A brown puppy, about two or three months old, ran out of the kitchen and started barking wildly at Fu Wan and the others.
Fu Wan was a little scared, but when she saw the puppy's disheveled appearance, she almost burst out laughing.
Who is it?
A woman's voice came from inside the house, and Fu Wan immediately responded.
"Sister-in-law, it's me, Fu Wan."
Upon hearing Fu Wan's voice, a woman dressed in blue-black clothes came out of the house, followed by a pale-faced little boy.
"Ah Wan, what brings you here?"
Qian Jing opened the courtyard gate and welcomed Fu Wan and the others inside.
Since returning to the village, Fu Wan has rarely visited other people's homes. She has only been to the homes of Fu Qing, Fu Liang, and Fu Dazhuang.
Fu Wan had met Qian Jing a few times, but they hadn't spoken much.
Qian Jing led them to the main house and poured them both a glass of water.
"This cup is quite nice."
While other families used bowls to drink water, Qian Jing poured water for them in cups.
This cup is none other than a polished bamboo tube.
"This one, Dahai made it at home when he had nothing to do. He usually goes to the county to do business and can sell a few of them."
The items we use at home are all substandard products that have been polished. They don't affect their functionality, but they're not very attractive.
Fu Wan nodded upon hearing this, then subtly surveyed Fu Dahai's courtyard.
A small shed was built next to the yard, with neatly stacked firewood inside. Next to it was a bamboo chicken coop, where two hens were nestled and laying eggs.
Fu Wan's gaze fell on the child next to Qian Jing. When the boy met Fu Wan's gaze, he subconsciously hid behind Qian Jing.
"This child must be five or six years old. Doesn't he go to school?"
Qian Jing sat down on the chair next to her and gave a bitter laugh. "She's seven years old, but her health is too poor, so the school doesn't dare to accept her."
"I can read myself."
The little boy suddenly said something, and Fu Wan smiled, lowered her head and took a sip of water from her cup.
The water had a faint sweet taste. Fu Wan only realized after swallowing it that Qian Jing must have added some sugar.
"Sister-in-law, I don't like beating around the bush. I'm here today to see Brother Dahai."
Qian Jing was a little puzzled. "Da Hai went to the county to do some odd jobs. He won't be back until tonight."
"Ah Wan, is there something you need from him?"
Fu Wan then said, "My family is going on a trip to the open sea in the next couple of days. I'd like to ask Brother Dahai if he would like to come with us."
Going out to sea on a boat?
"Going out to sea is no problem; we're all from the same village. I'll talk to him when Hai Da comes back tonight."
Fu Wan couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, "Sister-in-law, you don't even ask about the pay? Aren't you afraid I'll make Brother Dahai work for free?"
Qian Jing smiled and said, "We're all from the same village, so it's our good fortune that we're working for you."
Besides, I trust you won't let him work for nothing.
Qian Jing spoke slowly and softly, but her words were full of certainty.
This demonstrates the trust placed in Fu Wan's family.
"I really can't do something like this for free, sister-in-law. Don't worry, when Brother Dahai comes back, I'll have him come to my house to find me."
"Your compensation and benefits will be satisfactory."
She stood up to go back, but then, after a moment's thought, she casually pulled a handful of White Rabbit candies from her pocket.
"Give these candies to the child so he can have a sweet treat."
Qian Jing refused to accept it. She recognized this kind of candy; one piece could be mixed with a cup of milk, making it very expensive.
Her son has to take medicine all year round. Things have been better in recent years as he's grown up and become more sensible. When he was little, she had to coax him with candy to take his medicine.
She couldn't afford milk candy, so she bought hard candy that cost two cents a pound.
"No need, Wan, you should take it back and save it for your own child!"
Fu Wan didn't refuse her offer. After placing the candy on the table, she waved and went back with Fu Ming.
Upon hearing the commotion in the alley, Fu Dazhi instinctively ducked down.
Then she realized he was in his own yard, and immediately became furious again.
If he hadn't misheard, Fu Wan was going to ask Fu Dahai to come out to sea with her. Just thinking about the smell of meat coming from Fu Dayong's house yesterday made him so jealous that his eyes turned red.
They're from the same village, so why isn't he so lucky?
The brother and sister ran into Fu Liang, who was returning from the fields, not long after they came out. The three of them walked together and started discussing things.
"Ah Wan, Da Hai is one, how many more people do we need to find?"
Fu Wan did the math, “Dad has an experienced one, but we need at least two quick and efficient young people.”
Should we also hire someone to cook?
Fu Ming immediately objected, "Why hire someone to cook? I'll take care of all the meals on my ship myself."
Fu Wan looked at Fu Liang questioningly, but Fu Liang naturally waved his hand.
"My 'Forward' is the same. I'm not as good at cooking as Ah Ming, but my mom can help me."
"Forward?"
"Brother Liang, when did you name the boat?"
Fu Liang felt a little embarrassed by Fu Wan's teasing.
“This morning, my uncle asked me if I wanted to write my name on the boat. This name immediately came to mind, so I asked my uncle to write it for me.”
Actually, this is because she's been listening to the radio a lot lately. Fu Liang's family didn't buy a TV, so Jiang Chunlan would play the radio whenever she had free time.
The song on the radio went something like, "Forward, forward, forward!"
This made Fu Liang think about Xiang Qian all day long, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
"The name 'Forward' sounds pretty good too."
At sea, you just move forward without fear.
Not long after Fu Wan and the others returned, Boss Fu came back on his motorcycle.
"Father, how is it?"
Boss Fu shook his head. "Chen Balang is a kind man. I offered him a high salary, but he didn't want to leave his current employer."
"Then forget it. If all else fails, we'll look for them in our own village."
"That's all we can do."
Fu Laoda was a little annoyed. Chen Balang could be considered his brother from the next village, yet he showed him no respect at all.
This guy is stubborn. As far as he knows, the boat owner in the next village isn't exactly generous either. He's stingy and his character isn't great either.
Actually, there were quite a few villagers in Fujia Village who could be recruited, but Boss Fu was thinking of helping his friend out.
If his friend can't come, there's nothing he can do.
Two more young men were needed on the ship, so Fu Wan simply handed the matter over to Fu Ming and Fu Liang, and went to Jiang Wanghai's place herself.
Jiang Wanghai was organizing his training materials from the past two days when he saw Fu Wan knock on the door and immediately greeted her with a smile.
"Comrade Fu, you're such a busy man, what brings you here today?"
Fu Wan felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. "Uncle Jiang, I'm sorry, I've been quite busy these past few days. I just had some free time, so I came to ask you for some relevant information."
Although she paid Fu Jian and the others, it didn't mean she completely ignored the matter.
She needs to learn about aquaculture when she has time, so that if Fu Jian and the others encounter any problems during practice, she will know where to start.
Jiang Wanghai was overjoyed to hear this and immediately took out a notebook from the drawer.
"Take it, I've already prepared it for you."
"You've come at the right time; I was just about to look for you. Something happened at home, so I have to go back early."
I've finished teaching my classes these past few days. I'll come back next March when the oyster seedlings are planted. What do you think?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com