"Everyone here today is a witness for me. My sister-in-law agreed to give me the boat herself. I didn't force her."
Liu Lao Er was shameless there.
Someone couldn't bear it and spoke up anyway.
"Cuihua, think it over yourself."
This boat is our lifeline. If we have a boat, we can get a bigger share of grain each year. But if we lose the boat…
That's the significance of private boats.
Ship owners receive more grain and work points, as well as more money at the end of the year, than others.
This is preferential treatment.
It's unacceptable for someone to end up with the same number of ships as someone else; that would be a huge loss, and who would be willing to spend money to buy ships?
Liu Lao Er said impatiently,
"Stop with the nonsense. Okay, since you agree, hurry up and sign it. Put your fingerprint on it in black and white, and that'll be it."
He Cuihua felt as if her heart had been stabbed with a knife. This was a boat that her husband had worked his whole life to buy, and they had saved every penny to buy it. Now it was being given to the second son for nothing.
But what could she do?
He Cuihua reached for the contract with trembling hands, but Qi Zai stopped her.
"We won't give you the boat."
Liu Lao Er was both angry and amused upon hearing this.
"You little brat, do you really think you're the heir to the Liu family? You think you can just say you won't give it to us like that? Who do you think you are?"
He Cuihua watched as Liu Lao Er humiliated her Da Bao, whose height was clearly so small.
Despite being a little bigger than Douding, the boy was quite imposing, standing there confronting Liu Lao Er.
My heart warmed; this child wasn't particularly close to them.
But this child genuinely protected the mother and her children from the moment he arrived home.
"Who does the second son think he is? He's the pillar of our Liu family's eldest branch."
He's the one who calls the shots in this house now; if he says he won't give it, he won't give it.
He Cuihua knew that Da Bao was standing up for them, and as his mother, she absolutely couldn't hold him back.
Liu Lao Er sneered upon hearing this.
"It's nice for your eldest sister-in-law to call you 'elder sister-in-law,' yes, this is a matter for your eldest son's family."
He's the pillar of your main branch of the family. Fine, then let the people of your main branch go to sea on their own. I'm not happy about that.
The production team leader felt a little guilty seeing Liu Lao Er's shameless face.
He knew perfectly well that Liu Lao Er was bullying He Cuihua, a widow and orphan, but he still secretly accepted a bribe from Liu Lao Er for this matter.
He coughed and said.
"Second brother, don't talk to your sister-in-law like that. Let's talk things over properly."
He then turned to He Cuihua and said amicably.
“Cuihua, you know your Dabao isn’t very useful right now, so keeping the boat is really useless.”
Since you and your children can't go out to sea, what's the point of keeping that boat except for it rusting?
"If you leave it for three or five years, the ship will rot."
"Instead of letting it rot, you might as well give it to your second son and let him take over your eldest son's spot at sea this time."
This is better for everyone; don't get angry with him here.
He Cuihua softened again. Of course, she knew that the production team leader was saying this for their own good.
They're right. This boat is useless to them except for rotting. By the time Da Bao grows up, the boat will be unusable.
"Captain, you don't need to say anything more. My mind is made up. I will go to sea in place of my family."
"We're not giving them the ship."
Seven's resolute tone surprised everyone; how could such a small kid say such a thing?
“Dabao, I know you’re doing this for your mother’s good, but you really can’t do it. You’re too young.”
You should listen to your mother. Give the boat to your second uncle and let him help you go out to sea.
"Uncle Captain, it's been clearly stated in our village that every family with a male member must contribute, regardless of age."
I'm willing to pay now, so why aren't you willing to let me pay?
"If you're not willing to let me go, then we won't give you the boat, and we won't go to sea."
Seven figured it out.
Liu Lao Er has set a trap in advance; there might be some shady dealings involved in this lottery.
Otherwise, how could a family like theirs manage to secure a spot to go to sea?
The production team leader's expression changed; the entire village was around, and what he said was extremely offensive.
It's like slapping yourself in the face.
He immediately turned cold and said,
"Fine, since you're not willing to give the boat to someone else, then you can go out to sea by yourself. Now, I'll divide the people I've caught into groups."
To avoid being accused of being unfair.
Liu Lao Er looked at Qi Zai in disbelief.
"Are you really going out to sea?"
"Yes!"
"You've thought this through carefully; going to sea is no joke."
Seven rolled his eyes.
"I'm willing, what's it to you?"
One sentence left Liu Lao Er speechless, his face turning red, and the people around him burst into laughter.
"What the hell is it to me? Go ahead and do it if you want."
Liu Lao Er remained indifferent, thinking that this trip to sea might frighten the little brat into something serious.
The ship will still belong to me then.
He simply refused to believe that a little kid under five years old could do anything.
The production team leader received a signal from Liu Lao Er and immediately began to divide the team into three groups.
Seven was assigned to the third group.
He Cuihua turned pale when she saw the list of people in the third group.
Whether it was intentional on the part of the production team leader or just a coincidence, the people in the third group were mostly the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled from the village.
"Why did the captain divide them up like this? How are these people in the third group allowed to go out to sea?"
Not only He Cuihua was shouting, but the people in the third group also started shouting.
If this group of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people is put together, how can they possibly have any chance of getting out?
Although they were all adult men, most of them were physically weak or had disabilities.
Add in the kid Seven, and look at this combination.
It was clear that there was absolutely no chance of survival.
"Captain, this won't do. If you allocate them like this, the third group is practically being sent to their deaths."
"Captain, my husband Lao Song can't be sent to the third group. The first and second groups both have experienced helmsmen."
You mentioned the third group, what do we do about that?
The production team leader waved his hand.
"Alright, it's not appropriate for you to just look at the third pairing."
But you didn't even consider why I put everyone in the third group, knowing full well that they were old, weak, sick, or disabled.
Why is it in the third group?
It's just sending out the first group first, then the second group. If they succeed, why would we need to send out the third group?
I'm only trying to be helpful; don't take my kindness for granted.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately understood, and many of them felt embarrassed.
So that's how the production team leader was thinking. If that's the arrangement, then putting these people in the third group was indeed a well-thought-out plan.
The combination was approved very quickly.
The first group is ready to depart, and the second group is also ready to set sail.
The third group also started tidying up the things on the ship.
Whether they go to sea or not, they have to be prepared.
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