Years: Return to the Leisurely Fishing Village

Chapter 122 Chartering a Boat to Go Out to Sea
What was there to dislike about the stubborn old man? Looking at the distinct grains of fried rice, his appetite came. He took a few bites of the rice in his hand, feeling the quietness of the house, and looked up at him and asked,
"Is your father really gone to take care of his youngest son? He hasn't been home for months? There are a lot of gossips out there, and you just ignore them."

"The two elders could have made money for you to marry a wife, wouldn't that make you feel unbalanced?"

Tan Shaoyang glanced at him nonchalantly, his expression unchanged, "Shaojie is staying over there alone, someone needs to take care of him."

"I'm already that old. If I really want to get married, I can find a way myself. I don't need them to take care of me at home."

"Shaojie needs to study, and the expenses are huge. If the two elders don't help him, where can a half-grown child find the money?"

"It just so happens that there is a farm over there. If he takes care of it, the money he can earn from selling it will be enough for him to survive."

"After all, it's the flesh and blood that fell out of my belly. How can the two elders not feel sorry for it? It's only right for them to go and take care of it."

"Why bother with the gossip of the villagers? It's enough as long as you behave properly."

"You can't just do nothing to avoid suspicion, right? You know how our small fishing village makes its living by fishing on this sea, but the money we earn is not enough to spend."

"The eldest and second oldest are still in debt! Parents don't want to come back and burden them. It's good now. Everything is on the right track and there will be less gossip."

The stubborn old man nodded in understanding. In the final analysis, it was because they were poor and couldn't afford to support the family before that they gave it away. Only now that life is better, he made up an excuse and went over there to atone for his sins!

As long as the days can be endured, who would be willing to separate the children?
"You are so open-minded, the two elders should feel relieved."

"No wonder you don't want to get married. If you do, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it."

After hearing this, Tan Shaoyang's face turned black. From what he said, the wife he would find would have to be stingy and mean, causing unrest in the family!

"Don't say that, just eat more!"

"I don't know what happened to you. I hope your hand is not affected!"

The stubborn old man shook his head, "Don't worry, I cherish my life and I won't die for the time being."

Seeing his attitude, Tan Shaoyang was too lazy to say anything.

After eating, the stubborn old man left, leaving Tan Shaoyang looking at the equipment in silence. This thing was thrown to him, and he couldn't refuse it even if he wanted to!
I raised my hand and rubbed my hair. Let’s just leave it like this!
When you think about it, he is still the one who takes advantage!

Just as he was about to take his equipment to look for the eldest and second brother, Zhang Yishui came over and said, "Third brother, my dad wants to talk to you about something! Come with me."

Tan Shaoyang was confused. What was going on?
"What is your father doing now? He's willing to work on his old bones!"

Zhang Yishui sighed and then told him, "The villagers couldn't make money, so they all came to my dad and asked him to find a way to make money, otherwise they would be left with nothing."

"It hasn't rained for several months, and there's no cargo to be brought in from the sea. The villagers are complaining about the weather and not being able to make money. They're all complaining."

"My dad was so worried that he asked me to find you."

Tan Shaoyang's forehead was filled with black lines. The village chief couldn't do anything, so what else could he do?

This is how ordinary people rely on the weather for their livelihood.

Without rain, not only their livelihood is difficult, but other villages are also affected by drought and the harvest is poor.

He can't control the wind and rain, so what advice can he give?

Although I thought this in my mind, I still followed him.

As soon as he walked over, he saw the depressed face of the village chief. He was sitting under the eaves with tobacco beside him and waved at him.

"Old Third, give me some ideas, what can we do in our village to make money?"

"The villagers can't make money, so they come to my house to block me. My head is really blown. Please help me think of a solution. If they can live a good life, I can also feel more comfortable."

Tan Shaoyang remained silent, rolling the tobacco just like him. During the silence, his brain was working rapidly.

The village chief may not be without ideas. Those who can reach this position are all smart people who often deal with people. If they are not smart, they will be gnawed by others without leaving any bones.

"Uncle, do you have any ideas? Feel free to tell me."

The village chief looked at this shrewd man and felt that it was really hard to fool him. He was afraid that he had guessed what he had in mind. He could not hesitate any longer and asked tentatively.

"Third brother, can we rent your boat?"

Tan Shaoyang was confused for a moment, and looked at him puzzledly and asked, "Uncle, do you want to rent a boat and let the villagers go out to sea?"

"Let's not talk about whether this matter can be done or not. There is an obstacle at present. The boat at home can only carry three people at most. How to allocate it among so many people in the village?"

"Even if you use your boat, there are only six people on two boats. There are about 80 households in our village, and it would take or days for six people to take turns."

"At most, it only runs twice a month, and it still needs maintenance!"

"Going fishing at sea depends on luck. Most of our villagers have no experience in going out to sea. What if an accident happens at sea? Who will be responsible?"

"Even if there are no accidents, can you guarantee that you will make money?"

"To be honest, this arrangement may not necessarily solve the hidden dangers."

"If you really want to rent a boat, I suggest renting a boat, but the cost of renting a boat must be huge. The villagers haven't made any money. Will they be willing to pay this rent?"

"The villagers don't recognize this rent and want our team to bear it. Can our team bear it?"

The village chief waved his hand and said, "These are not problems. Just let experienced people follow and help steer the ship. We don't ask for big money every time we go. It's enough to make money in a month and keep the people at peace."

"It's impossible for this damn weather not to rain forever. It will only last for a month or two at most."

"It's not realistic to rent a ship. The cost is too high. The villagers can't afford it, and I don't dare let them do whatever they want. So let's just use the two fishing boats in the village!"

"You can go back and negotiate with them. Can you offer 50 yuan a month as rent? Not only can they get the rent, but they can also go out to sea with us. The cost of maintaining the boat will be borne collectively by the villagers."

"Go back and discuss it with them. If it works, try it for a month."

The village chief has obviously made up his mind, and it would be difficult to refuse if he was forced to do something. I don't know whether the eldest and second eldest brothers would be happy to agree after hearing it.

The village chief has contributed his boat, which has benefited the villagers. If he knew that they refused, he would probably complain a lot!

Being at the center of the storm and being pushed forward, there is no way to refuse.

The village chief still tricked me.

What a sly guy!

The villagers can make money, so how can they not be grateful to him.

It's really depressing.

Tan Shaoyang was prepared for the eldest and second brother to resist, but who knew that as soon as he proposed it, they agreed without even thinking about it. Tan Shaoyang was confused when he saw the two people who agreed. Was he too narrow-minded and too picky?
Is this matter so easily resolved?
"I thought you two wouldn't be happy about it!" He was so scared and worried, thinking about how to talk to them. It turned out that he was overthinking.

Tan Shaonan said, "Your sister-in-law is in confinement after childbirth and can't go out to sea often. The time to rent a boat is only one or two months. Once a storm comes and a large cargo is pushed ashore, the villagers will definitely not go."

"By then, the role of the boat will not be obvious."

"Besides, since you mentioned it, it means that the village chief is planning this. He can even donate the boat for free. If we refuse, the villagers will definitely complain."

"I can get rent and make money by going out to sea, so it's not a loss."

Tan Shaoyang understood the reason why the eldest brother agreed, and looked at the second brother. Why did he answer?

Tan Shaobei touched his nose, coughed again, and finally, feeling extremely embarrassed, he gave an answer.

"I seem to be too tired from running around. My poop is bleeding. If I continue to fight, I'm afraid it will cost me my life!"

"It's good to take it slow. I agree with the boss's decision."

Tan Shaoyang: “…” The second brother is talking about hemorrhoids, right?
Did the second brother have this health problem in his previous life?
He didn't seem to have paid attention to it. He only remembered that he was very thin, with a sallow complexion, as if he was malnourished.

His family conditions in his previous life were difficult, and he had to raise several sons in succession. Life was very hard, and naturally he had no money for medical treatment.

The second brother has always been a person who can't keep secrets. Tan Shaoyang didn't know this in his previous life. It must be because the situation was too ugly and no one wanted to have any contact with him, otherwise he simply couldn't hold back his words.

"Your problem must be hemorrhoids! It won't get better if you don't treat it. It will only make your body worse. You still have to go get treatment!"

After hearing this, Tan Shaobei froze in his place, with confusion in his eyes, "What? Are you saying I'm sick?"

Tan Shaoyang nodded. "It's just a minor problem. It can be cured. But we have to go to a big city. I'm afraid the county town can't handle it."

Tan Shaobei's face fell, "Where can I get the money? I haven't even saved enough to compensate my relatives!"

"Your sister-in-law is pregnant again and can't do heavy work. I have to take care of everything by myself!"

Tan Shaoyang was frowning, "If I continue to give birth, I'm afraid it will still be a son!"

Tan Shaobei's mouth twitched, and he argued without thinking, "It's impossible. The eldest brother has three daughters, so at least I have to have one daughter!"

Tan Shaoyang curled his lips. For him, who already knew the situation, he had no daughter. In his previous life, he had four consecutive sons, all of whom were fat boys!

Otherwise he wouldn't be so tired and skinny.

"It's hard to say about this kind of thing! I advise you to solve it now if you can. In a few years, Fatty and the others will go to school, and you will have even less money to spare."

"If you are short of money, I will lend it to you first. As brothers, I can't bear to see you waste your life."

"Of course, there is another way. Before the village chief has finished discussing, you can go to the sea. This time, go to an area you are not familiar with, to a deserted island and try your luck."

He remembered that in his previous life, someone went out to sea and picked up a lot of seafood on a deserted island where no one had ever set foot.

Also because of the dry weather and the drying up of the sea water, the deserted island that had been submerged suddenly stood before people's eyes.

If someone who happened to be lucky enough saw it, he would go to the island and make a fortune.

After hearing what he said, the two brothers rolled their eyes and retorted without thinking, "You have never been to sea, you know nothing!"

"We have been to every place on the sea. We have visited every deserted island. It is impossible to pick up seafood on a deserted island."

Tan Shaoyang looked at them seriously, with a light that left no room for doubt. "Are you sure you have visited all the deserted islands? There is no place you have overlooked."

"For example, normally the land is too low and all is submerged. Now the weather is dry, what if the land is exposed to the sea?"

"There must be a lot of goods on a deserted island like this."

The two brothers were silent after hearing this, and racked their brains to think, and indeed found a location that they had overlooked. Usually, only a tiny bit of the ground was exposed, and they always took a detour around it.

I haven't been there for a few days, and I really don't know if it will surface above sea level!

"There really is a place that usually pops up. Is it possible that it will emerge from the sea?"

Tan Shaoyang shrugged, "I'll go find another set of diving equipment, let's go over and try our luck!"

The two brothers looked at him at the same time and paused. "You are willing to go out to sea with us. Are you kidding me?"

"No matter how much I begged you to go, you would never agree to go, but now you are willing to go."

Tan Shaoyang looked very calm, "I had a dream last night. I picked up a lot of seafood. I have a feeling that this time we will have a big harvest."

"I believe in my hunch, so I'll give it a go!"

The two brothers wasted no time and immediately prepared everything. Before he could change his mind, they took their tools and got on the boat.

I make thorough preparations every time I go out to sea, and I am familiar with the route, so it doesn't take too long.

It was not until the fishing boat drifted far out to sea that the two believed that he had really agreed to come.

Tan Shaobei said with a funny look on his face, "I'm afraid you'll regret it. I'm sweating in anxiety. Let me sit down and take a breath!"

Tan Shaoyang choked him for a rare moment, "You can't slide anymore, so you want to take a breath, so you use me as an excuse."

"Pull over to the side and let me row."

There are some skills involved in rowing, and it relies on skill. As long as you have a good control of the direction, sliding forward is not too difficult.

But if you are not familiar with this, you won’t be able to hold on.

Tan Shaonan said, "Just sit down, you don't know how to row the boat." This would save the effort and work in vain.

Tan Shaoyang proved with his actions that he could do it. Although he was not very skilled, he did it quite well.

My family has a boat and I’m from a small fishing village, so how could I not know how to row a boat?
The two brothers were dumbfounded when they saw that he looked very capable. "You can row a boat, so why don't you come when we ask you to?"

Tan Shaoyang shrugged, "It's really hot. The light reflected on the sea surface is stinging my eyes and it's really uncomfortable!"

"If I hadn't dreamed of getting a big shipment, I wouldn't even want it!"

Tan Shaobei rolled his eyes, thinking that he was talking nonsense. "Don't say it, or I'll make you laugh. Who would take dreams seriously? I even dreamed of lying in a pile of money, but when I woke up, there was nothing."

"It's OK to be happy in your dreams, but you still have to be down-to-earth when you wake up. If dreams can really come true, then it's OK to just dream, so why bother working so hard?"

(End of this chapter)