1983Fishing and Farming between Mountains and Seas

Chapter 72 Put away your abacus (again more than 4700 words)

After talking for a while, Liang's father filled his bag with rice and started eating. He said that after the meal, he had to go to Lin Liangsheng's house to ask Lin Liangsheng to choose a good day for the delivery of the boat.

Liang's mother was listening to the meal and was actually quite excited, but when she saw Liang Defu wolfing down his food, she couldn't stand it anymore:
"Slow down! Don't choke! It won't be a problem if you go to find Lin Liangsheng a moment earlier or later!"

Father Liang ignored her and continued to eat his meal, then poured himself another bowl of soup.

"This clam soup is delicious and fresh! Did you go clam digging today?"

Che clam is also known as Xishi tongue. Liang hadn’t finished drinking the Xishi tongue soup at noon, so his mother just heated it up a little and gave it to him to drink.

"Xiangbei, Aqiang, Lizhi and others went for a walk on the beach this morning. They dug up some fresh clams. Do you think they are fresh?" Liang's mother answered while busying herself.

"Xiao Chen came today? Came alone?"

"She specially sent some fruit over, and she went back in the afternoon." Liang's mother said this and suddenly remembered something very important:
"Oh, I almost forgot. Since you went to Lin Liangsheng to ask about the date, why not ask him again and ask him to help you see which day is suitable for proposing marriage?"

"Propose a marriage? Really? How could I have forgotten about this when I was so busy? The betrothal money is no longer a problem now, and it would be wrong to delay any further. I'll ask Lin Liangsheng to pick a date!"

As he said that, he went to the inner room to rummage through the boxes.

"Just go quickly if you want to. Why are you rummaging through the house looking for something?" Liang's mother came over and asked.

"Xiao Chen's birth date! I remember it was written on a piece of red paper. Where is it? How can I ask without the birth date?"

"An auspicious date is enough. Why would you need to look at the date of birth when proposing a marriage? I've never heard of that!"

Liang's mother muttered a few words, but still accurately found the red paper from another box and handed it to Liang Defu.

Father Liang took two steps forward holding the red paper. Only then did he realize that there was a turtle in the house.

"Did you pick this up on the beach? This thing is good, very nutritious! It looks quite big, it can be eaten for several meals!"

When Liang's father approached the turtle, his eyes were already looking at a pot of food.

Liang Ziqiang was frightened when he heard this.

The danger of eating turtles is a matter of probability. Either nothing will happen, as someone in the village did eat one before. But once something happens, it is definitely not a small matter.

He hurried forward to persuade his father, but before he opened his mouth, he heard Liang Xiaohai burst into tears.

The kid threw himself on the turtle, protecting it, and yelled:

"No, no one is allowed to eat my friends!"

Liang Ziqiang was shocked. It’s been less than half a day and they’ve become life-and-death friends?
But it’s okay. After hearing Xiao Hai’s crying, Liang’s father no longer wanted to eat the turtle.

It was useless for Liang Ziqiang to persuade them. Liang's father pulled Xiao Hai up and promised not to eat. Then the situation calmed down and Liang's father turned around and walked out.

"Oh yes, I may be back late. After I go to Lin Liangsheng's house, I have to go and ask if the tractor in the village is available!" Liang's father took half a step forward and called out again.

"What do we need a tractor for?" Liang's mother wondered.

"The old boat at home is not fit for use anymore. It has been repaired every year, and the maintenance costs alone are high. Now the new boat is coming soon, and the old boat can no longer be parked at the small dock. It has to be transported back home and placed in the open space outside the door first. After the new house is built and the house is spacious, it can be moved back into the house!"

The boat is now a "family heirloom" and cannot be used anymore. It needs to be kept safe. Liang's mother has already heard about this from her husband.

"Then we don't need a tractor, right? We can just hire a few more people to carry it home, right? It's not far."

"It may look small, but it's still very heavy when lifted. I know this better than you do, so don't get involved! Unless the tractor is really busy, then we can find a way!"

After saying this, Liang's father went to Lin Liangsheng's house without looking back.

Sister-in-law Kuang Haixia, who had been sitting under a tree weaving a fishing net, glanced at her mother-in-law and spoke:
"Mom, we don't even have our own house now. We still rent a house in the village. Isn't it a bit unfair to Xiangbei to rush to marry into this rented house?"

Liang's mother didn't rush to answer her, she raised her eyes and asked:

"Then what do you mean?"

"I don't have any special intentions. I just think that if we build a new house, she can use it as her wedding house when she gets married. It will be double happiness. How great is that?!"

Liang Ziqiang was listening to this and was so shocked that he wanted to curse. He hadn't been playing tricks for a while, but now his little calculations are starting to spin again, right?
When his sister-in-law suddenly said these words, Liang Ziqiang could smell it from a distance.

She was definitely not really thinking about Chen Xiangbei, fearing that she would feel too depressed getting married in a rented house.

The real thought is that seeing that he is making more and more money, if he can continue to be single for a while, all the money he earns will have to be given to Liang's father and mother to support the whole family.

Not to mention the distant past, even the new boat we have at home today was basically entirely bought with Liang Ziqiang’s money.

If he marries Chen Xiangbei, he might have to separate and live separately soon, and every penny he earns in the future will have nothing to do with this family.

The reason why the sister-in-law specifically emphasized building a new house, wasn't her real intention to let him continue to earn more money, until he earned thousands or tens of thousands, and then the whole family could use this money to build a big house?
Unfortunately, her calculation was too perfect, and she didn't even consider Liang Ziqiang's own feelings.

It is true that Liang Ziqiang has feelings for this family, including his parents, Lizhi, his older brother and younger brother, and even Xiaohai.

He would not hesitate to use the money he earned from his risky actions to buy a new boat for the family.

On the one hand, the old boat is indeed unusable and will bring tragedy. On the other hand, it is his personal feelings for this family.

But the boat is the boat, and before he gets married, he has to build a new house for his family, which is a completely different matter.

A boat only costs three or four hundred yuan, so building a house can be solved with just a few hundred yuan?

If he tried hard to save 4,000 or 5,000, it would probably just be enough for him and Chen Xiangbei to build a new home. As for building a house for the whole family, the area would have to be more than doubled, wouldn't it be around 8,000 or 9,000?!

At this rate, his marriage will be delayed until when. Will he ever get married?

If he could save 4,000 or 5,000 yuan after marriage, he would definitely build a small home for himself and Chen Xiangbei. If his parents were willing, he could bring her over to live with him, even before Lizhi got married. He also supported his younger brother in his studies.

Just save money to build a house for the whole family before getting married.

Liang Ziqiang listened to the hidden meaning of his sister-in-law's words clearly, then he glanced at his mother secretly to see what she was thinking.

"Mom, do you think what I said is right? My idea is very simple. I am just worried that Xiang Bei will be wronged!"

Kuang Haixia asked again.

Liang's mother endured it for a while, but finally couldn't listen any longer:

"You think she's been wronged, but she was here today too, did she ever say anything about being wronged?

When Lu Hongyu was the matchmaker, she was very clear about the family conditions and the house they lived in. If Xiang Bei really cared, would she have waited until today?

Besides, you also got married here by renting a house, do you feel wronged? If you don’t feel wronged, why would she feel wronged? "

Liang's mother was talking like beans popping out of a jar. Especially the soul-searching question at the end, Kuang Haixia's face deflated and she couldn't say anything.

Liang Ziqiang was listening at the side and felt relieved.

What his mother said was what he wanted to say back to his sister-in-law. If his mother hadn't said it, he would have really stepped forward and said a few words directly to her.

After Kuang Haixia was retorted by her mother-in-law, she turned around and found Liang Ziqiang standing not far away with an expressionless face.

She smiled at him quickly and said:
"Aqiang, don't think too much! My sister-in-law is also thinking that it is a good omen for the newlyweds to live in a new house after their wedding. I hope that everything you two do will go smoothly and your life will be prosperous!"

"I understand! How can I not understand my sister-in-law's kindness? Don't worry, no matter where Xiang Bei and I get married, our lives will be smooth and harmonious in the future, and will definitely get better and better!"

Having said that, he turned and walked aside.

To be honest, what my sister-in-law planned today did have some effect.

Originally, he wanted to continue to live with everyone for a while after getting married, and was not in a hurry to separate. But with his sister-in-law's thoughts, how could Chen Xiangbei feel comfortable if she had to eat from the same pot with her every day? In his previous life, he had no place to live and suffered from working and wandering. In this life, he didn't want Chen Xiangbei to be involved in the disputes between sisters-in-law and suffer mental torture.

After I marry her soon, it’s better to separate the family and live a small life sooner rather than later!
When the night was completely dark, Liang's father came back from outside.

"How is it? What does Lin Liangsheng say about the date?" Liang's mother was the most proactive and came forward to ask.

"Will you wait for me to sit down first?"

Father Liang moved a stool, then tapped the bamboo tube again, took two puffs and said:

"The day after tomorrow is not suitable for delivering the new ship, but the day after tomorrow is suitable. The day after tomorrow is suitable for traveling, trading, collecting money, and repairing. Let's set it on the day after tomorrow, the 23rd. Oh, by the way, Lin Baixian's father is also looking at the date, and he will also ship the new ship back on the day after tomorrow."

"His family also bought a boat today? How big is it?" Liang Ziqiang had never heard his father mention this before.

"Both houses are the same, more than five meters. If it were bigger, like Rui Ge's, it wouldn't cost this much."

"The day after tomorrow, the boat will be shipped back. So when can we open the shop and go out to sea? Have you chosen the date?"

Liang Ziqiang is looking forward to driving the new boat to the sea to catch some big nets!

"This day can be chosen! Lin Liangsheng said that counting from today, the fourth, fifth, and sixth days will be the best days.

Other days are suitable for doing this or that, but during these three days, you can do whatever you want, with no taboos!"

After hearing what his father said, Liang Ziqiang hurried to the wall and flipped through the small calendar.

Today is August 8, the 28th day of the seventh lunar month.

往后四、五、六，也就是说，9月1、9月2、9月3这三天。对应的农历，分别是七月廿四、廿五、廿六。

Father Liang looked at him and said:
"You don't need to look it up. I have checked it carefully with him. These three days are suitable for engagement, groundbreaking, opening, engagement and marriage.

So now, it is best to consider the matter of the new ship opening and the matter of proposing marriage to you within these three days."

"Dad, what do you think?"

"Lin Liangsheng said that the best date for your marriage proposal would be September 9. In this case, the new ship will set sail on September 2, and the marriage proposal will be on September 9."

"That's fine, I have no problem with that."

Liang Ziqiang felt that the marriage proposal date came a little too fast, but there was nothing else to worry about. Although it was fast, it should still be in time to make some corresponding preparations.

"You can choose tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. You still have to go to Lao Chen's house first. We have decided to set the date on September 9. You have to tell Lao Chen which day is more convenient for them!"

"that's true."

Liang Ziqiang felt that his father was more thoughtful in this regard and took into account the Chen family's right to choose.

The matter of the new ship and the proposal to the Chen family was temporarily settled.

"I'll go to Xiangbei's house the day after tomorrow. Let them choose a day. I have to go to the city tomorrow."

"Didn't you just come back from the city yesterday? Do you have something to sell again?"

“There is something, but this time it’s different.”

Liang Ziqiang briefly told his father about the clams and barnacles.

Later on, there were marriage proposals and the opening of a new ship, so I was so busy that I had no time to go to the city. The clams were fine, but the barnacles couldn't be kept at home for too long, so it was best to go to the city again tomorrow.

Go to the manager Du of Yuehai Restaurant and sell the barnacles. This thing can barely be considered as high-end seafood, I believe Du Ziteng will need it.

At the same time, Ji Ha was also taken out and asked Du Ziteng. He knew many friends in Hong Kong Island, and it would be the best if he had acquaintances who were interested in Ji Ha.

If it really doesn't work, Liang Ziqiang will go find a store that buys shells to see how much he can sell them for.

"Where is the Ji Haibei? Bring it here so I can have a look!"

After listening to this, Liang's father became interested first.

Liang Ziqiang brought a smallest basin. At this moment, the cyprinid was being kept alone in a small basin. He didn't dare to keep such a valuable thing together with other seafood.

Liang's father eagerly scooped the fish out of the small basin, and looked at it again and again under the dim light bulb, his expression becoming more and more excited.

"It's really a Ji Ha! Lao Shuan picked this up once before, and only the shell was left. People in the city said it was worth fifty, but he was unlucky and broke it himself!" Liang's father asked in disbelief, "Did Miss Chen really pick this up?"

"How can I trick you? Lizhi saw it all."

Father Liang looked at his son as if he were a monster:

"You two are an interesting couple! You are lucky enough, but Xiao Chen hasn't even married into the family yet. He picked up such a valuable treasure on his first trip to the beach. Isn't this someone who is even luckier? I wonder who will be luckier between the two of you in the future!"

Liang's mother had been laughing so hard that her teeth were showing. Now she chuckled and said:
"I think you are the interesting one! Aqiang himself is very lucky, and he married someone who is even luckier. In the final analysis, isn't it all because of Aqiang's good fortune?"

"Haha, that's right!" Liang's father agreed, turning to Liang Ziqiang and saying, "Then go to the city and sell it tomorrow. I really want to know how much it is worth! This one of yours is much bigger than the one Lao Shuan had that year!"

"It's much bigger than his, so the price must be several dozen higher, right?"

Liang Ziqiang couldn't help but become even more excited when he heard his father's words.

The next morning, he had breakfast, and then went to the Mazu Temple with his father to burn incense as usual. Then he immediately took the barnacles and clams and rushed to the city.

As usual, I walked to the town, then took two buses, got off at the department store station, and went straight to Yuehai Restaurant.

I didn't call the restaurant in advance, because Du Ziteng also said that he worked in the restaurant almost every day. I could basically find him anytime I came here.

When I walked into Yuehai Restaurant, I didn't need to ask the waiter this time. I was familiar with the place and walked directly along the corridor to Manager Du's office.

After hearing that no one spoke inside the room, he raised his hand and knocked on Du Ziteng's door.

After the door opened, Du Ziteng saw that it was Liang Ziqiang who had just been here the day before yesterday, and said with some surprise:

"A lot of chicken snails have been caught so soon?"

This time it’s not a surprise, but a bit worrying.

It’s true that chicken snails are rare and good stuff, but we collected so many last time and the customers haven’t digested them yet!

Liang Ziqiang brought the bucket in front of him:
"I didn't get any chicken snails this time, but I did get a few pounds of bird-billed barnacles! I didn't take them to anyone else, but I thought, Brother Teng, you must need them!"

"Barnacles?" Du Ziteng took the barnacles out of the bucket and looked at them carefully. "They're not big, but they're still okay. Our restaurant does want them, but you should know the price. Ordinary barnacles can't be priced as high as chicken claw snails!"

"I know that for sure, just make an offer." Liang Ziqiang didn't have high expectations for the bird-billed barnacles anyway, as the highlight was yet to come.

"Four yuan a pound. Let's go to the warehouse and weigh it now." Du Ziteng glanced at the bucket again. "Hey, why is there a single clam?"

Liang Ziqiang swiftly took the clam out of the bucket and handed it to the other party:

"Just look out the window and you'll see."

Du Ziteng took the clam in his hand and sensed something strange from the shape and color of the clam shell.

He looked at the sunlight outside the window again and again, and the expression on his face became more and more wonderful...

The two chapters updated on the 27th are included in this chapter, with more than 4700 words, and are not divided into chapters.

Thank you for your recommendation votes, monthly votes, and wonderful praise from the book friends! Stable updates, welcome to read the latest chapters.

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(End of this chapter)