Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

The cool well water washed away the sweat and dirt, leaving everyone feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Lin Wanghai gazed at Canhong Island bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun and sighed, "With this well, this island is like it has been injected with life; it's half alive now."

"More than half," Li Jianshe chimed in with a laugh. "Where there's water, you can farm, raise livestock, and live. Xiao Chuan, you have a really sharp eye."

Wang Pusheng patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder and exclaimed, "It's really good to be knowledgeable!"

Lin Chuan smiled slightly and remained silent.

The reeds swayed in the evening breeze, the distant marshland reflected the glow of the sunset, and the newly built sweet water well stood quietly there.

After the delivery boat unloaded the building materials, it left, and everyone crowded onto Lin Chuan's wooden boat.

Lin's father and Lin Chuan slowly rowed their boat back home, carrying the tired but excited group.

On the boat, Lin's father was the first to start talking, and everyone began to discuss it: "In my opinion, we should first build a shack by the well, so that we will have a place to rest when we go to work on the island."

"I think we can cultivate dozens of acres of good land on this island, plant some sorghum and sweet potatoes, and then we won't have to worry about food anymore."

"Fish can be raised in swamps too, because there are plenty of aquatic plants and the fish grow quickly."

These reeds are growing so lushly, weaving mats from them could be a source of income..."

Lin Chuan watched as everyone chatted enthusiastically, silently rowing the boat while refining his plans in his mind.

The next day, before the morning mist had even dissipated, Jiangxin Village had already awakened.

Lin's mother got up before dawn, and the fire in the stove reflected her busy figure.

Today she specially steamed a basket of multigrain buns, and also took out a few chopsticks of pickled, glossy, and crisp almonds from the earthenware jar, mixed them with rapeseed oil, and served them on a white porcelain plate.

We boiled some more duck eggs. We need to prepare more food today so we can eat lunch on the island and try to finish the sweet water well.

Today, Shui Houzi and Li Jiaye came to the island to help. Da Tou had almost finished his work yesterday, and the rest was just a matter of time. They couldn't keep delaying the other families' work.

The group arrived early at the Sweet Spring on Canhong Island, where the spring, which had been partially cleared yesterday, was already full of water.

The old man quickly stepped forward, eagerly took a sip, and drank it. The spring water was clear and refreshing, instantly soothing his soul.

"Good! Good! Good!" the old man said three times, his face beaming with joy. "Thank God of the river for blessing us with such a wonderful spring."

"May the River God protect us." Lin's mother also clasped her hands together, looking satisfied.

Water Monkey and Li Jiaye also started gulping down their drinks, their faces beaming with delight.

"Brother Chuan, this spring water is so sweet! It's even sweeter than the sweet sorghum I chewed last time!"

"Yes, yes, it's really sweet." Li Jiaye nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"It's not as exaggerated as you guys say, it's even sweeter than sweet sorghum," Lin Chuan laughed.

"Really, really, Brother Chuanzi, you have to try it. This spring water tastes even better after a night's rest than yesterday, and it might even be sweeter in a few days!" Li Jiaye took a few more sips, his face filled with blissful anticipation.

Lin Chuan found it somewhat amusing. "No matter how delicious it is, you can't drink so much cold water so early in the morning! Aren't you afraid of getting diarrhea?"

As Lin Chuan spoke, he was also curious. The spring water was crystal clear, and he immediately used the gourd ladle he had brought to scoop up a ladleful and drink it.

The spring water enters the mouth, a cool sensation carrying a hint of sweetness, flowing down the throat and refreshing the heart and soul, leaving a pleasant and sweet feeling.

Lin Chuan's eyes suddenly lit up. This water was indeed sweet! After swallowing the spring water, saliva was quickly secreted in his mouth, and a slight sweetness lingered in his oral cavity.

"It is indeed sweet, a bit sweeter than yesterday, but not as sweet as sweet sorghum," Lin Chuan said happily.

Despite saying that, Lin Chuan was truly delighted. If the spring water maintained this quality, there would be absolutely no other spring like it in the area.

A century later, Ming's reputation will spread, and it may even rank among the world's famous springs.

It's unbelievable that such unique geology exists at the mouth of the Yangtze River, giving rise to such a superior spring. Truly, it is a blessed land nurtured by nature.

"With this wonderful spring, the island comes alive," Lin's mother said happily.

"Ogawa, your mother is right. This island is about five miles long and about one mile wide in some places."

Now that the sweet water well is finished, what are your thoughts on how to manage this island?

The old man smiled as he smoked, his gaze fixed on Lin Chuan.

"Yes, Grandpa, I've been thinking about this for a while now," Lin Chuan replied with a smile.

With that, Lin Chuan led everyone to a high point on the island, pointed to the entire island, and explained his plans.

"Grandpa, Father, Mother, look. I plan to plan the entire island in a three-tiered layout, from the coast, the hinterland, to the core infrastructure."

The island of Canhong covers an area of ​​about 800 acres. It would be a shame not to make use of the shallow water area on the north side; we could build a sandbar there.

"We'll farm shellfish, and then we'll build a small dock to facilitate the transport of supplies and the loading and unloading of seafood."

"Raising shellfish? These things are everywhere, is this really feasible?" Lin's mother asked hesitantly.

"Okay, Amu," Lin Chuan affirmed.

There are indeed many clams now, and the supply and marketing cooperatives only buy the best quality ones; no one wants the others, but that's only in their area.

You can't get it if you go further inland. Once transportation improves, the demand for this stuff will start to rise sharply. Now is the perfect time to start producing it gradually.

Lin Chuan knew that raising shellfish was indeed a troublesome matter if done separately.

Firstly, there are no suitable seedlings available. Currently, they mainly rely on natural seedling collection, and only a few units have mastered artificial seedling cultivation, so they naturally do not have any.

Secondly, in terms of facilities, technicians from Pingchuan Island, which is located upstream, provided guidance on building aquaculture racks made of bamboo, wood, stones, and straw ropes on the mudflats to serve as breakwaters.

Its ability to withstand wind and waves is too poor, and now it's half dead.

Thirdly, and crucially, the lack of local refrigeration facilities leads to rough processing and makes the harvest prone to being unsaleable.

In addition, there are predators such as red snails, starfish, and crabs, and there is a lack of effective prevention and control measures.

Lin Chuan has a way to solve the first two points, but the third point will have to wait for the right time.

However, once the field is built and the harvest is in full swing, the problems will naturally be resolved over time.

Lin Chuan smiled, came back to his senses, and then pointed to the east and west sides, saying, "The area on each side is about fifty acres."

It would be best to plant reeds and mangroves to create a protective barrier on the island, resisting tidal erosion and purifying the water.

As for the deep water in the south, a slightly larger transshipment terminal can be built there. We also have dozens of cargo ships traveling along the Yangtze River every day.

It would be great if we could handle some small-volume cargo transshipment; our location is much more convenient than Beishi Wharf.

"Son, isn't that a bit too audacious? Do you think any of those things are free?"

"The little money we make catching fish isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap," Lin's father grinned, looking pained.

Lin's mother nodded subconsciously; she was already content just thinking about cultivating the good fields on the island.

Now that Lin Chuan has said this, it is indeed tempting, but how much money would it cost to build it, not to mention that this is only the construction around the island.