Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 55 Foundation Completed
After Chen Wenjun left, Lin Qin didn't rest. In the afternoon, when the sun wasn't so strong, she took the wild duck eggs and fish to the roadside to sell. From there, she could clearly see the fishing boats, and since the cabin doors were locked, she wasn't afraid of anyone trying to pry them open.

As soon as the goods were set up, a passerby came over and asked the price, "How much are the duck eggs?"

Lin Qin quickly responded enthusiastically, "These are all fresh wild duck eggs, from fish and shrimp that eat aquatic plants. They're two cents each. Grass carp, crucian carp, and common carp are all the same price, one dollar and fifty cents a pound. Snails are one cent and fifty cents a pound, and they're all big ones!"

"This price is actually a bit cheaper than the supply and marketing cooperative."

"That's right! The products from the supply and marketing cooperative aren't as good as the ones here!"

After carefully comparing the options, the customer ordered a grass carp weighing over a pound and four pounds of river snails. Under Lin Qin's strong promotion, they also bought six wild duck eggs.

As soon as the first person left, two more old ladies came over.

Lin Qin can now chat naturally with people while doing business.

In addition, she smiles at everyone she meets and is easy to talk to, so most people who come to ask about prices will support her to some extent.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, her stall was doing exceptionally well, quickly becoming crowded with people.

Almost everyone came for the wild duck eggs. After all, two duck eggs cost 50 cents at the supply and marketing cooperative, but only 20 cents each at her place, and they looked especially fresh.

As for why those people didn't go down to collect them, the reason is simple: not everyone knows there are wild duck eggs down there. Besides, most of the people who came to buy things at this time were workers who had just finished get off work. Who had the time to go down there specifically to look for wild duck eggs?

Lin Qin chatted with everyone while selling her wares.

Before we knew it, all the wild duck eggs were sold out, and most of the fish were also sold.

As it was getting dark and Chen Wenjun was about to return, she quickly packed up her stall and went home.

After Chen Wenjun arrived home, Lin Qin couldn't wait to show him what she had gotten that day.

"The wild duck eggs sold for eight yuan and forty cents, and the fish sold for sixteen yuan and seventy cents. I made more than twenty yuan this afternoon. Have you sold all your stuff?"

Chen Wenjun nodded with a big smile, "They're all sold out. We have a little more stuff, so the bill came to ninety-two yuan. Adding what you made here, and what we sold this morning, we really made a fortune today. I plan to buy another ten tons of cement tomorrow to continue building the foundation."

They were supposed to resume work in ten days, but they made a profit today, so the plan can be moved up.

Lin Qin couldn't help but sigh, "I have to spend this money before I've even had a chance to enjoy it."

Chen Wenjun laughed, "No money spent! Things have just changed. We'll save up money again once the house is built, and life will get better and better in the future."

"Then I'll trust you this once!"

The couple chatted and laughed as they rowed their fishing boat to Nanyu Island.

Lin Qin also cooked a meal.

When Lin Yi saw the boat arrive, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Qingxiang, Shaojun, that's enough for today."

Lin Qingxiang and his son put down their tools, dusted themselves off, wiped the sweat from their faces with their elbows, and walked wearily toward the gap.

By the time they boarded the ship, Lin Qin had almost finished cooking.

Sweet potato porridge with river snails, braised small river fish, and a plate of pickled vegetables.

Exhausted, the father and son ate two large bowls of rice, then slowly sucked on the river snails. After eating a snail, they threw a snail shell into the river, nodding repeatedly, "They're plump! We'll go to the pond and catch some when we have time."

Lin Qin covered her mouth and chuckled, "If Uncle likes to eat it, take some with you later. There's no shortage of this stuff in Nanxi."

Lin Qingxiang nodded, not standing on ceremony with Lin Qin.

After the father and son got ashore, Chen Wenjun rowed the boat back to Nanyu.

Lin Qin was already preparing to bathe the two children.

Ever since the family started building their house, these two little guys have been like wild animals, playing wildly on the island. They're either digging in the dirt and playing house, or picking flowers and chasing grasshoppers and other small insects. They get off the boat clean every day, but come back covered in mud.

Lin Qin went from initially scolding her to now taking it for granted and not even bothering to say anything.

The two children were well-behaved and knew they were dirty. They did whatever Lin Qin asked them to do and were very cooperative.

By the time the fishing boat reached Nanyu Island, the two little ones had almost finished packing.

Lin Qin instructed, "We still have to go to the island to work. You all go to the back cabin to sleep. Don't be naughty. Grandpa will go to sleep after his bath. We can play again tomorrow."

"Okay!" the two children replied with great enthusiasm, skipping and jumping as they ran towards the rear cabin.

With that kind of energy, I reckon I can keep going for a while longer.

Lin Qin chuckled and shook her head. After exchanging a few words with Lin Yi, she took the box and Chen Wenjun to the island.

It wasn't completely dark yet, and we could still see the roads on the island.

Led by Chen Wenjun, the two found a fairly hidden hole halfway up the mountain, hid the box inside, blocked the hole with small stones, and marked it.

Chen Wenjun clapped his hands and laughed, "That's good enough. Let's pick up some more stones and throw them down the mountain. Once the foundation is built, all we'll need are red bricks. Nobody will run up the mountain."

Lin Qin agreed with him.

The two spent another hour on the island before coming down the mountain.

Over the next few days, having tasted the benefits, the couple began to keep an eye on the water plants.

Every morning and evening, Lin Qin would go to the pile of stones to look for wild duck eggs and work with Chen Wenjun to catch fish in the weeds. When they didn't catch much, they would go on the fishing boat and cast their lines a couple of times, which could sometimes bring unexpected surprises. In the afternoon, when the workers got off work, they would set up a stall by the roadside and sell their catch for ten or twenty yuan.

After a month of this work, the foundation for the more than 200 square meters of land on the deserted island was finally completed.

Looking at the fruits of their month's hard work, Lin Qingxiang and Lin Shaojun both wanted to sit down and have a drink.

Chen Wenjun handed over the sixty yuan he had prepared in advance to Lin Qingxiang.

Lin Qin then brought Lin Shaojun a bag of crucian carp weighing about seven or eight ounces, a bag of snails, and eight wild duck eggs.

"Why are you giving us so much stuff! You can keep it to sell for money, and we'll just take our wages!" Lin Shaojun kept dodging and refused to accept it no matter what.

Lin Yi, who was standing nearby, chimed in, "Keep it. These things aren't worth much in our village. Wenjun and Aqin catch a bunch every day. Take it."

Lin Qin nodded repeatedly, "Brother Shaojun, please stop arguing with me. Take the things and while it's still early, let's get the bicycles to the other side and sell them. I don't think the weather is very good; it's probably going to rain. We'll continue working once the weather clears up. Next time, we'll have to ask a skilled worker to come and help."

When the topic of selling bicycles came up, Lin Qingxiang and his son immediately got interested, following Lin Qin's suggestion.

The two took the items and quickly retrieved the bicycle hidden in the cave.

After a month, the bicycle was covered in dust, but fortunately it wasn't exposed to the sun or rain, and after wiping it, it was still shiny.

The father and son carried the bicycle onto the fishing boat together. Looking back at Nanyu, the father suggested, "There's still a lot of cement and gravel left. I think we can bring some stones over to repair this gap. Then, the only way to enter and leave the island will be through this gate. As long as the gate is closed, we won't have to worry about strangers breaking in. It'll be safe!"

(End of this chapter)