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

The two sat affectionately for a while, and then Niu Bayi couldn't help but let out a long yawn.

He Zhenzhen quickly said, "You must be tired, come aboard and sleep!"

Niu Ba nodded, got up, and crawled into the wrecked boat next to him.

He Zhenzhen also tried to crawl in.

Niu Ba turned his head and asked curiously, "Why did you follow me in?"

Immediately, He Zhenzhen's face turned bright red, and she became shy and hesitant.

"Um...hehe, how about I sleep with you for a while?"

Niu Bayi was both amused and exasperated, and then threatened him.

"Aren't you afraid that if we sleep together, I won't be able to resist and I'll... you know?"

He Zhenzhen was startled and quickly shook her head.

"You're not that kind of person!"

"That's hard to say!"

Niu Bayi responded in a very serious manner.

"The boat awning is so narrow, if we sleep together, we'll definitely be next to each other. I'm a man with high libido, and I might really succumb to temptation and make a move on you. So come on, let's sleep together."

He reached out and grabbed He Zhenzhen's wrist, pulling her enthusiastically into the boat awning.

Startled, He Zhenzhen quickly shook him off.

"My God! Niu Bayi, you're like a tiger, you're going to eat me up! I... I think I'll just go home and sleep."

She fled in panic, which made Niu Bayi burst into laughter.

Although He Zhenzhen genuinely loved Niu Bayi and was determined to marry him, she still felt that doing that kind of thing before marriage was immoral.

Besides, it's almost dawn in this wrecked ship.

As soon as it gets light, many people will come to the beach to collect seashells and catch crabs. What if they are seen?

So she ran for her life.

He ran a long way before finally uttering a single sentence.

"Baba, you get some sleep, come over for lunch!"

"good!"

Niu Bayi shouted loudly, and then fell asleep contentedly.

He slept until noon and then naturally woke up, and then ran to the He family's house.

The He family has already prepared a table full of delicious dishes.

Upon seeing him, both He Rong and his wife, as well as He Laifu, smiled so broadly their mouths almost reached their ears.

He Laifu said loudly, "Bayi, my dad and I were worried at first that you were lucky to catch abalone last time, and that you might not catch anything this time."

"I can't believe we caught so many mackerel and made so much money!"

"That one-tenth means we get 270 yuan!"

He Rong smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly.

"Absolutely! When I go fishing with Laifu, earning even half of that profit on a single trip is quite an achievement. You're practically a fishing god!"

The whole family raved about Niu Ba.

He Zhenzhen lay on the dining table, her two little hands supporting her cheeks, smiling as she looked at Niu Bayi.

She absolutely loves it more and more the more she looks at it.

I felt really happy.

I, He Zhenzhen, have an absolutely discerning eye. I recognized Niu Bayi from a young age and knew he was a promising talent.

Niu Bayi was so embarrassed by the praise that he kept waving his hands.

"Dad, brother-in-law, stop praising me like that. If you keep praising me, I'll become a primal being."

He Rong was taken aback: "Huh, what does 'atavism' mean?"

Niu Bayi said in a serious tone, "Atavism means growing a tail. You guys have praised me so much that I'm about to wag my tail. But to wag a tail, you have to grow a tail first, right?"

He Zhenzhen chuckled.

"My God! Niu Bayi, stop joking around, you're turning yourself into a dog!"

Zhang Xiuli was displeased when she said that.

"You silly girl, how can you talk like that? You said August 1st was... well, what have you become?"

He Zhenzhen stuck out her tongue and stopped talking.

Zhang Xiuli diligently ladled soup for Niu Bayi, showing warmth and kindness.

"Bayi, come here! I made you a pot of kelp, soybean and bone soup. It's delicious and can replenish your strength and energy. You should drink a couple more bowls."

He Laifu also said, "Yes, I even went out of my way to buy braised chicken and braised duck. Eat more meat so you'll have more energy and strength when you go fishing in the future."

He Rong suddenly slammed five thick stacks of banknotes onto the table with a loud thud.

It's all about unity!

Adding all that up, it's probably a full 5000 yuan!

He Rong pushed the money in front of Niu Bayi.

Niu Bayi was stunned.

"Dad, what...what are you doing?"

He Rong replied decisively, "I'll buy you a boat! Of course, the money is a loan; you can pay me back when you make a profit."

These words stunned He Zhenzhen.

"My God! Dad, why did you suddenly give Niu Bayi so much money to buy a boat?"

He Rong said, "Dad can't keep lending the boat to Bayi. Rumors have started circulating in the village that your brother and I live off rent from Bayi and don't go out to fish anymore. They say we're not like men."

He Laifu nodded silently, a hint of frustration on his face.

He Rong then pointed at Niu Bayi.

"Bayi, you've been laughed at too. People say you don't have a boat, so you take your father-in-law's boat to go fishing. That's not like a man."

Niu Ba laughed in anger.

There are a lot of gossipy people in this village.

No matter what you do, you can always find something to criticize about yourself.

Moreover, there might be someone like Ma Chunhua stirring things up behind the scenes.

He just wanted the villagers to look down on Niu Bayi!

They look down on the Ho family!

Public opinion can be a fearsome thing, and the words of a bunch of gossipy women and men are even more unpleasant to hear.

He Rong continued, "So, Bayi, this 5000 yuan includes your dowry and some money I've saved up. Buying a small motorboat shouldn't be a problem."

"If you want a bigger one, I can lend you my fishing boat a few more times, no problem. Anyway, you should hurry up and earn enough money to buy your own boat, a real fisherman—"

"You have to own your own boat to make a living from the sea!"

He Rong's expression turned serious as he finished speaking.

Niu Bayi nodded involuntarily.

My father-in-law is absolutely right!

There's an unwritten rule in every fishing village.

A fishing boat is the backbone of a fisherman!

Without fishing boats, your spine won't be straight.

With a fishing boat, no matter how small, others will recognize you as a true fisherman.

He Rong's actions also brought tears to Niu Bayi's eyes, and he was deeply moved.

"Dad, I feel so bad. I just earned some money and gave it to the bride price. You gave me the bride price and your own savings to buy a boat. I feel quite embarrassed to keep this money."

"What's there to be embarrassed about?"

He Rong said, "If you were a hopeless case, I wouldn't even give you a second glance. But you're good mud now, you don't need me to help you, you can stick firmly to the wall, so I definitely have to support you."

"As the saying goes, even a hero needs three helpers! Now that you're a hero and have become my son-in-law, my whole family must help you."

He Laifu then added, "Besides, this money isn't a gift to you, it's a loan. You'll have to pay it back once you buy a fishing boat, catch enough fish, and make some money."

"I'm not married yet, so I need this money as a bride price."

"You brat!" He Rong raised his hand and slapped He Laifu on the back of the head.

Niu Bayi couldn't help but burst into laughter, then nodded sharply.

He said firmly, "Dad, brother-in-law, and Mom! Zhenzhen! Don't worry, I'll take the money. If you lend me the fishing boat two or three more times, I estimate I can earn enough money to buy a fishing boat."

"I want to buy a medium-sized fishing boat first, similar to yours. I don't really like smaller ones."