Nancheng is not far from the sea. Instead of going to popular places, they chose a small fishing village. This place was the hometown of a colleague that Shuyan used to know. The scenery was beautiful and the people were simple and honest.

At that time, the tourism industry was not well-developed, and the few tourist attractions were relatively famous. Almost no one came to visit small fishing villages like this. When they suddenly saw Shu Yan and her group arrive, many children looked at them curiously.

Fang Zeyu carried Tianbao, while Shu Yan led Jingjing, and they inquired their way to the village chief's house.

"You said you came here for tourism?" That's strange. Why would you come to a small fishing village like theirs instead of a big city like Beijing or the southern part of the city for tourism?

“Yes, we’re all from the inland. Our two kids have never seen the sea, so we brought them here to have some fun. I used to know someone from around here who said the scenery is beautiful and the locals are very hospitable. It’s summer vacation now, so we came here to have some fun.” Shu Yan said, “The environment here may not be as nice as it will be thirty years later, but this is the real, authentic place.”

"Okay, are you staying at your friend's place or something?" If someone comes to visit, it means their village has good water and kind people, which is something to talk about, so there's no reason to refuse.

"We haven't been in touch with that friend for a long time, and he lives quite far away. So, do you know if any of our fellow villagers can rent a room for us? We'll pay 10 yuan a night, and meals will be extra." Shu Yan didn't have any friends; it was all made up.

The village chief's wife kicked his foot under the table. "Ten yuan a night, plus extra for meals, that's at least twenty a day, that's not bad."

The village chief took a puff of his pipe, ignoring his wife, and said, "Most of the houses here are mud houses, and I guess you won't be used to them. Zhang Qiang's family at the end of the village built a new house last year. His son and daughter-in-law have gone out to work, so the rooms are probably empty. I'll go ask them for you."

"Thank you so much." Shu Yan had actually noticed the commotion under the table, but she pretended not to know it.

They plan to stay for three to five days this time. They don't mind staying in mud houses, but it would be better if they could find new houses.

After walking for two or three minutes, they came to a two-story building with three rooms. The village chief explained their purpose, and Zhang Qiang's wife warmly invited them inside.

The middle half of the room had a staircase leading to a bathroom. The left half was the bedroom, where Zhang Qiang and his wife lived, while the outer half was used to store hoes and crops. The right half was the kitchen, and the outer half was the dining room. In the countryside at that time, there was no concept of a living room; the half in front of the stairs, with a few chairs, served as the best living room for guests to sit and chat.

There are four rooms and one bathroom on the second floor. Except for the inner half of the right-hand room, the other rooms are unfurnished.

"This is my son's room. I packed up his things after they left. I washed the blankets and sheets, and I'll make the room for you," Zhang Qiang's wife said warmly.

Her son and daughter-in-law work away from home, and together they only earn 500 yuan a month. These people only pay 10 yuan for one night's stay, and they even pay for their meals separately. Where else can you find such a good deal?

Shu Yan glanced at Fang Zeyu. The village chief had just misunderstood them as a couple. Shu Yan figured they were only staying for a few days, and explaining might attract too much gossip, so she acquiesced. She hadn't expected there to be only one room here, which was a bit awkward.

"What's wrong? I clean this room regularly, it's always spotless." Zhang Qiang's wife thought they were disgusted by the room.

"Nothing else, this room is very nice. We'll book it for four days first, and we'll let you know if we want to stay longer," Shu Yan quickly said with a smile.

When Fang Zeyu saw the village chief off, he slipped him two packs of cigarettes. After all, it's never wrong to be polite.

There is a restroom, but it doesn't have a flush toilet; it has a wooden toilet. There's also no sink. The only good thing is that the water is running; otherwise, you'd have to carry water up to wash your face and brush your teeth.

"I just asked the village chief, and they say you can rent boats here. I'll go out and ask around to see if we can go out to sea these next few days. If we can, we'll go tomorrow," Fang Zeyu said.

"You should rest for a while too. It's still early, no need to rush." ​​Five days is more than enough time to explore this small fishing village.

"It's alright, I'm not tired. You guys rest. I'll take a walk around the neighborhood and see if any boats that have gone out to sea are coming back so I can buy some fresh seafood."

Upon hearing about seafood, Tianbao's eyes lit up; he really loves seafood.

The small fishing village was very quiet, with only a few children occasionally running and laughing by. Fang Zeyu smiled slightly and walked briskly toward the dock.

Luckily, a fishing boat returned, and Fang Zeyu went up to ask them if they had any privately rented boats to take them fishing.

“We have one in our fleet. Of course, not this kind of big boat. You can rent a smaller one for two hundred yuan a time. You can cast the net three times, and we’ll give you whatever we catch. The weather has been good these past few days, and we can go out to sea tomorrow.” It’s easy to take a few people out fishing; we just need to go near the shore.

"Alright, then it's settled." Fang Zeyu paid the deposit, looked at the seafood they were carrying down, and asked with a smile, "Do you sell this seafood in small quantities? I'll buy some to try first."

"If you don't mind, I'll get you some smaller ones, you can just take them." Seafood is divided into sizes and quality. The larger, fresh ones are picked out and sold, while the smaller ones, those that are about to die, are picked out and given to everyone, either for personal consumption or as gifts.

The fishing village has no shortage of seafood. They've been eating it since they were little and are tired of it. Many families dry it into dried seafood, which is a respectable gift when visiting relatives.

"No way. You went through so much trouble to catch them, you still have to pay them." Fang Zeyu wouldn't take advantage of them like that.

The boatman picked out a little of everything and gave it to Fang Zeyu, stuffing it directly into his hand: "We can't finish all this stuff even if we take it back, it's not worth much. Don't be late for 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. By the way, do you know how to ride a boat? If not, you'd better take seasickness medicine first."

"I'll go back and ask." Fang Zeyu hadn't actually asked about this before.

Zhang Qiang brought back a large bag of seafood, and his wife immediately took it from him, saying, "Go upstairs and rest. I'll cook dinner and bring it up."

"Then I'll trouble you." Fang Zeyu went upstairs to wash his hands and feet before entering the room.

Shu Yan knows how to travel by boat, and the two children have no problem traveling by car or plane, so they should be fine traveling by boat too, right? Shu Yan hesitated for a moment and decided to bring seasickness medicine tomorrow, just in case.

A large table was laden with seafood, all freshly caught. The whole family enjoyed the meal immensely, especially Tianbao, whose face was covered in seafood.

"Mom, when can we come again?"

"You've only just arrived today and you're already thinking about coming again?" Shu Yan poked his forehead. "I haven't treated you badly at home, have I?"

Tianbao loves seafood, and Jingjing likes it quite a bit too. Hu Ruixue often brings them seafood, both fresh and dried. They cook seafood almost every day, so how can they still crave it so much?

"This one tastes better."

"You're just trying something new. Try eating it for five days in a row and see if you still like it." Shu Yan peeled a shrimp and put it in his bowl. "Eat quickly, and then we'll go for a walk on the beach."

Zhang Qiang's mother gave Shu Yan directions. It was about a kilometer west of their house, where there was a fine sandy beach. The sun was just about to set, making it the perfect time for a walk.

Shu Yan and Fang Zeyu held hands, Fang Zeyu held Tianbao's hand, and Shu Yan held Jingjing's hand. The four of them stood in a row, barefoot, and walked slowly on the beach.

A gentle breeze blew by, and looking at the beautiful sunset, Shu Yan suddenly felt incredibly happy. Fang Zeyu felt the same way; he never dreamed that one day he could hold the hand of his beloved girl, with two adorable children, and stroll together on the beach at sunset.

"Mom, look, a crab."

Tianbao pulled Fang Zeyu over to catch crabs, while Shuyan and Jingjing picked up seashells on the side. Jingjing said she wanted to collect more to make bracelets and wind chimes, to give to her classmates and Duoduo.

As dusk fell, the group returned to Zhang Qiang's house, their bags full. The man, whom they hadn't seen during the day, was finally back and greeted Shu Yan and the others shyly.

Shu Yan and the two children slept in bed, while Fang Zeyu slept on a makeshift bed on the floor. They slept until dawn, then got up early to go to the dock to prepare for their sea voyage.

As it turned out, Fang Zeyu and the two children were fine, but Shu Yan herself got seasick. She forgot that she herself didn't get seasick, but it was the original owner's first time on a boat.

After taking two seasickness pills, Shu Yan felt drowsy. Fang Zeyu took off his coat and spread it on the deck so she could lie down and rest.

"Should we turn back?" Fang Zeyu asked worriedly, noticing Shu Yan's pale face.

"No, it's rare for us to get out, and the children are so happy. I'm fine, I've already taken my medicine, I'll be alright in a bit." Shu Yan found a comfortable position. "I'm so sleepy, I'll take a nap first, you watch the children."

The boat didn't go very far, and it cast its net three times. I don't know if it was because the captain was conscientious or because the seafood was plentiful at the time, but they caught a lot of seafood.

Jingjing and Tianbao had a great time playing, running around on the bed. Fang Zeyu kept a close eye on them the whole time, while Shuyan slept all the way back to sleep.

Fang Zeyu paid the remaining money, gave them two packs of cigarettes, and then took Shuyan, the children, and the seafood back home.

Shu Yan felt like she was floating as she walked. Seasickness was so unbearable; she never wanted to experience it again in her life.

The next day, they went out to sea to the nearest small island. Shu Yan had taken seasickness medicine in advance and felt much better than the day before. After arriving on the island, she relaxed for a while and then felt energetic. She followed the children to dig holes and build stoves, while Fang Zeyu followed the fishermen to catch fish and crabs.

After playing here for four days in a row, Tianbao, who always loves seafood, suddenly said he wanted to eat meat, which made Shuyan very happy.

"We're going back to Nancheng tomorrow afternoon, and Auntie will cook you something delicious then." Shu Yan felt that Tianbao had gotten sick of eating because he didn't carve any words for himself.

Fang Zeyu tried to stop her, but Shu Yan stopped him. She planned to teach him a lesson he would never forget: anything in excess is bad, and even the most delicious food will become tiresome if eaten too much.

On the fifth day, Fang Zeyu took his two children out to sea again, caught a lot of fresh seafood, packed it up box by box, and the group returned to Nancheng.

Regardless of whether Hu Ruixue needed this or not, Shu Yan definitely had to deliver it first. She also gave some to Lao Zhang, Lin Hui, and even Sister Zhang. She also sent a box to Zhang Huaxiu, since she couldn't eat crabs, so Shu Yan gave her shrimp.

The remaining two boxes were just enough for Fang Zeyu and her to each take one box.

"No need for me, Grandma is old and seafood is too cold for her. I can't eat much by myself either. You can have it all, Tianbao loves it."

"Uncle Fang, Tianbao doesn't like to eat seafood anymore." Tianbao wrinkled his nose when seafood was mentioned; he'd really gotten tired of it these past few days.

"You can leave them here with me. You can eat here later too." Shu Yan didn't refuse him and let her aunt take them inside.

Fang Zeyu likes Shu Yan's rudeness towards him, which shows that the two have a close relationship.

The pleasant holiday was over, and it was time to go back to work. As soon as Shu Yan arrived at the company, she saw a huge bouquet of roses at the front desk, at least several hundred of them. Who was so generous as to send so many roses in this day and age? Judging from the variety, they seemed to be from abroad.