The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Frustration and Heartache

The reason Han Xiaorui wanted to open an ornamental fish shop was that the blue triggerfish she had caught earlier were a male-female pair. Thanks to her Water Ability, the female had laid a vast number of eggs, and now they were beginning to hatch!

She was worried the tank would become overcrowded, so she miniaturized these triggerfish, making them grow to a maximum of only five or six centimeters. This would make them look even cuter in a small fish tank.

After all, large fish tanks were too expensive, while small ones were much cheaper. People could buy one for their home; they were pretty and fun to watch.

In addition, she wanted to create a fish tank that could maintain a stable water temperature, which would allow her to raise tropical ornamental fish.

Tropical ornamental fish were so colorful—now *that* was what you’d call beautiful!

Chen Nanyang patted his chest and quickly promised, ”For the next three days, I’ll stay at a hotel near your village. I’m worried your ex-husband might come and harass you. Once they’ve signed the agreement and paid up, I’ll start looking into properties for you and handle the paperwork for opening the shop.”

Chen Nanyang’s business card stated that in addition to legal services, he also handled related business like real estate brokerage for buying, selling, and renting properties, as well as company registration.

Han Xiaorui wasn’t afraid to spend money, as long as Chen Nanyang could handle things for her perfectly. ”Then I’ll be counting on you, Lawyer Chen.”

Dinner was sumptuous, featuring steamed Big Yellow Fish and braised Luo Duan. Although the presentation wasn’t great, it didn’t affect the taste in the slightest.

Chen Nanyang devoured the food like a storm, his chopsticks never pausing.

At the dinner table, Han Xiaoqing, Pingping, and An’an stared, dumbfounded, at the ravenously eating Chen Nanyang.

Chen Nanyang swallowed a mouthful of smooth, chilled Luo Duan skin salad. ”Heh heh, this seafood is even tastier than what they serve at high-end hotels. I... I just couldn’t stop myself once I started.”

Who could have known that Chen Nanyang had been eating unhygienic, communal-pot meals from construction sites for three months straight—food that lacked both oil and salt?

It was rare for him to come across such a good meal, so Chen Nanyang just couldn’t hold back.

”If you like it, you can come to my house for lunch and dinner while you’re working for me.” Han Xiaorui smiled. She could sense that while Chen Nanyang was a bit slick, he bore no ill will.

’It’s all for the job!’

’Having a lawyer as a friend would be convenient, at least for consulting on legal matters when issues arose.’

’Besides, if I want to establish myself here in Shencheng, I can’t rely solely on my former father-in-law, Yang Zhigang.’

’With Zhang Xiufang’s shameless personality, she’s capable of spouting any kind of nonsense.’

’For the sake of my reputation and to keep my former father-in-law from being troubled, I have to maintain my distance from Yang Zhigang.’

’Therefore, building my own network of connections is the most crucial thing.’

’In the village, there’s Wu Cuicui. In the future, I’ll also need to proactively connect with the village’s women’s director and other local women to build a strong community foundation.’

’Outside the village, Ye Feng, who came to investigate the foreign surveillance devices, is a good person, and this Chen Nanyang seems alright too.’

’Then there’s Expert Wang from the maternal and child health hospital. If I sincerely try to befriend them and make an effort to get closer, they could all become good friends and valuable connections.’

”No...” Chen Nanyang was savoring the endless aftertaste and, in the end, couldn’t resist the temptation of a good meal. ”In that case, thank you very much, Ms. Han.”

After dinner, a satisfied Chen Nanyang left and checked into a small family-run hotel on a side street in Jinshan Bay.

Meanwhile, when Yang Jianming returned home with the settlement agreement, Zhang Lili snatched it for a look. The moment she saw the 50,000 yuan compensation fee, she was so furious her nose was practically bent out of shape.

”That Han Xiaorui is completely money-grubbing! Demanding 50,000 just like that? It’s daylight robbery! No way, I’m going to go confront her.”

Yang Jianming quickly grabbed the heavily pregnant Zhang Lili. ”Can you stop making things worse? If you cause a scene, she’ll call the police. They might not arrest you since you’re pregnant, but they will file a report. Once you return to your studies, do you still want to be considered for academic honors?”

”That Han Xiaorui is so cunning!” Zhang Lili stomped her foot and gritted her teeth in frustration. If she had known this would happen, she would have stopped Zhang Xiufang instead of egging her mother-in-law on to go make a scene at Han Xiaorui’s.

Now Han Xiaorui was completely unscathed, while Zhang Xiufang was in detention.

If they didn’t pay, Han Xiaorui wouldn’t provide a letter of forgiveness, and Zhang Xiufang would have to serve jail time.

If a close relative served jail time, it would result in a criminal record. As her son, if Yang Jianming ever wanted to be promoted to professor or transfer to a government position, he would never pass the background check. All his efforts would be for nothing.

Yang Jianming pointed to the subsequent clauses. ”Paying the money is just the first clause. The second one states that if my mom ever harasses Han Xiaorui again, she can still call the police and press charges.”

”Knowing my mom and how she never learns her lesson, our family couldn’t afford this even if we owned a mountain of gold! If you don’t keep a close watch on her, you’ll just have to sit back and watch all our family’s money flow straight into Han Xiaorui’s pockets!”

Hearing this, Zhang Lili reacted as if someone had stepped on her tail. ”Of course not! It’s like we’re indebted to Han Xiaorui.”

’They really did owe her.’ This was what Yang Jianming was thinking, but he couldn’t say it out loud. He still had to rely on Zhang Lili’s family.

After dealing with the day’s catch and returning from the wholesale market, Yang Zhigang saw the agreement that Han Xiaorui had a lawyer draft.

”The family just bought a new boat, and we still have to make bank payments every month. I only have a little over 20,000 on hand. For the rest, we’ll sell all that gold jewelry your mother bought to make up the difference.”

Yang Zhigang’s thinking was clear: this payment had to be painful for Zhang Xiufang, so she would remember her lesson.

Since the money was going to Han Xiaorui and would be spent on his two granddaughters, Yang Zhigang didn’t mind at all.

Zhang Lili’s scalp tingled with dread. ”Uncle Yang, if Aunt Xiufang finds out her gold jewelry was sold, she’ll be absolutely furious.”

”Doesn’t she deserve it?” Yang Zhigang said coldly. ”I’ll go tell her first thing tomorrow morning. If she ever slanders me again, I’ll divorce her. I’ll find a matchmaker and get a new wife. With my big boat and my ability to earn money, there are plenty of women who would want to marry me.”

Yang Zhigang wasn’t bluffing. In all of Jinshan Bay, his boat was the largest, and he earned the most money.

He had survived several major maritime disasters.

Yang Zhigang had always felt this was Heaven’s way of protecting him, so he felt an even greater need to live up to his conscience and be worthy of that divine protection.

Zhang Lili’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Besides, she was pregnant and had no money of her own.

Even if she had money, she wouldn’t have given it to Han Xiaorui.

Yang Jianming’s salary wasn’t low, but his spending was extravagant, and he often had to ask his family for money, so he had none to spare.

The next morning, Yang Zhigang went to the detention center and read Han Xiaorui’s demands to Zhang Xiufang.

Zhang Xiufang exploded the moment she heard the 50,000 yuan figure. ”On what grounds should I give that little...”

”Say one more curse word, and I’m washing my hands of you.” With that, Yang Zhigang turned to leave. ’It would be better if she went to jail,’ he thought. ’At least I’d get a few years of peace and quiet.’

’As for my son, Yang Jianming, he’s a heartless bastard, cold even to his own children. I probably won’t be able to count on him when I’m old.’

’It would be far better to treat my two granddaughters well. When they grow up, at least they’ll remember their grandfather’s kindness.’

Zhang Xiufang immediately shut her mouth, not daring to curse anymore. ”Yang Zhigang, I... I won’t curse again, don’t abandon me! That Han Xiaorui... just you wait until I get out of here. I’ll show her how I deal with things!”

Yang Zhigang pointed to the second clause. ”Here, you’re not well-educated, so I’ll read it to you again: ’If Zhang Xiufang continues to cause harassment, Han Xiaorui retains the right to pursue further legal action.’”

”Do you need me to explain what that means? It means that from now on, any time you go looking for trouble with Han Xiaorui, she can go back to the police station and file another report. The audio evidence and the witnesses from this incident are still valid. They can arrest you again, press more charges, and you could be sentenced to prison.”

Zhang Xiufang was so furious she broke down sobbing. ”How can this be never-ending? I’m the one who was bullied, and I’m not even allowed to get even?”