The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 225: Chapter 225: The Change Is Too Great, Confident

After everyone sat down, Liang Xiaoyu handed Han Xiaorui the bag of money and took out a notebook.

”Xiao Rui, this catch only brought in a little over fifty thousand. Don’t be disappointed.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”My goodness, Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, how is over fifty thousand not a lot!”

Everyone was stunned for a moment when they heard this, then they all laughed.

If any other boat owner had earned over fifty thousand, they would have been thrilled for days.

But they were following a miraculous captain, and this was, by far, the least they had ever earned on a trip.

Chen Yishui smiled. ”That’s all thanks to our captain’s good fortune.”

”To earn this much even when I wasn’t here... I couldn’t be happier. You haven’t been paid yet, have you?”

Everyone quickly waved their hands. ”Captain, we made less money this time, so we don’t need a commission.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui shook her head, her attitude firm. ”Rules are rules. We had an agreement, and we can’t change it.”

”If we hadn’t covered our costs, I would only pay your base salary. But we’ve covered our costs and have this much surplus, so how could I not pay you a commission?”

After speaking, Han Xiaorui counted out each person’s commission.

Seeing that Han Xiaorui was about to get angry, they had no choice but to accept it. ”Thank you, Captain.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”No need to thank me. You’ve earned it.”

She then gave everyone the little trinkets she had bought from Japan as gifts.

The crew didn’t stay for long before taking their leave. They would wait at home for Han Xiaorui’s notice to set sail again.

Liang Xiaoyu didn’t leave, staying to play with Cai Wenjun.

Cai Wenjun took out some sour plum powder, giving a packet each to Pingping and An’an.

They sat on little stools, tore open the packets with their teeth, and dug out the small spoons from inside.

The sour plum powder packets came with cute little spoons in various shapes. After finishing the powder, they would collect the spoons and compete to see who had more, and whose were prettier.

Seeing Han Xiaorui smiling from ear to ear, Liang Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. ”Look at you, glowing like that. Are wedding bells in your future?”

It had to be said, Liang Xiaoyu was extremely observant.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, you’ve guessed it. Tomorrow, Ye Feng is bringing his grandma and grandpa over to the house.”

Liang Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up. ”Oh my, that’s a big deal! Since they’re coming to your house as guests, it wouldn’t be right to eat out.”

”Tomorrow, my mother-in-law and I will come over to help you with everything. You just focus on entertaining your guests.”

This was considered a formal visit from the man’s family, so the woman’s side had to show respect.

Han Xiaorui was grateful. ”Thank you so much, Sister Cai, Sister-in-law Xiao Yu.”

Liang Xiaoyu waved her hand dismissively. ”Don’t be so formal! For the Qixi Festival, you even bought my mother-in-law a big gold ring!”

”My mother-in-law still talks about it all the time. She says that in her whole life, she never had it easy with her husband or her son, but she’s been blessed by her daughter-in-law and by her friendship with you, which transcends age.”

”Tomorrow is a big day for you. If you don’t let my mother-in-law help out, she’ll be the one getting anxious with you!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Sister Cai is such a warm-hearted person!”

Liang Xiaoyu nodded proudly. ”Of course. My mother-in-law is very well-liked in our village!”

”Even though my father-in-law makes a good amount of money, he’s on his best behavior both in the village and at home. He can’t cause any trouble anymore.”

If Uncle Cai were to do anything inappropriate again, the villagers would gossip about him relentlessly, and he couldn’t stand that.

Granny Cai was not only popular in her own village but also had good relationships with people from other villages.

If Uncle Cai misbehaved outside, someone would tell Granny Cai about it before she even had to investigate.

After Liang Xiaoyu went back, she told her mother-in-law about the matter.

Granny Cai came over immediately to go over the menu with Han Xiaorui and prepare for the next day’s lunch.

Han Xiaorui gave Granny Cai money, and Granny Cai didn’t refuse it. After all, the planned dishes were all very expensive delicacies from the mountains and the sea.

Although she could afford it herself, Han Xiaorui would never let her spend her own money.

The two families were so close that Granny Cai treated the task as her own personal affair.

That evening, she had her son take her to the seafood market to order seafood, and she also bought some mountain delicacies.

After breakfast, Granny Cai rode her tricycle over, bringing all the ingredients with her.

She dove into the kitchen and got busy, with Liang Xiaoyu helping as her assistant.

At that moment, Ye Feng was driving. ”Auntie, didn’t you say you weren’t free today?”

Xu Yingying held a small mirror, checking her makeup. ”I worked overtime yesterday and finished everything!”

”Today is the first time Mom and Dad are visiting Xiao Rui’s home. I can’t miss such an important moment.”

Before, Xu Yingying had at most admired Han Xiaorui, but now she was incredibly grateful to her.

’She’s a true life-saver!’

To be kidnapped in a foreign country and survive—it was all thanks to Han Xiaorui.

Grandma Xu smiled. ”Actually, we should have come much sooner. We’ve been rude!”

Ye Feng thought to himself, ’Grandma was truly frightened!’

His mother had passed away early. If his aunt had also been lost, his grandparents probably wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

Grandpa Xu asked, ”I heard Xiao Rui’s ornamental fish farm has received a lot of orders recently.”

Ye Feng nodded. ”Yes, and the biggest order is from Auntie’s friend.”

Xu Yingying nodded. ”George even sent a fax specifically to praise me for introducing him to such a great supplier.”

”This batch of ornamental fish was in excellent condition. When they arrived in the United States, all of them survived as long as they followed the instruction manual from here.”

”However, the air freight costs are too high. Next, he’s going to order a batch of ornamental fish to be shipped by sea container. If they can maintain the fish’s good condition that way, it will save him costs and generate more profit.”

Grandpa Xu nodded. ”I really like the fish tank and all the goldfish and koi that Xiao Rui gave me.”

As they talked, they soon arrived at Jinshan Bay.

The people in the village who had gotten rich first had already built two-story houses.

(A lot of people criticize Qiqi, saying that 1985 was very poor, but it depends on the place. Shencheng and its surrounding areas, as well as Sunan, really weren’t as poor as everyone imagines.)

Grandpa Xu sighed with emotion. ”The Reform and Opening-Up policy is wonderful! Some people with opportunities and quick minds have gotten rich first.”

”I still remember before Liberation, this was just a fishing village! I came here once, and the common people had such a hard life back then!”

Ye Feng nodded. ”After Liberation, although life was difficult, at least there was no oppression, and people were equal in dignity.”

Grandpa Xu nodded. ”You really can’t blame our country’s leaders. Facing a severe foreign blockade, it’s impressive we’ve gotten to where we are today!”

”At least we have achieved complete independence and self-reliance. There really aren’t many countries in the world that can say that.”

Grandma Xu was unconvinced. ”Putting other things aside, aren’t Japan and South Korea developing very well?”

Grandpa Xu was dismissive. ”How can that be the same? Our Hua Country may not be as wealthy as the United States, but our status is equal to theirs.”

”But what about Japan and South Korea? They have American troops stationed on their land; they’re effectively American colonies. Think of it as a father and son. The son can only eat his fill if the father allows it, and even then, the son must show his respect. If the father decides not to let him eat, he goes hungry, or even starves to death.”

”Just you wait. Give us thirty to forty years, and I’m sure our country will catch up. If we take good care of ourselves, we might even live to see it.”