Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Back home, Xiaoman put the fish in a basin, ran to her mother's side, and watched her pack up. She happily said, "Mother, my brother and I caught a lot of fish, they're huge!"

Lin's mother, while preparing dinner, smiled and replied, "Xiaoman is really amazing."

He then turned to Lin Chuan and said, "From the Xitan area? You must have told the team about harvesting so much sweet sorghum!"

"The reed marshes over there on the west beach were planted by the team before. The seeds were scattered on the beach during the harvest and sprouted there. We told the team leader about it."

As Lin Chuan spoke, he spread out a large area of ​​the harvested sweet sorghum and reeds in the yard.

Lin's mother nodded. "Is this the duck feed you wanted? Sweet sorghum is good for feeding livestock. The sweet sorghum stalks and leaves in the team are all used to feed cattle and sheep."

"Yes, after we crush these ingredients, we'll mix them with some shell powder, reeds, and salt. Finally, we'll soak them in soft water, mix them together, and let them ferment for a day. Then it will be ready," Lin Chuan said, clapping his hands and laughing.

"This is quite a task for you, breaking things up and mixing them together," Lin's mother said with a wry smile.

"Yes, without specialized equipment, it is indeed quite labor-intensive. But once the feed is produced, it can be used to feed them for a long time. Overall, it's still worthwhile," Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"You can figure it out yourself. Your dad has a guillotine from the team. Go borrow it. If the guillotine won't work, you can slowly grind it with a large stone mill." Lin's mother shook her head.

He then smiled at Xiaoman and said, "Your brother spoils you. You won't have to cut grass anymore."

"Mmm, when the duck lays an egg, I'll give my brother an extra one." Xiaoman nodded her little head with a smile.

Lin Chuan couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.

"Auntie, you should clean these fish too. They're not very big, and it's not worth selling them."

"What are you eating? This is shad!" Lin's mother said irritably. "Don't you know, shad is more expensive than hairy crabs, it costs more than a dollar per pound!"

She had just noticed that the oil in the kitchen jar was almost gone; that was enough for her to cook for several days. This shad was worth two days' wages for her, and eating it would be incredibly wasteful.

"Auntie, it's just a fish..." Lin Chuan was about to persuade him.

Shad is a very rare river delicacy. In later generations, most of them were artificially farmed, and their quality was questionable. Wild shad have basically become extinct and have been included in the national first-class protected animal list.

He hadn't had a proper shad in a long time, so selling it for just one or two dollars was a huge loss.

Lin's mother saw his glare and knew what he was thinking. She immediately stopped what she was doing, got up, and put the shad into a small bucket.

"Saving money isn't that easy these days. Do you think you'll be lucky enough to get so many clams every time?"

As she spoke, Lin's mother pushed Lin Chuan aside and glared at him, saying, "I'll go to the dock and sell them so you won't overthink it. Clean up the rest of the crucian carp and stew them."

"You're not getting any younger, this money is just what you need to save for your wedding." After saying that, Lin's mother picked up the plastic bucket and headed towards the dock.

Lin Chuan listened speechlessly, watching his mother leave, and could only smile helplessly. Estimated the time, quickly tidied himself up, and went to the brigade to record his work performance.

......

The next morning, the weather suddenly changed; it had been sunny yesterday, but it started to rain today.

The river wind carried the chill of late autumn, whipping up moisture and slapping against my face like icy blades against my cheeks.

In the past, Xiaoman would go to the dock with her grandfather to take a boat to the commune to go to school. Then her grandfather would pick up small fish and shrimp on the mudflats by the dock and mend fishing nets that cost one or two cents each.

It was raining today, and Lin Chuan, unusually, volunteered to take Xiao Man to the dock and then to the commune to register, while his grandfather rested.

This surprised Mr. Lin, who suddenly felt that his son had become much more diligent.

After breakfast, Lin Chuan, holding a large umbrella, led Xiao Man out of the house.

Xiaoman chatted happily with Lin Chuan all the way, telling him about the funny things that happened at school and the embarrassing things that happened between her friends.

Through the events of the past two days, her relationship with Lin Chuan has become much closer.

Lin Chuan had cared about her before, but he was always like an old teacher at school, very serious and formal.

Looking up at her older brother Xiaoman, she was very happy. Her older brother is more adorable now.

"We've arrived. Be careful on the road." Lin Chuan smiled as he saw Xiao Man onto the ferry, waving and greeting the people on board.

"Okay, brother." Xiaoman nodded happily and jumped onto the boat.

Several young men were already seated on the boat and greeted Lin Chuan as well.

"Brother Chuanzi, good morning for Xiaoman."

There are two large wooden boats connecting the team to Huiping Commune, with two ferry trips a day.

There are only about sixty or seventy households on the island, and only a dozen or so students in the three or four hundred-strong brigade. The two boats plus the people who travel every day are just enough.

Qingpingzhou and Pingchuan Island to the west belong to the Shazhou Reclamation Area under the jurisdiction of Huiping Commune of the county. They are about 4 kilometers away from the nearest wharf, Sanhe Port.

The journey takes about an hour by small boat, but the convoy boats arrive in 40 minutes.

Normally, people travel by boat, but at low tide there is a road that connects to the shore and exposes a "sand ridge road" where villagers can wade through the water and push their bicycles across, which is more convenient.

On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, Shaji Road becomes even wider, making the village very lively during these two days of high tide, as many people go to the commune to attend the market.

Looking at his younger sister's energetic appearance, Lin Chuan couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled his own experiences on his way to school when he was young.

As more and more students arrived, the ship suddenly became lively.

"Xiaoman, I heard your brother took you to dig up a lot of clams yesterday, right? How did you do it? It's a pity I'm doing my homework, my mom won't let me go out." Liang Wenwu said enviously.

"I was there yesterday! I followed Brother Chuanzi and Xiaoman and dug up a lot too, hehe!" A mischievous kid from the dock yesterday chimed in, somewhat proudly, as his mother had praised him quite a bit yesterday.

"My brother is amazing! He led us to the clam nest. We dug up so many yesterday, and I even caught a few big crabs!" Xiaoman proudly replied.

"Your brother is so nice, unlike my brother. They secretly caught a chicken yesterday and cooked it outside without even telling me." Liang Wenwu got a little angry when he thought of this.

"I know, I know, Brother Jiaye even got a beating, hahaha!" Xiaoman laughed immediately when she thought of Jiaye's appearance.

"It's a pity my brother didn't get beaten up, he just got scolded by my mom."

"Xiao Wu, be careful your brother hears you, or you'll get a beating again," a little girl next to him said with a laugh.

Upon hearing this, Liang Wenwu felt a pang of guilt and immediately changed the subject, asking Xiaoman, "By the way, Xiaoman, does your brother still eat the ducks you raise?"

"My brother would never eat the ducks I raise. I must have misheard you before."

My brother is making better duck feed for me. Once the duck feed is ready, I won't have to keep cutting grass, and our ducks will lay more eggs.

Xiaoman sat on the wooden chair on the ferry, her feet off the ground, her little braids swaying as she laughed.

"Oh! Xiaoman, your brother is so nice. How about we switch brothers? I don't want my brother anymore." Liang Wenwu looked at Xiaoman with envy and anticipation.

"No way! I won't trade with you! My brother is the best!"

......