Wu An returned to the old house, put down his belongings, and quickly washed himself.
Although we were beachcombing on the rocky beach, we still got quite a bit of mud on our bodies.
To put it bluntly, there's no such thing as a clean place on the beach. Even if the sand looks clean, when everyone is out gathering clams, they're all rummaging around with rakes, and with everyone walking around, it's a mess by the time you leave.
When I changed my clothes, I discovered that I had bumped or hit my leg at some point and had some small cuts.
It's hard-earned money.
If you're not lucky, you might earn four or five hundred a day, which is just about enough. That's only slightly more than what a migrant worker earns.
But considering he only worked for three or four hours in total, there's nothing to complain about.
After taking in the clothes that had been drying in the sun, I realized that I wash clothes every day and the weather is perfect, so the clothes smell wonderful from the sun. I changed into a t-shirt and shorts, and then slipped on my slippers and headed home.
Even when I was still ten steps away from my house, I could smell the rich aroma of food wafting from inside.
I walked a few steps quickly, and there was Old Meng tidying up his farm tools at the door. They hadn't been used for a long time, so he had to clean them regularly.
Others may not have the time for this, but Lao Meng does.
Both sons are successful and have settled in other places, sending money back home regularly every month.
He tended to his small plot of land, growing vegetables and fruits to satisfy his own needs, and often delivered some to their family.
If the family lacks anything else, they just buy it with money.
If you were to ask who Wu An in the whole village envied the most, it would undoubtedly be Uncle Meng.
Who wouldn't envy such a life in old age?
He doesn't want his old age to be like his father's, who has been working tirelessly for the village since he was young and still hasn't been able to rest.
Even after he retires, there will still be many things in the village that will trouble my father.
Wu An muttered to himself, but greeted Lao Meng aloud.
Old Meng asked curiously, "What did you do that you came back so late?"
Wu An said, "It's nothing."
"We went to the rocky beach east of the pier and dug up a lot of oysters."
"Oysters aren't worth much; after working so hard, I only earned four or five hundred."
Old Meng didn't know what to say.
He knew Wu An wasn't trying to show off, but these words still felt a bit off.
I wanted to complain, but in the end I didn't know how to say it.
Wu An found it amusing to see Lao Meng looking constipated, and suddenly realized that "Versailles literature" was not yet popular.
"Wait a moment." Old Meng got up, packed up his farm tools in the next room, and went back inside to get two bottles of wine.
Wu An took a look and saw that it was Moutai, and it was even aged. He said, "Uncle, we're just drinking, we don't need to drink such good stuff."
Old Meng shoved two bottles of wine into his hands and said, "What are you saying? It's only because we're family that we can drink so well. I wouldn't bring it out for an ordinary person."
"Besides, I've been eating and drinking for free every day, so I should at least show some appreciation."
"Stop talking nonsense."
When his elders spoke, Wu An shook his head and said nothing more.
It is said that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative.
These neighbors have almost become family.
Of course, it also depends on the situation. For example, the Duan family on the other side doesn't get along very well with them.
It's not that Sister Duan's family is bad, it's just that they might not be on the same wavelength.
As Wu An and Lao Meng walked into the courtyard, Wu Ping came out of the kitchen to greet them: "A-Zheng, how's the beachcombing?"
"I just got some oysters and made a few hundred yuan."
"That's great, you never come back empty-handed from beachcombing." Wu Ping looked at the oysters in the bucket: "They're so big and plump, it's quite rare to see them like this."
Wu An said, "I specifically picked out the ones that were left, and most of them are still relatively small."
Oysters are wild after all, and the seaside is constantly being walked over by villagers, so it's difficult for them to grow big.
"That's pretty impressive. I've never heard of anyone selling oysters for hundreds of yuan before," Wu Ping said, pointing to the kitchen. "Dad came home earlier than you today."
Old Meng chuckled: "Oh, that's quite rare."
As they walked into the kitchen, they saw Wu Yingwei tending a fire at the stove.
Actually, no one in this family is a non-cook; Wu Yingwei occasionally cooks, but the food he makes can only be described as edible.
In addition, he was busy with village affairs, so he rarely had the opportunity to cook.
But whenever they have time, they come to help, unlike other elderly people who just wait for meals to be served and then throw away their dishes after eating.
Anyway, Wu An was spoiled rotten by Mei Yueqin. At home, he was basically waited on hand and foot.
As a result, after being kicked out by Wu Yingwei, he learned to cook, which surprised everyone.
The table was already full of dishes, and several people worked together to quickly make oyster omelets as a staple food.
"This food and drink is more lavish than anything we've had for the New Year," Wu Yingwei remarked, looking at Wu An pouring wine and then at the table full of dishes.
“There are a lot of people in our family, so we definitely need to prepare more dishes, otherwise it won’t be enough to eat,” Wu An said with a smile. “I should be able to catch a lot of seafood when I go out to sea tomorrow.”
"From now on, I'll keep a portion of everything at home."
"No, no, please." Mei Yueqin shook her head and said, "What if we can't finish it? Seafood can't be stored for long."
Wu An said, "That's easy. If you can't finish eating at home, you can send it to your parents' house, sister-in-law."
Mei Yueqin said with a wry smile, "These past few days I've been going back to my parents' house frequently, but they won't let me bring anything home, saying they can't possibly finish all the food."
Everyone laughed along.
Hearing that he was going out to sea, everyone asked him a few more questions and told him to be careful.
Seeing that everyone was getting more and more excited, Wu An quickly raised his glass to interrupt.
"Come on, let's have a drink first."
"cheers."
"Wu An, you've escaped a calamity today. I wish you all the best in the future."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Wu Ping and Mei Yueqin also said a few words. Everyone looked at Wu Yingwei, who took a sip of wine and said, "In the future, discuss things with your family more often."
Wu An was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Okay, Dad."
I'd like to offer you a toast.
The father and son drank a glass together.
Everyone was enjoying drinks and chatting happily; the atmosphere was wonderful.
Wu Yingwei got drunk again without realizing it as he drank, and lay on the bed with a smile on his face.
In the past, when he was drunk, he would always sigh and groan, and sometimes he would even vomit under the covers.
The main difference is the mood when drinking.
Therefore, he is willing to finish work early and go home to have dinner with his children.
They drank one and a half bottles of wine, and Uncle Meng took the remaining half bottle back. Since they were not strangers, there was no need for formalities, and Uncle Meng could have a couple of drinks in his spare time.
This wine is quite valuable, much more expensive than the food on the table.
After helping his brother and sister-in-law tidy up, Wu An rode his motorcycle back to the old house and fell asleep peacefully.
On the second day, Wu An got up early as usual.
I drank quite a bit of alcohol yesterday, but it didn't have any lingering effects, my head doesn't hurt, and I feel refreshed.
Opening the door and looking at the distant blue sea and sky, I felt inexplicably cheerful.
I had just washed my face when Aqing rushed over. Breakfast was oyster and meat buns.
Steaming hot, I took a bite, and my mouth was filled with delicious flavor. I exclaimed, "Aunt Juan's steamed buns are absolutely amazing!"
Aqing took four steamed buns and ate them all right away.
After eating, we rode our motorcycles straight to town.
There are a lot to do today. I didn't buy any appliances yesterday because I received a sudden phone call, so I'm going to get them all sorted out today. Then I need to go see Lao Mai to ask about the follow-up situation.
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