Evening, in the main room of the Chen family.
The chubby girl diligently poured wine and served rice to Uncle Chen.
Aunt Chen glanced at her daughter, then at her son-in-law who was eating with his head down, and her lips twitched.
Now she realized that Cao De listened to his daughter in everything.
"Don't bother, just say what's on your mind." Uncle Chen picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth, his wrinkles deepening at the corners of his eyes.
His daughter was so attentive, which pleased him and made him agree to anything.
The dishes on the table today are among his favorites.
And he didn't even have to lift a finger; his son-in-law took care of all the kitchen work.
He went home and immediately started eating with chopsticks.
Er Gouzi looked up at his sister and father, then lowered his head to eat his rice.
Before my sister could pick up her chopsticks, I picked up the meat much faster than before.
"I went to see Ayan hatching fish fry today. She hatched a lot more fish fry this time than last year."
"Dad, shall we raise fish at home too?"
"Ayan said today that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, and I think that makes a lot of sense." After saying that, the chubby girl stared intently at his reaction.
Uncle Chen nodded, drank a glass of wine, and then said, "Raising fish will cost a lot of money. Let your mother and I discuss it again."
Aunt Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything.
What's there to discuss with her? Doesn't he always make the decisions on his own?
She realized that there were still concerns.
Fish farming can be very profitable, but it also carries significant risks.
The chubby girl said slowly and deliberately, "Dad, stop trying to fool me. When did you ever discuss raising livestock with Mom?"
"Now more and more people are raising shrimp, and soon the market will be... saturated..."
Yes, the market is saturated, and shrimp profits will only be squeezed lower and lower.
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Uncle Chen's eyes, and his ears turned red. How could he not feel ashamed to have his thoughts exposed by his daughter in front of his son-in-law?
He coughed a few times, picked up some food, and ate without saying a word.
Shrimp farming brought him a taste of the sweetness of aquaculture, but he knew perfectly well that it was Ah Yan's technical support that made it possible.
Otherwise, relying on him definitely won't work.
“Father, we can start with a small number, and then we can start large-scale breeding once we have figured out the tricks and gained some experience.”
"As for money, I have quite a bit here. Ah Yan paid me my commission from the shrimp farm..." the chubby girl continued, drinking quite a bit of water in the process.
She talked until her throat was dry, but her father remained unmoved.
The chubby girl didn't give up; she hadn't expected to convince him in one go anyway.
Cao De had already made his stance clear, so he didn't say anything more at this point.
After dinner, Fatty and Cao De returned to their room.
The chubby girl sat at her desk, took out her notes on fishkeeping, flipped through a few pages, and then let out a long sigh.
Cao De sat to the side and lifted her legs to massage them.
Ever since her belly got bigger, the chubby girl has been experiencing frequent leg cramps.
It's only been eight months, and my feet are already swollen like big steamed buns.
If you press it with your finger, it will leave several dents.
"You didn't get a cramp today, but you got a massage."
"Ayan bought me calcium tablets, imported ones, they work well." The chubby girl smiled and stopped him from continuing to massage.
Cao De nodded, thinking that he would have to help out a lot when the Lin family held their banquet.
He advised, "Don't be too anxious. Your father is right to think things through. Fish farming is indeed risky, and we may have to use the profits from shrimp farming to make up for it."
"But if Dad insists, we can raise some ourselves."
The chubby girl's eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly grabbed his arm, "Really?"
"It will take a lot of money to invest."
Cao De chuckled and patted her hair. "Of course you can. The worst outcome is just losing all the money you've earned, right?"
“We won’t go hungry. If things really get really bad, I’ll go work at the port to help support my family.”
In the Chen family courtyard,
Uncle Chen leaned back in his rattan chair, smoking and squinting, still thinking about what his daughter had said.
He knew, of course, that the profits from shrimp farming would decrease in the future, but the thought of the fish farming cycle made him anxious and uncertain.
“If you don’t agree, your daughter and her family can start their own business later.” Aunt Chen sat down next to him on a stool, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan.
Uncle Chen's eyelids twitched. He hadn't expected that his son-in-law, who always listened to his daughter, would actually do such a thing.
He suddenly stood up and was about to go find them when Aunt Chen stopped him.
"What's the rush? We can talk about it tomorrow." Aunt Chen glared at him.
…
On the other side.
The He family courtyard was bustling with activity.
All the elders of the Lu family were present.
The banquet was to be held in two days, and they rushed as fast as they could to arrive just before the banquet.
Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if they had come a day later. Lu Yunshen had already made arrangements for the wedding banquet, and he had even hired a chef from the city to cook it.
He's been busy with this matter for the past few days, and Yang Yanzhou has been with him.
Today is the first time that both sets of parents have gathered together for a meal.
Two tables were set up in the courtyard, where a chef hired from the city was cooking.
The other table held the dishes that would be served at the banquet, so they had a taste of the food beforehand.
The elders sat at a table, discussing the wedding day.
Lu Yunshen and Lin Ziyan sat at another table to sample the dishes.
Lu Qiuying was also sitting at this table. "Tsk tsk, do you guys have to empty your pockets to throw a banquet?"
"These meat dishes and seafood must have cost a lot of money."
She said it, but she picked up food very quickly.
Aunt Lu Cheng sat next to her and said, "Don't say that. You only have a wedding banquet once in your life. This is nothing."
Lu Qiuying was about to blurt out, "Who said it's a once-in-a-lifetime event?"
But she held back, not wanting to get a tap on the forehead from her grandmother.
"Even food can't shut you up." Lu Yun Shen glanced at his sister and retorted.
Lu Qiuying's lips twitched slightly, but she didn't say anything more.
Lin Ziyan: "Don't look at me, I have no objection."
She knew Lu Yunshen could afford it, so she wouldn't say anything at this moment.
Moreover, she didn't manage the banquet; it was all arranged by Lu Yunshen, including the Lin family's side.
Those who haven't contributed shouldn't be criticized.
Yang Yanzhou said, "Being by the sea here allows guests from Beijing to enjoy a feast of seafood all at once."
"It's much better than hosting a banquet in a hotel in Beijing."
Pei Zhuling nodded in agreement and served a bowl of soup to her son Zhouzhou, who was sitting next to her.
"Didn't we say we'd be going to Beijing for the New Year? And inviting relatives from Beijing?" Lu Qiuying asked suspiciously.
The round trip took a lot of time, and the banquet times on both sides were not far apart.
Doesn't the customer object to going through all this trouble?
“Nie Lei and the others are coming over; they said they're here to see the sea,” Yang Yanzhou quickly replied.
At the elders' table, everyone was discussing wedding customs and such.
Grandpa Lu made the decision, "Since we're holding the banquet in Fuzhou, let's follow the local customs."
“That’s right, when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” Grandma Lan said with a smile.
Lin Atai naturally had no objections; she was very satisfied with the attitude of the Lu family elders throughout the meal.
Everything was done according to the children's ideas, and they just offered suggestions from the sidelines.
"The banquet menu is fine; I don't see anything that needs to be changed," Lu Yunshen's father said with a gentle smile.
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