"Is that really true? I heard my husband and his friends talking about it when they were drinking and bragging. They said that Chen Hong looks pretty and beautiful, but she's not someone to mess with. She's ruthless, and none of the hooligans in this area dare to mess with her."
I only caught the end of what they said and didn't understand what happened. Tell me quickly.
The middle-aged woman tugged at Aunt Li's sleeve, unable to continue her work, her eyes gleaming with a fierce gossip-loving light.
Seeing that there were people supporting her, Aunt Li put down her fishing net and told them about what she had seen back then: "Of course it's true. I was there at the time, along with the village chief's wife, Erhu's family, Yu Zhaozhong's family, and several other women from our village."
"It's almost Chinese New Year, so seven or eight of us went to buy New Year's goods together, thinking that having more people would give us more courage. But the driver called the police, and the car just stopped there and wouldn't move; almost everyone on board left."
He grabbed a cup, took a sip of water, and said, "We can't leave. We're all from the same village, relatives, and friends. We can't leave Chen Hong there alone to be arrested by the police."
We were all terrified, especially Yu Zhaozhong's wife. She was so scared she sat there like a limp rag, impossible to move. Chen Hong, on the other hand, when she saw the police car arrive, she told them to take her to the hospital first, saying she was so frightened she'd threatened her pregnancy.
"The police were so scared that they took her to the hospital first. They only took the hooligans to the hospital after recording the testimonies of the people who were present at the time."
They let us go home that afternoon. Chen Hong stayed in the hospital for two days, and was only discharged after her pregnancy checkup was confirmed to be normal. I heard the thug's company paid for her hospital stay.
After finishing her story, Aunt Li picked up the water glass next to her and gulped down the water in one go.
He wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and continued, "When we got home and told the men in the family, they all thought that Chen Hong had seriously injured someone, and that even if they didn't arrest her, they would still have to pay her a lot of money."
The village chief even went to the city's public security bureau overnight. The police there said that Chen Hong was the victim and that they would definitely ensure the safety of the adults and children. The village chief went to the hospital to see Chen Hong, who was sleeping soundly. The village chief then quietly returned.
A day later, Chen Hong was brought back in a police car with bags and packages, leaving even the village chief dumbfounded.
"When it comes to tactics and cunning, even if we men around here were all tied together, we wouldn't stand a chance. Anyone who dares to mess with Chen Hong is just asking for trouble!"
My son wouldn't dare look Chen Hong in the eye if his wife was so unattractive, for fear of getting a beating.
"Auntie, have you heard? Everyone says Chen Hong is a really good fisherman. She always catches more fish than others. No wonder no one dares to mess with her. Turns out she's a formidable one."
Aunt Li sighed: "When Chen Hong first got married, she went out to sea to fish and had a good catch. Yu Zhaohua and Yu Hai were against it. They felt that it would be a disgrace for their family for a woman to go out to sea, so they wouldn't let her do it."
Then Chen Hong became pregnant, and after giving birth, she needed constant care. Yu Zhaohua was in poor health and found the work in the fields strenuous, so Chen Hong took over, earning a little extra money by occasionally going to the beach.
"The father and son of that family have been short-sighted their whole lives. They think they can't make a living at sea, and they think others can't either. But look at them now, are they really that bad?"
If Chen Hong were to really fight back, she'd leave that father and son miles behind. It's only because she's newly married that Chen Hong doesn't want to argue with them and just goes along with them.
The middle-aged woman whispered in Li Dama's ear: "I heard Liu Laohu's wife say that a few days after the last typhoon, Chen Hong made more than 50,000 yuan from fishing."
Now, whenever she goes out to sea, she can easily earn seven or eight thousand yuan in one trip. I heard that Yu Hai only earns three or four thousand yuan a month. Chen Hong earns twice his salary in a day. I think it won't be long before Chen Hong becomes rich, and Yu Hai will definitely regret it."
"Don't say that outside. Chen Hong didn't earn this money easily. There are three or four men on our boat, and Chen Hong is just a woman doing all the work. How could she earn so much if she didn't work so hard?"
Even if the fish is lying on the surface of the sea, you still have to bend down to scoop it up, right? Besides, where would you find a fish that's just lying there waiting to be caught? Aunt Li advised her.
The middle-aged woman patted her chest and assured her, "Don't worry, Auntie, we won't tell anyone. We're not capable ourselves, and we won't be jealous of capable people."
If Chen Hong really makes a fortune, since we're all from the same village, we'll have ways to borrow money from her. It's still better than everyone being poor!
"That's right. The people in our village are all pretty good, and they're all quite united. The more wealthy households in the village, the better. The neighbors can pick up some scraps and get a good share of the benefits. It's much better than the whole village being poor."
"Besides, if the fish in the sea aren't caught by people from our village, they'll be caught by other strangers. The sea doesn't belong to us, so we have to help each other to get more fish," an old man chimed in.
As soon as Chen Hong stepped out, the village elders came in. Grandpa Yu Yang greeted them, "Chen Hong went out to sea again today. What brings you here? Is there something you need from Chen Hong?"
As the village chief followed him into the house, he said, "Nothing much. I just thought I'd come and see if Chen Hong had any work to do since there's no work to do in the fields these days, and maybe I could help her out. What are you doing here today?"
Yu Zhaohua boasted, "This is my home too, what's so special about it being here?"
"Can't you speak properly? Look at how capable you are!" the village chief scolded.
“Yu Yang slept at the old house last night. As soon as he opened his eyes this morning, he wanted to see his mother, so I brought him back. Chen Hong wouldn’t let me leave and insisted that I stay for dinner. After dinner, Chen Hong is going out to sea and asked my son and me to watch the house. Since you’re here, have a cup of tea first, and we’ll help you dry the fish later.”
"Grandpa Yu said happily. He handed the fruit plate to Aunt Guo, "Sister-in-law, have some fruit. I don't know where Chen Hong bought it, but these strawberries and blueberries are delicious. Cousin, you should have some too, they're not sour at all."
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