Since May, the sea has been blocked, and now the large ships from Shili Village can finally go out to sea.
This has never been related to Shen Heng. Although the fleet earns a lot, going to sea is a business where life and death are uncertain. Shen Heng never had the opportunity to do it before, and now that he has a wife at home, he doesn't think about these things at all.
Everyone was scrambling for a spot to go to sea. Apart from the captain and a few skilled first mates, the list of ordinary crew members changed frequently. Especially now that the wheat had been planted, the off-season was approaching, and there were not many work points to earn. Everyone wanted to do as much work as possible before the New Year so that their families could have a good New Year.
Shen Heng never expected that this year's quota for going to sea would fall to him.
Bai Jiaojiao frowned: "What does this mean? They specifically said this year that it can't be changed arbitrarily?"
The boat belongs to the commune, but in the end it is just a boat from Shili Village. The number of crew members is the result of discussions within the village. Issuing such a rigid order inevitably aroused Bai Jiaojiao's suspicion.
Shen Heng pondered for a moment: "Isn't the captain Li Lide's relative by marriage?"
"It seems so."
Mentioning the name Li Lide made Bai Jiaojiao frown even more deeply.
"But he wouldn't dare to harm me." Shen Heng gently rubbed Bai Jiaojiao's cheek with his fingertip to reassure her not to worry too much about him.
"I'll go find the captain and ask him to arrange other work for you. There are plenty of people who can go out to sea; why force us to do something we don't deserve!"
Bai Jiaojiao brought Shen Heng to Zheng Xu's house. Zheng Xu looked at the two of them in surprise and asked, "Why did you come here?"
He has now completely changed his opinion of Bai Jiaojiao and Shen Heng. As the team leader, Zheng Xu naturally appreciates team members who can bring productivity to the production team.
"Captain, why is Heng Ge on our village's crew list this year? Can't we really change it?" Bai Jiaojiao and Zheng Xu had become quite familiar with each other while raising pigs together, so she got straight to the point.
Zheng Xu said, "This is the result of discussions among our village officials. In previous years, some people in our village really received a lot of bribes for the crew list. This year, to save ourselves the trouble, I discussed it with everyone at the meeting and finalized the list directly. Why?"
Zheng Xu looked up and saw Bai Jiaojiao's troubled expression: "Shen Heng has never been to sea before, so it's normal for you to be worried. But if someone as good as him could help on the boat, we might be able to catch more fish this year. I was the one who recommended him."
Zheng Xu couldn't stand the Li family's dominance any longer. Although most of the villagers were surnamed Li, this was Shili Village, not Li Family Village. In this fleet, besides those from Li Lide's own family, there were only those who brought gifts to Li Lide. How could such a fleet be any good?
Since Zheng Xu has already decided to break ties with Li Lide, he naturally wants to reform everything.
"Can we give this spot to someone else? There are a few families in the village who are not well-off and didn't get a chance this time. Can we let them have it?" Bai Jiaojiao had doubts. She was afraid that something might happen to Shen Heng at sea, and she was also afraid that she would be retaliated against by Li Lide if she stayed in the village.
"If this precedent is set, others will follow suit." Then all his efforts will have been for nothing.
Bai Jiaojiao sighed and whispered to Shen Heng, "Li Lide wouldn't be so bold as to let his relative throw you into the sea, would he?"
"You're worried about that?" Zheng Xu smiled. "Don't worry, more than half of this year's crew members aren't surnamed Li. If I'd known you didn't want to go, I wouldn't have recommended you, to avoid Li Lide..."
Zheng Xu paused here.
He mentioned Shen Heng's name at the conference, and Li Lide did not seem to object.
Such a good thing happened to Shen Heng, and given Li Lide's petty nature, he should at least say a few words.
Could it really be...? No, he wouldn't have that kind of guts, and no one would dare to do such a thing for him.
"What's wrong?" Bai Jiaojiao asked.
"It's alright, Shen Heng. You've suffered this once this year, consider it as supporting my work. I'll replace you next time. Don't worry, our village's boats haven't had any accidents in decades."
There was nothing Bai Jiaojiao could do now that things had come to this.
She has already offended the village chief. If she insists on making trouble for Zheng Xu, it will not only affect their relationship, but also damage Zheng Xu's prestige. In that case, Li Lide will have absolute power in Shili Village.
Moreover, it seems Zheng Xu won't agree.
"Heng-ge, let's go back."
Disappointed, the two returned home. With five more days until their departure at sea, all Bai Jiaojiao could do was carefully prepare for Shen Heng's departure.
Being on a ship is not like being at home. So many people are crammed into the small cabins and dormitories. The food is all things that can be stored for a long time, and there are only a few kinds of food available, so there's not much variety.
Shen Heng doesn't like dealing with those irrelevant people; with that temper, it's a miracle he doesn't get into fights.
He probably spends most of his time alone on the ship when he's not working, so Bai Jiaojiao bought him a flashlight and asked him to take some books with him to read.
Bai Jiaojiao asked Shen Heng to take leave and go to the town's supply and marketing cooperative. She managed to buy two jin of beef and brought it back. She cooked a pot of beef sauce and put it all in canning jars. She added some chili peppers to make it easier to preserve, and it tasted fragrant and appetizing.
Although Shen Heng wouldn't have any food problems, Bai Jiaojiao thought that going on the ship would be like suffering for him, so she tried her best to prepare good food and drinks.
She fried some wheat, added sesame seeds and sugar. This stuff is very high in calories, and since Chen Heng has a big appetite, he might easily eat it if he gets hungry at night.
When Shen Heng returns, it will probably snow in Shili Village. Bai Jiaojiao asked Bai Shiqing and Deng Min to make a new cotton coat for Shen Heng and also bought two autumn clothes for him to change into at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Bai Jiaojiao rummaged through the house to pack Shen Heng's luggage, wishing she could fill the entire house for him.
"Jiaojiao, there's no need to be so anxious. The captain is right. They really can't just carry me into the sea and throw me there, can they?"
Shen Heng hugged Bai Jiaojiao from behind, grabbing her hand to stop her from tidying up.
Bai Jiaojiao said, "I'm always feeling uneasy, but I can't quite put my finger on it. You've never been on good terms with anyone. Once you're on the ship, it's their territory. If they all bully you, do you think you can bully them all back?"
“Why not?” Shen Heng laughed at Bai Jiaojiao for making a fuss over nothing, his eyes glancing at Bai Jiaojiao’s earlobe before settling between his lips. “But you, I’m worried about you being home alone. Why don’t you go stay at your parents’ house for a couple of days? It’s perfect timing, there’s construction going on next door, so dust is bound to drift over.”
Shen Heng has already found people for Bai Jiaojiao in the past two days and made arrangements with the material delivery team. Bai Jiaojiao is very clever and resourceful, so he trusts her with this kind of work. However, it will inevitably cause Bai Jiaojiao some trouble.
“What kind of thing is it to go back to my parents’ house to stay? Besides, it’s precisely because we’re building a house that I have to live here so I can keep an eye on things.”
Bai Jiaojiao wasn't afraid. With Shen Heng away, could Li Lide really come over with a knife?
But being on a ship, far from the emperor's reach, is a cause for concern.
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