https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-90-A-Mountain-of-Gold-and-Silver/12831796/
Chapter 91: Another Day of Bountiful Harvest
Chapter 91: Another Day of Bountiful Harvest
Zhou Chenglei was swimming up from the bottom of the sea when he saw a familiar figure fall into the water.
He was startled and quickly swam over, grabbing Jiang Xia by the waist and lifting her out of the water.
The water wasn’t deep here, and Zhou Chenglei’s feet could touch the sandy bottom.
Jiang Xia hadn’t even started swimming when she was lifted up!
The two surfaced, and Zhou Chenglei held her tightly, asking anxiously, "Are you okay?"
Jiang Xia wiped the water from her face and said, "Why didn’t you respond? I called you for ages! That was really scary, you know?"
She had almost thought something had happened to him.
Zhou Chenglei saw the worry and fear in Jiang Xia’s eyes, and the warmth in his heart grew: "I couldn’t hear you underwater. I’m fine, but don’t jump into the sea like that again. It’s dangerous."
He was even more afraid when he saw her fall in.
"I can swim, I’m not scared."
Zhou Chenglei pinched her waist, "That’s still not okay!"
It was only then that Jiang Xia realized how intimate their position was.
She was being held in his arms, and her clothes were floating up, exposing her waist to his touch. She was almost completely pressed against his bare chest, and her hands were resting on his broad, muscular shoulders.
Jiang Xia glanced at the distant boat, worried that Zhou’s father might see them, and her face turned red. "Let go, I really can swim. And I want to see what’s underwater. I’ve never seen the ocean floor before."
Zhou Chenglei wouldn’t agree to that, finding it too dangerous: "There’s nothing to see."
Jiang Xia wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him.
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
He turned his head away, "No, we need to get back to shore. We can buy diving equipment later and go down together, but it’s too dangerous now."
"Can you even buy that stuff?" Jiang Xia was a bit surprised.
Diving equipment was probably only available overseas, she wasn’t sure.
Zhou Chenglei: "I’ll try to find someone who can get it."
Jiang Xia didn’t push further, "Alright, let’s get back to shore."
So, the two swam back to the shore.
Zhou Chenglei held her waist and effortlessly lifted her out of the water, "Go up carefully."
Jiang Xia quickly climbed up.
Zhou Chenglei made sure she was safe before letting go.
Once she sat down, he climbed up next to her.
Jiang Xia sat and wrung the water out of her clothes.
Luckily, she was wearing a sailor’s shirt and olive-green pants, which didn’t become see-through when wet.
There was a spare set of clothes on the boat, but Zhou’s father hadn’t returned yet.
Seeing her wring out her clothes, Zhou Chenglei said, "Stay here and don’t move around."
Jiang Xia nodded.
After Zhou Chenglei walked away, Jiang Xia looked at the bucket and the burlap bag.
The burlap bag contained pearl oysters, about half a bag.
The bucket held a grouper and a large lobster, which he must have caught earlier.
The pearl oysters in the bag looked quite old, with their shells appearing weathered. She hoped they would yield pearls.
Zhou Chenglei returned to where he had left his shirt, then walked back to Jiang Xia and handed it to her, "Put this on first, so you don’t catch a cold. When Dad comes back, you can change back into your own clothes on the boat."
Jiang Xia looked around, "That’s not a good idea, is it?"
"No one can see us. The boat is far away, and there are rocks blocking the view."
Jiang Xia thought about it, "Then you go a bit further away."
Zhou Chenglei looked at her, his eyes clearly saying, "I’ve seen you before."
Jiang Xia glared at him, "Go, or not?"
Zhou Chenglei was worried about her being uncomfortable in wet clothes and her weak constitution. She had caught a fever from the rain the other night, so he walked away, giving her some space.
Jiang Xia looked at the shirt in her hands and glanced around, hesitant to undress. She first slipped on Zhou Chenglei’s shirt before removing her own striped shirt.
Zhou Chenglei’s shirt was several sizes too big on her, while her striped shirt, being a knitted fabric, was easy to take off.
The shirt carried his scent, a fresh and invigorating aroma.
Jiang Xia thought to herself, "He’s a clean person. His white shirts are always meticulously washed, and even though he’s a fisherman, he doesn’t have that usual fishy smell."
Just then, Zhou Chenglei’s voice came from nearby, "Are you ready?"
"Ready!" Jiang Xia replied loudly.
Zhou Chenglei then walked back and looked at her. Wearing his shirt, she looked even more petite, with the sleeves hanging far too long. She was awkwardly rolling them up, but the other sleeve was too long as well.
Zhou Chenglei walked over, crouched down, and helped her roll up the sleeves.
Jiang Xia extended her arms, letting him help her. Her arms, glowing like polished jade in the sunlight, were even whiter than his white shirt!
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
No, he needed to cool off in the seawater. After helping her roll up the sleeves, he knew she was afraid of getting sunburned, so he didn’t roll them too high. "I’ll go check the water. Don’t wander around. I’ll be fine."
Jiang Xia nodded, "I’ll keep prying open more oysters."
Zhou Chenglei wanted to say no, but he was afraid she would get bored and wander off if she just sat there for too long. "Be careful, don’t fall."
"I won’t, I’m not that clumsy."
Zhou Chenglei didn’t comment on that. She always made him worry, so he gave her one more warning before diving into the water.
Zhou Chenglei went underwater twice. The first time, he found two pearl oysters, and the second time, he found a large sea snail.
Seeing that he was getting tired, Jiang Xia said, "Don’t go in again."
Zhou Chenglei nodded, "Alright, no more. Let’s keep prying open more oysters."
So, the couple worked together, prying open oysters. By the time Zhou Chenglei’s father returned with his net, they had already filled four burlap bags with oysters.
Zhou Chenglei had filled three bags on his own, while Jiang Xia had managed to fill only one, and it wasn’t even full.
When Zhou Chenglei’s father’s boat docked, Zhou Chenglei handed over the items one by one.
At first, Zhou Chenglei’s father thought they had found a large batch of pearl oysters and was so excited he almost jumped into the water to swim a few laps. But it turned out that only the smallest half-bag was pearl oysters; the rest were oysters.
Well, even a half-bag of pearl oysters was pretty lucky!
He had just dragged his net and caught a bunch of miscellaneous fish, which was about the same as usual, only selling for seven or eight yuan.
He felt even more that his youngest son and daughter-in-law’s affection on the boat brought good luck!
After passing everything up to the boat, Zhou Chenglei told his father to go ashore first. He then lifted Jiang Xia with ease, helping her climb onto the boat. Her pants were still damp, though they were mostly dry.
After waiting for Jiang Xia to change into dry clothes, the father and son boarded the boat.
It was already three o'clock, and one more net would be perfect.
The last net caught a school of yellow croakers!
At least a hundred pounds, worth at least fifty to sixty yuan.
Thinking about the small bag of mixed fish he had caught earlier, Zhou Chenglei’s father deeply doubted his luck but was still happy. "Should we go to the city’s pier?" Selling in the city would earn them an extra ten to twelve yuan.
Zhou Chenglei shook his head, "No, it’s getting late. Let’s head back to the village!"
Jiang Xia said she wanted to sleep early tonight.
Zhou Chenglei’s father nodded, "Alright."
It wasn’t worth the extra ten to twelve yuan!
Today was another day of a full load, and they would return to the village in high spirits.
Let Zhou Bingqiang be envious!
O(∩_∩)O Haha~
(End of Chapter)
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