Chapter 51 - 60

Jiang Xia stared at him intently.

Her eyes were beautiful, as if twinkling with stars. Zhou Chenglei's palms were a little sweaty: "Jiang Xia, can we not leave each other..."

At this moment, Zhou's mother and great-grandmother rushed in.Full novel: After transmigrating into the book, she became wealthy in the 1980s. — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠

"Xia! Xia! Where are you? Are you alright!"

"Xia, are you alright! Xia!"

Zhou's mother pulled Jiang Xia over, pushing Zhou Chenglei aside. "Are you alright? Were you hit? That bitch Pan Daidi! I won't let her get away with this!"

Great-grandmother was much more perceptive and said cheerfully, "With A-Lei here, she'll definitely be alright!"

Zhou Chenglei: "I'm late too."

Jiang Xia smiled: "It's alright, they can't beat me."

Zhou's mother checked Jiang Xia over and, seeing that she was really alright, finally relaxed.

Zhou's mother went outside and started cursing at the tightly closed gate of the neighbor's courtyard, throwing stones inside: "You bunch of crazy chickens, running around in the street @￥%%#￥@, are you greedy for money? Do you think we're homeless?! You come out here! Come and fight me! You came here demanding pearls? Are pearls yours? You motherfucker %*#￥%#, you come out here! Fight me! We'll fight! I'll beat you to death, you mad chicken, %&&￥#%@￥%..."

Zhou's mother unleashed a torrent of curses at the closed gate, every word different!

She cursed so fast, and since Zhou's mother wasn't a local, she used her native dialect, so Jiang Xia couldn't even understand what she was saying. All he knew was that she was a bunch of chickens, using all sorts of slang and uttering indiscriminate language.

Jiang Xia was astonished!

Great-Grandma chuckled and said, "Your mother can go on and on for half an hour without repeating herself. You should learn from her. Living in the village, you can't live without knowing how to argue, or you'll suffer. If anyone bullies you, yell back hard, otherwise they'll think you're easy to bully and will take advantage of you even more next time."

Jiang Xia blinked, "If I can't win an argument, can I fight back?"

Great-Grandma laughed heartily, "Sure, why not? If anyone hits you, hit them back! Don't hold back! Just don't kill them! But if you can't win, remember to run and get reinforcements. Don't be stupid and just stand there and fight. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. Run back and get reinforcements. If you fight someone from our village, go home, and our whole family will come. If you fight someone from another village, and you can't win, go home too, and our whole village will come..."

Great-Grandma was teaching Jiang Xia how to fight.

Next door, Pan Daidi was arguing with Zhou's mother in the yard, too afraid to go out.

Zhou's mother cursed at Pan Daidi for a full half hour, only feeling relieved when Pan Daidi stopped talking!

Not long after, Zhou's father returned with several bundles of bamboo. He had overheard the villagers talking about it and asked Jiang Xia if she was injured. After a few words of concern, he added, "Most of the people next door are shameless. Next time we go out, remember to lock your gate properly, and don't talk to strangers."

Jiang Xia agreed.

Zhou's mother cooked lunch, so Jiang Xia didn't have to. She went to wash her hair.

Zhou Chenglei brought out a reclining chair for her to lie on while he washed her hair; it was much more comfortable this time.

After washing her hair and having lunch, Zhou Chenglei took a cart to buy some bricks, cement, and sand, saying he wanted to build a platform for the hand pump.

He had originally planned to buy some tiles from the next village to repair the roof of the storage room, but many roofs had been blown off after the typhoon, so he couldn't buy any and would have to wait a few days.

Luckily, the well cover had hardened, so they could build a platform to install the water pump.

Jiang Xia didn't understand either, but she had seen it in the old house; it was similar to a rectangular cement pillar. The hand pump would be fixed to it, reaching just to waist level, so pressing wouldn't be too strenuous.

Zhou Chenglei installed the hand pump, while his father wove drying mats.

Jiang Xia and Zhou's mother peeled shrimp, sorting them by size. Peeled shrimp meat sold for a higher price and dried faster.

The family was busy with their own tasks; this warm and harmonious scene was unfamiliar to Zhou Chenglei, but he liked it very much.

He couldn't help but look up at Jiang Xia peeling shrimp.

The setting sun slanted into the yard; she sat in the shade, her hair braided into two plaits, with fine strands falling on her cheeks—very gentle, very beautiful.

In the evening, after the family had dinner and showered, Zhou Zhou lay on a recliner in the yard playing.

Jiang Xia brought out a plate of watermelon, placed it on the eight-immortal table next to the recliner, and called Zhou's parents and Zhou Chenglei to eat watermelon.

This watermelon was given by Jiang Yang; fortunately, it was freshly picked and hadn't spoiled after two days.

Zhou Chenglei was setting up the grape trellis, and before he finished, he replied, "You guys eat."

Mr. Zhou took a slice of watermelon and took a bite: "Sweet!"

Mrs. Zhou also took a slice, "It's sandy, it must be sweet."

Jiang Xia handed a slice of watermelon to Zhou Zhou, smiling and asking, "Is this recliner comfortable?"

"Comfortable! Very comfortable!" Zhou Zhou got up, took the watermelon, put on her plastic slippers, and ran to give the watermelon to Zhou Chenglei: "Uncle, have some watermelon."

She held the watermelon high for Zhou Chenglei to taste.

Zhou Chenglei lowered his head, took a bite, and smiled: "Sweet!"

Then he took the watermelon: "You eat it."

Zhou Chenglei finished the slice of watermelon in a few bites and put the rind in the slop bucket.

Jiang Xia offered him another slice, but he refused and went to the well to wash his hands.

Mr. Zhou also finished his watermelon in a few bites, washed his hands, and went back to his room. He didn't know if the waves would be big tomorrow, or if he could go out to sea, so he had to go to bed early.

After finishing her watermelon, Zhou's mother cleared the table of two pieces of watermelon rind.

She said to Jiang Xia, who was still eating, "When you finish, throw the rinds in the slop bucket to feed the chickens tomorrow; they love them." She then tossed the rinds into the slop bucket, called Zhou Zhou back to sleep, and also reminded Zhou Chenglei not to stay up so late, as they didn't know if they would be going out to sea tomorrow.

Zhou Chenglei responded.

Jiang Xia finished her watermelon, cleared the table, and prepared to use

the restroom before going to sleep. She took a flashlight to the outhouse.

There was no toilet inside the house; there was a dry outhouse outside.

It was a very low, mud-brick outhouse built outside the house, a few meters away.

She always went to the outhouse before bed, and to be honest, she was a little scared, mainly of snakes, but she was probably even more afraid of using the outhouse in the middle of the night .

As a result, Jiang Xia dreamed in the middle of the night that she was looking for a toilet everywhere. When she woke up, she realized she really needed to go.

She must have eaten too much watermelon before bed.

In the dim light, Jiang Xia regretted her gluttony last night.

It was the middle of the night, and she didn't know if snakes were out, but she probably needed to use the restroom.

Jiang Xia glanced at the man beside her. She had to get up to use the restroom, which meant climbing over him.

But the urgency was getting worse, and she couldn't hold it in any longer.

She sat up gently, carefully extending one foot and placing it beside him, then reaching out an arm to step over him.

Zhou Chenglei had only been asleep for a short while. He vaguely sensed the movement beside him but didn't pay much attention, since she always liked to put her arms and legs on him when she was asleep.

But something was a little off. He was always a light sleeper, and when he felt her breath on his face, he opened his eyes and found Jiang Xia indeed straddling him.

Jiang Xia had forgotten her injured knee. As she stepped over him and knelt down, the pain from her injury caused her to fall directly onto him.

Zhou Chenglei instinctively reached out to catch her waist, preventing her from falling off the bed.

In the dim light, their eyes met, but they couldn't see each other clearly.

But he held her, and she lay on top of him, their breaths mingling.

Zhou Chenglei's gaze deepened, his arms unconsciously tightening around her, and with a swift movement, he pinned her beneath him.

The room was dimly lit, and Jiang Xia couldn't see the other person clearly, but she could feel his hot breath and hear his rapid heartbeat.

Jiang Xia's heart was also racing, feeling like it was about to jump out of her chest.

Zhou Chenglei's hearing wasn't good, but his night vision was excellent. He looked at the person beneath him, raised his hand to gently brush the stray strands of hair from her face behind her ear, and slowly lowered his head.

Just as his lips touched hers, he was pushed away.

"Zhou Chenglei, I can't hold it anymore, I need to go to the toilet."

Jiang Xia couldn't hold it in any longer!

Being pressed down like this made her feel even more urgent!

"..."

Zhou Chenglei's body stiffened for a moment, he took a deep breath, and then rolled over to lie flat on the inside of the bed, trying to sound nonchalant as he said, "Go ahead! Did you eat too much watermelon tonight?"

Although he tried to sound nonchalant, his voice was incredibly hoarse.

He had almost lost control just now, and hadn't been able to hold it in without her permission.

"Mmm." Jiang Xia's face flushed, she quickly sat up, pulled back the mosquito net, and got out of bed.

Zhou Chenglei didn't say anything. After calming himself down, he sat up, got out of bed, turned on the light, and took out a flashlight: "Let's go!"

It was the middle of the night, and he was afraid she'd be scared.

Besides, after what happened during the day, and with Zhou Junjie living next door, he didn't feel comfortable letting her go to the toilet alone.

Two minutes later, Jiang Xia, holding the flashlight, squatted on the two stones of the outhouse, her mind racing with a million curses!

She wanted to finish quickly, but was afraid of making too much noise and being heard by those outside, even though he had an injured ear and poor hearing, so he probably wouldn't hear her.

She relieved herself carefully, mosquitoes buzzing around her ear, and she was also afraid of snakes. She

had never felt so frustrated and embarrassed in her life!

Finally, Jiang Xia, holding the flashlight, walked out with a flushed face: "All done."

Zhou Chenglei didn't say anything. The two walked back to the yard, and after Jiang Xia washed her hands and went back to her room, he also went to the toilet.

He needed to calm down.

Jiang Xia lay back on the bed, feeling a slight pain in her abdomen, like her period was about to start.

She had no memories of the original owner and didn't know when this body's period would start.

Also, did they even have sanitary napkins in this era? She didn't seem to have seen any in the original owner's luggage.

Thinking about this, she panicked. What would she use if not sanitary napkins?

Menstrual belts? That seemed to be something from ancient times. Did they use menstrual belts in this era? That historical novel didn't mention it!

Jiang Xia quickly got out of bed to look for them, but as soon as she stood up, she felt a warm flow.

Jiang Xia instinctively clenched her buttocks.

She was certain it was really her period!

Zhou Chenglei returned and saw her rummaging through drawers and closets, all her clothes were out.

He closed the door: "What are you looking for?"

Jiang Xia turned to look at him, her face serious: "My period started."

She searched all of the original owner's belongings but couldn't find sanitary napkins or menstrual belts.

It seemed the original owner hadn't prepared anything.

The truth was, the original owner did use sanitary napkins. She hadn't prepared any when she married into the family. Things brought at the wedding were all auspicious; who would bring something unless it was a special occasion? She could just prepare something when the time came.

Zhou Chenglei didn't understand: "Your period is here? Where? Outside? Someone's knocking?"

Jiang Xia didn't expect him to be so clueless. She said, "My period, I'm on my period."

Period? Zhou Chenglei knew what a period was; there were female soldiers in the army who could ask for leave.

He looked at the clothes she had pulled out: "What can I do for you?"

Jiang Xia's face flushed slightly: "I forgot to prepare these when I married into the family. Does the village store sell sanitary napkins, tampons, or menstrual pads? I don't know if your mother has any?"

Zhou Chenglei said, "My mother is sixty years old. I'll go buy some for you."

Zhou Chenglei finished speaking and went out.

Jiang Xia covered her face and sighed!

So embarrassing!

Zhou Chenglei ran there, first going to the village store, knocking on the door for a long time, only to find out that they didn't have sanitary napkins. Such a high-end item could only be found in the city. They also didn't have sanitary belts, which could only be bought in town. They only had toilet paper, but that was also sold out, and Tian Caihua had bought the last stack.

Zhou Chenglei then ran to the new house.

He pounded on the gate and shouted loudly, "Big brother, sister-in-law..."

Zhou Chengxin and his wife were already asleep inside. Hearing such loud and anxious shouts, they thought something had happened.

Zhou Chengxin ran out to open the door without even putting on his shoes: "Ah Lei, what's wrong? Why so late?"

Zhou Chenglei: "None of your business, I'm looking for my sister-in-law."

Zhou Chengxin: "..."

Was he here to settle scores with his wife in the middle of the night?

He turned back and called out, "Ahua, come out!"

Tian Caihua was also scared. She had gone back to her parents' home today and had heard about it when she returned. She had originally planned to apologize to Jiang Xia tomorrow, but unexpectedly, she was coming to her door in the middle of the night. After getting dressed, she went out and said, "Coming, coming! Fourth brother, I'm sorry, I was just being nosy. I was thinking of going to apologize to Jiang Xia tomorrow."

Zhou Chenglei said, "You can talk to her about this tomorrow. Jiang Xia is on her period. Do you have any sanitary napkins or anything like that, sister-in-law?"

Tian Caihua: "..."

Coming to borrow something? Anyone who didn't know better would think he was harassing her!

He scared her half to death!

"I don't have any sanitary napkins. I heard they're very expensive! Don't say I don't have any, I've never even seen them before. Do you need toilet paper?"

Tian Caihua thought to herself, worried that Jiang Xia was used to sanitary napkins and wouldn't be used to her toilet paper.

"Yes, sister-in-law, give me some, I'll buy some for you."

Tian Caihua went back into the house to get toilet paper.

Zhou Chengxin seized the opportunity to apologize: "Your sister-in-law and I went back to her parents' home today, and only when we got back did we find out that Pan Daidi and her family of three came to our door demanding pearls and beat Xia. It's all your sister-in-law's fault for being so talkative. Please apologize to Xia for me." "You should have my sister-in-law talk to her.   "

One thing at a time, Zhou Chenglei felt Tian Caihua should apologize. "Okay," Zhou Chengxin agreed.   Zhou Chenglei handed him a dollar: "Give it to your sister-in-law later."

"No need!" Zhou Chengxin pushed it away.

"It's not good to lend things like this. You have to return what you borrow. Do you expect me to return it? I also need to buy some brown sugar." Zhou Chenglei stuffed it into his hand .

Her face had been pale just now.

Zhou Chengxin couldn't refuse; it was a bit awkward.

Tian Caihua quickly brought out a stack of toilet paper.

Zhou Chenglei asked Tian Caihua for some brown sugar and then hurriedly left.

Zhou Chengxin gave the money to Tian Caihua.

Tian Caihua took the sanitary napkins and couldn't help but say, "They're so precious! She even needs sanitary napkins for her period? Those things are all imported, so expensive! I don't know where to buy them! Luckily, your fourth brother is divorcing her, otherwise how could he afford it? I heard it costs a few yuan a pack, and there are only a few pads in a pack. You have to change two or three a day, and it costs several yuan for one period. Who can afford that?"

But she was also envious. She heard those sanitary napkins were very good and wouldn't leak. The toilet paper she used was rough and torn easily. It's true that different people have different fates.

Zhou Chengxin said irritably, "Why do you care so much about other people's business? You're so nosy. Remember to apologize to Jiang Xia tomorrow!"

Tian Caihua was unhappy to hear this. Hadn't she just apologized to Zhou Chenglei? Was he deaf?

She ignored him and went back to her room with a dark face.

In the old Zhou family house, Jiang Xia stared at the stack of rose-red, low-quality toilet paper for a moment before taking it. Overwhelmed with surprise, she blurted out without thinking, "How do you use this?"

Zhou Chenglei: "..."

"I'll go ask." Zhou Chenglei turned to leave.

Jiang Xia quickly grabbed him, "No need."

Although she hadn't used it before, she could guess how to use it.

"Really not?" Zhou Chenglei looked at her.

Under the soft light, her face was terribly pale, and her fingertips were icy cold.

Jiang Xia nodded and let go of him: "You go out first."

Zhou Chenglei went out to make her some brown sugar water.

After changing, Jiang Xia went out to prepare to wash her pants.

Zhou Chenglei came out of the kitchen with a bowl of brown sugar water: "Drink this first, be careful it's hot."

Jiang Xia took it.

Zhou Chenglei went to find soap and squatted down to wash her pants.

Jiang Xia blew on them, took a sip, and almost spat it out!

"No need, I'll wash them myself."

Zhou Chenglei scrubbed vigorously: "Isn't your stomach hurting? Go back to your room, drink the brown sugar water, and go to sleep. I'll wash all the clothes from now on, you don't need to dry them."

Jiang Xia knew he wasn't just saying it; he really did wash her clothes every day. Perhaps the brown sugar water was too hot, for Jiang Xia only felt a warm sensation in her chest.

Her stomach did indeed hurt, so she went back inside and slowly drank a bowl of the hot brown sugar water. She then went out to rinse her mouth and found that Zhou Chenglei had already washed his pants. There was the sound of water in the shower room; Zhou Chenglei must be taking a shower. Thinking of something, she went back to her room.

Jiang Xia lay on the bed waiting for Zhou Chenglei to return, but it was late, and she, who had no trouble sleeping, quickly fell asleep.

Zhou Chenglei finished washing his pants and took a cold shower before returning to the room.

Jiang Xia's breathing was shallow; she was already asleep.

Seeing her hand covering her abdomen, her face pale, Zhou Chenglei turned off the light, carefully lay down on the bed, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and then warmed them for her.

Her abdomen was very cold; no wonder her face was so pale.

In the darkness, he listened to her shallow breathing and could faintly smell her fragrance—a light, elegant, and captivating scent.

The slight unease in Zhou Chenglei's heart was soothed by the fragrance, and he only fell asleep peacefully after her lower abdomen warmed up.

The next day, Jiang Xia woke up to find the sun already up, and her stomachache was gone.

A note was left on the table by the window, written in a flowing, elegant hand: "Mom and Dad have gone to sea. I'm going to town. There's breakfast in the iron pot. I'll cook lunch when I get back."

Jiang Xia folded the note carefully and put it away; the handwriting was too beautiful to throw away.

She went outside, but no one was home.

After brushing her teeth, Jiang Xia went to the kitchen to find breakfast.

There was a bowl of brown sugar and eggs in the iron pot, containing two eggs, and a large bowl of sweet potato porridge, still steaming.

Zhou's mother always made sweet potato porridge for breakfast; the brown sugar and eggs must have been prepared by Zhou Chenglei.

Jiang Xia took them out, found the temperature was just right, and ate them directly.

After eating, with nothing to do, Jiang Xia went to the toilet, closed the gate, and returned to her room, taking out the original owner's high school textbooks to study.

Zhou

Chenglei went to town early in the morning, but couldn't find sanitary napkins in any of the department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives. Some people even said they had never heard of them.

He then rode his bicycle to the city.

Even in the city, they didn't have any. A saleswoman at the mall said, "That stuff is only available in big cities like Beijing and Haicheng. It's rare in cities like ours; it's too expensive. Not many people are willing to use it. The stock we get is all pre-ordered. Those who can afford it have to ask someone to buy it for them."

Hearing this, Zhou Chenglei worried he wouldn't be able to buy sanitary napkins, so he bought a few packs of sanitary pads and then went to the military hospital.

Zhou Chenglei went directly to the obstetrics and gynecology department and found a female doctor.

This female doctor used to be a doctor in the army; the female soldiers all said she was very capable, knowledgeable in both traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and that her traditional Chinese medicine training was from a renowned national master, saying she was very good at regulating menstruation and the body.

Later, her husband was transferred here, and she followed him to the military hospital, becoming the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department.

"Dr. Gao."

Gao Min saw Zhou Chenglei and paused for a moment, then smiled, "Xiao Lei, what brings you here? You haven't been married long, have you? Good news already? Where's your wife? Let me take her pulse!"

She then peeked behind him, but didn't see anyone.

Gao Min was more than ten years older than Zhou Chenglei. Because her partner knew Zhou Chenglei and she admired him, she addressed him more affectionately.

Gao Min also knew who Zhou Chenglei's partner was; the young woman was quite pretty, but seemed a bit spoiled.

Zhou Chenglei said, "She hasn't come yet, she's on her period. Her stomach hurts, and her hands and abdomen are very cold. I came to ask if you have any medicine."

"You can only see her after her period ends. Bring her over after her period. Is it serious? Many women experience menstrual cramps, and some get better after childbirth. But we still need to see her to find out the cause. Remember to bring her over, and I'll help her regulate her body. Severe uterine coldness can affect fertility. I'll help her regulate her body, and I guarantee you'll have good news soon."

Zhou Chenglei hadn't thought about having children, but Gao Min's words made him realize that if they didn't divorce, he and Jiang Xia would have children sooner or later.

However, she was still young, only twenty years old, and she wanted to go to university, so there was no rush; her health was more important.

Zhou Chenglei: "No rush for a baby, she's still young. Taking care of her health is more important."

Gao Min's eyes lit up with admiration. "Your father-in-law didn't misjudge you."

He's almost thirty, and he's not in a hurry to have children; he's a loving husband.

No wonder so many girls in the military want to marry him.

Zhou Chenglei: "Isn't everyone advocating for late marriage and late childbirth, fewer births and better births?"

Gao Min gave him a thumbs up: "Good awareness."

Zhou Chenglei smiled: "Dr. Gao, do you know where I can buy sanitary napkins?"

Gao Min laughed: "So you came here to buy sanitary napkins for your wife!"

Zhou Chenglei smiled sheepishly: "I can't find them anywhere."

"They are hard to find. I usually ask someone to buy a year's supply at once. I have a few packs left, not many. I'll give two to your wife. I was just about to buy some myself. Do you want some? If you want me to buy more, I won't give you any more next time."

"Yes, Dr. Gao, I'll also buy a year's supply." Zhou Chenglei didn't know how much he needed for a year, so he could only say that.

“Okay, wait a moment, I’ll go in and pack two packs for you. You can take the rest back when you bring your wife for her visit in a few days. It’s just that these are imported, so buying so many at once is a bit expensive.”

“It’s okay.”

Gao Min stood up, went to the inner room, took two packs of sanitary napkins she kept in her office from the cabinet, stuffed them into a cloth bag, and then came out. She took two more packs of family planning supplies from the cabinet, raised an eyebrow at Zhou Chenglei, her gaze falling on a certain spot: “If you don’t plan to have children, use these. Large, medium, small?”

Now that family planning is being promoted, the hospital also has these.

Zhou Chenglei was embarrassed; he hadn’t said he wanted these. He still said, “Large.”

Gao Min smiled, took two large packs, stuffed them into the bag, and shoved them into Zhou Chenglei’s arms: “You know how to use them, right? But there are instructions on them; if you don’t, go back and read them carefully. Get lost! Bring your wife in a few days.”

In the end, Zhou Chenglei left the hospital with a red face.

When Zhou Chenglei returned home, it was already 1 PM.

Jiang Xia saw him covered in sweat and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"No." Zhou Chenglei parked his bicycle, handed her the cloth bag, and glanced at her face, which was still a little pale. "Does your stomach still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore. What's this?" Jiang Xia took it, opened it, and her eyes lit up!

"You went out just to buy this for me?"

"No, I went to the city to run some errands and bought it on the way." Zhou Chenglei replied casually, then went to the well to wash his hands and face.

He had been riding his bicycle all the way, and his face was covered in dust.

"Thank you." Jiang Xia didn't know this thing was hard to buy, so she believed him.

Jiang Xia put the bag back in the cabinet in her room, took out a piece and stuffed it into her pocket before going out.

Jiang Xia left him some food and helped him carry it. "Eat quickly."

"Okay." Zhou Chenglei was drinking water and responded when he heard this. He had wanted to rush back to cook for her, but he hadn't expected to be delayed for so long. After Jiang Xia finished speaking,

she hurriedly went out to change the patches.

She couldn't bear it any longer and didn't dare to walk around all morning, afraid she would fall out or break.

After Jiang Xia left, Zhou Chenglei went back to his room, glanced at the college entrance exam textbooks on his desk, and then went to the large cabinet.

He stuffed two small bags and a box of talcum powder from his pocket into the corner of the cabinet and covered them with his clothes.

When Jiang Xia returned, he was already eating.

In the afternoon, Zhou Chenglei had been called away by the production team to repair a tractor.

He didn't return until evening. Jiang Xia was about to cook, but Zhou Chenglei didn't let her cook; he would do it himself.

He moved the recliner to the yard so she could rest more.

Jiang Xia wanted to help start the fire, but Zhou Zhou knew Jiang Xia wasn't feeling well and wouldn't let her do it either; she would do it herself.

When Jiang Xia had nothing to do, she would lie on the recliner and read.

In her previous life, Jiang Xia had been learning to do chores since she was three years old and had never been taken care of like this before.

After Zhou Chenglei finished cooking, he went to the dock to help unload the fish.

When the three returned, Zhou Chenglei brought back several squid and a sea bass, which his mother had specially saved for Jiang Xia.

Zhou Chenglei boiled the squid and steamed the fish. Jiang Xia was surprised that Zhou Chenglei's cooking was quite good.

During the meal, Jiang Xia asked, "Dad, how was today's catch?"

Zhou's father smiled and said, "Not bad, about fifty yuan, but we didn't encounter any schools of fish."

Zhou's father was a little dissatisfied. There are usually more fish after a typhoon, and most of the villagers made seventy or eighty yuan today. His fifty yuan wasn't enough. Zhou

Bingqiang encountered schools of fish on both boats, making more than a hundred yuan on each boat, totaling more than three hundred yuan. He was showing off in front of him!

He even said that he hadn't listened to advice last time and brought a woman on his boat, and now he was having bad luck!

Jiang Xia could tell from his tone that Zhou's father was dissatisfied, and laughed, "Then the fish that are destined for our family probably want to grow a little bigger in the sea. Let them grow a bit more in the sea, and we'll catch them again tomorrow. As long as we have a boat, we won't be short of fish."

Zhou's father chuckled, his mood brightening a bit: "You're right." He

was indeed cultured; his words were so pleasant!

If it were his eldest daughter-in-law, knowing she earned less than others, she would have a dark expression, as if the sky had fallen.

Life isn't always good; no matter what, a smile brings good luck.

A smiling person's luck won't be too bad!

Zhou's father was generally easygoing; he just didn't want to lose to Zhou Bingqiang.

The two had compared themselves since childhood, and even in old age, for some reason, they seemed inherently incompatible.

Of course, Zhou's father also enjoyed comparing himself to him, and both of them were happy about it.

The next day, Cheng Lei and Zhou's father went out to sea. Jiang Xia couldn't go because it was inconvenient for him.

They earned more than 500 yuan that day. They encountered a school of fish, wrecked two nets, and even found a stranded bluefin tuna on a island. It weighed more than 200 jin (100-150 kg), almost 300 jin (150-150 kg).

It must have been swept to the beach by a tornado. Anyway, it was slightly injured. When Zhou Cheng Lei found it, it should have died recently. It was still fresh. Although it was injured, the price was a little lower, but it was still very lucky.

They went directly to the city dock to sell it to Jufulou. Jiang Xia didn't see it.

Jiang Xia thought to himself, in this era, earning a thousand or several hundred yuan a day, no wonder Zhou Cheng Lei quickly accumulated his first pot of gold, bought a second boat, and later bought one boat after another, invested in other things, and eventually became the richest man.

On the third day, it was Zhou Chengxin's turn to go out to sea. Zhou's father and Zhou Cheng Lei took the opportunity to repair the roof of the storage room and patch up the leaks.

Jiang Xia's period ended after three days, and the wound on her foot had scabbed over. Today was Zhou Chenglei's turn.

Zhou Chenglei got up, and Jiang Xia followed.

Zhou Chenglei: "Sleep a little longer, don't get up so early."

Jiang Xia turned on the light: "I want to go out to sea with you today."

Hearing this, Zhou Chenglei turned to look at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "Is it over?"

Jiang Xia felt his gaze was as dark as ink, as if he were eyeing his prey. Her heart skipped a beat, and she avoided his gaze, vaguely saying: "Um, more or less."

After saying that, she went out to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Zhou Chenglei raised an eyebrow, took off his shirt, changed his clothes, and then went out.

*

The boat clattered towards the sea. The sky was dark, and a sliver of white light appeared on the eastern horizon. Dawn was approaching; it gets light early in summer.

While trawling, Zhou Chenglei noticed Jiang Xia was a bit bored and asked, "Want to go fishing?"

He had brought a fishing rod today and bought some dead small fish and shrimp as bait at the purchasing station when he went to buy diesel.

He just wanted her to fish for fun and pass the time.

"Do you have any bait?" Jiang Xia knew Zhou Chenglei had brought a fishing rod.

"Yes, it's in the black bucket. I bought some." Zhou Chenglei handed the bucket to Jiang Xia: "It's hard to catch fish while sailing, but it'll help pass the time."

"It's okay, I'll just use it to kill some time."

Jiang Xia picked up a fishing rod, took a dead shrimp from the bucket, and hooked it.

Then, finding a spot that wouldn't interfere with the trawl, she imitated others casting their lines and cast the line with a "whoosh."

She thought her movements were stylish, but the shrimp wasn't hooked properly and flew away!

Jiang Xia: "..."

Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but laugh.

Jiang Xia quickly turned around, but Zhou Chenglei pretended not to see her, his head down. She calmly reeled in the fishing line: "I didn't hook it tightly enough, it fell out."

Jiang Xia squatted down and picked out another shrimp to hook.

Seeing she had hooked it wrong, Zhou Chenglei squatted down, took her hand, and taught her: "You have to hook it like this to make it tighter, and it looks more like a shrimp in the water."

Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat as his large hands enveloped both of hers.

After hooking the shrimp, Zhou Chenglei let go: "Okay, try it. Don't cast it too hard."

Jiang Xia blushed and stood up quickly, but bumped into Zhou Chenglei's forehead, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.

Zhou Chenglei was also in pain, but quickly wiped his fingers clean on a towel and gently rubbed her forehead with his clean palm: "Does it hurt a lot?"

Jiang Xia grabbed his clothes, and the two of them hugged each other.

Zhou's father was forced to eat a mouthful of dog food!

He looked up at the sky speechlessly, feeling utterly superfluous.

Were they treating him like a memorial tablet?

Neither of them knew that their unspoken intimacy had satisfied Zhou's father.

Jiang Xia finally felt better after a while. "I'm fine now, are you still in pain?"

Zhou Chenglei lowered his hand and stepped back a little: "No, it doesn't hurt. Want to go fishing again?"

"Yes."

Jiang Xia picked up the fishing rod, no longer daring to be carefree, and carefully cast it out.

This time, Jiang Xia wasn't sure if the shrimp had fallen off, so she lifted it up to check, and only felt relieved when she saw it was still on the hook.

Then she held the fishing rod quietly, waiting for a fish to bite.

Zhou Chenglei squatted down again, hooked another fishing rod with bait, and gave it to her as a spare.

Unexpectedly, he had just hooked the bait when Jiang Xia excitedly shouted, "Zhou Chenglei, a fish has taken the bait! A fish has taken the bait!"

Zhou Chenglei: "..."

So fast?

Mr. Zhou heard this too, and his lips twitched. "How can a fish bite so quickly? You've probably caught something trash!"

But Jiang Xia had just felt the fishing line sway. She tugged at it and felt a slight pull. She continued pulling and saw a red shadow struggling in the water, swimming deeper. The pull grew stronger.

"Zhou Chenglei, hurry! It's struggling and swimming away! What if the line breaks and it gets away?"

Mr. Zhou was surprised: There really was a fish? Her fishing speed was like she was in her own fishpond, not the ocean!

Zhou Chenglei reached out from behind Jiang Xia and grabbed the fishing rod. Afraid the fish would escape, he gripped the rod tightly but didn't pull it up immediately. Instead, he played it, letting it struggle in the water until it was exhausted before pulling it up. That way, the line wouldn't break.

Mr. Zhou: "..."

Although the fishing rod was made of ordinary bamboo, the fishing line was anything but. It was a fishing rod his son bought while he was in the army, made of special materials. He'd even boasted that it wouldn't break the line when catching a 50-pound fish!

Looking at the two of them, in Zhou's father's eyes, it looked like Zhou Chenglei was holding Jiang Xia in his arms from behind.

Zhou's father's lips twitched.

He hadn't expected Zhou Chenglei to be like this!

Zhou Chenglei reached behind Jiang Xia and grabbed the fishing rod. Jiang Xia was in front of him, their bodies pressed together, all four hands gripping the rod tightly.

Jiang Xia was completely enveloped in his embrace, but the fish in the sea was struggling so fiercely that Jiang Xia, excited and nervous, didn't notice how intimate they were.

After a while, Jiang Xia turned back and asked him, "Is it almost done? It seems to be running out of strength, right?"

"Wait a little longer." Zhou Chenglei glanced down at her.

From this angle, her profile was beautiful in a different way; her skin was as pink and tender as a peach, making one want to take a bite. Zhou Chenglei

's Adam's apple bobbed.

Zhou Paiwei looked up at the sky speechlessly.

Seeing that the fish was losing its strength, Zhou Chenglei said, "That's enough, I'll let go. You try to pull it up."

Zhou Chenglei released the fishing rod, and Jiang Xia lifted it.

A red fish leaped out of the sea!

"A grouper!" Zhou's father blurted out, his eyes lighting up.

He had fished his whole life and had only caught one grouper, which weighed just over a pound. The one Jiang Xia caught was estimated to weigh two pounds, very plump!

Zhou's father felt a little envious.

If he had Jiang Xia's shipping skills, he would have been rich long ago!

Envious as he was, he was also happy.

"Quick, put it in the bucket to keep it alive," Zhou's father reminded Zhou Chenglei with a smile, his white teeth showing in the dim light. "A great start!"

Catching a grouper on the first day out to sea is worth a few dollars; it seems today's catch will be good.

After Zhou Chenglei removed the fish from the hook, he drew a bucket of water from the sea and put the fish in a bucket to keep it alive.

Jiang Xia was delighted to catch a fish on her first try and cast her line with renewed enthusiasm.

Zhou Chenglei, having baited another fishing rod, watched her fish from the side.

Less than two minutes later, Jiang Xia felt another fish take the bait. "Zhou Chenglei, another fish has taken the bait!"

"You try playing it first," Zhou Chenglei said, watching from the side. He saw it was a sea bass, about a pound or two, and let her practice.

Jiang Xia successfully reeled in the fish.

Zhou Chenglei removed the fish, and Jiang Xia picked up another fishing rod and cast the bait out.

This time, it took a while; several minutes passed without a bite, but Jiang Xia wasn't in a hurry.

The bait slowly sank into the deeper water, dragging along. A large fish was chasing several small fish with its mouth wide open, taking them in with it.

Jiang Xia finally felt a fish take the bait. She reeled in the line, and as she pulled it closer, she noticed the shadow in the water was quite long!

"Zhou Chenglei, this fish seems a bit big," Jiang Xia said seriously. She carefully pulled the fish to the surface.

Zhou Chenglei, focused on her, hadn't noticed the sea. Hearing this, he looked over.

The fish suddenly struggled violently, and Jiang Xia stumbled, almost being pulled into the sea.

Zhou Chenglei swiftly reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, firmly gripping the fishing rod. A wave of fear

washed over him. "I'll do it, you go get the landing net." Jiang Xia carefully stepped aside from him.

Zhou's father, seeing this, also tensed up. "What kind of fish?"

Jiang Xia hurriedly ran to get the landing net, excitedly saying, "It's huge, black, much bigger than the last one! I don't know what kind of fish it is."

"King Grouper," Zhou Chenglei replied.

King Grouper, also known as Giant Grouper or Giant Giant Grouper, is the largest grouper, reaching over two meters in length and weighing over 800 kilograms.

Zhou's father was excited. "The landing net is here! How big is it? Let it play around a bit first, don't rush to pull it up, be careful of breaking the line or getting off the hook."

This fishing rod was specially made by Zhou Chenglei, and the fishing line wasn't ordinary. It was perfectly capable of catching fish under 50 kilograms, but this Giant Grouper was huge, definitely over 50 kilograms. Zhou Chenglei was afraid it would get off the hook and the line would break.

Jiang Xia rushed off to grab a landing net.

He helped hold the fishing rod, while Zhou Chenglei, worried Jiang Xia wouldn't have enough strength, gripped the rod with one hand and used the net to scoop up the fish with the other.

The fish struggled violently in the water, and being quite large, it was difficult to catch!

Several times Zhou Chenglei almost managed to hook it.

Seeing this, Jiang Xia said, "Hold on, I'll go get another net."

Jiang Xia grabbed another net

, hoping for the best, and cast it in! The king bream got tangled in the net as it struggled, and Zhou Chenglei seized the opportunity to use the landing net again.

Together, they finally managed to scoop it onto the boat!

Jiang Xia exclaimed excitedly, "This fish must weigh over eighty pounds!"

Zhou's father glanced at it and chuckled, "It should, it could sell for several tens of yuan!"

Jiang Xia was completely hooked. After admiring the large fish for a while, he said, "I'll keep fishing."

Seeing how quickly Jiang Xia was catching fish, Zhou's father also got hooked and shouted, "Chenglei, you drive the boat, I'll fish too!"

They were trawling, so the boat couldn't stop.

Zhou Chenglei turned his head, pretending not to hear; after all, he couldn't hear well.

He wanted to stay by Jiang Xia's side.

Zhou's father: "..."

This unfilial son who values ​​women over his father!

Jiang Xia was fishing with great enthusiasm.

Zhou Chenglei, with his back to his father, stood guard beside her, completely ignoring his elderly father behind him.

Jiang Xia seemed to be on a winning streak, catching a fish every three to five minutes, no more than ten minutes.

After a grouper, she caught a mackerel.

Mackerel was cheaper than grouper, but it was much larger; a mackerel weighing over ten pounds could sell for more than three yuan.

After Zhou Chenglei removed the mackerel, he rebaited the hook.

After catching the mackerel, he caught a sea bass, and then a small yellow croaker…

Zhou's father really wanted to fish, calling out to his son every now and then, but Zhou Chenglei was completely oblivious to his father, only focused on his wife!

Zhou's father was so angry he almost ground his teeth to powder, wishing he could kick him off the boat.

Finally, Jiang Xia caught a pomfret, and it was time to haul in the net.

Jiang Xia: "This fish must be worth a good price, right?"

In modern times, wild pomfret can cost three figures per jin (500 grams).

Pomfret is considered the top-grade pomfret, and its price is high.

Zhou Chenglei carefully took the fish off the hook: "Hmm, a little over one yuan per jin."

Zhou's father slowed down the boat and gritted his teeth, "Zhou Chenglei, you can haul in the net now."

Zhou Chenglei finally heard him and replied, "Okay."

Jiang Xia also packed up her fishing rod and stopped fishing.

She glanced at her catch; after more than two hours, it was quite good!

There were two big fish, a king mackerel, and a large bucket of various small fish. If there were records for fishing, Jiang Xia felt she should have broken the Guinness World Record.

Although the fish she caught varied in size, and some were even poisonous and inedible, the smaller and poisonous ones were released back into the sea. However, Jiang Xia felt extremely satisfied looking at the bucket of fish.

The sense of accomplishment was different from catching fish by hand compared to trawlers.

Zhou Chenglei and his father worked together to haul in the net, while Jiang Xia stood by and watched them.

Seeing that they were struggling, Jiang Xia guessed that the net had burst.

Zhou's father exclaimed happily, "It's so heavy, it must have burst!"

As the net was pulled closer, a large bag of fish gradually surfaced!

"So many golden pomfret!" Jiang Xia exclaimed excitedly.

Zhou's father was delighted; the net was almost full. He had never caught so many fish in one net before.

It was all thanks to his daughter-in-law's excellent sea skills; every time he took her out to sea, the catch was fantastic!

Zhou Chenglei said, "We must have encountered a school of golden pomfret."

Having just caught two, Zhou Chenglei had wondered if they might have encountered a school.

The father and son worked together for a long time but couldn't pull the large bag of fish up. Jiang Xia also came to help.

It took the three of them a great deal of effort to finally pull it ashore.

"I'll rest a bit before emptying the fish," Zhou's father said, exhausted and needing a rest.

After resting for five minutes, Zhou's father stood up and called to Zhou Chenglei to help empty the fish.

Father and son worked together to empty the fish several times before finally getting it out.

The deck was full of golden pomfret, their plump white bellies and golden fins a beautiful sight.

Even if they didn't catch anything else, this deck of golden pomfret could still fetch about a hundred yuan.

Father Zhou immediately ordered, "Zhou Chenglei, you go set the boat and cast the nets. I'll sort the fish."

He didn't want to be a figurehead anymore.

This time, Zhou Chenglei didn't refuse. He tidied the nets and went to cast them.

It would take at least two hours to haul them in, but this time there was no time for fishing; they had to sort the fish on the deck. Father Zhou told Zhou Chenglei to go set the boat, since he wasn't going to do it himself!

This time, Zhou Chenglei didn't refuse.

Although they had to sort the fish and didn't have time to fish, Father Zhou stubbornly fixed two fishing rods to the edge, thinking he could catch as many as he could and have some fun.

The sun was blazing. Jiang Xia put on his sleeves and straw hat, covered his face with a towel, and began sorting the fish.

The golden pomfret were all about the same size, around seven or eight ounces each, making them easy to sort.

Jiang Xia used both hands simultaneously, tossing the fish one by one into the two baskets with incredible speed, like pearls falling from a broken string.

Zhou's father glanced at the fish in the two baskets. The fish in the same basket were all the same size, but the fish in the different baskets were clearly different sizes.

So, how did she manage to sort the fish, one big and one small, with such precision using both hands at the same time?

Were her hands made of molds?

So precise, one after another.

Was this young daughter-in-law even human? She sorted the fish faster than this old fisherman!

Zhou's father thought to himself.

"Dad, it looks like a fish has taken the bait." Jiang Xia glanced at the two fishing rods and noticed the fishing lines swaying.

Zhou's father immediately ran over.

There really was a fish on the hook!

Zhou's father happily pulled the fish up—one was a golden pomfret, and the other was a sea bass. Haha, not bad, not bad!

After taking the fish off the hook, Zhou's father baited the hook again and continued fishing.

With Zhou's father indecisive, the two of them hadn't finished dividing the fish on the deck in two hours, but it was almost done. They

also had enough time to haul in the second net.

Father and son worked together again to pull in the net.

Another deck full of golden pomfret!

Zhou's father exclaimed happily, "We've stirred up the golden pomfret's lair!"

Jiang Xia suggested, "With so many golden pomfret, why don't we dry them and sell them in the city with dried shrimp?"

The dried shrimp were already dried.

Zhou Chenglei agreed.

He thought so too.

Zhou's father frowned, "Drying them would earn more, but it's too much trouble. Drying is troublesome, and not being able to sell them is also troublesome."

Jiang Xia suggested, "We don't need to dry them all, we can try drying some. When we sold the large yellow croaker before, didn't we meet a middleman? We can call him and ask if he buys dried golden pomfret."

Zhou's father's eyes lit up, "Yes, we can ask! If he buys them, we'll dry them."

Zhou's father then understood why Jiang Xia had asked the middleman for his phone number.

Educational people are indeed quick-witted.

It was already noon. After the three finished eating, Zhou's father stopped dividing the fish and went to start the boat to trawle, while Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia divided the fish. They

hauled in two more nets in the afternoon. The first net didn't have many fish, only half a net, mostly golden pomfret, which was not bad.

It was already three o'clock, so they hauled in one more net, just in time.

On the last net, they encountered another school of fish!

And it was a school of mackerel, which caused the net to burst, and the father and son almost couldn't pull it up.

Zhou's father thought about the small bag of miscellaneous fish and golden pomfret he had just hauled in and deeply questioned his life choices!

Zhou Chenglei looked at the deck full of mackerel, weighing several hundred pounds.

Zhou's father said happily, "Should we go to the city dock?"

Zhou Chenglei: "It's getting late, let's not go. It's not far. Let's go back to the village! We still need to find someone to clean the fish when we get back."

"That'll probably cost ten or eight yuan less," Zhou's father replied, looking at the several hundred pounds of mackerel and king mackerel. But if they went to the city dock, it would indeed be a bit late, so they decided against it.

As the sun sets, boats returning to port converge from all directions, creating a magnificent sight.

Numerous fishing boats of all sizes are also moored at the dock.

The village dock doesn't belong to just one village, but to more than a dozen nearby villages, hence the large number of fishing boats.

This is usually the busiest time at the dock, but today it's especially lively.

When Zhou Chenglei and his crew's boat docked, the people on the pier surrounded the two large fishing boats.

Zhou Bingqiang was lucky today; he encountered a school of golden threadfin bream, carrying basket after basket of them off the boat, making everyone envious.

Although golden threadfin bream were cheap, the sheer quantity made up for it, and he had two fishing boats, both overflowing with golden threadfin bream—how could anyone not be envious?

The villagers on the boat said enviously, "Old Qiang, how come you're always so lucky? You seem to encounter schools of fish every few days. You must have earned at least a hundred or two yuan today!"

"Old Qiang's luck is the best in our village! Otherwise, how could his fishing boat be the biggest in the village, and he even has two boats! He's the best in the whole village!"

"Uncle Qiang's luck is extraordinary. Even without encountering schools of fish, he still earns at least seventy or eighty yuan a day. We're already happy if we can earn thirty or forty yuan a day."

Zhou Bingqiang's dark face revealed a set of big white teeth, and he grinned so wide that his eyes disappeared. "Don't talk nonsense. My luck is nowhere near as good as Zhou Yongfu's. He earns me a year's worth of money in a single day!"

"Zhou Yongfu only does it occasionally. Usually, he's just like us, only earning twenty or thirty yuan. If we're talking about good sea voyages, Old Qiang, you're the best!"

Zhou Bingqiang continued, "And you know what? He took his daughter-in-law out to sea again today. His daughter-in-law is lucky. Maybe she'll encounter schools of big yellow croaker and red snapper, or even find bluefin tuna and earn two thousand yuan!"

"That's even more impossible! A woman's private parts are exposed; it's a miracle if she doesn't bring bad luck on the boat! He only had a lucky break before; it's impossible for it to happen every time." "

Those who don't listen to their elders will suffer the consequences. Bringing a woman out to sea to fish will only bring more misfortune."

A fake fortune teller in the village, who loves studying physiognomy, said, "I'm only saying this now, but just by looking at his daughter-in-law's face, I know she's not a docile person. She looks like a vixen. Such a woman is promiscuous, doesn't bring good fortune to her husband, and will ruin the family's reputation sooner or later. How dare he bring a woman like that on the boat? Something bad is bound to happen. You'll see! Didn't I say before that Zhou Chenglei didn't look like an official? See? He's back fishing! He's been a fisherman his whole life! He's never had a problem with food and shelter." "He can't keep his fox-like wife. Lao Qiang's wife and daughter-in-law are both lucky wives!"

Zhou Bingqiang laughed upon hearing this: "Haha, my wife and daughter-in-law are indeed good! However, I also think Zhou Chenglei's wife doesn't have a lucky face, she's too thin!"

The fake fortune teller said: "When choosing a wife, you should choose one with a round face, who looks tall and strong, she'll bring good fortune to the husband and the family! Marrying a fox spirit will bring unrest to the household! Just wait and see! Of course, whether she's lucky or not can't be determined in a day or two, you'll just have to wait and see!"

At this moment, someone shouted: "Zhou Yongfu's boat is back."

Everyone looked over upon hearing this.

Someone said: "There seem to be a lot of fish on the boat!"

"It's not just a lot, it's full of fish!"

As soon as Zhou's father docked the boat, everyone saw basket after basket of golden pomfret and mackerel filling the boat.

Someone shouted, "King of Spotted Fish! Zhou Yongfu caught a King of Spotted Fish!"

The dock was in an uproar, and everyone rushed to surround the Zhou family's boat: "It's a King of Spotted Fish! It's huge!"

"Good heavens! It must weigh a hundred pounds!"

"The King of Kings!"

What kind of luck is this, catching big fish every day and encountering schools of fish?

Some people went to see a fake fortune teller, and this is considered unlucky for the husband?

The fake fortune teller has already run away!

Zhou Bingqiang glanced at the King of Spotted Fish, then quietly turned and left.

Zhou's father searched for him a thousand times, and finally spotted him!

He shouted, "Zhou Bingqiang, there are a lot of fish in the sea today, your two fishing boats must have had a good catch, right?"

Zhou Bingqiang pretended not to hear and walked even faster.

His two boats did have a good catch, but golden threadfin bream were cheap, not as good as golden pomfret or mackerel, let alone a King of Spotted Fish.

Zhou's father jumped off the boat and quickly caught up with him, grabbing his arm: "Why are you running! I'll take you to see the giant grouper my daughter-in-law caught! Compare it to the ones you caught a few years ago, and see which one is bigger."

Zhou Bingqiang quickly shook off his father's hand: "What are you doing! Don't touch me. It's not like I haven't caught giant grouper before. I don't have time, I have to go back for dinner."

Zhou Bingqiang shook off his father's hand and ran away.

Watching his father's hasty retreat, Zhou's father finally felt a surge of pride.

Two days ago, he went out to sea and only made less than fifty yuan. The typhoon had just passed, and every boat was making around seventy or eighty yuan, but he only made fifty-something.

Zhou Bingqiang made much more with his two boats and was showing off in front of him. People

said he'd have bad luck when he brought women on board.

Hmph, he was just incredibly lucky when he brought women on board.

Many people boarded the Zhou family's boat, exclaiming enviously, "Wow! I haven't seen such a big kingfisher in ages. Even a few years ago, Zhou Bingqiang caught one that wasn't this big! This one should sell for a hundred yuan!"

"It should sell for a hundred yuan. This kingfisher looks like it weighs a hundred jin! How did you catch it?"

Zhou Chenglei: "Jiang Xia caught it."

"Your wife caught it?" The man looked at Jiang Xia in surprise.

Just then, Zhou's father ran back and shoved Zhou Chenglei aside, saying, "Go move the goods, I'll talk!"

Zhou Chenglei: "..."

Then Zhou's father began his performance to the villagers: "Yes, it was Xia who caught them! She and A-Lei caught them together! And this whole bucket of fish is from Xia. Come and see what kind of fish she caught. My daughter-in-law is amazing at fishing! Her fishing speed..."

Zhou's father gesticulated wildly as he described Jiang Xia's fishing process in detail, with great emotion and vivid description!

Jiang Xia, who was dividing the fish, was embarrassed by what she heard!

There wasn't a continuous stream of fish; she just caught one every few minutes.

Jiang Xia reminded Zhou Chenglei, "Go to the village committee and call to ask if Lord Hou buys dried golden pomfret."

Jiang Xia gave him Lord Hou's phone number; she had a good memory and remembered it when Lord Hou said it.

"I'll go right now." Zhou Chenglei told his father and ran to the production team to borrow a phone.

Fortunately, the production team wasn't far from the dock, and he arrived in just a few minutes.

Not long after, Zhou's mother, Tian Caihua, and Zhou Chengxin arrived.

Zhou's mother, seeing the boat full of fish, exclaimed happily, "Another school of fish? What's that big guy? It looks a bit like a king bream!"

Zhou Chengxin, also delighted with the boat full of fish, couldn't resist squatting down to touch the king bream: "It's a king bream! It's even bigger than the one Uncle Qiang caught a few years ago!"

Zhou's father, busy with other matters, couldn't help but retort, "Nonsense! His little shrimp is called a king bream? Then ours must be the king of king bream!"

Tian Caihua, looking at the boat full of fish, felt envious again!

Yesterday they only earned a little over sixty yuan from their trip, but today it was the fourth son's turn to go out to sea, and a single king bream would be worth more than sixty yuan, right?

She couldn't help but ask, "Dad, did you catch this king bream?"

If Zhou's father caught it, would he share some of the money with them after selling it?

Otherwise, it's too unfair that he helps Zhou Chenglei go out to sea every day!

Hearing Tian Caihua's words, Zhou's father replied, "It wasn't me, it was Xia who caught it."

Fishing?

Does he deserve that?

He only deserves to be a memorial tablet!

Tian Caihua looked at Jiang Xia and replied sourly, "Fourth sister-in-law, you're lucky."

Jiang Xia replied with a forced smile, "Thank you for the compliment, it will only get better!"

Tian Caihua: "..."

Zhou's mother wanted to know how much the king bream could sell for, so she urged Zhou's father, "Stop talking, quickly carry the king bream down and weigh it. So many fish haven't been weighed yet!"

She wanted to know how much money they had made today!

The villagers didn't want to listen to Zhou's father's boasting anymore and hurriedly said, "Yes, quickly go and weigh it to see if it's a hundred jin."

So the villagers actively helped Zhou's father and Zhou Chengxin carry the king bream off the dock.

The king bream was still tangled in the fishing net, which made it easier for everyone to help carry it.

Zhou's mother also wanted to see how much the king bream weighed.

No one in the village had ever caught such a big fish before.

She said to Tian Caihua, "Ahua, help Xia sort the fish. I'll go check."

Zhou Chengxin chimed in, "Yes, Ahua, you and Xia sort the rest of the fish together."

Tian Caihua's face darkened. These weren't her fish; if she helped sort them, would she get a share of the money?

Thinking this, Tian Caihua still squatted down to help sort the fish, her face still grim.

She knew her brother-in-law should be happy about catching so many fish and earning so much money, but she couldn't feel happy at all.

Now that the family had separated, they had to take turns going out to sea. They only got to go once every three days, and because of the typhoon, they hadn't been out to sea for several days. In total, they had only gone out to sea twice, and those two trips hadn't even earned them a hundred yuan. Would they starve if things continued like this?

On the other hand, her brother-in-law's family earned several thousand yuan each time they went out to sea, adding up to more than two thousand yuan. Including today, they probably had three thousand.

They were practically rolling in money.

They'd even earned enough for a new house!

This doesn't even include the hundreds of pounds of shrimp they found after the typhoon, and the two pearls they unearthed.

One of those pearls is worth at least a hundred or so.

They really lost out big time after the family split!

It's all Jiang Xia's fault. If it weren't for her crying,闹事, and threatening suicide, would she have even considered splitting the family?

She's become so virtuous and gentle after the split; she even suspects that all that drama before was an act, meant to make her unbearable and then prompt her to propose the split.

She fell for it!

Jiang Xia is a cunning vixen!

Tian Caihua couldn't help but ask, "Hasn't your brother-in-law's household registration been transferred back yet?"

Jiang Xia didn't even glance at Tian Caihua, mainly because she didn't want to see her sullen face: "I want to know too. Why don't you ask him?"

Zhou Chenglei happened to be boarding the boat.

He had borrowed the production team's tractor to drive back, so he was fast.

Hearing Jiang Xia's words, he casually asked, "What did you ask?"

Jiang Xia replied, "Your sister-in-law asked when your household registration will be transferred back."

Zhou Chenglei paused, glanced at Jiang Xia, then at Tian Caihua, and whispered, "I don't know yet."

She said she wanted to know too.

Was she still in a hurry to divorce him?

Tian Caihua felt her brother-in-law's gaze was cold and dared not say anything more.

Zhou Chenglei bent down to unload the mackerel from the boat.

Seeing him return in the tractor, Jiang Xia guessed the Marquis's reply and couldn't help but ask, "The Marquis said he'd buy them?"

Zhou Chenglei nodded, "Yes, he said as long as they're dried well and dry enough, he'll buy as many as he can, including the dried shrimp." Jiang Xia smiled

, "Then we won't sell the golden pomfret; we'll dry them all!"

Seeing the smile on her face, Zhou Chenglei felt a little relieved and softly replied, "Mm."

Tian Caihua asked curiously, "You're not selling these golden pomfret, you're drying them all? You even found buyers? You even bought those dried shrimp?"

No wonder you dared to buy the villagers' dried shrimp; drying them and selling them will make you even more money!

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia ignored Tian Caihua.

Zhou Chenglei easily carried a load of mackerel off the boat and went to the purchasing station to weigh it.

At the purchasing station, the king mackerel had already been weighed. Because it had been brought up with Zhou Chenglei, Jiang Xia had underestimated its weight.

It weighed 99.9 jin, not the 80-odd jin she had guessed.

The purchasing station originally planned to buy it for 1.3 yuan per jin, but Zhou Chenglei went over and said directly, "Then I'll take it to a restaurant in the city. I just called and asked; the restaurants in the city said that such a large grouper is rare, they'll buy it for 2 yuan."

2 yuan was a lie, but it would still be a few mao more expensive in the city.

Moreover, big and small fish have different prices. Small grouper sell for over a dollar a pound, and the larger the grouper, the rarer it is. Scarcity drives up the price, so a few cents more is normal.

After saying this, Zhou Chenglei was about to move the grouper away. Jin,

the purchasing manager, quickly stopped him: "One dollar and eighty cents, no more! Two dollars really won't do, I'll lose money!"

"Fine, one dollar and eighty cents, calculated based on 100 pounds." Zhou Chenglei didn't bother arguing further.

Jin: "Why only 100 pounds? Won't I lose an extra eighty cents?"

Zhou Chenglei: "So, will you buy it or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes..." He was truly afraid of him!

"Hurry up and unload those mackerel and golden pomfret from your boat too!"

"I'm not selling the golden pomfret; I'll dry it. I only sell the mackerel." Zhou Chenglei said this and went back to pick out the mackerel.

The surrounding villagers were shocked to hear that Zhou Chenglei wasn't selling the golden pomfret.

They grabbed Zhou's father and asked, "Aren't you worried about not being able to sell all those golden pomfrets if you don't sell them?"

"These fish are hard to dry. What if a typhoon or rain comes and they don't dry properly and go bad? We'll lose a lot of money!"

...

Zhou's father knew Zhou Chenglei had made the phone call, but there were some things he couldn't tell outsiders. He said, "The boy's grown up. Let him do what he wants! I can't control him anymore."

In the end, the spotted king bream sold for 180 yuan, the 300-plus jin of mackerel sold for 144 yuan, the miscellaneous fish sold for 10 yuan, and the big bucket of fish Jiangxia caught sold for 32.7 yuan. Excluding the golden pomfret, they made 366.7 yuan. Those golden pomfret weighed at least 300 jin; this trip was guaranteed 500 yuan!

Tian Caihua was green with envy.

After selling the fish, Zhou Chenglei, Zhou's father, and Zhou Chengxin loaded several loads of golden pomfret onto the tractor and transported them home.

Zhou's mother had already gone back to the village to find someone to clean the fish.

Jiang Xia returned home to find that Zhou's mother had already prepared the meal, including a plate of fresh shrimp, which she must have bought specially.

During the meal, Zhou's mother peeled the shrimp and placed them in Jiang Xia's bowl: "Xia, eat more!"

Jiang Xia's bowl was overflowing with shrimp: "That's enough, Mom, you eat, I can't eat anymore!"

Zhou Chenglei and his father watched silently, each trying to take a shrimp, only to be glared at by Zhou's mother.

She had specially gone to the dock to buy these for Jiang Xia, noticing that Jiang Xia didn't particularly like dried fish.

Being frugal, she hadn't bought too much, only half a pound for Jiang Xia, leaving only a few shrimp in Zhou's bowl.

"It's alright, eat more, you're too thin." Zhou's mother peeled the last shrimp and placed it in Jiang Xia's bowl.

Having married a lucky daughter-in-law, she had to treat her well, right?

Just then, a gentle voice came from outside: "Auntie, are you home? Did you hire someone to clean your fish?"

"Yes, we need to hire someone to clean the fish." Zhou's mother quickly replied, then stood up and said to her family, "You all eat slowly, the fish cleaners are here."

With that, she took her bowl and left the yard.

Jiang Xia recognized the female lead's voice and subconsciously glanced at Zhou Chenglei.

Seeing her looking at him, Zhou Chenglei assumed she wouldn't finish, so he said, "Try to eat as much as you can, give me the leftovers."

Jiang Xia lowered her head and continued eating; the work at sea was physically demanding, and she was both tired and hungry.

More and more voices came from outside the yard; it seemed the fish cleaners Zhou's mother had hired had all arrived.

Zhou's father finished eating, put down his bowl, and went outside.

Zhou Chenglei had also finished eating, but he didn't go out; instead, he stayed with Jiang Xia.

After Jiang Xia and Zhou Zhou finished eating, he said to Jiang Xia, "Rest for a bit, then take a bath."

Jiang Xia agreed.

Zhou Chenglei then cleared away the dishes and went outside to wash them.

There were seven or eight people cleaning fish in the yard, so Zhou Chenglei went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Everyone was surprised to see Zhou Chenglei washing the dishes.

Wen Wan was also surprised, and felt even more that Zhou Chenglei was a good husband.

Someone strongly disagreed, asking, "Why should a man wash dishes?" She asked Zhou's mother, "Where's your youngest daughter-in-law? She doesn't wash the dishes, she makes A-Lei do them? Aren't you going to do anything about it? She's riding on A-Lei's head!"

Zhou's mother replied, "It's just washing dishes, what difference does it make who washes them? Xia Xia was out at sea all day, she's tired, it's normal for A-Lei to wash them."

This person was a roommate, a distant cousin, so Zhou's mother didn't mention that she usually washed the dishes, nor did she make Jiang Xia do them.

The great-grandmother, of higher seniority, laughed, "It's just washing dishes, what's the big deal? A man who cherishes his wife will prosper. My great-grandfather washes all my clothes!"

The distant cousin thought to herself, "So, my great-grandfather has been ridden around by you his whole life, he's a good-for-nothing!"

Zhou's mother smiled and said, "Ah Lei also helps Xia wash clothes."

The villagers couldn't help but laugh, "Anyone who marries into your family is lucky to marry Ah Lei! Your daughter-in-law is so fortunate!"

But in her heart, she didn't believe it. She'd married a city girl who couldn't do anything; she had to do everything herself. Tian Caihua had already spread the word that Jiang Xia was useless and lazy!

As for taking Jiang Xia to sea, saying she was good at seafaring was just a coincidence. If she were so capable, she wouldn't be so lucky every time she went out to sea.

Wen Wan looked at Zhou Chenglei and thought: A good man like Zhou Chenglei is a rare find in this era. Men these days basically don't do housework, and Zhou Chenglei is the future richest man. Marrying him is definitely a blessing; otherwise, why would Jiang Xia cling to him?

Wen Wan had another dream last night. She dreamt that Zhou Chenglei caught many golden pomfret, and the Zhou family hired people to kill and dry the fish. Most importantly, Zhou Chenglei would find many pearl oysters on his next sea voyage!

So she came over, and sure enough, she saw a yard full of golden pomfret. The Zhou family really had hired someone to kill the fish; her dream had come true again.

No, she had to find a way to get Zhou Chenglei to take her out to sea.

Jiang Xia came out at this moment and saw that everyone was just gutting the golden pomfret by opening their bellies and removing the internal organs.

Jiang Xia went to the kitchen to find another cutting board and cleaver.

Seeing her take the cleaver and cutting board, Zhou Chenglei said, "Don't kill the fish, let someone else do it. You should take a shower and rest."

Jiang Xia replied, "It's okay, I'll go teach everyone how to kill them. That way, the golden pomfret will dry faster, and they'll look better and be easier to eat when steamed."

Jiang Xia went to Zhou's mother's side, put down the cutting board, picked up a fish, and then said to everyone, "Aunties, I plan to kill these golden pomfret like this; it'll dry them more easily. Take a look!"

Wen Wan glanced at Jiang Xia. Did she even know how to kill fish?

Besides her great-grandmother's family, the other women had the same question.

Then everyone saw Jiang Xia take a golden pomfret from the basket, deftly cut open its belly with a single stroke, and scrape out all the internal organs with the knife. Next, she made several clean cuts on the fish, dividing it into several even sections, each about a finger's width.

She picked up the fish whole; the sections were still connected, not broken.

The whole process took less than a minute, and the technique was skillful.

Wen Wan looked at Jiang Xia in surprise. Her knife skills were even better than hers?

The woman who had just spoken couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect Lei's wife to be so good at killing fish."

Tian Caihua's words were definitely not true!

Zhou's mother laughed and said, "Xia Xia does everything quickly and well. I can't even compare to her!"

Jiang Xia then said, "Aunties, can we kill fish like this, trying not to break them?"

Auntie Tang was unhappy. This would require so much more work. She said, "Isn't this too troublesome? And what if you accidentally cut one in half? Stuffing it up piece by piece would be even more troublesome."

Jiang Xia said, "I know it's troublesome, but it's easier to dry this way. If you kill fish like this, I'll charge you two cents per fish. If you only gut the fish, it'll be the price my mother said. What do you all think? But try not to cut them in half. If you accidentally cut one in half, you can string it up with a rope."

Zhou's mother: "..."

Two cents per fish? That's a bit of a pain!

She had originally agreed to pay one yuan per person to kill all the fish.

She hired eight people, which only cost eight yuan in total.

She didn't know how much it would cost now.

However, Zhou's mother wisely didn't refute Jiang Xia's words. Next time, she would discuss it with Jiang Xia before hiring people, otherwise it would be too much of a loss.

Upon hearing that it was two cents per fish, her aunt immediately said, "Two cents per fish? Okay! Can I add a few more cuts to the ones we've already killed?"

Jiang Xia nodded, "Okay."

"Then we'll kill them like that too."

Two cents per fish! If they had enough fish, they could earn two or three yuan in two hours, which was equivalent to a day's work.

Moreover, Jiang Xia's method wasn't difficult; it was just a matter of making a few more cuts.

After all, they were used to killing fish, so it wasn't difficult for them. Normally, they wouldn't even earn a yuan a day weaving fishing nets!

Everyone's enthusiasm instantly increased, and they killed even more enthusiastically.

Zhou's mother also worked especially hard to save two cents; since it was piecework, every extra cent saved counted.

Jiang Xia, having nothing to do, went to get a small stool and wanted to join in.

Zhou Chenglei finished washing the dishes and came over. Wen Wan stood up, "Brother Zhou."

Zhou Chenglei nodded in response, but without looking at her, he took Jiang Xia's hand: "Don't rush, I have something to discuss with you."

Jiang Xia looked at him: "What is it?"

"It's something." Zhou Chenglei took the small stool from her hand, put it down, and pulled her back to the room.

The village women couldn't help but joke, "Oh, is A-Lei being too protective of his wife, not wanting her to kill fish?"

Great-Grandma chuckled, "You marry a wife to cherish her! If he doesn't cherish her, who will? Besides, only men who cherish their wives prosper!"

Zhou's mother also chuckled, "You don't know that Xia Xia went out to sea with A-Lei before dawn. She's been working hard all day and deserves a rest."

Wen Wan looked at Zhou Chenglei holding Jiang Xia's wrist, and even felt a sense of unease that her man had been defiled by Jiang Xia!

For a moment, she even had an impulse: to rush up and separate the two!

She couldn't help herself and chased after them: "Brother Zhou!"

Erupts Wen Wan shouted so loudly that everyone in the courtyard looked at her.

Zhou Chenglei held onto Jiang Xia tightly, and both of them turned to look at her.

Wen Wan's face flushed slightly, but considering there were so many people around, she knew Zhou Chenglei couldn't very well refuse her, so she said, "Brother Zhou, can I go out to sea with you tomorrow?"

Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei: "I'm not going out to sea tomorrow." Wen Wan's

smile froze. "Oh? What about the day after tomorrow?"

"Why?" Zhou Chenglei didn't answer.

Going out to sea was risky, and he wouldn't help someone without a compelling reason.

"I haven't earned enough for my tuition yet, and I want to go out to sea to fish and earn some money. Brother Zhou, I'll share half of the money I earn from selling fish with you, so I won't just hitch a ride on your boat."

Zhou Chenglei immediately refused: "No, fishing is fine on the rocks and cliffs by the sea."

This reason couldn't convince him to help her.

The sea was unpredictable, and going out to sea was very risky; if something happened, it was almost certain death. He didn't want to help someone and end up harming them.

Besides, was she fishing on a boat? When she couldn't catch any fish, he couldn't really help her.

Zhou Chenglei would help, but this wasn't helping; it was just asking for trouble.

Wen Wan forced a smile, looking like she was about to cry, "But fish are hard to catch by the sea, and the ones we catch are small, so they don't sell for much."

Zhou Chenglei didn't say anything; it wasn't his problem.

"Brother Zhou, I'm only ten yuan short. I'll only trouble you this once. The fish caught in the sea are big. I saw Sister Jiang Xia catch so many..."

"You're not her," Zhou Chenglei replied casually, pulling Jiang Xia back to their room, too lazy to waste any more words.

Wen Wan: "..."

What did he mean by that?

Her aunt said, "Ah Lei, Xiao Wan has it tough. She earns money to support herself through her studies. Please help her!"

Zhou's mother liked Wen Wan quite a bit; the girl was diligent and ambitious. She even wanted to introduce her to her nephew, saying, "Ah Lei, our boat is big enough. Why don't you take Xiao Wan with you?"

Zhou Chenglei still didn't respond: "It's inconvenient."

He pulled Jiang Xia back to their room.

Jiang Xia suddenly remembered a scene from the book where Wen Wan was begging around the docks to find someone to take her out to sea. Her father had a terrible toothache and wanted to eat mussels to cool him down. Her stepmother, knowing she had money, told her to buy some, but the protagonist was reluctant to spend the money and decided to go to an island to find mussels.

The villagers had already picked all the mussels on the beach, but there were still plenty on the deserted islands.

However, the author had set up the village as superstitious, believing it was bad luck to take a woman out to sea, so no one was willing to help her.

Zhou's father learned the reason and helped her, and then it started again. The protagonist often went out to sea with the male lead's family during the holidays, and their relationship gradually developed.

Jiang Xia was pulled back to her room by Zhou Chenglei.

The room had a threshold stone, and she tripped because she was lost in thought.

Zhou Chenglei caught her: "What are you thinking about?"

Jiang Xia shook her head, "Nothing, you pulled me in, what's wrong?"

"We're not going out to sea tomorrow, I'll take you to the city." Zhou Chenglei said as he walked to the cabinet and took out the money from selling fish that day.

Jiang Xia didn't understand why they were suddenly going to the city, so she tentatively asked, "To see my parents?"

What day is tomorrow? Could it be one of the original owner's parents' birthdays?

Not having the original owner's memories is such a hassle.

"No, it's something else. If there's time, we'll go see my parents." Zhou Chenglei handed Jiang Xia a thick wad of money: "This is the money from selling fish, keep it safe."

"Why is there so much?" Jiang Xia took it and counted it carefully. "Over a thousand yuan? For me?"

"Yes, yours."

"Why are you giving me so much? I only need today's share. Are you even giving me the money you and your dad earned for those two days at sea? No need, I didn't go out the first two times."

Zhou Chenglei wanted to let her manage the money, but she was so meticulous about its distribution, so he said, "Take it for now! Tomorrow we'll go to the city; if you want to buy anything for the family, take it."

"We don't need this much,"

Zhou Chenglei said. "Just keep it for now. I'll go get you some water to shower; I need to help Dad cut bamboo later."

Zhou's father went to cut bamboo; so many golden pomfret needed to be hung up to dry, and they didn't have enough bamboo at home.

Zhou Chenglei opened the door and went out, unexpectedly seeing Tian Caihua standing outside.

Zhou Chenglei frowned; if he hadn't been hard of hearing, he would have noticed someone approaching.

"Sister-in-law, is something wrong?" His voice was a little cold.

Jiang Xia quickly stuffed the money into the drawer, her face darkening, and turned to stare at Tian Caihua.

What kind of manners is that?

Discovered eavesdropping, Tian Caihua wasn't embarrassed at all. She hadn't done it on purpose, so she calmly said, "I just arrived. I'm here to discuss something with you. Your brother and I have something to do and can't go to sea the day after tomorrow. We'd like to switch with you tomorrow. We'll go to sea tomorrow, and you can go the day after tomorrow, how about that?"

The "something to do" was a lie; she just thought tomorrow was a good day, and the day after was a bad day, so she wanted to switch.

She noticed that the days Zhou Chenglei was supposed to go to sea were always particularly auspicious.

Zhou Chenglei: "Okay."

Perfect timing. He was taking Jiang Xia to the city tomorrow to see a doctor to regulate her body. She said

her period would stop in three days, but he wasn't sure if that was normal. He remembered that female soldiers took several days off for their periods—he hadn't paid attention to the exact number, but it seemed to be more than three days—and her complexion was really bad during those three days.

Zhou Chenglei thought for a moment and then said, "Next time you come to see me, please speak up and knock beforehand. Don't just stand outside silently."

Tian Caihua was displeased. Did he even consider her his elder sister-in-law? She said irritably, "I already said I just arrived, and you opened the door! Did you think I was eavesdropping?"

Jiang Xia said irritably, "Besides not eavesdropping, please don't gossip about my family. Last time you told the neighbors about that conch pearl, and the whole family came to our door to steal it!"

Tian Caihua was also furious. What kind of attitude was Jiang Xia?

Who did she think she was, daring to act so arrogantly in front of her?

She retorted sarcastically, "What do you mean, 'your family business'? Am I talking about your family business? Is this your home? Don't forget, you and A-Lei agreed to divorce a long time ago! You're just staying here temporarily! What kind of person are you to refuse to leave? What I say outside is none of your business! Do you really think you're Zhou's daughter-in-law? Or did you see how much money A-Lei made at sea, and he gave it all to you, so you can't bear to leave him..."

Zhou Chenglei shouted sharply, "Sister-in-law!"

Tian Caihua was startled and looked at Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei's eyes were icy, and his tone was low and cold: "Sister-in-law, we're not divorced. Jiang Xia is my wife, my home is her home, and all the money I earn belongs to her. It's only right that I give it to her. Please show her some respect, or don't blame me for not treating you as my sister-in-law."

These words were harsh and merciless!

He didn't want to argue with his sister-in-law, but her words were too hurtful.

Tian Caihua was furious. No one respected her, didn't treat her as their elder sister-in-law, and yet she was expected to respect Jiang Xia?

She sarcastically retorted, "Yes! She's your wife. I misspoke, okay? I misspoke, but she won't stay. She doesn't want to be with a fishmonger like you. She was just on the boat asking when your household registration would be transferred back so she could get a divorce! Only you treat her like a treasure, giving her all your fish-selling money! You're a fool! Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anyone about your family's affairs!"

Tian Caihua left with a dark face. She

was furious! Everyone disrespected her!

Reaching the yard, she didn't even bother to kill the fish, and shouted at Zhou Chengxin, "Zhou Chengxin, come home and do your work!"

After shouting, she ignored the people staring at her in bewilderment and went straight home. A

big yard was good; even if the people inside argued, no one could hear them, and the stone walls provided some soundproofing, though they weren't arguing very loudly.

Zhou Chengxin was completely baffled.

His mother frowned and said to her eldest son, "Go back! Maybe something urgent has happened."

Zhou Chengxin was also worried, so he quickly washed his hands and chased after her.

Wen Wan watched Tian Caihua leave, then glanced back into the room, sensing a rift between her and Jiang Xia. She clutched her stomach,

saying, "My stomach suddenly hurts a little; I'm going to the toilet." She washed her hands and left.

Only Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei remained in the room.