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“Has anyone ever told you that you look like a little pufferfish when you’re mad?”
He Xufeng wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to. He was worried that Lin Qingmei might get embarrassed and storm off in anger.
“You’re the one who looks like a pufferfish! Your whole family looks like pufferfish! If you don’t know how to talk, just shut up! I wish all those women who like you could hear just how annoying your mouth really is.”
“I bet you’re thinking about kicking me into the sea right now. But seriously, you’re so cute when you’re angry. Before this, you were like a beautiful doll with no thoughts of her own.”
“Pfft, you’re the one who’s a thoughtless beauty. I just didn’t want to mix with spoiled children of officials like you.”
The original Lin Qingmei had been completely focused on studying during her school years. She wasn’t interested in the people or drama around her. Back in high school, most of her classmates had been children of high-ranking officials, which was one reason she never quite fit in.
Up ahead, County Chief Wang was chatting with Captain Lin about Lin Qingmei. He and He Xufeng’s father were old comrades-in-arms, and he saw He Xufeng almost like a nephew.
The first time he saw Lin Qingmei, he felt she’d be a great match for He Xufeng.
“Lin Qingmei is your village accountant? I heard her father was in the military?”
“Yes. Qingmei was always a top student. In the recent accounting exam, she beat the second place by several dozen points, so it was only natural that she became our new accountant. Her father may have been a soldier, but she never got any advantage from it. She was left to be raised by her grandparents from a young age. In recent years, both her grandparents passed away, leaving her all alone—it’s quite pitiful. And not long ago, her father was killed in action. She has a twin sister and a younger brother, around ten years old.”
Captain Lin didn’t particularly like Lin Jianshe, even though he was a hero. In his eyes, Lin Jianshe had failed as a son. He had dumped his young daughters on his parents and didn’t even send money for their upbringing. That was something only he would do.
If Lin Jianshe were alive, he would’ve cried injustice—he had sent money, but his wife had quietly kept it for herself.
“What about her mother?”
“Her sister and little brother are here in Linjiawan, but no sign of the mother. I don’t know if she’s planning to remarry. I didn’t ask Qingmei, since I was afraid it’d upset her.”
“She really is quite strong. The seafood farm still needs a director—do you think she could handle it?”
Although County Chief Wang had already decided to appoint Lin Qingmei to manage the seafood farm, he still wanted to hear Captain Lin’s opinion.
“Qingmei is the smartest person in Linjiawan. She’s perfect for the job. None of us know how to raise seafood, so we need someone to learn from the experts and come back to teach everyone else. She’s the only one fit for the role.”
“Alright, it’s settled then. Once the farm is built, I’ll assign two experts to stay here in Linjiawan. You figure out a place for them to live.”
“Got it. I’ll arrange it right away.”
Captain Lin and County Chief Wang thought they were speaking quietly, assuming those walking behind them couldn’t hear. They didn’t realize Lin Qingmei had extremely sharp hearing—she caught every word.
Sigh! Why was even County Chief Wang such a gossip? She just didn’t understand why someone like him would care about a nobody like her.
But Lin Qingmei had always been open-minded. She had nothing to be ashamed of—let them dig if they wanted.
What truly surprised her was County Chief Wang wanting her to manage the seafood farm. She hadn’t expected someone of his status to think so highly of her.
County Chief Wang left Linjiawan by noon. He had a lot of work to do, so he left the remaining matters to He Xufeng.
While Lin Qingmei kept busy working all day, her sister Lin Qinglan strolled around Linjiawan with leisure, enjoying her carefree days.
One day, after dropping Lin Zheng off at Captain Lin’s house, Lin Qinglan went alone to the beach to dig for clams.
The usual spots were already crowded, so she decided to head in another direction.
As she walked farther and farther, she unknowingly wandered into the territory of the Hongqi Brigade.
Just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly heard voices near the shore.
At first, she intended to walk away, but then she thought one of the voices sounded familiar.
“Bro, is that guy really trustworthy? It’s a long way from here to Gangcheng (Hong Kong). Why don’t we sneak out through Pengcheng (Shenzhen) instead?”
“You think I don’t want to? Our family is already under surveillance. If we show up in Pengcheng, we won’t even make it to Gangcheng—our lives would be at risk.”
“Why are those people so cruel? We already handed over most of the Tan family’s assets. Why won’t they let us go?”
“The current policies are really against us. If anyone finds out we’re here as sent-down youth, we might not live through it.”
“But twenty pieces of golden threadfin bream is nearly all we have left. What if this guy’s a scammer?”
“We’ve got no way back now. Even if we get scammed, I’ll take the loss.”
The two speakers were none other than Tan Hao and Tan Yan, the siblings Lin Qinglan had met on the train. They had been assigned to the Hongqi Brigade.
“Seriously, you two are discussing this out in the open? Aren’t you afraid of being overheard?”
Initially, Lin Qinglan hadn’t planned to help them. But the mention of “twenty pieces of golden threadfin bream” made her heart skip a beat.
Each golden threadfin bream weighed about 330 grams, so twenty of them totaled 6.6 kilograms. That was thirteen jin of gold—a fortune. All she had to do was smuggle them to Hong Kong? She’d take the job.
Her space didn’t have a boat, but her bestie Lin Qingmei’s space did.
She had been meaning to visit Hong Kong anyway—it had been ages since she’d gone shopping.
“You?! Why are you here? Are you one of those Revolutionary Committee people?!”
Tan Hao pulled Tan Yan behind him and eyed Lin Qinglan warily. If she made a move, they were ready to jump into the sea. Better to die than fall into those people’s hands.
“Wow, you’ve really got an imagination. What if I said I came to help you? I overheard your plan to sneak into Hong Kong. If you trust me, I can get you there. As for the price—pay what you think is fair.”
“You’re not even from around here. Where would you find someone with a fishing boat willing to help us smuggle out? You’re trying to scam us, aren’t you?”
Tan Hao didn’t believe Lin Qinglan had that kind of ability. If she were so capable, why would she still be living in a small fishing village?
“Tsk, you’re underestimating me. Trust me—if you have the money, I have the means. I promise I’ll get you safely to Hong Kong.”
Lin Qinglan wasn’t exactly a saint, but she’d never hurt anyone. Even in the apocalypse, she had never harmed another person.