Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Lin Chuan looked back and saw that it was true. He was wondering why these teenagers had greeted him at first when he arrived.

They kept calling out "Brother Chuanzi, Brother Chuanzi!" and then they hid behind him, glancing at him every now and then and whispering to each other.

Lin Chuan was both amused and exasperated: "Well, they're all on guard against me. These kids must slack off sometimes."

Wang Haiyue smoothed a strand of hair at her temple, smiled, and said, "Don't you realize that it's because you're usually so strict that they're definitely afraid of you?"

"Then let's not tell them, let those brats keep a close eye on themselves." After saying that, Lin Chuan couldn't help but laugh as well.

The boys on the beach saw Lin Chuan looking at them and immediately started moving around in a similar manner, though their figures were quietly getting further and further away from Lin Chuan.

These boys were mostly between 10 and 15 years old. They spent their days collecting resources on the mudflats and taking care of younger brothers and sisters.

Lin Chuan was only a few years older than them, but they both respected and feared him. Firstly, Lin Chuan had the right to supervise them, and secondly, he was their father's teacher.

Although the classrooms are still being renovated, the news has already spread throughout the village that in response to national policy, a final battle to eradicate illiteracy is underway.

Night schools for literacy must be held at the county, commune, and brigade levels, with literate young people serving as instructors.

Lin Chuan was the only high school student in the entire Jiangxin Village, so naturally, this responsibility fell on his shoulders.

It was the time of low tide, and the southern mudflats seemed to have their treasures revealed by nature.

Villagers from Jiangxin Village who weren't working gradually arrived, hoping to catch some fish while they were out on the river.

Lin Chuan and Wang Haiyue were chatting happily when three young men of similar age to Lin Chuan walked over. One of them looked at Lin Chuan and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Isn't this our village's top scholar? I heard he's going to Canhong Island to reclaim wasteland! How come he has time to come here to chase the river?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, Chunjiang?" Zeng Youwei leaned forward, squinting and smiling.

"I heard someone doesn't need to patrol, they only need to register! Does that mean they can't supervise everyone anymore and deduct our work points? For household expenses, am I right?"

"That's right, Dongzi, I heard you're going to reclaim Canhong Island. You'll still get your work points as a scorekeeper? Intellectuals really are different!" Wu Jia chimed in.

"What are you all being sarcastic about!" Wang Haiyue raised her eyebrows. "You deserved to have your work points deducted. Chuanzi warned you several times, but you kept slacking off. Whose fault is that?"

Lin Chuan looked up at the three people, quickly matching their images and information in his mind.

Li Chunjiang was followed by two henchmen, Wu Jiayong and Zeng Youwei. The three of them did not have a good reputation in the village.

In his previous life, this guy was arrested for speculation and profiteering. After he was released, he somehow regained his power. Then, Lin Chuan happened to see him on a legal news program, and then he disappeared from the public eye.

To be honest, Li Chunjiang and he had a long-standing grudge.

When they were children, everyone studied together, and he was always number one, naturally becoming "someone else's child".

Coupled with their arrogant personalities, the two have always disliked each other.

Another point is that after Lin Chuan became the scorekeeper, he deducted work points from Li Chunjiang and the other two several times.

Looking back now, it seems like I was deliberately keeping an eye on him.

In the past, it would have been normal for young people to argue and bicker, but now it's really pointless for him to engage in a war of words with these three.

As the sun rose higher, its rays swept obliquely across the mudflats, falling on Lin Chuan's face and adding a touch of tranquility.

"What a load of rubbish warning." Li Chunjiang glanced at Lin Chuan and snorted, clearly displeased.

"Li..." Wang Haiyue wanted to argue, but Lin Chuan raised his hand to stop her.

Lin Chuan looked at the three of them calmly: "I accepted the mission to reclaim the wasteland of Canhong Island."

"No inspections, but that doesn't mean we won't supervise work. If you keep wasting time here, you won't lose a single work point."

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions changed, and Wu Jiahe and Zeng Youwei subconsciously looked at Li Chunjiang.

In the morning, Li Chunjiang assured them that Lin Chuan would only be responsible for morning and evening registrations and would not come to supervise or deduct work points, which is why they came to provoke them.

If Lin Chuan still holds the power of supervision, isn't he just asking for trouble?

Li Chunjiang also had his doubts, wondering if he had misheard that morning, but since he had already spoken, he could only keep up the pretense.

"The tide has just receded, and we will naturally complete the tasks that need to be completed. But you, who took on the job of reclaiming a deserted island, still have the nerve to continue as a scorekeeper and collect work points."

If you delay the scorekeeper's work, I'll see how you handle it!

"That's not what you care about," Lin Chuan replied calmly.

The three of them, preoccupied with their own thoughts, stopped arguing, turned around, walked to the other side of the mudflat, squatted down, and got to work.

"That's not right," Wu Jiagang said, pulling a small fish out of the mud. He suddenly looked up at the two of them. "We didn't work today, so why are we afraid of him?"

Li Chunjiang and his companion were taken aback upon hearing this. Indeed! Today was Sunday, with a small tidal surge. They had come to work on the river, not the mudflat team.

The sun was so bright it made him dizzy, and Li Chunjiang's anger surged, making him want to go back and cause trouble for Lin Chuan.

But Zeng Youwei stopped him, saying, "Chunjiang, don't rush! You should go back and ask your uncle if Lin Chuan really still has the power to supervise."

"Fine, I'll go back and ask around." Li Chunjiang paused, glared at Lin Chuan, and said through gritted teeth.

The scorekeeper's power was neither too great nor too small. The first time Lin Chuan deducted points from him, he was in the wrong. The second time, the two groups almost got into a fight.

On several subsequent occasions, he always felt that Lin Chuan was deliberately targeting them. Li Chunjiang wasn't afraid of being targeted by Lin Chuan alone; what he feared was that Lin Chuan would take his anger out on their parents.

After Lin Chuan saw the three off, Wang Haiyue frowned and began to talk about Canhong Island:

"Chuanzi, have you discussed the Canhong Island matter with Uncle Lin and the others? That place is all saline-alkaline land and reed beds, how can we possibly cultivate it?"

"We've discussed it. I found the governance method in a book. Once the documents are all issued, we'll start going to the island to reclaim the land," Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Alright, when we go to the island later, Xiao Pu and I will help you." Wang Haiyue smoothed her hair and looked at Lin Chuan seriously.

The two families were close, and the Lin family had even lent them money in an emergency. She knew about the Lin family's difficulties, so she didn't ask any more questions.

"Brother Chuan, you're here too! We've been digging for so long, how come we haven't found anything?"

Just then, Wang Daopu came running over, dragging a snakeskin bag, and peered at Lin Chuan's plastic bucket with disdain.

"Hey! You're complaining about me now? Let me see what good stuff you've found."

Lin Chuan reached out and snatched the bag from the water monkey's hand. It was surprisingly heavy. When he opened it, he found it was already lined with seashells and small crabs.

"Wow, Monkey, you have a sharp eye. You even have two blue crabs. That's impressive," Lin Chuan said with some surprise.

The water monkey chuckled and listened to the praise in silence.

Wang Haiyue's eyes lit up, and she looked over as well.