Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

"Are you serious? There's such a thing as a well?" Lin's father asked doubtfully.

"What my son said is of course true." Lin's mother was somewhat excited; she had already understood what her son had said.

It's not that there's no sweet water on Canhong Island, it's that the team members don't know how to use it.

"In the team, Xiao Chuan, now that you know about this..."

"Freshwater lens".

"Yes, a freshwater lens. You know how to extract the sweet water, right?"

Seeing his mother's excited expression, Lin Chuan smiled and nodded, saying, "I know how to fight, but I need to confirm the exact location."

"Yes, yes, this can't be rushed. As long as you can type it out, it's okay to try a few more times."

"Is there really sweet water on Canhong Island?" Lin's father was still somewhat skeptical. He hadn't seen the sweet water with his own eyes, so he still didn't believe it.

At this moment, the old man tapped his pipe and said, "Twenty years ago, I went to the island to seek treatment once, but it didn't work. This time, based on the knowledge Xiaochuan learned, we'll try again."

"Yes! Grandpa, we'll definitely succeed this time." Xiaoman looked at her grandpa, her mother, and her older brother, who were all laughing happily, and she laughed along with them.

She understood the gist of the conversation at home and knew it was a good thing, so her furrowed brows relaxed.

When people have something to look forward to, their worries will be greatly reduced, and they will have new aspirations for the future.

Neither Lin Laoduo, Lin Shoutan, Shen Huiqin, nor Lin Xiaoman felt that the matter Lin Chuan had agreed to was a problem.

They were only worried that he was under too much pressure, but they never complained.

"Hey, here's a white pear melon for you. Don't you dare try to steal my ducks again." Xiaoman stepped forward, handed one to Lin Chuan, and glared at him.

"Xiao Chuan, your mother knows you want to eat meat. Wait a little longer, we'll eat it in a while. Your grandfather brought back some small fish today, you can eat these first."

Lin's mother went into the kitchen and brought out the food she had left for Lin Chuan, her face showing some guilt.

Looking at the dishes Amuri had prepared, Lin Chuan understood that most of the fish and shrimp had been left for him.

I was touched by my family's love and care, but I also felt a little ashamed.

Taking the white pear melon from his sister, he awkwardly made up an excuse to explain, "Mother, I don't want to eat meat."

I recently remembered something from a book about a new type of duck feed that can help Muscovy ducks lay more eggs more consistently each day.

"Really? You can make ducks lay more eggs?" Xiaoman asked, somewhat skeptical.

"You really don't trust your brother at all?" Lin Chuan said with a sullen laugh.

Xiaoman looked at Lin Chuan with suspicion. At this moment, she, like her father, harbored a slight doubt about Lin Chuan.

However, if more duck eggs could be produced each day, it would be very attractive to Xiaoman, and she was also somewhat hopeful that what Lin Chuan said was true.

"Your brother graduated from high school, let him try and he'll know." True to her nature, Lin's mother smiled and assured Xiaoman that she had assured Lin Chuan.

"Alright then, I'll give you one for now, and you'll have five days, no, three days. If you can't lay two eggs, you have to give it back."

After some hesitation, Lin Xiaoman nodded in agreement.

Lin Chuan was both amused and exasperated. This couldn't possibly be effective in a short time; it would take at least one to two weeks to see results.

Upon hearing this, the old man smiled and shook his head, "They're all little rascals." He took a puff of his cigarette, then got up and went back to his room.

After Lin Chuan explained his governance plan for Canhong Island to the two elders, the three-way hearing finally ended and everyone dispersed.

After finishing dinner, Lin Chuan did not leave the dishes and chopsticks for the next day as usual, but washed them clean and put them away in the kitchen.

The next day, before dawn, the whole family got up early to go to work.

There are two low tides at Qingpingzhou every day, usually about 12 hours apart, and the low tide time is often longer than the low tide time.

These intervals follow a pattern, and the timing of high and low tides gradually shifts with the date.

For example, the high tide on the 15th of this month occurs at 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

The tides of the 16th are around 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Although it's not a precise time, it falls within this range, and so on, roughly a fifteen-day cycle.

The further downstream you go, the higher the tide becomes. Moreover, the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month are spring tides, with a large receding tide, which means you can find more resources.

The 8th and 23rd of the lunar month are minor tides, with smaller fluctuations.

At this time, the high tides around the fifteenth of the month had passed for several days, and the neap tides began to surge.

Every day, the old man would carry a bucket to the mudflats, collect scraps to take home, and then go to the North Stone Wharf to mend fishing nets, earning a few cents or dimes.

Xiaoman gets up with the adults every day. She has to get up early to go to school in town from the island. On odd and even weeks, she also goes with her grandfather to collect seashells and shrimp.

Since the family couldn't afford to buy duck feed, they would chop up and mash up the bitterlings, shellfish, reeds, and other things on the island and mix them together to make duck feed.

Today is Sunday, and Xiaoman went to the mudflats with her grandfather early in the morning.

If 12 ducks are to lay eggs every day, they need plenty of food, so Xiaoman has a lot of work to do every day. Every evening after school, she goes to cut some hay.

When Lin's father came home in the evening, he would bring some hay. The whole family was very busy, and their days were very fulfilling.

Today was different; everyone in the family was especially happy.

The information Lin Chuan shared yesterday was truly inspiring. If the land reclamation is successful, it will be tiring, but we won't go hungry anymore.

Lin Chuan held the registration book, with two pens clipped to his chest, one a normal color and the other red. He was registering the uncles, aunts, and elders who were working that day.

His registration efficiency has greatly improved compared to before; it only takes half an hour to complete the process after everyone has finished recording.

After packing his things, Lin Chuan prepared to go check out the mudflats. He searched around his home and found an old, worn-out plastic bucket; the fire tongs had already been taken by Xiao Man.

Lin Chuan's house is not far from the southern mudflats and sandy land; it takes about fifteen or sixteen minutes to get there.

The southern mudflat is the longest stretch of mudflat on the island. As the neap tide recedes, some elderly people and children have already arrived.

The most common resources on the beach after the tide recedes are shellfish such as clams, small crabs, razor clams, and small sea snails, as well as small crustaceans.

Decades later, clams and razor clams were best-selling items at night market stalls, but now every household on the island just uses them to cook soup and add flavor.

Every day, the team would gather to collect the items that were on the schedule. The items that were not on the schedule were mostly crushed up by the islanders to make feed for their poultry.

Lin Chuan strolled along, looking around, making several people feel uneasy, as they thought he was there to keep a close watch on them.

"Chuanzi, this...this way." A crisp voice rang out.

Lin Chuan looked up at the sound, smiled and walked over: "Sister Haiyue, you're here too."

"Hmm! The tide is receding, so I'll come check it out. Aren't we going to the polder area today?"

"I also wanted to take advantage of the low tide to collect some crabs and such, since the busy farming season is almost over. I discussed it with the team, and we decided not to patrol in the middle of the season anymore."

Wang Haiyue looked at Lin Chuan with amusement upon hearing this, and pointed at the group of people who were frequently glancing over from a distance, laughing:

"You didn't even bother to patrol or say anything. Didn't you see those guys were terrified of you going over there?"