After locking the boat, Chen Hong drove home.
As soon as I entered the house, my mother was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen.
Chen Hong unloaded the water tank containing the seafood from the truck, changed her clothes, washed her hands, and went into the kitchen.
"Hey! Mom, making dumplings for lunch! What kind of filling? I'm late today. I said I'd make mackerel dumplings for you yesterday, but I broke my promise!"
Chen Hong's mother urged her to rest: "You go ahead and do your work! You went out to sea in the middle of the night, didn't you? Why didn't you call your dad? Two people working together is always faster than one!"
Whether you're home or not, we have fresh mackerel at home, so it won't stop us from making dumplings.
So, we're having mackerel dumplings for lunch today, and I've almost finished making them all!
The filling was prepared by your Aunt Guo, and I think it will definitely taste delicious. It hasn't been cooked yet, but it smells very fresh when she was preparing the filling!
By the way, two policemen came to my house this morning. They said they were from the local police station and were there to investigate some roving thieves.
I didn't go out with the children; your dad went with Xiao Hou and the village chief to look at the back wall.
They came back saying that last night, thieves almost broke into our house; those thieves nearly dug through the courtyard wall.
This morning, your dad and the village chief went to find cement and sand and patched up the wall again.
You know, thinking about it now still makes me shudder! If a thief had broken in last night, with both elderly people and children in our family, we would have been terrified.
What's wrong with people these days? Society is so good now, there's nothing you can't do to earn a living, so why are they digging holes and thinking about stealing and robbing, doing things that don't require any work to get something for nothing?
Aren't you afraid of being caught by the police, going to jail, or being shot?
When you were little, life was so hard. We weren't even allowed to go out and make money. We even had to go up the mountain to dig up medicinal herbs and cicada shells to sell for money!
There are so many ways to make money now. As long as you're willing to work hard, you might not become rich, but you can definitely earn enough to feed your family. These young people these days…”
Once my mom started talking, she couldn't stop; she started telling old stories again.
Chen Hong quickly interrupted her, "Where's my dad? Is the outer wall finished?"
Chen Hong's mother: "Back then, in the production team... Oh, your dad took the kids to the beach. I just called him, he'll be home for dinner soon."
Stop cooking, I'm almost done wrapping them. You can add more ingredients to the pot and cook them in the big pot. Dumplings cook faster in a big pot, and they'll be ready in one batch.
The outer wall has already been repaired. Your dad said it's not a big problem; only a dozen or so bricks were removed.
I overheard the village chief talking about your dad, saying that this case is difficult to solve, our family didn't suffer any losses, and the police aren't taking it seriously.
I took a picture, asked Xiao Hou what was going on, and then took the tools left behind by the thief.
Xiao Hong, if the police aren't taking it seriously, we have to take it seriously ourselves!
Your house is far from the village, which is a disadvantage. If someone comes in at night, no one will notice.
See what you're thinking of. We need to find someone to watch the house! Otherwise, if you're away from home for a long time and someone breaks in and stays for ten days or half a month, you won't even know. That would be so disgusting!
Besides, even setting aside everything else, you could sell your stolen appliances for tens of thousands of yuan. Building such a nice house isn't a good thing; it attracts too much attention.
Chen Hong was exasperated by her mother's nagging.
"Mom, you're right. Okay, I'll figure something out! It's getting late, let's eat quickly, we have to go back to Jinan this afternoon."
The village chief will be coming to our house later; we still have some things to arrange.
After dinner, you and Dad should help each other pack. The village chief and I will settle things at home, and then we need to hurry to the airport.
While they were talking, Chen Hong's father returned with the children. After everyone finished eating, they started packing their luggage. Chen Hong even guided her parents in packing some seafood into boxes.
These are all fresh catches that were specially reserved from the fishing trips yesterday and this morning.
Back in Jinan, my family and relatives each received a share. Although the items were few, they were quite expensive.
When going back to her hometown for a sea trip, Chen Hong felt she had to bring back some local specialties for everyone. And the most impressive of all the local specialties Chen Hong brought back were the fresh seafood she had caught herself.
My parents were bickering as they packed seafood into a styrofoam box. "First, put down a layer of ice packs. Don't put in crushed ice. Xiaohong said that crushed ice melts easily and causes water to flow, which the plane won't allow."
This box is full of mackerel, and the grouper and rock snapper are in another box.
One box contains shrimp and crab, and another box contains sea cucumbers and geoduck clams. Oh dear, these geoduck clams are really ugly.
I don't know if those rich people are crazy, they just have a particular fondness for eating these weird things.
Chen Hong's mother replied impatiently, "I know, I know. I heard Xiao Hong's instructions, so you're just showing off your hearing!"
Hey! Put a few more ice packs in this box. Don't let the ugly appearance of these sea cucumbers and geoducks fool you, they're the most valuable!
Old Chen, put in more ice packs, and seal them tightly so the cold air doesn't leak out and spoil the sea cucumbers. I heard that sea cucumbers easily turn into mud when heated.
What a waste of such valuable sea cucumbers! Tell me, with so much valuable seafood, why does Xiaohong insist on taking it back as a gift? It would be so much better to sell it and turn it into money!
For your own relatives and friends, it's fine to bring back some mackerel or ribbonfish; they're cheap, delicious, and presentable.
That brat is getting more and more extravagant! She doesn't know what to do with the money she earns! Why is she acting so high and mighty? When we visit relatives, bringing a case of milk and beer, or buying some fruit is perfectly fine.
"It cost a moderate amount, around a hundred yuan, and we got quite a few things, which are also quite nice." Chen Hong's mother grumbled as she packed the items.
Chen Hong's father listened to his wife's nagging without saying a word. With his strong hands, he grabbed the crabs and geoducks one by one and tied them up.
He now ties crabs and geoducks very skillfully, and packs and seals them in one go!
The village chief brought five large bags of tea, all sealed in a bag. Chen Hong weighed them in front of the village chief, and they weighed a total of nine jin and two liang of tea.
"This year's tea production is better than last year's. The tea trees are probably growing well because of the compost we buried. This year's tea harvest is half again as much as last year's."
The temperature remained low after Qingming Festival. Before Guyu, I went into the mountains to take a look, but the tea leaves hadn't grown much, so I didn't dare to pick a second batch.
After the Grain Rain solar term, the tea trees are growing well, and I believe we can harvest even more next year than this year.
We left a pound of tea at the hotel, to prepare for holidays or to entertain distinguished guests.
This is all we can give you. Everyone has said they don't need any more money from you. They're always taking advantage of you, so we can't be ungrateful.
This year, everyone's life has improved. Not only are they all receiving wages, but they have also invested in the breeding farm.
Even if the farm doesn't make money, everyone will still receive a monthly salary, so they won't be short of money.
I'm only helping you pick these tea leaves, so I can't take any extra pay from you. Last year, I had no choice; your Uncle Erhu was really short of money, so I only took two thousand yuan from you.
Chen Hong, your aunt and I have also discussed this matter. If the tea in these mountains is really important to us, I'll help you find someone in town to contract that small valley.
When we went tea picking this year, your Uncle Erhu and I took a close look, and the soil in the valley where the tea trees grow is quite good.
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