"Hey, how did talking about kids bring me into this?"

Mingliang was unwilling to give up. "Dad, I want to retake the seaman selection exam. Then we'll see who's the good-for-nothing."

Seafarers are employees recruited by the Maritime Safety Administration. They are mainly responsible for maritime operations, which involve long-distance travel. When they are busy, they may be away for several months at a time, but their salaries are not low.

Ming Dahai sat on the stool and lit his pipe. "Even for a seaman, the village needs to issue a certificate. Mingjing, do you think this will affect your brother's future?"

If it affects his future, he'll just bear with it; it's not a life-threatening matter.

"No, this has nothing to do with us, don't worry," Mingjing waved her hand. "By the way, Dad, don't ask about that boat for me anymore. I'll have someone look for one for me; maybe we can find a good one."

Ming Dahai nodded. After finishing his meal, it was afternoon. Ming Dahai took a shovel and a sickle and went up the mountain.

“I’m going up the mountain to tidy up the land and prepare to plant some fruit trees. Rice doesn’t make money.”

Mingjing didn't go with her this time. She took her secret stash of money from under her pillow and said, "Mom, I'm going to the county to buy a tricycle."

Before Sun Yunmei could speak, Mingjing ran out of the house.

When they arrived at the place in town where they bought tricycles, Mingjing stopped and looked around.

This shop sells not only tricycles, but also bicycles and motorcycles. There aren't any particularly big brands, so Mingjing first looks at the prices.

A pedal tricycle costs 300 yuan, a bicycle is relatively cheaper ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan, and an electric tricycle is still relatively rare, so the price is naturally higher, at 1,700 yuan per vehicle.

"Young lady, do you want to buy a tricycle? For hauling goods or for carrying people?" The shop owner was a woman with curly hair, wearing a low-cut, fitted long dress, and a curvy figure.

"I want both. How long can your electric one run? Can it go into the city?"

Carrying seafood and people requires a vehicle with exceptional range; otherwise, it wouldn't be suitable for her family.

"It can run, a five-minute charge gives it two hours of range, and this car has a 200cc engine with 10 horsepower. What do you think?"

The woman pointed to the green electric scooter on the far side.

Mingjing walked over and glanced at the price: 3,800.

She couldn't see the pros and cons of electric scooters. Price aside, the electric scooter in front of her had a large cargo bed and good tires. If the price was right, she wouldn't be picky.

"Sister, how old are you this year? You're so beautiful," Mingjing said, leaning forward to compliment her.

The woman was a little embarrassed by her compliment, "I'm forty-four."

"Sister, you're so young and have a great figure. I was introduced by Old Zhang. He said you're beautiful, kind-hearted, and reasonably priced. Could you give me a discount?"

"Old Zhang from West Street?"

"Yes, Old Zhang and I are related. According to seniority, I am his great-aunt. I was born too late, so he said you are good and recommended me to come here."

"That old man hasn't come for a while. Alright, if you like this car, I'll lower the price by three thousand five hundred. Is that okay?"

Mingjing was unhappy; she thought it was just a small change of three thousand yuan.

She wanted to add that the boss insisted on only 3,500 yuan, but she was afraid of losing Mingjing as a major customer, since not many people buy electric cars.

After some persuasion, the boss agreed to give away two extra spare tires, a battery, and a rain cover.

"This young lady is a great bargainer. If it weren't for your good looks and sweet talk, I wouldn't have given her this. Go back and tell Old Zhang that she owes me a big favor."

"Sister, you are beautiful and kind-hearted, you will surely be blessed. If I make a fortune using your car in the future, I will give you a good shout-out."

The woman smiled broadly as she packed Mingjing's things into the truck bed.

"Sister, the car's battery is low. Could you let me charge it here for a while? Otherwise, I won't be able to get home."

"Alright, alright, you can't stand to lose out even a little bit, go ahead and top it up."

Mingjing picked up the battery, plugged it into the socket, and it was fully charged in no time.

There's no such thing as registering electric vehicles yet. Mingjing drives it on the road with the accelerator turned to the maximum, and you can hear the wind making noise when it passes by.

Instead of going straight home on his tricycle, Mingjing went to a fishing tackle shop and made thirty ten-meter-long fish traps for twelve yuan each.

Mingjing paid 360 yuan directly because the shop owner didn't have that many at the moment. She took 16 first and would come back to get the rest in a couple of days.

The fish traps from the star-rated fishing tackle shop are certainly good, but she couldn't bear to waste her points if she ordered dozens at once.

For her, points are more important than money.

When Mingdahai got home, he was surprised and delighted to see Mingjing riding an electric tricycle. He grumbled about wasting money, but couldn't resist trying it out himself.

“Having a motorcycle at home isn’t enough, so you bought an electric bike too. How much did that cost?” Sun Yunmei complained.

"Not much. Motorcycles aren't good for hauling goods, and flatbed trucks are too slow. This is good, Dad. When you have time, set up a sunshade so you won't be exposed to wind and rain."

"Okay, don't worry, I'll take care of it." Ming Dahai rode his bike around the yard, occasionally taking Ming Lei along.

In the blink of an eye, clouds draped themselves in a veil, casting a layer of dark mist over the island's sky.

After finishing her meal, Mingjing went to bed early.

In her daze, her phone rang again.

"Hello?"

“Mingjing, that is me, Bai Xiaoye.”

Hearing Bai Xiaoye's voice, Mingjing wasn't surprised and said calmly, "Oh, is there something you need?"

"I'm sorry to bother you so late. Are you free recently? I'm planning to go and inspect the island again," Bai Xiaoye said in a gentle voice.

"Oh, yes."

"Your design last time was very good. Are you planning to apply for a patent?"

Mingjing was so drowsy that she couldn't hear what the other person was saying, and mumbled, "Hmm."

"See you tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Mingjing didn't even open her eyes before turning over and going to sleep.

In the morning, Mingjing woke up, stretched, and checked the Star Fishing Tackle Shop. Today's luck value was eighty.

There was something that puzzled her: all the tools were there, but her luck value fluctuated daily like an exchange rate. She wondered if it might suddenly surge one day, and wished that were true.

However, she began to have a dilemma. Now that her every move was being watched, if she went to the beach to collect large items again, it would be hard not to make people doubt whether she was human.

"Third Aunt, let's go beachcombing. I haven't been in ages," Minglei poked his head out from the doorway.

"That won't do. It would be troublesome if those people saw us."

Mingyue stood at the door and thought for a moment, "It would be great if we could go out to sea. You guys caught a lot of cargo last time, and I'd like to go and see it too."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Mingliang ran in.

"Mingjing, a man is looking for you."

Male?

Mingjing craned his neck and looked out the window.

look familiar.

She got out of bed and went outside. "Who are you?"

"Bai Xiaoye, have you forgotten? I called you yesterday." Bai Xiaoye was wearing a white suit, a Rolex on his wrist, and carrying a burlap duffel bag.

In his other hand, he was carrying a lot of fruit and gift boxes.

"yesterday……"

Mingjing vaguely remembered that she seemed to have received a phone call yesterday, but she forgot what it said.

"Oh, come in," Mingjing invited him in and closed the door.

"Thank you for last time. I was afraid of being hunted down by my enemies, so I left without saying goodbye. You won't blame me, will you?" Bai Xiaoye put down his luggage and sat down.

Mingjing shook her head, and when she met those deep pupils, she felt a little nervous. "No, please sit down."

"You've come today to..." Mingyue poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Bai Xiaoye.