Chen Hong smiled and, together with Xiao Feng, carried a box of fish to the dock. She then said to the village chief and the others:
"Uncle, we're not selling these fish; my family needs them for holiday gifts. Let's divide the rest among our families and keep some for ourselves to eat during the New Year!"
Wang Yusheng and the three Xiaofeng brothers all looked surprised. Could ordinary people like them afford to eat so much expensive and rare seafood?
Uncle Erhu is a very honest man, and his words are always the most truthful.
"Chen Hong, we've never seen this batch of fish before. It's a rare find, and it'll definitely be worth a lot of money if you sell it."
It would be a waste to share it with us and let us eat it all. Tomorrow is the market day, so it would be nice if we bought about ten pounds of ribbonfish and mackerel for the New Year.
Knowing you mean well, why don't you sell them and use the money to buy us ten more pounds of small yellow croaker? That fish is economical and delicious.
When guests come over for the New Year, this is a decent dish to serve. For us country folk, having fish, meat, and money to spend is a pretty good life.
We mustn't be extravagant and wasteful, and not know how to cherish what we have. You've been away for more than ten days, fishing in the wind and snow; it's not easy for you.
"Don't always think about us; the child is still young, and we'll need money for everything when we go out. Let's save as much as we can!"
If it were someone else, unaware of Uncle Erhu's character, they would definitely be unhappy to hear these words.
I meant well and wanted to give them some rare seafood, but they complained it was too expensive and wanted to exchange it for something cheaper, and then they kept nagging and lecturing me.
But Chen Hong felt warm inside. If her family didn't genuinely care about her, they wouldn't waste their breath on her. Even the most honest person knows what's good.
While continuing her work, Chen Hong smiled and said to Uncle Erhu, "Uncle, these fish might be rare here, but they're plentiful in the Pacific Ocean."
I just happened to catch them, intending to give them as gifts during the Lunar New Year and let my family have a taste.
I caught so many bluefin tuna, the money from which I sold them will be enough for my daughter and me to live on for several years.
These kinds of fish are not commonly seen around here, and for me, they're not really that expensive.
Here's a sample for you to try; it's a gift I brought back from my first trip to the Pacific.
As for whether you eat it, sell it, or give it as a gift, once it reaches you, that's up to you."
After saying that, Chen Hong looked at the three Xiao Feng brothers and laughed again: "If you ask me, we should cook and taste every kind of seafood ourselves. We are fishermen, aren't we? Don't we know the taste of every kind of seafood?"
In the future, when chatting with tourists from the mainland, even if I'm just bragging, I'll have to have some basis for my claims.
"Well, at least we've eaten seafood from the Pacific Ocean before, haven't we?"
The three brothers, Wang Yusheng, Wang Yuyong, and Xiaofeng, were amused by Chen Hong's words.
Even the village chief and Uncle Erhu, whose faces were weathered and dark, showed a hint of a smile.
Everyone drove over their vans and tricycles and started loading them.
Chen Hong locked the cabin, checked that nothing was left on the boat, and then, with Hei Hu pulling the fishing gear, picked up the village chief and Uncle Erhu, and drove home.
It was already 10 p.m. when I got home!
Aunt Guo and Aunt Erhu were waiting for everyone at Chen Hong's house! As soon as they saw them return, they immediately brought out the hot food to the table.
My son, Yu Yang, is still awake. He's in the living room watching TV and waiting for his mother so late.
Seeing the gate open and the car enter the yard, she ran to the gate to wait. As soon as Chen Hong entered, she rushed into her arms.
"Mom, you're finally back! Grandpa Village Chief said the Pacific Ocean has changed."
"You scared me to death! I was worried you wouldn't make it back for the New Year!"
Chen Hong pushed her son away first: "Son, do you miss your mother? I'm fine, your mother is amazing!"
I'm cold, don't let me chill you. Let me take off my coat before I hug you.
After she took off her coat, she reached out to hug her son, but Yu Yang blushed and became shy.
Seeing everyone laughing and looking at him, he hesitated for a moment, then blushed and rushed into his mother's arms, hugging her waist tightly.
I took a deep sniff of my mother's scent, and yes, she still smelled wonderful!
"Mom, how have you been these past few days? Have you encountered any danger?"
The weather forecast says a typhoon is hitting the southern seas, and the waves are huge, it's really scary!
Chen Hong hugged him tightly and kissed her son's cheek. "Didn't I tell you on the phone? I listen to the weather forecast on the radio every day, and I rush back as soon as the weather changes."
Mom won't take any risks. I know my darling is waiting at home for Mom to come home safely!
By the way, have you had dinner yet? If not, you can eat something with Mom.
Yu Yang covered the spot on his face where his mother had kissed him, embarrassed, and struggled to get down from the ground.
"Mom, put me down. I'm a primary school student now, I can't let you carry me anymore."
Grandma Guo and I have already eaten together, and we're still quite full!
"You should eat with Grandpa and Uncle first. You must be tired and hungry after working so long."
At this moment, Aunt Guo and Aunt Erhu also served the food and put it on the table, inviting everyone who had returned from work to wash their hands and eat.
"Chen Hong, you should eat while it's hot, and rest well after you finish eating. Let Xiao Feng and his two brothers unload the truck."
The men had already washed their hands and started sitting down at the table, so Chen Hong quickly ran upstairs to wash up and change into some loungewear.
Then he went to the storage room and took out two bottles of Jingzhi Baigan, a type of sesame-flavored baijiu.
This type of liquor is quite strong, robust, and potent; it is a traditional fine wine from the Yantai region.
Many of the local fishermen enjoy this. The weather is cold now, and a little strong liquor helps them ward off the chill.
Sure enough, all five men, regardless of age, laughed when they saw the Jingzhi Baijiu that Chen Hong took out.
"Hey, Chen Hong is so thoughtful, she still has some Jingzhi Baijiu at home."
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