The next morning, while Fu Wan was still asleep, she felt an itch on her face, as if something was brushing against it.
I opened my eyes and saw my daughter playing with my hair.
When Shen Lingling saw that Fu Wan was awake, she stopped playing with her hair and came over to rub her fluffy head against her.
"Mom, you're awake! The rooster next door has crowed several times. Mom, I'm going out to dig for wild vegetables and gather firewood today!"
"The crabs were so delicious yesterday, Mom, can you go catch some again today?"
As she said this, Chen Lingling smacked her lips, as if she were still eating the crab meat from last night.
Fu Wan smiled indulgently and patted Shen Lingling's fluffy head several times. Old Mrs. Shen had cut Lingling's hair as short as a boy's to prevent her from using hair ties, and it still felt a little prickly to the touch.
"Mom is going to the sea today to catch big crabs for Lingling! Don't cut your hair anymore, let it grow long and Mom will buy you a pretty hair tie."
"Really?" Shen Lingling's eyes lit up. What little girl wouldn't want to wear a pretty hair tie?
Seeing Fu Wan nod, Chen Lingling cheered again, excitedly hugging Fu Wan and smearing her face with saliva.
"Mom, you're so good to me, I never want to go back to Dad's house again!"
"I'm not going back, I'm never going back again."
Fu Wan got out of bed and saw that it was just getting light outside. It was getting late, so she squatted by the door to wash up before going into the kitchen.
Ye Xiaocui was kneading dough to make pancakes when she saw Fu Wan come in and she gestured towards the ground with her lip.
“That’s the fishing net from home. I patched it up and even made you a net bag. Don’t go too far, and come back early this afternoon.”
"Whether we find anything or not, I'll be waiting for you at the dock before sunset."
Fu Wan nodded repeatedly, picked up the fishing net and carefully turned it over, and a fishy smell wafted out.
After breakfast, Fu Wan grabbed a small harpoon, tidied herself up, and carried the fishing net toward the dock.
Many villagers were already walking towards the dock. It was early morning, before the sun had even risen, and they were checking to see if they had any crabs or shellfish from the previous night to take home for a meal.
Seeing Fu Wan's appearance, several gossipy uncles and aunties couldn't help but ask, "Wan girl, where are you going? Did you sell the fishing nets?"
"I'm going out to sea to fish!" Fu Wan replied with a smile.
"Fishing? What are you, a young girl, doing fishing at sea?"
"This is utter nonsense."
An older man grabbed Fu Wan and said, "Wan, if your family is short of money, you can ask us villagers. If all else fails, you can sell the boat and get some money."
“Your father just had an accident and you’re going into the sea. If something happens to you too, will your mother even be able to live?”
Fu Wan knew everyone meant well, so she quickly comforted them, "Grandpa, you know I grew up by the sea, and I was the best diver among all the kids back then. Don't worry, I value my life!"
She patted the old man's hand, then carried the fishing net and continued walking towards the dock.
Before long, they arrived at the dock. She recognized their own boat; it was a secondhand boat that her father had bought a few years ago. On the day they bought it, she had even touched it from bow to stern after returning from the Shen family's house.
After hoisting the fishing net onto the boat, Fu Wan checked the fuel level in the tank, then picked up the crank to start the boat and head out to sea.
"Fu girl, can you even row this boat?"
The one speaking was Fu Qiang, who was preparing to set sail from next door. He was Fu Wan's cousin, sharing the same grandfather, and Fu Wan called his father "Second Uncle."
Originally, they thought that since Fu Ming was paralyzed and Fu Wan had remarried, the boat would eventually belong to their family.
Unexpectedly, Fu Wan, for some unknown reason, actually got divorced and ran home to stir up trouble.
Fu Qiang and his two brothers had long coveted their uncle's boat. Although it was a second-hand boat, it was much better than their own.
Fu Wan could see the disdain in Fu Qiang's eyes, and she knew that there were many who wanted to see her make a fool of herself.
She grinned at Fu Qiang, her expression full of provocation, then picked up the crank and started slowly before speeding up. In no time, a "thump thump thump" sound rang out, and black smoke began to billow out as the boat started moving.
Several uncles from nearby villages clapped and cheered, "Wan girl is indeed worthy of being our Fu family's daughter, what do you call her? She's the kind of woman the newspapers say she's as capable as anyone else!"
Fu Wan heard these words from afar and was about to laugh when she saw her mother standing on the dock with Shen Lingling, who was waving frantically at her.
Fu Wan waved in response, and the boat slowly sailed away. In no time, Ye Xiaocui and Shen Lingling, who were standing on the dock, could no longer see Fu Wan or the boat.
"Grandma, when is Mom coming back?"
Shen Lingling looked at the surrounding ships with a mixture of excitement and worry.
"Your mother will be back before sunset this afternoon. Come on, let's go back with Grandma to see your uncle. The doctor will be here soon."
The two, one big and one small, walked home and encountered several neighbors who spoke to Ye Xiaocui along the way.
"Xiao Cui, your Wan'er can actually sail out by herself! That's amazing! She's the best in our Fu family village!"
"Oh my, is this Wan'er's daughter? She's so pretty."
After saying that, she reached out to touch Chen Lingling's head, but Chen Lingling wouldn't let her touch her and quickly hid behind Ye Xiaocui.
The person speaking was Wang Chunlian, the village matchmaker. She was the one who brought Fu Wan and Shen Dongsheng together. Shen Dongsheng was also a distant relative of her family.
"If you ask me, life goes on no matter what. Sister-in-law, you're spoiling the child too much. A perfectly good young woman got divorced and has a child to raise. How will she manage in the future?"
"What? Wan'er got divorced?"
Most villagers were unaware of Fu Wan's divorce, and they were shocked when Wang Chunlian mentioned it.
Although Shen Lingling is young, she can tell right from wrong. As soon as she heard Wang Chunlian talking badly about her mother, she immediately wanted to show off her iron head skills.
"My mom is the best! How dare you say bad things about her!"
"Behold my Iron Head Kung Fu!"
Ye Xiaocui quickly grabbed her granddaughter, afraid that she would rush out and cause trouble.
Wang Chunlian is also good at extorting money. If you get involved with her, what will happen?
But Ye Xiaocui was not one to be trifled with. She squeezed out a few tears and began to wail about the good deeds of the Shen family, how they bullied her and her orphan mother...
When Shen Lingling saw her grandmother crying, she also started crying with snot and tears streaming down her face, looking utterly miserable.
Fu Wan was unaware that her mother and daughter were performing in the village. She steered the boat to a deserted island, moored it, and went out to sea.
It would have been better if I hadn't gone down; I was startled as soon as I did.
She actually plunged headfirst into the school of fish, with several grouper following behind a large group of sardines at a leisurely pace!
Fu Wan, holding the fishing net, immediately became excited!
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