Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

"That's true," Uncle Li tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, sending up a few sparks. "Their big boats are their connections; we're just here to lend a hand, cast the nets properly, and haul the fish in."

Whether they catch a lot or a little, that's a gift from the river god, and it's also a matter of their skill. As for us, we should just honestly do our job and get paid for it; that way we'll feel more at ease.

He spoke in a calm and collected manner, completely unmoved by reason.

A flash of annoyance crossed Li Suanpan's eyes, but he quickly put on a smile again. "Third Brother is right. We're honest people, we just want to be reliable. But..."

He changed the subject, lowering his voice intentionally, but still enough for everyone in the room to hear, "I'm doing this for everyone's sake. Think about it, those fishing team boats belong to the government, right?"

Why should Lin Chuan be allowed to rent the boat and make a fortune with his men? And why did the captain give the boat to Lin Chuan without his consent?

"Seriously speaking, wouldn't this count as...?" Li Suanpan paused, looked around at everyone, and continued, "Occupying collective property and engaging in private transactions? If people from the commune come to investigate, won't those of us who went with them get caught up in the bad luck?"

These words were rather hurtful, and the expressions of the people in the room changed slightly.

Uncle Li raised his eyelids and glanced at Li Suanpan, a look that made Li Suanpan's heart skip a beat for no reason.

"It's true," Uncle Li said slowly, "the boat was discussed and agreed upon by the team, and the rental fee was paid to the team."

Everyone understands this. It's only right that we put in the effort to earn money. As for anything else…”

Uncle Li took a deep drag on his cigarette and continued, "The men of Jiangxin Village, young and old, make a living on the river through hard work and conscience, not through any of those scheming, harmful intentions. Don't you agree?"

He emphasized the word "harmful" a little too much.

Li Suanpan's face changed, turning pale and then flushed. He chuckled awkwardly, "That's right, that's right, I was just saying that."

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it." He knew he wouldn't get anything out of Uncle Li, and no one else would listen to him.

After exchanging a few more casual words, the rain showed no signs of letting up; in fact, it intensified. Seeing this, everyone dispersed.

Uncle Li stood at the door, watching Li Suanpan's figure disappear into the rain. His brows furrowed slightly. He turned back into the house and whispered to his wife, "These next few days, don't gossip with others. Be careful if people ask about you."

"What about Lin Chuan's family? Sigh, that kid's probably going to be a headache."

The door to the water monkey's house had just been locked.

The family sat around the eight-immortal table in the main room. For a long time, no one spoke, only the sound of the men smoking.

"Our family is truly blessed!" Old Master Wang exclaimed.

"Yes, our family and the Lin family have always had a good relationship. This time they treated us to a meal, so we should remember it." Wang Pusheng looked at his son and said with great emotion.

"Xiao Pu, remember to listen to your brother Chuan more often in the future." Grandpa Lin looked at his eldest grandson with great satisfaction.

Then, addressing everyone in the room, he instructed, "From today onward, let the villagers gossip as they please; our family should not get involved."

Wang Haiyue, Shui Houzi, and the others nodded emphatically: "Understood, Grandpa, Father."

In the main room of Lin Chuan's house, Lin's mother served up the food that had already been heated up.

Today's dishes were as plentiful as if it were Chinese New Year, and Lin's mother had clearly put a lot of thought and effort into them.

In the center of the table sat a steamed sea bass, its body scored to reveal snow-white flesh, drizzled with soy sauce and scallions, the aroma of hot oil filling the air.

Next to it was a large bowl of glistening, red braised pork, the pieces of meat trembling from the stewing, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and thick sauce clinging to the rim of the bowl.

There was also a small dish of golden scrambled eggs and a bowl of bright green stir-fried vegetables, which was a rare treat on a normal day.

After washing up and changing their clothes, Lin Chuan and his father came to the main room. Their eyes lit up when they saw the dishes on the table, and they quickly pulled their father to sit down at the table.

"Auntie, today's food smells even better than during Chinese New Year!"

Lin's mother took off her apron, her face beaming with undisguised smile and concern: "You two spent the whole night freezing on the river, you need to eat some good food."

As she spoke, she looked at Xiaoman and said, "Xiaoman, quickly bring up your brother's and father's rice."

Xiaoman responded and ran into the kitchen, bringing out a large bowl of hot rice.

"Have you eaten, Mother?" Lin Chuan asked quickly when he saw that there were only two people with bowls and chopsticks.

"We don't know when you'll be back, so we'll eat first. This is for you two. Your mother specially steamed two big sea bass and even poached an egg for you."

The old man chuckled as he smoked his cigarette.

Lin Chuan smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Mom!" Turning to look at his sister's bright eyes, Lin Chuan joked, "Want to have some more with your brother?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoman looked down at her bulging belly, rubbed it, and nodded with difficulty, saying, "I can only eat a little bit, just a little bit."

As she spoke, she carefully gestured with her little hands to indicate the name.

Lin's mother pulled Xiaoman to her side and said to Lin Chuan in an annoyed tone, "You, stop acting silly and eat your food properly. She's eating, eating, her little tummy is going to burst."

Xiaoman nodded seriously after hearing what Amu said.

Upon seeing this, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

After dinner, in the gloomy weather, the main room became slightly brighter under the dim light of the kerosene lamp.

"Xiao Chuan, Zhao Chenghu is clearly using us and then abandoning us. Should we still go to Wanghai Island after the rain stops?" Lin's father asked, taking out his pipe and exhaling smoke rings with the old man.

When he came back, it was raining heavily. There were many people around, so he didn't ask. Now that he's at home, he can't leave them behind anymore.

Lin Chuan looked at the rain outside and shook his head: "Judging from Zhao Chenghu's appearance, he definitely won't be able to go."

However, this heavy rain doesn't look like it'll stop anytime soon. By the time the rain actually stops, I estimate the sea bass's fishing season will be almost over.

In his previous life, he only knew bits and pieces of this information, and he didn't know the specifics.

I was hoping to use this time to save up some money, but it seems that's not going to happen.

Looking at the heavy rain outside the window, Lin's father sighed helplessly, "This rain really came at the worst possible time."

......

Looking out over the island, several fishing boats were forced to anchor in the natural harbor. Xiao Gao cursed angrily, "This damn rain couldn't have come at the worst possible time."

"Brother Gao, I asked around, and our boats caught about two or three tons of fish. The rain is too heavy now, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon, so we definitely won't be able to catch anything by tomorrow morning."

"No, no one knows how long the fish season will last, we can't waste time." After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Gao immediately rejected the suggestion from his subordinate.

If the fishing results are not ideal, he will be in trouble.

"Brother Gao, this really won't do. The rain is heavy and the waves are big. If this continues, something bad will happen." The captain had no choice but to persuade him again.

Xiao Gao was also in a dilemma. After thinking it over, he was still afraid that he wouldn't be able to explain it when he got back, so he said, "As soon as the rain subsides a little, we'll resume fishing immediately and tell everyone that Brother Tiger will give everyone a big red envelope."

Seeing that he couldn't reason with them, the captain had no choice but to give the orders.