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

The night breeze was cool, and the sound of the waves came one after another.

At three o'clock in the morning, outside Wu Sui's courtyard gate, red cigarette butts flickered.

Chen Changgui squatted against the wall, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, with cigarette butts scattered all around his feet.

He can't sleep.

After listening to Wu Sui's words at Lao Wu's house last night, his mind was in turmoil, filled with thoughts of "the opening of the fishing season," "the long street banquet," and "the city leaders presenting the flag."

If this can really be done in the village, regardless of whether it can make money from outsiders, just the scene alone would make the county leaders happy.

As long as the leader is happy, won't this achievement be achieved?

When the next village chief election comes, who in the village can beat Chen Changgui?

Maybe we can use this opportunity to move closer to the town.

He became more and more excited as he thought about it, and after spending half the night making pancakes in bed, he simply ran to Wu Sui's doorstep.

Footsteps approached from afar, and several villagers carrying buckets, preparing to go to the beach, walked over.

The headlight swept across the base of the wall, startling the villagers walking in front.

"Holy crap, who's squatting there?"

Chen Changgui stood up, patted his numb legs, and glared at the other person with annoyance.

"What are you yelling about?"

The villagers were stunned when they saw who it was.

"Village chief? What are you doing squatting outside Ah Sui's house in the middle of the night? Why don't you knock and go in?"

"Why are you knocking on the door?" Chen Changgui lowered his voice and waved his hand at the group. "Aren't people sleeping at this hour? Don't make a sound, go do what you need to do."

The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment.

"No, village chief, didn't you come to see Ah Sui?"

Chen Changgui threw the cigarette butt in his hand on the ground and stomped it out, too lazy to waste words with them.

"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and go beachcombing. Don't get in the way here. Go somewhere else before you talk, so you don't wake Ah Sui up."

The villagers walked away, bewildered, glancing back as they went, muttering that the village chief must be possessed.

Chen Changgui squatted back down, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

As dawn broke, Chen Xue quietly got dressed, preparing to go to the old house to help her sister-in-law make breakfast.

Although the Wu family now buys food at the dock every morning, cooking porridge and preparing some cold dishes is still a demanding job for so many people.

She had just opened the courtyard gate.

A figure was crouching at the doorway, which startled her.

Chen Changgui, with dark circles under his eyes and messy hair, gave a dry, forced laugh.

"Little Xue, you're up so early."

Chen Xue patted her chest, recognized Chen Changgui, and then looked down at the densely packed cigarette butts on the ground, completely stunned.

"Uncle? What are you doing here? This...you've been squatting here all night?"

"No, I just got here too. I need to talk to Ah Sui about something."

Chen Changgui rubbed his thighs and asked cautiously, "Is A-Sui awake yet?"

"Not yet." Chen Xue quickly stepped aside. "Uncle, please come inside and sit down. It's windy outside. I'll go call him."

Chen Changgui exchanged a few polite words and then strode into the courtyard.

Wu Sui was half asleep when Chen Xue shook him awake.

"Ah Sui, get up quickly, the village chief is here."

Wu Sui rubbed his face and muttered something.

"What's he doing here so early in the morning?"

"I don't know. I've been squatting by the door for half the night. The ground is covered with cigarette butts. It looks kind of scary."

Upon hearing this, Wu Sui's head began to buzz.

Last night, Chen Changgui came in and asked about the opening of the fishing festival. He gave a few perfunctory replies and, emboldened by alcohol, said they would talk another day and sent him away.

Unexpectedly, the old man actually took it seriously and even came to block the door.

Wu Sui put on her clothes, slipped on her slippers, and walked into the main room.

Chen Changgui was sitting in a chair, his eyes were bloodshot, but he was unusually energetic, staring straight at Wu Sui.

"Ah Sui, wake up."

He put down his water glass and went straight to greet him.

Wu Sui pulled out a chair, sat down, and yawned.

"Uncle, what are you doing at my house so early in the morning instead of sleeping?"

Chen Changgui was a little embarrassed, but he gritted his teeth and got straight to the point.

"The moment I close my eyes, all I see is that fishing festival you mentioned yesterday!"

"I thought about it all night, and I feel this is something we can do, and we absolutely must do!"

Wu Sui picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of water, took a sip, and moistened his throat.

"Uncle, I was drunk last night and just bluffing. You actually believed me?"

"Bragging?" Chen Changgui was getting impatient. "You're making such a logical and detailed explanation, even calculating exactly how to make money. How can that be bragging? Don't try to fool me."

Wu Sui sighed, put down his water glass, and his expression turned serious.

"Uncle, I'm not trying to bluff, but this sounds exciting, but it's not as easy as it sounds in practice."

"Don't you know the situation in our village?"

"To organize this fishing festival, firstly, we need to organize all the fishing boats in the village, and even several nearby villages, and have them all follow orders. Can you do that?"

Chen Changgui paused for a moment, then remained silent.

Wu Sui continued speaking.

"Secondly, the sacrificial ceremony needs to be grand; we need to invite the statue of Mazu to tour the area, and we need to hire dragon and lion dance troupes. Who will pay for this? Does the village have that much money in its accounts?"

"Third, you said you want to make money from outsiders, but people have to come first. How can we promote ourselves in this poor, remote area? How can we let outsiders know that we have events here?"

"The most important point," Wu Sui said, raising a finger and tapping it on the table, "is the safety issue."

"If tens of thousands of people come and crowd the dock, what if something happens? Who will be responsible?"

"Don't even mention the opening of the fishing season; your superiors will definitely give you trouble..."

Wu Sui laid out all the risks at once, hoping to make Chen Changgui back down.

To everyone's surprise, Chen Changgui, instead of being frightened, slammed his hand on the table and stood up after hearing this.

"I've thought about all of that!"

Wu Sui was stunned.

Chen Changgui leaned closer to Wu Sui, his hands resting on the table.

"Ah Sui, the difficulties you mentioned do exist."

"But think about it, what if it actually works out?"

"As for the money, I'll go to town and try to get sponsorships. If that doesn't work, I'll go door-to-door to persuade everyone to chip in!"

"Who wouldn't be happy if it meant making money for everyone?"

"You don't need to worry about the publicity... Anyway, don't worry about any of that, it won't involve you, I'll take care of it."

Chen Changgui became more and more excited as he spoke, and spittle flew from his mouth.

Wu Sui sneered inwardly, never expecting the old man to try and steal his credit.

Without involving myself?

Chen Changgui became anxious when he saw that he didn't speak.

"Ah Sui, you're quick-witted and knowledgeable."

"You can help your uncle write down the rules for the opening of the fishing festival, clearly outlining each step."

"I'll figure out the rest. I promise I won't let you get any trouble, okay?"

Seeing Chen Changgui's dazed look, Wu Sui pretended to have a headache.

"Uncle, it's really impossible, I don't have the time."

"I've been worried about this for the past two days too. You know, the piece of land that my village allocated to my older brother is more than ten meters away from my plot."

"Originally, my brothers and I lived together in the same place so we could look after each other. Now that such a large space has suddenly become empty, I don't know who will live there. I feel uneasy about it."

"I'm just about to go and find out if anyone's applying for that plot of land, so I can try and swap it with them!"