Ming Lao Er would definitely not be willing to give up his precious eggs, so she would help him. After all, Mingzhu pushed the original owner into the water, so she could consider this revenge for the original owner.
Ming Dahai thought about it and agreed. He couldn't go to someone's house for a meal right at mealtime, and besides, he hadn't seen his mother in a long time. It would be good to go and chat with her.
The family, dressed in brand-new clothes, walked over to Old Wang's convenience store.
"Hey, Dahai, you must have made a lot of money yesterday! You're even wearing new clothes, are you going to visit relatives?"
"It's not much money, my daughter just spent it recklessly. Give me two bottles of good wine, two pounds of peach shortbread, ten boxes of canned fish, and a case of herbal tea."
I'm going to see my mother; I can't go empty-handed. How much money do I need?
"Hey Dahai, all the money you've made is for this little thing you bought for your mother? How about you get another box of yellow tofu? It's a new stock we just got today."
Mingyue glanced at the packaging on the shelf. Yellow tofu was a local specialty with a strange taste. It was said to be made from sea fish and tofu.
"Alright, Uncle Wang, that's all. How much?"
The Ming family is no good, including that old woman. They are snobbish and greedy. Sending these things over is already a favor.
Old Wang sighed, "Two bottles of beer cost sixty yuan, peach shortbread cost ten yuan and fifty cents, and ten cans of fish cost eighty yuan. That's a total of one hundred and fifty-five yuan."
"Let's make it 150 then, Uncle Wang, we'll forget about the change."
"Alright, your fish is really good, I'll keep the change," Old Wang chuckled.
"Ming Dahai, you've only had one daughter in your life, so you can expect to enjoy a life of luxury from now on."
Ming Dahai felt a warm glow inside upon hearing Lao Wang's words.
The old lady of the Ming family had suffered a lot in her life. Ming Dashan was born prematurely and was weak. The old lady gave him all her love and protected her youngest son at all times.
Later, Ming Dahai was labeled a landlord, which implicated Ming Dashan. The old lady publicly severed ties with Ming Dahai, but Ming Dashan was still affected.
When the old lady saw Ming Dahai coming over, she rolled her eyes and remained silent.
"Mom, I'm here." Ming Dahai stepped forward carrying his things, and Ming Jing walked into the yard and looked around.
The old lady Ming sat on the chair, her hair gray, her cheekbones high and prominent on her thin face, and her thin lips humming softly on her dark skin.
The yard was large, filled with wooden shelves, all hung with dried fish, a wider variety than Mingda's.
Because they are going out to sea tomorrow, Ming Dahai's sons and daughters-in-law sent their children to their parents' home, and they happen to be away today.
"Brother, what brings you here?" Ming Dashan came out when he heard the voice and was quite surprised to see his family standing in the yard.
Mingjing took the things from Mingdahai's hands. "Second Uncle, Mingzhu said that Grandma misses us and wants us to come to our house for dinner, so I brought these things with me."
Ming Dashan was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth. He glared at Mingzhu as she came out and was about to refuse.
"Second Uncle, tomorrow is a big day. We need to hold a farewell banquet to symbolize a successful return. It's getting late, so we thought we'd come early to help you out."
"Grandma, you can't send us away, can you? What if we don't catch any fish tomorrow..."
Grandma Ming immediately interrupted, "Pah! What unlucky things to say! Da Shan is having a feast!"
God knows how important tomorrow is, but that brat has her stuck here, and she has no choice but to agree.
"Mom, go kill the chicken. Dad, go kill the duck. Big brother, little sister, you two go to the backyard to pick vegetables. We'll help Uncle."
Mingjing put down what she was holding, picked up the basket on the wall, and went to the chicken coop to collect eggs, her movements as practiced as if she were at home.
"Mingliang, Mingyue, don't pick too many vegetables, we can't finish them all," Ming Dashan gritted his teeth and shouted at the top of his lungs towards the backyard.
Ming Dashan was considered a wealthy man on the island. Of course, this was all thanks to his embezzlement and deception of Ming Dahai in exchange for the abalone he had been smuggled into. His family was also very frugal, so they naturally had no worries about food and drink.
The old woman sitting in the chair turned her head to look at the screams coming from the chicken coop, and closed her eyes with heartache.
Mingzhu bit her lip, stared at the shabby pile of gifts on the ground, and went into the house.
As dusk fell, a crimson glow hung from the eaves.
The Ming family's dining table was piled high with food.
Ginger duck, Sichuan peppercorn chicken, stir-fried vegetables with eggs, braised fish, braised abalone with pork, braised sea cucumber with scallions, raw marinated drunken crab, garlic oysters, and a pot of angelica chicken soup.
At the table full of dishes, Mingjing was the first to pick up her chopsticks and put a big chicken leg on the old lady's plate.
"Grandma, eat first, it'll help you recover."
Grandma Ming sighed and glanced at Mingjing. "Mingjing, I heard you made a lot of money catching fish at sea?"
"I didn't earn much; it all went to pay off your grandson's debts."
Mingjing didn't look up and shoveled rice into her mouth.
"You unfilial brat!" Old Mrs. Ming's gaze fell on Mingliang, who was eating heartily, and her already harsh expression became even more unpleasant.
Mingliang lowered his head and ate large mouthfuls of rice and pieces of meat, which made Ming Lao Er feel sorry for him.
“Mom, Mingliang is better now. He even helped me harvest rice,” Ming Dahai explained, trying to change the subject.
"Second Brother, I'm entrusting Mingjing to you tomorrow," Ming Dahai said, raising his glass and grinning.
Ming Lao Er said nothing, raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp.
After several rounds of drinks, Ming Dahai was quite drunk, and Sun Yunmei and the children were all drunk at the dinner table.
Ming Dashan picked up his wine glass and tentatively asked, "Brother, what's your secret to touching abalone? We're all brothers, why are you being so formal?"
After saying that, Mingjing yawned, sat up, and shook his head. "Dad, we've almost finished eating. We should go back now."
Mingjing got up and helped the dizzy girl to her feet, and they walked outside. Mingyue helped Sun Yunmei and followed behind. Mingliang glanced back at Ming Dashan and then left.
She didn't get the questions she wanted to ask, and all that good wine and food was wasted. Old Mrs. Ming grumbled and complained all night.
Back at the Ming family home, Mingjing took care of Ming Dashan and his wife until midnight. Thinking about going to sea the next day, she lay on the bed and mentally entered her spatial dimension.
It's too sunny at sea, so she needs to have some sun protection: a facekini, sunscreen, and a sun hat.
After making the purchase, Mingjing fell asleep.
Just after four in the morning, the neighbor's rooster crowed on time. Mingjing rubbed his eyes and got up to wash.
Light and darkness intertwined, and a faint moon still hung in the sky, the light not bright.
"sister."
Ming Dahai and Sun Yunmei were still fast asleep after being given too much alcohol yesterday. A fire broke out in the kitchen, and Mingjing peeked out to see Mingyue.
"Sis, I cooked you some lean meat porridge, steamed some buns, and added an egg. You'll have plenty of energy to go fishing. Uncle is so stingy, he probably won't bring you any food."
"Didn't you sleep all night?"
Mingjing saw that Mingyue was yawning repeatedly, and his dark circles were worse than a panda's.
"It's okay, I'll go to sleep after you leave. Eat quickly, the food is ready." Mingyue lifted the lid of the pot, picked up a steaming hot bun, and handed it to Mingjing. "It's meat-filled."
Mingjing took the bun, took a bite, and found it to be fatty but not greasy, full of meat filling.
What a wonderful younger sister.
After finishing her porridge, Mingjing put on a black facekini, leaving only her eyes and mouth exposed. She applied sunscreen to her bare skin, put on a straw hat, and acted as if she didn't care about anyone.
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