Beachcombing: The beach is full of amazing seafood, but my wife won't let me get out of bed!

"Have you heard? Lai Er and Cheng Kaixuan got arrested!"

Aunt Zhang waved a palm-leaf fan in her hand, her voice filled with schadenfreude.

"What's going on? I saw Lai Er buying alcohol at the convenience store yesterday!" Grandpa Li exhaled a smoke ring.

"The town's police station said that the two of them went to steal something from an abandoned old courtyard of the Maritime Bureau in the middle of the night and were caught on the spot."

"I heard there are contraband items inside. If they get convicted, they won't be out for at least ten years."

"My God, contraband? That's a business that can get you killed. They're incredibly audacious."

Under the banyan tree, the villagers chattered amongst themselves.

In the center of the crowd, Old Lady Liu sat on the ground, slapping her thigh, her face covered in tears and snot.

"Village chief, you have to save my family's Kaixuan!"

"He's the only son in the Cheng family, you can't just abandon him."

"Yes, village chief, Kaixuan is usually the most honest man. He wouldn't dare touch those contraband items even if you gave him ten lives. Someone must have framed him!" A relative of the Cheng family chimed in.

Chen Changgui's head was buzzing from the noise.

He touched the cigarette pack in his pocket, feeling extremely agitated.

This morning, the town's police station came to the village to investigate, and that's when he found out that the large compound belonging to the Maritime Bureau had actually been bought by the second son of the Wu family.

That's a courtyard worth over two million!

He was planning to talk to Wu Sui about the homestead. That kid was rolling in money now; even a scrap of land would be enough for him to live on for years.

Looking up, I saw Wu Gang riding his bicycle towards me.

"Shut up, all of you!" Chen Changgui yelled at Old Lady Liu.

Grandma Liu was startled, and her crying stopped abruptly.

Chen Changgui threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stood in the middle of the road with his hands behind his back.

Wu Gang quickly slammed on the brakes and braced himself with his feet on the ground.

"Village chief, what's wrong on this hot day?" Wu Sui jumped down from the back seat.

Chen Changgui looked Wu Sui up and down, speaking in an official tone.

"Ah Sui, you've really made something of yourself now. You've quietly accomplished something big."

"What are you saying, village chief? I just make a little money by going out to sea. What great things can I do?" Wu Sui handed over a cigarette.

Chen Changgui didn't answer, his face was stern.

"You're up to no good, kid. People from town came today, and that's when I found out you actually bought that big courtyard in town."

After these words were spoken, the surrounding area fell silent.

Grandma Liu even forgot to cry, staring blankly with her mouth agape.

The Maritime Safety Administration's compound is so big, how much would that cost?

Could Wu Sui, a good-for-nothing, afford that?

"Ah Sui, since you're willing to spend a lot of money to buy that courtyard, you'll have to contribute more when it comes to getting residential land approved in our village."

Chen Changgui reprimanded Wu Sui, "Our village has rules; good locations cost extra."

"You're not short of a few dollars, so contribute more to the village. I'll help you with the paperwork in town, and it'll be done quickly."

Wu Sui took back the cigarette in his hand, lit it himself, and took a puff.

"Village chief, are you saying that if I don't pay extra, the paperwork won't be completed?"

"You can't say that. It depends on how much you contribute to the village," Chen Changgui said, putting on airs.

Wu Sui took two steps forward and stood in front of Chen Changgui.

"Village chief, I bought that courtyard for 280 million yuan, in full."

A collective gasp filled the air.

"280 million? My goodness! How many sacks would that fill?"

"Did the second son of the Wu family rob a bank?"

The villagers' expressions towards Wu Sui changed completely.

"I can afford to buy a courtyard for 280 million, so giving you an extra thousand or eight hundred yuan as a bonus shouldn't be a problem."

Wu Sui exhaled a smoke ring, "But I have a problem. If it's my responsibility to pay, I'll pay it all. If it's not my responsibility, no one can take a single penny out of my pocket."

Chen Changgui's face darkened: "Ah Sui, the area next to your stone house is prime real estate. Shouldn't you pay a little extra?"

Wu Sui leaned closer to Chen Changgui and lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear him.

"Village chief, do you really think I'm a sucker?"

"Don't you think about it? That smuggling boat was parked in the Maritime Bureau's yard for more than half a year and nothing happened to it."

"I just bought the yard, and last night there was a case of contraband. Cheng Kaixuan and Lai Er happened to show up on the boat right on time and were caught on the spot."

Chen Changgui's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean?"

"You think I have powerful connections to be able to buy that yard outright and get the police station to handle the case so quickly?"

Wu Sui patted Chen Changgui on the shoulder.

"You met the boss from Shanghai a few days ago, didn't you? Guess what kind of relationship I have with them?"

Chen Changgui's back was sweating, and his calves were spinning.

A few days ago, the boss from Shanghai who drives a luxury car came to see Wu Sui; he had seen him in person.

Could it be that Wu Sui had already made connections with a powerful figure?

If that's the case, then last night's events were all a setup by Wu Sui!

He's just a village head; in their eyes, he's nothing.

If Wu Sui really wanted to mess with him, it would be easier than crushing an ant.

"Ah... Ah Sui, look at you, you took a joke seriously." Chen Changgui forced a smile.

"Regarding the homestead, just follow the normal procedures, fill out a form, and I'll stamp it for you right away."

Wu Sui took a step back and resumed his smiling expression.

"Thank you, village chief. Brother, let's go home."

Wu Gang pushed his bicycle, and the two of them pushed through the crowd toward the village.

Grandma Liu slumped to the ground, watching Wu Sui's retreating figure, not daring to utter a single word.

She's now filled with deep regret and wishes she could slap herself twice.

We returned to the Wu family's old house.

Seeing Wu Sui and Wu Gang return, Wang Feng put down what she was doing.

"Second brother, I heard from the villagers that Cheng Kaixuan and Lai Er have been arrested?"

"Yeah, he's suspected of stealing contraband, he'll probably be in jail for eight to ten years."

Wang Feng stood with her hands on her hips, cursing loudly at the doorway.

"Serves you right!"

"Neither of them were good people; getting them arrested is a service to the people."

"But second brother, this has nothing to do with us, right?"

"What does it have to do with anything? They brought this on themselves." Wu Sui put down her water glass. "Sister-in-law, the boat has been rented, eighty yuan a day, and the agreement has been signed."

"Eighty a day? That's expensive!" Wang Feng raised her voice. "Isn't it usually fifty?"

Wu Gang quickly offered an explanation.

"The boat's equipment is about 80% new, it runs fast, and the chassis is stable."

"We're going to do longline fishing over the cliff tonight, but I'm worried the small boat won't be able to withstand the wind and waves."

Wang Feng pursed her lips.

"Alright, we'll rent it then. When are we going out to sea?"

Chen Xue came over and used a towel to wipe the sweat from Wu Sui's forehead.

Wu Sui smiled and accepted the offer: "There's no wind tonight, so let's start with longline fishing, then go for a stroll on the island, and reel in the line in the morning."

"Ah Sui, I'll go with you guys tonight. More people means more hands."

"No need, you stay home and take care of the children." Wu Sui held Chen Xue's hand.

"The sea is rough; if you go, I'll have to take care of you."

"Once we get a new boat, I'll take you out to sea for a spin."

After dinner, it got dark.

Wu Sui, Wu Gang, and Chen Yang loaded the longline fishing rod onto a handcart and pulled it toward the town's dock.

They found the rented fishing boat No. 0345, and the three of them worked together to carry the tools onto the boat.

"Big brother, start the machine, let's go!" Wu Sui stood at the bow of the boat, facing the sea breeze.

The fishing boat roared as it slowly sailed away from the dock, cutting through the waves towards the cliff and reef area.