The burlap sack contained mostly sea cucumbers, oysters, and octopuses, which were large enough to be easily picked up. The rest of the sack contained only a few conch shells and abalone.
Since there weren't many items, Ming Dahai weighed them all using a steelyard balance.
The oysters weighed 53 jin, the octopus 20 jin, the conch and shellfish weighed 33 jin and 37 jin respectively, the abalone 10 jin, and the sea cucumber, which absorbed the most water, weighed 68 jin.
Finally, some broken crabs, mussels, and seaweed were left over. Ming Dahai didn't weigh them and kept them with the leftovers from yesterday.
"Mom, let's go. Dad's not going, but we'll go. We'll take you out to eat."
"You guys go ahead, I need to watch the seafood, make sure it doesn't get stolen," Ming Dahong said, picking up his pipe and taking a puff. "But you're not allowed to get your mother involved in anything bad."
"I want to send these goods to town together, so that people can come over tomorrow, which will attract attention."
Ming Dahai thought about it and it made sense. The last time the car came, it had already attracted the attention of the villagers. If it came more often, the villagers would definitely know that they were making a lot of money every day.
Mingjing called Xie Junan, "We're free now, so we'll deliver the goods to you. We won't trouble you to make the trip a second time."
After changing her clothes, Sun Yunmei learned that she was going to deliver the goods to the town. She thought it was a good idea, because if people saw the truck coming to her house to pick up the goods, they would definitely be envious.
Who knows how many problems will arise then?
“Then I’ll go. Yunmei, you stay home. You can’t pull the cart.”
Ming Dahai entered the room. Sun Yunmei was changing clothes. He hugged her waist and whispered.
"Okay, but you're not allowed to go to that dance hall Mingjing mentioned. There are all kinds of women there, and you're not allowed to look."
"What nonsense are you talking about? When have I ever seen another woman?"
"I don't know, but those little vixens in town are bewitching. If you dare to do that, I'll divorce you!"
"Don't worry, I'll save all the grain for you. When I make a lot of money, you'll definitely enjoy the good life." Ming Dahai kissed Sun Yunmei and changed his clothes.
"Indecent."
Mingjing overheard the couple's whispered conversation through the door. Her face flushed. She couldn't believe that the two of them, both in their forties and fifties, were still doing something so intimate. Their relationship must be really good.
Xie Junan brought the grouper back to the seafood restaurant. Dong Li was shocked by the fish and immediately called everyone, wanting the whole world to know that he had acquired a treasure.
Upon learning that Mingjing was coming to see him with seafood, Xie Junan went inside, took a hot shower, and changed into a white shirt, which was supposedly the kind of shirt girls liked.
On the other side, Ming Dahai and Sun Yunmei exchanged a few minutes of conversation, changed their clothes, and came out. The three siblings had already loaded the seafood onto the flatbed truck.
Because there were many mussels and damaged goods left behind, Mingjing didn't plan to keep the good ones and sold them all.
It was already broad daylight. Mingjing, afraid of attracting attention, deliberately put a tarpaulin on the flatbed cart and took a detour through a secluded path to the dock to catch a boat.
"Sister, if only we could run into big trucks every day, then we wouldn't have to worry about money," Mingyue said, pushing the truck behind her.
"If there are typhoons every day, life won't be easy. Sometimes you can't be too greedy. You'll only have a better life if you know how to let go."
Ming Dahai walked ahead, pulling the flatbed cart.
"If I let go, I'll lose everything. What a pity," Mingyue thought, feeling a pang of regret as she thought about her treasures.
"You're still young. You'll understand when you grow up."
Mingjing followed on the left, holding the flatbed cart.
You can't teach someone by just one person, but you can learn something by just one demonstration. Even if you read a novel, these grand principles are useless.
The typhoon had just passed, and the sea conditions were still not very good. The passenger ship only ran once a day in the morning, and there were not many people at the dock. Mingjing's family happened to be there. There were not many people on the ship, so the three of them had the large ship to themselves.
After disembarking at the dock, Mingjing directed Mingdahai to the seafood restaurant.
Xie Junan stood at the door for a long time, looking around anxiously. When he saw people, he greeted them warmly, "You've arrived."
“I’d like to take Dad to town for a stroll, and we can sell these things here. Take a look,” Mingjing said with a smile.
"Alright, come in."
Xie Junan helped unload the goods, and Dong Li assisted.
"Wow, there's quite a lot of stuff," Dong Li said, glancing at Dian Dian.
Everything was weighed again, and it weighed several kilograms more than what Ming Dahai had weighed.
"Should we settle the bill today or tomorrow? To be honest, Mingjing, this stuff is worth a lot of money, and I'm not exactly flush with cash right now. Otherwise, I'll go to the bank tomorrow to withdraw the money and then pay you back."
Mingjing nodded in agreement.
Indeed, these days, who can keep so much cash at home? It's understandable that they might have trouble managing their finances.
"I'll give you an IOU," Dong Li said, going inside to get paper and pen. "The price is the same as last time."
Speaking of IOUs, Mingjing took one out and handed it to Dong Li, saying, "I forgot to give it to you earlier, sorry."
Xie Junan said politely, "Go ahead and tear it up, it's fine, whatever."
"Alright then." Mingjing tore up the IOU and turned to say, "Then leave this flatbed cart here for now, we'll come back for it later."
"Where are you going?" Dong Li asked, handing over the IOU.
"I took my dad out to a restaurant and then to a foot massage parlor."
Upon hearing that they wanted massages, Dong Li sized them up and then turned to them, saying, "Jun'an, why don't you go with them? I have a friend there who can give you a discount."
Foot massage parlors have all sorts of people, and Xie Jun'an felt more at ease there. Besides, he also had his own ulterior motives.
He was quite satisfied with Mingjing. If she could become his daughter-in-law, it would be like a lucky charm entering the house. He didn't want to miss out. They might even develop feelings for each other over time.
"Alright! This time it's on me, you all don't need to worry about anything," Xie Jun'an said generously.
Mingjing stared at him suspiciously, "Young Master Xie, do you go there often?"
"No, I'm in the army, how could I go there often? It's run by my uncle, I only go there occasionally for a foot massage," Xie Junan said with a sheepish smile, rubbing his nose.
"Oh, I'll just pay for it myself, no need to trouble you," Mingjing said, clearly not believing Xie Junan's explanation.
Men always say the same thing: they touched me but I didn't, because I thought it was dirty.
"It's alright. Fishermen need to soak their feet more often to expel the cold from their bodies. My uncle runs a legitimate foot massage shop and uses Chinese herbs like mugwort and saffron, which are very effective."
"Uncle Ming, I can tell you haven't soaked in the water much. Do you have gout or rheumatism? You feel uncomfortable on rainy days. Soaking in the water more often won't hurt."
Xie Junan grabbed Ming Dahai's arm to try and get closer to him, saying, "Don't worry, it's my treat today. We'll be working together in the future, so you can treat me next time."
“I think that’s a good idea, Boss Xie. Shouldn’t we find somewhere to eat first? I’m a little hungry,” Mingliang said, his stomach growling.
"Have a bite at my place. My seafood restaurant is just as good as any other place," Dong Li said.
"Alright, bring some specialty dishes."
Mingjing glanced around the restaurant and went inside.
The restaurant wasn't crowded; there were only two tables including theirs, so it wasn't too busy.
"I'll cook myself today, you all wait a moment," Dong Li said, rolling up his sleeves and gesturing for Xie Junan to go and entertain the guests.
Xie Junan handed Mingyue two bottles of fine wine and a bottle of cola.
"Sis, this cola was so delicious last time, but it was too expensive." Mingyue turned on the switch, and a blast of cold air came out.
"I like it. I'll give you two bottles later," Xie Jun'an said as he poured the wine. "Uncle Dahai, this is my family's treasured snake gall and Ganoderma lucidum wine. It's very nourishing."
Mingjing sipped his cola, sizing up Xie Jun'an. He had a feeling that this guy had ulterior motives, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what they were.
"Young boss, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. Your father's surname is Dong, so why is your surname Xie?" Ming Dahai said, sipping his drink, thinking it was indeed a good question.
Xie Junan laughed, "My grandfather was a son-in-law who married into the family. After three generations, he returned to his ancestral home. My grandfather's surname is Xie."
"No wonder, so you sell fish with your dad?"
"I'm in the Navy, and I'm on leave and back to help my dad."
Upon hearing that Xie Jun'an was in the navy, Ming Dahai's eyes lit up, and he grinned from ear to ear, "Navy? Protecting the peace of this region, not bad."
Mingyue whispered to Mingjing, "Sister, does he like you? Dad's been practically bewitched by him. He's going to marry you off soon."
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