1990, Reborn as a Beachcomber, From Rascal to Brilliant Guy

"I heard you donated your ship stock dividends to the housing fund?"

Not long after, Lin Mingtao pulled Lin Chunjiao out to play in the front square. Lin Shuisheng had just helped the old lady sit down in the hall when he heard Lin Yaoguang's deep voice.

"Yes, I've donated!"

He nodded, without offering much explanation.

"You've spent all the money your mom gave you, haven't you?"

Lin Yaoguang stared at Lin Shuisheng, his face growing increasingly gloomy.

"Yes, it's all spent."

Lin Shuisheng continued to nod, seemingly oblivious to Lin Yaoguang's expression.

In his past life, he cared too much about what others thought, which is why he didn't live like a human being.

"Bang!"

"Nonsense! You've donated all the dividends from the shipping shares, and the money's all gone. How are you going to live on now? Are you just going to ask your family for money?"

Lin Yaoguang slammed his hand on the table, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Dad, I will pay you back."

Lin Shuisheng glanced at the trembling teacup on the table and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"What will you use to repay me? Your mouth?"

Lin Yaoguang frowned, his tone full of disdain.

From childhood to adulthood, his youngest son has always been all talk and no action.

He said he would get into a vocational school, but he didn't even get into high school.

They said they could make a fortune raising shrimp, but they ended up losing everything.

Putting everything else aside, I owe my family more than two thousand yuan, not even counting the money I owe my eldest and second eldest brothers.

Nowadays, an average worker in the city earns less than two hundred yuan a month.

How could he possibly believe that Lin Shuisheng could repay the money?

"I will definitely pay it back."

Lin Shuisheng remained silent for a while, not arguing, but simply repeating his promise.

"Aren't you going to get on it yet!"

Lin Yaoguang stared straight at Lin Shuisheng with a blank expression.

"We still have to go!"

Lin Shuisheng met his father's gaze without flinching.

"Aren't you going to get on it yet!"

Lin Yaoguang's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger.

"I have to go!"

Lin Shuisheng remained calm, his voice steady, and his gaze direct.

"you..."

The next moment, before Lin Yaoguang could angrily stand up, the old lady Huang Suzhen stood up first and blocked Lin Shuisheng's way.

"Alright, you're a father, why are you always arguing with your child?"

Ah Shui said he would pay it back. If he can't, I'll pay it for him. Is that alright?

"Mom, aren't you being ridiculous?"

Lin Yaoguang frowned deeply, half helpless and half frustrated.

He really couldn't understand what was so good about Lin Shuisheng, that good-for-nothing son? Why was he worth the old lady protecting so much?

"Let's go, let's not stoop to his level."

Huang Suzhen didn't look at her eldest son, but directly grabbed Lin Shuisheng's hand and walked towards the right-hand house.

Lin Shuisheng felt the old woman's rough, warm hands, and his nose tingled; he almost couldn't hold back his tears.

In his past life, he had always taken this blatant favoritism for granted.

As the old woman's palms gradually grew cold on his cheek, he suddenly realized that some things, once lost, can never be found again.

"What a tragedy!"

Lin Yaoguang turned to look at the ancestral tablets on the altar, and felt a pang of regret.

Then, he turned around and looked at the right-hand house, his expression gradually turning cold.

The family will separate as soon as Aqing finishes her postpartum confinement.

He doesn't want to deal with that good-for-nothing anymore.

"Here, your wife just gave birth, and we need money right now. Take this money and don't tell your parents."

As soon as she entered the room, before she could even sit down, Huang Suzhen took a plastic bag out of the inner pocket of her clothes.

The plastic bag contained a small stack of loose bills that smelled of dirt, most of which were 5 jiao, 2 jiao, and 1 jiao.

All this money was saved up penny by penny by the old lady from selling vegetables in Dongshan Aotou and collecting fish at the beach.

The moment Lin Shuisheng's hand touched it, it felt as if it had been burned, and he quickly put his hand behind his back.

"Grandma, I can't take this money."

"Take it!"

Huang Suzhen's face darkened, and she forcibly stuffed the money into Lin Shuisheng's pocket.

Seeing the old lady's face brighten and her smile return, Lin Shuisheng opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't refuse this heartfelt kindness.

"Ah Shui! I've never been literate in my life, but I believe you're destined for great things. Being in debt isn't a big deal. Being able to owe so much money is a skill in itself. Just keep working hard in the future."

Huang Suzhen crumpled the plastic bag into a ball and put it away, then gently patted Lin Shuisheng's hand, her eyes full of encouragement.

"Um!"

Lin Shuisheng looked at the old lady's somewhat cloudy eyes, nodded vigorously, and his eyes reddened.

"Also, you're still young. You can have another child later if you have one now. Don't listen to what those people in the village say. Living your own lives well is more important than anything else."

Huang Suzhen held Lin Shuisheng's hand and chattered on and on.

But to Lin Shuisheng, these words were more pleasing than any other sound.

Unlike usual, he didn't get impatient and walk away after a few sentences; he listened attentively the whole time.

He only took the old lady back to the east room of the back hall when she got tired of talking.

At this time, Li Chanjuan, the second sister-in-law, and Lin Shuixian, the eldest sister, who had gone to deliver the fishing nets, returned and were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.

The eldest brother, Lin Haisheng, and his wife, Su Meilan, also returned after catching the tide, carrying a full bucket of seafood. Their faces were full of smiles, clearly indicating that they had had a good harvest.

According to family rules, each person keeps their own earnings from odd jobs, repairing fishing nets, and beachcombing.

In addition, if the fish caught at sea are from the two small sampans at home, then the catch should be divided according to the ratio of four people on the boat to six people on the boat.

Whoever works on the ship gets a share of the money; 40% of the ship's share is handed over to the public.

On the surface, everyone seems to have to say that it's fair.

But if you really think about it, Lin Shuisheng is the one who benefited the most.

Because apart from Lin Yaoguang and his two sisters-in-law, the other family members would often secretly give him money to help him out. Also, whether he went to the beach or went out to sea, the leftover cheap fish and seafood would be given to Gongzhong to be pickled into dried fish or cooked directly.

Since he got married, over the years, he has lost count of how much money other people have secretly given him.

Not to mention the money his family, his eldest brother, and his second brother lent him.

It seems that in his past life, he never cleared up these debts until his death.

It's not that he was unwilling to pay; it's that by the time he was willing and able to pay, they were already too embarrassed to ask for it back.

"Hey! Did the sun rise in the west? Are you alright? What brings you here to help me pickle salted fish?"

When Lin Chaosheng saw Lin Shuisheng come over and squat down to help pickle the salted fish, he was slightly taken aback, and then shouted in an exaggerated manner.

Hearing the shout, Lin Haisheng, who was carrying clams and oysters in a large basin, looked up at Lin Shuisheng with some surprise.

As the saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that the underling who always boasted about becoming the boss's little brother would actually take the initiative to do these menial tasks.