Years: Return to the Leisurely Fishing Village

Chapter 38 Rural Children Become Indigent Early

Tan Shaoyang put the money in his pocket, did not hide his excitement, pedaled his bicycle, hummed a tuneless song, and went to the restaurant happily.

The boss had been busy all morning. He wiped the sweat off his face, walked over to him, took the swimming crab from his hand, shook its weight, and said with emotion, "Why are there so few today?"

"I was hoping you'd get me a 100-80 pound body to last me through the next two or three days!"

Tan Shaoyang spread his hands, his tone was very helpless, "Going to the sea depends on luck, you can't always find goods, sometimes more, sometimes less, it's all normal."

"I wish there were more! The more I sell, the more I earn. Who would complain about having too much money?" Swimming crabs can make money, so people will grab them as soon as they see them. As the number decreases, less can be harvested.

Of course, the main reason is that everyone goes to dig sandworms. People’s time is limited, and if they are busy digging sandworms, they have no time to go to the sea.

There are more sandworms during this period, and the amount dug can be relatively large, which is more profitable than fishing at the beach. Everyone has a scale in their mind, and they will go to the side where they can make more money.

The number of swimming crabs has decreased, and it takes a lot of effort to find them, and the profit may not be more than that from digging sandworms, so naturally, we can’t collect enough goods.

The boss sighed, handed him a cigarette, and asked, "Don't you have any cuttlefish at all? Try to find some cuttlefish for me. This stuff sells well."

"I cooked the same dish you made that day, smelling the wafting aroma, and basically put a plate on the table. It's gone these past two days, and the customers keep asking about it!"

"I've hooked the customers, but they don't have the dish anymore. Forget it, I'm still being blamed!"

It doesn't matter if there are fewer swimming crabs. In the hot and humid weather, this crispy and refreshing food is enough to be eaten every few days. No one can bear to eat it every day.

It's easy to get hot and irritated.

But fried cuttlefish with bamboo shoots is different!

In this hot and humid weather, a refreshing dish is simply an appetizer! Both the cuttlefish and bamboo shoots are very popular.

Add the color of chili peppers and soy sauce and no one can resist it. Some workers buy it home directly to eat as a side dish, and it has captured a group of people who like it.

Tan Shaoyang took the cigarette and put it behind his ear, then replied, "Brother, please be considerate. There are not many good things like this."

"Cuttlefish are not easy to get. You have to use crab cages. It depends on luck whether you can put as much as you want in a crab cage. And there is no weight. The villagers are not willing to go through the trouble."

"At that time, the boats were all manned, and the weight they could carry was limited. People who went out to sea were not willing to carry this kind of stuff. For the same weight, people could earn more by carrying fish."

“This is the reason why the quantity of cuttlefish cannot be increased.”

"I'll go back and try to install a few crab cages for you. It all depends on luck whether you can fill them or not."

After Tan Shaoyang gave him the assurance, he was about to leave after unloading the goods, but was dragged into the store by the boss.

"What are you in such a hurry for? I haven't even had breakfast yet. Come eat with me. I have just fried fish and soybeans. You can't be disgusted by them!"

Tan Shaoyang did not refuse and sat down, "Then I won't refuse. I'll let you spend the money."

The boss waved his hand nonchalantly, "Don't be polite, the two dishes you prepared for me have brought in quite a few customers!"

During breakfast, Tan Shaoyang sold him clams. Whether eaten with steamed eggs or stir-fried with chopped green onions, it was a delicious dish.

I'm tired of all these things at the beach.

But his place is more than two hours' drive from the sea, and having a dish like this can change the taste.

The boss patted his thigh, looked at him with surprise and said, "Brother, if you have any goods, bring them to me! Maybe it can attract more customers!"

"As long as the seafood can make me money and taste delicious, I will buy it from you."

"I'm not afraid to tell you, since I got seafood from you, my business has improved a lot. The vendor next door can only watch helplessly. You can't sell me to him!" Tan Shaoyang waved his hand, "Look at what my brother said. You can help me, and I can't forget my roots. We have a good cooperation, how can I betray you?"

"I'll bring you some next time. Dried clams are 4 cents a pound. Soak them in water until soft and then boil them. They're delicious!"

"A pound of dried clams can allow you to steam a lot of egg custard, and it is profitable to keep them."

The boss doesn't care. He doesn't care about the few cents. As long as the business is booming, all the investments are worth it.

"Well, it's a deal. If my business can make a lot of money, you can definitely make money too."

Only then did Tan Shaoyang realize the deeper meaning of this breakfast: they were afraid that he would be bribed by the boss next door!
He said that usually the boss had a careless personality and didn't have such delicate thoughts, but now he knew how to bribe him. So this was the reason!
No, he was quite straightforward. He didn't hide anything and spoke directly to the point. If he had concealed the truth, who knows what would have happened!

Telling the truth is indeed more to Tan Shaoyang's liking.

After eating, Tan Shaoyang went back and asked his two brothers to pack cuttlefish. This unique business could be quite profitable if one could master the skills.

The main reason is that the cuttlefish are too small and cannot be gathered to sufficient weight, so the villagers feel that they are not making money.

In fact, if you install a large number, you can also make money.

The two brothers did not refuse. They tried any way to make money. They first installed the cages and then went to dig sandworms. They tried to do both money-making jobs.

After giving the instructions, Tan Shaoyang went home. He specially bought rice noodles and planned to cook a pot of fish noodles when he got home.

There are a lot of fresh fish at home. I clean them and stew them with tomatoes to make a pot of fish soup, and then add rice noodles. It tastes very delicious!
Eating seafood porridge every day will make you tired of it, no matter how delicious it is. You still need to change your taste.

It would have been fine if we didn’t have the conditions before, but now we have the conditions, so we have to eat when we need to.

Isn’t the purpose of making money to eat?

We have finally got the chance to live a leisurely life, so we must not mistreat our taste buds!
Gut the fish, marinate and set aside.

Boil garlic, chili peppers and tomatoes into soup, add fish stew after the soup is boiled out, then add soft and tender rice noodles, sprinkle with a handful of chopped green onions when serving. It is very satisfying.

The adult took the large bowl and drank up all the soup, including the noodles and fish meat.

The children were no less satisfied. Even though the food was spicy, their lips were red from the spiciness. They kept gasping for air and were unwilling to put down their chopsticks.

"Uncle San, this rice noodle is really delicious. Please buy more next time."

Tan Shaoyang smiled and said, "Then let Uncle San continue to make money, and I will buy you delicious food when I make money."

"Next time Uncle San makes more money, I'll bring you some cold noodles, a big bowl of fried clams as a side dish, and a spoonful of sour and delicious tomato soup. I guarantee you'll be thinking about the next meal after you finish the last one."

"Dig more clams when you go out to sea next time. If you want Uncle San to buy delicious food, you have to contribute your labor."

Children in rural areas have to grow up early. All of them are hardworking and good at fishing.

"Uncle San, I'll dig up a bucket of clams and dry them next time."

"I want to help too."

"I'll go as well."

……

(End of this chapter)