Jiang Chunlan's hands trembled slightly as she held the money. "So much money, Awan didn't miscount, did she?"
She knew her son's luck; he never caught anything on his voyages. He only managed to avoid starvation after going out with Old Man Fu. But this time, he earned a hundred on a single trip with Fu Wan—that was terrifying.
Fu Liang scratched his head. "I think I calculated it correctly. She gave me more than 130 yuan, but I didn't dare to take more than 100 yuan!"
Jiang Chunlan was about to go find a broom again, saying, "Why don't you just take the thirty? Why take a hundred?"
Fu Liang was hit by the broom, but he wasn't annoyed. He just smiled and took the pearl out of his pocket.
"Mom, look what this is!"
Jiang Chunlan was counting the money in her hand, thinking that she would return fifty yuan when it got light, and that getting fifty yuan would be a great bargain.
Her eyes widened in shock as she glanced casually at the small pearl in Fu Liang's hand.
"This, this is a pearl?!"
Money no longer appealed to her. She picked up the pearl and examined it closely. Even though she didn't understand it, she knew that what she held in her hand was truly rare.
Where did this come from?
Fu Liang then recounted how he went beachcombing with Fu Wan, plucked a large number of oysters, and opened oyster pearls.
Jiang Chunlan was stunned. She had lived by the sea for so long and had never seen anyone with such good luck.
"Ah Liang, you must work hard with Ah Wan. We won't be greedy for cheap things, we'll be down-to-earth. Your mother only hopes that you will be safe and sound, and then get married and have children."
Fu Liang nodded, "I know that, A-Wan is indeed very lucky. But Mother, please don't go around saying things like that."
Being too lucky will always attract criticism. That's just how people are sometimes. They feel good when they see others doing worse than them, but they feel uncomfortable when you do too well.
Although the villagers of Fujia Village are known for their simple and honest character, they are also afraid of those who might harbor jealousy.
Jiang Chunlan understood this perfectly well. Her husband died young, and widows often face gossip and trouble. She had long since stopped interacting with the villagers and focused solely on raising her son.
However, sometimes it's not that if you don't provoke others, they won't provoke you. There were plenty of people in the village who took advantage of her being a widow to bully her.
They take a little bit of your land today, and a little bit of your vegetables tomorrow; this kind of thing happens all the time.
If it weren't for her own growing increasingly fierce temper, and the fact that Fu Wan's family had taken care of her because of their relatives, Fu Liang wouldn't have been able to grow up safely.
“Ah Liang, one should be grateful. Your uncle’s family has helped us a lot, so you should protect them when you’re out there. We earn money with a clear conscience, so don’t let money narrow your vision.”
Fu Liang nodded repeatedly. Seeing that her son was yawning from exhaustion, Jiang Chunlan stopped talking and took the money back to her room.
But after returning to her room, she took out a photo of herself from her wedding and wiped away her tears, saying, "Old Fu, at least there's something to look forward to in our lives now."
...
The next morning, Ye Xiaocui had Fu San haul all the sea cucumbers away. Fu San weighed them, and wow, there were a full 126 jin of sea cucumbers.
As for the blue crabs, there were eighty-three catties in total, regardless of size.
"Sister-in-law, putting everything else aside, I really admire your family's luck!"
After saying that, he even gave a thumbs-up in a very serious manner, which made Ye Xiaocui laugh.
Fu San hadn't missed the large basins of oyster meat in the yard, so this time he just asked directly.
"Sister-in-law, why have all the oysters been shucked? Are they going to be dried?"
Oysters may be cheap, but they still cost money!
Ye Xiaocui shook her head. "Awan told me to make some oyster sauce to cook noodles and pancakes with later. I'll make a jar for you when I've finished it."
Oyster sauce is a good thing, and Fu San didn't refuse it, nodding happily.
Fu Wan didn't wake up until quite some time after Fu San left. Chen Lingling had gone out early to play with the children, while Fu Ming sat in the house weaving bamboo baskets.
"Ah Wan, don't go out to sea these next few days, there might be another heavy rainstorm."
Fu Wan glanced at the unusually hot weather and obediently agreed.
"If it doesn't rain tonight, I'll go catch a few fish and take them home to keep."
Yesterday, Ye Xiaocui sold all the crabs, sea cucumbers, and oysters she caught while fishing at the beach. All the oysters were rendered into oil, while Ye Xiaocui sold all the sea cucumbers and crabs.
With limited food supplies at home, Fu Wan had grown accustomed to having fish and vegetables with every meal after her rebirth. How could she possibly endure going back to a life without meat?
Fu Ming could only advise, "Don't go out if it rains or gets windy."
Once the wind picks up at sea, the seabed becomes even more turbulent and dangerous.
However, the Shen family was not living a peaceful life at this time. After a serious illness, Old Master Shen was not in good spirits and felt uncomfortable every day, lying in bed.
Xu Zhaolan could only do laundry and cook every day, and she never had a kind expression on her face.
"The second son's wife! The second son's wife!"
Xu Zhaolan's hand trembled as she picked wild vegetables, and she said impatiently, "What are you doing!"
Grandma Shen knew she was impatient, but there was nothing she could do.
Has Qiusheng returned yet?
Shen Qiusheng went to the town hospital to pick up Shen Guangzong and also called Shen Guoliang to borrow money.
"No!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of a cart came from the doorway, along with Shen Guangzong's groans and moans.
"My son, how are you?"
When Xu Zhaolan saw her son, who was swollen and looked twice his size, she rushed forward and hugged Shen Guangzong.
Shen Guangzong, who was covered in jellyfish stings, was hugged by her, which pressed on his wounds, and he immediately let out a pig-like howl.
"It hurts, it hurts so much!"
Xu Zhaolan was so frightened that she raised her hands and dared not move. Old Mrs. Shen also struggled to get up and walked shakily to the door.
Seeing her beloved grandson in this state, she burst into tears.
Of course, she also asked Shen Qiusheng about going to town to find someone to help him.
"Second brother, what did your third brother say?"
Shen Qiusheng replied irritably, "What can I say? Third Brother said that I can only lose money in this matter. He doesn't have much on him, so he can only send us one hundred."
"One hundred. How much did it cost to treat Emperor Guangzong today?"
Shen Qiusheng frowned. "The doctor said his whole body is swollen, and the medicine and IV drip cost a full thirty yuan!"
That's because if I don't continue to be hospitalized, the number of hospital stays would be much higher.
"Then we'll only have seventy yuan left?" Xu Zhaolan complained painfully. If she had to spend another fifty yuan to compensate Shen Dongsheng, she would only have twenty yuan left.
Shen Qiusheng and Grandma Shen also thought of this. After a moment of contemplation, Grandma Shen said, "Let's not worry about your older brother. If the police come to ask, just say that the family has no money."
This means they've given up on Shen Dongsheng. After all, without compensation, he'd have to stay in the police station for a while longer.
Shen Qiusheng remained silent, but inwardly he agreed. He had no choice; all the family's money had been spent on Shen Dongsheng's divorce, and he couldn't afford to let him spend any more this time.
As for Shen Dongsheng, he told his third brother the whole story, and his third brother said he would handle it.
Shen Guoliang's tone on the phone clearly indicated that he wanted to teach Fu Wan a lesson.
Thinking about the methods used by Shen Guoliang's unit, Shen Qiusheng couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. His good sister-in-law, Fu Wan, was going to suffer a lot this time!
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