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

Niu Bayi remained serious.

"You should say, 'Niu Bayi, I love you!'"

"After all, you're going to marry me in the future, and we can't talk like family."

"Saying thank you is like saying two different things, but saying 'I love you' is like saying one thing, right?"

He Zhenzhen was somewhat puzzled. Although she felt that Niu Bayi was flirting with her, she couldn't provide any evidence.

Actually, there's some truth to it?

Under Niu Bayi's repeated urging, He Zhenzhen could only stammer, "Niu Bayi, I love you!"

Her little face turned very red, so she quickly put down the bowl and covered her face tightly with her two little hands.

This was back in 1984.

People at that time were mostly simple and honest; they wouldn't dare say such wild things.

So, He Zhenzhen covered her face and started yelling.

"My God! I've seen a ghost!"

Niu Bayi laughed heartily.

"He Zhenzhen, I love you too. Come on, have another bowl."

He then ladled out a large bowl of fish for He Zhenzhen.

Next, while enjoying her meal, He Zhenzhen asked Niu Bayi what to do next.

Living in a dilapidated boat is definitely not a good idea; it's very bad for your health.

He refused to rent a house from her relative in the next village.

Making money by fishing at sea sounds great, but it's not practical.

How can he go out to sea in his current physical condition?

Even if we could get out, we don't have a boat.

This wrecked ship?

It fell apart as soon as it was pushed into the sea.

Niu Bayi said, "I'm cured. Can't you see how energetic I am now? Come on, let me show you my strength."

He lay down on the ground, in a standard push-up position, and even solicitously invited He Zhenzhen to sit on his back.

He Zhenzhen shook her head.

"Are you crazy? With your small frame, and me weighing a full 100 pounds, if I sit on you, I'll break your back."

Niu Bayi said, "Go ahead and sit on me, it won't break my back. I'm saving my back to serve you later!"

He Zhenzhen: "...Huh? Serve me?"

Under Niu Bayi's earnest persuasion, He Zhenzhen had no choice but to bite the bullet and carefully sit down.

Seeing that Niu Bayi's body was still standing straight and he looked very relaxed, she also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Then, a gasp of surprise rang out.

"My God!"

She quickly reached out and grabbed Niu Bayi's shoulders.

It turns out that Niu Bayi really did start doing push-ups.

a bit!

Two!

Three times!

He did it a hundred times in one go.

For an average person, doing a few dozen push-ups is already a struggle, let alone a hundred.

Moreover, Niu Bayi was carrying He Zhenzhen, who weighed 100 jin (50 kg).

He Zhenzhen was completely dumbfounded.

"My goodness, Niu Bayi, when did you become so amazing? You carried me and did a hundred push-ups without even breaking a sweat."

Niu Bayi didn't even catch his breath. After letting He Zhenzhen get down, he jumped up and felt a surge of energy throughout his body.

After drinking the magical coconut water in the space and filling his stomach with meat buns, his strength was noticeably greater.

He also felt incredibly sharp-minded, a far cry from his previous drowsy state.

He said, "You believe me now? I'm really better, completely recovered. Fishing at sea is a piece of cake!"

He Zhenzhen nodded, then suddenly clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly towards the sea.

"Dragon King, Dragon King, it must be because you saw how miserable Niu Bayi was, being kicked out by his father, that made his health suddenly improve. I thank you, Dragon King."

She also bowed deeply, which made Niu Bayi laugh.

He Zhenzhen straightened up and asked again, "So how do you plan to fish? You really can't fish without a boat, and you won't catch many fish by the sea. The fact that you caught that red lanternfish is 99% luck."

A bold idea had already popped into Niu Ba's mind.

Now he is certain that the seawater in the space can attract large numbers of fish.

In that case, retrieving them should be a piece of cake.

What's missing now is a boat.

He scratched the back of his head and said, "Zhenzhen, can I borrow your family's boat?"

Then, he raised another finger.

"I'll only lend it to you once. I guarantee that once you borrow the boat, you'll definitely come back with a full catch when you go out to sea to fish. Tell your dad that as long as he lends me the boat once, he'll get 80% of the fish I catch, and I'll keep 20%."

He Zhenzhen was taken aback, then looked somewhat embarrassed.

"My dad treats that boat like a precious gem. He won't lend it to anyone, let alone you. He hates you so much. He despises you for flirting with his daughter, and besides—"

"He won't believe you can catch fish at sea; you'll only ruin his boat!"

Niu Bayi scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. That made sense.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; even if you're confident you can catch a whole boatload of fish, you can't do it without a boat.

He Zhenzhen stared at him and suddenly asked, "How can you be so confident that you can catch fish? You know, my dad is an old fisherman, and even now he doesn't dare to say he'll have any catch when he goes out to sea."

"Being able to catch dozens of kilograms of small fish and miscellaneous fish is already quite good."

"The fish these days are getting smarter and smarter; they're harder to catch!"

Niu Bayi said, "Anyway, I'm confident that as long as you give me a fishing boat, I can definitely catch a lot of fish, and they'll all be big fish."

Looking at his radiant face, He Zhenzhen was moved and, as if possessed, began to believe what he said.

Then, she gritted her teeth.

"My dad would never lend you his boat. If you really want to use it to fish, the only way is to steal it!"

Niu Bayi was startled.

"Stealing a boat?"

He Zhenzhen bit her lower lip, nodded firmly, and made a major decision.

"That's right!"

"My dad's fishing boat is locked with two locks, but I know where the key is. I'll sneak home, steal the key, and get the boat going, then you can go out to sea to fish, just like you said—"

"If you return with a full load, give him 80% of it. I believe he won't do anything wrong, and he might even be willing to lend you money next time."

Niu Bayi shook his head with a wry smile.

"No, no, how can I let you steal your dad's boat? If your dad finds out, he'll beat you to death!"

He Zhenzhen said, "But if you really catch the big fish, my dad won't hit me anymore. He'll thank me so much."

Niu Bayi was deeply moved and couldn't help but grab He Zhenzhen's two little hands.

"You really believe I can catch a lot of fish?"

He Zhenzhen thought for a moment and then responded.

"Actually, I don't really believe it either, but you're lucky. You can catch a three- or four-pound red lanternfish while squatting by the sea. Besides, you were a sickly person, so sick that you were barely clinging to life."

"It'll be fine in no time, and it can even carry me while I do a hundred push-ups."

"And given how confident you sounded, I... I can't help but believe you."

Towards the end, she became somewhat hesitant.

"Although I haven't agreed to marry you yet, but... I'm dating you now, right? I have to support my boyfriend, otherwise how can I be a good woman to him in the future?"

Niu Bayi was so moved that tears almost streamed down his face.

He opened his arms and embraced He Zhenzhen, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Zhenzhen, don't worry, I'll definitely bring back a whole boatload of fish, making your parents and the whole village look at me with new eyes, making you jump for joy and shout, 'My boyfriend is really awesome!'"

"If I give 80% of the fish I catch to your dad, even if he's angry, he'll calm down in no time."

He Zhenzhen chuckled and slapped him again.

"What do you mean 'no gas'? You're not allowed to curse my dad like that."

Then, she gently pushed him away.

"You wait here, I'll go back and steal the key, then I'll come find you right away."