Chapter 3: The Radiant Pier

Lin Yu carried the fishing cage, walking along the coastline.

There was no denying it—the coastline at this moment was stunning.

It stretched out like a winding giant serpent, lying between the land and the sea. The beach displayed a slightly coarse golden hue, shimmering with scattered specks of light under the gentle caress of the sun. Waves surged one after another, crashing against the shore and spraying layers of white foam, producing a rhythmic sound as if the sea itself was breathing endlessly.

The light was bright and clear, soft as a veil draping over the sea, dyeing the water with a splendid blend of orange and red hues, enveloping the entire dock in a dazzling golden glow. Even the tiny dust particles floating in the air were clearly visible in this light; they danced freely like joyful spirits in the interplay of shadow and light.

This was the Radiant Dock.

The largest dock in the small fishing village at the time.

In 1983, although the spring breeze of reform had reached the Northeast, transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy, this obscure little fishing village had yet to develop a fish market. Fishermen went out to sea to fish, and after fulfilling the village quota, any surplus catch was sold directly here.

At dusk, street vendors and local villagers would come bustling through the alleys to buy fish, making this place lively as evening fell.

But obviously, it wasn’t yet the time.

On the dock, only a few women were scattered about, either arranging their stalls or chatting with each other.

They were all women of the fishing village, staking out prime spots on the dock well in advance. In fishing villages, it was common for husbands to go out fishing while wives sold the catch; the women held half the sky here.

Before his father’s accident, Lin Yu’s mother had also sold fish here behind his father’s back. A favorable location had a huge impact on daily sales — for example, a stall near the dock entrance with fresh, good fish and reasonable prices would attract buyers right away, who wouldn’t bother walking further inside.

The number of customers was limited; if you sold more, others sold less. Everyone competed fiercely for the best spots.

Fights over these places were not uncommon.

Lin Yu had arrived early, and there were still plenty of spots, so he casually found a place and set down his fishing cage, waiting for customers.

“Hey, isn’t that stinky Lin Yu? Selling fish too?” As Lin Yu squatted down, an irritating voice reached his ears. He turned his head, frowning immediately.

It was Aunt Er.

What bad luck—out of all the spots, he had unknowingly set up right beside her.

Lin Yu’s heart skipped a beat, and instinctively, he wanted to stay as far away from her as possible. He quickly turned around, eyes scanning the fish market, trying to find a suitable corner to set up his stall amidst the bustling crowd.

Aunt Er sat in front of her stall, idly fiddling with a weight for her scales, but her eyes scanned the surroundings sharply like a hawk. Suddenly, she caught sight of Lin Yu avoiding her as if he had seen a plague. Her already tight face stretched even longer, the corners of her mouth drooping to form a deep crease, her gaze sharp as if shooting arrows.

“Hmph, that little brat! Hiding as soon as he sees me. Am I a flood or a beast?” Aunt Er angrily slammed the weight onto the scale with a loud clank, drawing the attention of nearby vendors. Hands on her hips, she suddenly stood up, her ample figure trembling slightly with anger, her aura fierce enough to swallow Lin Yu whole. “I’m talking to you! Didn’t you hear me? Come here, let me see what kind of fish you’re selling!”

“Crab tiger fish!” Lin Yu replied.

“Crab tiger fish? Who wants finger-sized ones? Don’t tell me you’re trying to fool people with inferior goods.” Aunt Er sneered and strode over to him. Her colorful clothes swayed with her movements, and the flesh around her waist jiggled.

She bent over his bucket and opened the cage cover with her rough hands, intending to find fault and ridicule Lin Yu. But as her eyes swept over the crab tiger fish, she was slightly taken aback.

Each crab tiger fish weighed over half a pound, with some large specimens weighing as much as two pounds. Their plump bodies thrashed vigorously in the cage, radiating vitality.

This was good stuff—rare to find on the dock.

Aunt Er straightened up, her expression rapidly shifting from surprise to a gleam of greed in her eyes. Clearing her throat, she forced a fake smile: “Lin Yu, you’re a kid, but Aunt Er isn’t an outsider. Your fish looks decent, but since you’re new and don’t know the market well, you might not be able to sell it. I’m kind-hearted, so I’ll help you out—I’ll pay one dime per jin and take them all. You should head home early!”

As she spoke, Aunt Er reached to snatch the fishing cage from Lin Yu’s hands. But Lin Yu had anticipated this and held on tightly. “Aunt Er, isn’t this outright robbery? So many people are watching—let go. I’m not selling to you.”

Her family occupied land belonging to his, so even if the price was good, he wouldn’t sell to her.

Aunt Er’s face immediately changed; the forced smile vanished without a trace, replaced by full-blown anger. Hands on hips, she scolded loudly, “Ungrateful little brat! I’m trying to help you, and you don’t appreciate it. Do you think your fish will sell? Without me here holding down this dock, who’d buy from you? You little punk, you refuse good offers but accept punishments! Two dimes per jin, not a penny more.”

Lin Yu sneered and snatched back his cage. “Not selling, no matter the price.”

With that, he took the cage and moved aside.

Aunt Er trembled with fury and spat fiercely on the ground, as though Lin Yu had committed an unforgivable crime. “Fine, just wait. There’ll come a day when you beg me.”

Lin Yu ignored her.

From the original owner’s memory, he knew Aunt Er’s offer of one dime per jin was low. These crab tiger fish could sell for three dimes per jin at a stall, five dimes per jin to fish vendors, and even higher retail prices to nearby villagers.

Lin Yu had made up his mind. He didn’t have time to sell fish bit by bit here. Selling to a stall fetched too low a price; selling to small fish vendors was best. Even if he couldn’t get five dimes, four dimes per jin was acceptable.

After all, his little sister was at home waiting for medicine.

The dock was bathed in a soft golden-red glow. The sky looked as if a painter had accidentally spilled a palette, with brilliant sunset clouds sprawling wildly along the horizon. The colors transitioned from fiery red to orange, then pale pink, blending with the shimmering golden reflections on the distant sea.

As dusk approached, figures began to draw near. Fish vendors arrived early, awaiting the returning fishing boats.

A lean man with a sun-darkened face pushed a two-wheeled cart toward Lin Yu. Lin Yu perked up. He pulled out the largest, fattest crab tiger fish, raised it overhead, and called out, “Fresh crab tiger fish, just caught from the sea! Buy some!”

Lin Yu’s crab tiger fish were indeed excellent. None of the fishing boats had returned yet, but as his shout rang out, it immediately drew everyone’s attention. The man with the cart’s eyes brightened, and he stopped right in front of Lin Yu.

“How much, kid?”

“Sixty cents per jin. You look friendly. If you take them all, I’ll give you a discount of ten cents. Look, such big, fat crab tiger fish are rare. Even selling loose, they fetch seventy to eighty cents per jin. If you go door to door selling, it’ll be even pricier. You can take over twenty jin and make a good profit.”

The lean, dark-faced man bent slightly, staring intently at the fat crab tiger fish in Lin Yu’s hands, his gaze sharp and interested. His rough fingers stroked his chin thoughtfully, calculating the pros and cons of the deal.

Lin Yu looked at him expectantly, the crab tiger fish shimmering with enticing luster under the sunset’s glow. Curious onlookers gathered, their eyes shifting between Lin Yu and the man.

The man examined the fishing cage briefly, then straightened, tapped his cart with a dull sound, and grinned, revealing tobacco-stained teeth. “Kid, you’re quite the talker. I’ll take them all at fifty cents per jin!”

He didn’t waste time, quickly weighing and paying.

Seeing this, Aunt Er wanted to step forward to spoil the deal but thought better of it.

She knew the dock well after years of running around, and Lin Yu’s crab tiger fish were large and prime. Fifty cents was definitely not cheap; even selling them back would fetch seventy to eighty cents, or even a full yuan per jin—huge profit.

No one would fail to see that. If she disrupted the deal, she’d only be laughed at by others on the dock: “When did that brat get so slick? And where’d he get those crab tiger fish?”

Aunt Er was jealous.

In 1983, in Bayuquan, although the fishery production responsibility system was in place, tasks still had to be completed. Only surplus catch after meeting quotas could be sold independently.

Due to backward technology and environmental factors, the catch was limited. Whether the task was completed was uncertain, so fish available for sale were scarce.

Lin Yu’s crab tiger fish were sold.

A total of twenty-two jin, for eleven yuan.

In this era, this was a substantial sum. The medicine for his sister was covered. He grabbed the fishing cage and ran swiftly toward home, determined to buy the medicine before dark.

A gentle sea breeze blew, carrying a slight chill, causing the fishing nets drying on the shore to sway softly with a rustling sound. The horizon was painted a dazzling blaze of fiery colors that spread wildly across the sky, reflecting golden-red hues across the sea.

The boy’s running figure stretched long in the fading light...