothing's wrong! Even if something happens, it will only be a good thing!"
Accepting public supervision and reports is also his duty; Jiang's father quite enjoys being investigated.
How could they know he was so innocent without investigating?
He wouldn't have known his daughter was so capable without investigating!
Anyway, Jiang's father went to the Discipline Inspection Commission and not only did he not get into trouble, he also gained some prestige.
Everyone knows how capable his daughter and son-in-law are!
The entire Discipline Inspection Commission praised him for having such a good daughter and son-in-law!
At this moment, Zhou Chenglei brought out four bowls of noodles on a tray. "Dad, Mom, eat something first."
After putting down the noodles, Zhou Chenglei took out a handkerchief to wipe the safflower oil from Jiang Xia's lips: "Wipe it off first, and then apply some more medicine after you finish the noodles."
Jiang Xia's chin wasn't so red anymore, and the safflower oil had been mostly absorbed by her skin, but Zhou Chenglei needed to let Jiang's father know.
Jiang Xia: "..."
Jiang's mother: "..."
Jiang's father then realized that there seemed to be a faint smell of safflower oil in the air. He looked at Jiang Xia's chin, which seemed a little red, and asked, "What happened to Xia Xia?"
Zhou Chenglei: "I don't know! She probably bumped it! When I came back, I saw that her chin was all red, like she had been hit, so I put some medicine on it for her. She should be fine tomorrow."
Jiang's mother was completely flustered!
Embarrassed and upset.
This was probably what it meant to be extremely regretful!
She was truly furious!
Jiang's father hadn't thought much of it at first, but seeing Jiang's mother's expression, he understood everything.
He was so angry he almost cursed!
If he hadn't long since mastered the skill of remaining calm even when faced with a collapsing mountain, he would have scolded her in front of the child!
Jiang's father looked at his daughter's face with heartache, and squeezed her hand: "Does it still hurt? Dad will go boil an egg for you."
He stood up as he spoke!
Jiang's mother immediately said, "I'll go boil it now."
Zhou Chenglei said, "I've already put an egg in the pot to boil. Let's eat noodles first! The noodles are going to get mushy. Xiaxia didn't eat dinner either; she rushed over as soon as she got back from the sea."
Hearing this, Jiang's father said, "Then eat some noodles quickly."
The family sat down at the table to eat their belated dinner.
Jiang Xia secretly squeezed Zhou Chenglei's hand under the table, signaling him to stop.
Zhou Chenglei squeezed her hand back tightly.
He just didn't want Jiang Xia to suffer in vain, and he didn't want her to suffer again in the future.
He believed that it was a parent's duty to educate their children, and that hitting and scolding were not unacceptable, but it was wrong to hit them without understanding the situation.
As they grew older, they should be even less likely to be hit, especially not in the face!
The family sat together eating noodles, and Jiang's father asked Jiang Xia again, "Did Xia Xia and A Lei come by car or bicycle?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "Xia Xia and I didn't come together. I just came back from sea. I heard there was trouble at home and Xia Xia went back to her parents' house, so I came by boat."
Jiang Xia said, "I came by boat. Brother A Lei brought me here."
"Don't worry next time. Your father is an honest person and does things cleanly. I'm not afraid of being investigated, investigate all you want!"
Jiang's mother then remembered that she had called Jiang Dong. "Jiang Dong also said he wanted to come back."
Jiang's father frowned, "Aren't you just using the child to cause trouble?"
"I'll go call Jiang Dong and tell him he doesn't need to come back."
Jiang Xia glanced at the time; it was already past eleven.
Mr. Jiang glanced at the time: "Forget it, it's already eleven o'clock, don't call anymore. That phone isn't in his dorm, it's a public phone in the dorm building. Don't disturb other people's sleep, call again tomorrow!"
Mrs. Jiang had no choice but to give up.
After eating noodles and washing up, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang returned to their room.
Mr. Jiang couldn't help but ask, "Did you hit Xiaxia?"
Mrs. Jiang: "...I didn't mean to, I already regret it, please don't say anything! It won't happen again! I was just really angry!"
Are they not going to let her off the hook tonight?
Do they have to keep poking at her sore spot?
"Next time? This can't happen even once! What kind of mother are you? Why did you hit Xiaxia? I'm so angry!"
"Look at what you've done! Aren't you afraid Xiaxia will become distant from you!"
It was 11:30 PM when Jiang Xia came out after showering and heard the phone ringing.
She quickly answered, "Hello."
"Is this Sister Jiang Xia? This is Ye Xian. Jiang Dong left in a hurry, only saying that something happened at home. Is everything alright? I was worried all night and couldn't sleep, so I just called to ask."
Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow: "Oh, my dad was arrested, and the house is in chaos. That's why my mom told him to come home. Jiang Dong hasn't gotten home yet! You should go to sleep early! It's okay, don't worry. Jiang Dong will tell you after this is over and he goes back to school. You two should get your marriage certificate soon! Next time something happens, you can go home together! When Jiang Dong comes back, I'll have him go back to school and we'll get our marriage certificate. Okay, go to sleep early! Thanks for your concern, I'll get back to work now! I still have to go find someone."
Jiang Xia hung up the phone after saying that!
On the other end of the phone, Ye Xian was completely stunned. Jiang's father was arrested? And that's considered alright?
Pulling up a radish brings out the mud; does Jiang Dong still have a future?
Is he still reliable?
And why is she being asked to register their marriage? Could
it be that Jiang's father's situation is so serious that Jiang Xia is afraid Jiang Dong won't be able to find a wife in the future?
Ye Xian became more and more frightened as she thought about it, deciding to ask her classmates about it after she woke up the next day, to find out what the consequences would be if someone of Jiang's father's status were taken away for investigation.
***
Jiang Xia said a few words and hung up the phone, leaving Ye Xian to imagine it herself.
She hoped Ye Xian would be so scared that she would break up with Jiang Dong, after all, in the book, as soon as Jiang's father got into trouble, she ran away with all the family's money.
Zhou Chenglei pushed open the door at this moment, seeing Jiang Xia deep in thought, he carefully closed the door and came to her side, "What are you thinking about? Why aren't you in your room sleeping?"
He had just gone to the hotel to find Zhou Chengxin and told him that he had returned, so his older brother could go home or go to sea tomorrow without worry.
Jiang Xia came back to her senses and smiled slightly at him: "I told my older brother."
"I told him, why aren't you asleep yet?" Zhou Chenglei sat down next to her and reached out to tidy her bangs.
Jiang Xia: "I just finished showering, and you're not back yet. How can I sleep peacefully?"
Zhou Chenglei's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice deep: "I'll go shower first."
He pulled her up, and they went back to the room together.
He had left two sets of clothes here when he stayed overnight last time, so Zhou Chenglei went back to his room to get them and then went to shower.
Jiang Xia was already sleepy. She climbed into bed, rolled over, and fell asleep instantly.
Before lying down, she was thinking of asking Zhou Chenglei about his experiences at sea these past few days after his shower.
But nothing happened after she lay down!
Zhou Chenglei knew Jiang Xia fell asleep quickly, so he showered as fast as he could, afraid she would fall asleep if he waited too long.
But when he returned to the room after his shower, she was already snoring softly with her back to him.
"..."
What happened to waiting for him?
Zhou Chenglei helplessly turned on the light, carefully got into bed, kissed the top of her head, not wanting to wake her, and gently pulled her into his arms from behind.
Jiang Xia felt the familiar presence, turned over to face him, rolled her head into the crook of his arm, and naturally buried her face in his chest, placing her feet on top. Her
long, silky hair spread across his arm, filling him with a rich fragrance.
Zhou Chenglei's lips curled into a slight smile, and he closed his eyes contentedly.
***
Night deepened, on the plane.
Zhang Fuyan fell asleep shortly after boarding. Jiang Dong
was carefully rolling an egg in a handkerchief for her.
The egg had been brought on board by an elderly man and his wife, who had boiled eggs and were about to eat them. Jiang Dong had bought all four eggs the man had brought and asked the flight attendant to heat them up for him.
Zhang Fuyan's face was swollen from Ye Xian's beating, and Jiang Dong felt extremely guilty.
Her foot hadn't fully healed, and he had injured her face, making it swollen like a pig's head.
So, for the four-hour flight, he had carefully rolled eggs in her face for four hours, having the flight attendant heat them up several times.
As the plane prepared to land, the flight attendant's voice woke Zhang Fuyan. She stirred, opened her eyes, and met Jiang Dong's gaze. An egg was still rolling on her face.
Zhang Fuyan's heart skipped a beat: "What are you doing?"
Jiang Dong, seeing she was awake, smiled and said, "Sister Xiaoyan, your face isn't swollen anymore!"
Just then, the flight attendant passed by and laughed, "Your brother rolled an egg on your face for four hours!"
Jiang Dong smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "It's nothing."
Zhang Fuyan sat up straight, also a little embarrassed, "No need for that. I've always been thick-skinned, and I often fight with the boys in the residential compound. I'm always bruised here and there, but I'm used to it. It'll be fine in a couple of days."
Jiang Dong: "That's different. You got dragged into this mess because of me! You got beaten up because you accompanied me home to help me. I won't feel right if I don't help you heal."
Zhang Fuyan corrected him: "I'm helping your sister."
Jiang Dong: "Then I feel even worse! If my sister saw your face like that, she'd kill me!"
Zhang Fuyan didn't say anything more: "Okay, then help me with my luggage after we get off the plane to apologize!"
"Okay." Jiang Dong readily agreed.
The plane had already landed, and the two got off. It was only a little past 3 a.m., but they waited at the airport until around 5 a.m. before they could flag down a taxi that was taking passengers to catch an early flight.
Zhang Fuyan originally wanted to go to the bus station, but Jiang Dong was worried that she would get too tired from all the walking, and he was tired too. Besides, there wouldn't be any early buses at this hour.
Jiang Dong asked the taxi driver about the price for crossing the city, and after paying 70 yuan, the driver agreed to take them back.
Luckily, the driver had been to that city before and knew the way, and the two didn't look like bad people, otherwise the driver wouldn't have taken them.
On the way, Zhang Fuyan had fallen asleep on the plane, but wasn't sleepy, and didn't dare sleep in the taxi either, so she just kept her eyes on the road.
Jiang Dong, who hadn't slept all night, had fallen asleep, and slowly, halfway through the journey, his head tilted and rested on Zhang Fuyan's shoulder.
The first time, Zhang Fuyan gently pushed him away.
But after a short while, he leaned in again.
After pushing him away again, Zhang Fuyan took a bag and put it on her shoulder to cover herself.
When he unconsciously leaned in again, with his head resting on the bag, Zhang Fuyan fell asleep with him.
Until they were almost in the city, the driver asked, "How do I get to your house?"
Jiang Dong was awakened by the driver's voice and realized he had fallen asleep with his head on Zhang Fuyan's shoulder. He quickly gave the driver directions and then apologized to Zhang Fuyan, saying, "Sister Xiaoyan, I'm sorry, you could have just pushed me away."
Zhang Fuyan said irritably, "I pushed you away, and you leaned in again."
Jiang Dong: "..."
He was asleep, was this considered being a pervert?
The taxi arrived at the staff building around 6:30.
Zhou Chenglei had delivered breakfast to Zhou Chengxin, then jogged a few laps in the park and bought some breakfast items on the way back.
Jiang Dong got out of the taxi and immediately shouted, "Brother-in-law!"
He then said to the people in the car, "My brother-in-law is here! My sister must have gone home. Sister Xiaoyan, would you like to come over and see my sister?"
Zhang Fuyan looked out the car window and indeed saw Zhou Chenglei. She got out of the car; Jiang Dong had already paid the fare before she got out.
Zhang Fuyan had come to see if she could help. With Jiang Xia there, she could ask her directly what was going on and then find her aunt.
Zhang Fuyan got out of the car and greeted Zhou Chenglei with a smile, "Brother Zhou, did Xiaxia go back to her parents' house?"
Zhou Chenglei glanced at the two of them expressionlessly and nodded.
Jiang Dong took the luggage from Zhang Fuyan's hands, "Let's go!"
Zhou Chenglei waited until the two went up the stairs, then followed a few steps behind at a leisurely pace. Jiang Dong took out his house key, opened the door, and said to Zhang Fuyan, "Sister Xiaoyan, this is my house, please come in."
It was still early, and no one was in the living room.
Zhang Fuyan glanced around and went inside.
Jiang's father was cooking porridge in the kitchen when he heard the noise and came out. He saw Jiang Dong bring a woman home and initially thought it was Ye Xian.
But it wasn't!
Jiang Dong was happy to see his father and said, "Dad! You're alright?"
But Jiang's father was furious!
How long had it been?
And he'd brought another woman home?
And so early in the morning!
Jiang's father grabbed a ladle and was about to hit Jiang Dong!
Seeing his father chasing after him with the ladle, Jiang Dong quickly dodged, "Dad! Dad! No!...Dad, let's talk this out! What are you doing?"
Sister Xiaoyan was still there! Didn't
he have any shame?
Jiang's father, wearing an apron and wielding a soup ladle, chased after Jiang Dong, hitting him.
The father and son circled the sofa!
"Dad, no! Sister! Sister! Come out quickly! Your dad's going to hit me! Sister… no, Dad, don't hit me… don't hit my head! My brain still works, I need to help my sister research the machine! Sister! Sister!"
Zhang Fuyan was completely bewildered: What's going on?
Jiang Xia came out of the house at this moment, and Jiang Dong immediately hid behind her: "Sister! Control your dad! If he hits me again, I won't be able to finish your machine!"
Jiang's father stopped, afraid of hitting Jiang Xia.
Jiang's mother also came out at this time, equally dumbfounded: "What's wrong with you two again?"
Jiang Xia saw Zhang Fuyan and seemed to understand why Jiang Dong was being hit!
Jiang Xia said, "Xiao Yan, what brings you here? Did Jiang Dong bring you to see me?"
Zhang Fuyan snapped out of her daze, "Yes! I saw Brother Zhou downstairs just now, and Jiang Dong said you must be home, so I came up to see if I could help in any way." Zhang Fuyan
then smiled at Jiang's parents, "Uncle, Aunt, hello! My name is Zhang Fuyan, and I'm Xiaxia's good friend. I'm sorry to bother you so early. I thought my aunt knew a lot of people here, so I came to ask Xiaxia about your situation. It seems I can't help, and I'm the one who bothered you so early in the morning. I'm really sorry!"
Jiang's father: "..."
So she's Xiaxia's friend? Did Jiang Dong change his girlfriend again in such a short time? I
almost hit the wrong person!
Luckily, I didn't!
Even if I had, it wouldn't matter. A child needs a good beating to grow up!
Mr. Jiang smiled and said, "No problem, no problem. You're so kind. It's my business that's causing trouble for you kids. Please sit down!"
Zhang Fuyan sat down gracefully and elegantly, showing no curiosity about the Jiang family's sofa, TV, refrigerator, or telephone, since her family had the same things, and even better ones.
Mr. Jiang glanced at Zhang Fuyan's demeanor, noting her poise and grace, and thought: My daughter has good taste in friends! Mrs.
Jiang also thought Zhang Fuyan had excellent manners and smiled, "Are you Xiaxia's classmate?"
Jiang Dong replied, "Mom, Sister Xiaoyan isn't my sister's classmate. They met by chance. Sister Xiaoyan and I are in the same year, in the Foreign Languages Department of our school. Isn't that a coincidence? Sister Xiaoyan and I were born on the same day, month, and year!"
Mrs. Jiang was speechless: Born on the same day, month, and year, how could Jiang Dong call her "sister" so naturally?
Jiang Xia looked at Zhang Fuyan: "Such a coincidence?"
Zhang Fuyan smiled and nodded: "I didn't expect it either."
Zhou Chenglei had already set out breakfast and invited everyone to eat.
He bought a lot, and Jiang's father had also cooked porridge, so it was enough for Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan as well.
The family, including Zhang Fuyan, enjoyed a warm breakfast together.
From Zhang Fuyan's demeanor and speech, it was clear she was a very well-mannered child. Whether Jiang's father or mother spoke to her, she answered patiently with a smile, and her answers were quite insightful, demonstrating her extensive knowledge and experience.
Jiang Xia ate her porridge quietly, listening to their conversation. Zhou Chenglei picked all the meat from his own bowl of porridge and put it in Jiang Xia's bowl.
Jiang Xia loved the meat in her porridge, so he gave it all to her.
After breakfast, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia were about to leave; they were going out to sea to check the fish cages in the waters near Coral Island.
The broadcast said a typhoon was coming soon, so Zhou Chengxin had gone back early to check the fish cages at Pearl Island, while Zhou Chenglei said he was going to check the fish cages at Coral Island.
Jiang Xia asked Zhang Fuyan, "Xiaoyan, didn't you say you wanted to go out to sea last time? Do you want to come with us today?"
She had just said she wouldn't be going back to Beijing today; it was Saturday, and Monday was the Mid-Autumn Festival, so she planned to go back to school after the festival. Jiang Dong did the same.
Jiang Dong's eyes lit up: "Sister, I'll go!"
Zhang Fuyan had never been out to sea before either, and she smiled and said, "Okay!"
Jiang Xia then asked Jiang's parents, but they both declined; they hadn't slept enough the night before and didn't have the energy.
So, Jiang Xia took Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong out to sea.
After the children left, Jiang's mother couldn't help but ask, "Don't you think Xiaoyan is better than Xiaoxian?"
Jiang's father replied, "Don't get any ideas! Once you're dating, you have to be serious. How can you be fickle?"
Jiang's mother retorted, "I was just asking, I didn't say anything. Jiang Dong still treats Xiaoyan like an older sister! Xiaoyan might not even like Jiang Dong! You're the one who's getting ideas!"
Jiang's father continued, "Xiaodong isn't as mature as Xiaoyan. He's not good enough for her."
Jiang's mother
was speechless. Jiang's father was worried!
His son was still too naive. Had he not disciplined him enough? Why was he so naive? Had he really beaten him silly?
Or was there something wrong with his parenting?
But he had clearly raised such an excellent child as Xiaxia!
What could be wrong?
***
The four of them rode two bicycles to the dock and boarded the ship.
Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong both looked at the large ship beneath their feet.
Zhang Fuyan: "This is a fishing boat? This is my first time on a boat."
Jiang Dong was especially excited. He was interested in machinery, examining this and that, wishing he could dismantle the whole boat and rebuild it.
"Sis, do you want me to help you modify this boat?"
Jiang Xia asked, "What do you want to modify?"
Zhou Chenglei refused outright: "No need!"
Zhou Chenglei knew that when Jiang Dong was in junior high school, he had tried to dismantle his father's newly bought bicycle and got a beating!
He had also dismantled the radio and television when they were bought.
He had even taken apart the steering wheel and four wheels of the car that his father's workplace provided!
If it hadn't been discovered early, the engine would probably have been removed as well.
Jiang Dong had told Zhou Chenglei all of this before!
Anyway, Zhou Chenglei felt that he hadn't been beaten for nothing.
Zhou Chenglei, fearing Jiang Dong might try to damage his beloved boat, warned, "If you dare touch my boat, I'll throw you overboard!"
Jiang Dong called out to Jiang Xia, "Sister!"
Jiang Xia replied, "Your brother-in-law is just joking, go ahead and touch it! Touch it all you want!"
Jiang Dong said smugly, "Okay! Then I'll help you see if there's anywhere you can modify it."
Zhou Chenglei
was speechless. Fortunately, Jiang Dong was eager to dismantle the boat but couldn't find the tools.
Zhou Chenglei hid the tools as soon as he boarded the boat!
The large ship sailed towards Pearl Island. Jiang Xia could see Zhou Bingqiang and his son's boat anchored in the middle of the sea from afar. One was on the boat holding a rope, while the other had jumped into the sea, presumably knowing that a typhoon was coming and going down to secure the fish cages.
The sea area they rented was closer to the city dock, but a bit far from the island. It was surrounded by seawater and far from the shore.
It was the kind of place with no villages or shops in sight, no bay to shelter from the wind and waves. Apart from setting up fish cages, other methods were difficult.
Because the water was deep and there were no islands, there was no foothold for pulling the nets unless they were willing to spend any amount of money.
Zhou Bingqiang also saw Zhou Chenglei's big boat!
It was so new, the village's first large ocean-going fishing vessel; he'd recognize it even if it were dead!
But Jiang Xia had received a phone call yesterday and gone to the city overnight, and Zhou Chenglei, upon returning, had again sailed the big boat to the city overnight.
Wasn't Jiang Xia's father in an accident?
How could they still be in the mood to go to sea?
Zhou Bingqiang watched the Zhou family's large ship head towards the Pearl Island waters, and he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
If Jiang's father was alright and released, even though he wrote an anonymous letter and there was no evidence to prove he wrote it, would he face retaliation if suspicion fell on him?
Zhou Bingqiang's worries were justified; Jiang Xia did indeed suspect that they had written the anonymous letter.
Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, "Sail the ship over to Zhou Guohua's side, I'll go and say hello to them."
"Okay." Zhou Chenglei steered the ship over.
Zhou Bingqiang saw the Jiang family's fishing boat approaching and his heart tightened: What was Zhou Chenglei coming for? Could he be planning something while the sea was deserted?
People are always like that; after doing something wrong, they easily feel guilty.
As the large ship drew closer, Zhou Bingqiang became increasingly nervous, subconsciously glancing around to see if any other fishing boats were passing by.
But there were none!
As the ship drew near, Jiang Xia, standing on the larger vessel, looked down at him with a slightly condescending gaze, immediately noticing his nervousness.
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Uncle Qiang, you're here so early already?"
Zhou Bingqiang glanced at Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan on the ship, feigning composure as he smiled, "Yes! You're here so early too?"
Jiang Xia replied, "We went back to my dad's house last night and left directly from the city dock today, so we're early."
Zhou Bingqiang smiled, "I see!"
Jiang Xia then surveyed the sea area, "Uncle Qiang, you didn't give any gifts when you rented this area, did you?"
Zhou Bingqiang looked at Jiang Xia warily, "Of course not!"
Jiang Xia nodded, "That's good! Otherwise, don't get implicated."
Zhou Bingqiang's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean? Implicated?!"
Was she trying to settle a personal score?
Jiang Xia said, "Let me tell you a secret, my family's sea area application went too smoothly, and some people got jealous! Luckily, we applied for our sea area according to regulations, so we're fine. Uncle Qiang, your sea area was also approved so quickly, only a few days slower than ours. Since my family was investigated, the relevant departments will definitely conduct a thorough investigation of all sea area approvals, including yours. But as long as you followed the regulations, didn't give gifts, and didn't violate any rules, then you have nothing to fear! Otherwise, you might implicate the people who helped you. I wonder who got jealous and couldn't stand seeing others doing well, so they reported you. Wouldn't that make you look like a heartless person? Right?"
Zhou Bingqiang: "..."
"I... I didn't give any gifts!"
"Really? It's fine if they didn't send it!"
Jiang Xia watched Zhou Bingqiang's face change, then added, "Uncle Qiang, you're busy! We need to get going too."
After saying that, Jiang Xia called out to Zhou Chenglei, "Chenglei, I've said goodbye to Uncle Qiang, let's go!"
Zhou Chenglei then steered the boat away.
Jiang Xia finally felt a little better.
Whatever her family did, they followed suit—that was fine. After all, seeing others make money and others following suit was common and normal.
You do your thing, I do mine, everyone relies on their own abilities!
But if they couldn't beat others, they resorted to underhanded tactics, even implicating those around her—that wouldn't do!
Didn't they want to learn fish farming from her family?
Then let them learn properly.
Jiang Xia asked Zhou Chenglei, "You said you found a fish farm that sells fish fry. If I call to order fish fry, when can they be delivered?"
This morning at breakfast, Jiang's father asked Zhou Chenglei what kind of fish he planned to raise in the rented sea area.
Zhou Chenglei said he had already found a fish farm selling fish fry and ordered specialized net cages and equipment. He said they would start raising the fish once the equipment was delivered and installed.
"I'll call and order it; it should be delivered in about three days,"
Jiang Xia said, quickly making up her mind.
Zhou Chenglei saw a fleeting glint of slyness in her eyes and knew what she was up to.
He didn't ask.
He let her do as she pleased.
Jiang Dong walked over and asked Jiang Xia, "Sis, was that the person who reported Dad?"
Jiang Xia: "I don't know."
Jiang Dong: "..."
"You don't know and you're calling him heartless again?"
Zhou Chenglei: "Don't talk nonsense! Your sister didn't curse anyone! She was just greeting him and kindly reminding him."
Jiang Dong: "..."
His sister and brother-in-law were both right!
He should go study the big ship!
Zhou Bingqiang watched the big ship sail away and regretted it a little. He had indeed given a gift.
If he caused the other party to be investigated because of his letter of denunciation, who would dare to help him in the future?
***
Zhou Chenglei steered the ship to a stop near Pearl Island, then put on his diving equipment, preparing to jump into the sea to check on the fish in the net cages.
Jiang Dong: "Brother-in-law, after you come up, let me put on my gear and try it out in the sea?"
Zhou Chenglei ignored him and jumped into the sea directly.
Jiang Dong looked at Jiang Xia: "Sis, can you ask my brother-in-law to lend me his equipment? I've never tried diving into the sea before!"
"No way. Don't even think about it, it's too dangerous." This time, Jiang Xia refused.
She didn't know how good Jiang Dong's swimming skills were, and the waves were a bit big today, so Jiang Xia was worried about him going into the sea.
Jiang Dong was speechless: "Sis, you brought us out to sea just to see the seawater?"
Jiang Xia: "Isn't there blue sky, white clouds, sunrise, seagulls, and fish to see? Besides, aren't Xiao Yan and I, two beautiful women, enough for you to see?"
Jiang Dong: "..."
Zhang Fuyan couldn't help but laugh.
Jiang Dong thought it was better to just look at the seawater!
His sister was getting more and more shameless!
Fortunately, Zhou Chenglei came up quickly. He just went down to check if the net cages were loose.
Now, the two net cages together had more than two hundred fish, all of them living quite well.
And some abalone had crawled out of the hole, but the hole had been sealed off by Zhou's father and Zhou Chengxin with an iron net, so no one could get in to pry the abalone.
These abalone were for breeding.
Zhou Chenglei returned to the boat. He figured he hadn't bothered with trawling since he'd taken his brother-in-law and Zhang Fuyan out to sea that day.
Trawling would be too boring for them. So
, Zhou Chenglei steered the boat to a gentle beach near another town.
The beach was very flat, and it was low tide, perfect for "pulling in a big net."
Of course, with only four people, they couldn't pull a truly large net, but a small one would do.
After anchoring the boat, Zhou Chenglei jumped off first and reached out to hug Jiang Xia.
The larger boat was anchored a bit deeper than the smaller one; the water was almost up to Zhou Chenglei's chest.
Jiang Xia jumped into Zhou Chenglei's arms, her clothes soaked.
Jiang Dong jumped off the boat, and seeing his sister get off like that, he hesitated, unsure how to help Zhang Fuyan off.
While he hesitated, Zhang Fuyan had already jumped off the boat herself, and swam to the beach as soon as she entered the water, her clothes completely soaked.
But it's still hot now, so it's okay. She can just change back onto the ship later; she's already brought all her luggage.
After Zhou Chenglei carried Jiang Xia to the beach, he said to her, "I'll go back to the ship to get the fishing net. Today, let's pull the net right here on the beach and experience the fun of primitive net pulling."
Jiang Xia asked curiously, "How do we pull it?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "You'll see in a moment."
Pulling a large net usually involves dozens of people working together. People in the village used to pull large nets frequently, and they still do now, but less often, because the fish caught in large nets aren't as valuable as those caught in trawling.
Zhou Chenglei returned to the boat, handing over several buckets, burlap sacks, and some shovels and other beachcombing tools. He then threw down two bundles of fishing nets, each with two bamboo-sized logs threaded through them. Each person would take a log, lower the net into the sea, and pull it in.
After handing everything over, Zhou Chenglei jumped off the boat and pointed to the snail shells on the beach, saying to Jiang Xia, "This beach has a lot of clams and blood clams. You and Comrade Zhang can collect some first. Jiang Dong and I will set the net, and you can pull it in when we do." "
Okay!" Jiang Xia agreed and led Zhang Fuyan to collect clams.
Zhou Chenglei pointed to a bundle of fishing nets strung together with logs and said to Jiang Dong, "Take this bundle of nets and come with me to the sea to haul them in."
Jiang Dong asked excitedly, "How do I set them?"
Zhou Chenglei showed Jiang Dong how, then said, "Let's go to a deeper area first. I'll let you set the nets when I tell you to."
So Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan watched as Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong went out to sea to set the nets.
They watched for a while and then stopped.
The tide was really going out, and many clams and blood clams were lying in the shallow water, easily visible without even digging.
Besides clams, they sometimes encountered flower crabs, blue crabs, and octopuses.
Probably because the tide had just gone out and no one had come to collect them, there was a lot of cargo. Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan waded in the water, happily collecting everything.
In less than two hours, they had filled a bucket.
Zhang Fuyan said enviously, "Living by the sea means you don't have to buy meat and vegetables! You can just go out and collect seafood every day and have meat to eat, plus there's a variety of kinds."
Jiang Xia laughed, "People in the village really rarely eat meat; they basically eat seafood every meal."
Zhang Fuyan was incredibly envious!
She loved fish and seafood the most!
Just then, Zhou Chenglei called to Jiang Xia, "Jiang Xia, you can come and pull in the net!"
Jiang Dong excitedly said, "Sister! Sister Xiaoyan, come quickly! This net has so many fish!"
The two quickly ran over.
Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong pulled the fishing net closer and then handed it to Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan to pull onto the beach.
Zhou Chenglei said to the two, "Just like this, drag the net onto the beach where there's no water. If you're tired or not strong enough, don't force yourself; Jiang Dong and I will pull it in a bit."
Jiang Xia nodded, "Okay, we'll try it first."
Zhou Chenglei let them try, and then the two men went out and pulled back the other net.
They had set out two nets in total.
Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan each pulled on one end of a large net, straining to bring it ashore.
Zhang Fuyan saw many white fish caught in the net, wriggling and jumping in the water, and exclaimed excitedly, "So many fish! Xiaxia, so many fish!"
Jiang Xia laughed, "There are so many! I didn't expect so many!"
Seeing many fish break free of the net and escape through the holes, Jiang Xia said, "Hurry up and pull! The fish are all getting away!"
Zhang Fuyan saw this too and pulled quickly, using all her strength!
But after pulling about a few meters, both of them felt they couldn't pull any further!
It was too heavy! It was
very strenuous!
Fortunately, Jiang Xia had some experience; both she and Zhang Fuyan wore gloves, otherwise their hands would have been torn.
Jiang Xia's strength was increasing, but even she found it difficult to pull a fish weighing over 100 pounds.
However, seeing more and more fish escaping, the two didn't dare stop and kept pulling.
Finally, Jiang Xia was completely exhausted and simply sat down on the ground to continue pulling!
Seeing this, Zhang Fuyan also sat down on the ground. The two of them, sweating profusely, finally managed to pull the entire net of fish onto the beach.
Zhang Fuyan looked regretful: "So many escaped."
Jiang Xia laughed: "It's okay, those are all small fish. Besides, we wouldn't have been able to pull them up if they hadn't escaped. Let's quickly collect the fish."
"Okay!" Zhang Fuyan instantly perked up and quickly stood up to collect the fish.
Most of the fish pulled up this way were mullet, also called black mullet. These fish grow very quickly, but don't grow very large.
"Xiaxia, there's a really big fish here!"
Jiang Xia looked over and laughed: "Luckily, it's a bass, it weighs two pounds!"
Zhang Fuyan happily tossed the fish into the bucket.
"Xiaxia, there's a fish squirting ink! The water's all black!"
"Xiaxia, there's a big crab here, how do I catch it? I'm afraid of its claws."
"Xiaxia, there's a big crab here too, it's huge! It even has sores on its shell!"
At this moment, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong also pulled up another net of fish.
This net had even more fish; Jiang Xia glanced at it and estimated it to be over 150 jin (approximately 75 kg).
Hearing Zhang Fuyan's shouts, Jiang Dong quickly ran over to help her catch the crab.
He didn't understand how crabs could have sores; aren't crabs all shell?
He glanced at the sore crab Zhang Fuyan was talking about and said speechlessly, "Big sister, that's barnacles! Not sores!"
Zhou Chenglei also glanced at it and said, "It's a barnacle. These big blue crabs are only found in the deep sea, they're very nutritious."
Zhang Fuyan happily said, "Isn't that a huge windfall?"
Then she spotted another big blue crab: "Jiang Dong, there's another one here! It's about to escape! Quick, catch it!"
"Where does it think it's going!" Jiang Dong shouted, quickly running over to grab it.
"Jiang Dong, look, there's a fish squirting ink!"
"I saw it already!"
"Jiang Dong, look, there's a big shrimp! It's pissing!"
"That's a mantis shrimp!"
Jiang Xia ignored them, picked up a mantis shrimp, and said to Zhou Chenglei with a smile, "So many mantis shrimp! These mantis shrimp have so much roe, and their bellies are all red. If we pick them all, we'll probably have two or three pounds!"
Zhou Chenglei said, "These are delicious. Let's go to a restaurant later and have them cooked."
Amid Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong's excited voices, the four of them spent half an hour picking all the fish.
There were about two hundred pounds in total.
Zhou Chenglei put away the fishing net; it was already past eleven.
Zhou Chenglei then took them back to the city dock, keeping some fish, shrimp, and crabs for himself and selling the rest.
Because there were many mullet, and he kept the valuable and delicious ones for himself, he didn't make much money, only a dozen or so yuan.
A dozen or so yuan wasn't even enough to cover the fuel cost of the large boat, but the joy of today was doubled, something that couldn't be measured in money.
The four of them ate at Jufulou Restaurant. Zhou Chenglei asked the restaurant manager, Xu Wenan, to cook some seafood, resulting in a very fresh seafood feast.
There were mantis shrimp brimming with red roe, steamed sea bass, stir-fried baby octopus with soy sauce, stir-fried squid with chili peppers, steamed crab with red roe, stir-fried clams with chili peppers, a plate of pan-fried mullet, and a plate of greens.
Zhang Fuyan was completely stuffed: "I never knew fish I caught myself tasted so good!"
Jiang Dong: "Of course, I personally netted them!"
Jiang Xia smiled, "That's because they were so fresh!"
After the meal, Jiang Dong took Zhang Fuyan home on his bicycle. He had two buckets of fish, shrimp, and crab hanging on the bike—one for Zhang Fuyan to take home, and the other for his parents. The basket on the handlebars also held two bags of clams and blood clams, one for each of them.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went to the photo studio to pick up the photos they had developed last time, and then sailed back to the village.
Back in the village, after mooring the boat, Jiang Xia grabbed Zhou Chenglei and ran towards the production team before going home.
The two reached the phone, and Zhou Li laughed, "Ah Lei, you're back from the open sea? You must have made a lot of money!"
Zhou Chenglei just smiled slightly, saying nothing.
Jiang Xia smiled and said to Zhou Li, "Second Aunt, I need to borrow the production team's phone to make a call."
Zhou Li laughed, "Go ahead! Is it to call home?"
"No," Jiang Xia replied, then lowered his head to dial.
Zhou Li pretended to tidy the table, but her eyes were fixed on Jiang Xia dialing, silently memorizing the number. Afterwards, she smiled and started talking to Zhou Chenglei, trying to build rapport.
After making the call, Jiang Xia handed the phone to Zhou Chenglei: "Tell the boss we'll order an extra five thousand fish. You know him well."
Zhou Chenglei frowned: "Won't five thousand be too many? We won't be able to fit them all!"
"No, we need five thousand first. Otherwise, the rest will be sold out, and you'll have to wait a long time to order more."
Zhou Li was reading a newspaper, but she was eavesdropping on their conversation.
Order what? Five thousand fish? Fish?
The call connected, and Zhou Li heard Zhou Chenglei say to the person on the other end, "Boss Jiang, this is Zhou Chenglei, the one who visited your fish farm a couple of days ago. Yes, that's me. I ordered fish fry from you the other day, and today I want to order a little more, yes, an extra five thousand. Yes, an extra five thousand. Okay, could you please deliver them all together? Thank you! Yes, this is the address. See you then."
Zhou Chenglei hung up, and Jiang Xia thanked Zhou Li before pulling Zhou Chenglei outside.
Jiang Xia asked, "Did the boss agree?"
Zhou Chenglei nodded, "He agreed, but he's ordering an extra 5,000. I'm worried the net cages we have now won't be enough. Those fry are imported from Japan, they're a bit expensive. If they're too crowded, they won't survive, it'll be a waste of money."
Jiang Xia said, "How can they not be enough? Those fry are only seven or eight centimeters long, they'll take about a year and a half to grow. For now, they can be crammed together in one net cage. Then we can hurry up and make more net cages and get them bigger ones as soon as possible."
"Yeah, it's a hassle."
"What's the hassle? As long as we make money! I've calculated it. If we start raising them now, and raise them for a year and a half, we can sell them next year for Chinese New Year."
"Think about it, everyone likes to have a fish for their New Year's Eve dinner, it symbolizes abundance year after year. The name 'Ji' fish is good, who doesn't like to have a fish with a nice name and a good meaning on their New Year's Eve dinner? Raise more, and send them to the city dock two days before New Year's Eve, do you think no one will buy them?! I'm afraid even 15,000 won't be enough to sell!"
“The timid starve, the bold thrive. Even if we only earn one yuan per jin, we can still make ten or twenty thousand yuan. We’ll recoup the money from renting the sea area and building the net cages, and who knows, even more…”
Jiang Xia’s voice gradually reached Zhou Li’s ears.
Zhou Li was extremely surprised. Had Zhou Chenglei found a fish farm that sold fish fry?
No wonder they dared to rent two large areas of sea!
Her brother was still foolishly following suit, renting sea area to raise fish, thinking that they really only accepted fish from the villagers to put in net cages.
Little did he know that they had already ordered countless fish fry!
No wonder she saw Zhou Yongfu starting to hire villagers to build net cages.
Luckily, she had written down the phone number.
Zhou Li glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 5:30, time to get off work. She hurried to the dock to see if Zhou Bingqiang had returned.
Zhou Bingqiang and Zhou Guohua hadn’t returned yet, so Zhou Li simply waited at the dock, anxiously watching the sea.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei also returned to the dock.
Zhou Chenglei was waiting for his own fishing boat to return.
Jiang Xia had come to the dock to distribute photos. Seeing Zhou Li also there, she smiled and thought, "Looks like the fish have taken the bait.
" But whether the fish could resist the temptation after she'd cast the bait was up to them!
Jiang Xia stopped paying attention, and didn't have the time or inclination to. Seeing the family boat return, she immediately pulled Zhou Chenglei over.
Zhou's father, of course, enjoyed distributing photos, so Jiang Xia went aboard to find him.
Zhou's father was delighted to see Wangcai back.
Without Wangcai at home to protect the house, the catch wasn't as plentiful as usual, only fetching a little over fifty yuan.
Although he already knew about Jiang's father's situation from his eldest son, Zhou's father still asked with a smile, "Xia, is your father alright?"
Jiang Xia smiled and replied, "He's fine."
Zhou's father happily said, "I knew my in-laws would be alright!"
With Wangcai looking after him, how could her father possibly be in trouble?
Plus, Chenglei had just returned; the couple could go over there and show off their affection, harmonizing things. Jiang's father might even benefit from this misfortune, getting a promotion and making a fortune!
An accident? Impossible!
With good fortune shining upon them, advancement is possible.
Jiang Xia smiled and handed Zhou's father a stack of photos she had specially selected on the boat: "Dad, all the photos from before have been developed. This is a group photo of the production team and our big boat. I printed one for each household or each person. You can give one to everyone, either by household or by headcount! Thank you all for helping our family sell dried fish and fish during this time."
Zhou's father's eyes lit up upon hearing this; Xia really knew how to handle things!
Sending a photo? Better than anything else!
This photo can hang on the wall and be preserved for a lifetime!
Later, when the villagers see this photo, they'll remember it was Zhou Yongfu who sent it, right? And they'll remember that the village's first camera was from his family! The first big boat was also from his family!
Hahaha… just thinking about it is wonderful!
Zhou's father quickly glanced around the dock to see if there were enough returning fishing boats. If there weren't enough people, how could the effect be good?
No, there aren't enough people yet.
He wants everyone to be the center of attention!
Besides, Zhou Bingqiang's boat hasn't returned yet, so the photo can't be distributed.
Damn it, dare to report his in-laws? He'll make him furious!
Mr. Zhou smiled and took the photos: "Okay, then I'll sell the fish first and then distribute them to everyone."
Jiang Xia didn't point out his complaint about the small number of people, and smiled, "Alright, then I'll give the photos of the families who paid for them to the village aunties first."
Mr. Zhou smiled, "Okay, go ahead!"
Little Wangcai was incredibly clever; she knew exactly which photos he liked to distribute and should be made to deliver them; and which photos he was impatient to distribute and she would take them herself.
So smart! It would be a shame if she didn't become successful and rich, not because God gave her both beauty and wisdom.
Jiang Xia walked to the big tree and said to the village women, "Aunties, the photos we took earlier have been developed. Anyone who had their photos taken, come and get them!"
Everyone immediately surrounded Jiang Xia.
"The photos are developed? Do they look good?"
"Xia, where are my family's photos? Let me see them first!"
"Xiaxia, I took two! Are mine developed yet?"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Don't rush, don't rush! I'll call your names, everyone come and get them! One by one."
Jiang Xia also developed one photo for each person in the group photo taken at the production team, which only included women, and gave them to the women in the village.
Actually, most of the villagers were quite kind. Knowing that their family's dried fish needed to be sorted, many people would sort the fish before selling them to them, saving Great-Grandma and He Xinghuan a lot of trouble.
The women beamed with joy at receiving an extra photo: "This is for us? One for each of us? Oh, Xia, you're so kind! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Thank you, thank you! Xia, you're so kind! I was regretting not taking another group photo, but you gave us one! Thank you so much!"
"Thank you so much, so many people, you printed one for all of us, it must have cost a lot, right?"
"Of course it cost a lot, there are thirty or forty people in this group photo! It's only thirty or forty yuan here!"
Jiang Xia said with a smile, "I thought these group photos were rare, so I printed one for everyone, it didn't cost much, of course everyone gets a group photo."
Zhou Li also came over to get the photo, taking the opportunity to laugh and say, "It's because Xia, you're so generous, willing to spend so much money on us, most people wouldn't be willing to! Oh, this group photo is really well taken! Xia is the most beautiful!"
"Xia is beautiful to begin with, she looks like a fairy in the photo."
...
So when Wen Wan returned, she once again saw Jiang Xia being fawned over by the villagers.
It seems Jiang Xia's father is alright.
That makes sense; her brother hasn't married that woman surnamed Ye yet, so what big impact could this little thing have on her father?
Wen Wan didn't care either; it was only a matter of time before Jiang's father got into trouble.
Jiang Xia died young in her previous life and didn't know what happened to her family afterwards.
Seeing Zhou Bingqiang's boat return, Zhou Li stopped flattering Jiang Xia and rushed over, but unexpectedly, Zhou's father was one step ahead and grabbed Zhou Bingqiang first.
Seeing Jiang Xia being fawned over while distributing photos, Zhou's father had been impatient. Now, seeing Zhou Bingqiang's fishing boat dock, he immediately put down the load of fish he was carrying, abandoning his efforts to sell them!
He told Zhou Chenglei to bring the fish back to the purchasing area later, then rushed to Zhou Bingqiang, grabbed his arm, and excitedly waved a stack of photos at everyone: "Hey! The photos are being distributed! The photos are back! Everyone come and see the pictures we took that day! I'll give everyone one for free, first come, first served!"
The villagers rushed to Zhou's father's side.
Zhou's father was overjoyed at the villagers' arrival: Haha, his moment of glory had arrived again!
Grabbing Zhou Bingqiang, he said, "Bingqiang, look at the photos we took on your new boat and my big boat, aren't they great? I'll give you two! And two to everyone else! One for each of the brothers in our village!"
Zhou Bingqiang: "..."
One for each person? So Zhou Yongfu wanted the villagers to always remember the proud moment when he bought his small boat, while his family had already bought a large ocean-going vessel, right?
The villagers swarmed around Zhou's father:
"Here they come! Here they come! Where are the photos? Let me see!"
"Is it really a gift? Give me one!" "
Of course it's real! Here you go! Two for each of you! See how well you took them!" "
These photos are really good! And in color! Zhou Yongfu, your boat is so big!"
"I didn't know I was such a good photographer!"
As evening fell, the setting sun was especially gentle, and the dock was filled with joy again. All this laughter came from the Zhou family, or rather, from Jiangxia.
Of course, only most of the villagers were happy; for Zhou Bingqiang, it was torture!
Zhou's father held him tightly, not letting him leave, and shared the photos with him: "Bingqiang, look at these photos! This is everyone standing under my new boat taking pictures; everyone looks like ants! The one taken on your new boat is much better! Especially your solo photo; look at you standing next to your new boat, you look like a giant!"
Zhou Bingqiang's face darkened!
Damn it, was Zhou Yongfu mocking his family's small boat, or was he laughing at his shortness and fatness?
If anyone truly understood Zhou Bingqiang, it was his father.
Zhou Bingqiang was genuinely provoked!
From childhood, his father was universally acknowledged as the tallest and most handsome man in the village, while Zhou Bingqiang was the shortest and fattest. His
father was always praised for his good looks, while Zhou Bingqiang was constantly ridiculed for his ugliness, shortness, and fatness.
Later, his family's fishing business improved, and they earned more money than others each time they went out to sea. They bought their first television and built the first house in the village. Finally, the villagers stopped laughing at him, and their attitude towards him changed, becoming even better than Zhou Yongfu's.
Only then did Zhou Bingqiang feel he had found dignity. He realized that appearance didn't matter; money brought dignity!
But now, Zhou Yongfu was richer than him! More handsome, taller, and richer!
Zhou Bingqiang didn't want to talk to his father anymore and just wanted to leave quickly, so he nodded: "Hmm, your boat is big! A big boat naturally makes people look small! My boat is small, not as big as yours! Okay, I've looked at the photos! I still need to buy some diesel; I'm going out to sea tomorrow! I'm not saying anything more!"
How could his father let him go? His father hadn't had enough of the teasing, so he grabbed Zhou Bingqiang tightly: "My boat is big, but its fuel consumption is too huge! I heard from Lei that filling it up with fuel costs several thousand, almost ten thousand. A single long voyage costs several thousand in fuel! Do you think that's unbearable? Filling up with fuel costs more than your new boat! It's simply unbearable! Big boats really have huge appetites, they consume too much fuel; most people can't afford to maintain them! Your small boat is much better! Luckily, you don't have the money to buy a big boat!"
Zhou Bingqiang: "..."
What did he mean by "luckily, he doesn't have the money to buy a big boat"? Who doesn't have the money to buy a big boat! Who is he looking down on?
And is this an insult implying that his new boat's fuel tank is smaller than his father's big boat? "I'm so
angry! " Zhou's father laughed. "Really?
It's so fuel-guzzling! I was planning to order a big boat these next few days! Looks like I'll have to order a fuel-efficient one!" "
Really? Congratulations! Go ahead and order it! Big boats have a big appetite, but they earn more because there are so many fish in the open sea! Lei earned over ten thousand yuan in one day on his last trip out to sea, which is equivalent to the earnings of two of your fishing boats! If you have the money, go order a big boat! Big boats definitely make money faster!!"
Bah! Did Zhou Bingqiang have the money to order a big boat?
Even if he did, he wouldn't be afraid! His family had two big boats waiting to come back! It would be best if they all came back together, to make him furious!
Zhou Bingqiang's heart clenched!
Earning ten thousand yuan a day, wouldn't Zhou Chenglei have earned back the money he spent on the big boat in this trip?
Most importantly, now that Zhou Chenglei had a big boat and was earning ten thousand yuan a day, wouldn't the gap between his family and Zhou Chenglei's family widen?
He earned ten thousand yuan a month, while Zhou Chenglei earned ten thousand yuan a day! This really hit Zhou Bingqiang hard.
Seeing that Zhou Bingqiang was so angry with him that he was like a squid, spraying ink whenever he was provoked, his face was now completely black!
He felt that was enough, and decided to save the rest for next time to avoid upsetting him.
Father Zhou decided to let him off the hook: "Oh dear, the sun's already set. I'm not saying anything more, I'm going home for dinner! You wanted to buy diesel? Go ahead! I won't bother you! If you want to order a big boat, you can ask me to go with you; I have experience buying boats!"
Father Zhou left, humming a tune: "Arise, those who refuse...forward!forward!"
Seeing his father's smug expression, Zhou Bingqiang felt a pang of anger.
He wanted to order a big boat too, but he really had no money!
Zhou Li waited until Father Zhou left before coming to Zhou Bingqiang's side.
As soon as Zhou Bingqiang saw her, he said irritably, "Don't you dare tell me to befriend Zhou Yongfu! It'll never happen! Never in this lifetime! Don't you see his smug face in front of me?"
Zhou Li said irritably, "Whether you're friends with him or not is up to you. I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to tell you a secret!!"
"What secret?"
"You foolishly followed Zhou Chenglei to contract the sea area. Do you know that Zhou Chenglei has already ordered the fish fry?"
Zhou Bingqiang's pupils shrank: "What do you mean?"
Zhou Li was also a capable person. She told Zhou Bingqiang about Zhou Chenglei's phone call and Jiang Xia's words without missing a single detail.
Finally, she said, "Do you want to order some fish fry too? I've written down the phone number. Since it's after work and no one's in the office, go call and ask. If you're going to order, make sure they deliver it to you as soon as possible, preferably a day or two before Zhou Chenglei! That way they won't suspect I gave you the phone number. Otherwise, they'll be wary of me later, and I won't be able to help you."
Zhou Bingqiang thought about the money he had left in his pocket and felt a headache coming on: "I don't even know how much it will cost to order fish fry."
He had spent all the money he had earned these past few days on making fish cages, and now he only had a little over two thousand yuan left.
He also wanted to save money to buy a large boat.
“I don’t know, but how much are fish fry worth? A few cents each, you only get a few hundred yuan for a thousand! You rented those two areas of sea for several thousand yuan, and you have to pay several thousand yuan in rent every year. You can’t just let it go to waste, can you? If you raise a few thousand fish now, maybe by the end of next year you can sell them and that will be enough to pay the rent. Anyway, you’ve already made so many net cages and put them in the sea, aren’t you planning to raise fish? Why don’t you call and ask first?”
Zhou Bingqiang nodded, “Okay, then I’ll call and ask how much fish fry cost, and then see how many I need to put in the net cages. I really should buy some fish fry to raise, otherwise the money for renting the sea will really go down the drain, and if I don’t raise fish, then the sea will be rented for nothing!”
“Remember to ask them to deliver the goods early, make sure it’s one or two days earlier than Zhou Yongfu’s fish fry, and tell the boss to tell everyone that you ordered them a long time ago!”
Zhou Li was afraid that Jiang Xia would find out about this. She wanted to build a good relationship with Jiang Xia and hoped that Jiang Xia could help her secure a job, otherwise she was afraid that she would be removed from her position as the person answering the phone after the production team reform.
...
That evening, Jiang Xia was translating in her room when Zhou Chenglei returned after showering. He unlocked the cabinet, took out a cloth bag, and handed it to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia took it; it felt heavy, and her heart skipped a beat. "Is this the money you earned from your long voyages? How much?"
Zhou Chenglei's eyes crinkled with amusement. "See for yourself."
Jiang Xia opened the cloth bag, and there was another large bundle of ten-yuan notes, neatly arranged inside.
She counted fifty-six stacks, which is fifty-six thousand yuan.
"How come there's so much?" Jiang Xia asked in surprise.
"We went quite far, and we were lucky. We also had a fish finder, so we earned more than five thousand yuan every day. We earned almost five thousand on the first night. The second day..."
"The day before we came back, there was probably a storm in the forecast. The waves were particularly big, and there was a lot of good cargo. We took the cargo to the dock and sold it for more money than selling it to the fish transport boats. We earned more than ten thousand yuan, that's all we made."
Of course, Zhou Chenglei paid a high salary, one hundred yuan per person per day. Including Zhou Yongguo, he hired a total of six people, plus bonuses and red envelopes, adding up to ten thousand yuan. Each person received more than fifteen hundred yuan, which is quite a high salary.
It's more than what the families in the village with small wooden boats earn in a month at sea.
Jiang Xia had witnessed firsthand what a ship looked like in rough seas, feeling as if it could be swallowed and capsized at any moment. The thought alone made her heart pound. "Next time you receive typhoon warnings, come back as soon as possible."
Their ship was fully equipped; it could receive notifications from the maritime radio and send out distress signals.
"Yes, I will," Zhou Chenglei said, hugging her tightly and kissing her.
With her waiting at home, how could he bear to risk his life?
His teammates all suggested taking advantage of the high waves and abundant fish before the typhoon hit, fishing for another day before returning.
He had considered it too, but thinking of how she might be worried at home, he decided to return.
They were all extremely surprised; this wasn't like him.
But he had promised to give her a stable and happy life.
Jiang Xia asked again, "Can all the boats that go out to sea for fishing earn this much?"
"Not really. There aren't many fish when the sea is calm, and it's not easy to encounter schools of fish. Some boats have been at sea for twenty days and haven't earned as much as ours. But there are also some larger boats that came back from the waters near the island nation; they were out for less than a month and earned over two hundred thousand."
Zhou Chenglei hugged Jiang Xia, picked up the photos on the table, and while flipping through them, he carefully told her about the catch from the ten days of deep-sea fishing and some news he had heard.
Jiang Xia wasn't a talkative person, so Zhou Chenglei did most of the talking, and she listened.
Zhou Chenglei also coaxed her to talk more, coaxing her to tell him what she had been doing at home these days. He liked hearing her voice and wanted to know about her daily life.
The evening breeze blowing in through the window was gentle, and Jiang Xia's voice was even gentler. Before he knew it, he was holding her and talking to her for over an hour.
This was the most Zhou Chenglei had ever talked in his life; he felt that he hadn't talked as much in the past twenty-nine years combined.
But every day adrift at sea, lying on the deck of the ship, gazing at the starry sky, he felt a strong urge to talk to her, to tell her what fish he had caught that day, to hear her voice, and to know what she was doing.
That night, he told her everything he had wanted to say each night for the past ten nights they had been apart, and he expressed all his longing through his actions.
Tender, passionate…
relentless, day and night.
Tomorrow there was no need to go out to sea; he could be more carefree, more unrestrained.
The next day, Jiang Xia woke up very late. She
had only slept for three hours the night before. He had made love to her again just before dawn, and it was already past eight o'clock when she was done. She should have gotten up, but she was too tired to get up, so she drifted off to sleep again.
Zhou Chenglei, however, had gotten up. He brought in a bowl of porridge sometime during the night, fed her, and then she fell asleep again.
She slept for another four hours, waking up in the afternoon.
Zhou Chenglei was no longer in the room. Jiang Xia reached under her pillow for her watch and checked the time: 1:05!
She had missed lunch!
Jiang Xia blushed. Sleeping until this late was a record she'd broken in both of her lifetimes!
She heard faint voices outside. She
recognized Li Xiuxian's voice; it must be Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian returning for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival.
She quickly got out of bed.
Just then, the door to the room was gently pushed open, and Zhou Chenglei walked in. Seeing that she was awake, he closed the door behind him, stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. "Are you hungry?"
Jiang Xia glared at him. "What do you think?"
Zhou Chenglei couldn't stand her gaze.
Her eyes were too beautiful; her glare had no power to harm, but rather was captivating.
Zhou Chenglei couldn't resist, nor did he want to.
After being apart for so many days, he had been holding back last night, afraid she couldn't handle it.
He held her waist and gave her a deep afternoon kiss.
Jiang Xia was breathless from his kiss before he stopped.
Both of them were a little unsteady on their feet.
"Change your clothes first, then we'll go out and get something to eat." His voice was hoarse, but he didn't let her go.
"Mmm." Her voice was soft and sweet, and she lay still.
Mainly because she was too weak.
Zhou Chenglei naturally wouldn't push her away first; he held her, letting her lean on him, waiting for her.
Neither of them moved, embracing quietly for a while before Jiang Xia pushed him away: "A lot of people in the yard?"
Zhou Chenglei nodded: "Yes, my second brother and sister-in-law came back early this morning, and my great-grandmother and the others came too. They're all together killing chickens and ducks, and we'll have dinner together tonight."
Jiang Xia thought of the scene when she left and couldn't help but close her eyes: "You go out first."
Zhou Chenglei smiled and gave her a light peck: "Okay, I'll go heat up your food. There's porridge and rice, or would you like some seafood fried rice? I've already peeled the crab meat and shrimp."
Jiang Xia was really hungry: "Okay, don't cook too much, I'd like a bowl of porridge too."
"Okay." So Zhou Chenglei went out to make her seafood fried rice.
Jiang Xia went to get her clothes to change.
Her body was covered in his marks, so Jiang Xia wore a collared shirt to cover them up.
While combing her hair, she couldn't help but carefully check her neck in the mirror, afraid that any marks would be visible. After
dressing neatly and making sure there was nothing wrong, Jiang Xia went out.
In the courtyard, Great-Grandma, He Xinghua, Li Xiuxian, Tian Caihua, and Zhou's mother were slaughtering
chickens, geese, ducks, and fish. Jiang Xia also saw several blue crabs and whelks in a bucket, river snails in a wooden basin, and many seafood in a basket. Several baskets of vegetables and fruits were also placed in the corner.
All of these were for tonight's meals.
Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and everyone knew that Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia planned to go to the city tomorrow night to celebrate with Jiang's parents. So, the families decided to have a Mid-Autumn Festival reunion dinner the night before and enjoy the moon together.
He Xinghuan saw Jiang Xia come out and smiled, "Xia, are you feeling better? If you're not feeling well, sleep a little longer."
Great-Grandma looked at the rosy-cheeked Jiang Xia with a smile, as if she knew everything.
Jiang Xia: "..."
Avoiding her great-grandmother's scrutinizing gaze, Jiang Xia guessed that Zhou Chenglei must have said something to everyone, and forced a smile, "Much better."
Zhou's mother, plucking goose feathers, smiled and said, "There's food in the pot, go eat."
"Okay." Jiang Xia quickly walked away!
Li Xiuxian's lips twitched. Her mother-in-law was just too kind!
Sleeping so late without saying a word to Jiang Xia!
What do you mean, "not feeling well"? Lazy is lazy. She rarely went back to the village and knew that Jiang Xia slept until noon every day unless she was at sea.
Li Xiuxian was a teacher and couldn't stand people being so lazy. No wonder she failed the college entrance exam three times.
With Jiang Xia being so lazy, getting up before noon every day, did she really want to take the exam again next year?
She'd only embarrass herself if she succeeded!
Tian Caihua was already used to Jiang Xia sleeping in whenever she wanted.
Moreover, she noticed that Jiang Xia's shipping business was really good; now that both families were going out to sea together, they could earn several hundred yuan a day.
The night before last, Jiang Xia went back to her parents' home, and without her there, she only earned a little over fifty yuan yesterday, just like before!
The difference was too great!
Therefore, Tian Caihua didn't dare to hold a grudge against Jiang Xia anymore.
Reality had taught her that she couldn't argue with Jiang Xia.
However, seeing the usually haughty Li Xiuxian plucking chicken feathers with a disgruntled expression,
Tian Caihua felt a surge of satisfaction! Fortune changes every year; finally, it was Li Xiuxian's turn to experience the feeling of watching her sister-in-law do nothing while she toiled herself to death!
So Tian Caihua smiled and said to Jiang Xia, "Xia, I made taro cake today. It's in the pot. Try it and see if it's good."
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Okay."
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Jiang Xia ate a bowl of seafood fried rice that Zhou Chenglei had made for her. The seafood fried rice contained eggs, crab meat, crab roe, shrimp, squid pieces, scallops, corn, carrots, and green beans. It was very fragrant and delicious.
She ate a bowl of seafood fried rice, then half a bowl of sea cucumber porridge and a sea cucumber. She also tried a piece of the taro cake that Tian Caihua had mentioned, but she couldn't eat anymore. Zhou Chenglei finished the rest for her.
After eating, Jiang Xia started preparing dinner, while Zhou Chenglei went to build the house.
The bricks for the first floor of the house were almost finished. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, they could hire someone to reinforce the iron and lay the floor slabs.
For dinner, Jiang Xia and He Xinghuan cooked, with the others helping out. They made a total of sixteen dishes and a soup.
Big plate goose, poached duck, abalone and chicken, steamed butter crab, blanched whelk, spicy shrimp, steamed oysters with garlic and chili, steamed scallops with vermicelli, boiled fish, stir-fried squid with chili, pan-fried sole, seafood stew, stir-fried clams with ginger, scallions and chili, taro with braised pork belly, stir-fried lettuce with garlic, stir-fried green beans and eggplant, and a sea duck soup.
Not all of these dishes were prepared by Jiang Xia's family; the chicken and braised pork belly were from her great-grandmother's family, the duck was caught by Tian Caihua, and Li Xiuxian also bought some fruit and mooncakes.
The three families ate dinner at 5:30 pm, and after dinner, they ate various fruits, mooncakes, whelks, and small taro in the yard while admiring the moon. Several children played jump rope and badminton outside the yard, their laughter filling the air until 10 pm before they dispersed and went home.
The moonlight was very bright tonight, but the wind was also very strong; it was unclear whether a typhoon would arrive on Mid-Autumn Festival. After taking a shower, Jiang Xia returned to her room, sat by the window, drying her hair while translating.
Zhou Chenglei, having finished showering, was about to return to his room when Zhou Chengsen called him back, handing him a red envelope: "This is a small token of my appreciation from your second brother for building your house. It's a little bit of money, just a small token."
Zhou Chenglei didn't take it: "No need, I have enough money, you can keep it."
Zhou Chengsen directly stuffed it into his hand: "Take it! Don't be polite with your second brother, Mom and Dad will live in that house too, and I'll stay there when I come back from town, so it's only right that I contribute some money."
Zhou Chenglei thought for a moment before not putting it back: "Okay, then I'll accept it, you should go to sleep early."
"You should go to sleep early too."
So the two brothers went back to their respective rooms.
When Zhou Chengsen returned to his room, Li Xiuxian couldn't help but ask softly, "Did you accept it?"
Zhou Chengsen turned off the light, lay back on the bed, and put his arm over his eyes, replying, "Yeah, A-Lei didn't want it, I insisted on giving it to him. Go to sleep!"
He had been helping lay bricks all day, and he was tired.
In the darkness, Li Xiuxian pursed her lips: If he didn't want it, would he have been able to force it in?
The fourth family is so rich now, they've bought a big boat and are building a new house, yet they still have the nerve to accept this small red envelope.
To be honest, this trip back has really hit Li Xiuxian hard.
Last time she came back, the house wasn't built yet, and there was no big boat, so she didn't feel much.
But only a few days have passed?
Such a huge ship, almost 20,000 yuan! Zhou Chenglei bought it just like that!
And I heard he can make tens of thousands of yuan on a single trip to the open sea.
Zhou Chenglei also spent several thousand yuan to rent two areas of sea to raise fish with Zhou Chengxin, and I heard they even raised pearl oysters!
Won't they be rolling in money in the future?
Look at the sports equipment Jiang Xia bought for Zhou Zhou and her nephews, you can tell they're rich by how much they bought!
Those sports equipment must cost at least one or two hundred yuan! And that's just for the kids to play with!
Her Yingying doesn't even have badminton rackets or soccer balls, and her daughter only has a jump rope.
Now even Zhou Zhou is living better than her daughter.
She wears new clothes, has toys, and snacks.
Zhou Zhou says she and her brothers can't finish all the snacks, milk powder, malted milk powder, and canned food in the drawer, and her aunt always brings back a lot.
Now even Tian Caihua is willing to buy new clothes, and today she's dressed head to toe in new clothes.
Later, the eldest and fourth wives would become increasingly wealthy because they had boats to sail the seas, leaving their own family the poorest?
Deep down, Li Xiuxian couldn't bear the thought that she, with her education, knowledge, and respectable job, was worse off than Tian Caihua, a mere village girl.
She felt the division of the family property was unfair!
Everyone had a house and land, so why didn't her family have a boat?
That boat was a tool for making money; shouldn't all three brothers have a share?
She couldn't help but nudge Zhou Chengsen with her elbow: "Hey, don't sleep, I need to talk to you!"
Zhou Chengsen was almost asleep, and upon hearing this, he mumbled, "What is it?"
“I think our family should get a share of the money earned from fishing on that boat.”
Zhou Chengsen was startled awake by her words. He pulled his arm away and turned to stare at her in the dim light: “What’s wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?”
Li Xiuxian: “Isn’t that right? When we divided the family property, we only got the houses. Now all three brothers have houses, and you even contributed money to build the fourth brother’s house. So why does the boat belong to the eldest and fourth brothers?”
Zhou Chengsen laughed in anger. No wonder she had prepared a red envelope for him to give the money to A-Lei: “Then I’ll quit my job, sell the house in town, and my husband and I will come back to fishing? Me, my eldest brother, A-Lei, and I can take turns, one day each? You can quit being a teacher.” "Cooking at home, cleaning fish, drying fish? Fishing at sea does earn more than working a regular job. Otherwise, if you and I were doing the same job, with only three meals a day to eat for the rest of our lives, it would be impossible for us to get rich or be wealthier than others!"
Li Xiuxian couldn't help but hit him. "Is that what I meant? What I meant was, shouldn't we split some of the money from the fishing boat at sea? If we don't go out to sea, we can get a smaller share, but we can't get nothing at all! The previous division of the family property was not fair to us at all!"
Zhou Chengsen understood that she was just feeling a little unbalanced because she saw that his brother was rich and living a better life than her.
Zhou Chengsen, afraid of being overheard by his parents and brothers, didn't want to say more to her: "It is indeed unfair! But it's not unfair to us! It's unfair to A-Lei! Let me tell you, don't think about these things! If you think that boat belongs to our family, then let me tell you, I've already given my share to my eldest brother and fourth brother! I voluntarily gave it up! Does that mean you don't think it's unfair anymore?"
Li Xiuxian: "..."
"I don't want to hear another word about this! What a load of bull! If you say another word, I'll give the house to A-Lei and change it to A-Lei's name!"
Li Xiuxian: "..."
"Do you think there's anything unfair about anything? If you think there's anything unfair, I'll give it all to my eldest brother and A-Lei now! From now on, if you think there's anything unfair, I'll give it all away too! That way, there won't be any unfairness anymore! Okay, peace be with you! I'm going to sleep!" After
Zhou Chengsen finished speaking, he turned his back and went to sleep, ignoring her.
Li Xiuxian: "..."