Years: Return to the Leisurely Fishing Village

Chapter 4 Envy

County jewelry store.

It is a simple shop, but you can tell at a glance that it is able to make all kinds of gold and silver jewelry.

The shop owner looked at the golden dragon beads from left to right, and after some testing, he offered a price of 40 yuan.

"I can sell this bead for sixty or seventy yuan at most, and that's only if I meet someone who knows the price. No one will buy it if the price is higher."

"It's only because of its color and water content, otherwise it wouldn't sell at this price. Do you want to sell it?"

Tan Shaoyang hesitated. He thought he could sell it for sixty or seventy yuan, so 40 yuan was a bit tasteless.

"Boss, can you please add a little more? This thing is hard to come by and it's not easy to get it."

"You may not be able to get a dragon pearl with full water even if you have 1000 golden eggs. I have lived by the sea for many years and I have only gotten one. If my life was not so busy, I would just keep it as a souvenir."

The boss hesitated, "I can only give you an extra five dollars. If the price is any higher, I can't afford it. You can't make it difficult for me. If I buy it at a high price and can't sell it, it will be a loss for me."

People at that time were still honest, not as cunning as people in the future. Tan Shaoyang sold it for 45, which was better than keeping it as scrap.

After getting the money, put it in the lining pocket of your trousers.

Then I went to the restaurant to ask about the price of grouper.

The boss didn't chase him away, but said cheerfully, "Tomorrow a big boss has booked a banquet. If you have 1 kilograms of grouper, just give me yuan."

"But it has to be tomorrow. After that, it won't be able to sell at this price."

The price of pork is only about 9 cents per pound, which is directly more expensive than the price of pork.

After finding out the market price, Tan Shaoyang was eager to go home. He couldn't wait to get the grouper.

I returned to town, spent 2 cents on a bowl of noodles, and went home with a pound of pastries.

As soon as he returned to the village entrance, people who were staring at him came up to him and asked curiously, "Tan Laosan, how much did the Longli Pearl sell for?"

Tan Shaoyang looked frustrated and in a less than ideal state. "I can't sell it at a good price. It's only 45 yuan, which is much lower than I expected!"

The villagers could no longer sit still, so they stood up and asked in astonishment, "How much did you say? We sold it for 45 yuan, we made a fortune! It's as much as we could make from a trip to the sea."

Going out to sea involves risks. No one knows when the boat might be overturned by wind and waves. There is also the maintenance of the ship. It is only possible to make a living, but don't even think about becoming rich.

How can it not be amazing that you can make so much money from just one bead?

Tan Shaoyang realized belatedly that the price was outrageous at that time. After all, money was very durable during that period and one could eat a lot with just two cents.

If you want to be more extravagant, you can buy a pound of pastries for 5 cents.

People who don't have boats make a living by catching seafood, and they can't save any money in a year, but they can easily earn 45 yuan, which is a huge sum of money.

"It's a fluke. If I hadn't suddenly become greedy, I wouldn't have gotten this much! I'm going home now. My family is still waiting!"

Tan Shaoyang didn't dare to stay, for he was afraid that he would be drowned by the saliva.

I walked slowly towards home. Before I got home, Tan's mother came out to greet me. She asked with a bright smile, "Third brother, did you sell that bead for 45 yuan?"

Tan Shaoyang: "..." He hadn't even stepped into the house yet! The news had already spread like wildfire. It spread really fast.

"I spent 2 yuan on the bus fare, had a bowl of noodles, and bought some pastries, and I was left with 42 yuan."

Tan's mother looked distressed. She took the ten yuan note and counted it several times. "You really spend money like water. You are so strong, don't you know how to walk?" "If you don't have the energy, just say so. Let the eldest or second son go. At least you can save 2 yuan!"

Tan Shaoyang picked up the water paddle, scooped water from the jar, and gulped down a few big gulps. The water stains from his mouth wet his vest, but he didn't care much and wiped it with his clothes.

He took off his wet vest, put aside the empty military canteen, sat down under the eaves, and then spoke.

"Mom, it's such a long distance. If I don't take a car, I won't be able to get home until dark."

"With the personalities of the eldest and second brothers, do you think they are willing to go?"

The eldest and second daughters-in-law were weaving webs. When they heard their mother-in-law complaining, they joined in, "Mom, stop nagging the third son. He must be tired after all the traveling."

The wife obviously knows her man very well.

The eldest brother is hardworking, but he has a very dull personality.

The second child is quite smart. He is fine at home, but shrinks like a quail when he goes out.

Under normal circumstances, the second son's wife would definitely worry that he spent the money, but now that Tan Shaoyang could talk about building a house, she felt relieved and no longer worried about the money.

After all, according to the two elders' plan, the money was to be saved for the third son to marry a wife, and building a house was not taken into consideration at all.

Tan Shaoyang glanced at his second sister-in-law, knew what she was thinking, and was too lazy to say anything.

Instead, he waved to the little carrot head who was playing nearby, took out some cakes that made people salivate, and shouted, "Come over to Uncle San, Uncle San has cakes."

The eldest, second, and third girls came over happily. Fatty also stumbled over, calling him "Uncle San" loudly. They all felt relieved when they heard him. "Don't worry, you can all eat."

"Next time Uncle San makes money, I'll buy you some candy."

Mother Tan couldn't help but mutter, "What are you buying? With the money for the pastries, you can buy a pound of meat with a little more money."

Tan Shaoyang looked helpless, "Mom, I'm just trying to comfort the child! Can you please stop ruining the show?"

"I want to eat meat. Let's buy some meat next time when we make money."

The chirping sounds of joy echoed in this spacious courtyard. Looking at them eating happily like little hamsters, my heart was filled with a very happy feeling.

Isn't it good like this now? What's the point of making a fuss?
With Tan Shaoyang's enthusiasm for doing things, not only could Tan's mother stop scolding him, but even Tan's second wife, who was always quick-witted, remained silent. After all, as a mother, which one wouldn't care about her children?
Tan Shaoyang stood up, finished distributing the cakes, and stuffed the cakes into Tan's mother's hand.

"Mom, leave a piece for me. I'm going to sleep for a while."

He remembered that at about the same time, a 50-catties grouper jumped out at Shitougang, but it had already died because no one noticed it.

He had to gather his strength and go see when it would rush out from the deep sea. This time he had to intercept the grouper and not let it die.

For the sake of the money, Tan's mother stopped nagging him and planned to build a house without spending any money. She would choose a suitable location when she saved enough money.

As evening approached, people who were busy outside came back one after another.

The father and his two sons went to check the boat and do routine maintenance to ensure that no accidents occurred when going out to sea.

Then take a day or two off until the weather is suitable for going out to sea.

Selling the Dragon Pearl was a happy thing, but Father Tan was worried. "It's the high tide time again on the first day of the lunar calendar. We have to wait a few more days before we can go out to sea. It's quite a delay."

I can only make a few trips a month, so it’s impossible to earn more.

(End of this chapter)