1983Fishing and Farming between Mountains and Seas

Chapter 484: The Mystery of Impersonation and Blackmail Completely Revealed
Tong Wen'an did not pause:
"Dad, you've heard me talk about this before, but I didn't go into detail before. This time you should know that I almost died in the sea.

On the water, Liang Defu and the other two chatted about family matters at first, but we didn't hear them talk anymore after that. It was estimated that there was nothing much to say, and the three of them probably just squatted on the boat in a daze.

After a while, I heard Liang Defu and the others talking again, saying that this hooked nose was really hooked, and why was he picking up a broken rope from the ground.

Putting the things together, I immediately understood that Dai Qingfu must have returned to the island to pick up the broken rope that strangled someone. Liang Defu and the others saw it from the boat, but they didn't understand the whole story, so the three of them, father and son, stayed on the boat and chatted nonsense.

Hiding underwater, I was conflicted, wondering whether I should come out and ask Liang Defu and the others to take me back to shore. But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to explain why I was hiding on the island, and if they told me about it, if Dai Qingfu knew there was someone hiding in Sickle Bay, I would be dead.

After thinking it over, I decided to continue hiding and try to find a way to escape at night.

After a while, I heard the sound of a boat sailing, which became smaller and smaller. I knew without a doubt that the broken Defu ship on the water had already sailed away.

I emerged from the water again, sticking half of my head out first, and then I looked around to see that it was quiet and there was no one around. Then I slowly climbed out of the water.

Fortunately, I was going to Hong Kong Island that time, so I brought some dried sweet potatoes with me, and also hung a plastic bottle of water around my waist. The water was drinkable, but the dried sweet potatoes were soaked in seawater and tasted salty and astringent.

Even so, I still held it like a treasure and didn't dare to eat it with big mouthfuls.

When it got dark again, I drank and ate the last sip of water and the last dried sweet potato.

I was hungry and thirsty, and I knew hiding like this was not a solution; it would only lead to death.

I don't want to die. How can I die when I haven't shown you what my son has become? I made up my mind and went back to the island's dock, where several smuggling ships were about to leave the island.

I found a boat. This time, I was familiar with the route, so I found an empty basket and hid in it, and then covered the winnowing basket.

I was thinking, let's see if this big ship stops along the way. If not, I'll ride all the way to Hong Kong Island. If it stops to refuel, I'll sneak off and go home.

As a result, the boat stopped in Jinhao Town, and I got off the boat and returned home late at night.

After lying at home for a day, I thought more and more that this hardship should not be in vain. It is said that those who survive a great disaster will have good fortune in the future. After thinking about it, Dai Qingfu's killing on the island is my good fortune in the future!
At first, I wanted to simply write a letter and send it to Dai Qingfu of Qingwei Group, threatening him to give me money.

But then I thought again, Dai Qingfu would most likely investigate, and he might even suspect that someone had hidden on that smuggling ship, and then slowly trace the case back to me.

Yes, the best way is to divert the fire. If he is targeting Liang Defu, he will naturally not think about the smuggling ship.

I myself approve of this approach.

In order to make it more realistic, I went to Chaoyang Town the next day and asked someone in Changwang Village secretly. I found out that the house belonged to Liang Defu's family.

I wandered around their house in the middle of the night, and later in the toilet, I found a few homework papers. They were stuffed in the cracks of the adobe wall of the toilet, and were obviously used for daily relieving themselves.

I took two of them. The handwriting on them was nice. It seemed that they were written by Afeng, the boy in their family who loved to read secretly.

After returning to our Haoliu Village, in order to imitate it more realistically, I practiced on those two sheets of densely written homework for two or three days.

After practicing for a while, I started writing letters, imitating Afeng's handwriting for each word.

In the letter, I did not say that I was Liang Defu, nor did I mention the word "Changwang Village" at all, but I deliberately mentioned the boat, implying that there were three of us standing on a wooden boat when we saw him killing someone.

If he couldn't find Liang Defu, I could continue to ask him for money a few more times.

If something happens to Liang Defu's family, it means Dai Qingfu has been found and has taken action. I will stop immediately and stop writing letters to him to ask for money.

Anyway, Liang Defu is my alarm. As long as I see whether Liang Defu's family is still alive and well, I will know whether I am safe.

When I mailed the letter, I certainly wouldn't mail it from the post office in Jinhao Town, but I wouldn't go to Chaoyang Town either. I deliberately went to another county outside Pengao County and mailed the letter. The mailing address was fake anyway, I just randomly wrote Xiaoxing Village, Daxing Town.

I didn't want you to suffer, Dad, so I asked for a big sum of three thousand right away.

Three thousand! We worked so hard to earn that little money by driving a broken boat at that time, and it would take us ten years to earn that much! I asked Dai Qingfu to put the money under the bridgehead pier under the Langgang County Bridge on August 8.

In fact, I had been waiting near the bridge pier a day in advance. They couldn't see me, but I saw them.

I saw them put the money away. They wanted to look for me but didn't dare to look too obviously. In the end, they didn't find me and had to leave.

Dad, you should still remember. When I got the three thousand dollars, I told you right away!
Some people would hide such a large sum of money if they could. But I just want you to be happy, and I want you to eat well and dress well! I am not worried at all that you will reveal the secret, because I trust you, and I know you have been good to me since we were little!"

Tong Wen'an paused when he said this, as if observing his father's reaction.

Then he continued:
"I didn't dare to spend such a large sum of money. Later, I knew that grouper was the most expensive, so I started to raise grouper and rented some ponds in the village.

At that time, no one in the whole county was raising grouper. Although my performance was average, I really made some money.

Since then, we finally had the guts to spend money, eat better, wear better clothes. When people asked where the money came from, we just said it was earned from grouper farming! There was nothing wrong with that.

Later, our house was too run-down, and I wanted to build a red brick house. But with that little money, it was too tight to build a house.

I secretly went to Pomwang Village to take a look and saw that Liang Defu was still there and his family was still alive and well.

This means that I am still safe and can continue to write letters asking for money.

Thinking that Dai Qingfu was so rich, I asked for a bigger sum this time. I asked for 8,000 yuan. Of course, I changed the place to send the letter and put the money.

The house was built, and the village happened to have several dozen acres of fish ponds available for contracting. I decided to expand the breeding business. Even if I didn't go to Hong Kong Island, I could still have a great future, and no one could look down on me!
Expanding breeding, hiring workers, and buying new boats all cost money.

He gave me so generously the first two times, so this time I just asked for 20,000.

I got 20,000 yuan, and my breeding business became bigger. I really made money that year. I was also afraid of something going wrong, so I didn't write to Dai Qingfu to ask for money for the time being.

But I never imagined that after I had only made money for more than a year, another grouper farm suddenly emerged in the market. Everyone said that the grouper from that company was particularly good. At first, the restaurants in the city refused to take my fish. Later, even the purchasing points at the county fishing port looked down on my grouper!
I lowered the price again and again, but in the end I couldn't lower it any further because I was already losing money! As a result, I found out that the company that was engaged in deep-sea grouper farming was also in Changwang Village, and it was Liang Defu's other son, Liang Ziqiang!

I really don't know how their family is so lucky. I have hinted about the blessed ship in my letters before, but Dai Qingfu never dealt with them.

The most confusing thing is that Dai Qingfu was suddenly arrested and executed for some unknown reason.

Now even if I want to make some money by writing letters, it’s impossible.

But I've never been one to admit defeat. He messed up my business, but I didn't show up, and secretly hired someone to destroy his farm, and see what he can do!
I hired people twice to blow up Liang Ziqiang's deep-sea cages. But God really didn't help me both times! The first batch of people, Niu Xun and Tong Yusheng, were careless and ended up in jail. The second batch, including the boat and the people, were inexplicably stuck in the deep sea and never came back.

The first time we rented a metal boat, and the second time we rented a large steel boat over 20 meters long. Neither was cheap.

I have almost spent my 20,000 yuan just to compensate these two ships. Who of the fish farmers who lost their lives in the deep sea has to pay for compensation?

Dad, you know that we used to have a lot of money. But what about now? Now we have a red brick house, but in fact we are poorer than any other family in the village, and we owe money to several people!

I'm at a loss. Maybe this is my fate. I'm not destined to get rich. I'm born to be poor all my life!

Just at this time, a few months ago, several people from the city suddenly came to the door.

At first I didn't dare to believe it, but he said it clearly, I am the son of Ruan Jingcheng! The rich man Ruan Jingcheng, his wealth may be even greater than Dai Qingfu's!

What is God's will? This is God's will!
Why go to Hong Kong Island, why raise groupers, how can there be a faster chance to turn things around than this? Others can't even dream of it, why don't I go and acknowledge this relative..."

In the woodshed, Tong Wen'an seemed to have seen a beacon of hope in his desperate situation, and grasped a life-saving straw while drowning. When he talked about the sudden tragic and happy turns of fate, his face was a little crazy...

(End of this chapter)