The ship marked with the letter M gradually moved away, but the explosions did not stop.

Darkness enveloped the area, along with a strong smell of burning.

Until the siren pierced the sky at the beach...

The alarm sounded throughout Haibi Village, and even the fireworks couldn't dispel the gloom that shrouded everyone's hearts.

Lin Ziyan stood on the second-floor terrace, looking out at the bustling sea, lost in thought.

She checked the news at the time and learned that the accident could not receive a fair trial due to a lack of conclusive evidence.

The coast guard, who rushed to the scene overnight, worked for several days and nights, but in the end, they couldn't salvage anything.

Three marine surveying experts fell into the sea and died.

All the research equipment sank to the bottom of the sea.

"Ayan."

Lin Ziyan's thoughts were interrupted, and she turned to look at her uncle who had walked in.

He looked noticeably older than when he first returned, but his eyes still shone with a sharp light.

“Uncle,” Lin Ziyan lowered her eyes, concealing the turmoil in them.

Lin Shaowen walked to her side, looked at the sea surface that was slightly lit in the dark night, and his eyes deepened.

The sirens are expected to continue sounding until dawn tonight.

All the fishing boats were driven back to shore one after another, and half the sky was lit up.

"How about we go abroad after the New Year?" Lin Shaowen suggested casually.

He originally intended for his niece to stay here and help the business grow.

But what happened tonight changed his mind.

"Can I go out freely now?" Lin Ziyan replied.

She knew that going abroad was not easy now; the policy had been relaxed, but it would take time to implement.

Lin Shaowen said, "I can have someone handle the formalities. Ayan, you should go out and see the world. If you want to develop, you need to broaden your horizons."

"The outside world has changed too much. After the port was built, the supporting facilities in the area could not be developed, so its driving effect was limited."

Lin Ziyan nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle."

This time she did not refuse.

Lin Shaowen paused for a second, then a look of admiration flashed in his eyes.

Lin Ziyan didn't go before because it wasn't necessary, but now she's going to learn and, incidentally, to recruit people.

Many ship designers who are studying abroad are now living and working overseas.

This incident will likely draw the country's attention to the shipbuilding industry.

Regardless, she should go out and see the world.

The few empty stalls in the seafood market are waiting for her to sign overseas orders.

With the port's completion cycle gradually shortening, it's hard to guarantee that no one will open another seafood market nearby.

She certainly doesn't have the upper hand in terms of financial resources, and she's also lacking in connections.

Lin Ziyan thought of the setback her father had suffered in his previous life, and a dark light flashed in her eyes.

“Okay, you can go after the New Year. I suggest you take a boat,” Lin Shaowen said meaningfully.

Long-distance international ships will stop at ports in various countries for a period of time.

Lin Ziyan nodded, pursed her lips, and looked at the sea.

At the other end of the village,

The incessant sirens only fueled the restlessness in people's hearts.

Wei Er drank quite a bit of wine and gave his son, who was recuperating at home, a good scolding.

It was rare for Aunt Tan to be moved out of her room and lie down in the main room.

The shadow of the kerosene lamp flickered on the wall.

"You little brat, you're utterly useless, you can't even turn mud upside down."

"Not only did I not make any money after a year, but I also lost all my savings!" Wei Er roared.

The alarm sounded as a cover for him; otherwise, his neighbors would definitely have come knocking.

Once midnight is over, it's the first day of the Lunar New Year, and most of the people who stay up to welcome the New Year haven't slept.

Wei Caixia was already so sleepy that she rubbed her eyes, but she didn't dare to go back to her room to sleep first.

New Year's Eve is when her father settles all scores; he either beats his wife or his children.

He said he wanted to hear the sound of money being spent, and that he would go on a drunken rampage once he got drunk.

"Smack!"

Seeing that the group was drowsy, Wei Er slammed his fist on the table, his expression contorted.

Qin Atai had just dozed off when he suddenly opened his eyes, blinked, and felt a terrible panic.

“His father, we have to get up early tomorrow to pay respects at the grave. Why don’t you go to bed early tonight?” Li Zhaodi yawned.

Recently, because his wife is paralyzed at home, Wei Er hasn't dared to hit her for a long time.

Wei Er picked up the bowl and smashed it with a loud "bang".

A large bump instantly swelled up on Li Zhaodi's forehead.

“You spendthrift woman, you’re utterly useless. If you hadn’t gone to the Lin family to cause trouble so early on, our family might have become a ten-thousand-yuan household this year.”

Wei Er said, cursing and swearing.

Li Zhaodi's eyes lit up instantly, "What? A ten-thousand-yuan household?"

Wei Sheng, who had been hanging his head, suddenly looked at his father.

He's been reading a lot of story magazines lately, and he's been putting himself in the shoes of the protagonists in various stories, fantasizing about becoming rich overnight.

"The Lin family's income from the shrimp farm alone has exceeded ten thousand this year, and there's also the seafood market..." Wei Er leaned back in his rattan chair and gave a brief overview of the situation.

He originally intended to tamper with the shrimp larvae, using the same trick to make Lin Ziyan lose all her money again.

No matter how much she planned, she never expected that she would also cultivate shrimp larvae.

Wei Er squinted, his gaze becoming even more greedy as he thought of the important figures the villagers had been talking about these past few days.

"My God, how much money is that... Why is the God of Wealth blind? He can't tell good from bad, and he even lets old capitalists get rich." Li Zhaodi slapped her thigh, not paying attention to the force, and winced in pain.

Wei Caixia's back was tense. When it came to the shrimp farm, her father would definitely take her there.

Even though we both studied aquaculture, she didn't have this skill.

"Xia, after the New Year, my family will also open a shrimp farm. You'll need to help us out." Wei Er's tone softened.

After he finished venting his anger, he gradually calmed down.

Things are different now than before. As long as you can make money, no one will look down on self-employed individuals.

If I continue to work for others, I'll at best barely make ends meet.

Wei Er squinted, his eyes full of calculation.

Even if the daughter can't help, aren't there still those experts?

Even if he really loses money, he can find someone to take the blame.

Before Wei Caixia could respond, she realized that something was wrong with her grandmother.

Wei Er didn't take it seriously, thinking his mother was trying to cause trouble, and started cursing.

“Father, Grandmother is gone…” Wei Caixia said, choking back tears.

…

A few days later, the villagers heard that Wei Er had taken Qin Atai to be cremated without even holding a funeral ceremony in order to get the subsidy.

Holding a funeral in the first month of the lunar calendar casts a shadow over the entire year.

That was exactly what Wei Er was thinking, so he didn't leave the house for the entire first month of the lunar calendar.

Aunt Chen sighed with emotion upon hearing this.

In her mind, only those without descendants would be cremated.

"He's not afraid of having nightmares at night. He heard that cremation is now encouraged, and he's even willing to lose face for a little subsidy."

"Or is he afraid of being upset by people from our ancestral hall?" Aunt Huang muttered, cracking sunflower seeds.

"That's pretty much it, that's probably what he was thinking." Aunt Chen shook her head, her expression subtle.

Aunt Huang, "By the way, are you going to the county town tomorrow to buy things for your wedding banquet?"

"I heard the Cao family has changed their minds and is sending someone?"

Aunt Chen frowned slightly. "We've bought everything, but I don't know what the Cao family is planning. I'm worried."

"I'll need Ah Jian's help then..."