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

Chapter 64 The Real Culprit Who Knocked Chen Wenjun Out
There happened to be an expired newspaper nearby. After Chen Wenjun and Huang Wenlong finished checking their accounts, Chen Wenjun asked, "Boss Huang, can I borrow this newspaper for a couple of days?"

Huang Wenlong glanced at it and didn't care at all. "I don't even know how long it's been sitting here. I'll give it to you! Wait a minute, I'll give you the money right now."

Besides the vegetables, Chen Wenjun sold the rest of the food at a low price.

Huang Wenlong knew exactly what was going on, so he paid the money very readily.

After he left, Chen Wenjun began to help Lin Qin kill the fish.

The couple worked until 11 o'clock to finally prepare food for more than 20 people.

Everyone had worked hard all day and was looking forward to lunch to relieve their fatigue.

Lin Qin couldn't help but feel nervous when she saw them coming over after finishing work.

Huang Wenlong's brothers also saw the table full of food at this moment.

They braised more than a dozen fish in half, filling a large bowl. Each person could get a large piece of fish. There was also a bowl of river snails, enough for one person to have a spoonful. There was also a large bowl of stir-fried duck eggs with chives, as well as winter melon, river shrimp, and clam soup. A bowl of this would be especially cooling on a hot summer day.

The main dish was sweet potato porridge, which was nothing special.

Seeing these dishes, the workers all smiled and took their trays to line up for food.

It was Lin Qin's first time serving food, and she looked to Huang Wenlong for help.

Huang Wenlong generously replied, "Give them what you think is best first. If they don't have enough to eat later, then go get more."

Lin Qin then felt relieved and started working.

After she served everyone the food, she turned around and saw everyone engrossed in eating. She wanted to ask, but was too embarrassed to speak.

She didn't dare to ask, "How was the taste?" until the first person finished eating.

The other person gave a thumbs up, "Great! This food is much better than what we ate at the construction site before!"

"Yes, yes, yes! It's almost all meat, nothing much to say!"

Originally, everyone was worried that Huang Wenlong wouldn't use his brothers' wives and sisters' money, but after eating such a meal and secretly inquiring about the money Chen Wenjun had given them, they immediately stopped having any objections.

After all, they weren't Chen Wenjun, and they couldn't get such a cheap price, so they were completely convinced.

Seeing that everyone was satisfied, Lin Qin's lips curled up slightly, and she couldn't suppress her smile.

After everyone had almost finished eating, she began to clean up the mess.

Huang Wenlong came over to talk to Lin Qin, his expression incredibly warm. "Sister-in-law, I'm entrusting this place to you from now on! Starting tomorrow, our meals will remain the same as today's, but we can vary the dishes a bit, like changing the flavors every two or three days."

Lin Qin understood immediately and readily agreed.

Lin Yi spent most of the day worrying about Lin Qin, especially since the family had run out of money and the construction of the house had stopped. Now he was just taking the two children fishing, collecting wild duck eggs, and gathering snails.

With more free time, I tend to think more.

Just as he was muttering to himself, Lin Qin returned, bringing some leftovers. Lin Yi quickly asked, "How was it? Was she satisfied?"

Lin Qin nodded with a smile, a hint of pride in her eyes. "Everyone enjoyed the meal. Boss Huang said we'll do it this way tomorrow. We can just change the dishes every few days. Dad, some of the vegetables in your garden have already grown. We can plant some other kinds later. We can sell them to Boss Huang at the market price and make some profit."

Lin Yi immediately nodded and took the matter to heart.

The father and daughter had just finished talking when an unfamiliar voice came from outside. Before Lin Yi could go out to look, the person had already come up to the deck and appeared on the ship. "Is Wenjun here?"

The other person was lean and wiry, with restless eyes that darted around.

Lin Yi instinctively disliked this person, so he immediately climbed out. "He went fishing. What do you need?"

Zheng Aqiang kept smiling and tried to get close to Lin Yi, "Uncle, you must be Wenjun's father-in-law! I'm his brother! We grew up together like brothers!"

How could Chen Wenjun be brothers with such a person?
Lin Yi frowned instinctively, his displeasure evident on his face.

Just then, Chen Wenjun returned.

When Zheng Aqiang saw him, his eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically stepped forward to put his arm around Chen Wenjun's shoulder. "Good brother! You're finally back! I haven't seen you for months, I almost didn't recognize you! What? Did you marry one wife and give away two more? It's so lively on the ship!"

Chen Wenjun slowly lowered his eyelids. From the moment he was reborn, he knew this day would come, but he didn't expect it to come so soon!
He casually put his things down. "Where have you been these past few months? I couldn't find you when I came back injured!"

Zheng Aqiang's smile froze, and his expression became even more exaggerated as he spoke, "I heard there was work in Xiamen Bay, and I was afraid someone would snatch it away, so I hurriedly went there on a ship. I worked there for several months, and when the work stopped, I came back."

I heard you've been on a lucky streak lately, making a lot of money fishing. Brother, can I get some of that too?

Lin Yi was so angry that he immediately said, "Wenjun! You still owe Boss Huang money for materials! You have to make sure to explain it to him tomorrow. We'll pay you back slowly, but you have to keep a close eye on this debt."

Zheng Aqiang seemed not to understand Lin Yi's subtext and continued to follow Chen Wenjun. This time, he spoke more bluntly, "Brother, I've been having bad luck lately and lost some money. I'm so poor that I can hardly afford to eat. Can you lend me ten yuan? I'll pay you back next month."

Lin Yi was so angry that his eyes widened, and he prepared to go over and have a good talk with Zheng Aqiang.

Lin Qin grabbed his hand and shook her head at him, while Chen Ping'an, standing to the side, slumped his head, looking listless.

Chen Wenjun shook his head with a straight face, "I've been building a house recently, and all my money has been invested in it. Now the money is gone, and the house is still not finished. I really can't come up with ten yuan."

Zheng Aqiang's face immediately darkened. He had heard that Chen Wenjun had caught a big fish, made a lot of money, and even bought land to build a house, which was why he came to Chen's door.

Seeing that he refused right away, Zheng Aqiang pushed Chen Wenjun unhappily, "We've been brothers for so many years, and I'm so poor that you won't even lend me ten yuan. Don't you consider me a brother anymore? Do you even care about our relationship?"

Chen Wenjun was pushed and stumbled. After regaining his balance, he shoved Zheng Aqiang back, gritting his teeth, "I also want to ask you, what have I done to wrong you that you would want to harm me!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Zheng Aqiang clenched his fist in exasperation.

Chen Wenjun sneered, "There was no one else on this boat. Don't play dumb with me. You and I both know who did it to me in the alley! Don't think that no one saw it just because it was getting dark. There are plenty of residents in that alley, and there are quite a few two-story buildings nearby. I have plenty of witnesses!"

Zheng Aqiang was terrified, but still stubbornly argued, "I don't know what you're talking about! What does your injury have to do with me! If you don't want to lend me money, just say so, don't try to pin this on me! Since you don't consider me your brother, then let's break off our friendship! We'll never see each other again!"

With that, Zheng Aqiang angrily got off Chen Wenjun's fishing boat.

(End of this chapter)