Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Jiangxin Island is located near the mouth of the Yangtze River, and as the old saying goes, it "lives off the water." However, the fishing industry is under unified planning, and the free market has only just begun to open up.

The people fishing on the team's collective fishing boats were also paid according to work points. Each member of the team with work points could only get two or three catties of fish per week at most.

If you want to eat more, you can only go to the mudflats to pick up small mud crabs, small fish and shrimp, which is not enough at all.

Collective distribution can only guarantee survival.

The team cultivated polder fields in the north, planting corn, sweet potatoes, and a small amount of rice, which were distributed to everyone according to work points.

Each family has a small plot of land, ranging from a little over an acre to as little as half an acre.

The small plot of land belonging to Lin Chuan's family, less than an acre in size, yielded late-season vegetables and rice that were simply not enough to fill their stomachs.

Flipping through the notebook, Lin Chuan walked along the main road beside the dock toward Beiyutian.

Most of the able-bodied young men and women are harvesting the late rice here; they are all quick and efficient uncles and aunts.

The action of bending over to cut rice was completed in one smooth motion, and the ears of rice gleamed golden in the sunlight.

Lin Chuan watched the crowd from afar, and as his memories and reality gradually overlapped, he smiled and headed to the next place.

The autumn harvest is nearing its end, and the uncles and aunts are all very attentive, valuing their time even more than he does. No one wastes time while they are working, so he doesn't need to bother with inspections.

In Lin Chuan's memory, the whole Jiangxin Village was a good place, and everyone was related to each other in some way.

Occasionally, conflicts would arise, but this was only because resources were so scarce during that period, and it was inevitable that some people would be petty and calculating. This was not because people were bad-hearted, but simply because of the limitations of the times.

However, this era also has its unique aspects. People are enthusiastic, cheerful, and confident. They can fight for their own interests and will not force what is not theirs.

For example, the older women in the rice threshing ground are very enthusiastic, while the younger wives are especially warm and welcoming.

"Hey! Look who's here, isn't this our team's scorekeeper!"

"Chuanzi, why are you only coming to inspect now? Where did you hide this morning? Did you sneak off to see some young wife?"

It was Aunt Gui who spoke, smiling at him while waving a wooden paddle in her hand.

As soon as he said that, laughter erupted throughout the room, and even the young women sifting grain nearby blushed and joined in the commotion.

"Aunt Gui is really good at guessing!" Aunt Liang chimed in quickly, wiping the sweat from her brow and teasingly remarking.

"I heard that Chuanzi even went down to the river to 'cool off' this morning. Maybe he's missing his wife so much he's anxious, and he's looking for a place to cool down!"

"Haha...that makes sense!"

The laughter of the crowd was incredibly joyful, as if all the fatigue of the day had been swept away.

After the laughter subsided, Li's wife, who was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, came over and patted his arm, half-jokingly and half-seriously:

"Chuanzi, has your mother introduced you to anyone? If not, your aunt can introduce you to someone who also finished junior high school. Do you want him?"

Lin Chuan laughed along with everyone. If this had happened in his previous life, he wouldn't have been choked up, but he would have been so embarrassed that he would have blushed and been speechless, and would have had no choice but to flee in panic.

Lin Chuan felt particularly warm and greeted the aunties and wives with a smile.

He smiled at Sister-in-law Li and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm still young. Let's wait two more years. After two years, I'll trouble you to keep an eye out for me then."

Li's sister-in-law was amused by him. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, saying, "Wait two more years? By the time you finish waiting, the daylily will be too cold."

Then, she suddenly leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Tell your sister-in-law the truth, was that girl who came to our island before your boyfriend?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Aunt Gui chimed in, her eyes bright. "I've seen that girl before; she's as beautiful as if she were in a painting."

"Yes! I've seen that girl too. She's really pretty, even prettier than the team leader's wife. With that bottom and figure, she'll definitely have plenty of breast milk."

The conversation veered off-topic, moving from the girl's appearance to childbirth, leaving Lin Chuan both amused and exasperated. He quickly waved his hand to clarify:

"Auntie, sisters-in-law, don't make wild guesses. She's just my high school classmate. She's a college student now. How could she possibly have anything to do with me?"

"Oh dear! That's a real shame." The women sighed in unison, but their work didn't stop.

"Right? Hey! Let me tell you, I knew that girl was something special a long time ago. Look, she's a college student now."

......

Lin Chuan became increasingly embarrassed as he listened, finding it impossible to respond. Was he supposed to discuss a girl's figure with a group of women?

He was especially embarrassed when he caught sight of several newlywed women blushing and eavesdropping, so he coughed twice in a mock manner.

"Aunt Gui, I'm going to check on the mudflats. You guys go ahead with your work!" she said and quickly slipped away.

Whether you're Lin Chuan from his past life or Lin Chuan from his rebirth, you still don't have enough nerve in this kind of situation.

Laughter erupted again behind him, and Lin Chuan knew he had once again become the center of everyone's conversation.

In his previous life, Lin Chuan was always somewhat serious, stubborn, and argumentative when dealing with work, and he liked to see things in black and white terms.

Because of his young age and seniority, he's often the subject of jokes. However, his work performance is generally well-regarded.

Looking back now, it really didn't have to be like that. While a clear distinction between right and wrong is certainly admirable, it's not necessary.

But life is not like that; the word "emotion" always runs through it.

It is something that everyone must embrace; even the most heartless person will have a pure place in their heart that holds this word "love".

Lin Chuan shook his head, and a smile returned to his face.

Once on the mudflats, Lin Chuan accompanied the elderly and children as they collected mud crabs and small fish, and then visited the sideline group to check on their reed mat weaving.

I chatted and laughed with Amu for a while, and just like that, I naturally blended in.

By evening, Lin Chuan had finished all his work, organized the work schedule for the next day, and started writing an application for the team.

Everything today feels so new, yet strange.

......

"What?" Lin Shoutan's face suddenly turned ugly upon hearing Xiaoman's words, and he stood up and was about to walk out the door.

Lin's mother, Shen Huiqin, quickly put down the rag in her hand and stepped forward to stop him. "What are you doing? Xiao Chuan is working right now. Aren't you ashamed? I have to think about my son."

"This kid's got too big for his britches. He didn't even consult his family about such a big thing. He just made the decision on his own? And he even signed a contract with that Zhao guy."

Lin Shoutan, who had been stopped, sat down helplessly. Shen Huiqin was right; Lin Chuan was no longer a child and was now the team's scorekeeper.

However, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Zhao Laoxi was clearly trying to push his son into a fire pit, and he couldn't let him off so easily.

He stood up and said angrily, "Zhao Laoxi deserves to die. He must have tricked Xiao Chuan. I'm going to find him."

He turned to leave to settle accounts with Zhao Laoxi.

Shen Huiqin, annoyed, pulled Lin Shoutan back again and said, "You are a cowherd, that's true, but how come you're as stubborn as a cow?"

"Zhao Laoxi's nickname is for nothing. Today he came to demand payment. If Xiao Chuan doesn't agree, do you think he'll let it go?"

"It's just managing Canhong Island, right? I'll go there and take care of it later. Everyone says you can't grow crops on Canhong Island, but I don't believe it."

"Sigh!" Lin Shoutan felt a little discouraged after hearing his wife's words and sat down helplessly.