Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Lin Chuan, Shui Houzi, and Li Jiaye carried the empty frames and walked briskly ashore from the boat.

The bustling noise of the morning market still seemed to echo in their ears, and the excitement on the three faces had not yet faded, their skin glowing red.

"You're back!" Lin's mother was the first to come out to greet them, holding a spatula in her hand.

Her eyes were full of concern as she hurriedly asked, "How's it going? Are the vegetables selling well?"

Li Jiaye eagerly said, "Auntie, that's incredibly good! They're practically fighting over it!"

He gestured dramatically with his hands in the air, "As soon as we put our vegetables on the stall, the elderly folks stared at us, saying they'd never seen such fresh and vibrant celery in the twelfth lunar month in their lives!"

Lin's father strolled over from the direction of the greenhouse, his trouser legs still covered in mud and sand that he hadn't shaken off.

His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he asked, "Really? They're all sold out?"

"Sold out!" Water Monkey's voice rose several decibels with excitement. "Brother Chuanzi even secured a long-term order from the commune's guesthouse—thirty-five jin every day!"

The group sat around a newly built simple wooden table next to the sweet water well.

Lin Chuan reached into his pocket and pulled out a bulging cloth bag, then poured the money inside onto the table with a "whoosh".

Small bills, large bills, and a few ten-yuan notes were instantly piled up into a small mountain.

Xiaoman's eyes widened like saucers, and she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "So much money!"

Lin's mother and Xiaoman happily counted the money.

Mr. Lin picked up a stalk of celery, his eyes filled with emotion, and murmured, "This celery... can it really sell for six cents a pound?"

"That's right, Dad," Lin Chuan replied confidently. "But for customers like the guesthouse who buy in large quantities, we gave them a discount: 58 cents per pound."

For retail, it's still 60 cents.

The old man puffed on his pipe, the smoke rising in wisps as the twilight deepened. He asked again, "You made so much money in just one day?"

"The dozen or so baskets we hauled away today weighed about 400 jin (200 catties)."

Lin Chuan had already calculated the figures in his mind: "Celery is six cents, spinach is forty-eight cents, plus the big orders from the guesthouses...today's total income is probably around two hundred dollars."

"There really is two hundred dollars!" Lin's mother stopped counting the money.

The old man, thinking more practically, pressed on, "What about after deducting costs?"

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment and said, "Seeds, fertilizer, and film depreciation, etc., account for about 30%. Net profit is around 120 yuan."

The courtyard fell silent, with only the gentle breeze rustling through the reeds.

You should know that last year, the whole family worked themselves to the bone, but their income was still negative.

At this moment, Lin Chuan counted out four ten-yuan bills from the pile of money, added four five-yuan bills, and handed them to Shui Houzi and Li Jiaye respectively, saying:

"Monkey, Jiaye, here are your red envelopes. Thirty each, don't think it's too little."

The two of them were stunned.

The water monkey quickly waved its hands, saying, "Brother Chuanzi, you can't do that! We're here to help!"

Li Jiaye's face also flushed red as he said, "That's right, Brother Chuanzi, Monkey and I are just here to lend a hand. How could we take your money? You haven't even recouped your costs yet..."

"Take it." Lin Chuan didn't allow them to say anything and stuffed the money into their hands. "This is what you deserve. I didn't think it through before."

From now on, you'll work for me, and you'll get a monthly salary, just like the transport team members.

As he spoke, Lin Chuan threatened with a smile, "You're not allowed to refuse, or you won't be coming back."

Lin's mother chimed in, "Your brother Xiao Chuan is right. You two have helped with a lot of work these past few days, so you shouldn't be shortchanged by a single penny."

Lin's father also smiled and advised, "Take it, it's what you deserve."

Hearing this, Shui Houzi and Li Jiaye sheepishly accepted the money Lin Chuan offered, saying, "Brother Chuan... thank you."

"No need to thank me." Lin Chuan patted the two on the shoulders and laughed, "We'll work together from now on. As long as the greenhouse is there, you'll always have work to do."

"How many vegetables are left in the greenhouse?" The old man nodded in satisfaction after the two accepted the money, and then asked Lin Chuan with a smile.

"We can harvest for another four to five days. I estimate we still have 1,600 to 1,700 catties of celery and about 1,100 catties of spinach."

"Then we can sell it for another thousand dollars!" The water monkey's mind worked quickly, and he immediately calculated it.

Lin Chuan nodded and smiled, "It should sell for about 1,500 yuan. So I'm thinking, after this batch of vegetables is harvested, we won't rest, we'll immediately prepare for the next round of planting."

"Hey, once this batch of vegetables is sold, we'll be able to recoup half of the cost of this greenhouse," Lin's father couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Lin's mother laughed along and looked at Lin Chuan, asking, "Chuan, what should we plant next?"

"I plan to try bok choy and lettuce." Lin Chuan already had an idea. "They have a short growing period and can be on the market in about twenty days."

Moreover, with temperatures rising in spring, management becomes easier.

"What should we do with these old roots?" Lin's father asked, pointing to the celery stubble on the ground.

"Clear them all, leave no one behind," Lin Chuan said. "Then turn the soil over deeply, sprinkle lime to disinfect it, and then apply enough base fertilizer."

We must prevent the accumulation of pests and diseases.

The old man nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. The land is like a person; you can't keep putting pressure on it all the time. It needs to take a breather."

The family then discussed the specific division of labor: Lin's father, Shui Houzi, and Li Jiaye were responsible for cleaning the greenhouse and preparing the land.

Lin Chuan went to the county town to purchase new seeds and special fertilizers, while his mother and Xiao Man were responsible for daily care.

"Oh, right," Lin Chuan suddenly remembered, "we need to build a simple warehouse on the edge of the island. We can't just leave the vegetables piled up in the open when we have too many."

"The dock also needs to be reinforced," Mr. Lin added. "The gangway was shaking badly when we were loading vegetables today."

After a busy day, in the evening, Lin's mother cooked a pot of delicious fish soup, and the family ate dinner with the leftover flatbread from lunch.

The light shone on everyone's faces, warm and bright.

Xiaoman suddenly looked up and asked, "Brother, now that we have so much money, can we cure Grandpa's illness?"

The old man paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Silly girl, this leg ailment is an old problem of mine..."

"It can be cured," Lin Chuan replied firmly. "Once this batch of vegetables is sold, we'll go to a major hospital in Shanghai to get it checked out."

Lin's mother's eyes reddened slightly as she lowered her head and gently stirred the soup in the pot.

Lin's father patted Lin Chuan's shoulder hard without saying a word, but his eyes were full of satisfaction.

After finishing the fish soup and the flatbread, the campfire slowly died down. The last glimmer of light on the river was gradually swallowed by the night.

"Let's go back." The old man stood up. "We have to get up early to pick vegetables tomorrow."

After everyone packed their belongings, extinguished the embers, and boarded the small boat, the group got ready.

The motor sputtered and chugled, breaking the tranquil surface of the river, and the spray at the stern shimmered in the moonlight.

On the same day, just after four o'clock in the afternoon.

Wang Fengmei carried a half-empty basket and walked home from the ferry with heavy steps. Her face was even more pale than the gloomy sky.

She went to the commune in the afternoon to buy some cheap New Year's goods, but the fabric she liked was bought by someone else first, and she was still fuming.

As I passed the village entrance, I heard several women who had returned early chattering under a tree.

"...You didn't see it! That celery is so tender! It's so juicy, it bursts with juice the moment you pinch it!"

"You bet! The celery and tofu soup I had last time was so delicious!"

"The staff at the guesthouse bought everything! They just handed over their money without batting an eye!"

"The Lin family has made a fortune again this time..."