“My sister has the protection of the Sea Goddess, so everything she does goes smoothly,” Mingyue said excitedly to Mingjing. “Sister, you’re amazing.”
Mingjing looked around, "Where's Dad?"
"Dad heard you were back and was going to come looking for you, but your second uncle called him away. Hurry back, we've saved some pork rib and seafood rice for you at home."
Mingyue pulled Mingjing along as they walked home.
The pork rib and seafood claypot rice was delicious and flavorful. Mingyue ate two bowls in one go. Looking around, she saw that it was still early, so she decided to go to town to sell the seafood.
"Mom, I want to go to town to buy a cell phone, otherwise it will be inconvenient."
In the 1990s, cell phones could only make calls, but for the Ming family, being able to let others know they were safe was enough.
“Alright, Mingyue, you go with your sister. While you’re at it, go to Old Li’s shop in town and buy some braised dishes and good wine. Your sister has returned safely, and today we will worship the Sea Goddess.”
Mingjing smiled and went inside to change her clothes.
She was able to come back thanks to that mermaid, so it wouldn't hurt to express our gratitude.
Sun Yunmei took out a wad of banknotes, walked into the house, and handed them to Mingjing.
"Mingjing, here are three hundred yuan, that should be enough."
Since Mingjing caught the big yellow croaker last time, her family's life has gradually improved, and now she doesn't hesitate to spend money.
Mingjing declined, telling Sun Yunmei that she had hidden some with the Sea Goddess and would take it to town to sell later.
Upon hearing the name of the Sea Goddess, Sun Yunmei's expression turned serious. She instructed Mingjing not to neglect the Sea Goddess.
After all, Mingjing had escaped death several times, and apart from the protection of the Sea Goddess, she couldn't think of a better explanation.
After leaving home, Mingjing and Mingyue went to the beach. Mingjing told Mingyue to wait on the shore, and she plunged into the sea to retrieve the seafood from the system before coming ashore.
Mingyue rubbed her eyes in disbelief. She had indeed been quite skeptical of the legend of the Sea Goddess before, but now she was seeing Mingjing bringing seafood up with her own eyes.
She firmly believed this.
"Sister, what does the Sea Goddess look like?" Mingyue asked curiously, taking the fishing net from Mingjing's hand. "So many yellowfin tuna and sardines! We're rich!"
Mingjing affectionately tapped Mingyue's forehead with her finger. "Let's go."
The two took a boat to the town outside the island and went straight to the seafood purchasing shop they had visited before.
Passing by a braised food shop, the aroma was so enticing that Mingyue couldn't resist stopping.
"Sis, I'm hungry. Can we buy some braised food first? It smells so good!"
Mingjing shook her head, holding the fishing net, "Once I sell the seafood, I'll buy you whatever you want to eat."
She looked up and saw a place selling local shrimp in the distance. "There's a place selling local shrimp up ahead, let's go take a look."
Braised dishes are too expensive for her to afford, but a big bowl of local shrimp costs only one yuan, which she can afford.
Local shrimp is a favorite snack among fishermen by the sea. The shrimp roe mixed with tiny live shrimp is a local delicacy.
Mingyue excitedly ran towards the stall, while Mingjing took the fishing net and went to the seafood shop in front.
The seafood shop owner was a middle-aged man in his forties. Mingjing stepped forward with a fishing net and asked, "Uncle, how much are these yellowfin tuna and sardines?"
Do you have it?
Just then, a deep male voice came from upstairs, "Dad, the light bulb is broken."
When Mingjing looked up, she met a pair of bright eyes; it was a clean-cut young man.
"Wait a minute, I have a guest." After saying that, the man turned his head and saw Mingjing carrying a fishing net. His pupils contracted slightly.
"Little girl, where did you get so many yellowfin tuna and sardines?"
The man's eyes widened as he took the fishing net from Mingjing and examined the fish. Many of the fish were alive, so he quickly put them into a basin and filled it with water.
"How much is it per pound if I found it?"
"Yellowfin fish is 95 yuan per catty, sardines are 80 yuan per catty."
"Boss, you can't fool me just because I'm young. I'll ask around. If you do things sincerely, I'll bring you all the good stuff in the future."
The shopkeeper stared at Mingjing for a while and then remembered, "Mingjing, you're the girl who came to ask about the seafood prices last time, right?"
Mingjing was beautiful and left a deep impression on him; he recognized her at a glance today.
"Yes, boss, I could tell you were a good person last time, so you shouldn't be lying to me today."
The man nodded. "Of course, I, Dong Li, never lie. I'll add three yuan to the price of the sardines. They're not worth much anyway, but this is my way of showing my sincerity."
"Okay, step on the scale."
Dong Li turned around and grabbed two plastic baskets, separating the yellowfin tuna and sardines.
As weights were added to the scale, the balance gradually became equilibrium.
"Boss, what's the price of your abalone?"
"Wild abalone is 135 yuan a catty. Did you find some too?"
"No, maybe next time."
Song Laosan offered 120 yuan per jin, which was 10 yuan less than the agreed price. Mingjing gritted his teeth and felt resentful.
Dong Li nodded, "Wild abalone is becoming increasingly rare. If you have any next time, send them over, and I'll give you 150 yuan per catty!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mingyue came in carrying a bag of local shrimp, sat on the empty table, and stared at the fish in the fish tank.
After weighing, the yellowfin tuna weighed 15 jin and the sardines weighed 10 jin, totaling 2,255. Dong Li turned around to collect the cashier and took out a stack of red bills.
With saliva on his fingers, he counted the money several times before handing it to Mingjing, telling her to count it again. Mingjing simply said she would send more good goods, took the money, and turned to leave.
Leaving the seafood restaurant and crossing the street, Mingyue, carrying a bag of prawns, pointed at the vendors across the street and swallowed hard. "Sister, I want to find a place to cook these prawns."
“Okay, go ahead,” Mingjing said, taking out two hundred yuan and handing it to Mingyue. “While you’re at it, go buy some braised food and two bottles of good wine from Old Li’s shop and the convenience store.”
Let's go buy some more bananas and apples for ourselves.
"How about pig's trotters, pig's ears, and roast chicken?"
"what ever."
Mingjing turned and went into the alley. Several rickshaws were parked by the roadside waiting for fares. They immediately came up to greet people when they saw them coming.
With just a quick glance, Mingjing walked into the mobile phone store.
The shop owner was a middle-aged man, wearing glasses, and about forty years old.
The store wasn't big, and there were quite a few mobile phones displayed in the glass cabinets. The most expensive were undoubtedly the "Big Brother" phones. Mingyue only glanced at them before her eyes moved to the second-hand goods section.
Most households on the island don't have cell phones; only the village committee has a landline. It's a rare thing for anyone to buy a cell phone, and Mingjing doesn't want to stand out.
Even a second-hand phone can cost over a thousand yuan, and you have to understand that phones are a valuable commodity these days.
Most households use beeping machines; those who can afford mobile phones are usually wealthy with tens of thousands of yuan.
"Young lady, looking to buy a phone? Just browsing. We have secondhand stuff here, SIM cards are twenty yuan each," the man said, getting up to introduce the products to Mingjing.
Mingjing pursed her lips, thinking to herself that it was too expensive.
There's only one mobile phone shop on the dock, and not many people buy from it on weekdays, partly because it's too expensive. So when a customer finally comes, he naturally won't let the opportunity pass him by.
"I'll just take a look," Mingjing said, turning to leave after searching around without finding anything suitable.
A mobile phone would cost her her entire fortune, so Mingjing felt that not selling it wasn't an option.
As I walked out of the alley, I ran into Mingyue, who was carrying a bunch of braised dishes and shrimp.
The shrimp, stir-fried by the vendor with eggs, scallions, and cilantro, have a reddish hue and are both fragrant and sweet.
"Sis, that lady's shampoo smells so good, can we buy a bottle?"
"purchase!"
Mingjing glanced at the old lady washing her hair at the entrance of the convenience store, then pulled Mingyue over and bought a bottle of Bee & Flower shampoo.
Back home, Mingjing followed Sun Yunmei to arrange the offerings in the courtyard.
A simple wooden table, about the height of a person, with two roast chickens in a large bowl, and various kinds of seafood covering the table.
Mingjing brought out an incense burner with three lit incense sticks inserted in it and placed it on the table.
Sun Yunmei looked up at the sky and frowned. "You're back now, why isn't your dad back yet?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ming Dahai walked in with his hands behind his back, a pipe dangling from his mouth, and a solemn expression on his face.
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