Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Li Jiaye's eyes lit up as he looked at and listened to the purchase price. "Brother Chuanzi, this is much more expensive than the price offered by the supply and marketing cooperative."

"That's right, young man. If you have any good stuff in the future, remember to come back to us." One of the workers who came to load the goods nodded with a smile.

"Yes, yes!" Li Jiaye nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

"Brother Lin, this is our store's contact address. Our manager has mentioned you before."

"My surname is Song, and my name is Song Baocheng." Song Baocheng said, handing over a piece of paper.

Then he smiled and said, "Xinru said that you have a lot of sea bass for sale in the back. You can come to our store anytime."

Especially shad and ribbonfish, you can send them to our store. The price is the same as today, and we can even pick them up from your door.

"He's a purchasing agent hired by my second uncle. You can contact him or me," Li Xinru interjected.

"Okay, Manager Song, I'll be relying on you from now on," Lin Chuan said with a smile as he took the contact address.

"No trouble at all, and thank you for providing such high-quality fish."

After saying that, Song Baocheng winked at Li Xinru and said, "Brother Xinru, we're done with our work, so we'll be leaving now."

"Get lost, get as far away as you can!" Li Xinru kicked him, but missed. Her face darkened with anger, and she glared hatefully at Lin Chuan.

Normally, people didn't think much of it when they called him by his name, but Lin Chuan's outburst today made it feel particularly awkward and strange.

Lin Chuan suppressed a laugh, while Li Xinru looked over, spread her hands, and indicated that she was very innocent.

Only Shui Houzi and Li Jiaye exchanged a glance, neither of them understanding.

However, this did not dampen their joy at the harvest. Lin Chuan was happy too, but there were more important things to do now than being happy.

Are you hungry?

"Hungry..."

"I'm starving, Chuanzi-ge!"

"Alright, monkey, tie the boat up, let's go to a restaurant."

"Okay, let's go out to eat... let's go out to eat." Li Jiaye was as excited as a child, skipping over to help Shui Houzi tie up the boat.

Li Xinru laughed and scolded from the side, "Look at you guys, so pathetic. But you've made so much money today, you deserve a good meal."

Even so, his eyes revealed excitement. He was genuinely happy that his brother had achieved such a great success.

What's even more exciting is that I can take advantage of Lin Chuan and make a killing. This kind of opportunity is hard to come by.

After all, in this day and age, even his family can't afford to eat out often.

"Oh, you've finally got your chance." Lin Chuan saw through Fatty Li's little scheme at a glance.

She stepped forward, put her arm around his neck, patted his round belly with one hand, and laughed:

"Logically speaking, since I've traveled all this way to see you, shouldn't it be Young Master Li who should be the one to send a token of appreciation?"

Fatty Li glanced sideways at Lin Chuan, a smirk playing on his lips. "Just a little something?"

Lin Chuan nodded seriously, "Just a little something!"

"Hey!" Fatty Li's eyes widened as if he had suddenly discovered some earth-shattering secret.

"Lin Zichuan, how come I didn't notice! In the past few weeks, how did your skin become so thick?"

As she spoke, her round face and small eyes darted around, and she cheekily wrapped her arm around Lin Chuan's shoulder:

"Tell me honestly, is it related to Xia Wanxing?" Fatty Li raised his eyebrows and grinned mischievously. "You used to be so serious about everything you did."

Now everyone's learned to talk their way out of things. Honestly confess to the organization; those who confess will be treated leniently, those who resist will be punished severely.

Lin Chuan was startled by the name Li Pangzi suddenly mentioned, and a youthful and gentle image involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

When he realized what was happening, he grabbed Fatty Li's arm and said irritably, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I told you to do something, but you kept rambling on and on. I'll do it, okay?"

"Oh~~" Fatty Li drawled, his smile undiminished, his small eyes blinking as he looked at Lin Chuan meaningfully.

"Brother Chuan, the boat is docked." Water Monkey and Li Jiaye, having finished their work, came running over, effectively stopping Fatty Li from asking any more questions.

Lin Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Fatty Li, saying, "Let's go, Young Master Li, lead the way."

Fatty Li chuckled and immediately took the lead, heading towards the commune.

Huiping Commune is a riverside agricultural town with a population of about 3.

Cotton fields, reeds, and small fishing boats were considered the three treasures of the commune, giving it a unique "wet" riverside atmosphere.

Fatty Li led everyone to the location. Lin Chuan looked up and saw "Huiping Inn," a two-story brick and wood building.

"Hey Fatty Li, what brings us to the inn?"

"You'll see when you follow me." Fatty Li stepped into the house without offering any further explanation.

The remaining three exchanged a glance and silently followed. The interior didn't look large; it was a small restaurant.

On the first floor, there were a few simple wooden tables and benches, the floor was rough cement, and a few old newspapers were pasted on the walls.

The boss was a lean man. When he saw Li Xinru, he smiled and nodded, "Xinru, you brought a friend?"

Li Xinru responded with a smile: "Uncle Chen, my friend caught a lot of fish today, so we're having a good meal here."

Uncle Chen smiled and said, "Sure, just tell me what you want to eat. It's just that in this small place, there's nothing special."

"Uncle Chen, you're too kind. Your Three Delicacies Eel and Reed Duck are absolutely superb."

"Besides these two, Uncle Chen, please also bring a big stew of meat and eight multigrain pancakes," Li Xinru replied with a smile.

"Alright, please have a seat, it'll be ready in a bit," Uncle Chen replied and went to get busy.

The group found a table and sat down. Shui Houzi and Song Jiaye curiously looked around at their surroundings. This was the first time in their lives that they had eaten out.

It was still early, not yet dinner time, and there weren't many people in the shop yet.

Soon, the aroma from the kitchen wafted out, and suddenly a "coo coo" broke the silence.

The sound was especially loud in the quiet shop; it was Li Jiaye's stomach growling, and he immediately blushed.

Just as he was about to say something, Lin Chuan and the water monkey also started to "coo" in response.

Li Pangzi, who was pouring water for the group, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The remaining three couldn't help themselves either, and their laughter surged one after another like waves.

After a long while, they finally managed to stop and regain their composure. Li Xinru explained to the three of them:

"This Huiping Inn is a private inn that Uncle Chen just opened in our commune. The first floor is a restaurant, and the second floor is guest rooms."

He used to be a cook at a large factory in the county town, a level two chef, his skills were amazing! You'll see when you try it in a bit, I guarantee you'll want more.

Lin Chuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. "Fatty, is this privately owned? What are the current requirements of the commune for opening private shops?"

Li Xinru took a sip of tea, thought for a moment, and said, "That depends on what you're looking for."

Opening a restaurant like my uncle's would be very troublesome, mainly because of the guesthouse.

If it's a butcher's stall or a fish stall, it's much simpler.

"So, the Huiping Inn is also connected to higher-ups?" Lin Chuan then asked.

Li Xinru nodded and said, "It's related to the supply and marketing cooperative."

Lin Chuan seemed to be deep in thought. In his previous life, he had some understanding of the overall environmental policies and timelines, but he lacked knowledge of the specific implementation details.

All policies are still being explored and developed. Selling fish today was a bit risky, but luckily Uncle Li Xinru took over.

"Zichuan, you said before that there were still sea bass to deal with. You must have found a good fishing spot, right?"

My second uncle has almost reached his limit with this catch. If he wants any more, it would be best to sell it through the seafood supply and marketing station.

It's best not to sell in large quantities outside; you should be careful not to get reported for speculation.

After a pause, Li Xinru continued earnestly, "Species like shad, anchovy, and eel fry are all purchased uniformly by the supply and marketing station. Normally, private individuals would not say anything if they bought or sold one or two at a time."

However, buying too much is not allowed. But there is a group of people secretly buying large quantities of these fish at the free market. They seem to have some connection with the seafood company.

Lin Chuan nodded, indicating that he understood. He knew that the fish in the river during the "fishing season" were now all purchased through centralized procurement, which was why he hadn't initially thought of bringing in the perch.

Carp, crucian carp, bream, grass carp, silver carp, and other miscellaneous fish are generally safe to buy and sell locally.

If large-scale fishing and export are carried out, it is still possible to be convicted of "disrupting the market".

Speculation and profiteering are serious crimes nowadays, and you can easily get caught if you're not careful. The penalty is up to three years in prison, and your fishing gear and boat will be confiscated.

Lin Chuan smiled. If it weren't for Li Xinru's connection, he definitely wouldn't have dared to run to Sanhe Port like this.

The best course of action is to go to the team and sell the seafood to the aquatic product supply and marketing station, although the price will definitely be much lower.

Shui Houzi and Li Jiaye listened silently to Lin Chuan and Li Xinru's conversation, feeling that selling fish had suddenly become very complicated.

Fortunately, before the two could think for too long, the restaurant owner started serving the dishes one after another.

"The food is here!"

The freshness of the three delicacies river eel, the aroma of the reed duck, and the savory fragrance of the stewed cabbage with meat wafted over, filling the air.

Water Monkey and Li Jiaye had swallowed their saliva countless times, and Lin Chuan wasn't much better off.

He immediately stopped talking to Li Xinru about anything else.

Lin Chuan, holding his chopsticks, smiled and waved his hand: "Rice!"

Water Monkey and Li Jiaye cheered and started eating at the same time. Even though it was so hot that they were grimacing, they kept their chopsticks in their hands and mouths and didn't want to stop for even a moment.