Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Lin Chuan and Shui Houzi walked along the winding path, occasionally seeing dried fish drying in front of a few houses by the roadside.

On the distant river, several boats were gently bobbing with the waves.

This is the time when "the harvest is almost over, winter is not yet here; the west wind blows, and the crabs are ready to be caught," a perfect time for the harvest.

The two arrived at Beishi Wharf. Lin Chuan looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, and memories flooded back.

Those memories were like dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, making him momentarily lost in thought.

"Hey, isn't this our forestry officer? You'd better stay away from the river this time."

On the dock, an old man mending nets saw Lin Chuan, paused in his net shuttle, and jokingly said something.

Several elderly women mending nets nearby immediately joined in the laughter, each chiming in with their own comment.

"That's right. We were lucky to have the water monkey today. Otherwise, the river god might have really taken our island's only high school student as a clerk."

"Speaking of which, Lin used to say that river worship was superstition, but now you should believe it, right? The river god is watching."

Lin Chuan listened, then awkwardly touched his nose.

With the autumn grain harvest nearing its end, the fishing team in the area started all its boats up and running again this morning.

When he was scattering rice as a sacrifice to the river, seagulls circled around him, and he accidentally fell into the water.

Thanks to the quick thinking and agility of the water monkey who jumped into the river to save him, and the quick hands and feet of his grandfather, they were able to pull him out of the water.

If it were Lin Chuan from his previous life, he would probably have blushed long ago upon hearing Ji Jiang's remarks.

He would stubbornly argue with people that "offering sacrifices to the river is nonsense," which would lead to others interrupting him. If he couldn't win the argument, he would just turn around and leave.

Recalling the scene of the morning river worship ceremony, villagers scattered rice grains on the boats, smoke rose in the wind, and seagulls circled above the fleet.

White wings reflected in the morning sun, their cries clear and melodious, a response from nature itself.

"Grandpa is right. Our customs and culture are really good. It would be even better if they could be preserved forever," Lin Chuan said with some emotion.

Such cultural customs have become very rare in later generations.

The memorial text is more about people's simple gratitude and reverence for the surging river, and it also contains the wisdom of the people of Shachuan to coexist with this environment.

"Hey, it's rare that you didn't argue today, young man Lin. Did Old Man Lin tell you something? Or did God Jiang appear in your dream?" The old man looked at Lin Chuan with surprise and said with a smile.

In the crowd, a tall, thin young man, upon hearing this, put down his fishing net and scoffed:

"If you ask me, he was scared out of his wits after falling into the river. Now he's scared! That's why he's pretending to be compliant."

The water monkey frowned, about to retort.

Lin Chuan gently tugged at the water monkey, interrupting his words, glanced at the man, and did not argue.

He just smiled and said, "My grandfather said that the real way to worship the river is not to ask the river god for protection, but to remember the river's kindness and respect its power."

This isn't superstition; it's the rule we follow in our daily lives, and it should be respected.

However, if one only seeks the protection of the river god, then one has fallen into a low-level trap. It is absolutely impossible to get rich by praying to the river god in this world.

It's more practical to be down-to-earth.

The tall, thin young man listened, his face turning ugly. He was about to retort when he was immediately stopped by an old woman next to him, and he couldn't help but snort.

The old man mending the net watched with a smile, and the shuttle in his hand started moving again: "You've been to school, Lin boy, you know how to say nice things."

"That's right. People should just work hard and not just think about things that don't belong in the world." A young woman next to her added, taking the flowers with her.

After the young woman finished speaking, she looked at the tall, thin young man with a sneer, her expression somewhat disdainful.

The able-bodied men in the village were either harvesting autumn crops in the polder fields or fishing with the fishing teams.

It's quite rare to see a strong, able-bodied man like him coming to the dock to mend nets with a group of elderly people and women.

The tall, thin young man's expression changed, and he was about to retort.

Lin Chuan sensed that things were not going well and immediately laughed:

"Sister-in-law is right. We've already wasted a lot of time today. I still need to go to the North Embankment. You two keep busy, Auntie."

After saying that, he pulled the water monkey away quickly, and sure enough, not long after, the sound of arguing came from behind.

Lin Chuan looked back and secretly breathed a sigh of relief; once caught in a war of words, it would be hard to escape.

Water Monkey glanced back, then moved closer to him and whispered, "Brother Chuan, why are you being so agreeable today? You would have been arguing with Li Cheng long ago."

"Really? I thought about it and realized it's unnecessary." Lin Chuan patted his shoulder and smiled.

Lin Chuan's memory of Li Cheng was very vague. He only remembered that Li Cheng had spent his whole life in his old age guarding a broken boat. It was a pity that his parents had worked so hard all their lives.

"Okay." The water monkey didn't think much of it, then looked at Lin Chuan hesitantly and warned him:

"Brother Chuan, let's not try to get our hands on Xiaoman the duck anymore. She'll be heartbroken if she finds out, and if my dad finds out, he'll beat me to death."

Lin Chuan was taken aback by his words, then chuckled in exasperation, punched him lightly, and said, "Alright, alright, go back to your dad's ship repair work. I'm too lazy to argue with you, I'm going to get back to my work."

Water Monkey scratched his head, puzzled as to why his temper could change so suddenly. He walked away, looking back every few steps, to become a laborer in the team.

Lin Chuan rolled his eyes in annoyance and headed in another direction.

The main tasks of the Qingpingzhou production team now are to finish the autumn harvest and prepare for the winter wheat planting, collect mudflats, fish, and do some sideline work.

Lin Chuan is the team's scorekeeper, and his daily work revolves around these "autumn harvest farm work + sideline labor".

As I walked, I flipped through the "Members' Work Registration Book" in my hand, a collective record with a kraft paper cover. It recorded in detail the daily work of each household, and was compiled into a book every month.

Around 6:30 in the morning, Lin Chuan had to check the task standards with the team leader, then take attendance, register, and mark any special circumstances.

If a villager needs to take leave or their child takes their place at work, he must write down the details and mark it in red next to the register to avoid future disputes.

In between, he also had to inspect the work site to check whether any members were slacking off, being lazy, or changing jobs without authorization, and he would record any such instances.

I usually patrol twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. I spend the whole day wandering around the island; it's relaxing but also quite tiring.

He was busiest around 5 or 6 pm when the villagers finished work. He had to check and confirm the work points, copy them into each household's handbook, and have the members sign them.

After the collective record book is completed, the daily work points details must be written in chalk on the wooden "work points display board" on the outer wall of the team headquarters for everyone's convenience.

Finally, I returned to the team office, organized the day's register, and checked the details.

After completing these tasks, tidy up the tools, put the register, pen, and manual back in the warehouse, and confirm that the team leader has filled out the task assignment sheet for the next day, only then can the day's work be finished.

The work of a scorekeeper is varied and fragmented, but its importance is undeniable.

In those days, villagers relied entirely on collective distribution for resources, and the work points earned through collective labor were everyone's "lifeline."

Only with work points can one receive food and fish, and only then can one survive.