"You can eat it yourself, we've all eaten. This was specially saved for you!"

"You work so late every day, how can your body handle it if you don't eat well?"

Lin Xue inserted the last horizontal bar into the groove, stopping Liu Hai's plan to distribute the eggs.

"I also ate an egg tonight. This one was specially saved for Dad. You can eat it yourself! Anyway, if you don't eat it tonight, it will definitely spoil by tomorrow morning!"

Zhu Zi also ate an egg that night, so he wasn't as craving it now.

Besides, his mother is right. His father works so hard every day. How can his body withstand it if he doesn't eat well?

"But how can you give me this egg? Why don't you eat it, Xue?"

Liu Hai looked at it again and again, but still couldn't bring himself to put the egg in his mouth.

"Just eat it already, it's just an egg, why keep offering it back and forth!"

"Hurry up and finish your meal, I need to talk to you about something!"

Lin Xue secured the shelf one last time, then began to gather the tools scattered on the ground.

"What's wrong? Just tell me!"

Liu Hai's heart skipped a beat. Was his wife going to ask him for money to gamble again?

But he never showed it on his face, as if he was giving his wife another chance.

"I caught some big fish in the river over there in the woods today. Look how big they are. I was just wondering if anyone in your factory wants them?"

"Zhu Zi said he wants to go fishing with me tomorrow. You know how hot the weather is right now. If we catch too many fish, they'll definitely spoil if we can't sell them right away!"

"I was just thinking of discussing this with you, to see if you can find some sales channels over there, even if we can only sell a little bit, it would be good!"

While they were talking, Lin Xue had already packed up all the tools. She and Zhu Zi carried the shelf to a position against the wall and placed the toolbox on the bottom shelf.

"So this is what you meant?"

Liu Hai was terrified; he almost thought his wife was about to relapse into her old ways.

Fortunately, she was talking about selling fish, not about wanting money to gamble.

"I'll ask my colleagues at the factory tomorrow morning when I go to work to see if they need it."

"After you catch the fish tomorrow morning, you can go to our factory. If the price is cheaper than outside, I'm sure there will be a lot of people who want them!"

There are many small factories near Liu Hai's workshop, and occasionally people will bring their own chickens, ducks and vegetables to the crossroads to sell.

Liu Hai sees people selling things every day. Although he has never bought anything, he knows that the small businesses there are relatively easy to run.

After all, these are workers with jobs, so things sell better here than in the slums.

"Alright, go to bed early after you finish eating. Zhu Zi, you should go to sleep too. I might have to leave before dawn tomorrow, so don't be unable to get out of bed!"

Lin Xue found a basin, scooped up some water, and began to wash the dirt off her hands.

Looking at her son squatting to the side, she slapped him.

"Mom, I'm so old now, how can you still spank me!"

Zhu Zi jumped back in disbelief, staring at Lin Xue warily.

"You're my son, I can hit you whenever I want!"

"If you don't go to sleep now, I'll beat you up!"

Lin Xue suppressed a laugh, deliberately teasing this brat.

"Okay, okay!"

"I'm going to sleep now. Remember to wake me up early tomorrow morning, or you'll sneak off again!"

Zhu Zi rubbed his buttocks, glanced at Liu Hai eating, then at Lin Xue washing her hands intently, pouted, and went back inside.

"Why aren't you going to sleep? What are you doing staring at me?"

After washing her hands, Lin Xue splashed the dirty water into the yard. As soon as she turned around, she saw Liu Hai's burning gaze.

"I'll wash the dishes and go to sleep first. You go to sleep first. Didn't we agree to go fishing tomorrow morning?"

Hearing Lin Xue's question, Liu Hai turned his head away somewhat embarrassed and began to clear the table of dishes.

He ate the whole big fish by himself, and the aroma of the fish and the taste of eggs still lingered in his mouth. How long had it been since he had eaten such a thing?

It seems that ever since his wife started gambling and sold off the family's chickens and ducks, he has never eaten an egg.

"Alright then, come back and rest early after you've finished washing!"

After saying that, Lin Xue went back to her room ahead of everyone else and fell asleep as soon as she lay down, regardless of whether she was tired or not.

After a while, when Liu Hai entered the bedroom, he saw his wife sleeping soundly.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly for a long time. He silently picked up a palm-leaf fan from the bed and fanned Lin Xue for a while before lying down on the bed to go to sleep.

No one knows what this man was thinking while he was watching Lin Xue sleeping on the bed.

However, from that moment on, the atmosphere at home seemed to change, no longer as dull as before.

"Pillar, get up quickly!"

Before dawn, Lin Xue woke up Zhu Zi, who was sleeping.

The child was a deep sleeper, and it was only after Lin Xue shook him for a while that Zhu Zi woke up groggily.

"Mom, shall we leave now?"

Zhu Zi glanced at the dark sky outside the door, not expecting his mother to come and wake him so early.

"Let's go early and come back early, while there are more people at the morning market, so we can get a better price!"

Seeing that Zhu Zi was awake, Lin Xue didn't stay in their room any longer. Instead, she went outside to start packing the two baskets in the house.

There was already one basket at home, and with the one she brought back yesterday, there were two. It was just right for the mother and son to each carry one.

However, the rope on the basket was too long, so Lin Xue had to fix it so that Zhuzi wouldn't have to carry it so easily.

"What are you two doing so early in the morning?"

Although Lin Xue and Zhu Zi moved very quietly, Liu Hai, who is usually a light sleeper, was woken up by the two of them.

"We plan to catch fish while it's still cool in the morning and then sell them at the morning market!"

"It's still early, you should sleep a little longer!"

"When we catch fish again, we'll prioritize selling them near your factory. I'll have Zhu Zi give you two, and you can give them to your workshop owner!"

"These are all fish we caught ourselves. Giving some to the boss will hopefully get him to give you better service. We won't lose out!"

After Lin Xue finished speaking, she took Zhu Zi and prepared to go out.

"It's probably not safe outside this early, do you want me to come with you?"

Liu Hai followed the two to the courtyard gate and asked somewhat worriedly.

"With my son with me, what are you worried about? Hurry back, we're about to leave!"

What a joke! Liu Hai has such a heavy workload, how could she possibly take up the other person's sleep time to go fishing with them?

"Dad, you go back and get some more sleep. I'll take good care of Mom!"

Zhu Zi patted his chest like a little adult and strode forward behind Lin Xue.

Liu Hai watched the two leave before closing the courtyard gate and returning to his room.