"Those are coconut snails that someone found. If they find a pearl, it's just their luck! Why do you care what they do with it? Or have the rules in our village changed? Do you think the fish you find don't belong to you anymore?"
That's a bit harsh.
Zhan Qing looked dejected.
Seeing him like this, Li Jinyin felt a little sorry for him.
He patted Zhan Qing on the shoulder, "We'll set sail tomorrow, and all the profits we make this time will be yours."
Zhan Qing refused and returned home dejectedly.
Li Jinyin wanted to call out to him, but when she opened her mouth, she really didn't know what to say.
He stood there for a while, then turned around to go back inside. But as soon as he turned around, he saw Li Xiangdong standing not far behind him.
For a moment, Li Jinyin was unsure whether Li Xiangdong had heard what he had just said to Zhan Qing.
"When did you get here?"
Li Xiangdong touched his head. "It's been a while."
Clearly, Li Xiangdong had indeed heard what they were saying.
Li Jinyin felt a little embarrassed for a moment.
Seeing that he was embarrassed, Li Xiangdong smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Brother Li, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. I ate a bit too much just now and wanted to come out to digest, but I didn't expect to hear you two talking about me, so I was too embarrassed to come forward."
Li Jinyin was an honest person and didn't overthink things. Why did Li Xiangdong just happen to come out for a walk and overhear the two of them talking?
He was still trying to explain, "Xiangdong, don't take it to heart. Zhan Qing, Zhan Qing just needs the money urgently."
Li Xiangdong waved his hand, "It's nothing, it's a major life event, I can understand."
Then, Li Xiangdong changed the subject, "I'm not particularly concerned about Zhan Qing's matter. There's something else I'm curious about that I want to ask you."
"What's wrong?"
"Brother Li, why aren't you married yet?"
Li Jinyin was in his early thirties this year, which, according to the circumstances at the time, would have made him an old bachelor.
A faint blush crept onto Li Jinyin's dark face, and he stammered, "I, I, I, well, let's go, let's go back to sleep."
Li Xiangdong could tell from his expression that something was amiss.
Sure enough, Li Xiangdong found out about it within two days.
It turns out that Li Jinyin used to have a childhood sweetheart, but she disliked the poverty on the island and married someone from the mainland.
From then on, Li Jinyin closed her heart and locked away her love, never mentioning marriage again.
Mr. Li is over 70 years old this year. He had Li Jinyin when he was in his forties, so he was considered to have a child late in life.
How could he not long to hold his grandchildren!
My family was just really poor.
It was only after Li Xiangdong left them money and they bought a boat that their family gradually became wealthy.
Grandpa Li smiled and said to Li Xiangdong, "In a couple of years, the two of us will save up some more money and then find Yinzi a wife!"
Li Xiangdong listened without saying a word.
That very evening, Li Xiangdong called Li Jinyin over.
"Brother Li, what kind of fishing boat have you taken a fancy to? How much is your budget? I can pay for it for you."
Li Jinyin's dark face instantly turned bright red. He waved his hands repeatedly in refusal, "I didn't mean that, and I don't want your money. Please don't take it to heart! We were..."
Li Xiangdong pressed down on his hand, "Don't be so quick to refuse. I'll pay for the boat for you, but there's one more condition."
"Huh? Conditions? What conditions?"
"I'll pay for the boat, you'll do the fishing, and we'll split the profits 20/80!"
Li Jinyin was surprised to hear Li Xiangdong say this, and couldn't believe it, so she repeated it.
"You pay for the boat, and I'll do the fishing? Then we'll split the profits 20/80?"
Li Xiangdong nodded, "Yes, I'm number two, you're number eight."
"No, no! Let's split it 50/50!"
Li Xiangdong stopped him, smiling slightly, and said, "You know me, whether it's two or five, it doesn't make much difference to me."
It wasn't that Li Xiangdong was arrogant, but he really didn't care about the money Li Jinyin earned from fishing.
This was simply to help Li Jinyin.
Li Jinyin understood this in her heart, and felt even more grateful to Li Xiangdong.
However, he was an honest and simple man, and he didn't know how to say nice things.
Of course, Li Xiangdong wasn't the type to enjoy flattery.
Five or six days later, Li Jinyin went to the shipyard and ordered a ship for a total of 4,800 yuan. He paid a deposit of 2,000 yuan and the ship would be delivered in six months.
After paying the money, Li Xiangdong signed the contract and pressed his red fingerprint on it.
As Li Jinyin emerged from the shipyard, he felt a little dizzy, as if he were floating on clouds.
He pinched himself and winced in pain.
Li Xiangdong cast a questioning look at him, while Li Jinyin chuckled foolishly, "Let me see if I'm dreaming!"
Li Xiangdong: ...
It wasn't long before Zhan Qing found out about Li Jinyin buying the boat.
He first came to find Li Jinyin indignantly, but after Li Jinyin said something, Zhan Qing began to plead with him in a low voice.
A short while later, Li Jinyin came in, dawdling. After hesitating for a while, he told Li Xiangdong about Zhan Qing's purpose.
Zhan Qing also wanted to get involved.
However, he had no money; he wanted to invest his labor.
Li Jinyin was afraid that Li Xiangdong would have a prejudice against Zhan Qing and would not want him to invest.
Unexpectedly, Li Xiangdong didn't care at all. "Brother Li, don't you have the Eight-Legged Essay? You can divide it however you want."
"Oh... Ah? Okay! Okay! Okay! Thank you so much, Xiang Dong!"
Li Jinyin sincerely thanked Li Xiangdong on Zhan Qing's behalf before going out to tell Zhan Qing the good news.
That evening, Zhan Qing brought over a full bucket of seafood as a gift for Li Xiangdong to try.
Li Xiangdong didn't say anything else and readily accepted.
This was something Zhan Qing hadn't said at the time; otherwise, let alone taking a 10% stake, he probably wouldn't have even met with him.
They stayed on Daishan Island for eighteen or nineteen days.
Soon, it will be time for Ning Ruoruo to receive her college entrance examination results.
Li Xiangdong, carrying a bunch of seafood given to him by Grandpa Li and Zhan Qingniang, first went to Pengcheng to say goodbye to Professor Liu and his wife, and then set off for Yanjing.
When I met Professor Liu, he didn't look relaxed. "I submitted the report, but I haven't heard anything back."
Li Xiangdong comforted him, saying that perhaps the higher-ups hadn't seen it yet.
After all, top leaders are extremely busy, dealing with countless national affairs every day.
It's quite normal for academic reports like theirs, which aren't urgent, to be suppressed.
Professor Liu was introduced to Li Xiangdong by Liu Donglai. He secretly instructed Li Xiangdong that if he went to Yanjing, he must mention this matter to Liu Donglai.
This matter not only concerns the food of ordinary people, but also the fate of the nation.
Li Xiangdong solemnly agreed to Professor Liu's request.
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