The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Unlocking the ”Matchmaker” Skill

Captain Qi personally took the helm, found a good spot to stop, and dropped anchor.

Chen Yishui was also very skilled, and with Han Xiaorui giving pointers from the side, the anchor’s position was perfect.

They lowered the small boat, and equipped with tools, life jackets, and ropes, they set foot on the island reef.

As a captain, Wu Mengyue was the bravest of them all at that moment.

She was at the very front, testing the way forward.

When she saw the reef densely covered with abalone, her eyes lit up.

”Come on over, ladies! There’s a ton of abalone!”

Everyone rushed over, leaving only Chen Yishui and one crewman on the boat.

They took out their specialized abalone pry bars, their movements quick and nimble.

Han Xiaorui reminded them, ”Pick the big ones and leave the small ones!”

Sister Tang looked nervous. ”We know the rule. I’m just worried this spot will get leaked to someone else.”

Wu Mengyue nodded in agreement. ”Not all fishers play by the rules like we do. A lot of them won’t stop until they’ve scraped the sea clean. They’ve forgotten the old wisdom of taking the large and leaving the small.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Of course, I trust our crewmen not to leak it. I just called Uncle Qi, and he’ll make sure his crew keeps it quiet.”

Wu Mengyue sighed in relief at her words. ”Actually, the commission and wages on Uncle Yang’s boat are very high, too. A regular crewman can get several hundred each trip, sometimes even more.”

”If they keep this secret, they can come back here for more abalone harvests. The commission is substantial. Besides, most crewmen are straightforward and loyal. They probably won’t talk.”

Han Xiaorui couldn’t agree more. ”Yes, I trust they’ll handle it well on their end.”

There really was a lot of abalone here. As the tide receded, more and more of the reef was exposed.

Everyone was so busy harvesting the abalone they had no time to chat.

Even though they worked quickly while prying the abalone, they were careful not to damage the seabed.

They only pried off the large ones. The smallest were four-head abalone.

Captain Qi’s group also found a lot of abalone, and he reminded everyone to take the large and leave the small.

All in all, they harvested for a total of four hours before the tide slowly started to rise again.

As the exposed reef shrank, everyone finally returned to the boat.

Who would have thought? Now, half the space in the cargo hold was completely filled with abalone.

Han Xiaorui reminded them, ”It gets cold at night, so everyone bundle up.”

Getting sick at sea is miserable. Even with medicine, if it’s serious, you might not make it to a hospital in time.

Wu Mengyue laughed. ”Don’t worry, we’ve already put on more layers! Today’s haul was huge. At this rate, we’ll be back at the docks by tomorrow night!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”That’s perfect, I miss my child too! The Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are close this year, so I’ll give everyone a holiday break after we get back.”

Wu Mengyue smiled. ”Honestly, if the weather’s good, we’d still be willing to go out fishing.”

”As it gets colder, fishing at sea becomes more difficult. We should take advantage of this crisp autumn weather while it lasts.”

Han Xiaorui waved her hand dismissively. ”Making money is important, but so is living your life! It’s only four or five days. Get some proper rest and spend time with your families.”

”With the income you all are making, your lives are already very good! You’ve bought houses, nice clothes, and good food. If you don’t enjoy it now, are you going to wait until you’re seventy or eighty and can’t move?”

Wu Mengyue, who had a bellyful of arguments ready to persuade Han Xiaorui, found herself convinced instead.

”You know, that makes a lot of sense!” Wu Mengyue replied. ”The whole reason we work so hard to make money is to have a good life!”

Sister Tang chuckled. ”I used to only think about making money because I never had any! Now, life for my family is so much better!”

”My son boards at his high school and only comes home once a month! I give him a generous allowance, and every time, I also make him lots of canned seafood to take back to school.”

”My younger daughter is doing great in school, too. She’ll be able to get into the same top-tier high school as her brother! My life just keeps getting better and better!”

Sister Yun sighed emotionally. ”My son and I had it so rough before! Now, someone even wants to play matchmaker for me and have me remarry!”

Hearing this, everyone perked up. Besides Han Xiaorui, Sister Yun was the youngest crew member.

”What’s the guy like? If he’s a decent person, you should say yes! At least you’ll have someone to warm your bed when you go home!”

Liang Xiaoyu snickered. ”Is he handsome? What does he do? Where does he live?”

Listening to everyone’s concerned questions and seeing their teasing smiles, Sister Yun’s face flushed slightly red.

”I have no intention of remarrying! If I don’t have anyone to warm my bed, can’t I just buy an electric blanket?”

”If you knew what the guy they introduced me to was like, you definitely wouldn’t be saying that!”

Everyone gathered around, nibbling on slices of freshly steamed cloud cake.

”Ooh, there’s a story here! Spill the details, we want to hear it!”

Sister Yun took a sip of water and swallowed the cloud cake in her mouth. ”An auntie from my village introduced him. She said he was one of the ’sent-down youth’ from years ago.”

”He’s about my age and not bad-looking. But he’s this old and hasn’t returned to the city after all these years... I figured he must have already married and had kids in the countryside.”

”After asking around, it turns out I was right! He has three kids in the countryside, but he told me he was never married.”

”Whether he abandoned his wife and kids or just lied to me, it proves he’s a man of questionable character. I’m not a scrap collector, so why would I want to be with a scumbag like that?”

Sister Tang nodded. ”You absolutely can’t have a man like that! It’s okay if a man is a little poor or a little ugly, but his character has to be good.”

Liang Xiaoyu smiled. ”Ah Lan, don’t be discouraged. It’s just that fate hasn’t brought the right one to you yet.”

”You’re good-looking, virtuous, and capable. You’re bound to find a good match!”

Sister Yun used to be thin and looked older than her age, but with better nutrition, she’s filled out and looks much younger now.

She dyes and perms her hair, and it looks quite pretty.

Sister Yun smiled. ”Back when times were tough, I always thought about finding a man to share the burden with me.”

”Now that I have everything I need, I don’t feel such an urgent need for a man! Even if I do look for someone in the future, I want a man with good character, someone who is attentive and caring.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui’s eyes lit up.

”Sister Yun, would you mind if the other person was widowed and had a child?”

When they heard this, everyone turned to look at Han Xiaorui.

Sister Yun was very open about it and valued Han Xiaorui’s words. ”I have a child of my own, so I don’t mind if he does too! What’s his situation?”

Han Xiaorui replied, ”He’s a widower. His wife passed away from an illness. He has a 4-year-old daughter. He’s 29 this year! But he’s not a local.”

Liang Xiaoyu thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up. ”Xiao Rui, are you talking about Hu Yaowu, the security captain at the ornamental fish farm?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yes, yes, that’s him. I heard from Brother Jianguo that he’s a good guy. He’s tall, and he’s serious and responsible at his job.”

Han Xiaorui had automatically unlocked her ”matchmaker” skill and was starting to arrange a partner for her crew member.