Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chapter 363 Sea Fish

"Who told you that? These people are talking nonsense. That Madam Chen is a perfectly respectable lady, with no airs at all, and they've made her out to be like this! Don't spread rumors outside." Lin Shuisheng couldn't help but scold his wife.

Huang had been his childhood sweetheart since she was little and was rarely scolded by him. Hearing this, she got angry and raised her eyebrows, saying angrily, "What? Just because Madam Chen is a noblewoman, does that mean I can't say anything to her? You're talking to me because of her?"

Lin Shuisheng was both amused and exasperated. He took the warm money pouch from his arms and placed it in her hand. "What nonsense are you talking about? Madam Chen bought all my little fish and gave me a lot of money. I can go buy rice tomorrow."

"Really!" Mrs. Huang exclaimed in surprise as she opened her purse and poured out the money with a "whoosh." "How come there's so much? I usually only buy a dozen or so coins at most!"

Huang counted them carefully and found that there were a full fifty coins.

"I heard that Madam Chen couldn't bear to see our goods sold too cheaply, saying that low prices hurt farmers, so she had us deliver the goods to her house and gave us a small fee for running the errand. Otherwise, we wouldn't have received so much. Yesterday, half the street was out delivering vegetables," Lin Shuisheng explained as he hung up the fishing net.

"So, this Madam Chen is a really good person. Brother Shuisheng, do you think she'll accept the seaweed I dried?" Madam Huang asked earnestly as she approached with the money in her hand.

"I don't know either. Why don't you try it tomorrow morning? Where did Little Fish go?"

"Go play at the beach with A-Dong and the others. I'm going to cook." Huang received the money and happily went to cook dinner.

Fishermen's dinner is very simple: seaweed soup (which is actually seaweed), brown rice, and stewed fish.

The next morning, Huang entrusted the child to the old woman in the same family. Lin Shuisheng went to the island. The men in the village had difficulty finding work in the county and had to pay taxes, so they all hid on the island. They caught a big fish and sold it in Quanzhou City, where they could make a good profit.

Huang carried her basket and headed towards the town. She soon saw the Wang Duwei Mansion, but the entrance was already surrounded by a large crowd.

"Butler Chen, take a look at this one first!"

"Watch me, watch me!"

A group of people were arguing noisily.

"Line up one by one, don't rush..." Uncle Hu said slowly from the side.

"Everyone, because we're opening a workshop, we'll only be accepting payments for today. In seven days, you can bring any good stuff you have in the courtyard next door, and we'll settle the payment on the spot. Now, please come over here and line up," Chu Yi announced loudly.

Upon hearing this, Ms. Huang hurriedly went to join the queue, and after waiting for a long time, it was finally her turn.

"What is this?" The first-year student had never seen anything like this before. It was covered in white frost and smelled like the ocean.

“This is seaweed! It’s delicious in soup!” Mrs. Huang quickly explained.

An older woman standing nearby glanced at him and muttered, "This is just wild seaweed; normal people don't like to eat it."

"Wild vegetables?" Chu Yi held the seaweed thoughtfully. Her godmother loved wild vegetables. Although she didn't recognize them, she thought she should still take them.

"These are indeed wild, but they make really delicious soup." Mrs. Huang felt somewhat ashamed; this was all she could offer.

"How much is this basket for you?" Chu Yi asked, wiping his hands.

"Just give it to Supervisor Chen as you see fit, it's nothing special," Huang cleverly mimicked others' words.

"Then twenty coins it is. Put it in that basket over there." Chu Yi casually took a string of coins from the basket next to her and pointed to it.

"Oh! Thank you so much, Manager Chen!" Huang was overjoyed and happily went over to put the things away, even tidying them up neatly.

"We want all of this!" The old lady who had been gossiping earlier almost had her eyes pop out of her head. She was filled with regret, wishing she had gotten some of this stuff too. The crabs she delivered had died because she delivered them too late, and they refused to accept them. She left in a huff.

As Huang was carrying an empty basket and preparing to go home, she ran into her husband carrying a large wooden basin at the door, along with his three cousins ​​who usually hid on the island.

Uncle Hu was about to close the door when the people who delivered the goods left, when he was called back.

"Master Hu, please wait a moment!"

Several men, drenched in sweat like they'd just had fruit salad, struggled to carry the large wooden bucket to the door.

"Look at this fish, we caught it this morning, it's so fresh, it's still swimming!" Lin Shuisheng saw his wife beside him, and without saying a word, he eagerly introduced his fish to Uncle Hu.

"Well, wait a minute, I don't recognize these!" Uncle Hu called out to Chu Yi, but Chu Yi didn't recognize them either. He really didn't dare to buy fish casually, so he went to call Chen Wenfang.

Huang finally met the famous Madam Chen. She saw that Madam Chen had no makeup on, her hair was simply tied up in a loose bun, and she was wearing a light blue dress. She was slightly plump, but she did not have the air of a courtesan.

She walked over with a smile, looked at the several large live fish, and exclaimed in surprise, "They're sea bass and grouper! That's great! How much are they?"

Lin Shuisheng glanced at his brothers and smiled, "There are six fish here in total. Madam Chen, would it be alright if we charged 150 coins per fish?"

They could only get two hundred coins per fish if they delivered it to Quanzhou. If she wanted it, she wouldn't have to travel so far. Sea fish are difficult to transport and often die on the way. They often ended up losing everything after a trip.

These fish are all quite large, each weighing about two pounds. It's clear they specifically chose the best ones to present to customers.

"Your fish is so big, I'm afraid you're losing money at this price!" Chen Wenfang smiled faintly. This Lin Shuisheng is really a kind person.

"It's not too bad. Quanzhou is too far away. If we sent it there and it died, they wouldn't want it." For some reason, Lin Shuisheng didn't want to lie and answered honestly.

"How about this, three hundred coins per fish. Send me any more of these fish in the future, and I'll take them." Chen Wenfang admired him greatly and generously accepted the money.

Lin Shuisheng and his brothers were overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. Lin Shuisheng glanced at Huang Shi, who was waiting for him to go home together, and gave her a bright smile.

Several people carried the fish inside together, gently placed it into the bucket, and were even careful when pouring water.

They didn't ask any questions on the first day of the lunar month and just paid directly.

After they left, he quietly asked, "Godmother, these fish are so expensive, why did you buy so many?"

“You are all children, and you are at the age of growing up. This is good for you. Besides, I have another idea. What do you think about us opening a guesthouse and restaurant here? We can organize people to come here for tourism. That would definitely make money. No, I have to write another letter.”

Chen Wenfang was impulsive; after saying that, she went to write a letter. She replied that a shop couldn't be opened without a cook. Chu Yi was a little confused by her answer, but he knew that the fish was good for their health, so his godmother wanted to buy it. He was very touched.

In the evening, Wang Erniu had a rare free time and came home early. Chen Wenfang personally cooked, steaming and braising all six fish. As expected, the children ate boneless fish for the first time and it was a great success. The food was completely devoured, and even the usually quiet Huang Yi ate two extra bowls of rice.