Reborn in 1981: My Life as a Fisherman

With time running out, the two brothers began their return journey.

When we arrived at the pier, we could see my older sister standing there from afar.

Shi Hailong waved to his elder sister, and Shi Hailan also breathed a sigh of relief.

Her parents and she were actually a little worried about her two younger brothers going out to sea for a day.

Fortunately, the wind and waves were not too big that day.

After docking at the pier, the two brothers unloaded two bags of snails and shellfish from the boat.

They're all worthless goods.

When curious onlookers came over, Shi Hailong opened it up to let them see.

These little things are all cooked, shelled, and dried for our own consumption.

Although such dried goods can be worth some money, when you do the math, it's better to eat them yourself.

Two bags won't yield more than a few kilograms of dried fruit.

There are a lot of shells, though.

However, there were also some scallops in the bag, which, when made into dried scallops, would indeed be worth some money.

The quantity is too small; you can't accumulate more than a few kilograms in a year.

This is true at all times, and it is also an economic law: scarcity increases value.

Valuable items are never plentiful.

Just like the large yellow croaker at this time of year, it costs 33 cents a pound, and it has to be more than half a pound.

By 1983, Shi Hailong remembered that the price of large yellow croaker had risen to six cents.

In a decade or so, when the large yellow croaker is almost extinct, its price will skyrocket.

Economic laws dictate that scarcity drives up value!

During this period, the price of mackerel, also known as croaker or croaker, is quite good.

Then there's the deep-sea grouper, which is also expensive.

Abalone goes without saying.

The reason is that the quantity is small and the fishing is difficult.

Shrimp, except for mantis shrimp and slipper lobster, are all reasonably priced, with the Chinese spiny lobster being the most expensive.

Crabs include mud crabs, swimming crabs, sand crabs, blue crabs, and stone crabs that can be found on the beach at any time.

The prices are all just a few cents.

However, Shi Hailong knew that the price of these crabs would gradually increase in a few years.

The reason is the improvement of cold storage and cold chain transportation.

No matter how good something is, it's useless if it can't be sold. Fish and shellfish can be made into dried goods.

Even shrimp can be dried, but crabs cannot.

With Shi Hailan's help, the three siblings carried the loads home.

Shi Guangqian and He Caizhi were relieved to see their two sons return safely.

Next came the processing of the shellfish, while Shi Hailong brewed a cup of tea.

I sat leisurely under the ancient banyan tree.

The father and eldest brother also came over. The father said, "Second son, you'll have to do the net-closing alone tomorrow."

Your older brother and I are boarding the ship tonight…

"It's alright, it's just a small cage, I can handle it all by myself with ease..."

Shi Hailong said, and his father still instructed him, "Be careful when you're alone."

Don't be so nonchalant.

Also, if you encounter other fishing boats, get as far away as possible if you see them from a distance…”

Shi Hailong nodded very seriously.

Shi Guangqian wanted to say something more, but he was still uneasy.

After all, the second son has few sailing experiences, is too young, and lacks experience.

But he didn't say anything more in the end.

It was only at dinner that Shi Hailong heard from his mother that Yang Guangming had returned today.

We've already hired a matchmaker, Ms. Xu, who's scheduled to come over tomorrow to discuss things.

After hearing this, Shi Hailong, Shi Haifeng, and their younger sisters all smiled and looked at their eldest sister.

Shi Hailan's face instantly turned bright red.

"I have no objection to Yang Guangming becoming my brother-in-law!" Shi Hailong said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Stone Mother glared at her and said, "Get out of the way. What business is it of yours? You don't have any objections?"

Do you think we should listen to your opinions?

Shi Hailong was speechless and depressed, so he stopped talking and quietly ate his meal.

Shi Haifeng suppressed a laugh, while Shi Haihua and Shi Haiyu started joking around.

Shi Hailong glared at his two younger sisters and said, "My opinion is irrelevant when it comes to my eldest sister's marriage."

Hehe, but when it comes to your future marriages, who dares to disobey my opinion? Hehehe…”

Shi Hailong never expected that what he was doing was just teasing his two younger sisters, but instead he got a scolding from his mother.

"Hehe my ass, if you keep laughing like that, I'll beat you up."

Look at how capable you are, who dares to disobey you? Do you think I'll talk to your father?

"Will I have to be beholden to you then?"

Shi Hailong: "Uh..."

Okay, it's still not his turn!

Mr. Shi didn't say anything, but he secretly approved of his eldest daughter's relationship with Yang Guangming.

Yang Guangming grew up watching this place; he is indeed a very promising young man.

His second son, Shi Hailong, has a lively and unconventional personality, which he finds quite agreeable.

It's better than before, when the whole family kept quiet and kept to themselves.

This is what makes it lively and festive.

After dinner, Shi Hailong, as usual, enjoyed a cup of tea under the ancient banyan tree.

Actually, this habit of his was formed over several decades in his previous life, but he can't change it now.

The ancient banyan tree also accompanied him throughout his life!

After their meal, Shi Guangqian and Shi Haifeng went to the village, presumably to the contracted production team.

He Caizhi and Shi Hailan, along with two young maids, were preparing the cooked shellfish.

That is, picking out the meat.

He Caizhi glanced at her second son every now and then, and finally said:

"So young, yet so old-fashioned..."

Upon hearing this, Shi Hailan glanced at her second brother, who was smoking, and then asked her mother with a smile:

"You don't care that he smokes?"

He Caizhi said irritably, "What's the point? It's not like it costs me any money..."

In fact, He Caizhi also agreed in her heart that her second son was an adult.

Smoking is commonplace these days, and the reason smoking is banned isn't because of health reasons.

It's not because they're stingy with money.

At that time, people did not yet have the concept that smoking was harmful to their health.

Shi Hailan thought for a moment and said, "Mother, have you noticed?"

In the past month or so, Hailong seems to have suddenly... become like an adult...

He Caizhi paused for a moment, stopped what she was doing, and finally sighed:

"Sigh... I've grown up and become an adult!"

This kid matured much faster than Haifeng, and he's also more thoughtful.

My worry now is that Haifeng and Haisheng will suffer because of him in the future…”

Shi Hailan shook her head and said, "No, Hailong wouldn't bully his family!"

Upon hearing this, He Caizhi glanced at her two younger daughters but said nothing more.

The grudge she held was actually stemming from the time Shi Hailong sold conch shells.

It's not that I didn't tell her when I sold the conch shells, nor that I didn't give her the money.

Instead, Shi Hailong unearthed the conch pearl and hid it for over a year.

Such shrewdness worried He Caizhi a bit; her other two sons couldn't outmaneuver the second one.

Rural women tend to think primarily about their families, and many conflicts and disputes in the village also arise between brothers.

So, at this point, she began to worry about what would happen after her three sons got married.

In fact, Ho Choi-chi was also conflicted; she hoped that her second son would be successful and intelligent.

May your three sons produce one shrewd and capable one, and the rest be honest and simple-minded.

However, he was also worried that conflicts might arise among the three brothers in the future due to Shi Hailong's shrewdness and domineering nature.

Of course, this is something all parents worry about.

Shi Hailong was unaware of his mother's conversation with his eldest sister; he was still preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Planning how to proceed and how to avoid unnecessary trouble.

If people like Lin Shaowen covet him, how should he deal with it?

What method can be used to resolve this without leaving any future problems?