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

As Wu Sui left Wu Lei's house, he took out a cigarette and lit it.

This is a mess.

They thought they could get Wu Lei to come out of retirement by spending a lot of money, but they were defeated by the rumors in the village.

But on second thought, although the reputation is a bit unpleasant, it also has its advantages.

From now on, those in the village who are envious and want to take advantage of him will probably have to think twice before approaching him.

This "living devil" persona has been completely established.

Wu Sui exhaled a smoke ring and quickened his pace home.

The new boat has been refurbished, so there shouldn't be any problems with my sister-in-law's family.

If Wu Lei doesn't want to go to sea with him, then he'll have to find someone else quickly.

After Wu Sui left, the main room was eerily quiet.

The gifts on the table, displayed so brightly, stung Wu Lei's eyes and brought tears to his eyes.

The curtain in the inner room was lifted a crack.

The three children peeked out, staring at the milk candy on the table, swallowing hard.

"Mom... my little brother wants some candy," Zhao Di called out timidly.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever do is eat!" Linghua turned her head sharply and yelled.

"Go back inside! Who let you out? You dare to eat poison given to you by someone else?"

The two girls trembled with fright and quickly pulled their younger brother back behind the curtain, while the younger son cried loudly in fear.

Wu Lei's chest heaved violently, and his breathing became increasingly heavy.

He grabbed the small fish that hadn't been completely killed and slammed it heavily onto the muddy ground.

Linghua was startled and stood up, her eyes wide: "What are you doing? Who are you trying to impress with all this throwing and thrashing around?"

"I'll show you!" Wu Lei strode over, pointing at the things on the table, the veins on his neck bulging.

"Are you out of your mind? Ah Sui came to invite me in such a nice way, bringing such a generous gift, and you just yelled at her and sent her away? Don't you have a brain?!"

Linghua, not to be outdone, put her hands on her hips and pushed back.

"You think I'm brainless? Who am I doing this for? Can't you hear how awful Wu Lao Er's reputation is now?"

"Lai Er's in jail, Cheng Kaixuan's in jail, and Li Daqiang's dead. Following him will only lead to trouble sooner or later!"

"Bullshit!" Wu Lei roared, his eyes red-rimmed. "They broke the law!"

"Ah Sui has now bought a big iron boat and is seriously fishing at sea. He's paying me 2000 yuan a month! Two thousand yuan! Which boss in town can offer that much?"

Linghua was stunned for a moment; the number 2000 yuan made her gasp.

She is usually very frugal at home, and she tries to stretch every penny to the limit. Two thousand yuan is a huge sum of money for her.

But she gritted her teeth and stubbornly refused to admit it.

"So what if it's two thousand yuan? You still have to be alive to spend it!"

"Have you forgotten the days when you were on an ocean liner, caught in a typhoon with absolutely no news, and I knelt on the dock with Laidi, crying?"

As she spoke, Linghua's eyes reddened, and her voice trembled with tears.

"We had to hide and run away to have our baby. I gave birth on that shabby fishing boat and almost died from severe bleeding! What did I do for that?"

"I just want our Wu family to have a lineage, so that you won't be gossiped about for not having a son to take care of you in your old age."

"If something happens to you while you're at sea with Wu Lao Er, leaving us, a widow and orphans, how will we survive?"

Hearing his wife's tearful complaints, Wu Lei's anger dissipated almost entirely.

He plopped down on the threshold, scratching his hair in frustration.

"But we have to live..." Wu Lei's voice was hoarse. "Look at Lai Di and Zhao Di, they're skin and bones."

"Laidi's tuition is due soon, and Xiaobao doesn't even have a decent toy; he plays in the mud every day..."

Wu Lei looked up at Linghua with red eyes.

"I can't just abandon my two daughters to live or die just because I have a son, can I?"

"The money Ah Sui gave us will allow the children to eat meat and go to school safely."

"Am I going to go on the ship to earn money just because I'm afraid to watch you and your children starve to death?"

Linghua looked at her husband's pained expression, then turned to look at the three thin, dark heads behind the curtain in the inner room.

The heavy burden of reality was suffocating her.

That two thousand yuan salary was like a sledgehammer, completely shattering the stubbornness in her heart.

"Waaah..." Linghua suddenly covered her face, squatted down against the wall, and burst into tears.

She didn't argue anymore; her sobs were full of grievance and compromise.

Wu Lei stood up, walked to the table, picked up the bag of cigarettes and alcohol again, and grabbed a few packets of milk candy and stuffed them into his pocket.

He walked to the door of the inner room and handed the milk candy to Lai Di.

"Take your younger sister and brother out for candy, but don't make your mom angry."

After saying that, he turned around and strode out of the courtyard.

It was already completely dark.

Wu Gang and Wang Feng have returned from Wang Feng's parents' home, bringing back confirmation that Wang Feng's nephew, Wang Dazhu, will be coming over first thing tomorrow morning.

"Dazhu is strong and hardworking. He'll be a great asset on the ship. You can trust him, A-Sui."

Wang Feng sat in the courtyard, tidying up the vegetables she had brought back from her parents' home, and smiling as she made promises.

Chen Xue came out carrying freshly washed fruit and helped her with the task.

"The person my sister-in-law found is definitely reliable. Now we have more manpower."

Wu Suizheng nodded, and then there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Wu Jianguo went over and opened the door, and by the light from the courtyard lamp, he could see who had come in.

"Lei? Come in quickly."

Wu Lei stood at the door, his face flushed, carrying the bag of cigarettes and alcohol, looking uneasy.

"Uncle Jianguo," he greeted, bowing his head as he walked into the courtyard.

Wu Sui came out of the house to greet him, and when he saw what Wu Lei was holding, he understood most of the situation.

"Brother Lei, have you eaten? Is your wife calmed down?"

He smiled and pulled over a stool, inviting Wu Lei to sit down.

Wu Lei placed the cigarettes and alcohol on the stone table, rubbed his hands together, and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"Ah Sui, I'm so sorry."

"Your sister-in-law is all talk and no action, she speaks without thinking. She embarrassed you today, so please don't take it to heart."

"We're like brothers, don't be so formal." Wu Sui handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.

Wu Lei took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly at Wu Sui.

"Ah Sui, I've already made a deal with your sister-in-law. As long as you're still willing to use me, I'll sell my life to our ship."

"I'll handle all the dirty and hard work—repairing ships, inspecting machinery, setting nets—no questions asked."

Wu Jianguo listened attentively, nodding with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Ah Lei, it's good that you've come to your senses. Work hard with Ah Sui, and we won't treat you unfairly."

Wu Sui patted Wu Lei on the shoulder: "Brother Lei, that's exactly what I wanted to hear."

"The new ship uses imported twin diesel engines, which are not easy for ordinary people to operate. Without you in charge, I wouldn't feel at ease."

Wu Lei's eyes lit up immediately when he heard "imported twin-engine diesel engine." For people in their line of work, hearing about good machinery is like a drunkard smelling fine wine.

"Don't worry, I know that thing very well. I used to touch it every day on ocean-going ships. I can tell what's wrong with it even with my eyes closed."

Wu Lei patted his chest and assured him, appearing much more relaxed.

Wu Sui smiled, turned around and went into the inner room.

Not long after, he came out with a wad of cash.

"Brother Lei, here's two thousand yuan. Consider it an advance on your first month's salary."

Wu Lei was stunned, staring at the money on the table, his hands trembling.

Two thousand yuan!

He worked odd jobs in town, toiling away for half a year, and still might not be able to save that much money.

"This...this won't do!" Wu Lei suddenly stood up, waving his hands repeatedly.

"The work hasn't even been done yet, there's no rule about taking money beforehand, Ah Sui, you should take it back right now."

Wu Sui grabbed his hand and forced the money into his arms.

"Brother Lei, here you go." Wu Sui said sincerely.

"My sister-in-law lost her temper today because she was worried that the family would lose its income."

"If you take this money back, she'll feel at ease."

Wu Lei's eyes reddened, and his lips trembled.

Wu Sui continued, "Let's buy some new clothes for the three children, have a good meal at home, and then we'll prepare to go out to sea after the typhoon passes."

Wu Lei clutched the two thousand yuan tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Ah Sui, I'm not saying anything more." Wu Lei sniffled, his voice choked with emotion.

"From now on, on the ship, you tell me where to go, and I'll do it. If I don't do a good job, you can just kick me overboard to feed the fish!"

After seeing Wu Lei off, Wu Sui stretched.

The boatmen have finally been found.