The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Full of Schemes

Upon hearing this, Han Xiaorui’s eyes lit up. ”Just one?”

”Huh?” Zhang Fa Cai was taken aback. Her tone made it sound less like she was going fishing and more like she was going to the sea to pick up an order.

For anyone else, that would be difficult, but for Han Xiaorui, describing it as ”picking up an order” was actually quite apt.

It was just that her body hadn’t fully recovered yet. Her strength was limited, and she wouldn’t be able to haul in a Luo Duan that was too big.

’Where could I find a helper on such short notice?’

Besides, public opinion wasn’t so liberal yet that she could take a man out fishing at sea without setting tongues wagging.

And finding another woman to go fishing with wasn’t easy.

”Of course, the more the better. However many you can get, I’ll take them all. If I can’t use them all myself, I’ll sell them for you at a high price. I won’t even take a cut—we’ll just call it an act of friendship.”

Boss Zhang was a generous man, and he was thinking long-term.

If Han Xiaorui could really bring in more Luo Duan, his Fa Cai Seafood Restaurant would become even more famous.

”Alright, it’s a deal then,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ”Be at the town pier tomorrow afternoon and wait for me. If you’re late and someone else snatches them up, don’t blame me.”

Zhang Fa Cai chuckled. ”I’ll get there early, and I’ll pay you on the spot.”

Han Xiaorui hung up the phone, her mood buoyant.

She thought of someone who could help and found the phone number Ye Feng had given her.

Ye Feng had just finished his work and returned to his office. He was taking a sip of hot water when the phone rang.

”Hello, this is Ye Feng. Who’s calling?”

Han Xiaorui replied with a laugh, ”Mr. Ye, here’s the thing. The day before yesterday, I found something else that looks like one of those reconnaissance devices. It’s a little big, and I can’t haul it up on my own.”

Ye Feng was stunned. ”Then why didn’t you call and report it sooner?”

”Things have been busy at home. I forgot,” Han Xiaorui replied. ’Truthfully, she hadn’t forgotten. She just felt reporting these things was becoming too frequent and had planned to wait a while.’ ”But then I saw you today, and it jogged my memory. I’m free to go out to sea tomorrow. If I don’t go then, I have other plans, and the next time I can go fishing won’t be until next Sunday.”

She was totally playing him.

The experts had treated the last reconnaissance device Ye Feng brought back like a priceless treasure, and he had been officially commended for it.

An opportunity like this was too good to pass up, even if it meant canceling other plans.

”Alright, I’ll be there tomorrow,” Ye Feng said with a laugh. ”Thank you for the tip, Comrade Xiao Han. By the way, there’s a five-hundred-yuan reward for the device you found last time. Whenever you’re free, bring your household registration book and ID card to come collect it.”

”Really? That’s great!” Han Xiaorui said, pleasantly surprised. ’In that case, the big one we find tomorrow should be worth at least a thousand.’

”It’s our unit’s reward for comrades with a high level of civic awareness,” Ye Feng said, smiling. Han Xiaorui’s voice was lovely. ’It reminded him of a line from an old poem he’d learned in school: ”Like large and small pearls falling on a jade plate.” Her voice must be just as beautiful as that sound.’

”Well, thanks a lot!” Han Xiaorui said. She was just about to hang up when she added, ”You won’t be able to do it alone. Bring a couple more people—the thing is pretty big!”

”Okay, got it, Comrade Xiao Han.” Ye Feng agreed, already looking forward to what they might find tomorrow.

Han Xiaorui hung up with a smile. ’That Ye Feng is pretty sharp,’ she thought. ’Earlier, when we were pretending to be family, he called me Xiao Rui.’

’Now he’s calling me Comrade Xiao Han. Interesting.’

Now that she had secured at least three free laborers, Han Xiaorui felt relieved. She was determined to catch several Luo Duan tomorrow.

On Monday, Liang Xiaoyu was taking her son to the hospital, and Han Xiaorui wanted to go along to see how they were.

On Tuesday, she had to check out the storefront that Chen Nanyang had found for her. After all, the fifty thousand yuan she’d managed to get from Zhang Xiufang needed to be spent.

Buying a storefront, whether to open her own shop or to rent out, would be an excellent investment.

On Wednesday, she needed to modify her boat’s live well. Adding a few more tanks would let her bring back more live seafood.

On Thursday, she would study for her driver’s license exam. Even if she couldn’t afford a car yet, she could at least get an agricultural tricycle to make hauling goods easier.

Just like that, her whole week was booked.

So it wasn’t really a ploy to get his help; Han Xiaorui was genuinely busy.

Leaving her sister in charge of things at home, Han Xiaorui went to the pier early the next morning to get ready.

She fueled up the boat, added ice, and threw in two extra fishing nets. Today, she was going all out.

An army-green car pulled up at the pier. Ye Feng got out, followed by two other men.

One was an old acquaintance, Wang Liang, who was Zhang Lili’s cousin. The other man wasn’t very old either and had a powerful, burly build.

Once they were on board, Han Xiaorui started the engine and piloted the boat away from the pier.

Having dealt with Han Xiaorui several times now, Ye Feng was quite familiar with her. He walked over to chat. ”Comrade Xiao Han, how did you find this new seabed reconnaissance device?”

Han Xiaorui just smiled. ”I know how to dive. Sometimes I go down to look for things, and I just happened to spot it.”

’She’d actually used her Water Ability to lift the darn thing off the seabed and smash it against a reef, but of course, she couldn’t say that!’

’The sea was vast, after all. They’d never know she was lying.’

”By the way, is anyone in Jinshan Bay still giving you trouble?” Ye Feng knew Han Xiaorui had reached a settlement with Zhang Xiufang and received fifty thousand yuan in compensation, but he didn’t know how she was faring in the village.

Han Xiaorui chuckled. ”Heh, trouble? I’m the one who put that old scoundrel from Jinshan Bay, Zhang Xiufang, in her place. Now I’ve got a new nickname: the Number One Bada** in Jinshan Bay!”

”Haha!” Ye Feng let out a hearty laugh. ”Excellent. As long as you’re not the one being bullied, that’s what matters.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Exactly. What century are they living in, still looking down on me? So what if I’m divorced? Am I supposed to just go hang myself or drink pesticide and meet my maker?”

”Well, I refuse. I have a house, I have a boat, my child is getting better every day, and I’m earning more and more money. And when I have the time, I’ll find a handsome guy to date.”

Ye Feng was taken aback for a moment, a new layer of admiration filling his narrow eyes. ”A new society with a new outlook. Comrade Xiao Han, you are a model for the new-era woman. This is progress for our society and our times.”

”But of course!” Han Xiaorui said proudly. ”Thanks to the Party and the country, life is getting better and better. Our Shencheng will one day become a world-famous metropolis, and our country will one day stand again at the pinnacle of the world.”

Ye Feng hadn’t expected her to say something like that, but then he remembered she had once been accepted into the best university in Shencheng, and it made sense.

”If you don’t mind me asking, do you regret not going to university after getting in?”

Han Xiaorui blinked, a hint of shame in her eyes. ”Regret it? I regret it so much I could kick myself! But back then, I was completely love-struck. My head was filled with fluff, thinking love alone was enough to live on.”

”But you can’t turn back time, and there’s no cure for regret. All I could do was cut my losses as quickly as possible and stop myself from sinking deeper into that abyss. Luckily, the divorce went through, and I finally managed to crawl out of that cesspit.”

”It’s a huge shame I never went to university, of course. But life goes on. I’m going to live my life to the fullest and make it a brilliant one.”

Ye Feng praised her. ”It’s admirable that you think that way. Congratulations on your new beginning.”

”Thanks!” Han Xiaorui laughed. ”So, if we run into a school of fish later, you guys will give me a hand, right?”

Ye Feng nodded. ”Of course. It’s our duty to help the people.”

They chatted and laughed along the way, and the time passed pleasantly.

Outside, Wang Liang periodically glanced into the cabin, his expression dark and unreadable.