Chapter 40

It was still dark and Jian Lu got up with great difficulty. She ate the breakfast that Cheng Zheng had prepared twenty minutes in advance, packed up everything, and followed him out.

At this time, everyone in the family compound was still asleep and there was silence all around. Only Cheng Zheng was carrying tools and going downstairs side by side with Jian Lu.

The night was quiet and deep. Jian Lu seldom went out at this time. Walking on the road, she didn't expect that she could see the sea at four o'clock in the morning.

You know, in her previous life, she didn't want to get up early to watch the sunrise even when she went hiking. She could choose not to watch the sunrise, but she had to sleep. If there weren't so few activities in the 1970s, she wouldn't have bothered to join in the fun.

"Ah~" Jian Lu yawned. She was not fully awake yet and only felt the breeze brushing past her ears.

"You haven't woken up yet?" Cheng Zheng gathered her clothes. It was still a little cold at the beach in the early morning, so they both wore thicker coats today.

"Soon." Jian Lu answered casually.

As we walked out of the courtyard, we saw more and more people on the road, mostly people who came to join in the fun. Each of them was carrying a bucket with a lot of tools in it, and it was obvious that they came prepared.

As more people came, Jian Lu gradually sobered up. The air in the early morning was good, and taking a breath felt like the whole person was stretched. Looking at the sea in the dark night, Jian Lu couldn't help but wonder, who has seen the beach at four o'clock in the morning? Now I have seen it!

The closer you get to the sea, the more obvious this feeling becomes.

As the waves hit, the shellfish in the sea are washed onto the beach, and when the tide recedes, they are left there.

The beach was obviously wet with traces of seawater and the sand was soft. At this point, there were already a few fishermen searching for seafood with shovels on the beach.

"So many people are here?" Jian Lu suddenly cheered up and hurried forward, pulling Cheng Zheng's hand. "Hurry up, or all the good stuff will be gone soon."

Cheng Zheng found it funny to see his wife suddenly "wake up". He put the wooden barrel on the ground, took out two pairs of gloves and handed one to her. "Are you worried now?"

Jian Lu put on gloves, bent down and picked out the shovel from the bucket, eager to try, "We have to be impatient, we can't go back empty-handed."

"Don't worry, it's not enough." Although Cheng Zheng has never participated in it, it's not that bad.

The two of them squatted on the beach, a few meters apart, each holding a shovel and digging in the mud and sand, with a bucket on each side. Jian Lu was very interested, and soon she saw a white clam, a small white shell.

"Brother Cheng, look, I picked up a white clam!" Jian Lu pinched the two ends of the white clam with her thumb and index finger and lifted it up excitedly.

"Great, Lulu." Cheng Zheng looked at his wife who was a few meters away. She was wearing a blue plaid thin cotton jacket today, a red and white plaid silk scarf around her neck, and her hair was combed loosely, with some strands hanging down to her cheeks. The excitement on her face was obvious because she had picked up something good, like a child seeking praise.

With a clang, the white clams were thrown into the wooden barrel.

Soon, white clams, giant clams, and sea cucumbers were thrown into the bucket...

The harvest was rich. Jian Lu was already immersed in it. She worked vigorously with her hands and gradually moved her position.

Near the seashore, the shallow sea water was surging, and slender mantis shrimps were swimming in the water. Wearing gloves, Jian Lu grabbed the mantis shrimps and threw them back into the bucket swiftly.

On the other side, Cheng Zheng held up a crab that looked like a swimming crab, "You like to eat it."

"Swimming crabs!" Jian Lu nodded vigorously and asked him to find more places to catch.

The two worked for more than an hour and filled half a bucket with white clams, Manila clams, swimming crabs, and mantis shrimps. Jian Lu also found a small octopus, which was trying to move towards the low tide in the sea with its claws and fangs bared.

Looking at its little appearance, Jian Lu let it go.

"That's a lot." Cheng Zheng estimated the weight of the wooden bucket, which must be about 700 kilograms. "If you want to buy these, you have to spend a few cents at the seafood stand."

Cheng Zheng was talking about the price seriously, but Jian Lu wanted to laugh when she heard it. Seafood that was expensive in the past is really too cheap now. Many of them are only a few cents per pound, and those that can be sold for a dime per pound are extremely rare.

"So, Captain Cheng, you have quite a bit of money on your hands, so you have to be careful."

Cheng Zheng smiled cheerfully, "Then my burden is really heavy, are you going back?"

"Wait a minute." Jian Lu finally came out to join the fishing, so she couldn't go back so soon. There were some beautiful shells on the beach not far away. She had been busy looking for seafood just now, so she had to pick up some other ones now.

The color and texture of the shells that are washed onto the beach during high tide are obviously much better than usual.

Colorful shells swayed in the surging sea water, orange polka dot shells, green spiral shells, white striped shells, yellow wavy shells...

Jian Lu picked up a large handful, estimated to be more than twenty, each with beautiful colors and patterns.

The fisherman's wife nearby saw it and came over to take a look, "My dear lady, why are you picking this up? Find something more edible."

"Auntie, I know, I picked up a lot of food. This, I picked up for fun."

The aunt listened and looked at Jian Lu again, thinking that this girl was just like a child, still playing with shells at such an age, "Do you want this? I picked it up for my grandchildren, I'll give you some."

"No, no, no." How could Jian Lu compete with someone's grandchildren for shells? If she told others about it, she would be laughed at.

Besides, is that just a little?

The aunt was particularly generous. She scooped up a handful of about twenty shells, starfish, and conchs and threw them into Jian Lu's bucket. "Here, our kids love to play with them, too."

Jian Lu declined but kept thanking her. However, looking at her aunt's back as she left, she always felt like a naughty child.

Adults can play too! Especially those who traveled through time and space and have no entertainment options!

"What's the point of picking up so many of these?" Cheng Zheng didn't quite understand why people picked up shells, since they could eat other things. After the lady left, he asked the question.

"You don't understand!" Jian Lu felt that this man had no romantic spirit at all. "You can use it as a decoration. When the time comes, find some ropes to string it into a fishing net and hang the shells on it. It will look so pretty."

Cheng Zheng really wanted to ask, is that so?

However, looking at his wife's eyes which were already sparkling with stars, he didn't say anything else, but just nodded.

There was a lot of sand on the rain boots. The two walked back and forth on the beach. They were a little tired at this moment. Like other fishermen who were preparing to pack up and go home, they went to the beach to wash their rain boots in the sea water, feeling the sea water flowing slowly, submerging their ankles, gentle and comfortable. From time to time, shrimps, crabs and clams floated in the water. Jian Lu suddenly felt that this was also good. Happiness was simple and life was peaceful.

Suddenly, a ray of light broke through the surface of the sea, shedding spots of golden light. Jian Lu raised her head abruptly and looked into the distance. A red sun rose from the rippling sea surface, and thousands of golden rays shot everywhere like sharp arrows, tearing through the darkness.

In an instant, the sky brightened and the sun rose. Jian Lu and Cheng Zheng stood on the beach. The fishermen squatting on the beach searching for shrimps and crabs all looked into the distance unconsciously.

"It's so beautiful." Jian Lu stared at the distance, where the red sun was dazzling.

Cheng Zheng looked at his wife beside him. The morning sun shone down, and the warm golden light climbed up Jian Lu's eyes and eyebrows, caressing her dark and smooth hair, outlining her beautiful face, bright and dazzling.

"It is very beautiful."

Jian Lu looked at the morning sun for a long time, her eyes filled with red sunlight, and then she heard Cheng Zheng's invitation ringing in her ears.

"Do you like it? If you like, we can come to watch the sun rise anytime." Cheng Zheng rarely saw such an infatuated look on Jian Lu's face. Her eyes were full of joy.

He thought that his wife must like watching the sun rise.

Who knows, Jian Lu tilted her head to look at him, shook her head and said, "No."

Cheng Zheng: “…?”

"I don't want to get up so early. Do you know how tiring it is to get up early?" Jian Lu only needs to do it once. She will freeze this beautiful scene. "I will always remember the scene just now. If I have to get up so early to watch it again, forget it."

"It seems like your liking is just a normal liking?"

"Hmm!" Jian Lu bumped into Cheng Zheng and told him to leave. She ran a few steps and looked back at him. "This kind of love is good only once. Once you've experienced it, it's deep in your memory. Some love lasts a lifetime. Don't you agree, Brother Cheng?"

Cheng Zheng looked at the girl in front of him, and then she looked back at him. She had a bright smile on her face, and her eyes were full of smiles, looking straight at him. In the early morning, Captain Cheng suddenly felt his face getting hot, and his Adam's apple was rolling, but he couldn't say anything, so he just tried his best to reply with one word.

"Um."

——

On the way home, Cheng Zheng was carrying a bucket full of seafood and shells in one hand and a bucket full of fishing tools in the other. Jian Lu walked leisurely beside him, wanting to help, but was ruthlessly rejected by the man.

"You are of no use to me."

Jian Lu pouted, "I'm just asking casually. I know you won't agree."

Cheng Zheng raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect her to answer like this. "What if I just asked you to propose one?"

"That's fine, as long as you have the heart to do it." Jian Lu found that Cheng Zheng was determined not to let her do anything. As long as it was something he could do, he would never let Jian Lu do it, except cooking. Cheng Zheng was really incapable of cooking. He could barely avoid making a mess in the kitchen, but his cooking skills were very average.

In this regard, he also consciously acted as a tool to help.

“Then I really can’t bear it.”

Cheng Zheng answered very confidently this time, which surprised Jian Lu. Why did this guy suddenly become so shameless?

When the two returned to their family compound, most of the people in the compound had already woken up. Seeing that the young couple had returned with a great harvest, they couldn't help but look at them a few times.

"Captain Cheng, Comrade Xiao Jian, are you guys in good spirits? Are you going to catch the sea?"

"Let me see what you picked up. Wow, there are quite a lot of things."

"Sister-in-law, would you like some?" Cheng Zheng was not a stingy person. He immediately put the bucket in front of her and let her take whatever she wanted.

"No, no, you guys picked them up early in the morning, how can I take them?"

No matter how cheap seafood is, it is still edible and worth some money. However, shells are not worth much. Jian Lu generously distributed shells to the children in the family yard. This time the shells were particularly beautiful and the children were very excited.

"Thank you, Aunt Lulu!"

"Aunt Lulu, you are so nice!"

Even the most mischievous little boys in the yard came over, gathered around the bucket, and reached out to pick up the shells to have a look.

"How do you get the shells?" Dunzi had a grudge against these kids, and now it was like they were enemies meeting on a narrow road.

"What do you care?" The black monkey-like kid in the lead glared back at Dunzi, "It's not yours!"

"Xiaodong, you guys pick whatever you like." Jian Lu heard the quarrel and turned around to see the three children, who looked to be only six or seven years old. They were usually naughty and would not play with other children in the yard. Sometimes they would even pull the little girl's braid.

"Okay!" They didn't like Dunzi, and knew that Aunt Jianlu had a good relationship with Dunzi's family, but since there were some beautiful shells, they would miss them, so each of them picked two and ran away.

Dunzi was so angry that he pulled Jianlu's sleeve and complained, "Aunt Lulu, they didn't even say thank you! How rude!"

Jian Lu touched Dunzi's little head and felt that those children were a little wild, but they were all from martyr families and their fathers were sacrificed soldiers, so such a situation was foreseeable.

It must be difficult for a child to grow up since his father has sacrificed his life.

Jian Lu watched the backs of the people leaving without paying any attention. She turned sideways and saw Wu Xiangchen, the son of Chief of Staff Wu of the Fourth Regiment, sitting in the crowd on the first floor.

She remembered that the child was timid and introverted. He never played with other children and often stayed at home. She heard that he was a precocious child and very hardworking. He loved to help with housework at the age of six.

At this moment he quietly squeezed into the crowd and looked into the bucket eagerly. When he saw the colorful shells, his eyes lit up, but he just took a look and did not squeeze forward.

The other children in the yard already had at least one shell each. Seeing this, Jian Lu took three shells and walked towards Wu Xiangchen, "Wu Xiangchen, take a few too."

Wu Xiangchen was suddenly called out, and as if startled, he raised his head and looked at the aunt in front of him. He stared at her with a vigilant look for a while, then shook his head and said, "No."

A mosquito-like sound passed by, and before Jian Lu could react, she ran back home.

A lot of things were distributed in the family building. Cheng Zheng and Jian Lu took the things home and prepared to have Liang Haisheng and Xu Lang's family over for lunch at noon.

Hearing that Captain Cheng and his wife had brought back a lot of good things, Cui Yuhe, who had just finished her confinement, was the most excited. Although she couldn't eat much, it looked delicious. The whole family came over to help and brought half a chicken.

In the kitchen, Jian Lu and Feng Xiuhui were busy cooking. They originally didn't want Cui Yuhe to help, but she had been lying in bed for a month and was feeling suffocated all over.

"Let me do something, my butt is already full." She took over Cheng Zheng's role as the garlic peeling boy at home. Cheng Zheng was arranged by Jian Lu to go outside to pick mantis shrimps.

Feng Xiuhui made coconut chicken. She poured coconut water and coconut meat into a boiling iron pot and stewed them. After the water boiled, she added chicken cubes and simmered them. After she was done, she looked back and said, "That's not bad. A big butt is good for fertility."

Cui Yuhe peeled garlic and shook her head, "I won't have a baby in the next two years. But I want a concubine."

"That's hard to say. How can you just want a lady?"

Cui Yuhe asked again, "Then are you still going to have a baby?"

When Feng Xiuhui gave birth to Dunzi, she had a difficult delivery and almost lost her life. Liang Haisheng was so worried that he immediately announced that he would not have any more children. Not long after that, he had a sterilization. However, not many people knew about this, not even Liang Haisheng's parents.

Feng Xiuhui still wanted to have a baby. She only had one child at home, and she felt uncomfortable seeing other families with three or four children. Her parents-in-law didn't say anything because they lived far away from her, but her own parents had mentioned it to her several times, saying that no family had only one child, and it was unacceptable. They told her to hold on tight.

"Let's talk about it later. Our Mr. Liang is not very willing." Feng Xiuhui lowered her voice because she was worried that people outside might hear her.

Jian Lu only found out not long ago that Political Commissar Liang had gone for a sterilization. It was quite rare to see a man who could get a sterilization in this day and age. The key point was that this man was worried that it would be dangerous for his wife to get pregnant and give birth again, so she immediately looked up to him.

"In fact, it's good to have one child, and Dunzi is a sensible child." Jian Lu knew that times were different and people's minds were different. Having only one child made Feng Xiuhui feel a little ashamed. "Raising a child well is also a great achievement."

"What can I achieve? All I want is to grow up healthy. I don't have any big ambitions." Feng Xiuhui smiled bitterly.

Chief of Staff Xu's mother was taking care of the children, three women were talking in the kitchen, three men were talking in the living room, and each of them was brushing swimming crabs and mantis shrimps one by one with a brush.

"It's really not easy to eat a shrimp or a crab." Political Commissar Liang used force in his hands to pick up a mantis shrimp and brush it.

"No, I'd rather eat pork!" Xu Lang suddenly asked, thinking of something, "Do you have any bacon left at home? Give me a piece."

"no!"

"no!"

Cheng Zheng and Liang Haisheng said the same thing, which made Xu Lang dissatisfied.

"What's going on? You're hiding it from your brother, right?"

"Is it really finished? It's been a few months, where can we get more?" Liang Haisheng threw the last mantis shrimp back into the basin after scrubbing it several times, and asked Dunzi to send it to the chefs in the kitchen. "I'll have my family smoke some for the New Year this year. By the way, Lao Cheng, are you going home this year? If you do, just bring it to me."

Cheng Zheng held the swimming crab in his hand, brushing it over and over again, and replied, "I was going to go back this year, but my mom said she wanted to stay here for a while, so I didn't go back."

"Hey, Aunt Wang is coming? That's perfect. Let's take the old lady here for a while. It's just the right time to hide from the winter."

A few days ago, Jian Lu was very happy to learn that her mother-in-law was coming to celebrate the New Year, and she was already busy decorating the second bedroom for her.

"Your mother-in-law can come and help the family, so you can feel more at ease." Cui Yuhe's family has a harmonious relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, mainly because she gave birth to two sons. Her mother-in-law was very satisfied and did her best to take care of her during the confinement period.

"There's not a lot to do at home. It's gone after me and Team Leader Cheng were sharing it."

Jian Lu was chatting idly with her two sisters-in-law, but her hands were not idle as she was preparing to make pepper and salt mantis shrimp.

Wash and clean the mantis shrimp, fry them in oil until golden brown, remove from the pan and set aside. Chop the green and red peppers into small pieces, flatten the ginger and garlic and chop them into small pieces, chop the green onions into florets, pour all the seasonings into hot oil and stir-fry until fragrant. Finally, add the fried mantis shrimp, stir-fry and sprinkle with pepper and salt.

The originally green mantis shrimp turned red and white, looking very tempting.

When Dunzi saw his mother bringing out the salt and pepper mantis shrimp, he and Hengheng gathered around the dining table and couldn't help wanting to eat it.

Forget it, just bear with it for a while.

The two children came to the plate and took a deep sniff. It smelled so good.

More than a dozen swimming crabs were steamed in the pot fifteen minutes ago. Jian Lu looked at the time and opened the lid of the pot. She saw that the originally green swimming crabs had changed color and turned light red all over. They were put into the plate one by one. On the other side, Feng Xiuhui's boiled vegetables had also been taken out of the pot and put on the plate.

On the square table, red swimming crabs occupied the middle position, stacked one on top of the other, with salt and pepper mantis shrimps next to them. Coconut chicken emitting an alluring fragrance was placed in front of Cui Yuhe, who had just finished her confinement. A cold chicken and a boiled vegetable mixed with soy sauce were placed on both sides.

After a busy period, everyone finally started.

Jian Lu was so excited when she looked at her masterpiece that she reached out and picked up a salt and pepper mantis shrimp. This time, the mantis shrimp they picked were big in size, crispy on the outside, and the sections of the shrimp looked particularly tempting. After removing the shrimp head and peeling off the shell, a long strip of whole shrimp meat was revealed inside. The big mantis shrimp had tender and sweet meat, with plenty of shrimp roe hidden in the middle.

After the sweet taste of shrimp meat, the plump shrimp roe competes for the taste buds. One bite after another, the delicious taste is endless, and it is very satisfying to eat.

"This mantis shrimp is so delicious, so fresh." Feng Xiuhui was not very good at peeling the shells at first, and did not keep the shrimp meat intact, but after learning from Jian Lu, she almost got the hang of it.

Everyone at the table was busy eating, except Cui Yuhe, who ate two pieces symbolically and dared not eat any more. Her mother-in-law supervised her and asked her to drink more chicken soup.

Cheng Zheng opened the shell of the red swimming crab with one hand, revealing the crab roe inside.

"Wow, this crab has so much roe!" Jian Lu took a look while eating the crab meat. Cheng Zheng was lucky as he picked a swimming crab with particularly much roe, so she urged him to taste it quickly.

After all, Chief of Staff Xu had just opened a swimming crab with not that much roe and lost badly.

Cheng Zheng tore off the crab shell and put it on the table. The white crab meat and the yellow crab roe were very tempting. He took a bite. The crab roe was plump and the crab meat was salty and tender. The taste was really excellent, worthy of getting up early this morning.

The fresh seafood was sweet and tender, and everyone at the table was very satisfied.

In response, Liang Haisheng and Xu Lang said that next time they would also go to the sea to pick up more good things and eat them together.

——

Jian Lu's reputation as a seafood expert spread in the family compound, and many people came to ask for advice. In the past, everyone would simply cook seafood whole, sometimes without washing it thoroughly, so it tasted rather rough, and the fishy smell was not removed, which always made it taste unappetizing.

Now I smell the fragrance coming from Jian Lu's house, and I feel greedy too.

Jian Lu is not one to keep things to herself. She shares all the delicious food she has! Delicious food should be enjoyed by everyone.

Even some people from the supply and marketing cooperative became curious, especially Sun Qiuyue, who hoped to cook it for her daughter when she got home.

Jian Lu, who has recently become a recipe sharing master, is very busy. Her lips are almost dry and she can only moisten her lips with the clam oil she carries with her.

"You guys are very particular about eating." Qiu Sifeng originally wanted to learn a few tricks, but when she heard that a lot of oil would be needed, she backed off, "Wouldn't you feel bad if you put so much oil in it?"

"It's enough to have enough to eat every month. Our supply and marketing cooperative also has opportunities for internal purchases." Jian Lu found out after coming to the supply and marketing cooperative that the welfare there is really good. Nowadays, every household has a limit on the quantity and tickets for everything. It's not enough to eat at all, and there is no way to get some extra food unless you take the risk and go to the black market. But if you are caught, you will be considered as profiteering.

It's okay for other people, but if a soldier's family commits such a crime, it will directly affect the soldier's future. This method doesn't work, and the internal welfare of the supply and marketing cooperative becomes extremely precious.

Now, Jian Lu can buy some extra oil and flour from the supply and marketing cooperative every month, so she can eat well even though her life is tight.

Qiu Sifeng, however, doesn't buy much because she saves money.

"You just got married and don't know how to be the head of the household. When your mother-in-law comes, be careful that she sees you or she will lecture you every day." Qiu Sifeng had heard that Jian Lu's mother-in-law was coming to visit. What daughter-in-law could cook with so much oil in front of her mother-in-law? It was simply asking for a beating.

Jian Lu did not comment. She suddenly remembered that Aunt Wang was indeed a very frugal person and she would not really have a conflict with her mother-in-law.

I can't think about this matter. If I think about it, I will worry. Forget it. If there is a problem, I will let Cheng Zheng solve it.

......

The Chinese New Year is just over a month away. Recently, more and more people have come to the supply and marketing cooperatives to prepare New Year's goods. The melon seeds, peanuts, pastries counters and the fabric counters have become the busiest.

Jian Lu weighed out half a pound of peach cakes and half a pound of peanut candy. Without even looking up, she glanced at the next customer with her peripheral vision, "What do you want to buy?"

"I want a pound of peach cakes, a pound of egg cakes, a pound of sesame cakes, and a pound of fruit candies."

"good..."

Jian Lu felt the voice sounded familiar, so she looked up and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of her - Cai Xiujuan.

After not seeing each other for a while, Cai Xiujuan cut her two braids and now has short hair that reaches her ears, neat and tidy. She is standing in front of Jian Lu wearing a thin black jacket and leading her daughter.

"Sister Jian Lu."

"Sister Xiujuan, are you back?"

Cai Xiujuan arrived, and the other three also looked over. There was nothing they could do. The scene of her beating someone in the supply and marketing cooperative was too shocking and they could not forget it even if they wanted to.

"Yes, Sister Jian Lu, I brought my daughter here." Cai Xiujuan glanced at the daughter and whispered to Jian Lu, "We are here to handle the divorce procedures."

Jian Lu understood. Liu Santong must have been under trial before, so it would not be convenient for him to get a divorce. Because of the children, she just nodded and didn't say anything more.

After Jian Lu finished her busiest day, she gave two candies from her pocket to Cai Xiujuan's daughter. The little girl was curious and wandered around the supply and marketing cooperative, which gave her mother and Jian Lu a chance to talk.

"I left in a hurry last time and was taken back by my family. Later, my daughter Duoduo fell ill again and is just getting better now. I have been delayed and have not had time to say thank you to you." Cai Xiujuan now thinks that it was thanks to Jian Lu's question that she discovered that Liu Santong was having an affair outside. It was also the same when she beat someone up in the supply and marketing cooperative. She was almost led into a trap by Liu Santong, and it was also this salesperson who helped her and advised her to calm down.

The snacks she just bought were packed in several oil paper bags. She handed them to Jian Lu and said, "I bought these especially for you. I came here in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare them. Don't mind."

How could Jian Lu collect so many things? Everyone was not rich. These things were not just about money. She also used up a lot of snack tickets that were only issued during the Chinese New Year, which were all precious.

The two pushed and shoved each other, and in the end Jian Lu couldn't persuade Cai Xiujuan and had to accept the things.

However, she called Duoduo over and gave her a piece of peach cake. Duoduo looked at her mother first, and only took the peach cake after her mother nodded, and thanked Aunt Jianlu sweetly.

Cai Xiujuan told Jian Lu that she was now living in her parents' home. Although divorce was rare in the area, it was a bit embarrassing to go back like this, but fortunately her family didn't mind, except that her mother secretly wiped away tears a few times. Even if someone in the commune talked about it, she just pretended not to hear it.

"I plan to raise fish with my brothers in the future. I can't just go back to my parents' home and eat for free. It would be bad if my brother and sister-in-law quarreled because of me." Cai Xiujuan has a large family, with three older brothers, a younger brother and a younger sister. When she divorced and returned home, her parents and brothers didn't say anything, but her eldest and second sisters-in-law had some opinions.

"That's your specialty."

After all, not everyone can accept a married sister-in-law returning to her parents' home, and some people think that divorced people are unlucky. Cai Xiujuan didn't tell Jian Lu in detail. In fact, during the time she was back, the eldest and second sisters-in-law had quarreled with the eldest and second brothers several times. "I want to save some money and move out with Duoduo, so as to avoid trouble at home."

Jian Lu looked at the refreshed Cai Xiujuan and admired her very much. A native of the 1970s had the courage and bravery to get a divorce. You know, the spit from outside could drown a person.

Before leaving, Cai Xiujuan went to buy some food to bring back for her nephews and nieces. Duoduo quietly walked to Jian Lu's side, spread her fingers apart, and put a small round object inside.

"Aunt Lulu, this is for you." Duoduo remembered her mother. Aunt Lulu was a good person. Her mother wanted to give Aunt Lulu something. She wanted to give something too.

Jian Lu raised her hand and saw that it was actually a pearl!

The round and smooth pearl lay in Jian Lu's palm. Upon closer inspection, it was small and dark in color. It was certainly not as lustrous and delicate as the pearls of later generations, but it was still rare today.

After all, Jian Lu has never seen pearls since she traveled here.

Where did this little girl come from?

When Cai Xiujuan came back from shopping, she found Jian Lu talking to the lady. When she looked again, she found that the lady had actually given someone a pearl.

"I gave it to her to play with. We had a few clams in our pond and I raised them for fun."

Keep it for fun!

Jian Lu looked over in shock. Comrade Cai Xiujuan, are you raising this for fun? That's a pearl!

"Sister Xiujuan, do you know how to grow pearls?" Jian Lu knew that growing pearls required a high level of technical skills, especially in this day and age. Many people probably didn't know how to do it, otherwise pearls wouldn't be so in high demand.

"Just raise them casually. I grew up by the river. We used to have a big lake. I've loved studying these since I was a kid."

Cai Xiujuan, raising pearls? Something flashed through Jian Lu's mind. Could it be that the future Pearl King mentioned in the original book was her?

Jian Lu remembered that the book mentioned the Pearl King, a hardworking and wealthy lesbian, whose last name seemed to be Cai? Her memory was vague, but now she could roughly recall that the book said that this Pearl King was abandoned by her husband when she was in her thirties and lived alone with her daughter. She accidentally studied pearl cultivation and took many detours. In the end, she cultivated high-quality pearls, which not only brought wealth to her hometown, but also helped many lesbians to become pearl cultivation workers, earning a considerable daily income.

Although he started late due to life difficulties in the past, he finally accomplished something great.

"Are you still raising it now?"

"Why do you raise this? Duoduo already has several to play with." Cai Xiujuan didn't know why Jian Lu suddenly asked this.

Because she and Duoduo were in a hurry to go back, there would be no boat if they were late, so Jian Lu couldn't say much at the moment. She just briefly mentioned the matter of raising pearls to make money, which surprised Cai Xiujuan. After the surprise, she became interested. Any job that can make money is a good job.

Finally, the two of them made an appointment. Four days later, Jian Lu took a day off and went to the county town. She remembered that the pearl king's rise to fame started from selling pearls to medical companies, so she might as well go and find out more about the situation.

Now that I have changed her fate and allowed her to divorce eight years earlier, I might as well help her get her career on the right track sooner.

——

Four days later, Jian Lu prepared to take a boat out of the island to the county town during a day off at the supply and marketing cooperative. Private transactions were not allowed now, and even if she raised pearls, she could not sell them directly to individuals, but they could be purchased and sold in bulk. Today, pearls are still a famous medicinal material. The pearls raised by Cai Xiujuan that day were of ordinary color, and might not be suitable for making jewelry, but they should be able to be used as medicine.

When Cheng Zheng learned that his wife was going to leave the island, he thought she was going to the department store to buy something, but unfortunately he had a training mission in the army.

"Are you going alone?" Cheng Zheng was a little worried. Although his wife had been here for almost a year, he always felt that he had to follow her to feel at ease.

Jian Lu ignored the man's worry and said, "Captain Cheng, don't worry, I know the way, I can read and speak."

Cheng Zheng couldn't defend his wife, so he just told her to put the money and tickets in the inner pocket of her coat and be careful on the way. "Nowadays there are still people who kidnap women and children. Don't go with strangers, understand?"

Jian Lu, who is already 20 years old: "..."

It feels like I'm being treated like a three-year-old child. Could this guy be the legendary dad-like boyfriend?

"I know, I know. I know everything. You should go to the army now." Jian Lu pushed the person out of the door. She said she disliked him, but she felt warm in her heart. She followed him out.

After leaving the island by boat, Jian Lu met Cai Xiujuan at the door of the agreed department store. Jian Lu briefly told her about pearl farming. Cai Xiujuan's family farmed fish. She grew up by the water and knew how to row a boat and farm fish. Nowadays, river clams, which are despised by every household, are used to feed chickens and ducks. She was young and curious, so she farmed river clams for fun. By accident, she never thought that a few months later, she would find pearls growing inside.

However, the pearl was small and dark in color, and no one in the family took it seriously. Only she liked it, and oh, her daughter liked it too.

When Cai Xiujuan heard Comrade Jian Lu say that she could make money by raising Zhenzhu, she couldn't believe it but also had a secret expectation.

The two of them asked around and found the H City Pharmaceutical Company's store in Haiwu County. The nurse who dispensed the medicine took one look at the two of them and thought the woman on the left was too pretty. She couldn't help but take another look and asked, "What medicine do you want? Do you have a medical certificate from the hospital?"

Nowadays, you can’t just buy medicine at a hospital branch. You need a medical record showing that you have been to a clinic or hospital.

Jian Lu glanced at the dark brown medicine cabinet behind her, which had about a dozen compartments. "Comrade, how much is the pearl powder?"

The nurse was puzzled as to why someone would buy pearl powder alone when picking up medicine. She said impatiently, "It's not sold separately. If you don't want to pick up medicine, stay away."

Jian Lu was not annoyed by this man's attitude and just whispered, "Then do you accept the pearls?"

Collect pearls? The nurse looked at Jian Lu seriously after hearing this. Could it be that such a pretty lesbian wanted to sell pearls?

"What do you mean?"

Jian Lu didn't waste any words and showed her the pearl that Duoduo gave her. "That's it. Will your pharmaceutical company accept it?"

I didn't expect this man really had a pearl! The nurse held the pearl and looked at it, then asked Jian Lu to wait while she hurried to the inner room to call for help.

Not long after, a middle-aged man came out. Jian Lu heard the nurse just now call him Director Wang, so he should be someone in charge.

Director Wang followed the direction of the nurse's finger and saw a very beautiful female comrade standing at the door of the store. It was hard to ignore her face at first glance, but he was more concerned about Pearl at the moment.

"Comrade, where did you get the pearls?"

Jian Lu didn't give a direct answer, but only said, "Luckily I found it from a river clam, so I just wanted to try my luck."

"How much can you pick up?"

"Then we have to see if the current pharmaceutical companies will accept it, otherwise it will be a waste of money, right?"

Director Wang was not in a hurry to chat with her. He just asked her, "How did you know that the pharmaceutical company wanted to buy this?"

"Now that private transactions are not allowed, don't things have to be purchased and sold in a unified manner? I heard that medicinal materials can be collected by pharmaceutical companies in a unified manner." Jian Lu naturally knew that the future pearl king Cai Xiujuan made her fortune in this way, so she dared to bring people here to inquire. She remembered that Cai Xiujuan, who was already successful at the time, also thanked the director of the pharmaceutical company at the time for helping her make her first pot of gold.

"You're well-informed." Director Wang has connections with many private individuals, and thanks to the relaxed policy in this regard, he can directly purchase medicinal materials from private individuals. "If you have any, bring them here. We are short of pearls, but your pearls are not very good-looking. One pound costs 385. We will take as many as you can."

When Cai Xiujuan heard the price, her eyes widened. 385 per pound? She couldn't believe her ears. She was so dizzy that she almost couldn't stand.

This purchase price is already sky-high at today's economic level, but it's normal. Scarcity makes things valuable. At a time when most people don't know how to cultivate pearls, you can make money if you have the brains and skills.

After learning about the situation, Jian Lu had a clear idea in her mind, and left with Cai Xiujuan, discussing that she could start pearl cultivation. However, based on her memory, the pearls that Cai Xiujuan cultivated now were small in size, poor in color and luster, which should be due to the problem of cultivation time.

"Sister Jian Lu, do you know all this?" Cai Xiujuan was just crossing the river by feeling the stones, doing it blindly. She had just accidentally discovered something glowing in a river clam that had been raised for a long time, so she took out the pearls by chance. However, her technique was wrong. There were more than 20 pearls in a river clam, but she only successfully took out six or seven.

Jian Lu told her some basic knowledge about pearl cultivation that she had read on the Internet before, such as the current pearl cultivation time is too short, about a year is not enough, two years is better, the technology is limited at this time, the simplest way is to cultivate the pearls......

She didn't know much, but Cai Xiujuan felt like it was a mystery when she heard it, so she just memorized it. As soon as she heard the price, she was tempted. It would be great to be able to make money in a reasonable and legal way.

"Go back and put a batch of river clams at the bottom of your fish pond. You can raise them for about a year and then let the medical company take them. When you have enough money, you can improve the quality and raise them on a large scale. But you'd better report this to the brigade."

Cai Xiujuan felt that Comrade Jian Lu was very thoughtful and nodded repeatedly, wishing she could fly home immediately to find clams to feed them.

Before leaving, she held Jian Lu's hand and said excitedly, "Sister Jian Lu, if I can really make money by raising Zhen Zhu, I will give you half of whatever I make!"