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

Wu Lei was both amused and exasperated, and quickly stopped the person.

"Are you out of your mind, woman?!"

"What time is it? The recycling station has been closed for ages!"

"Even if the door is closed, I still have to knock!" Linghua stamped her feet anxiously. "It's over a hundred yuan! If I die, you'll have to pay for it!"

"You won't die." Wu Lei snatched the bucket from her hands.

"Bass are very hardy, and octopuses can survive for most of the day out of water. I added seawater to the basin and they were fine after being kept overnight."

"Oh dear, I'm still worried. What if..." Linghua reached out to grab the bucket.

"Listen to me," Wu Lei raised his voice, "If you sell them first thing tomorrow morning when the market opens, you'll get a higher price than if you sold them to the purchasing station tonight!"

"Those people at the purchasing station are really ruthless. If you knock on their door in the middle of the night, they'll definitely try to lower your price."

When Linghua heard the words "price reduction", she stopped what she was doing.

She looked at Wu Lei suspiciously: "Can it really be sold for a higher price?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Wu Lei put the bucket back by the stove. "Take it to the morning market first thing tomorrow morning, set up a stall, and people will definitely be eager to buy it."

Linghua bit her lip, barely managing to give up the idea of ​​selling fish in the middle of the night.

She poured the bass from the bucket and the octopus from the net back into the large aluminum basin, added water, and covered it with a broken bamboo basket, afraid that the octopus would crawl out and escape.

After finishing all this, Linghua washed her hands and returned to the main room.

The four hundred and twenty yuan was still lying quietly on the table.

Linghua walked over, picked up the few red bills, and counted them over and over again.

420.

With the seafood in the basin, today's trip out to sea is equivalent to a month's work for others.

Wu Lei carried a basin of hot water out of the inner room, preparing to take a bath in the backyard.

As he passed by the main room, he glanced at Linghua.

Linghua sat in a chair, clutching the money in her hand, her eyes fixed on the aluminum basin in the yard, her brows furrowed, her face full of worry.

Wu Lei was stunned for a moment.

"What are you worrying about now?"

Linghua looked up at Wu Lei and sighed heavily.

"Lei, do you think we should buy some things and go to Wu Lao Er's house tomorrow?" Linghua asked in a low voice.

"Why would you go to his house?"

Linghua rolled her eyes at him and said "hmm" in an annoyed tone.

"Are you stupid? He's making so much money now, how many people in the village are eyeing his boat?"

"Although we're related, don't forget, his uncle also has family members."

"What if someone gossips and replaces you? Where will you earn so much money in the future?"

"Impossible!" Wu Lei's first reaction upon hearing this was disbelief.

Although Wu Sui had been a bit of a troublemaker in the past, after spending the last two days with him, he felt that Wu Sui wasn't that kind of person.

I haven't done anything wrong, and I've worked diligently on the ship, so how could they not let me go on board?

When Linghua saw her husband's expression, she knew he hadn't listened to her at all.

She sighed, somewhat annoyed, and an unnatural blush rose on her cheeks.

"Lei, tell me...did I go too far before?"

Wu Lei was stunned for a moment, not understanding what she meant.

"What's excessive?"

"It's about Ah Sui..." Linghua lowered her head, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.

"I never gave him a kind look when he passed by our house before, and I often said things that were sarcastic and indirect."

"If anyone in the village calls him a good-for-nothing, I'll kick them twice."

"He helped you make so much money today and gave you a share of such valuable seafood, without uttering a single complaint."

Linghua's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, her face turning so red that even the roots of her neck seemed to glow with heat.

"They've proven their skills now and aren't holding a grudge against us. I feel really ashamed."

Wu Lei grinned after hearing this.

"You shameless woman, are you feeling embarrassed now?"

He draped the towel around his neck, leaned closer, and lowered his voice.

"Ah Sui has really changed now. Not only is she quick-witted, but she's also incredibly lucky."

"Today at sea, even the sperm whale listened to him. I think he's definitely going to do great things in the future."

Linghua nodded repeatedly and grabbed Wu Lei's arm.

"Lei, we can't be ignorant of the rules in our family."

"They're giving us such a high share of the profits because they're being generous; we can't pretend we don't know."

"You have to go to work on the ship tomorrow, so... how about we grab some things and go to his house now?"

Although Wu Lei felt that Wu Sui wasn't that kind of person, his wife's concerns weren't entirely unfounded.

He sighed, thought about everything that had happened, and nodded.

"You're right. If it weren't for Ah Sui, we wouldn't even have a place to pay for our children's tuition. We have to acknowledge this kindness."

"But what should we give as a gift?" Linghua was troubled, her brows furrowing again. "We don't have anything particularly impressive to offer at home."

"How about I go to town first thing tomorrow morning and buy two pounds of meat, and also two cartons of good cigarettes?"

Wu Lei waved his hand.

"What should I buy?"

"Does Ah Sui lack that little bit of money now? She sold over 80,000 in one trip today. What good stuff can't she buy?"

"Then what do you suggest as a gift?"

"Give us those two old hens we keep in our backyard!" Wu Lei slammed his hand on the table.

"Ah Sui has always had a sweet tooth since he was little, and he loves this kind of food."

"Old hen soup is the best for nourishing the body. He was exhausted from being at sea today."

Linghua hesitated for a moment.

Two chickens? Isn't that a bit stingy?

"What do you know?" Wu Lei stood up. "This is called sincerity!"

"We raise them ourselves, so we feel safe eating them."

"Besides, Ah Sui isn't the kind of person who cares about the price of things. As long as we mean it, he'll know what we mean."

Linghua thought it made sense and immediately stood up.

"Okay, whatever you say."

The couple acted swiftly, grabbing flashlights and heading towards the chicken coop in the backyard.

Boil water, sharpen the knife.

Bleeding and hair removal.

Linghua was incredibly efficient at this task; in less than half an hour, the two hens were cleaned up perfectly.

She found a basket and went out with Wu Lei.

The sea breeze felt cool on my face.

Linghua walked beside Wu Lei, her steps light and quick.

"Lei, what kind of life would we have if we could go out to sea with Sui every day?"

Wu Lei chuckled.

"It's not realistic to go out to sea every day; we have to rest during typhoon days."

"But we'll definitely earn even more after the fishing season opens."

"By the end of the year, I can pay off all the debts and even renovate the house."

Linghua nodded repeatedly, her heart filled with joy.

The two chatted casually for a while and soon arrived at the gate of Wu Sui's house.

The lights were still on at Wu Sui's house, and faint voices could be heard coming from the courtyard.

Wu Lei stepped forward, raised his hand, and was just about to knock on the door.

Suddenly, a series of deliberately lowered footsteps came from the alley next door.

"Crunch, crunch."

It was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Wu Lei's hand froze in mid-air, and Linghua was startled, so she quickly shone her flashlight over.