Fisherman Fubao made his fortune by fishing

Li Yuer didn't want to reveal the underlying reasons, as that was too out of character for a little girl. She immediately admitted her mistake and said pitifully, "I know I was wrong, and I won't do it again."

Seeing that their sister admitted her mistake on her own initiative, the two of them did not pursue the matter any further, but they were still heartbroken.

How much silver? Li Mei'er's heart was bleeding: Do you know what a few taels of silver meant to the Li family a few days ago?

It means the second uncle's leg, the second aunt and her child's half life, the third uncle's life, and the three generations of the Li family's savings of more than ten years...

After this unpleasant incident, the group stopped shopping.

When they got home, Old Man Li and his friends had returned first.

Old man Li and his wife were used to being frugal. At noon, they were unusually generous and each bought a white flour steamed bun. They found a corner sheltered from the wind, ate the steamed bun, and hurried back to the island.

It was the first time in their lives that they bought so many New Year's goods. They were afraid of being targeted by bad people, so they hurried back after buying everything.

Li Yuer and his friends did not dare to take all the things home, but went to the cave west of Qiantan.

They did not intend to tell their family about going to Nongchao Tower to sell oil lamps, so they could not take back the New Year gifts from Manager Qian.

The cave on the west side of Qiantan is not deep, but it is very spacious. It faces south and has good lighting. It is a natural seawater erosion cave not far from the beach.

Li Erlang excitedly took out the things that Manager Qian had given him one by one, and his eyes lit up every time he took out an item.

"Pork. The best pork belly."

"Cloth, muslin, and satin."

"Tea, there is tea, this is good!" He likes this.

"Dim sum, from Delicious Vegetarian!"

He immediately opened a package of snacks and put a piece into his mouth, "Delicious! Really delicious!" He took out some more and pushed them in front of the two sisters.

Li Yuer took a piece of peach blossom-shaped cake, which was crispy, sweet but not greasy, and delicious.

Li Meir took a green piece, which was refreshing, delicious, soft and delicate.

"It's a pity that we can't give it to them to eat." Li Meir said regretfully.

Li Yuer consoled them, "When we make money, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. By the way, when the jewelry is finished and we give it to them, we can say that the pearls were found by opening clams at the seaside, and we paid for the labor and materials. But don't tell them how much we made, just say that we spent it all."

Li Erlang took out another roast chicken and said, "Yu Baoer is right. This is our secret. We can't let them know."

Li Yuer brought the roast chicken over and said, "Let's take the pork belly, roast chicken, and silver earrings home and say we bought them from selling oil lamps today. Remember, say we've spent all our money."

Li Meir was feeling a little guilty at first, but when Li Yuer divided the remaining money from shopping into three parts and handed one to her, she felt happier than ever before, and the guilty feeling was quickly forgotten.

Anyway, they made money, so they could just buy more things for their families.

Li Erlang was so happy that he wanted to jump up. The feeling of earning his own money and spending it by himself was simply too good to be true.

Not long ago, he thought that he would have to live his life like his ancestors, going through wind and rain all his life, tying his life to a boat and relying on the weather for his food.

I never expected that one day I would be able to wear printed clothes made of fine cloth, eat roast chicken and snacks, and have more money in my hands than my ancestors could ever save for several generations.

Uncle San is right. People who move live, trees that move die. There are more opportunities in big places.

But in the final analysis, the biggest contributor is Li Yuer. Not everyone can move alive, only smart people can move alive.

Li Erlang realized one thing: following Li Yuer, he could eat meat and earn money. Yu Baoer, Yu Baoer, he is really a treasure.

No wonder her sister didn’t grab any delicious food during the "Zhuazhou" ceremony when she was a child, but just held on to the copper coins tightly, and was so happy that her teeth were showing.

Look, when you grow up, don’t you have a pair of hands that can grab money?

There's nothing he can do about it. He's lucky to have such a sister. He's decided to hang out with her in the future.

"Let's make a door with willow branches to prevent birds and animals from entering and damaging our things," Li Yuer suggested.

Li Yuer looked at the empty cave entrance and felt that it was not a big deal.

"This is not difficult. Leave it to me, your brother." With that, Li Erlang ran back home and got a wicker mat.

Li Yuer glanced at Li Erlang's back, recalling how lifeless he looked when she first saw him. Comparing this with his positive and optimistic look now, and his willingness to work hard, she couldn't help but feel that her elder brother wasn't hopeless, he was just being poor.

Li Meir and Li Yuer packed up the things and placed them on a higher rock in the cave to prevent them from getting damp and being damaged by animals. Then they covered the wicker basket tightly with the lid and finally put a few pebbles on it.

After doing all this, the two sisters returned home carrying pork and roast chicken.

"You are?"

In the kitchen, Zhang was cooking. She saw several people in fancy clothes approaching. She almost thought she was seeing things. She couldn't believe it and said, "Mei'er? Yu Bao'er?"

She was already shocked when she saw Erlang wearing a brand new lake blue muslin clothes. Then she saw her daughter and niece, and she was so shocked that she could hardly hold the cooking spatula.

She always knew that her daughter looked like her father-in-law when he was young and had a good-looking appearance, but she never expected her to be so beautiful.

Li Meir was wearing a pink skirt, which fitted her waist and buttocks. The hem of her skirt was gently lifted by the wind and fluttered slightly, making her look like a fairy in a painting.

"Mom, it's us." Li Meir felt a little embarrassed when her mother stared at her like that.

"Aunt." Li Yu'er said with a smile, "We made some small items and sold them, and then we bought some clothes. When we go out to sell things in the future, we can't let people look down on us, right?"

"Yes, the money has been spent." said Li Meir.

Li Yuer: ...Sister Mei'er, when you emphasize this, do you feel like I'm trying to cover up my crime and have never stolen anything?

Fortunately, Zhang's attention was not on this at all.

Zhang was so surprised that she could fit an egg in her mouth. Wasn't this really bought by her mother-in-law? Did they really buy it with their own money? These clothes were obviously not cheap. When did money become so easy to earn?

Zhang had a thousand questions in her mind but she said nothing. This was her habit.

Zhang, whose real name is Zhang Zhaodi, can be identified from her name that the elders in her family favor boys over girls.

Her mother gave birth to a bunch of girls before finally having a son. She treated her son like the apple of her eye, but it was just the opposite for her daughter. She was lucky enough to be able to feed her and keep her from starving to death, and she couldn't even think about anything else.

As the eldest sister, she developed a submissive character since childhood. She listened to her parents at home and to her parents-in-law after marriage. Her motto in life is: talk less, work more, and cause less trouble.

This temperament is both good and bad.

Fortunately, she married well. Although her mother-in-law had a sharp tongue, she was kind-hearted and treated her better than her parents. Her husband was honest and hardworking, and he didn't talk much. He never got angry with her, let alone beat or scolded her. Her son and daughter were also obedient and filial. She felt that getting married was really a second life, and she was always satisfied with her current life.

When Old Mrs. Cai came back, she didn't see her naughtiest grandchildren, and she had been worried for a long time. Now, she saw that they had all come back and were wearing new clothes.

With a cold face, she stood on the boat and shouted, "Where have you been, you little water monkeys? There are so many chores at home, but you don't help and just rely on your eldest brother, right? I've been giving you face these days, right? You're always out running around."

The old lady's voice was as loud and penetrating as ever.

But they all knew that Old Mrs. Cai was a paper tiger and she loved her grandchildren very much, so they were not afraid of her.

Li Yuer ran to Old Lady Cai, pulled the newly bought clothes, turned around and said, "Grandma, do you think it looks good?"

Mrs. Cai wondered, "Who bought it for you?"

I thought to myself: Is it Old Man Li? No, they have always been together and have never been apart.

Either Old Man Li or Old Second Li gave the money, and they bought it themselves.

How dare the second son put money in the hands of these kids? I’ll have to give him a lesson later, otherwise he will spend all the money in a few days.

Li Yuer said, "I bought it myself."

Mrs. Cai thought Li Yuer was lying to her and asked angrily, "Where did you get the money?"

"It's the small items I told you about before." Li Yuer blinked her big innocent eyes, looking like you knew it long ago.

"What little item is so valuable?" Old Mrs. Cai remembered that this was indeed the case.

Before Li Yuer came back, she thought about whether she should change her clothes in the cave before going home. But after thinking about it, she decided not to do it. She was too lazy to bother with it. She might make more money in the future, but she would not do it in public. It would not last long if she kept doing it secretly.

Rather than causing suspicion among family members, it is better to be open and honest about it. This will make things much more convenient in the future.

Li Yuer said vaguely, "It's a shell oil lamp, mainly because whale oil is more expensive."

Li Yuer was afraid that her grandmother would blame her for wasting whale oil, so she quickly pointed at the fat pork belly in Li Meier's hand and diverted her attention: "We bought pork belly and pork fat, which is more fragrant than whale oil."

Whale oil is good, but for fishermen who have been lacking oil and water for many years, it is too light and tasteless, and not as fragrant as lard.

Looking at the white pork fat and a large piece of pork belly, weighing more than ten pounds, Mrs. Cai's complexion looked much better.

At least I remember to buy things for the house and not waste them all.

Old Mrs. Cai knew that whale meat was valuable, so the oil refined from whale meat must also be valuable. She guessed that the shell oil lamps they sold must be expensive because they contained whale oil.

But she still felt sorry for the money, so she taught him a lesson: "You don't know how to take the money home when you have it, and use it to buy those fancy clothes. I bought you some strong fine cotton cloth, so you can save money by making clothes yourself. You are still young, so you must not spend money recklessly, understand?"

"Got it." Li Yuer admitted his mistake obediently.

Old Mrs. Cai felt sorry for the money, but she was more worried that her granddaughter would grow up badly. After seeing the colorful world in the town, she would become greedy for pleasure, and her life would be difficult after she got married into her husband's family.

Their family is rich now, but whales are a one-time deal and won’t last long. But there are still many days to come and there are many places to spend money.

Seeing that Old Lady Cai was unhappy, Li Yuer stepped forward, took her arm, and coaxed her, saying, "Grandma, we don't have to wear nice clothes. We are preparing for future business. You know, some people in this town are just looking at you and if you dress nicely, they won't dare to look down on you. We will only keep these clothes for business, and we won't wear them on weekdays."

Old Mrs. Cai agreed with this. Before, they were dressed in rags, and she didn't dare to look up at people when she walked in the town, for fear of seeing others' contemptuous eyes.

If her little granddaughter had said she was doing business before selling whale meat, she would never have believed it even if you killed her. But now, she believed it a little.

But no matter how smart and capable Li Yu'er was, he was still an eight-year-old child and was easily deceived. I don't know if they were forced to lower the price or get cheated when selling oil lamps.

So, Mrs. Cai asked, "How much do you sell your oil lamps?"

Li Yuer had long guessed that Mrs. Cai might ask, so she said half-truthfully, "50 cents each. Many people bought them during the New Year. I don't know about the price in the future."

It’s indeed sold for 50 cents, but it’s the cheapest, Li Yuer said as he picked up the cheapest oil lamp.

"50 cents each? You spent all that?" Old Mrs. Cai's voice rose a few notches. "How come you don't know how to live like this? In this respect, you are not like me at all."

"Who does it look like?" Li Yuer asked confusedly.

Old Mrs. Cai was confused by the question. She looked around and said, "Like your unreliable Third Uncle."

In the cabin, Li Laosan: "A-choo!" "Who? Who is cursing me behind my back?"

The Li family has already split up. Logically, the money earned by each family belongs to each family, but Old Mrs. Cai is used to being the head of the household and likes to control everything. In her eyes, no matter how old the children are, they are still children and they need their mother to worry about them.

Old Mrs. Cai had said before that the money earned from selling the small items made by the children would belong to them. Now it was not easy for her to go back on her promise, and she felt a little depressed.

Li Yuer continued to pester Mrs. Cai, saying, "Grandma, don't be angry. We won't spend money recklessly next time. We just thought that you and Grandpa haven't eaten meat for a long time. Dad broke his leg and needs to be fed. Mom gave birth to my little brother, and he's so young, so he needs to be fed. My uncle and aunt have worked so hard. And my cousin, my brother, and Sister Mei'er are so much thinner than the kids in town. So we thought of buying some meat to feed you all, but the butcher cut it into such a big piece."

Seeing that her little granddaughter was so filial and was thinking about them all the time, and thinking that the family could live a good life again, mainly relying on the good luck of her little granddaughter, Mrs. Cai's heart softened instantly.

She said earnestly, "Grandma's Yu Bao'er is a good child, and you are a filial and good child. Grandma is just afraid that you are too young and will be deceived by others."

Li Yuer smiled brightly and said, "Grandma is the best. Grandma is the best grandma in the world. Yu Baoer likes Grandma the most."

Not far away, Li Erlang and Li Meir, who were hiding in the kitchen shed, were listening closely to the wind. When they heard the cheerful laughter of the grandparents and grandchildren coming from the boat, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that this hurdle has been passed.

Yu Baoer, you are so awesome!