Chapter 401 My Professor Husband Dancing at the Dock!

The heat wave, mixed with the smell of rotting seafood, hit us.

Lin Ruolan pushed open the car door, and the moment her feet touched the ground, she was overwhelmed by the smell and gagged. She quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose, her brows furrowing tightly.

There was a lot of noise in front of me.

Bare-chested fishermen carried baskets of fish back and forth, their shouts and bargaining echoing throughout the area.

The ground was covered with black sewage and discarded dead fish and rotten shrimp.

"We're here." Su Yue took out the car keys and jumped out of the car. "Second sister-in-law, welcome to Second Brother Gu's 'laboratory'."

Lin Ruolan stood still.

She simply couldn't reconcile the image of that refined scholar who needed a handkerchief to sit on in the library of a university in Beijing with this dirty and chaotic place.

"This...this is where he works?"

Su Yue didn't reply, but simply pointed to a fishing boat at the end of the dock.

There was a crowd gathered there.

A man stood in the middle, wearing a faded old sailor shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, revealing two tanned, shiny arms.

He was wearing high-top rain boots, and his trouser legs were covered in mud and fish scales.

He was squatting on the ground, holding a ruler in his hand, gesturing at a basket of freshly caught ribbonfish, his voice booming loudly.

"How many times have I told you! These little fish, barely two fingers wide, are no good! Throw them all back! We're talking about sustainable development, not short-sighted exploitation! Anyone who dares to bring these tiny fish ashore again will not receive a penny of their fuel subsidy tomorrow!"

The surrounding old fishermen were not angry at all; instead, they grinned and offered cigarettes to him, while others flattered him.

"Mr. Gu, it was just a slip of the hand. I'll be more careful next time, I definitely will!"

Lin Ruolan froze.

That was indeed Gu Beiyu.

Although his face was dark and rough, the contours were still there.

But the man who always spoke softly and only talked about Kant and Hegel was now arguing heatedly with a group of roughnecks over a few fish fry.

He even swore.

"dad!"

Gu Sichen, that little traitor, had long forgotten his own mother and charged over like a cannonball.

Hearing the noise, Gu Beiyu turned around abruptly.

Upon seeing his son, he paused for a moment, then threw down the ruler in his hand, opened his arms, picked up Gu Sichen who was rushing over, and spun him around twice above his head.

"Hey, isn't this our little scholar? He's gotten heavier and stronger!"

Gu Sichen chuckled, not at all bothered by the sweat and fishy smell on Gu Beiyu.

Lin Ruolan stood a few meters away, watching this scene, her handkerchief clenched so tightly it was deformed.

Gu Beiyu put his son down and then saw his wife standing not far away.

His smile faded slightly, he rubbed the fish scales on his hands, and awkwardly tugged at the corner of his clothes.

"Ruolan, you've come."

There was no hug, nor any pleasantries of a long-awaited reunion.

Lin Ruolan looked at his hands, which were covered in calluses and wounds, took a deep breath, suppressed the bitterness in her heart, and coldly uttered, "Is this the great cause you gave up your position as an associate professor at Beijing University to come here and do?"

Gu Beiyu scratched his head, grinned, and revealed a set of white teeth: "This is no small business. Ruolan, don't be fooled by the mess here, this is our country's future blue granary."

"A granary?" Lin Ruolan sneered. "Just based on this pile of dead fish and rotten shrimp?"

“Second Sister-in-law, just looking isn’t enough; you have to experience it.” Su Yue interjected at the right moment, pointing to a medium-sized fishing boat next to them. “Second Brother specially reserved a boat to take us out to sea. We’re already here; we can’t go back empty-handed, can we?”

Lin Ruolan instinctively wanted to refuse, but when she saw Gu Sichen's expectant eyes, the words of refusal rolled on her tongue and she swallowed them back.

Fishing boats leave port, cutting through the azure sea.

At first, Lin Ruolan sat in the cabin with an air of composure, but in less than half an hour, her face began to turn pale as the waves tossed her around.

Su Yue handed over a bottle of medicated oil: "Apply some to your temples, it will work."

Lin Ruolan didn't take it, forcing herself to say, "No need, I'm fine."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a large wave crashed over the boat, causing it to tilt violently. Lin Ruolan lost her balance and slid to the side.

A rough, large hand steadily supported her back.

Gu Beiyu entered the cabin at some point, holding a nautical chart in his other hand.

He helped Lin Ruolan sit up straight, then skillfully took an orange from his pocket, peeled it, and handed it to her.

"Smell this to calm your nerves."

Lin Ruolan looked at the orange, then at his profile as he focused on the nautical chart.

This man, who used to not even know how to peel an apple, now carries oranges with him to prevent seasickness?

"School of fish ahead!" a shout came from the deck.

Gu Beiyu stuffed the orange peel into Lin Ruolan's hand, then turned and rushed out.

"Hard to port! Cast the net! Watch the wind direction!"

Lin Ruolan stood up as if possessed, and looked out while holding onto the cabin door.

On the deck, Gu Beiyu looked like a general. He stood at the bow, facing the wind and waves, holding a walkie-talkie, directing the two boats to cooperate in the encirclement and capture.

The sea breeze ruffled his oversized sailor shirt, making it flutter loudly.

That wasn't the Gu Beiyu she had seen in the study in the capital.

Back then, he always frowned, brooding over a pile of ancient books, arguing heatedly with his colleagues over an academic point of view, and exuding a melancholy and pedantic air of frustration.

And now, his eyes shine with a light. That light is more dazzling than the sunlight on the sea.

The net has been retrieved.

Schools of silver fish leaped on the deck, shimmering with dazzling light.

Gu Sichen excitedly squatted down, grabbed a grouper that was still thrashing about, and held it up to show Lin Ruolan: "Mom! Look! Dad caught a big fish!"

Gu Beiyu wiped the seawater off his face, walked over, and pointed to the pile of fish: "Ruolan, look at this. This one net is worth a month's salary for us in the capital. But that's not the most important thing."

He took a small notebook out of his pocket and showed it to her.

The top was filled with densely packed data.

"This is a map showing the water temperature, ocean currents, and plankton distribution in this sea area. Once we understand these patterns, we can establish a scientific aquaculture model. Then, without having to risk going out to sea, we can provide affordable seafood for the local people."

He was radiant when he said those words. That confidence and certainty couldn't be faked.

Lin Ruolan looked at the notebook. She couldn't understand the data, but she could understand the expression on Gu Beiyu's face.

That timid, bookish nerd is dead.

Instead, he became a man with grand ideals and a down-to-earth approach.

It was dusk when the boat docked.

The setting sun dyed the sea a golden-red hue.

Lin Ruolan's legs were still a little weak as she stepped onto solid ground. Gu Beiyu naturally reached out to support her, and this time she didn't flinch.

Back at the Gu family courtyard, as soon as Lin Ruolan entered, she saw Su Yue sitting under the grape trellis, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, with two bottles of chilled beer and a plate of peanuts in front of her.

"You're back? How was your seasickness?" Su Yue asked with a smile.