He forced me to sever ties with my family and sleep on a dilapidated boat, then turned around and be

He Rong slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "My god, Bayi, you really are the Dragon King's godson! How are you so amazing? You can catch those cannonball fish that others can't hit, and you do it every time!"

He Laifu's face was full of envy, and a little jealousy.

"Bayi, you're amazing! My biggest dream in this life is to get a fishing boat that's over ten meters long, and then write the word 'county' or even 'city' on the bow, and go to the county and city docks to sell fish."

"I can't believe you made it happen! You're number one at fishing!"

Niu Bayi laughed heartily and handed the bucket full of sandworms to Zhang Xiuli.

"Mom, these are the remaining sandworms, weighing over ten pounds. Let's not sell them; let's fry them and eat them. Use plenty of oil when frying them."

"This is a great snack to go with drinks."

Looking at the sandworms wriggling slightly in the bucket, Zhang Xiuli nodded repeatedly.

"These sandworms are great, plump and white. Fry them in oil, and they're delicious whether dipped in salt or soy sauce. They're perfect with drinks or rice, absolutely top-notch! Okay!"

"I'll take them to be cleaned now, and fry a pound or two first."

"Don't waste the rest, let's make dried sandworms, dried sandworms can sell for a lot of money."

Despite her efforts, Zhang Xiuli's life ultimately revolves around making money.

Niu Bayi didn't care and just patted his stomach.

"I'm hungry, is there any food left?"

He Rong said with a big smile, "Yes, yes, yes, the food is warm, just waiting for you to come back and eat. Come on, come inside and eat!"

In the kitchen.

The food on the table wasn't as lavish as it had been the previous two days, but it still included fish and meat.

When Zhang Xiuli placed the fried sandworms, now golden brown, on the table, a rich aroma wafted through the air.

This made everyone's stomachs rumble.

Pick up a fried sandworm, put it in your mouth and chew it; it's crunchy and delicious.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant and delicious!

One fried sandworm is enough to eat with a big mouthful of white rice and a glass of white wine!

He Rong nodded and chewed with relish.

"These sandworms are a rare delicacy and a tonic. We can usually dig some up, but we can't bear to eat them and sell them instead. Luckily, we have Bayi, so we can eat fried sandworms to our hearts' content."

"Delicious, so delicious! Come on, Bayi, let me toast you!"

With such delicious fried sandworms, it's only natural to have some wine.

The three grown men were taking turns drinking.

He Zhenzhen sat next to Niu Bayi, and every now and then she would secretly pick up his wine glass and take a small sip.

I was so spicy that I grimaced and almost threw up.

But after a while, he couldn't resist picking up his glass again and taking another small sip.

If things continue like this, He Zhenzhen will probably be turned into a female alcoholic.

When they had almost finished eating and drinking, He Rong suddenly thought of something, and his expression became somewhat serious.

"Bayi, there's something I need to tell you. See how you should handle it."

Niu Bayi asked, "What's the matter?"

He Rong said, "I heard this from others. Your grandmother is in poor health, and neither of her eldest sons wants to take care of her. They keep passing the responsibility back and forth, leaving your grandmother unsure of where to live."

"If you have time, go and see her. After all, from what I know, your grandmother treats you quite well."

Upon hearing this, Niu Bayi's mind went blank.

He almost slapped himself.

I've been back in the world for many days now, but I haven't gone to see my grandmother yet.

After his mother passed away, the two people who were truly good to him and tried their best to be good to him were He Zhenzhen and his maternal grandmother.

My maternal grandmother lives in a mountain village about seven or eight kilometers away from here.

Not by the sea, but by the mountains.

The entire journey is through mountainous terrain, and we have to cross five mountains.

Grandma knew that her stepmother treated Niu Bayi badly, so she used to come over several times a year.

He came alone, relying on his bound feet, to traverse mountains and steep mountain paths.

Every time he came, he would slip Niu Bayi a certain amount of money, telling him to secretly buy something to eat so he wouldn't go hungry.

She would even lecture Ma Chunhua, telling her to treat her grandson better so she wouldn't suffer divine retribution later.

Grandma and Ma Chunhua even had an argument about this.

Ma Chunhua even asked Niu Dazhuang to beat her up.

However, despite being an elderly woman with a frail body, Grandma never backed down in order to protect her grandson!

She even pointed at Niu Dazhuang's nose and started yelling at him—

If you treat my grandson badly, I'll risk my old bones and fight you to the death!

The most memorable time in Niu Bayi's memory was when he was sixteen years old.

After doing heavy physical labor for several days, I collapsed in bed and couldn't get up.

Ma Chunhua also ordered him to go up the mountain to chop firewood.

Just then, Grandma arrived, rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, pointed it at Ma Chunhua, and said, "If you don't let my grandson rest properly and exhaust him, I'll chop your dog's head off with this knife!"

Terrified, Ma Chunhua covered her head and quickly shrank back into the house.

Grandma was even thinking of taking Niu Bayi back to her own home to take care of him.

But her two sons disagreed, and there was nothing she could do.

Thinking back on these things, Niu Bayi's nose felt a little sore.

He immediately put down his chopsticks.

"Dad, I'm full. I'm going to go see Grandma now and see how she is."

He Zhenzhen shouted, "I'll go with you!"

Niu Bayi immediately waved his hand.

"You've been working so hard for so long, you should get some sleep. Don't worry, I'll go. You can rest at home."

He Zhenzhen was about to object, but Niu Bayi only said one thing.

"Women should listen to their men, right? If I tell you to rest, you should rest obediently. If you tire yourself out, I'll feel sorry for you, even if you don't."

These fierce yet loving words made He Zhenzhen beam with joy, her face flushed.

"My goodness, Niu Bayi, you're so sweet. You make me feel so warm inside. Okay, you go ahead. I'll stay home and rest so you won't be upset."

Niu Bayi immediately rode the bicycle he had left at his future father-in-law's house and hurried off to find his grandmother.

He rode his bicycle up and down the mountain. If he encountered a road that even a bicycle couldn't pass, he would carry the bicycle and run with a burst of energy.

In a great hurry, they arrived at their grandmother's village, Xiaozhai Village, in less than an hour.

Then I ran to my maternal grandmother's house.

My maternal grandmother's house is a traditional courtyard house with a small yard.

My maternal grandfather passed away five years ago.

According to Niu Bayi's understanding, after his maternal grandfather passed away, his two sons, namely Niu Bayi's eldest and second maternal uncles, Cao Hongshan and Cao Honghe, separated from the family.

Cao Hongshan still lives in the old house.

Cao Honghe received some of his father's inheritance, and with his own additional money, he built a house on the other side of the village.

As soon as Niu Bayi stepped into the courtyard, he saw his aunt Deng Ju washing clothes.

He asked, "Auntie, where's my maternal grandmother?"

Deng Ju looked up at him, paused for a moment, and then rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Where is that old hag? How would I know? She's definitely not at home. Go look for her somewhere else, come on, come on!"

She looked disgusted and started complaining.

"You sickly brat, what are you doing here? Don't die here!"