Fu Sanben didn't expect Fu Wan to have any gains. He only came because of Fu Wan's father, since he basically monopolized the fish catch in Fu Family Village.
When Fu Wan returned from her sea voyage, he naturally came to support his niece.
However, as the young men who helped load everything onto the car, Fu San's opinion of Fu Wan changed.
This girl's first voyage not only didn't waste any money on fuel, but she probably reaped more rewards than even the most experienced sailors.
They have a bit of luck on them.
Seeing that most of the things on the boat had been moved, Fu Wan handed the bucket containing the lobsters to Ye Xiaocui.
Fu San reached out to take it, but seeing that it wasn't facing him, he leaned over to see what it was.
"Hey, little green dragon, this is a delicious dish!"
Ye Xiaocui was about to put the food on the bed when Fu Wan quickly stopped her, "Mother, this is food for the family. You take it back, and I'll go with Uncle San to settle the bill."
Ye Xiaocui was a little reluctant, and Fu San was also looking on with longing. "Wan'er, this green dragon meat costs several yuan a pound. Are you just going to take it back and eat it yourself?"
Fu Wan nodded, "Third Uncle, if you don't mind, come to my house for a drink tonight."
Uncle Fu is a kind and generous man. It's never a bad thing to get along with him. You have to know that relationships are always reciprocal. If you always expect others to take care of you without giving anything back, those relationships will eventually run out.
Fu San nodded repeatedly, and after loading everything onto the cart, he called out that no one wanted to sell seafood. Then he led Fu Wan into his courtyard.
When they arrived at Fu San's house, his wife was sorting through unwanted small fish in the yard. She saw Fu San's cart from afar and quickly opened the gate to the yard.
"So much stock today?"
Lin Qiuju wiped the fish scales off her hands and came forward to help carry the fish down.
Just as she was about to move the basket down, she couldn't budge it because it was too heavy.
Just then, a pair of hands came up from the side, followed by a pleasant female voice, "Auntie, I'll go with you."
Lin Qiuju then noticed that among the young men accompanying her husband, there was actually a girl.
Because Fu Wan was wearing that mermaid outfit today, she wore a patched-up coat over it to avoid being too conspicuous.
"Oh my, isn't this Wan'er!"
As they spoke, the two of them worked together to finally unload the fish basket from their hands.
Fu San's fish baskets were all weighed beforehand. This time, they were weighed again. There were 52 jin of sardines, 18 jin of grouper, 16 jin of tiger grouper, 12 jin of white shrimp, and some other miscellaneous items. Fu San also weighed them briefly.
By this time, everyone who had helped had left. Fu San took out his abacus and did some calculations, then went inside and took out a thick stack of ten-yuan notes.
“Wan’er, we’re all family, your uncle can’t cheat you.”
The grouper your mother brought yesterday, I took it to a restaurant in town this morning and sold it for exactly 12 yuan, which was just enough to entertain a boss from Hong Kong.
Sardines are cheap, 50 cents a pound. I'll give you grouper for 3 yuan a pound, tiger grouper for 2.5 yuan, mantis shrimp for 50 cents a pound, and all these miscellaneous items for 5 yuan. Add the 2 yuan left over from yesterday, and it's 133 yuan in total. Please check.
Fu Wan counted the money, then took out a loose one-yuan coin and stuffed it into Lin Qiuju's hand. "Auntie, I came empty-handed. Use this one-yuan coin to buy some brown sugar to sweeten your mouth."
Lin Qiuju wouldn't accept it, and quickly pushed it back, saying, "You child, why are you being so polite with me? Your third uncle is selling these things to make money off you. The family isn't well-off, so take them back quickly."
Fu Wan ignored this. She put the two yuan on the table, turned around and was about to leave. "Third Uncle and Third Aunt, remember to come to my house for dinner tonight. I'll have my mom cook some good dishes."
She earned 100 yuan for each trip to sea, and it took her five years of hard work at the Shen family's house to pay back 300 yuan before she could go home.
Fu Wan turned around and went to the dock to pay today's taxes. Afterward, she took the fishing nets home, prepared to wash and dry them for next time.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she ran into Shen Lingling, who was chasing chickens in the yard. The little girl was covered in sweat, but her smile became even brighter when she saw Fu Wan come in.
"Mom, you're back!"
Fu Wan's thigh was suddenly pulled by a moving object. She helplessly put the fishing net aside and asked Shen Lingling, "What is Lingling playing?"
Chen Lingling touched the fishing net beside her and said in a clear voice, "Just now, this chicken was trying to peck at the big lobster that Mom caught, so I chased the bad chicken away for Mom!"
Fu Wan was amused by her, and then pulled her to the well to wash her face, saying, "Go play with your uncle for a while, you're all sweaty."
She then went into the kitchen, where Ye Xiaocui was cleaning the parrotfish in the bucket.
"Mom, cook two extra dishes tonight. I've invited Uncle and Aunt over for dinner."
Ye Xiaocui responded, then rummaged through the bucket again, "Why are there still so many mantis shrimp?"
Fu Wan chuckled, "Isn't it because I was craving them?" Just before we reached the shore, she saw that the white shrimp were fresh and large, so she grabbed several handfuls and threw them into the bucket.
Besides the white shrimp, there were also a few crabs, which she had set out separately to prepare for the family's meals over the next few days.
"Go to the vegetable garden and pick some chili peppers and greens, and pick some eggplants too. We'll eat the crabs tomorrow. The village chief said there will be strong winds and rain tonight, so don't go out to sea for the next couple of days."
Wind and rain? Fu Wan glanced at the sun outside; it seemed a bit stuffy.
I wonder how Fu San transports his fish; it must be fast to get them to town in this heat.
Fu San was loading his goods onto a tricycle in town. He had been in this business for half his life, so he naturally had connections in the town.
Tricycles were very rare in the 1980s. Coincidentally, one of the only two tricycles in the town belonged to his friend, Mr. Zhao, who ran a restaurant in the town.
Mr. Zhao was just trying his luck, since this Hong Kong boss had a particular fondness for this kind of food. Luckily, Fu San's was fresh enough!
After Fu Wan brought all the vegetables back, she realized she had forgotten something. "Mom, did the doctor come today? What did he say?"
Ye Xiaocui slapped her forehead, "I forgot about that! The doctor examined him and said your brother's leg was swollen because he was stung by a manta ray. As for how it got so bad, your brother probably ran into a school of fish and got stung several times."
"The doctor examined your brother, prescribed some painkillers, and applied medicine to the sting site. The doctor hasn't left yet; he's staying in the village."
"They've settled in?" Before Fu Wan could even think, Ye Xiaocui whispered again, "That Dr. Bai is a good person. I offered him money, but he refused. He just asked us to help him get a stingray bone. He said he wanted to...do research on it!"
Stingray spines?
When fishermen catch stingrays, those who are less daring will release them directly, while those who are bolder will chop off the spines and throw them back into the sea, then bring the spineless stingrays ashore.
"I looked around the dock today, and I didn't see a stingray, let alone any stingray bones."
"It's alright, I've got your back!"
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