Beachcombing: The beach is full of amazing seafood, but my wife won't let me get out of bed!

On the way back to the village, Wu Sui asked the tricycle driver to stop at Lin Tao's purchasing station.

Today is my brother-in-law's first day visiting. Although my mother-in-law gave us some free-range chicken, we still need to add a couple of substantial dishes.

Lin Tao was greeting guests when he saw Wu Sui. He handed his work to Lin Jing and greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, Brother Wu, what brings you here today? Looking to ship some goods?"

Lin Tao grinned, his face crinkling with smiles, and casually pulled out a cigarette and offered it to him.

The two now get along like friends, and Wu Sui doesn't stand on ceremony.

"Brother Lin, who dares to go out to sea during a typhoon? We have guests coming over, let's pick out some good stuff to entertain them."

Upon hearing this, Lin Tao immediately perked up.

"That's perfect timing. We just received a batch of large blue crabs and mantis shrimp this afternoon, all top-quality goods."

"Brother, if you want it, take it all at cost price!"

Wu Sui didn't stand on ceremony. He followed Lin Tao to the sink, personally selected ten large blue crabs, weighed out three catties of mantis shrimp, and finally added a sea bass.

Lin Tao refused to accept any more money, but Wu Sui finally forced five hundred yuan on him, picked up the net bag, and got on the tricycle.

Watching the tricycle drive away, Lin Jing smiled and joked.

"Brother, you're really good to Wu Sui. Five hundred yuan isn't even enough to pay for a crab."

"This kid's temperament suits my taste, and he always manages to get his hands on good stuff. It won't hurt to build a good relationship with him."

Lin Jing thought about it and it made sense. Wu Sui always said that the goods he brought were rare and interesting, and they made a lot of money from them.

The tricycle bumped along the way and finally stopped in front of the Wu family's old house as dusk fell.

In the courtyard, Wu Gang and his father, Wu Jianguo, were mending fishing nets.

Hearing the noise at the door, Wu Gang put down his shuttle and came out to greet him.

"The second child is back? Oh dear, why did you buy so much stuff?"

Wu Sui carried seafood and bags of gifts from his mother-in-law into the yard, pulling Chen Yang, who was following behind him, to the front.

Chen Yang was a little flustered, unsure of what to do with his hands, and stammered, "Hello...Big Brother."

Wu Gang was an honest man. Seeing this, he quickly wiped his hands on his trouser leg and smiled憨厚ly.

"Xiao Yang, come in quickly, make yourself at home, don't be shy."

Just then, Wang Feng heard the noise and came out of the kitchen.

She spotted Chen Yang as he entered, her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over.

"Is this Xiaoyang? My goodness, he's grown so much! His physique is much stronger than your brother-in-law's back then."

Wang Feng was an easygoing person. She took the things from Wu Sui's hands and looked Chen Yang up and down.

Chen Yang felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze, his face turning red to the roots of his neck. He lowered his head and called out, "Sister-in-law."

"Oh! Such a good girl." Wang Feng smiled broadly and leaned closer to ask.

"Xiaoyang, you're 18 this year, right? Do you have a boyfriend?"

Chen Yang was taken aback, then shook his head repeatedly: "No...not yet."

Upon hearing this, Wang Feng became even more excited.

"No, it's not good. Several beautiful young women from my sister-in-law's family are still unmarried."

"I'll set you up with something another day, I guarantee I'll pick one with a big bottom and good fertility."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang was so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear into the ground; his ears turned so red they were practically bleeding.

Chen Xue, who was standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch any longer and quickly pulled her younger brother behind her.

"Sister-in-law, Xiaoyang is shy, don't tease him."

"I'll cook for you, Ya Ya is saying she's hungry."

Wang Feng laughed heartily and walked towards the kitchen carrying a net bag.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease him anymore. Xiao Yang, please make yourself a seat. Your sister-in-law will go and cook you a big meal right away."

After Wang Feng's witty remarks, Chen Yang's tense mood relaxed considerably.

Dinner was quickly served on a large table.

Steamed blue crabs, blanched mantis shrimp, and Wang Feng had already started making chicken soup instead of using her mother-in-law's free-range chicken.

Served with a few vegetables grown in their own garden, it was as plentiful as a Chinese New Year feast.

Wu Jianguo took out a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and Wu Sui quickly took it and filled the bottles for the old man and his elder brother.

After thinking for a moment, he poured Chen Yang a small half-cup as well.

"Xiao Yang, make yourself at home here, and eat more vegetables."

The atmosphere became even more harmonious after the old man spoke.

The family chatted and laughed, with Ya Ya and Xiao Hu holding chicken legs, their mouths covered in oil.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Wu Sui put down his chopsticks, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff.

He glanced at his family members at the table and cleared his throat.

"Dad, Mom, eldest brother and sister-in-law, while everyone is here, I have something to announce."

The once lively dinner table fell silent as everyone looked at Wu Sui with suspicion.

"Second brother, what mischief are you plotting now? What's the big deal announcing so late at night?"

Wu Sui didn't say anything, but took out the contract he had signed at the Maritime Bureau that afternoon and placed it on the table.

"Today in town, I bought that abandoned compound of the Maritime Safety Administration."

As soon as he said that, even the wind in the courtyard seemed to stop.

Wu Gang, who was standing nearby, leaned over to look at the contract.

I tapped my finger on it, counting the string of zeros.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions..."

As he counted to the end, Wu Gang gasped, his hand trembled, and the wine glass in front of him was knocked over.

"How...how much?! Two million three hundred and eighty thousand?!"

"Clatter!" The chopsticks in my mother's hand fell to the ground.

Wang Feng was even more direct; she stood up and pointed at Wu Sui's nose, yelling.

"Second brother, are you crazy?!"

"Two million three hundred and eighty thousand? You think that's just over two hundred dollars?"

"Why did you buy a run-down yard? Does money grow on trees?!"

My eyes also reddened, and tears streamed down my face, but I didn't dare say anything.

Seeing this, Chen Xue quickly stood up and grabbed Wang Feng's arm.

"Sister-in-law, don't panic, let Ah Sui explain."

"That yard is really nice, with a ready-made dock and cold storage..."

"Can you eat cold storage?!" Wang Feng wouldn't listen at all, shaking off Chen Xue's hand.

"The shipyard has to pay a huge sum of money next month. Do you really think you're always so lucky, like the goddess Mazu's favorite grandson?"

"If we can't pay this money, the 100,000 yuan will be wasted."

"You two brothers work yourselves to the bone every day, do you think it's easy to earn money? Can't you just live a peaceful life?"

As she spoke, Wang Feng herself burst into tears.

Chen Yang was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe, while Wu Jianguo remained silent.

The old man sat in the main seat, his face also looking unwell.

He puffed on his pipe, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

Just as Wang Feng was about to pick up a broom, Wu Jianguo slammed his pipe on the table leg twice.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Wang Feng instantly quieted down, gritted her teeth, and sat back down on the stool, her chest heaving violently.

My mother quickly wiped away her tears and dared not cry anymore.

Wu Jianguo turned to look at Wu Sui.

"Has the full amount been paid?"

Wu Sui met the old man's gaze and nodded.

"Payment is complete, contract signed, and I'll pick up the property certificate in a few days."

Wu Jianguo sighed, picked up the wine glass in front of him, and drank the remaining half glass of wine in one gulp.