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

He Rong and He Laifu had no choice but to walk back with resentful expressions.

They stared intently at Niu Bayi, speaking in unison.

"Hey, if you find any treasure to dig up in the future, you have to tell us! Let's go together and get rich together!!"

Niu Bayi naturally nodded and agreed.

In the kitchen, another table of dishes was laid out.

He Rong said, "Drink less today, eat and drink your fill, and go to sleep. We'll set sail at midnight."

In fact, the fishermen go out to sea well past midnight.

It was around 2 or 3 a.m.

However, fishermen are particularly averse to the word "early morning".

After all, the early hours of the morning mean zero harvest, nothing at all.

The early morning is even more dangerous, as it signifies a shipwreck.

If the ship sinks while out at sea, it could be fatal.

Compared to that, zero income is nothing.

Therefore, fishermen generally don't call it dawn; they either say it's the third watch or the middle of the night.

Indeed, it was still well before dawn when we set sail.

He Rong then asked Niu Bayi.

Are you going to set sail?

Niu Bayi shook his head and explained his plans.

For the next few days, he only went to collect giant clam shells.

Collecting giant clam shells is not like fishing; you have to set off at dawn.

It's not too late to go out to sea after sleeping until dawn.

Giant clams don't have legs, so they can run away.

It will simply remain on the seabed, quietly waiting for you.

It's like love.

He Rong nodded and said okay, then chuckled.

"You can drink more and celebrate making 2000 yuan today."

Niu Bayi suddenly thought of something and immediately shook his head.

"I earned more than 2000 yuan; I also earned 9000 yuan during the day."

"In total, I earned a full 11000 yuan today."

Everyone was eating, using chopsticks to pick up food.

Upon hearing Niu Bayi's words, even He Zhenzhen dropped her chopsticks onto the table with a clatter.

The four people spoke in unison.

"What? You made 11000 yuan today?"

Niu Bayi nodded seriously and said yes.

Then, he told her about accompanying the leaders from the city's Public Security Bureau on a fishing trip at sea, and how he had made a bet with the shipyard owner, winning 4000 yuan from him and then selling the catch for another 5000 yuan.

After hearing this, the entire He family was nearly driven mad.

He Zhenzhen started shouting.

"My goodness, Bayi, how do you make so much money? It turns out you went to the county town this morning and made a whole 9000 yuan. I wanted to ask you that when you came back."

"Since you caught so many fish, did you make some money and then forget about it?"

"I can't believe it! I even won a whole 4000 yuan from the shipyard owner!"

Niu Bayi said with a grin, "Who told that guy to be so stupid? He insisted on betting with me, thinking he could get back what he lost last time. In the end, he lost a lot of money again."

"I reckon he's still fuming and won't be able to sleep well for several nights."

The whole family burst into laughter, feeling proud of Niu Bayi.

He Laifu said with a face full of envy, "Bayi, how are you so awesome? You can catch grouper however you want, whichever kind you want!"

"You can catch grouper, sea buckthorn, and the like too."

"I heard that the fish is delicious, so it's quite expensive. My dad and I have never caught a grouper when we go out to sea, let alone eaten one."

Niu Bayi thought for a moment.

"Here's what we'll do: tomorrow morning I'll go out to sea to collect giant clam shells, and I'll also catch a few groupers for you to try. It's settled, Mom, we can't sell these fish, we'll just eat them at home. We're not short of money anyway."

Even the usually frugal Zhang Xiuli became extravagant.

He nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with smiles.

"Okay, okay, we won't sell them, absolutely not! Now we can eat those good, expensive fish that we couldn't afford before, hahaha."

After that, everyone ate with even more enthusiasm, and kept asking Niu Bayi how he had managed to make the shipyard director look so disheveled on the fishing boat, and how he had managed to catch so many groupers.

They listened with great interest and rapt attention to every detail.

Just like some people enjoy watching various fishing videos, they find them incredibly entertaining.

It was almost nine o'clock when we finished eating.

Not only did He Rong and He Laifu go back to their room to sleep, but He Zhenzhen's eyelids were also about to close.

She was also tired after an afternoon.

Digging for those yellow crabs in the mangroves was incredibly difficult, even though we only managed to dig up fifteen.

After all, mangroves are low-lying, so no matter where you go, you have to bend over, which makes your back ache.

It's also very strenuous to constantly pull your feet out of the deep mud.

Niu Bayi was also tired. He had done a lot of work all day and just wanted to go back to sleep.

These days, fishermen have virtually no entertainment at night, so going to bed early is perfectly normal.

He Zhenzhen saw him off at the gate, still a little reluctant to part, as if to say, "I'll accompany you back to the fishing boat to sleep."

But since she's not married, she wouldn't dare.

Many people will gossip behind your back.

Just bear with it!

Not long after, this man became my great-aunt's!

Suddenly, Niu Bayi pulled out a stack of ten-yuan notes and stuffed them into He Zhenzhen's hand.

He Zhenzhen was taken aback, her eyes widening as she asked, "Why did you suddenly slip me money?"

Niu Bayi said, "I made money, a full 11000 yuan. Here's a small portion for you. Spend it however you want, buy whatever you want."

"I don't want to."

Snapped!

He Zhenzhen picked up the stack of ten-yuan bills and slapped it back into Niu Bayi's hand.

"If I want to buy something, I can just ask you to buy it for me. Why are you giving me money? It's like I'm after your money. I don't want it. I have enough money on me."

"Keep this money; you'll need it for many things in the future."

"Don't give it to me! Please don't give it to me!"

This resolute attitude warmed Niu Bayi's heart.

Decades later, girls like He Zhenzhen will be incredibly hard to find.

Back then, many women would ask you to send them a red envelope (cash gift) at the drop of a hat.

How can you prove you love me if you keep saying you don't give me money to spend?

Compared to then, He Zhenzhen is so much more simple and honest now.

Niu Bayi didn't force her and made an appointment with her to go out to sea at around eight o'clock the next morning.

Then, Niu Bayi went back to the fishing boat to sleep, filled a bucket with water, took a nice bath, and then jumped into bed.

Before long, loud snoring began.

Silent all night.

The next morning, when Niu Bayi was still half asleep, he suddenly smelled a meaty aroma.

He couldn't help but sniff, the aroma growing stronger with each sniff, and he opened his mouth and took a sudden bite!

Instantly, he bit into a piece of meat that was full of savory sauce and quite chewy.

He smacked his lips and chewed, finding it increasingly delicious with each bite.

Immediately afterwards, I heard a giggling sound.

Niu Bayi was startled and suddenly opened his eyes.

Only then did I see He Zhenzhen sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a lunchbox in her hand.

The lunchbox was filled with many slices of fragrant braised beef, still piping hot.

He Zhenzhen mocked Niu Bayi.

"My goodness, Bayi, I didn't know you had such abilities, you even eat in your dreams."

Niu Bayi straightened up, looking somewhat unhappy.

"Do you think I'm a dog? You waved a piece of meat in front of my nose and made me accidentally bite it."

He Zhenzhen chuckled, raised her little fist, and draped it over his shoulder.

"You're talking nonsense! I've never treated you like a dog! If you're a dog, what am I?"