Five minutes later, Zhang Guoqing pulled Zhou Jiao up, opened his clothes mostly to cover her, and hugged her as he walked towards Cheng Hongli and her daughter who were immersed in sea fishing.
Cheng Hongli said quickly, without even looking up. Zhang Guoqing gave the mother and daughter a wry smile and told them to hurry up. He really couldn't wait any longer—his wife's fur coat, no matter how warm it was, couldn't keep out the cold wind.
Along the way, Zhang Guoqing, holding Zhou Jiao in his arms, encountered many people's teasing looks, and some young wives' furtive glances. Faced with these, he nodded and smiled at everyone, and continued on his way with a calm face.
He was worried that Zhou Jiao might be shy, so he secretly told her that after dinner he would go to the fish farm to check the situation and try to get some good food. He asked Zhou Jiao to think about how to cooperate with him.
Back at Lao Wang's, the hungry group sat down, but Zhao Yuanyuan found her hands were so cold she couldn't hold her chopsticks steady. She was so anxious she grabbed the crab with both hands, much to everyone's laughter.
Lao Wang's wife brought the ginger soup. After seeing it, she smiled and said, "It's okay. Crabs are easier to catch with your hands. Drink a bowl of ginger soup first to warm your body. Cover the bowl with both hands and drink slowly. Be careful not to burn your hands. It will be fine in a while."
Cheng Hongli quickly thanked her and stepped forward to take a bowl of ginger soup. She noticed Zhang Guoqing had already picked up the ginger soup, carefully testing the temperature before handing it to Zhou Jiao. She couldn't help but glare at Zhao Dashan. Then she looked at her silly daughter. She secretly wondered if she should first help her daughter find a few more boys to scout out beforehand.
The three of them drank the ginger soup. After a while, Zhao Yuanyuan cried out that she felt warm all over and her hands were no longer stiff. Cheng Hongli and Zhou Jiao, standing nearby, thanked Old Wang's wife profusely.
Everyone was delighted by the seafood feast. The considerate wife, Wang, learned that Zhou Jiao had just finished her confinement, and she even prepared a large bowl of local seafood confinement rice.
During the meal, many people came in one after another. Several families pushed their carts with fresh frozen fish and dried seafood. When they saw them eating, they put down their carts and quickly made excuses to go out.
Seeing this, Lao Wang couldn't persuade them to sit down and drink, so he had to shout loudly and ask them to come back for weighing in an hour or so.
Zhang Guoqing quickly finished his meal and asked Zhou Jiao to stay and pay. He winked at Zhao Dashan and ignored Zhao Yuanyuan who was anxiously asking where they were going.
Zhang Guoqing smiled and told everyone that he was going to talk to someone first. As soon as he left Lao Wang's yard, he immediately drove to the fishing grounds.
The car pulled up to the fish farm's gate. Zhang Guoqing confronted the guard and said he was looking for Mr. Chen from the warehouse, telling him he was his cousin. He happened to be passing by today and wanted to talk to Mr. Chen.
The guard looked at the car and handed a note to Zhang Guoqing. He pointed in the direction of the warehouse and told Zhang Guoqing to park the car directly in the parking lot in front of the warehouse.
Zhang Guoqing hadn't expected to get in so easily. He turned to see the guard outside the car had already entered the duty room. He looked back and saw that the note didn't specify who he was looking for or what he was talking about. It only had a date but no time—just a simple little piece of paper.
He smiled and shook his head, slowed down and drove slowly towards the warehouse. Soon he saw two cars parked in an open space.
After getting off the car, Zhang Guoqing slowly walked towards the warehouse, listening to the pedestrians passing by and the conversations of two or three people who looked like outsiders not far away. He quickly figured out who the warehouse keeper, Lao Chen, was, and immediately found an opportunity to pull Lao Chen aside.
Old Chen looked at Zhang Guoqing's smiling face curiously. He couldn't recall ever meeting him before. Was he really that old?
"Uncle, I'm Liu Sanyuan's nephew. Didn't you help me buy fish when Uncle Sanyuan and my father-in-law came last time? We've finished eating at home, so I rushed over to find you. Please think of a solution for me."
Old Chen patted his shoulder vigorously and laughed, "I thought I was old and couldn't remember who you were. It turns out you are a relative of Liu Sanyuan's. How can you get out without Liu Sanyuan's note?"
"Wait a minute, I'll find you an acquaintance. Not only can you buy seafood at a fair price with him, but you can also go out with him. See? The finance office is right in front. If you buy less, they won't mind."
After saying that, Lao Chen left and found a man. He whispered to the man that his nephew wanted to buy a few boxes with him and would trouble him to pay later.
The other person smiled at Zhang Guoqing and said to call him when they were leaving. Drivers like them often brought back one or two boxes, so they had their own ideas about how to write the invoice. But if Lao Chen hadn't stepped in, he wouldn't have been interested in helping. A few boxes less meant less extra income for him.
Old Chen saw that everything had been arranged. He learned that Zhang Guoqing's car was in the parking lot in front, so he got in the car with Zhang Guoqing and asked Zhang Guoqing to drive over and park in front of the cold storage.
Once inside the cold storage, Old Chen looked noticeably more relaxed. He pulled Zhang Guoqing over, pointed at the broken boxes, and said, "Do you still want these? I'll take them all away later. Didn't your father-in-law tell you about this?"
Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile and took out five dollars and stuffed it into the other person's pocket.
Seeing him, Lao Chen stuffed money into his pocket without saying a word. He enjoyed associating with smart people, especially those who were straightforward.
Old Chen pulled out three sacks from the corner and placed them on the ground, saying with a smile, "Put these things in there first. I'll go look for more. We're almost ready for the end of the year, and the cold storage needs to be cleaned out these days. I remember we still have some. Think carefully about what kind of seafood you want in a box, and I'll help you pick out some good ones later."
Zhang Guoqing quickly said, "Uncle, do you think it would be difficult for you to ask for a few boxes? You can handle the whole box of seafood. I will follow your arrangements. It's convenient for you to do whatever you want."
Old Chen was even happier when he heard this. He smiled and said, "Okay. You pack these up first." Then he went to the innermost part. The people Liu Sanyuan brought with him were all nice. They stuffed a pack of cigarettes into his pocket as soon as they saw him, and gave him money without even seeing the items clearly. He had to go look for the good stuff.
Zhang Guoqing was busy packing the fish, but he was becoming increasingly nervous as he did so, wondering if he should give him more money. Seeing the old man constantly throwing fish at him, he decided to hold off and ask Zhou Jiao to bring him some game later. Giving too much wouldn't be appropriate, and giving too little would be a shame.
After packing up the sacks, Lao Chen pointed to four boxes and said, "Two boxes each of prawns, yellow croaker, and hairtail. You eat them first. Too many people will be unhappy."
"I always listen to you, old man."
Old Chen opened the warehouse door like a familiar man, pushed a cart over, and asked him to put all three sacks on the cart first, and then put four boxes on it.
After the move was complete, Lao Chen brought Zhang Guoqing to the door and they loaded the three sacks onto the cart. The remaining four boxes were placed on the cart. Lao Chen called over the man and showed him the four boxes. Zhang Guoqing then paid him.
After waiting for a while, the other party went to the finance office to pay the money, drove away with Zhang Guoqing.
After leaving the gate, Zhang Guoqing watched the other party wave at him with a hearty laugh before driving away. He glanced at the gate not far away and couldn't believe that he had resolved the matter so easily.
Zhang Guoqing drove slowly towards Lao Wang's house. Before he even got there, he saw Zhou Jiao standing at the intersection, waving. His wife was quite cooperative with him, but she would have been smarter if she hadn't blown the cold wind.
The car pulled up beside her. As Zhou Jiao climbed in, Zhang Guoqing pointed to three sacks and a box of prawns and told her to store them in his personal space. The three sacks were a private transaction, and he had no intention of telling Zhao Dashan. This involved the old man's work. The Zhao family had a very loose-lipped Zhao Yuanyuan, and if word got out, it would be bad for everyone.
As for the prawns, his daughter Jiaojiao liked them, so he kept a box for selfish reasons. Once the things on the surface were taken back, his father, mother, and eldest sister were all there. Zhao Dashan took one share, and then divided it among his sisters and brothers, there was nothing left.
Zhang Guoqing asked Zhou Jiao to retrieve a dried rabbit and two strips of bacon from his space, then turned the car around and headed for the fishing grounds. The guard was surprised when they passed him. Zhang Guoqing told him he had forgotten to give his uncle some things that his family elders had brought.
After getting the note again, Zhang Guoqing went straight to Lao Chen, handed it to him and left.
Old Chen never expected that Zhang Guoqing would come back just to deliver the meat. Seeing him about to leave, Old Chen realized what was happening and quickly ran over to hold him back.
"Why did you give such an expensive gift? Take it back quickly."
Zhang Guoqing said: "What's important? It's your nephew's filial piety to you."
A colleague nearby saw this and chimed in, "Old Chen, your nephew came over to give it to you. Just accept it. If you feel bad about it, ask the director for staff supplies and buy some fish for your nephew to take back."
Old Chen laughed heartily, repeatedly advising him to be careful. He pulled Zhang Guoqing toward the director's office and quietly reminded him to order more if he saw anything he liked.
By the time Zhang Guoqing, carrying two sacks, declined Lao Chen's offer of a ride, more than half an hour had passed. As soon as he got in the car, Zhang Guoqing didn't bother to answer Zhou Jiao's questions; he hurried away.
After leaving the gate and driving towards Wang's house, Zhang Guoqing smiled and said, "I was afraid that Lao Chen would catch up, so I drove away in a hurry. He saw us giving gifts and dragged me to buy employee supplies. I even offered to pay, but he refused. The first time I went there, I gave him five dollars, and he just spent it all."
When we were leaving, I slipped five dollars into his coat pocket while he wasn't paying attention. If we didn't leave early, there would be more fuss. Put these two bags in the space. Don't mention Lao Chen in front of Uncle Dashan and the others.
Zhou Jiao glanced back and realized they were far away from the fishing grounds. She breathed a sigh of relief. She hated the tug-of-war and the polite conversation. She reached out to touch the two sacks and stored them in her space. Then she remembered that Zhao Dashan and his family must be waiting anxiously.
"Uncle Dashan and I each paid for the goods. I didn't check carefully, the smell was too strong! Anyway, Uncle Dashan took his things, and I will take care of the remaining seafood according to your instructions."
Zhang Guoqing laughed when he heard her say the smell was strong. "I just saw the goods in the warehouse and they smelled even stronger. It's not much to buy them all, so save them and eat them slowly. If you come across something you don't like, give some away if you think you like it. Otherwise, just put it aside for now, maybe it will come in handy later."
"That's all I can do. What I need now are green vegetables and fresh fruits. I was stunned when my mother told me that we have to wait until the autumn harvest season to see wild fruits all over the mountains."
Zhang Guoqing laughed happily. "Use up the fruits in your inventory first. You don't have to wait until next autumn, I can help you replenish them in the spring. As for some special tropical fruits, I'll find a way to deal with them."
"Let's not bother with it. It's too much trouble. It's not appropriate to find someone to order fruit, and the journey is long. Unless I go out myself, it will be really expensive."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and didn't bring it up again. There was always a way to solve a problem, and he honestly didn't believe he couldn't achieve his goal. His wife suffered through the summer heat every year, so he had to prepare in advance.
When they arrived at Wang's house, just as Zhou Jiao had expected, Zhao Dashan and his family had gone to the sea.
Old Wang smiled and pointed outside, "Old Zhao told me to let you go to the beach when he saw you two. It will be cold after three o'clock, so you should go there soon." After saying that, Old Wang took out a bamboo basket, a wooden barrel, a small basket, and an iron shovel, folded them together and stuffed them into Zhang Guoqing's hand.
Zhang Guoqing nodded and said goodbye to him, then pulled Zhou Jiao out.
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