Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

"Make way... Chen Mian can't even get into her house when she comes back."

Someone mentioned it, and people then noticed that Chen Mian had returned, carrying a small bucket. They all grinned and asked how the fish catch was.

"I'm back..."

Chen Mian laughed it off and went home.

Upon entering the house, I found quite a few people. My brother-in-law came with Zhuang Changhe, and Jiang Bingyuan, the owner of Panyuan Restaurant, was also there.

When Chen Hongguo and his wife saw their son enter the door, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

When Chen Hongguo's family saw the car pull up in front of their house and the two bosses walk right into their home, they were all stunned and extremely reserved.

They were afraid that their own conditions were too poor and would displease the two bosses.

If it weren't for the son-in-law Zhuang Chengzhu keeping things quiet, the whole room would have been incredibly awkward.

If Chen Mian doesn't come back soon, I don't know what to say.

"Hurry up, your uncle and Boss Jiang have been waiting for ages."

At this moment, Zhuang Changhe and his companion got up from the edge of the kang and walked over, followed closely by the others.

"How's the harvest? I was at the factory right now, and I came over as soon as I got the news."

Chen Mian smiled sheepishly, and without saying much, lifted the bucket forward, letting the fish do the talking.

"How's it going, brother?" Zhuang Changhe suddenly asked Jiang Bingwang.

"That's good, they're all still alive."

As Jiang Bingyuan spoke, he looked up at Chen Mian. He was quite skilled at fishing at such a young age. He had given Chen Mian a few pointers the other day, and Chen Mian had absorbed them so well and done such a good job.

Many people actually catch mandarin fish, but problems are very likely to occur during transportation. Live fish are delicious and start at over ten yuan per kilogram.

Dead fish have extremely poor meat quality and are worthless, which is one of the reasons why mandarin fish are rare and expensive.

Chen Mian only put a little water in the bucket, just enough to expose half of the mandarin fish's gills, which greatly extended its survival time.

There is another way to prolong the survival time of mandarin fish, but Chen Mian finds it troublesome. Since she doesn't need to deliver them herself, she doesn't bother with it.

Jiang Bingyuan straightened up and smiled at Zhuang Changhe: "These three fish must weigh about seven or eight pounds. They came at just the right time. It's perfect for us brothers to enjoy them."

Without hesitation, Zhuang Changhe took out a wallet and, amidst the increasingly shocked gazes of the crowd, pulled out a 100-yuan bill and a 50-yuan bill, handing them directly to Chen Mian.

He laughed heartily: "I took the fish and the bucket with me!"

Chen Mian chuckled and said, "Don't even mention the bucket, you can take me with you too."

"This young man is good."

"Hahaha……"

Seeing Zhuang Changhe and the other man burst into laughter, the tension in the others eased, and they couldn't help but scrutinize Chen Mian with varying expressions.

In the eyes of the two wealthy business owners, Chen Mian exuded an unusual calmness and confidence, making it hard to believe that he was a rural child who had never seen much of the world.

In the eyes of Chen Aiguo and others, Chen Mian was so calm and composed, able to chat and laugh even when facing two big bosses, something they had never seen or possessed before.

The white Alto car attracted a lot of attention as it passed by.

People saw the big boss Zhuang Changhe carrying a bucket onto the bus, but no one could see what was inside.

But everyone saw clearly and thoroughly that the boss had just greeted the Chen family so warmly.

Yang Zhanguo stood in the crowd, looking at the rosy cheeks of Chen Hongguo's family, and frowned.

He guessed that the bucket might contain mandarin fish, since Chen Mian had caught some before, but he didn't quite believe that such a busy boss would come all the way just for two fish; he must have established good relationships with the boss.

He convinced himself and nodded, then smiled and said, "Red Country, wait a while, buddy."

Chen Hongguo paused, feeling the voice was unfamiliar. He looked around and, incredibly, locked onto the conspicuous Yang Zhanguo.

In his memory, he hadn't spent time with Yang Zhanguo for many years. Yang Zhanguo had money and connections, and he, from a poor family, was too embarrassed to get close to him.

But since they asked for it in front of so many people, it would be too embarrassing not to give them face.

"Ah~ okay, let's have a drink when we're not busy later, and I'll have Er Mian get a couple of good fish then."

"Hey~ That's great." Yang Zhanguo immediately responded, then gave Chen Mian a thumbs up, "Your second son is good at fishing."

The two of them were exchanging words back and forth, leaving the surrounding crowd stunned.

It's like the sun has risen in the west! When did their two families become so close? I've never heard of this before. Besides, there aren't many people in the village who can get Yang Zhanguo to treat them to a meal.

Seeing Yang Zhanguo's snobbish behavior, Chen Tiejun and his companion opened their mouths but remained silent. It would be too embarrassing to fawn over a junior in front of so many people.

I'll find another opportunity to talk to Chen Hongguo privately later.

……

One warm greeting after another made Chen Hongguo feel like he was dreaming, his head spinning.

Just then, a pair of hands flashed before my eyes, and I immediately felt my arm being grabbed. I turned my head sharply and saw that it was my son, Chen Mian.

"I'm gone."

……

As dusk fell, people gradually left.

Chen Mian leaned against the peeling paint on the door frame and looked through the small window above the stove at her father's inexplicable smile. She felt that even if she fed him grass today, he would enjoy it.

Looking down, there was an iron pot just a step away, where the loofah was being stirred back and forth with my mother's spatula, making a "sizzling" sound.

I earned 150 yuan in half a day. My mom said that after I finish stir-frying the loofah, I'll have an extra meal and some stir-fried eggs.

The braised pig's head I'd been craving ultimately turned into a fart.

He reached up and rubbed his temples hard, somewhat regretting that he hadn't taken out the scallops before coming inside; after all, it was a meat dish.

As a reborn individual, he has serious differences in values ​​with his parents and can't help but want to help them change their thinking: "Dad, Mom, money is earned, not saved."

"When you make money, you should treat yourself. You can only make money if you eat and drink well. Don't deprive yourself."

Tang Xiuyun didn't stop what she was doing. She waited until the noise from the pot subsided a bit before saying, "Er Mian, I'm happy that you're capable, but we can't live like this."

"You have to save this money. After you build your house and get married, you can eat whatever you want, and your parents will definitely not interfere."

"Your mother is right." Chen Hongguo, who had somehow appeared in the main room, replied seriously.

Chen Mian had a lot to say in rebuttal, but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

My parents saved money their whole lives in their previous life.

I saved money to support my family when I was young.

He saved money in middle age to build a house for his older brother.

Later, he worked hard to save money to pay off his debts.

Later, she saved money to send her younger brother to school and even wanted to build him a house.

Even after her younger brother became successful and their circumstances improved, the elderly couple still couldn't bear to spend money on themselves and had to save for their grandson.

For this belief, they would even run dozens of miles in the dead of winter to get a few free eggs, and rummage through trash cans, pick up bottles, and collect torn cardboard.

In short, I won't spend a single extra penny on myself.

Thinking of this, Chen Mian felt a lump in her throat and bit her lip to suppress her emotions.

A few seconds later, Chen Mian heard light footsteps, which eventually stopped beside her.

Then, a rough, solid hand came into his view. The knuckles were large, the calluses were layered, and the original palm lines were almost invisible. There were still water stains left between the fingers from the edge of the stove.

But at that moment, Mom beckoned with her finger in a meaningful gesture.

"Where's the money?"

"..."