Feng Ye didn't move forward with the group, but instead found a place to sit down and rest.
Anyway, there are other people watching, so we can just go and check when it's time to weigh it.
Whether he looks or not, it doesn't matter; he won't lose a single penny. He's just curious about how many kilograms he picked up after working hard for several hours.
I've been bent over for several hours, and it's really tiring; my back and waist are a bit sore.
He had barely sat down when he heard people around him discussing Old Liu and his son's efforts to attract investment.
A very small number of people explicitly stated that they did not want to invest. In fact, these people were not clear-headed either, and they did not realize that this was a scam. They simply believed that the money was only theirs when it was in their own pocket.
To put it bluntly, he's just a miser.
Some people firmly believe this, saying that they have invested a certain amount and will receive a certain amount of money after a month, and they encourage others to invest as well.
Most people are skeptical, wanting to invest but afraid of being scammed, yet envious of the high returns if they don't invest, leaving them in a dilemma.
The reason these people react this way stems from human greed and fear of the unknown.
In this small fishing village, most people lead a simple and ordinary life. When they hear about an opportunity to easily earn high profits, they are naturally very interested.
However, due to a lack of sufficient information and judgment, they are caught in a dilemma: they want to try but are also afraid of being deceived.
Looking at the people gossiping, Feng Ye couldn't help but feel a faint sadness.
He had reason to believe that these people's rationality could not overcome their inner greed.
They will eventually succumb to temptation, fall for the scam, and hand over their hard-earned money to Liu Zhencai.
However, he wouldn't offer any reminders, as it would be thankless and could easily incur resentment, with people thinking he was blocking others' path to wealth.
He had already decided that after breakfast he would set sail to town to buy a coal stove and also visit the police station.
I should do my part and not just watch my fellow villagers get scammed, but I'd better leave these matters to the police.
As for the outcome, and whether the police will intervene, that's not up to him.
These pointless discussions were not something Feng Ye wanted to hear. He stood up, dusted off the dirt on his backside, and strolled through the crowd.
All I heard were the village's trivial gossips:
So-and-so's son married a woman from another place, and she's incredibly beautiful;
A woman was caught cheating by her husband;
Whose man is having an affair with a widow?
...
Some people are also talking about Lan Xin'an's death.
These topics, though seemingly trivial, are an indispensable part of the villagers' daily lives.
Feng Ye listened to this and that, and before he knew it, he had walked over to a group of men and women and heard their conversation.
"I don't know who fell into the latrine, it's all covered in poop and pee. I almost stepped in it when I went to the toilet last night, it was disgusting."
"I noticed it this morning too, there's nowhere to even step..."
"I dare not use this outhouse today; I'll have to go to another one further away."
"I wonder who's so unlucky, but it looks like it must be an adult, otherwise they wouldn't be able to climb up."
"That's hilarious! An adult actually fell into the latrine. Is this the first time in our village?"
Feng Ye listened with a smile, knowing that people would talk about it today, and it would become a topic of conversation among the villagers.
"Oh, who fell into the latrine? There should be tracks on the road, whose house are these tracks from?"
He chimed in, guiding everyone's thoughts.
"Oh, I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it. Now that you mention it, I remember there's been a foul smell coming from Old Liu's house. Could someone in Old Liu's family have fallen into the latrine?" a middle-aged woman said.
"In that case, it is indeed possible."
"Another woman exclaimed in surprise."
"Probably, otherwise who else could it be?"
“I have to pass by Old Liu’s house to get to the dock. There is a stench there, and there are a lot of disgusting things like feces on the way.”
"Haha, that's so unlucky! I even fell into the latrine. But thinking about it, it's kind of funny, haha..."
People were talking about it, finding it hilarious, and some were even gloating.
Seeing that he had successfully steered the conversation toward Old Liu's family, Feng Ye smiled broadly and walked briskly to Uncle Fa's purchasing point.
It's about time their goods were weighed!
When I went over, I saw that they had already started weighing the items.
The price of a starfish is three cents, which Feng Ye heard as soon as he came ashore.
The people weighing the goods now are Feng Jialing and his wife. Because they arrived a little later, they had relatively less goods and only picked up five bags, totaling 378 jin, which they sold for 113.4 yuan.
Then there was Xiao Guowen's family. They arrived late, but there were many of them. They collected about ten snakeskin bags, weighed out 728 jin (364 catties), and sold them for 218 yuan and 4 mao (0.4 yuan).
The Feng couple collected about seven bags, weighed 534 jin (266 catties), and sold them for 162 yuan.
Ye Qingling picked up about two bags separately, weighing them separately. They weighed 142 jin (76 kg) and cost 42.6 yuan. Feng Ye took the money.
Du Guilan's also sold for 60 yuan.
The last one to be picked up was the big one, which was found by Feng Ye, Feng Xuan, and A Can.
The fish were packed in 15 burlap sacks, weighing 1152 jin (approximately 678 catties). There were also 20 bamboo baskets of starfish, totaling 1345 jin (approximately 627 catties). The buckets contained fewer fish, but still weighed 237 jin (approximately 118.5 catties).
The total amount was surprising even to them; it amounted to 2,734 jin (1,867 catties) and sold for 820 yuan and 2 mao (0.2 yuan).
The total price caused an uproar, with envy and jealousy among the crowd, and everyone started discussing it amongst themselves.
After receiving the money from Uncle Fa, Feng Ye quickly grabbed the starfish they had saved and made a hasty escape with the others.
Everyone was very excited to have found so much money for free, and the whole way was filled with laughter.
Feng Ye, Feng Xuan, and A-Can divided the money among themselves.
Originally, Feng Ye's idea was that everyone should split the profits equally, since everyone had contributed their efforts and it wasn't money earned from going to sea.
But Feng Xuan and A-Can disagreed and insisted on dividing the spoils according to the shares of the Rising Sun, so he didn't insist any further.
Feng Ye received 400 yuan, while Feng Xuan and A Can each received 200 yuan.
"We won't divide the remaining 20 yuan; we'll use it to buy a coal stove and honeycomb briquettes, and then we'll go to town together after breakfast."
Feng Xuan and A-Can had no objections to Feng Ye's words.
I happen to have time today, so there's no need to bother someone else to buy it for me.
Turning his head, he saw Xiao Guowen and Xiao Guowu and casually asked, "Are you going to town? If so, I can take you with me."
Their eyes lit up: "Are you going by boat?"
"Yes, the ferry won't be back until the afternoon, which is a huge waste of time."
"Then together."
"Come to my house after breakfast, or wait at the dock."
...
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