Zhou Chenglei returned to his room and gave Jiang Xia the red envelope, saying it was from his second brother and relaying Zhou Chengsen's words.
Jiang Xia took it: "Then I'll register it. I'll give this red envelope to Mom and Dad tomorrow, we won't accept it. We'll return it to my second brother if he needs anything in the future!"
"Okay, you can decide." Zhou Chenglei knew she could handle these things.
He picked her up horizontally, his forehead pressed against hers, his voice lazy: "It's late, want to sleep?"
Jiang Xia was lifted up and subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, their foreheads touching. His
cool breath after his shower enveloped her.
Jiang Xia reminded him: "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, we need to get up early."
"Okay, then go to bed early and get up early."
The man put her on the bed.
...
The wind was strong tonight, the moonlight was bright, and it gently spilled into the courtyard.
In the middle of the night, after it was over, Jiang Xia vaguely saw Zhou Chenglei go to open the window to ventilate the room.
A breeze stirred the curtains, casting a silvery glow across the desk, filling the room with a gentle warmth. Mid-Autumn Festival
was just past midnight. The
Mid-Autumn moonlight was so tender!
Jiang Xia thought to herself and fell asleep, unaware that Zhou Chenglei was wiping her body.
Anyway, he always took very good care of her.
***
"Goose feathers, duck feathers for matches!"
"Goose feathers, duck feathers for matches!"
...
Jiang Xia opened her eyes to the loud cries of "Goose feathers, duck feathers for matches!"
She took out her watch and saw that it wasn't very late, only a little past seven.
She didn't know when Zhou Chenglei had gotten up.
Jiang Xia changed her clothes and went out into the yard, where she saw Zhou Chenglei, Zhou Chengxin, and their father and son slaughtering geese, chickens, and ducks—two of each. One portion of the slaughtered chicken, goose, and duck was to be taken to Jiang's parents.
Zhou's mother was rushing out, carrying a dustpan in one hand and shouting, "I have two goose feathers and two duck feathers here, I'm exchanging them for matches!"
Jiang Xia could still hear Zhou's mother's voice fading away: "How many boxes of matches can I get for one goose feather?"
Seeing Jiang Xia get up, Zhou Chenglei washed his hands and stood up: "Breakfast is in the pot, I'll get it for you."
Jiang Xia went to the shower room to brush her teeth and wash her face: "I can get it myself in a bit, you go about your business."
Zhou Chenglei still went to the kitchen to get her breakfast.
Breakfast was a bowl of sea cucumber and scallop porridge, a boiled egg, an ear of corn, and two taro balls.
While Jiang Xia was eating breakfast, Li Xiuxian had just gotten up. As soon as she stepped out of her room, she saw Jiang Xia sitting there eating. There was a sea cucumber in her bowl of porridge; she was the only one in the family to receive this treat. She couldn't help but say, "Fourth sister-in-law is so lucky! She wakes up to sea cucumber porridge every day."
Jiang Xia smiled, "There are plenty of these in the sea. If second sister-in-law wants some, I'll have second brother go fishing for you."
Li Xiuxian: "..."
At this moment, Zhou's mother came in carrying several boxes of matches. Knowing that her second daughter-in-law was jealous, she added, "Xia's health is weak; she's not used to our seaside life..." Every time she got wet, she would get a fever that night. A-Lei caught sea cucumbers but couldn't bear to sell them; he kept them all for Xia to nourish her body. "This stuff needs to be eaten every day, and it takes time to see results,"
Jiang Xia said with a smile. "It's effective; I haven't had a fever lately."
Zhou's mother smiled and said, "That's good. Have A-Lei go down to the seabed and catch more while the weather is still warm enough to swim. It would be best if they could eat them for a year or two; it's good for the baby."
As she spoke, Zhou's mother couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xia's belly, smiling kindly.
The couple were so diligent; they must be pregnant, right?
Jiang Xia: "..."
Speaking of children, Li Xiuxian felt uncomfortable and walked away.
She felt that Zhou's mother was implying that she couldn't have a son and didn't deserve to eat sea cucumbers!
Why didn't she say sea cucumbers were good when she was pregnant with Yingying? If she had had sea cucumbers to nourish her body before, she wouldn't have gone so long without conceiving again after giving birth to Yingying.
Now, not being able to have another son was Li Xiuxian's pain.
Having only one daughter in the village always leads to gossip, questions, and being looked down upon.
People in this coastal area have a strong belief in raising sons for old age and tend to favor sons over daughters; even Li Xiuxian herself held this view.
She desperately wanted a son, but the one-child policy was much stricter now. Both she and her husband worked, limiting them to one child. Even if she were willing to give up her teaching job to have another, Zhou Chengsen wouldn't agree.
Zhou's mother didn't say much. She longed for a grandchild, but knew it couldn't be rushed. Her youngest son and daughter-in-law had already tried so hard; even a sturdy bed was shaking from sleeping on it. What more could they do?
She couldn't put more pressure on them; pressure would only make it harder to conceive.
Lunch was eaten together by all three families. Zhou Chenglei tended the fire, Jiang Xia cooked, and the others helped.
Only the couple were in the kitchen. Thinking about Zhou Zhou, Jiang Xia said, "Zhou Chenglei, how about we adopt Zhou Zhou?"
Zhou Chenglei looked up at her.
The flickering firelight from the stove accentuated his features, and a hint of surprise crossed his usually cool and handsome face.
"What happened?" he asked in a low voice.
Zhou Chenglei was surprised, not opposed.
He believed Jiang Xia wouldn't adopt his third brother's child without a reason, but in his parents' eyes, adoption meant his third brother's lineage would end.
He couldn't get past his parents' objections.
Jiang Xia then told him about Zhou Zhou being bullied at school, adding, "It's just a nominal adoption, just a title on the household registration. Zhou Zhou is still my third brother's child, still calling us 'Uncle' and 'Aunt.' I think as she grows up, she'll need to fill in her parents' information for school and many other things. Being orphaned will make her feel inferior. If we adopt her, we'll be her support."
Zhou Chenglei: "Mom and Dad probably won't agree."
Jiang Xia: "So you go and persuade them!"
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
It wasn't that easy to persuade them.
***
Lunch was a lavish meal shared by all three families. A table laden with chicken, goose, duck, and seafood, the atmosphere lively and bustling.
The children, busy playing, quickly finished their meal and ran off, while the adults continued eating.
Taking advantage of the children's absence and the adults' presence, Zhou Chenglei revealed his intention to adopt Zhou Zhou.
Jiang Xia added, "Zhou Zhou is still Third Brother's child, and she'll still call me and A-Lei's Aunt and Uncle. She's just our adopted daughter on the household registration."
The family was stunned.
Even Zhou's father looked at Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei in surprise.
Tian Caihua was the most confused: "Why? If you adopt Zhou Zhou, Xia, if your first child is a daughter, you can't have a second child, right?"
Zhou's mother immediately realized that Jiang Xia's household registration was still in the city, and their younger son's hadn't been transferred back. They could only have one child! Adopting Zhou Zhou meant they couldn't have their own children. Although the household registration could be transferred back to the village, and if the first child was a daughter, they could have a second.
However, the family planning policy is becoming stricter every year, and who knows what the situation will be like next year?
Zhou's mother couldn't understand the point of this at all! After all, whether they adopted Zhou Zhou or not, it was their responsibility to raise him. Establishing a relationship on the household registration was like cutting off their own future.
Zhou's mother said, "There's no need for this. Why raise him under your names? I don't think it's necessary. You don't even have a child yet, what's the point of adopting?"
Zhou's father also couldn't understand the meaning of Wangcai and his wife's actions, so he asked, "Alei, why do you have this plan? If you adopt, won't your third brother's line end?"
Zhou Chenglei: "I only thought about leaving a line for my third brother, that's why I thought of adoption. Otherwise, if Zhou Zhou's mother comes to take Zhou Zhou away in the future, we won't have a reason to stop her."
Zhou's father was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, seemingly considering this possibility.
Tian Caihua pursed her lips: "She's been remarried for so many years. If she wanted to take Zhou Zhou away, she would have done it long ago! You're overthinking it!"
Li Xiuxian: "It's actually quite possible. Last time I took Yingying to the clinic, I saw her seeing a gynecologist and heard her ask the doctor why, even though all her tests were normal, she hadn't gotten pregnant after so long."
Hearing this, Zhou's mother thought about how her third daughter-in-law had been remarried for so many years and still hadn't had a child. She was getting older, and it was very possible she wouldn't be able to have children anymore. It was uncertain whether she could take Zhou Zhou away in the future.
Zhou's mother: "But you two can't adopt her! You don't even have your own children!"
Zhou's mother looked at Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian: "Ah Sen, how about we register Zhou Zhou's household registration under your names?"
Li Xiuxian's face changed.
She never expected this to happen to her!
She should have kept quiet!
Wait a minute!
Li Xiuxian looked at Jiang Xia. Was she doing this on purpose?
Li Xiuxian felt that Jiang Xia must not want to raise Zhou Zhou and deliberately suggested adoption!
The couple didn't have any children yet, and their in-laws would never allow them to adopt Zhou Zhou.
The eldest son's family had four children, and Tian Caihua's character was also unlikely to allow her to adopt Zhou Zhou.
So wouldn't this matter fall on their family?
After all, she only had one daughter!
Jiang Xia was really too cunning and treacherous!
Zhou Chengsen had no objection, since he only had one daughter and couldn't have any more. Just as he was about to agree, Li Xiuxian quietly kicked him and said first, "Isn't this a bad idea? We don't know if this counts as having more children than allowed, and what if we lose our jobs because of this?"
Tian Caihua couldn't help but feel nervous!
Jiang Xia also noticed Li Xiuxian's anger and Tian Caihua's nervousness. She hadn't expected Zhou's mother to say such a thing, and she certainly couldn't let them adopt Zhou Zhou.
Jiang Xia hurriedly said, "Mom, there's no need for my second brother and sister-in-law to adopt. I want to adopt, but there's no rush. I haven't even asked Zhou Zhou yet. After I talk to Zhou Zhou and she agrees, we can go through the adoption procedures after A Lei and I have a child."
Zhou Zhou's biological mother won't be coming to take Zhou Zhou away for another three years, so we can go through the adoption process before then.
Adoption is the safest option, but it's not the only way. If all else fails, we can go to court.
Zhou's father could see that Jiang Xia genuinely cared for Zhou Zhou and that her intentions were good, but this wasn't necessary. Xia hadn't seen how Zhou Zhou's biological mother had pushed Zhou Zhou away. She was so heartless; why would she come back for Zhou Zhou? Unless she really couldn't have children.
Zhou's father said, "Then let's wait until you have your own child! Or wait until Zhou Zhou's biological mother really intends to take her away."
Li Xiuxian and Tian Caihua both breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Xia: "Then let's not mention this again after we leave this table. We'll talk about it later."
Father Zhou then said to Li Xiuxian and Tian Caihua: "This won't affect you, but if you leave this table today and say a word about it, or even mention it in front of the child, and someone else finds out, Zhou Zhou will be registered under their household registration! And it will be transferred immediately!"
After saying this, Father Zhou looked at Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Chengsen: "Is that alright?"
Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Chengsen: "Okay!"
The matter was settled, but Li Xiuxian was still uneasy. She was afraid that Zhou Zhou would end up under her household registration.
Jiang Xia was so annoying! She
was such a troublemaker!
She always caused trouble!
Why did she have to adopt?
Even if Zhou Zhou's birth mother wanted to take Zhou Zhou away, then let her take her!
Can't a mother take her own child?
She thought Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei just disliked raising Zhou Zhou; they weren't worried about Zhou Zhou's birth mother taking Zhou Zhou away and ending the third branch of the family line. They were just pretending!
"If they're so capable, let them not have their own child. Go and apply for adoption now. Let them never have any more children of their own, only Zhou Zhou. Only then will she believe they're sincere!"
Pah! Like a wasp's stinger, Jiang Xia is the most venomous!
******
After lunch, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went back to her parents' home.
Since they wanted to take some small fish and dried fish to the city for Zhang Fuyan to bring back to Beijing, they both rode bicycles to the town first, then took a bus to the city.
Jiang Xia's bicycle had a large bag of dried fish, about fifty pounds, tied to the back.
Zhou Chenglei's bicycle had three bags tied to the back, supported by a wooden board.
The front of his bicycle was also full of things for Jiang's parents.
The two rode their bicycles to the town together. After parking their bicycles, Zhou Chenglei carried four large snakeskin bags and led Jiang Xia to wait for the bus.
Looking at the bags and packages, Jiang Xia said, "How about we buy a tractor while we're in the city? How much would a tractor cost?"
They could barely afford a car, but that would mean losing the house, and a tractor was more practical in the village. So, Jiang Xia thought a tractor would be better.
Zhou Chenglei said, "Eight or nine thousand should be enough. It'll be good to buy one, and it'll be convenient for delivering dried fish to the city. I was thinking of buying a motorcycle; it can carry over a hundred pounds, and it's faster, but a tractor can carry more."
"Then we'll go check them out." Jiang Xia felt both a tractor and a motorcycle were necessary!
After all, they served different purposes.
She couldn't drive a tractor, but she could drive a motorcycle!
Just then, the car arrived,
and a group of people rushed forward. After everyone was on the car, Zhou Chenglei let Jiang Xia get on. He put the bags on the ground and carried them up one by one.
Jiang Xia, carrying tens of thousands of yuan on her back, clutched her bag tightly, watching Zhou Chenglei load the things onto the car.
The money was originally intended for buying a house.
Taking the bus was just too inconvenient! Especially for country folk like them carrying so much stuff into the city.
Finally, they arrived at the bus station. The two first took the dried fish to the train station for safekeeping; Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan would take it back to Beijing the next day. Then they went back to the Jiang family home.
Back at the Jiang family home, Jiang Xia gave Jiang Dong the fishing net scarf she had knitted some time ago.
Jiang Xia later asked He Xinghuan for advice before knitting this scarf.
She was skillful and took it seriously, so the scarf turned out beautifully. Except for the slightly loose stitches at the beginning, it was perfect, looking almost as good as the ones sold outside.
Jiang Dong, wearing it around his neck, asked happily, "Sister, is this the first scarf you've ever knitted?"
Jiang Xia nodded, "Yes! Can't you tell it's my first piece? I practiced for a long time."
Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia upon hearing this.
Jiang Dong looked at Zhou Chenglei smugly.
He was still number one in his sister's heart!
Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but keep looking at Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia met his resentful gaze, "The first one is just practice. I'll knit you a better one when we get back!"
Zhou Chenglei wasn't satisfied; he also wanted her first piece of knitting! The one Jiang Dong was wearing was very good!
He said, "Knit a sweater!"
Jiang's father asked, "Xiaxia, shouldn't the first sweater be knitted for Dad?"
Jiang Xia immediately replied, "Okay!
" Zhou Chenglei was
speechless. Jiang's mother also laughed, "What about me?"
Jiang Xia asked, "A shawl?"
Jiang's mother smiled, "Alright!"
Zhou Chenglei asked, "What about me?"
Jiang Xia asked, "Woolen pants?"
Jiang Dong said, "Sister, brother-in-law is afraid of the heat, he doesn't wear woolen pants in winter, not even thermal underwear!"
Zhou Chenglei was speechless.
Jiang Xia asked, "Socks?"
Jiang Dong said, "Sister, woolen socks are so thick, if you sweat, won't your feet smell? Aren't you afraid of being bothered by the smell?!"
Jiang Xia said, "That's true!"
Zhou Chenglei
was speechless. The whole family couldn't help but laugh.
That night, because of the typhoon, the wind was strong and it rained, and the moon wasn't visible. However, the family still happily and warmly celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival.
***
The next morning, when they woke up, the rain had stopped, and the wind had died down. The ground was wet, and a tree downstairs had fallen, fortunately without hitting Jiang's father and mother's car. Leaves were everywhere.
Zhou Chenglei and Jiang's father cleared the trees away.
Jiang Xia was a little worried about the fish cages in the sea, but they couldn't go out to sea now.
Jiang's father hurriedly drove off to check the surrounding area.
Jiang Dong was going back to school today, and he had also bought tickets for Zhang Fuyan; the two had arranged to return to Beijing together.
Fan Lili drove Zhang Fuyan to the train station and picked up Jiang Dong on the way.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei got in the car together and took them to the train station.
The three of them watched the train depart before leaving.
Fan Lili said to Jiang Xia, "Where are you going? I'll drive you there."
Jiang Xia smiled and declined, "Thank you, Aunt Fan, but it's not necessary. We'll just go to the nearby shopping mall, then walk to the bus station next door to take a bus home. You're busy!"
"Okay, I'll go now!" She had to rush back to work.
After Fan Lili left, Jiang Xia asked Zhou Chenglei, "Should we go look at tractors first, or motorcycles, or maybe houses?"
Zhou Chenglei: "Let's go to the department store first and see if they sell motorcycles. Buying a motorcycle requires a letter of introduction and a ticket. I have the ticket, but I'll find someone to write the letter of introduction. I don't know if they can even sell them at the department store; if not, I'll ask someone to help me buy one."
Motorcycles aren't easy to buy. Besides the ticket, you also need a letter of introduction from your workplace, and demand far exceeds supply.
Neither of them has a workplace right now, so they can only ask someone to write the letter of introduction.
"Okay." Jiang Xia thought that as long as she had a ticket, she could buy one; she didn't know
she also needed a letter of introduction. She had originally planned to buy a motorcycle so she could drive around and look at tractors and houses.
Especially houses—buying a house is a big deal. Jiang Xia wasn't familiar with many areas of the city, and buying a motorcycle would allow her to travel around and see where there were still houses for sale. The appreciation potential of houses in different locations varies!
Buying a house isn't easy; it's a significant investment, so she had to compare different options to find one with a high cost-performance ratio and greater appreciation potential. Just as
the two stepped out of the train station, a jeep stopped in front of them.
Zhang Rui got out of the car and approached them: "Commander, sister-in-law! I've been looking for you so long!"
Yesterday afternoon, he went to the village to look for the commander, but the commander's father said the commander had gone to his father-in-law's house for the holiday.
This morning, he went to the commander's father-in-law's house according to the address, but his mother-in-law said they had gone to the train station to see someone off. So
he rushed over.
Finally, he found him!
Zhou Chenglei: "Don't call me that anymore."
Zhang Rui opened his mouth as if to say something, but remembering his decisive nature, he said, "Then I'll call you Fourth Brother?"
When the four brothers first joined the army, the commander was the youngest, and everyone called him Little Fourth. However, he was too capable and rose through the ranks the fastest, even surpassing Zhang Rui, who came from a family with a long history of military service. Everyone admired him and called him by his rank, from squad leader to commander.
Later, when they went on missions together, sometimes they needed to conceal their identities, so everyone called him Fourth Brother.
This time, Zhou Chenglei didn't say anything and let him be.
Jiang Xia asked Zhang Rui, "Didn't you say you were coming to see us the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival? I thought you had something come up and left."
"I had something to do that day, so I couldn't go. Sister-in-law, Fourth Brother, you two get in the car first. Where are you going? I'll take you."
Zhou Chenglei didn't stand on ceremony, opened the car door, and helped Jiang Xia into the car.
After Jiang Xia got in, Zhou Chenglei was about to get in himself when Jiang Xia stopped him, "Why don't you go lead the way?"
If they both sat in the back, wouldn't that make him the driver?
Zhang Rui had already gotten in and laughed, "It's alright, Captain, you can sit in the back! Where are you going?"
He was happy to be the commander's driver; he was even more nervous if the commander sat in the front, afraid that the commander would criticize his driving skills.
Zhou Chenglei sat in the back, not wanting Jiang Xia to sit alone in the back, and besides, their relationship was so close that he didn't mind.
Zhou Chenglei: "Let's go to the department store to look at motorcycles."
Zhang Rui replied, "Buying a motorcycle? Do you have coupons? My second brother seems to have some."
Zhou Chenglei: "I have coupons, but no letter of introduction."
"Then ask my second brother to help write one."
Zhou Chenglei had the same idea.
Jiang Xia looked at the convertible jeep and asked, "How much is this vehicle?"
Zhang Rui replied, "This is my second brother's vehicle. It cost over 30,000 yuan when he bought it two years ago. It should be about the same price now, maybe a thousand or two more."
Zhou Chenglei then looked at Jiang Xia: "How about we skip the tractor and motorcycle and buy this vehicle instead?"
Jiang Xia thought for a moment and shook her head: "No need, let's buy the tractor and motorcycle."
Although they could afford the 30,000 yuan jeep, the tractor was more cost-effective!
In the village, tractors and motorcycles were more practical.
They weren't rich; they still hadn't saved enough money for two large boats!
Having a tractor and motorcycle would be convenient for delivering dried fish.
Jiang Xia saw someone driving an orange-red motorcycle on the street. The motorcycle looked a lot like a modern electric car. She immediately thought that the front crossbar could hold a bag of dried fish, and the back could hold four or five bags of dried fish. Once Zhou Chenglei went to the open sea, she could easily haul a couple hundred pounds of goods to the city to sell on the motorcycle. She
could even learn to use a tractor later and haul over a thousand pounds without any problem!
If she bought a Jeep, would it look good to sell dried fish in a Jeep?
How many pounds of dried fish would she have to sell to earn enough for a Jeep?
Zhang Rui listened and said, "This vehicle is pretty good. It can haul goods in the back, and it's not afraid of wind and sun. It's just that it's temperamental in winter and will break down! You have to crank it, and you might get hit by the crank handle. But the climate here is okay, and the weather isn't very cold in winter, which would be more troublesome in the north."
Jiang Xia said, "Tractors are more cost-effective. Tractors can be used for hauling goods and plowing fields. I like tractors!"
Zhang Rui: "That's true!"
Sister-in-law is so cute!
Haha...
So the three of them went to the department store where they sold motorcycles.
The salesperson, seeing them looking at motorcycles, immediately asked, "Do you have a ticket? A letter of introduction?"
Zhang Rui replied, "Yes."
"Let me see."
Zhang Rui said, "I'll show you in a bit, let's look at the bikes first."
The salesperson knew they didn't have a ticket or a letter of introduction, so she said, "You can only look, don't touch."
Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, "Which one do you like?"
There weren't many motorcycles on display, only a Xingfu 250 and a Jialing CJ50, meaning they could only choose one.
It seemed like motorcycles only started to have more models and become more like modern motorcycles a couple of years later. Of course, the prices were also much higher then, ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan in the 1990s.
Now it's better; the Xingfu is a little over two thousand yuan, and a Jialing is less than a thousand.
Zhang Rui introduced the motorcycles to Jiang Xia: "The Jialing is lighter and slower, but very stable. The Xingfu one is faster, can carry a thousand pounds without a problem, and is comfortable to ride, but it's heavier. If you drive it often, Jialing is a better choice."
Jiang Xia thought the Xingfu one looked more masculine, while the Jialing looked like an electric scooter, easier for a woman to handle.
Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei: "Which one do you like?"
Zhou Chenglei: "Jialing, you can drive this one too."
For Zhou Chenglei, going to the city was easy; he could ride a bicycle, a tractor, or even a boat—he had plenty of options.
If he were to buy a motorcycle, he would naturally choose one that was easier for Jiang Xia to drive.
He could tell from Jiang Xia's appearance that she would definitely drive it.
Zhou Chenglei wasn't comfortable with the Xingfu one; she was thin and weak, and he wasn't sure if she could support the motorcycle, making it a bit dangerous for her.
Jiang Xia said, "Then let's buy the Jialing."
Cheap and convenient!
You can put a bag of dried fish in the front and several more in the back—so convenient! This was practically the top choice for small vendors and vegetable farmers like them!
Zhang Rui asked the sales clerk, "Can I buy it now with a ticket and a letter of introduction?"
The sales clerk nodded, "Yes, you're lucky. We just delivered a batch of motorcycles the day before yesterday and gave them to customers who had ordered them. We even gave three extra Jialing and Xingfu models. Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival, so not many people were shopping, and we didn't sell them all. If you don't buy now, they might be gone by the afternoon. If you want to buy one, you'll have to queue up and order, and it will take at least a month to get the motorcycle. And the next batch will probably be more expensive; this batch is more than a hundred yuan more expensive than the first batch."
Zhang Rui said, "Fourth Brother, Sister-in-law, wait a moment, I'll go get the letter of introduction."
Zhang Rong could write the letter of introduction, so Zhang Rui could just go to his second brother to get it.
Zhou Chenglei took out the ticket and gave it to Jiang Xia, who counted the money from her bag to pay. However, the sales clerk insisted on a letter of introduction before accepting payment and issuing a receipt.
The couple could only wait for Zhang Rui to come over.
"Ah Lei." A gentle voice sounded behind them.
Jiang Xia turned around.
Jiang Xia turned around and saw a smartly dressed female comrade in military uniform rushing towards them.
Zhang Rui followed closely behind her, giving Zhou Chenglei an apologetic look, then glancing nervously at Jiang Xia.
Zeng Yuan ran up to Zhou Chenglei, and Jiang Xia thought she wanted to throw herself at him, but Zhou Chenglei pulled her back a step, stopping her in her tracks.
Zhou Chenglei expressionlessly took Jiang Xia's hand and stepped back.
Zeng Yuan paused, glanced at their clasped hands, her nose stung, and her eyes reddened: "Zhou Chenglei, you left without saying goodbye."
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her, his face expressionless, and said indifferently: "I don't seem to need to say goodbye to you."
After speaking, he looked at Zhang Rui: "Letter of introduction."
Zhang Rui quickly handed the letter of introduction to Zhou Chenglei.
Jiang Xia saw that the other's eyes were red and subconsciously looked at Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei took the letter of introduction and, noticing Jiang Xia looking at him, looked down at her and
said, "Go pay." He then pulled her to pay, not even glancing at Zeng Yuan, as if they didn't know each other.
Jiang Xia suppressed her curiosity and paid for the motorcycle first.
Zeng Yuan glanced at the two intimate figures and angrily turned her head away.
Zhang Rui whispered to her, "You've met the commander, can you leave now?"
He still had things to discuss with the commander!
She had ruined it again!
Zeng Yuan glared at him: "Why should I leave?"
Zhang Rui: "..."
"If you're not leaving, what are you doing here?"
"Mind your own business!"
Zhang Rui: "..."
He was exasperated!
He had never seen such a troublesome woman.
The commander had never given her a kind look, yet she had acted as if she hadn't seen him for years, clinging to him!
Now that the commander was married, what more did she want?
If they hadn't grown up in the same compound and their families were old friends, he wouldn't have bothered with her!
Zeng Yuan ignored Zhang Rui; her gaze fell on Jiang Xia, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
Did Zhou Chenglei like this kind of woman?
No, Zhou Chenglei married her only to repay a debt of gratitude. He didn't refuse because the matchmaker was his old superior, and the woman was the daughter of Commander Jiang, who had mentored and recognized his talent when he first joined the army. He
was a step too slow—a step too slow to confess his feelings, a step too slow to arrange the marriage!
This woman, besides being a little fairer-skinned, how could she compare to him? How could she be worthy of Zhou Chenglei?
She was short, only reaching Zhou Chenglei's shoulder, her background wasn't as good as his, and her education was low—only a high school diploma!
She looked like the kind of woman with no fighting spirit, who would only hide behind a man and cry when things went wrong!
She wasn't good enough for Zhou Chenglei!
Jiang Xia took the letter of introduction from Zhou Chenglei, took out 780 yuan and a receipt from her bag, and handed them to the shopkeeper: "780 yuan, please count it."
Shopkeeper: "790. The motorcycle has already been refueled; the fuel cost is an extra 10 yuan."
Jiang Xia took out another 10 yuan from her bag.
Seeing that Jiang Xia hadn't fastened her bag properly, Zhou Chenglei reached out and straightened it for her.
The sales clerk carefully checked the letter of introduction, and only after confirming there were no problems did she collect the money, count it, and then start issuing receipts, reminding them to take the receipts to register the vehicle.
After that, she asked them if they had driver's licenses, and Zhou Chenglei said yes, so she didn't say anything more, gesturing for them to try out the motorcycle; if there were no problems, they could drive away.
Zhou Chenglei started the motorcycle, tested the throttle, and finding no problems, pushed it out, saying to Jiang Xia, "Let's go, let's go for a spin and test it out."
Zeng Yuan blocked the motorcycle's path, unable to resist asking, "Chenglei, aren't you going to introduce us?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "This is my wife, Jiang Xia."
Then he said to Jiang Xia, "This is my former army doctor, Dr. Zeng."
Zeng Yuan, who was over 1.7 meters tall, extended her hand to the 1.65-meter-tall Jiang Xia, saying, "Hello, Zeng Yuan. I graduated from military medical university and am now an attending physician in a military hospital. I've always taken care of Chenglei whenever he's injured."
Jiang Xia smiled and extended his hand to shake hers.
As their hands clasped, Zeng Yuan subtly tightened her grip.
Zhou Chenglei glanced coldly at Zeng Yuan.
Zeng Yuan tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't!
Jiang Xia's smile remained unchanged: "Hello, Dr. Zeng. Thank you for treating my husband's injuries. Your duty as doctors is truly noble—to heal the sick, save lives, and selflessly care for patients."
Jiang Xia then released his hand.
Zeng Yuan's entire hand stiffened, numb, tingling, and painful, and the numbness kept spreading upwards.
Zhang Rui glanced at Jiang Xia.
Sister-in-law, you're awesome!
Not only is your strength off the charts, but your words are sharp too.
You casually dismissed Zeng Yuan's talk of "taking care" as simply a doctor's duty.
Right, treatment is treatment, why talk about "taking care"? It sounds so ambiguous!
Taking care of patients and saving lives is just a doctor's duty!
Zeng Yuan was both angry and embarrassed. She took out a handkerchief, wiped her hand clean where Jiang Xia had held it, and then threw the handkerchief to Zhang Rui: "Help me throw this away."
Zhou Chenglei's face turned cold as he glanced at it.
Zhang Rui felt like a battle was about to erupt!
Damn it, this handkerchief is a ticking time bomb!
Should he throw it away or not?
Jiang Xia returned to Zhou Chenglei's side: "Let's go! Let's try out the motorcycle."
Zhou Chenglei parked the motorcycle, grabbed Jiang Xia's wrist, and led her outside. He then unscrewed the kettle and used the water to carefully wash the hand she had just shaken with Zeng Yuan. Afterward, he took out a handkerchief to dry the water droplets on her hands.
Zeng Yuan followed them out: "..."
She almost cried from anger!
After Zhou Chenglei dried Jiang Xia's hands, he dried his own and said to Jiang Xia, "Wait for me here, I'll bring the motorcycle out."
Jiang Xia nodded.
After Zhou Chenglei went inside, Zeng Yuan came to Jiang Xia's side, looking down at her with a smile: "What kind of work is Comrade Jiang doing now?"
Seeing the strong sun, Jiang Xia took out arm sleeves from her bag, putting them on to protect herself from the sun, and said, "Farming at home."
"Pfft..." Zhang Rui quickly covered his mouth.
His sister-in-law's tongue is so sharp!
Farming? Unbelievable!
Zeng Yuan's lips moved, surprised by Jiang Xia's words. She was clearly unemployed and supported by a man, yet she was being portrayed as a farmer!
She wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but couldn't find the words; she couldn't very well criticize the peasant class.
Zeng Yuan glanced at Jiang Xia.
She was surprisingly quick-witted!
She acted all delicate and fragile in front of Zhou Chenglei—did he know she was like this?
Zhou Chenglei then pushed out his motorcycle and parked it.
The sun was out, and it was a bit hot; Jiang Xia was sensitive to the sun.
He took off the straw hat hanging on his back, brushed the stray hairs from Jiang Xia's forehead, put the hat on her, and tied the rope, asking, "Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?"
Jiang Xia shook her head: "No, thank you."
Zeng Yuan: "..."
She had never seen Zhou Chenglei so gentle.
Zhou Chenglei climbed onto the motorcycle, sat down, started the engine, and then gestured for Jiang Xia to get on.
As Jiang Xia got on, Zhou Chenglei habitually turned back and helped her up.
Zeng Yuan was stunned. She had thought he was naturally aloof, cold to everyone, especially women, always keeping a straight face and maintaining distance.
Turns out, he wasn't!
He could be gentle and considerate too.
Zhou Chenglei said to Zhang Rui, "Your sister-in-law and I are leaving now."
Zhang Rui had something to say to Zhou Chenglei, but now wasn't the right time. He nodded and waved to Jiang Xia, "Okay, see you another day, sister-in-law!"
Jiang Xia smiled and waved back to Zhang Rui, "See you another day."
Zhou Chenglei prepared to drive off, then said to Jiang Xia, "Hold me tight, let's go."
Zeng Yuan: "..."
Jiang Xia wrapped her arms around his waist.
Zhou Chenglei drove off on his motorcycle with Jiang Xia in tow.
Zeng Yuan watched their departing figures, a little resentful: "She's not good enough for the commander!"
Zhang Rui returned the hot handkerchief to her: "I don't know if she's good enough, I only know the commander doesn't like you."
Zeng Yuan: "..."
Zhou Chenglei drove his motorcycle with Jiang Xia to the agricultural machinery factory to buy a tractor.
The tractor had to be ordered, and wouldn't be available until next spring; a letter of introduction from the production team was also required.
Zhou Chenglei opened the letter, and the two paid three thousand yuan to order a tractor, which also came with a plow. When spring plowing came, they wouldn't have to wait in line for the village's tractor.
Jiang Xia, holding the order, smiled and walked out of the factory with Zhou Chenglei: "We finally have our first four-wheeled vehicle!"
Jiang Xia had never imagined that the first vehicle she would buy in this life would be a tractor.
She also never imagined she would have such a connection with tractors!
This life is truly a dream!
Zhou Chenglei smiled, without mentioning that they would soon have a four-wheeled vehicle too.
The two rode their motorcycle around the city, with Zhou Chenglei driving towards the eastern new district.
That area was under construction; although desolate, it represented the future direction of development.
Zhou Chenglei believed that this vibrant city would definitely develop well in the future.
However, there are very few commercial housing units available now. Aside from the development I saw last time, the only other buildings I could see were privately built houses or company-provided welfare housing, bought for employees of various work units.
Jiang Xia saw a construction site near the dock, resembling a market under construction.
Jiang Xia pointed and asked, "Is that a market under construction?"
"Yes, a seafood market."
"I wonder when it will open? We'd like to buy some stalls there."
"Probably next year." Zhou Chenglei also wanted to buy, so he stopped outside to look.
Seeing someone come out, Jiang Xia asked, "Uncle, is this a market under construction? Is it almost finished? Has it started selling?"
"Not so fast. Construction is expected to be completed next year, so it's not open for sale yet."
"Oh, thank you!" Jiang Xia thanked him and drove away on their motorcycle with Zhou Chenglei.
The worker glanced at their motorcycle and thought: Rich people!
Rich people have so much money they don't know what to do with it.
Everyone is used to buying seafood at the dock—it's fresh and convenient. Who would come to this market to buy or sell seafood? The fishmongers have to transport the fish over; isn't that troublesome? Besides, they have to pay for the stalls inside.
Only a fool would waste money buying those stalls!
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei returned to the Donghu Garden they had visited before.
This time, they encountered the same manager as before.
Li Zhihua also remembered Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia; after all, not long had passed, and the couple's appearance was truly unforgettable.
Since they came a second time, it meant they were genuinely interested in buying the house. He smiled and said, "I heard magpies chirping when I woke up this morning, and I guessed I'd meet someone important today. And indeed, distinguished guests have arrived! It's good to see you two again!"
Jiang Xia smiled and asked, "Is that house you mentioned in the complex finished? Has it started selling?"
"It's finished, but it hasn't officially started selling yet. Right now, we're only selling houses and shops along the road, but it'll be soon; it'll go on sale around National Day."
Zhou Chenglei asked about the shops, "How much are they?"
"A shop is 50,000 yuan, 50 square meters, with an attic. The attic is included free; you can live there, so it's like having two floors."
"However, we only have one or two corner shops left; the location is too remote, it's not worth it."
"If you want to buy a shop, I suggest you buy one at the nearby seafood market. I can help you get one."
Jiang Xia glanced at Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei: "The seafood market on Fuqiang Road?"
"Yes, that's it! It's not for sale yet, but if you trust me, I can buy it for you right now, at the same price as our boss's relatives and friends. Stalls inside are only 2,800 each, and there are also shops with warehouses—the front for the shop, the back for the warehouse—and attics, all for 10,000 each, 50 square meters each. To be honest, I bought a stall and a shop myself." (
The "buying" part was a lie; it was a gift from his brother-in-law! But of course, he couldn't say that.)
Jiang Xia: "We just went to see it, and the workers said it's not finished yet, not yet for sale."
"That's right, it's not completely finished yet. The market won't be finished and operational until the end of next year, and it'll probably start selling in October. If you go there now and ask, they'll definitely say it's not finished yet, not yet for sale. But it's already available for sale. Those who can buy it now are all connected. They're all relatives and friends of the boss. I can buy it; to be honest, my brother-in-law is one of the bosses, including this development."
Jiang Xia: "..."
This tone sounds so much like a scam!
However, the stalls and shops in that seafood market were indeed worth buying.
Jiang Xia knew about that seafood market; it would become a very famous and large-scale seafood market in the future.
Moreover, in the book, Zhou Chenglei didn't buy a house in the city at first; he bought ten stalls and two shops with warehouses in the city's first seafood market in one go.
Jiang Xia asked again, "Can I wait until next year when the seafood market stalls open before buying from you?"
It would be a year before it was completed, which was a long time.
Li Zhihua: "Sure, but I dare say it won't be at this price. By then, a stall might cost three to three thousand five hundred each, and a shop with a warehouse might cost two to three thousand more. The outermost shops are already built, so you can choose the best location in the whole market if you buy now. I don't know if they'll still be available when it opens. Trust me, I can take you in now to see and choose! I bought one myself. You definitely won't lose out!"
In the book, Zhou Chenglei did indeed buy the stalls in the Dongcheng Seafood Market for three thousand yuan each; others bought them for three thousand three hundred, but he bought a lot and knew people, so he got them for three thousand each. The shops with warehouses seemed to cost 15,000 each.
However, the seafood market stalls initially saw few buyers, and business was slow, as people were used to buying seafood at the docks.
The shops with warehouses were initially completely ignored; only a few sold, and even after the price dropped to 13,000 each, no one bought them. Only Zhou Chenglei seized the opportunity and bought three more.
Everyone thought he was foolish!
But a year later, the seafood market gradually boomed, and the shops with warehouses jumped to 20,000 each, with many people scrambling to buy them.
As the seafood market grew, the stalls and shops became more expensive year after year, with rents rising annually. By 2000, a single stall was already worth over 100,000 yuan, and shops with warehouses were worth millions, even over 100,000 yuan per square meter. Prices continued to rise, reaching a peak before the pandemic.
The salesman in the book who sold Zhou Chenglei the shops was also named Li Zhihua.
And the guy in front of me is named Li Zhihua!
Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei: "How about we go check out the seafood market stalls? Let's not buy a house yet?"
If they're 2,800 each, buying ten would only cost 28,000!
That's 2,000 yuan less than buying next year, almost enough for a stall.
Most importantly, this seafood market is huge; it's a very prosperous wholesale market for aquatic products in the future.
Li Zhihua: "To be honest, if you want to buy a house, the houses in our neighborhood are expensive. Most of them are bought by compatriots from overseas; not many locals buy them. You could actually look for company-provided housing. I can keep an eye out for you; company-provided housing is much cheaper, only 20,000 to 30,000 yuan."
"You know, some dual-income couples from different companies have two welfare housing quotas. They'll release one later, netting a profit of 10,000 or 20,000 yuan."
This was true; Jiang Xia knew that employee housing was indeed cheaper. Her parents also had employee housing quotas, but her father bought one, and her mother didn't, giving up her quota. Now it's gone; it's all been allocated.
And soon the government will abolish welfare housing and stop building employee welfare housing.
“I know the shipyard’s new staff housing is almost finished. If you’re thinking of buying a house, I’ll keep an eye out for anyone selling them; they’ll be much cheaper than the apartments in this neighborhood.”
Jiang Xia: “…”
She’s currently working as a translator at the shipyard; she wonders if Director Zhou will accept her
. Jiang Xia couldn’t help but look at Zhou Chenglei again.
Zhou Chenglei said, “Then let’s go check out the seafood market stalls first.”
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei followed the other party to the seafood market that was still under construction and surrounded by fences.
The couple rode a motorcycle, while Li Zhihua drove a new car.
Li Zhihua told the gatekeeper and then drove them inside.
Zhou Chenglei circled the seafood market and then whispered to Jiang Xia, "I want to buy ten stalls near the exit on the east side; plus five shops with warehouses. What do you think?"
Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat.
Li Zhihua said that many stalls near the exit on the south side had already been bought, but no one was buying the ones on the east side. He predicted that the east and south sides would be just as prosperous in the future. According to Jiang Xia's memory, the stalls on the north side would be used for selling vegetables and would also be very popular.
The west side wasn't as good as the other three, not as valuable, but the market was big and famous, so it wouldn't be a loss; buying there would be a big profit.
Of course, the east and south side stalls were the most expensive!
Jiang Xia didn't know how Zhou Chenglei had figured that out.
After all, the area around the market was still quite desolate.
Jiang Xia calculated that, excluding the money spent on building houses, they had a total of 170,000 yuan in savings. After buying ten stalls and five storefronts, they would have about 90,000 yuan left.
They also planned to pay an additional 50,000 yuan deposit at the shipyard, which would leave them with a little over 40,000 yuan. Going to the open sea was risky, so having 40,000 yuan in cash was the best option.
Besides, if they could buy staff housing at the shipyard later, 40,000 yuan should be enough.
"Okay, you can decide."
So Zhou Chenglei told Li Zhihua that he wanted to buy ten first-class stalls in a row at the east gate, and five storefronts and warehouses on the outermost side.
Li Zhihua was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped: "How much?"
He couldn't help but look at Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia again. What was their background? Where did these nouveau riche come from? Did they come back from overseas?
Jiang Xia repeated the question.
Li Zhihua was so excited that his hands were shaking. They had only met twice, but he didn't expect these two to trust him so much!
“Okay! I’ll take you to see my brother-in-law. He’s back just in time, I can help you negotiate the price! Since you’re buying so much, we might be able to get an even better deal.”
So Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went to see his brother-in-law.
Li Zhihua’s brother-in-law was quite old, probably over forty, much older than Li Zhihua. Judging from his accent, he wasn’t a local; he was probably from the same region.
He was quite agreeable, and the total price was reduced by another 500 yuan.
Jiang Xia then asked if they could pay only 50,000 yuan, with the remaining 27,500 yuan to be paid when they took possession of the shop.
He agreed.
The transaction was very formal, with contracts, receipts, official seals, and fingerprints.
As Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei left the office with a large stack of purchase contracts, they saw Li Zhihua’s sister. She
was very young and beautiful, looking only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She was heavily pregnant, dressed very fashionably, and even with her belly, her figure was slender and well-proportioned. It was clear that she must have had a great figure before pregnancy, as she looked beautiful even while pregnant.
Jiang Xia, introduced by Li Zhihua, greeted him with a smile and left.
It was already noon, so Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went back to the Jiang family home for lunch. They had agreed in the morning to have lunch at home before returning to the village.
Jiang's father hadn't returned home; he was probably still checking on the damage caused by the typhoon.
Jiang's mother saw their motorcycle parked downstairs and smiled, "It looks nice. I've seen quite a few people riding these kinds of motorcycles on the road."
Jiang Xia smiled and then told her about buying ten stalls and five shops.
Jiang's mother knew about the seafood market; it was considered one of the city's more important projects, but she said, "It's not even finished yet? You can buy things so quickly? You weren't cheated, were you? Why didn't you go home and ask your father first?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "We shouldn't be cheated."
Jiang Xia showed the contract to his mother, "It isn't finished yet, but we happened to run into the developer's brother-in-law..."
Jiang Xia briefly recounted what had happened.
Jiang's mother glanced at the documents, noticing the signature. She remembered her husband mentioning that the investor's name was similar—a wealthy businessman who had supposedly returned from Hong Kong.
A thought struck her; the stalls and shops in that seafood market were definitely worth buying. Perhaps she should buy one for Jiang Dong as well.
Jiang's mother decided to discuss it with her husband that evening.
***
After dinner, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei left and went directly to the shipyard, paying a 50,000 yuan deposit and inquiring about employee housing.
Factory Director Zhou breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing them quickly pay the remaining 50,000 yuan deposit; the couple seemed reliable!
However, it was only a slight relief.
After all, the other bulk carrier they had ordered was far too expensive!
When Director Zhou heard that Jiang Xia wanted to buy staff housing, he said, "I'll reserve one for you. Do you want a three-bedroom or a two-bedroom?"
Jiang Xia asked, "Only three-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments?"
"Yes."
"Can you have two? There aren't enough three-bedroom apartments!"
Director Zhou was so angry that he glared at her fiercely, "No way!"
Jiang Xia said, "Then I'll take one three-bedroom apartment! Preferably on a middle floor, second or third floor is best, not too high up, because we have elderly people at home, and I'm worried they won't be able to climb it when they get old."
Director Zhou laughed in exasperation. The second and third floor apartments were the most popular. He waved his hand, "Get out! Get out! Get out! Don't come back!"
Jiang Xia smiled, "Director Zhou, you can only give me one spot, but could you help me find out if any colleagues bought one and want to sell it? You can let me know. It would be best if both apartments were on the same floor." Director Zhou
didn't want to talk to Jiang Xia, "Go away! The city will be holding a meeting for all units participating in the Guangzhou Trade Fair on the 8th of next month. You'll have to attend."
"Good, is the Kent ring finished?"
Factory Director Zhou perked up again. "It's done! Come on, I'll take you to see it!"
So Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went to see the newly made Kent ring at the shipyard.
Factory Director Zhou proudly said, "This Kent ring has passed inspection. Its load capacity is 340 tons, exceeding the standard by more than 70 tons!"
Jiang Xia was very happy, finally finishing it before the Guangzhou Trade Fair. She reminded him, "Remember to apply for patents. We need to apply for patents in our country, and we need to apply for international patents as well."
Factory Director Zhou didn't expect Jiang Xia to even know about patents. How could an ordinary person know these things?
The State Patent Office had only just been established, right?
But considering Jiang Xia's identity, he wasn't surprised.
This kid was really hiding his true abilities!
If someone from above hadn't questioned him, he wouldn't have known.
He clearly remembered the surprised expression on the questioner's face after he finished speaking!
Factory Director Zhou then asked, "Do you also know how to apply for international patents?"
Jiang Xia mentioned the PTC International Patent Cooperation Treaty. Patent applicants can submit international patent applications through the PTC route, applying for patents in multiple countries.
However, this should still be possible in this day and age, right?
Leaving the shipyard, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei returned to the village on their motorcycle around 4:00 PM; if they had ridden bicycles, they wouldn't have arrived until 6:00 PM.
The road back was very muddy, and they saw many trees blown down and moved aside.
It seemed the typhoon had affected their area much more than the city.
The village dock was unusually lively; Jiang Xia vaguely heard people saying that all the fish cages had been blown away and all the fish inside were dead!
Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat—could it be her family's fish cages?
Jiang Xia seemed to spot a corner of the fish cage. She quickly patted Zhou Chenglei's shoulder, signaling him to stop the motorcycle.
Zhou Chenglei stopped and turned back to help her: "Slow down!"
Jiang Xia got off the motorcycle and hurriedly ran down to the beach.
Zhou Chenglei quickly set up the tripod, propped up the motorcycle, locked it, and then followed her.
There was a large fish cage lying quietly on the beach, with a pile of dead fish inside.
The fish cage had just been washed ashore by the waves.
The waves were still quite large today, and it had rained all day in the town. The rain had only stopped for half an hour, and people were coming out to the beach to see if there was anything to pick up when they discovered the fish cage.
A crowd gathered, buzzing with discussion:
"Isn't that the fish cage Zhou Yongfu put in the sea a while ago?"
"If it's not his, it's Zhou Bingqiang's. Only those two families put fish cages in the sea."
"Go tell them, their fish cages were blown away by the typhoon!"
"I told you putting fish cages on the seabed to raise fish was crazy. See? A typhoon blew them all away!"
"Anyone with a brain knows it's no good. I don't understand what they were thinking."
"One of them has too much money to burn, and the other is just trying to be outdone!"
"They've lost a lot of money. Making a fish cage like that must have cost a fortune. I wonder if it was all washed away by the waves."
"Probably not even a trace left!"
...
Just then, someone saw Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei running over and immediately asked, "Chenglei, is this your fish cage?"
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei pushed through the crowd and went inside.
Jiang Xia immediately recognized that it wasn't her fish cage and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's not mine."
Zhou Chenglei also realized it wasn't hers; he was still somewhat confident that the fish cage wouldn't be swept away.
His fish cages were anchored!
The anchors were deeply embedded in the seabed, capable of securing even ships weighing hundreds of tons, let alone a few fish cages weighing only a few hundred kilograms.
His only worry was that the waves were too big, and the fish might be injured or killed by the impact, hitting the iron frames of the cages.
This was quite possible.
However, the location where he placed the cages was a sheltered harbor, where the waves would be relatively calm, and there weren't many fish in the cages, only a few hundred, so the chances of them being hit were much lower.
Of course, all of this was just his estimation and speculation; he would only know for sure after going out to sea.
At this time, Zhou Bingqiang and his family—father, mother, son, son Chengxin, and daughter Tian Caihua—also received the news and rushed over.
Tian Caihua and Zhou's mother had already planned to go out to sea, bringing all their tools, but they hadn't expected to hear from a villager who brought the news that their fish cages had been blown ashore!
The whole family rushed over.
Zhou's father and son ran closer and immediately recognized that it wasn't their fish cages.
The father and son breathed a huge sigh of relief; heaven knows how much effort they had put into getting those cages in!
Mr. Zhou turned to comfort Zhou Bingqiang, then saw Wangcai and his youngest son standing in the crowd.
He approached Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei: "Luckily you two took a look first!"
If his eldest daughter-in-law had seen it first, Mr. Zhou would have suspected the fish cages belonged to his family!
Thank goodness!
He had even wanted to tell Tian Caihua not to come.
Zhou Chenglei was speechless.
Jiang Xia was confused; what did he mean?
Mr. Zhou continued, "Xia, if we can go out to sea tomorrow, you should come too."
Mr. Zhou was still a little worried about the fish; he felt more at ease if Wangcai came along to check.
Wangcai looked around and saw that even the fish that were about to die had come back to life.
Unfortunately, the sea was still quite rough, and they didn't know if they could go out to sea tomorrow.
Jiang Xia replied, "Okay."
Meanwhile, Zhou Bingqiang and Zhou Guohua ran over and looked at the fish cages, their faces darkening!
These were their fish cages!
One cage had been blown ashore, but what about the others?
All the fish cages they had put on the seabed were tied together and secured; how come only one had been blown ashore?
Had only this one loosened and been washed ashore by the waves, or had all the others been blown away and disappeared?
If all the fish cages had been blown away, what would they use to raise the fish fry they had ordered?
Jiang Xia saw Zhou Bingqiang and Zhou Guohua and went directly to them: "Uncle Qiang, these are your fish cages, right? Your sea transport is really good; you're blessed by the sea. The typhoon blew the fish cages away, but the waves brought them back to shore."
Zhou Bingqiang: "..." He
was furious!
He had been mocked by a junior!
Zhou's father laughed, "Haha, Xia is right! Qiang, you're really lucky! As long as the net cage wasn't blown away, it's just a matter of throwing it in again, no real loss. I saw that the fish in the cage were dead, but they didn't rot, so we can still take them home to eat! There really wasn't any loss at all! We just need to throw the cage in again! You're really lucky!"
Zhou Bingqiang's face darkened with anger.
These two, father and daughter-in-law, are just gloating!
With such a strong typhoon, he didn't believe their net cage was unharmed; it was probably all blown away! At least he managed to salvage one.
Jiang Xia looked at his face and smiled, "Uncle Qiang's good luck is probably because he's kind-hearted! There are gods watching from above; one should be kind-hearted like Uncle Qiang's family and not do anything immoral, then God will favor them. I believe that kind-hearted people like Uncle Qiang will definitely have better and better shipping business in the future! After all, God is watching! Uncle Qiang is so kind; God heard his heartfelt wishes and will surely grant him his dreams, bring him wealth, and help him turn misfortune into good fortune! Uncle Qiang, don't you agree?"
The villager didn't understand Jiang Xia's sarcasm and thought Jiang Xia was praising and comforting him, so he said, "Xia is right, Uncle Qiang is indeed kind-hearted. When my dad was sick, he even lent me money so I could take him to see a doctor! No wonder his shipping business is so good! Even when the fish cages were blown away by the typhoon, he still brought them ashore!"
"Bingqiang is indeed kind-hearted; last time when we were harvesting rice, he even helped me carry a bag of rice onto the cart!"
"This is a case of good deeds being rewarded! At least he didn't lose everything!"
Zhou's father almost died laughing!
Haha... Zhou Bingqiang was so angry he was like a chameleon! His face turned black and white in turns.
No wonder he's Wangcai! He truly understands the essence of "harmony brings wealth."
Even his hurtful words were delivered with a seemingly amicable tone.
Amicable yet infuriatingly so.
The last sentence was absolutely brilliant!
Zhou Bingqiang probably wouldn't even dare to curse her in his heart!
Not only wouldn't he dare, he'd probably be trembling with fear. Zhou Bingqiang is
extremely superstitious. Jiang Xia said that God was watching him, listening to his innermost thoughts, so how could he dare to curse?
Good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds are punished!
Haha...
Zhou Bingqiang can only suffer in silence!
Zhou Bingqiang was indeed frustrated. He really wanted to teach Jiang Xia a lesson, really wanted to curse her, but he didn't even dare to think about it. Every time he thought about it, he reminded himself not to, for fear that what she said would allow God to hear his innermost thoughts!
If he dared to have wild thoughts, he didn't know if his wishes would come true, but he was afraid he would be the one who suffered.
Jiang Xia finished speaking and then ignored him.
She glanced at the beach after the typhoon; many women were already picking things up with buckets.
Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, "You take the motorcycle back, I'll go to the beach and see if there's anything to pick up."
"Be careful, don't go near the rocks." Zhou Chenglei remembered that Jiang Xia had fallen near the rocks last time, and the scar on her knee had only recently disappeared, so he was a little worried.
Jiang Xia replied, "Okay."
Zhou's father turned his head and looked around: "Motorcycle? What motorcycle?"
After looking around, he finally saw an orange-red motorcycle parked by the roadside!
There really was a motorcycle! Although it was covered in mud, it looked brand new!
"Is that our new motorcycle?" The voice was so loud it could echo for three feet, causing a sensation throughout the village!
Zhou's father excitedly ran over; this was the first motorcycle in the village!
Everyone around stopped looking at the fish cages and turned to look at the roadside.
It really is a motorcycle!
Many people ran over to look: "Lei, how much is this motorcycle?"
"I know, I asked and it's over seven hundred, but it's hard to buy; you need a letter of introduction from your work unit!"
"Lei, why don't you buy a cannon? This red rooster isn't as imposing as a cannon!"
...
Everyone ran to see the motorcycle, including Tian Caihua, Zhou's mother, and Zhou Chengxin.
Jiang Xia saw that Zhou's mother had brought buckets and other beachcombing tools, so he quickly asked her for a bucket and a pair of tongs before heading out to beachcomb.
After Jiang Xia brought baskets and other things last time, Zhou's mother and Tian Caihua were now fully equipped, even bringing fishing nets.
Zhou's mother handed both buckets to Jiang Xia.
Zhou Chenglei answered a couple of questions from the villagers, but then became impatient and handed the motorcycle keys and his backpack to his father, letting him handle it.
His father, after all, enjoyed this kind of thing.
Zhou Chenglei reminded him, "Dad, watch the bag, don't get the things inside wet."
"Okay!" Zhou's father happily took it, thinking that with the money and the books Jiang Xia had translated, he carried it on his back, placed it in front, and held it in his hand. Zhou's
father thought he would take the motorcycle with the chameleon-like Zhou Bingqiang for a ride around the surrounding villages to help him relax.
But Zhou's father realized he'd never ridden a motorcycle before, and didn't know how!
He glanced at Zhou Bingqiang, whose expression had become even more complicated, and couldn't help but think: Wouldn't it be too silly to let Zhou Bingqiang sit on the motorcycle and push him around the village like that?
Zhou's father wanted Zhou Chenglei to teach him how to ride, thinking it would be similar to riding a bicycle, but then he saw that his unfilial son had already run off to find Wangcai!
Oh well, congratulations on your marriage!
Maybe they can even earn back the money they spent on the motorcycle by going to the beach.
He wouldn't bother them.
Making money wasn't as important as showing off! Only
when you're rich can you show off.
Keep getting rich, keep showing off!
Tian Caihua looked at the brand-new motorcycle, feeling envious!
But then she thought about how she was earning two or three hundred yuan a day, and smiled: her family could afford one too!
Some villagers asked Zhou's father to take them for a ride on his motorcycle, but Zhou's father replied, "Some other time! Some other time! That kid Lei doesn't know how to take care of his things! Look at the mud he's covered in on our brand new motorcycle . I'll clean it first, and when the weather is sunny and the road is paved, I'll take you guys for a ride!"
So Zhou's father ran to the recycling center and borrowed a rag, carefully wiping the mud off the motorcycle.
He didn't miss a single crevice, so everyone could see how shiny and new the motorcycle looked!
***
Jiang Xia went down to the beach and saw that there were many people on the beach, so he walked towards the pile of rocks.
There were dense holes on the beach, probably from many shellfish washed ashore, and everyone was frantically digging with small rakes.
Shellfish could be found on the beach of the isolated island by boat, so Jiang Xia didn't want to compete with the others and went to the pile of rocks to see if there were any good finds.
There were also several people at the pile of rocks.
Zhou Chenglei caught up with her, grabbed her wrist, and pinched it punishingly: "Disobedient!"
He told her not to go towards the pile of rocks, but she ran straight there!
He took the bucket from Jiang Xia's hand, switched hands, and then pulled her along.
Jiang Xia glanced at him and joked with a smile: "I feel something calling me from over there by the rocks!"
Zhou Chenglei couldn't do anything about it, so he pulled her towards the rocks.
As soon as they reached the rocks, Jiang Xia saw a large yellow croaker crawling out of a crevice.
"A crab!" Jiang Xia shook Zhou Chenglei's hand.
Zhou Chenglei saw it; it was a yellow croaker, a very large one. Yellow croakers are at their best this season.
He gestured for Jiang Xia to stand still, then squatted down and, before the crab could hide back in the crevice, quickly pressed down on its shell and grabbed it.
This yellow croaker was huge, bigger than his palm, with golden-yellow joints on its legs and swollen vents.
He pressed it with his hand; it was somewhat soft, indicating that the roe had melted into oil.
Zhou Chenglei carefully placed the crabs into the bucket. These oily yellow crabs couldn't have their legs broken, otherwise the crab oil would leak out during steaming.
Jiang Xia loved crabs; he'd steam them for her tonight.
He reached out and took Jiang Xia's hand, and the two continued searching carefully among the rocks.
Zhou Chenglei, with his sharp eyes, spotted another crab leg retracted into a crevice in the rocks. "Another crab! Stand still."
"Where?" Jiang Xia stopped, looking around.
"In the rock." Zhou Chenglei waited for her to stand still before squatting down. This rock was movable; he simply moved the entire rock aside.
The rock was large, and he moved it easily.
With the rock removed, four palm-sized yellow crabs seemed startled for a moment, then began to crawl around.
Jiang Xia's eyes lit up: Had she disturbed a yellow crab's nest?
She quickly squatted down and reached out to grab them.
Zhou Chenglei grabbed one crab in each hand and put them in the bucket.
Jiang Xia smiled as she looked at the five large yellow oil crabs in the bucket: "A good haul today!"
Jiang Xia loved crabs, and she could tell that these yellow oil crabs were top-grade, meaning they were of the highest quality.
Wild, top-grade yellow oil crabs, whose oil had permeated their joints, could sell for over two thousand yuan each in modern times, and they weren't something you could just eat whenever you wanted.
They had essentially found a future ten thousand yuan.
The two continued walking, with Jiang Xia focusing on the crevices in the rocks.
Zhou Chenglei saw a jar, picked it up, and glanced inside. Sure enough, there was a large octopus hiding inside.
Jiang Xia asked in surprise, "How did you know there was something in this jar?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "People by the sea know that octopuses love to burrow into jars, and some people even use jars to fish for octopuses."
Zhou Chenglei pulled the octopus out. "I'll put this jar in the water; maybe there will be more octopuses tomorrow."
He then carried the jar towards the sea.
Jiang Xia quickly followed.
Zhou Chenglei: "Don't follow me, the waves are big."
"I'm not afraid!"
Seeing that she wouldn't listen, Zhou Chenglei turned back and reached out to help her.
But when they reached a point where the waves were almost within reach, he wouldn't let her go any further. "Wait for me here."
Jiang Xia stood there waiting for him, two buckets at her feet. She looked down at the crevices in the rocks and small puddles around her, looking for anything she could pick up.
Zhou Chenglei continued forward with the bucket, then jumped into the sea. He found a crevice, wedged the bucket into the rocks, and as he was about to climb out, he felt something bump against his calf.
He looked down, quickly bent down, and reached out to grab it!
At that moment, a huge wave crashed over!
"Watch out!" he turned to Jiang Xia, while he held tightly to the rocks with one hand.
Jiang Xia watched as the huge wave engulfed Zhou Chenglei, and then a wave half a meter high crashed towards her.
In the spray, there was an unidentified object!
She instinctively reached out to grab it!
Slippery!
She grabbed it, but the wave slammed her down, and she landed on the ground.
Luckily, she was standing on a gentle rock; her bottom hurt a little, but she wasn't seriously injured.
Jiang Xia quickly looked towards Zhou Chenglei, who had already climbed up, holding a large, yellowish-brown conch in his hand.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine?" Seeing that he was alright, Jiang Xia glanced at the thing in her hand—a squid bigger than her face.
Haha, today's haul was pretty good.
Zhou Chenglei picked Jiang Xia up and carefully placed the conch in the bucket, making sure it didn't break the crab's legs. Jiang Xia
also put the squid in.
"What kind of conch is this?" Jiang Xia asked, looking at the papaya-shaped, yellowish-brown conch with black spots in the bucket.
"Papaya conch, in many places it's called a coconut conch."
Jiang Xia: "..."
She thought of a news story she'd seen in her past life, and a surge of excitement welled
up inside her! Could she make millions eating conch tonight?
"Zhou Chenglei, I want to eat snails tonight."
"Okay." Zhou Chenglei saw that Jiang Xia's clothes were soaked and was about to pick up the bucket to take her home.
Zhou's mother and Tian Caihua were running closer.
"Chenglei, what did you find?" After looking at the motorcycle, Tian Caihua and Zhou's mother dug up a bucket of snails on the beach before they saw Jiang Xia and the others.
Tian Caihua immediately called Zhou's mother over.
Tian Caihua thought that being closer to Jiang Xia might bring better luck.
Zhou Chenglei was about to answer when Jiang Xia tugged at his hand: "Zhou Chenglei, look what's in the sea?"
All three turned to look at the sea.
The three looked at the sea and saw a black mass bobbing up and down in the waves.
Not only did they see it,
but others on the beach saw it too!
Those who saw it rushed over.
Those who hadn't seen it, seeing people running, instinctively looked at the sea and followed.
The black mass in the sea got closer and closer, and more and more people ran over!
Seeing so many people rushing over, Tian Caihua angrily cursed, "They're coming to snatch it! We saw it first!"
Tian Caihua looked at the sea and clenched her fists, "Hurry! Hurry! Bring them up quickly! Everyone's coming to grab them!"
Zhou's mother also silently chanted in her heart: Hurry! Hurry!
Closer and closer! Closer
and closer!
Zhou Chenglei picked up a fishing net and walked to the edge of the reef.
Jiang Xia immediately picked up the remaining fishing net, "Mom, sister-in-law! Quick! Open the net and catch the fish!"
The two immediately understood, each grabbing a corner of the net and running away to open it as wide as possible!
Tian Caihua ran especially fast!
Here it comes!
The wave brought that mass of black fish!
The others ran over!
Zhou Chenglei seized the opportunity, aiming at the densest part of the black fish, and cast the net as the wave receded!
The timing was perfect!
As soon as the wave surged up, a large mass of fish was swept into the net.
He grabbed the net and quickly lay down, starting to pull.
The wave crashed against the rocks, rushed ashore, and fish rained down from the sky!
Fish were falling!
With a splash, fish fell one by one with the spray.
Zhou Chenglei got up and quickly pulled the large bag of fish ashore.
Jiang Xia, Jiang's mother, and Tian Caihua ran around catching the fish with a fishing net!
After that, the three of them immediately put down the net and ran to pick up the fish scattered around.
Everyone ran over, scrambling to pick up the fish.
Jiang Xia's movements were lightning fast!
This was a golden threadfin, most famous for its maw, considered the king of maw, sometimes called the Rolls Royce of maw.
Its fish maw, if preserved to this day, could be worth over 1.5 million yuan per kilogram, and is highly prized and collected.
However, all the fish were dead; it was uncertain whether they were fresh enough, but hopefully they were.
Jiang Xia and his group were closest, and they threw the fish they found onto the fishing net spread out on the ground.
Most of the fish were caught in Zhou Chenglei's net.
The rest were mostly caught in the large net pulled up by Jiang Xia and his companions.
With many people and few fish, the fish that fell around were quickly picked up.
Only eight or ten people managed to find one or two, while most people found none.
Some couldn't resist secretly going to collect the fish from Jiang Xia's net.
Seeing this, Tian Caihua immediately shouted, "Gossip Ling, what are you doing! Let go! I'll beat you to death! How dare you steal my fish!"
The person Tian Caihua called Gossip Ling withdrew her hand, saying angrily, "How can you do this? Using a net to catch fish! You've caught all the fish in the sea!"
Tian Caihua, while putting away the net, said, "You can go home and get a net too. If you're so capable, catch all the fish in the entire ocean, and I won't say a word!"
Gossip Ling: "..."
She looked at the two nets of fish from Jiang Xia's family, extremely envious!
What kind of luck has the Zhou family been having lately?
They've encountered all sorts of good things!
Not only was Gossip Ling envious, but everyone in the village was!
These were golden threadfin bream! They usually only caught one or two occasionally in this area, rarely encountering so many.
But everyone in the area knew that its belly was incredibly effective for postpartum hemorrhage, making it the best food for women who had just given birth!
Moreover, these golden threadfin bream were so big, each probably weighing eight or ten pounds, each worth at least thirty yuan.
One was worth a month's salary!
If they extracted the fish bellies and dried them into fish maw, selling the maw and fish meat separately would earn them more money.
Those two nets must have contained over a hundred fish!
The worst part is they discovered it too late and ran too slowly; by the time they arrived, Zhou Chenglei and his family had already collected them all!
It's unbelievable, who brings a fishing net when going to the beach?
Jiang Xia, Zhou's mother, and Tian Caihua quickly pulled up the nets.
Zhou's mother pried open the fish's head and checked its gills; they were still bright red.
"Very fresh!" Zhou's mother laughed.
Jiang Xia laughed too!
Hahaha, she could practically be considered a small-time collector now!
That teardrop-shaped pearl, that cluster of coral, those abalone, and all that fish maw, and that snail—she wondered if there was anything inside.
Jiang Xia calculated her future assets…
and the calculation made her breathless!
Tian Caihua asked curiously, "Why are all these fish dead?"
Seeing that the fish were all intact, Zhou's mother said, "They must have been electrocuted by electric eels or something. I heard your father say before that he once saw a group of electric eels discharge electricity, killing a whole group of fish. That time, so many fish floated on the surface that we couldn't catch them all."
Jiang Xia exclaimed, "The fish in the sea are truly amazing. They have all sorts of special abilities!"
Tian Caihua replied, "Absolutely! There are all kinds of fish! Some discharge electricity, some release ink, some glow!"
Zhou's mother said, "We need to take the fish back quickly and kill them, otherwise they won't be fresh." They
needed to remove the fish bellies while they were still fresh, process them, and dry them.
The fish bellies were especially good to eat after Jiang Xia gave birth, so Zhou's mother planned to save them all for her.
Jiang Xia responded and turned to look for Zhou Chenglei, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Mom, where's A-Lei?"
Zhou's mother looked around, "I just saw him!"
Jiang Xia quickly went to the water's edge, just then Zhou Chenglei emerged from the water.
He held a fish over a meter long in one arm and gripped the rocks with the other: "Mom, come help!"
Jiang Xia rushed over: "This fish must weigh fifty pounds
, right?" Zhou Chenglei: "About sixty pounds. Don't come over, let Mom do it. This fish is heavy, you're not strong enough."
Not only was the fish heavy, but the waves were also big. Zhou Chenglei was afraid a wave would sweep Jiang Xia into the sea.
His mother was more experienced in dealing with waves and was much stronger than Jiang Xia.
Zhou's mother and Tian Caihua quickly came over to help pull the fish ashore.
Jiang Xia didn't approach; she knew her own strength and didn't want to cause him trouble.
Her strength was increasing, but it was still no match for Zhou's mother.
Jiang Xia stayed on the shore to watch over the fish in the bucket and the two nets of fish, to prevent anyone from stealing them.
Tian Caihua and Zhou's mother took the fish together. The splashing waves soaked their clothes, and Tian Caihua, her face wet, couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so heavy! It must weigh fifty or sixty pounds!"
Other villagers came over to watch the spectacle, their envy growing.
Had they encountered a king of golden croakers?
Zhou Chenglei had gotten all the good stuff! Rumor had it
that ten pounds of fish yielded one pound of fish glue, so this golden croaker could produce several pounds of fish glue! The bigger the fish, the more valuable it was, and the same went for the fish glue—the price doubled!
After Zhou's mother and Tian Caihua took the fish, Zhou Chenglei quickly climbed onto the rocks.
Just then, another wave crashed in.
After the waves subsided, someone couldn't help but go over to check: "Are there any more? Are there any fish left in the sea?"
Zhou Chenglei immediately moved the large fish away from the shore: "No, they were swept away by the waves."
Upon hearing this, the others said: "Swept away, they might be washed back by the waves in a while. Nets, does anyone have a net?"
"I brought one!"
Zhou Chenglei reminded everyone: "Everyone be careful, the waves are big, don't fall into the sea!"
After giving this warning, he didn't care anymore. They were all people who grew up by the sea and knew their limits.
It was windy and a bit chilly today. Jiang Xia was soaked to the bone. Zhou Chenglei was afraid she would catch a cold, so he said to his mother: "Mom, sister-in-law, you two stay here and watch these two nets of fish. Jiang Xia and I will go back first, and then I'll get baskets to put the fish in."
Zhou's mother nodded: "Okay, you go quickly!"
Tian Caihua: "Dad and Chengxin are already here with baskets!"
Zhou Chengxin saw the commotion from afar and told his father. His father guessed that they must have caught some fish, so he immediately borrowed baskets from the purchasing station.
Mr. Zhou was so excited!
His voice preceded his arrival!
"What kind of fish? Is it a big fish?"
His voice boomed like thunder!
As soon as Zhou's father ran over, the villagers shouted, "Zhou Yongfu, your family's going to be rich!"
"Zhou Yongfu, your youngest son found a huge golden croaker! I've lived for decades and never seen such a big golden croaker! You're going to be rich again!"
"Is that just one? That's a whole group! Damn, I'm so envious!"
"Their seafaring business has been incredibly good lately!"
Zhou's father and Zhou Chengxin ran closer, their faces beaming.
Especially Zhou's father, seeing the fish Zhou Chenglei was holding, his mouth practically stretched to the sky.
A golden croaker!
Such a big golden croaker! He'd never seen one in his decades of life.
They're rich!
They're rich!
He knew Wangcai and his wife could earn enough from beachcombing to buy the motorcycle they bought today!
Haha…and probably more than just a motorcycle!
Zhou Chenglei said to his father, "Dad, you and my older brother pack the fish up first, I'll come back to get it in a bit. Give me the cloth bag, I'll take it home first."
The waves kept crashing in, so he didn't want to get the bag wet .
Inside was the contract for the seafood market stall.
Zhou's father quickly took the bag down and handed it to Zhou Chenglei along with the motorcycle keys.
Jiang Xia reached out, "I'll carry it."
He was dripping wet.
Zhou Chenglei handed the bag to Jiang Xia, "You can also carry the bucket."
Zhou's father glanced at the contents of the bucket, then his eyes widened!
My goodness!
These are papaya snails?!
Zhou's father immediately instructed Zhou Chenglei, "No one is allowed to touch anything in this bucket except Xia! Understand? Hurry home! Wait for me to come back!"
This time, he probably didn't just earn a motorcycle, he probably earned a house in the city!
At the very least, he could earn a house in town!
Zhou Chenglei ignored his father. He put one arm around the large golden croaker and gestured for Jiang Xia to lift the bucket. Then he took Jiang Xia's small hand that was holding the bucket.
Jiang Xia glanced at his large hand and simply wrapped it around hers, applying a little force so that he could both pull her along and lift the bucket without her having to lift a finger.
Jiang Xia's lips curled up slightly, and she couldn't help but glance at him. She was truly warmed by his small acts of thoughtfulness every day.
He was always so considerate towards her.
"Watch your step." Noticing her gaze, Zhou Chenglei looked down at her, squeezed her small hand, and reminded her.
Jiang Xia turned back and looked at her feet with a gentle smile.
Seeing the smile on her face, Zhou Chenglei's wet eyes and brows also lit up with a smile, and he tightened his grip on her hand.
Zhou's father saw the two exchanging glances, their eyes and brows full of smiles, each holding a large fish on one side and a cloth bag on the other, holding hands in the middle, carrying a bucket together.
In the distance, the sea and sky merged into one, and beneath their feet lay jagged rocks. Their figures, supporting each other, walked forward.
Standing amidst this breathtaking view, Mr. Zhou felt a surge of joy!
This loving couple looked like they were destined for great wealth!
"Zhou Yongfu, what are you daydreaming about? Come and load the fish!" Mrs. Zhou called out.
"Coming!" Mr. Zhou snapped out of his reverie and quickly ran to help.
The road ahead might be rugged, the waves might be high, but as long as husband and wife were of one mind and supported each other, what was there to fear?
Mr. Zhou deftly picked up one golden croaker after another and placed them into the basket.
These golden croakers were huge! Each one must weigh ten or twenty pounds! "
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves…
Our homeland lies in the fields of hope, smoke rises from the newly built houses…"
Mr. Zhou was so happy that he couldn't help but sing in his heart, one song after another!
This life was so full of hope!
He never dreamed that in his old age, he could live such a hopeful life!
Zhou
Chenglei and Jiang Xia walked back to the dock together; the motorcycle was still parked there.
Jiang Xia saw the villagers who had just found the golden croaker heading towards the purchasing area and quickly called out to them, "Aunties, are you going to sell the fish at the purchasing area? Aren't you going to keep them for yourselves?"
"This fish has high medicinal value."
Several people turned around.
Someone overheard and asked, "That's right! Why keep it if you're not going to sell it? My daughter-in-law has already given birth, Xia, do you want to buy it? The fish maw is especially good to eat after childbirth! You haven't had a baby yet, you can keep more!"
Jiang Xia was generous; buying fish was always more expensive than at the fish market.
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "I'll buy it!"
Another woman smiled and glanced at Jiang Xia's belly: "You're pregnant now, planning to keep more croaker maw to eat after giving birth, right?"
Jiang Xia smiled but didn't answer: "How much are you willing to sell it to, ladies?"
One of the women picked up the one she had picked up and said, "I'll sell this one to you for fifty yuan!"
She deliberately set a high price, since Jiang Xia had money anyway!
Some people couldn't stand it anymore: "You won't eat something you're not familiar with! Fifty yuan a fish. Even if you take out the fish maw, dry it, and sell it separately, it wouldn't be this expensive. Xia, I'll take mine for thirty yuan."
Jiang Xia glanced at them; their two fish weighed about ten jin each, so fifty yuan was five yuan per jin. Jiang Xia didn't haggle and smiled, "Okay! I'll take both aunties' fish for
fifty yuan each." Hearing this, the others came over one after another: "Xia, I have one too! I'll sell mine for fifty yuan each!"
"Xia, mine is bigger than theirs, it weighs fifteen jin, how much?"
Zhou Chenglei just wanted to get back quickly so Jiang Xia could change her clothes, so he said, "Five yuan per jin, you can deliver the fish to our house! Our clothes are wet, we need to go back and change!"
"Okay, we'll deliver it to you right away." The others said one after another.
After agreeing with the villagers, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia rode their motorcycle home.
The fish was placed on Jiang Xia's lap.
Back home, Zhou Chenglei immediately brought two buckets of hot water for Jiang Xia: "Go take a shower first, then wash your hair."
The hot water was being heated in an iron pot, prepared by Zhou Zhou.
"Make an extra bucket of hot water. I'll wash my hair and shower at the same time; you don't need to help me. The villagers will be bringing fish soon, and you'll need to collect them." Jiang Xia carried her clothes into the shower room.
Zhou Chenglei then carried an extra bucket of hot water into the shower room for her.
The water in the iron pot was already boiled; since the weather wasn't cold, one pot of boiling water was enough to make three buckets of warm water.
After preparing the bathwater for Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei went to boil her a bowl of brown sugar ginger soup.
Then, villagers brought over the fish.
Zhou Chenglei had to busy himself collecting them.
At this time, Zhou's father and the others also brought back all the fish. Seeing Zhou Chenglei collecting fish, and at five yuan a pound, Tian Caihua couldn't help but say, "We already have so many at home, why are you still collecting more?" At
five yuan a pound, she was even thinking of selling the fish to her brother-in-law!
The fish she and Jiang Xia had just received should be split equally.
Zhou Chenglei: "Xiaxia said she wanted to buy it."
Zhou's father: "Then buy it!"
If Wangcai wanted to buy it, there must be a reason.
Upon hearing this, Tian Caihua also decided not to sell her fish either; she would only sell when Jiang Xia did!
Jiang Xia was willing to buy it because she knew that in the early 1980s, which is now, this fish was still a dominant species, with a relatively high occurrence rate in certain sea areas. However, in eight or ten years, due to environmental pollution and overfishing, the resource quantity plummeted, and it became a protected animal.
Therefore, in modern times, a pound of golden threadfin fish maw is worth more than 1.5 million.
Because it's no longer available; any that exist are from collections from thirty years ago.
Fish maw collected for more than thirty years is not only old enough, it's almost an antique, and the longer it's stored, the better its medicinal effects.
Anyway, she hadn't eaten it, so she didn't know if the medicinal effects were real. Expensive, she knew it was really expensive!
Jiang Xia also planned to collect these fish maws for more than thirty years!
Ten pounds of fish yield one pound of maw, so she should have twenty pounds of fish maw here. If
it were worth 1.5 million yuan per jin (500 grams) in the future, that would be 30 million!
Even with severe inflation, and money not being worth as much as it is now, 30 million is still 30 million.
After collecting the fish, Zhou's parents and Zhou Chengxin and his wife quickly cleaned them, worried they wouldn't be fresh if left too long, forgetting even about dinner.
Jiang Xia, however, didn't bother cleaning the fish. She tugged at Zhou Chenglei's sleeve: "I want to eat conch!"
Zhou's father's eyes lit up at the mention of it!
Conch!