Chapter 20

Half a month later, Lan Xiruo and her crew returned with their fishing boat.

Their harvest during this time was so rewarding that they couldn’t hide the smiles on their faces.

After submitting their receipts to the brigade headquarters, Jiang Aiguo and the deputy captain were shocked after calculating the totals.

“Over 60,000 jin of seafood? More than 40,000 yuan in earnings?”

“You’ve only been out for half a month? How did you manage this much?”

Uncle Jiang He laughed heartily and explained, “The farther fishing grounds have abundant resources, but not many boats.

—–

After two days of casting our nets, we noticed others were casting twice a day, so we followed suit.

On a good day, we could haul in over 5,000 jin of seafood; on a slow day, at least 1,000 jin.

And that’s with our limited fishing nets—if we had more, we could have caught even more fish!”

“Haha, well done, well done! You’ve worked hard,” Jiang Aiguo laughed.

The better his team performed, the greater the chances for their Baima Island to be recognized as an advanced fishing village.

The deputy captain also smiled but soon had a flicker of calculation in his eyes. Casually, he asked,

“Are those fishing nets really that effective? Was hauling them in very difficult?”

“Of course, it was exhausting!” A’Dong responded. “Deputy Captain, you have no idea how heavy those nets are. One time, they nearly dragged all of us into the sea!”

Hearing this, the deputy captain’s eyes flashed with a trace of delight. “I see! But with earnings this high, I guess wealth truly comes with risk.”

A’Dong grinned. “That’s true.”

—–

Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing didn’t accompany them to the brigade headquarters.

Spending over half a month at sea had left them feeling grimy.

Freshwater was scarce on the fishing boat, so they had to conserve water.

After work, they could only fetch a small basin of water to wipe themselves down at the stern—not satisfying at all.

So the moment they stepped on land, they only had one goal: to rush back and take a proper bath.

When they returned to the educated youth dormitory and pushed open the door, they saw Chen and Xu Mei chatting inside.

Seeing them return, Chen smiled and greeted them.

To Lan Xiruo’s surprise, Xu Mei also greeted them with a big smile, as if she had forgotten their past grievances.

But thinking back, it made sense. If Xu Mei weren’t thick-skinned, how could she have convinced Lan Xiruo to see her as a best friend in their past life?

If she weren’t shameless, how could she knowingly become a mistress?

“Lan Zhiqing, Sun Zhiqing, I heard you went out to the deep sea this time. Is it true that deep-sea fishing yields more seafood and more money?” Xu Mei asked curiously.

Realizing her words might be inappropriate, she quickly added, “Don’t get me wrong! I’m not prying into your earnings—I’m just curious.

I’ve been here for so many days, but the brigade leader hasn’t let me board a boat yet.”

Other educated youths like Gu Xizhi and Wen Ze had already gone out to sea, while she was still stuck on the island digging up that damn sweet potato field.

Xu Mei claimed to be “just curious,” but after suffering in her past life, Lan Xiruo wouldn’t be foolish enough to believe her.

She knew Xu Mei too well now—her mind was full of schemes, like a honeycomb full of hidden tunnels.

If she didn’t feed Xu Mei’s curiosity, how could she bait her into making a move?

Avoiding Xu Mei’s gaze, Lan Xiruo replied indifferently, “There are fewer fishing boats in deep waters, so the seafood catch is naturally much larger than in the nearby sea.”

“I’m so jealous that you get to go out to sea every day! I wish I could join a boat trip too,” Xu Mei said, looking envious.

Here it comes.

Lan Xiruo smirked internally but maintained a neutral expression. “You’ll have to wait. Right now, the fishing boats are fully crewed.

Unless someone on another boat can’t go, you won’t get the chance to replace them.”

Baima Island had over 500 residents, but not nearly enough fishing boats.

Aside from a dozen privately owned family boats, there were only 60 state-owned fishing vessels.

The largest boats were just 10 meters long and could carry four tons, usually operating with six to seven crew members.

The smallest were three- to four-meter-long skiffs, requiring even fewer people. These small boats were usually used for harvesting kelp.

Because of this, new educated youths weren’t assigned to boats immediately. They first had to do miscellaneous work, open up farmland, and prove their capability before being allowed to board a fishing vessel.

Lan Xiruo herself had worked on the island for over a month before she was called to sea.

The biggest difference between working at sea and staying on the island, besides income, was food.

On the island, people had to forage on the shore, and if luck was bad, they wouldn’t even get a single fish.

—-

On the boat, however, fresh fish were abundant, and small fish were available for unlimited meals.

Xu Mei’s eyes flickered upon hearing Lan Xiruo’s explanation. She sighed in disappointment, “Oh, I guess I won’t have a chance anytime soon.”

Lan Xiruo ignored her.

Sun Yuqing had already heated their bathwater, so she grabbed their change of clothes and entered the bathroom.

After enjoying a thorough wash, Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing headed out again.

Their fishing team had planned a trip to the commune today to restock on diesel, buy fishing line for net repairs, and replenish supplies.

But Lan Xiruo had another agenda—her bracelet’s storage space was filled with seafood, and she needed to find a way to sell some of it on the black market.

Baima Island wasn’t far from Wangyang Commune, so instead of wasting boat fuel, Lan Xiruo rowed them there herself.

After so many days at sea, both she and Sun Yuqing had learned how to steer and row.

Focusing on the waters ahead, Lan Xiruo rowed with steady strokes while mentally calculating the prices she should set for her seafood stock.

As they neared Wangyang Commune’s port, a warship approached.

Seeing the soldiers in white shirts and blue pants aboard, Lan Xiruo suddenly remembered something.

Oh no! How could she have forgotten that event?

She distinctly recalled that the date was October 18, and today was—

Smack!

Lan Xiruo slapped her thigh. It was today!

She immediately sped up her rowing.

As soon as their fishing boat docked, she grabbed a straw hat, put it on, and dashed onto the shore.

“I just remembered something urgent! I can’t go shopping with you guys—see you later!”

Leaving that hurried remark behind, she disappeared into the crowd.

Her sudden rush confused her crew members and even caught the attention of someone on a nearby fishing boat.

The man spoke briefly to his companion before stepping ashore and following after her.

Lan Xiruo weaved through the crowd, heading straight for the commune hospital.

She had just remembered—back in her past life, it was around this time when she made her first black market profit.

As she was leaving, she saw an elderly man collapsed in the alley behind the hospital.

The old man had suffered from heatstroke—drenched in sweat, convulsing slightly.

Without hesitation, she had poured her drinking water down his throat, moved him to a shaded spot, and, seeing no passersby, ran to the main road for help.

Unexpectedly, during her absence, Zhang Yunli appeared.

By the time she returned with others, Zhang Yunli was already helping the old man up.

As they passed by, Zhang Yunli had silently mouthed to her: “Keep your mouth shut.”

Afraid of his power, she had stayed silent.

But the old man turned out to be a big shot, propelling Zhang Yunli’s career to new heights.

Ha! Not this time.

She wasn’t going to let that hypocrite steal her credit again!