Gu Yuxin, who was eating sunflower seeds next to her, said, "Yang Zi, you have rejected all of Mr. Lu's appointments."
Lu Wuyai said, "Su Xi asked me out before, and I agreed at the time."
Li Fugui said with great envy, "Those two girls are vying to ask you out. I never realized you were so feminine."
Lu Wuyai waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go. What is a woman's fate? It's just ordinary friendship. At least for now, it's normal friendship."
Gu Yuxin pouted: "Then who are you going to develop an extraordinary friendship with? I'm warning you, don't two-timing, or don't blame your brothers for being disloyal."
Lu Wuyai has also been thinking about this issue recently.
For some reason, Su Xi seemed quite enthusiastic towards him. Although they hadn't met many times, they chatted every day, and Su Xi would chat with him and even video chat when she wasn't working in the evenings.
He could sense that Su Xi seemed to like him quite a bit.
Taking this social drama as an example, the nurse chatted with him every day for a week beforehand, talking about castration in the social drama, the stories in the social drama, and many other things.
Therefore, even if Lu Wuyai took the initiative to ask him out, he could not agree, otherwise it would be too much of a blow to Su Xi's dignity.
Seeing that he remained silent, Gu Yuxin became interested: "Hey, are you really thinking about this seriously? Tell me, which one do you like?"
Lu Wuyai squinted at him and said, "Which one is more useful to me? The people I like may not like me back, nor may they be willing to marry me."
Gu Yuxin urged, "Oh, brother, let's talk, let's talk, let's talk."
Lu Wuyai hugged Yuan Yuan (the cat) and murmured, "Su Xi is a good girl. Our families are close; we grew up in the same environment, and there's no distance between us. She's beautiful, has a great figure, and a wonderful personality. She's neither arrogant nor bad, and she can take care of people like a nurse, so..."
He paused for a moment, then said, "That's why I chose Teacher Lu."
Lu Wuyai spoke the truth: "Ms. Lu is really beautiful. She not only has beautiful skin, but also a fascinating soul. Forget about me, what about you? Which one would you choose?"
Gu Yuxin regained his energy, clenched his fist, and said, "I want both."
"Get out." Lu Wuyai kicked him.
After breakfast, a group of people took a boat to see a play.
Lu Wuyai did not sail his own fishing boat, but instead boarded Gu Yuxin's iron boat and set off early to occupy this place.
Besides the two of them, there was a group of young people like Li Mupeng on the boat. They were all unmarried young men, their faces radiating youthful energy.
This is quite normal, because social dramas usually depict martial arts and romance. Don't misunderstand, this has nothing to do with Dongying's romantic action dramas; it's purely presented in the form of a martial arts drama.
In the past, single men and women had no opportunity to meet, but social dramas have provided them with that possibility. Therefore, after watching a romantic drama, when everyone feels lonely, they are very likely to call each other.
Even today, the village operas in Hongyang are still the best battleground for young men and women to meet.
Lu Wuyai was accompanied by a girl. Su Xi was waiting for them at the island's trading post. Because they arrived early and secured a prime spot at the trading post, Su Xi could board the ship directly.
The stage for village operas was usually connected to the island's trading post and built over the water. The trading post was covered and used as a backstage area for the actors. Everyone watched the performance from a boat or from a high platform erected on the shore.
Su Xi deliberately swapped shifts with a colleague today. She wore a blue dress and a bright orange straw hat with a narrow brim. The sea breeze blew, causing the dress to flutter, adding to her elegance.
Upon seeing the young nurse, several young people whistled.
Su Xi gracefully boarded the ship, whistling at Gu Yuxin and the others, saying, "Don't let me see you at the hospital. And even if I do, don't say you're here for a checkup, or I'll prick a bastard out of you with a needle."
Gu Yuxin and the others immediately shrank back and quickly became obedient.
At 10 a.m., the sun was shining brightly, and the show began.
At this time, there were many ships around the island's trading post, one after another, blocking all but one waterway.
According to local regulations, spectators can board any ship at will, and the ship owner cannot refuse them as long as they are not there to cause trouble.
This waterway is essentially a roadway, through which ships, mainly cargo ships, navigate. These ships carry snacks, drinks, and various daily necessities. Shops from the town flock to do business in it.
Lu Wuyai saw that Li Qianlai from the village was also selling things on the boat. He was selling homemade snacks, including boiled water chestnuts, apples, persimmons, watermelons, grapes and other fruits, as well as some fried snacks such as dried kelp strips and stir-fried snails.
Li Qianlai's business was mediocre. Everyone had something to sell, and they all looked good, had a wide variety of products, and could talk about them eloquently, which made him very anxious.
But he wasn't very intelligent, so he could only appear flustered and helpless.
Lu Wuyai was also helpless. He beckoned Li Qianlai over and said, "Uncle Qianlai, how did you come up with this idea?"
Li came forward and said, "Make money, Yangzi. You need to make money to buy a wife, otherwise you'll be a bachelor your whole life."
Tang Congyang laughed and said, "Uncle Qianlai, be careful. Don't swindle all the money you've earned. Buying a wife is illegal these days."
Li Qianlai shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, as long as the Vietnamese wife doesn't run away, everything will be fine."
Lu Wuyai said, "Be careful. Come here, Uncle Qian, weigh out a box of fried snails for me, I'll eat them as snacks."
Li Qianlai said with a sneer, "There's no box, only... only a plastic bag."
Lu Wuyai said, "You're not ready to do business yet. Fine, give me two jin."
Li Qianlai knew that Lu Wuyai was just being presumptuous, so he took out all the snails from the small pot and said, "Yangzi, I'll give you them all, just give me twenty yuan."
Fried snails sell for ten yuan per pound, which is not a low price for a seaside location, but locals love to eat them, so they sell very well at this price.
Li Qianlai poured out the snails and said, "Yangzi, I was actually prepared. You see, I wasn't just messing around, so I fried some snails. I fried them right there, and they tasted great."
Gu Yuxin picked up a snail, sucked on it, and then pouted, "Do you want me to fry it again?"
Li Qianlai nodded: "Yes."
Lu Wuyai sighed: "Never mind, wait for me. I'll go buy some seasonings and make you a pot. Remember my recipe."
Li Qianlai immediately laughed: "Okay, okay, Yangzi, you're already a great chef, you're better than me."
Lu Wuyai found a small boat belonging to the supermarket. Su Xi quietly pulled him aside and whispered, "Hey, don't buy anything from this boat."
"What's wrong."
As soon as he brought up the question, the women on the boat saw him waving and rowed over enthusiastically.
Looking at the seasonings prepared by Ao Ganlai, Ao Muyang ordered cumin seeds, Old Godmother sauce, mushroom sauce, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, and honey.
After choosing something, he asked, "How much?"
The woman didn't speak, she just stared at Su Xi.
Su Xi laughed and said, "Haha, what money do you want? It's my own, my own. This is my mom. Mom, this is my good friend, Lu Wuyai. These are all his friends."
Hearing this, Lu Wuyai felt a little embarrassed. What was this all about? Meeting the parents sooner rather than later. The main point was that their relationship was uncertain; they were just ordinary friends for now.
He understood why Su Xi had previously forbade him to buy things from that woman. It turned out that the seller on the ship was her mother.
The woman looked Lu Wuyai up and down carefully, then smiled and said, "Hi, what do you need? They're all on our side, we're just offering them at cost price."
Since it was Su Xi's family's business, the group bought some things for Lu Wuyai.
Li Qianlai stared at Tang Congyang and said, "You lunatic, I also have soft drinks here, why don't you buy mine?"
Tang Congyang said, "Uncle Qianlai, shut your mouth."
Li Qianlai meant no harm. What he said was not a question, but a very simple inquiry. So after hearing what Tang Congyang said, he obediently shut his mouth.
Lu Wuyai finally settled the bill together. Su Xi's mother took the money and left as usual, but she gave him a couple more glances before leaving, which was quite intriguing.
Li Mupeng stepped forward and whispered, "Brother Yang, the mother-in-law is looking after her son-in-law..."
Lu Wuyai calmly clasped his hands together: "Little Earl (dog), come on."
The little count (dog) lying on the boat rushed in front of Li Mupeng. Li Mupeng was startled and immediately knelt down, raising his hands: "I beg for mercy, let me go."
Lu Wuyai boarded Li Qianlai's boat, but Li Qianlai was still puzzled: "Yangzi, I also have drinks, buy mine, mine is cheaper, her cola is two yuan fifty, mine is two yuan..."
"Okay, we'll call you when we're thirsty."
He casually agreed, then lit a small stove on the boat, poured in oil, and once the oil was hot, added star anise, dried tangerine peel, ginger slices, and Sichuan peppercorns to sauté until fragrant.
Li Qianlai had soaked the snails in advance. Li Muyang first prepared the sauce, then picked up the snails and put them in the pot to stir-fry. He controlled the heat and sprinkled in some seasonings.
Whether a snail is delicious or not depends not on the quality of the meat, but on the sauce on its shell. People habitually suck the whole snail in before taking a bite. Wherever you can taste snail meat, the sauce on the shell enhances the flavor.
Li Muyang fried two small pans, one spicy and the other mushroom flavored, and finally sprinkled sesame seeds on top, making them a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
He patted Li Qianlai on the shoulder, telling him to continue his business, while he accompanied Su Xi and her group to watch the local opera.
As he sucked on a snail, he commented, "These actors don't have good enough basic skills. If you see a slight wave pushing the stage, they won't be able to stand up."
Su Xi said, "In reality, these troupes can't retain any people now. If people don't join in the fun, who will come to watch the village operas? Nowadays, everyone has many entertainment activities, so what's the point of village operas?"
Tang Congyang nodded and said, "Yes, Xiuxiu is right. If the money isn't right, why would they go through all that trouble to show you the show? Anyway, just watch it live."
Lu Wuyai nodded. He understood the principle, but regrettably, a traditional activity in his hometown was facing extinction.
Around noon, the social drama was temporarily suspended. Only one old classmate came out to sing and support the stage; everyone else went to eat or rest.
Lu Wuyai looked up and saw that although the sun was still shining brightly, it was autumn after all, the air was crisp, and the temperature was no longer so high.
He and Su Xi ate fried snails and snacks together all morning, so he wasn't hungry at noon.
Just then, Li Qianlai came to see him again, and said cheerfully, "Yang Zi, all the things you made have sold. They're selling really well."
With a toothpick dangling from his mouth, Lu Wuyai said, "Come on, let me teach you how to make it. I'll cook two more pots for you."
Li Qianlai smiled and said, "Very good, very wonderful."
In the afternoon, he mainly sold stir-fried snails, and business went from being quiet in the morning to booming.
That evening, Su Xi received a phone call saying that her grandmother was not feeling well, so she apologized and left in a hurry.
This social drama continued until 9 p.m., with the young men on the ship going out to chat up unmarried girls, leaving Lu Wuyai to guard the ship.
That was perfect. Lu Wuyai hadn't seen a village opera for over a decade, having not had the time since starting junior high school. So he stayed on the boat and watched with great interest.
As the sun set, a small boat cut through the waves, and the woman on board smiled and said, "Lu Wuyai, yes. You are a child from Coconut Grove Village."
Lu Wuyai turned around and saw Su Xi's mother.
"Hello, Auntie." Lu Wuyai greeted her proactively.
The woman glanced at the tin boat and asked, "I remember there were quite a lot of people during the day, why are you all alone here? You're watching the boat by yourself."
Lu Wuyai nodded: "Yes."
The woman continued, "Oh, then you should get a new boat, or at least maintain it."
Lu Wuyai wanted to explain that this was not his boat, but the woman didn't give him the chance and took out two hundred-yuan bills and handed them to him.
Upon seeing the money, he wondered, "What's this for?"
The woman said, "Two nights ago, Xiuxiu brought back some silver pomfret from your place. I weighed it, and it weighed three and a half jin. Fish sells for sixty yuan a jin now. Well, if my aunt gives you two hundred, don't think it's too little."
Lu Wuyai waved his hand and said, "Auntie, what are you doing? That's too kind of you. That's food for you and Xiuxiu, it's free."
The woman said, “My man used to go fishing, so I know how hard it is. You work hard to earn your money, so don’t act rashly.”
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, we have no relatives and no reason for you to give us such expensive fish. Yes, it wouldn't be good if the neighbors on the street misunderstood us, especially since you and Xiuxiu are both looking for partners. We can't afford to be misunderstood."
At this point, Lu Wuyai understood.
Su Xi's mother clearly knew about her blind date with her daughter, or knew how interested they were in each other, which is why she came here to express her dissatisfaction.
Young people in their twenties are at the peak of their self-esteem. Since the other family looks down on them, there's no need to make them post it out.
Lu Wuyai took the money, and Su Xi's mother pursed her lips, wanting to say something. Just then, another boat arrived, with a girl sitting at the bow.
The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the sea, a vibrant mix of orange and red. The girl, dressed in a snow-white tracksuit, resembled a white stamen on an orange-red petal. She drifted on the water with the boat, like a flower stamen swaying in the wind.
Upon seeing her, Su Xi's mother instinctively exclaimed, "Where did this girl come from? She's so beautiful."
Lu Wuyuan said, "Her name is Lu Zhizi. She is a volunteer teacher from the city who teaches at our village primary school."
Gu Yuxin held the small boat and lifted it up. Lu Wuyai waved and said, "Hey, Muyang, when are you coming home to cook for me? I'm starving."
Lu Wuyai smiled and said, "Let's go."
He apologized to Su Xi's mother: "I'm sorry, Auntie, it's getting late, we should go home now."
Su Xi's mother glanced at Lu Wuyai, then at him. She seemed about to say something, but Lu Wuyai and Gu Yuxin had already boarded the iron ship, so she smiled and said, "Okay, I'll come often in the future." The game began.
She swiped away, Gu Yuxin waved, and Li Qianlai swiped over. Gu Yuxin then handed him two hundred yuan and said, "I exchanged it all for drinks. Everyone in our village drinks a bottle of drinks."
Li Qianlai happily took the money and left. Gu Yuxin asked anxiously, "Yangzi, did something happen to you?"
Lu Wuyai laughed and said, "What's there to be excited about? How did you get here?"
Lu Wuyai glanced at him sideways and said, "Come and save people."
Lu Wuyai laughed and said, "Take my place. What's wrong with me?"
Gu Yuxin murmured, "I saw Su Xi's mother come to see you, so I think it must be something bad. Her mother speaks very harshly, and I'm afraid she will harm you."
Lu Wuyai waved his hand and said, "How could that be?"
Gu Yuxin said, "Yang Zi, I..."
Lu Wuyai waved his hand again and said, "I know everything, no need to say anything, let's go home."
Gu Yuxin patted his shoulder and said, "Let's go home. There's no point in going to a bird show like this."
Lu Wuyai joked, "You haven't managed to hook up with a pretty lady, so that's why you're bored."
Gu Yuxin made an angry gesture: "If you see the truth and don't tell it, you're still a good partner. If you see the truth and still tell it, that's a crime."
He shouted a few times, found the indigenous residents who wanted to go home and put them on the boat, and then the tin boat sailed away along the waterway.
The ship was blocked off the coast. Gu Yuxin looked ahead and saw several security guards busy at work. He immediately became nervous: "What's going on? What happened?"
Lu Wuyai was also worried about what might happen. He saw someone he knew at the security bureau, waved, and called out, "Hey, Liu Gongming, Lao Song, Lao Song."
Liu Gongming, the town's security guard, walked to the assembled wooden plank and said, "Old Li, stop watching those social dramas. This is home. This girl is the one."
Lu Wuyai nodded politely and said with a smile, "A friend."
Liu Gongming stepped forward, lightly punched him, and said with a smile, "Girlfriend. What a great guy! It's amazing that you, who watches dramas so well, managed to kidnap such a wonderful girl on the ship."
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