Rebirth 77: From Beachcombing to Becoming a Tycoon and Spoiling My Wife

The old man took out all his stock, a full ten packs in threes.

He patted the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes: "Half have filters, half don't. The ones with filters are 2 yuan a pack, the ones without filters are 1.5 yuan a pack. How about that?"

Yang Bai picked up a filter and looked at it. "I'll give you twenty yuan first, and I'll open it up and check it."

The old man smiled and nodded, "You can look at whoever you like and choose whatever you like; I'm honest with everyone, young and old."

Yang Bai handed twenty yuan to the old man, tore open a pack, took out a packet, opened a cigarette, knocked out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

"Is there a fire?"

The old man pulled out a match, gently rubbed it on sandpaper, and with a hiss, the orange flame suddenly shot up. He shielded the match with his withered hand and brought it to Yang Bai's cigarette.

Yang Bai lowered his head slightly and took a drag, lighting his cigarette. The old man shook out the match in his hand and asked with a smile, "How is it? It's genuine, isn't it?"

Yang Bai brushed his lungs; it was smooth and creamy, not spicy at all, with a hint of caramelized sweetness in the aftertaste, and the aroma of plums lingered in his nasal cavity and throat.

"Yes, they're genuine. I'll take them all."

The old man grinned so wide his mouth almost reached his ears as he took out a cloth bag and carefully placed the cigarettes inside.

He was calculating the bill on the paper when he heard the pen and said, "Total 178.5."

Yang Bai took out the money, counted it, and handed it to the old man.

"Here's a dollar and fifty cents for you." The old man handed him the change and continued, "If any acquaintances refer you here in the future, I have all kinds of cigarettes here, at fair prices, much lower than other cigarette vendors."

"it is good."

Yang Bai readily agreed. It turned out that the reason he had changed his mind and stopped him earlier was because he was riding a motorcycle and he mistook him for the child of a wealthy family.

However, as long as I can buy it, that's fine.

Yang Bai got on his motorcycle and threw the last cigarette he had just taken a puff of onto the ground.

He hadn't smoked in a long time, but today he lit a cigarette and his mind went blank like he was drunk.

These feelings all dissipated with a little breeze.

Go home.

Yang Bai hid the cloth bag in the wooden cabinet and covered the cigarette with his clothes.

Su Wanqiu asked, "Why are you back so soon today? Didn't you go fishing?"

Yang Bai shook his head.

"Yes, but I was out running errands."

"An order from Japan suddenly became urgent, so I went to handle it."

Su Wanqiu picked up a piece of fabric and started cutting, asking, "What order suddenly became urgent?"

"Squid." Yang Bai rested his chin on his hand. "For the next ten days, we'll be at sea every night, otherwise we won't be able to complete the orders, and our cooperation with Japan will go bankrupt."

Su Wanqiu looked worried. "Ten days, and she won't be back at night. Won't her health suffer?"

Yang Bai shook his head and offered words of comfort.

"It's okay, as long as I get enough sleep in the morning."

It's impossible for fishermen to work day and night without a single day off, but it's still easier than the two-shift system of their previous lives.

Su Wanqiu shook her head, "No, I have to have Ningning prepare the medicine for you."

Yang Bai said softly, "I had planned to have Ningning prepare some medicine for me a long time ago. I know in my heart that health is the most important thing."

Su Wanqiu responded calmly, "It's good that you understand."

When Zhang Ning returned home after finishing his work that night, he heard that Yang Bai would be going out to sea day and night for the next ten days to fulfill squid orders, and a look of worry immediately appeared on his face.

"You've been working day and night for ten days straight, you must be exhausted from lack of sleep. I'll prescribe you some calming and soothing medicine first thing tomorrow morning."

To adjust to the time difference, Yang Bai stayed up all night reading until morning. After finishing his meal, he glanced at the time on the wall clock.

By this time, the three women should be almost awake.

Zhang Ning appeared in the living room, still half asleep, and was startled to see Yang Bai sitting there staring at his dark circles under his eyes.

She kept stroking her heaving chest and asked, "Yang Bai, you've stayed up all this time without sleeping?"

Yang Bai nodded, "Yes, it's about time to go to sleep now."

He yawned, his eyelids extremely heavy.

He survived the night entirely on tea leaves; when he really needed to sleep, he would pinch his thigh to stay awake until now.

Zhang Ning took a deep breath. "I will prepare the medicine and deliver it to your home this afternoon. I will prepare it immediately if the crew members need it."

She was genuinely worried about his current mental state, but she also knew the importance of this order.

She also wanted to do her part for them.

Yang Bai stood up, swaying slightly. "I'll go ask this evening, and I'll write down how much they need."

He walked towards the bedroom, occasionally needing to hold onto the chair or the wall for support. Lying on the bed, he felt much more relaxed.

Su Wanqiu woke up at this moment and looked at Yang Bai sleeping soundly. She touched Yang Bai's face and felt a pang of pain in her heart.

......

Yang Bai slept from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. before waking up, and felt much better.

He walked out of the bedroom, where Su Wanqiu was sitting by the window under the lamp, hand-sewing a suit, her fingertips holding a fine needle as she sewed through the fabric.

Hearing footsteps, she paused slightly with her needle and put down the fabric she had cut.

"You're awake? I'll go to the kitchen to make you breakfast. What time do we set off for sea?"

Yang Bai glanced at the clock on the wall: "We have to leave at 4:30."

Su Wanqiu quickly patted the loose threads off her hands and hurried to the stove to start a fire and cook rice.

The sound of a bicycle bell came from outside the courtyard gate. Zhang Ning stopped the bicycle, carrying several large bags of neatly packaged herbs. He quickly walked into the main room and placed the bags of herbs neatly on the wooden table.

"This is a five-day supply of medicine, containing jujube seed and polygonatum, specifically for calming the mind and replenishing qi and blood, enough to withstand the depletion caused by irregular day and night. I'll get more once you finish this. Remember to simmer it slowly in a clay pot every morning and evening and drink it while it's hot."

Yang Bai reached out and collected all the herbs on the table, carefully tied them up, and placed them in a cabinet to the side.

"it is good."

A warm feeling welled up in Yang Bai's heart.

He knew that the next ten days would be spent working day and night, with his days and nights reversed, in a high-intensity effort to catch the fish during the season, which would definitely take a toll on his body. In his previous life, he always relied on his youth and strong physique to endure any hardship, which eventually led to a host of chronic injuries and required him to go to the hospital every year.

But this life is different.

He has a home, people he cares about, and someone who genuinely cares about his health.

But looking at the two people silently accompanying and caring for him, he felt no weariness, only peace of mind.

After finishing his meal, Yang Bai took his Chinese medicine packet and went to the dock.

At this time, the 100-ton ship was already docked at the pier.

Wang An came to Yang Bai's side, and he lifted his sleeve to reveal his arm, which was covered with bruises and welts.

"I cut the time as close to the limit as possible to adjust it."

Yang Bai patted him on the shoulder and said, "You've worked hard. Did you adjust the time yesterday?"

He asked the crowd.

The crew shouted in unison.

"It's been adjusted."

Yang Bai looked at the crew members and spoke.

"Okay, how many of you need traditional Chinese medicine to regulate your bodies? Come to my house tonight, and Zhang Ning will take a look at you. I'll cover all the cost of the medicine. Please bear with us for the next ten days, and then we'll have three days off afterward!"

Yang Jun raised his hand.

"Brother Yang, could you lower the price a bit? Two days is fine, I'd like to earn more."

Yang Bai patted his head, "No, your health is more important."