Chapter 169: Shocking the Entire Village
Chapter 169: Shocking the Entire Village
Zhou Mu, not one to be trifled with, waited for the lion dance team to finish their performance at the homestead site and then invited them to her current residence.
"Masters, over here! This is the house we're living in now. Please dance here too. I suspect our family has offended someone recently, otherwise, why have we attracted these bad omens?"
Zhou Fu mentioned that the large ship should return around noon, and as she saw the sun had risen halfway into the sky, with noon approaching, she asked the lion dance team to stay and requested Zhou Bingqiang to continue paying for the lion dance to ward off evil and bring good fortune to their new ship.
Zhou Bingqiang was speechless.
This was too much!
Was she insinuating that he was a petty person and now she wanted to fleece him like a sheep?
After Zhou Mu finished speaking, she turned to Zhou Bingqiang.
"Bingqiang, you and Yongfu have been like brothers for many years. Don't mind if we borrow some of your good fortune, right? Anyway, inviting a lion dance team only costs ten or twenty yuan. You're the richest in the village, it's not like you can't afford it, right?"
Tian Caihua, always eager for a bargain, immediately chimed in, "Uncle Qiang, dance at our house too! I feel like our family's luck has been a bit off lately!"
Zhang Guiying was furious. These mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were shameless, treating them like fools. She directly refused, "No way!"
Wen Wan also felt aggrieved. Zhou Bingqiang was foolish, valuing face over comfort. He should have just declined directly!
She had originally wanted to suppress the fortune of Zhou Chenglei's new house. In her previous life, after Zhou Chenglei built his new house, his luck soared, buying one ship after another. Many feng shui masters praised the excellent feng shui of his house.
However, now she wasn't sure who was suppressing whom!
Wen Wan couldn't help but say, "We've borrowed enough good fortune. It's a good day today, and the lion dance team has another appointment. They're busy, so they have to leave!"
Zhou Bingqiang quickly added, "Yes, the masters are busy!"
The leader of the lion dance team also said, "Yes, we have another performance in the afternoon. It's an auspicious day, and we need to help someone celebrate their new ship, so we must go!"
If their next performance wasn't near the village's dock, they wouldn't have stayed to dance for so long.
Zhou Mu wanted to say something more, but at that moment, Zhou Chengxin rushed back, "Mom, are the preparations done? The ship is about to dock!"
He had hurried back to inform his mother first.
Hearing this, Zhou Mu didn't bother about the lion dance team and immediately headed inside the house with a smile, "The large ship is back? I've prepared everything! Hurry and push it over there."
Tian Caihua was surprised to see Zhou Chengxin returning so early, "Why are you back so early today?"
"Mm," Zhou Chengxin replied casually and followed Zhou Mu inside to get the items.
Soon, he was pushing a handcart out of the house.
On the handcart were two large baskets of firecrackers and some sacrificial offerings.
A villager, seeing the abundance of firecrackers, couldn't help but ask, "You've prepared so many firecrackers, is there some good news? Did you buy a large ship?"
It seemed like Zhou Mu had just mentioned the return of the large ship.
Zhou Mu smiled and said, "It's not a large ship, just a 24-meter fishing vessel that can barely venture into the open sea. Those fifty to sixty-meter ships are the real large ships. Oh well, I won't explain further. Our new ship is about to dock, and I need to deliver these things!"
Zhou Mu left these words, asked Great-Grandmother to keep an eye on the house, and then hurriedly pulled Zhou Zhou to catch up with Zhou Chengxin.
Their large ship had returned!
Upon hearing this, Tian Caihua's face changed, and she hurried to catch up.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had bought a new ship?
A 24-meter ship capable of sailing into the open sea?
How could she not know about this beforehand?
Did this family still consider her as one of their own?
Zhou Bingqiang's face turned ashen.
A 24-meter offshore fishing vessel?
How could Zhou Yongfu possibly afford such a large ship?
A ship that size would cost over 20,000 yuan!
He couldn't help but follow to take a look.
Wen Wan also rushed towards the dock.
Had Zhou Chenglei bought an offshore fishing vessel so quickly?
How was that possible?
It was even faster than in his previous life!
In his previous life, he had bought the large fishing vessel at the end of the year.
Seeing this, Zhou Guohua also followed to take a look.
All the villagers couldn't help but rush to see the ship.
A 24-meter ship, capable of sailing into the open sea!
It was the first of its kind in their village!
Such a large ship was something they had only seen at the city dock or out at sea.
Noon was the quietest time at the dock.
(End of Chapter 169)
Only a few ships that had set out at midnight and returned in the morning were docked along the entire coast.
Thus, Zhou's family's 24-meter vessel stood out prominently.
The brand-new fishing boat shone brightly in its new red paint!
Zhou Mu's eyes narrowed in awe as she gazed upon it.
Zhou Bingqiang stared, his eyes wide with amazement.
Indeed, it was a 24-meter vessel!
This one could rival three of their own boats!
Most importantly, owning an offshore fishing vessel meant they were big shots in the fishing industry!
Wen Wan clenched her fists, her face filled with discontent as she looked at the ship.
How did Zhou Chenglei get such a big ship so quickly?
Even without their own boat, she knew that the money made from offshore fishing operations couldn't compare to what these small coastal boats could earn.
That was deep-sea fishing, where fish were abundant!
Zhou Guohua's three fishing boats might not earn as much as one of theirs!
What could Zhou Guohua use to compete with Zhou Chenglei now?
Wen Wan's discontent made her body tremble slightly, feeling that even a speedboat couldn't catch up with Jiang Xia.
Zhou Fu and Zhou Chenglei carried basket after basket of yellow croakers off the ship.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Mu placed sacrificial offerings on the boat and prayed to the gods.
Once all the fish were unloaded, and after they finished praying, Zhou Chengxin set off firecrackers at the dock.
Two lion dance teams performed exuberantly on the boat.
The firecrackers crackled and popped, while the drumbeats thundered, creating a joyous atmosphere.
More and more villagers gathered to watch the spectacle.
Some villagers came forward to congratulate them, and seeing the baskets of fish covering the entire dock, they exclaimed in surprise, "This is the first catch from your new boat! What an auspicious start! Congratulations!"
"So many yellow croakers, did you go on a long-distance voyage during your maiden voyage?"
Zhou Fu smiled, his eyes narrowing into a line, and began his performance, "No, we didn't have time to go far. We just dragged a net nearby and hauled it up in less than an hour!"
"You caught all these fish in less than an hour?"
Zhou Fu's mouth watered as he spoke, "There was no other way. This boat is equipped with a fish finder, and that thing is truly powerful. It can detect where the fish are in the sea!"
"You even have a fish finder? That thing is really expensive! How much did it cost? Come on, take us aboard to see your big ship. I've never been on one before!"
Zhou Fu happily led them aboard, not even bothering to call out to Zhou Bingqiang.
Zhou Bingqiang pretended not to see, turned around, and walked away.
Zhou Fu proudly introduced, "The fish finder was free. Xia Xia and Alei helped the shipyard a lot, and the manager gave it to us! If we had bought it, it would have cost over a thousand!"
The villagers asked what kind of help they provided, and Zhou Fu took the opportunity to boast extravagantly.
"Such a big ship must have cost a lot. Can it be bought for 20,000 yuan?"
Zhou Fu laughed, "Haha, it's about that. Xia Xia and Alei helped the shipyard a lot, and both managers gave us a discount, so it was much cheaper!"
...
On one side, Zhou Fu was leading villagers onto the ship, boasting loudly, his vanity deeply satisfied. The women on the dock were also whispering among themselves.
"It really is a big ship! The Zhou Yongfu family must be rich!"
"It's not that they're rich, it's that they have a capable son. Zhou Chenglei is so capable, he must have bought it himself!"
"He really has a capable son. Alei is so talented. He's so young, and he's already bought a big ship and built a new house! They must be millionaires, maybe even worth over 100,000 yuan!"
"It's probably not that much. This big ship is estimated to cost over 20,000 yuan. If they had ordered it a few years ago, it would have been around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. Now, it would take more than 20,000 to 30,000 yuan."
"So, the Zhou Yongfu family has been millionaires for a while? They've kept it well hidden!"
"Didn't you see that Alei dropped out of middle school to join the army? He sent money home every month. He was underage when he enlisted, but they accepted him because his age was written as one year older in the household register. He was truly exceptional. He quickly earned merits, became a platoon leader, and continued to distinguish himself, rising through the ranks... Being a millionaire is not surprising for him."
The villagers hadn't felt Zhou Chenglei's prowess when he was a battalion commander, but this big ship was different!
It truly astonished the villagers!
Tian Caihua, who had been feeling sour and aggrieved, widened her eyes upon hearing the villagers' words and stopped feeling sour as she thought about something.
So, this big ship was ordered before the family split?
She hurried over to help, her face beaming with joy.
(End of Chapter)
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