Chapter 141: A Man of Respect
Chapter 141: A Man of Respect
The sailor dived into the sea and resurfaced in no time.
Guo Boss asked, "What's down there? Did you see anything?"
The sailor replied, "I didn't see anything. But there wasn't even a single trumpet shell on the seabed. They must have picked them all up."
He hadn't seen the cavern, after all, the ocean was vast, and Zhou's boat couldn't guarantee it would always be parked above the cavern.
How could he possibly find the cavern in less than a minute of diving?
Guo Boss didn't believe there was nothing: "Look again. If there's nothing, it's impossible for them to stay here for so many days. Go underwater and search!"
Several sailors jumped into the water and dived to search the seabed.
One sailor did find the cavern, but it was too dark and deep, looking terrifying. He was almost out of breath and quickly swam back up.
He had his own agenda; when Guo Boss asked if he found anything, he concealed the existence of the cavern.
Guo Boss had also dived earlier but found nothing, so he had no choice but to leave.
When Zhou's fishing boat returned to the wharf, it was almost 6 o'clock.
The golden sunlight bathed the bustling little wharf, and the fishermen wore golden smiles, indicating a good catch for everyone.
Jiang Xia saw many boats with red salmon, and it seemed the typhoon had brought an abundance of them.
Their second net also had mostly red salmon.
Upon seeing this, Tian Caihua couldn't help but scowl: "What bad luck! Everyone caught red salmon, so the buying price won't be high."
Zhou Chenglei was annoyed by her constant complaints. With over four to five hundred catties of red salmon, even at a lower price, they would still earn more than usual!
Zhou Fu glanced at her: "It's better than catching nothing!"
The eldest daughter-in-law was too negative. Xia Xia had a better attitude, always smiling.
Zhou Chenglei asked the person on the neighboring boat, and indeed, the buying price for red salmon today was only one cent!
Usually, they could sell them for one and a half to two cents, depending on the size.
Seeing so many red salmon, an idea formed in his mind, and he looked at Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia understood his intention, tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to lower his head, and then whispered, "Do you want to buy the red salmon to make dried fish?"
Zhou Chenglei nodded, listening to her, and his eyes lit up with laughter. She understood him with just a glance. He held her hand, squeezed it, and nodded: "Mhm."
Jiang Xia smiled: "Then let's buy them!"
With such a low price, buying and drying them would indeed bring in a little more profit.
Zhou Chenglei squeezed her hand again: "I'll ask the others if they want to sell. We'll buy at a price one cent higher per catty than the buying station."
"Okay."
Jiang Xia then asked Tian Caihua and Zhou Chengxin: "Big Brother, Sister-in-Law, do you want to bring these red salmon back to dry or sell them?"
Tian Caihua: "Of course, we'll sell them."
She still had to dry the abalone, which was a hassle, and she didn't have time to dry the red salmon too.
If she tried drying both, it would be overwhelming. What if one batch wasn't dried properly, and they lost money? Unlike Jiang Xia, she didn't have her parents-in-law to help.
Tian Caihua felt foolish for even thinking that. She should have kept her parents-in-law with her.
Zhou Chengxin asked, "Do you and Alei want to dry fish? We can bring them back for you."
Jiang Xia: "Then we'll buy them all at one cent one cent per catty."
Tian Caihua's eyes lit up; even one cent more per catty would earn them a few extra dollars!
Zhou Chengxin waved his hand: "No need. If you want to dry them, they're yours!"
Today, Jiang Xia had caught so many fish, worth fifty dollars, and the abalone was also valuable. She had also found red coral, and Zhou Chengxin was already content, feeling like he had reached the peak of his life!
Tian Caihua: "..."
But Jiang Xia said, "Yes, let's weigh them, and I'll pay you later, Big Brother."
Jiang Xia wasn't one to take advantage of such a small favor, and since the family assets had already been divided, it was better to keep accounts clear between brothers.
Upon hearing Jiang Xia mention drying fish, Zhou Fu's face lit up with a smile. "Diligence leads to wealth," he thought. "With both Lao Si and his wife working so hard, they won't miss any opportunity to make money, big or small. They'll surely become successful one day."
The father and sons carried the fish off the boat in baskets, loading them onto a cart to take home.
Zhou Chengxin sold the fish they had caught today, along with some miscellaneous small fish, earning a total of sixty-three yuan.
The red salmon was also weighed, totaling four hundred and sixty-three pounds.
Jiang Xia returned home and gave fifty-one yuan to Tian Caihua.
Tian Caihua's face lit up with a smile. Her family had also earned over a hundred yuan today, and that didn't even include the abalone!
Zhou Chenglei collected over fifteen hundred pounds of red salmon from the villagers, filling the courtyard with baskets upon baskets of fish.
After dinner, the family, along with fifteen women invited by Zhou Mu, began to clean the fish.
Even Li Xiuxian couldn't escape and was pulled by Zhou Chengsen to join in the fish cleaning.
She was exasperated. As a teacher, she was now cleaning fish alongside village women! But Li Xiuxian wasn't one to show her emotions. Despite her frustration, she kept it to herself.
One of the village women said, "Teacher Li, you teachers have it so good. Your work is light and clean, and you get so many holidays." Her tone was both envious and respectful.
Li Xiuxian smiled faintly. "Not at all! Teachers don't earn much. Fishermen can earn more in a day than I do in a month."
The other women chimed in, "You can't compare it like that. Fishing is risky; it depends on the weather. But Teacher Li, as an intellectual, has a stable and easy way to earn money, and she'll have a state pension in the future."
"That's right! Being a teacher is the best! It's so easy! We didn't have the chance to study, so we can only weave fishing nets and help clean fish. We work ourselves to the bone every day, and we only earn twenty or thirty yuan a month."
"Teacher Li is the best! You get two long holidays a year, and even a day off every week. During the harvest season, you get a few days off too. You get paid even without working, how relaxing is that? And you'll have a pension in old age, so you won't have to worry for the rest of your life."
...
As Li Xiuxian was a teacher and her husband was a town official, the village women held her in high regard. They addressed her respectfully as "Teacher Li," their voices filled with flattery and envy, which made her feel a bit better.
Li Xiuxian responded, "Everyone has their own advantages. But we must still encourage our children to study hard. If they graduate from university, they can get an even better job than being a teacher."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xia, who was silently cleaning fish in the corner. She thought to herself that she should take the opportunity to remind Yingying about the importance of studying hard.
No matter how capable her parents were, what use was it if she didn't have the skills to stand on her own?
Just look at her fourth aunt, who came from a good family. But since she didn't make it to university, she ended up marrying and becoming a village woman, cleaning fish every day! Living in the village, who cares who her parents are?
Unlike her, with a respectable job, everyone outside the village respectfully calls her "Teacher Li." Who knows who Jiang Xia is?
That night, Li Xiuxian didn't clean many fish, but she did have many conversations with the villagers.
(End of Chapter)
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