Chen Hong asked Uncle Erhu, "Uncle, why aren't you going to work? Aren't you going out to work?"
"I don't want to go anymore. At my age, no one wants to hire me. It's hard to find work and I don't earn much." Uncle Erhu was also very troubled. He was exactly fifty years old, which was considered old in the area, and no one wanted to hire him.
"So how much money do you earn a month working outside? What do you plan to do at home?" Chen Hong had an idea in mind.
"On average, it's around three thousand yuan. Sometimes it's more, sometimes less. It's not certain. You know, when you're working, the more work you do, the more you earn, and the less work you do, the less you earn."
It's still better than working at a farm. You, Xiaofeng, only get 2,000 yuan a month, but at least they can provide you with a dormitory.
We odd jobs workers are like homeless people, sleeping wherever is convenient, usually on the floor, it's just a bit of a hardship.
While they were talking, after washing the boat, everyone packed their things onto the tricycle and went back to Chen Hong's house for dinner.
Originally, Uncle Erhu and his family didn't want to go, but Chen Hong said she had something to discuss with them, so they had no choice but to go home with them.
Normally, if the village hires someone to select the fish, using the village's small boat, it would cost 20 yuan per person. If they hired three people from his family, they should have paid 60 yuan.
Chen Hong paid him 100 yuan, claiming that one boat could carry the equivalent of two boats of people and cargo. Even so, he said he was taking advantage of his business and should have paid 120 yuan.
This made Uncle Erhu and his family very embarrassed, because the village always calculated the price per boat, and no one ever paid more just because the catch was large.
Several people walked along the road, one in front of the other. Chen Hong drove fast and led the village chief ahead, while Uncle Erhu and his family of three spoke in hushed tones behind.
Yang Xiaofeng said, "Sister Chen Hong is amazing! She made over ten thousand yuan in one day! My goodness, just thinking about that much money makes me dizzy. Mom and Dad, why don't we chip in and buy a fishing boat? The money comes in so fast!"
Uncle Erhu didn't speak. He was an honest rural man. His wife usually took care of his daughter-in-law, and he never interrupted.
Aunt Erhu said, "Feng, your father and I are also envious! But child, we should know our own limits."
We don't have Chen Hong's skills, nor her good luck. Not everyone who goes out to sea can catch fish.
Didn't you hear the fight in the west courtyard last night? They caught over 200 jin of small fish yesterday and tore three fishing nets, losing over 2,000 yuan just for the nets.
They only earned less than two thousand yuan from selling the fish. The three of them worked hard all day, but not only did they not make any money, they also lost several hundred.
Uncle Erhu also said, "We worked at the dock for more than two hours and saw several boats come back. Did you see how much fish they caught?"
The highest pay was over ten thousand, the lowest was less than a thousand, and each boat had three or four grown men working on it. No other boat could compete with Chen Hong, a single woman; who could have imagined that?
Aunt Erhu nodded: "Our family has lived by the sea for generations, and no one has ever gotten rich from the sea. Not just our family, but if you count carefully, from east to west, which family has ever gotten rich by fishing?"
A very small number of lucky ones managed to make a small profit, but most of them lived a similar life as migrant workers. There were even a few families who not only failed to make any money but also lost their lives at sea, with no trace of their bodies ever found.
We don't have that kind of ability, so we'll just work hard and not dream of that big steamed bun. As long as the family can live peacefully, have enough to eat and spend, and can even save a little for the children, that's good enough—not rich, but not poor either."
Hearing her in-laws' words, Yang Xiaofeng felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, and her feverish mind immediately snapped back to reality and calmed down.
"Mom and Dad, I was wrong. Our family is really not suited for making a living at sea. I will never mention buying a boat again."
"Good boy, our family are all honest people, we can't do the kind of work that involves going out to sea. In the future, we should live a good life and do some work that we can handle. I think Chen Hong invited us to her house for dinner tonight because she probably wants our family to help her with chores in the future."
She gave me 100 yuan for two hours tonight. If she could be this busy every day, she would have to find someone to help her with chores every day.
"I figured if she wants us, we'll work for her. Two hours a day, during dinner time, so it won't interfere with any of our daytime chores. We can earn two or three thousand a month. It's much better than leaving home to work elsewhere." Uncle Erhu explained Chen Hong's attitude to his wife and mother-in-law today.
Aunt Erhu nodded: "Okay, you're in charge of this."
Upon arriving at Chen Hong's house, everyone enjoyed a lively dinner. After dinner, Yu Yang and Wang Yihan went to play with the dog in the yard, while Chen Hong brewed a pot of tea for everyone.
Then he brought up the previous topic again: "Uncle, I'm thinking that I'll be using fishing nets to fish in the future, and I won't be able to manage it all by myself. Just like today, I'll need your help."
But this is a long-term job, and I can't just use you old folks for free every day. So I was thinking that if we all sit down together and come up with a plan, even if I hire you, you can still save some pocket money.
I'm closest to both of your families, and I trust you the most in dealing with me. What do you say, could you spare some time to help me with this work? Cleaning and tidying the fishing nets is a big task, and I'll leave that to you two as well.”
The village chief smiled and said, "I think it's fine, but it's not just our two families. My wife and I, the old folks, won't get involved. I often have things to do in my brigade, so I can't agree to help you out. We can come and lend a hand when we have time, but we're not good at being the main force."
Erhu, you can help Chen Hong with your work! Here's what I'll say: the selection and sorting of the fish will still be done at the village rate of twenty yuan per person each time.
Cleaning the fishing nets is also a big task. If they aren't cleaned properly beforehand, they'll be unusable the next day, delaying the net-casting process. Chen Hong prepares an extra set; having two sets to use interchangeably won't cause any problems.
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