Chapter 38: Wang Dachun's Proposal

Hearing Lin Yu’s words, Yang Shulin’s eyes darted around, and he immediately began spinning a scheme.

He calculated inwardly: I’ll just promise the kid for now; who knows what the future holds? This is my own flesh and blood. I don’t believe that once he grows up, he won’t acknowledge me as his father.

With this thought, his face instantly creased with smiles, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Fine. Since you’re so responsible, then the child can stay with you for now. As his father, I’m deeply grateful."

His expression was as phony as it could possibly be.

Wang Yufen stood to the side, filled with reluctance. Her lips trembled slightly, and she wanted to urge Lin Yu to reconsider.

Lin Yu sensed his mother’s hesitation. He turned his head, looked at her with a firm gaze, and whispered, "Mom, look at how they’ve spoken. Can you really feel at ease leaving the child here? If we actually handed him over as they suggested, could you live with yourself? You’d regret it for the rest of your life."

Wang Yufen opened her mouth, wanting to speak but stopping herself. She knew in her heart that Lin Yu was right, but at the thought of the hardships ahead, her eyes welled up with tears. In the end, she could only remain silent, helplessly accepting the outcome.

There was nothing left to say to this family. By Lin Yu’s reckoning, they shouldn't have come here at all, but he couldn't refuse his mother’s insistence. Now that she had finally lost heart, he immediately took her hand and led her away.

Watching Wang Yufen and her family leave the courtyard, driving their donkey cart with lonely, dejected figures, Yang Shulin stood at his doorway, no longer able to hide his smug satisfaction.

Once the donkey cart was out of sight, he turned back into the house and spoke gleefully to his parents about his little scheme: "Dad, Mom, don't you worry. This is just a stalling tactic. Nannan is my own flesh and blood after all. Blood is thicker than water; even if you break the bones, the tendons are still connected. How could he not acknowledge me as his father later on? Once the child grows up, he’ll naturally come back to us."

He paused, a smirk appearing on his face, and then urged his parents, "Don't just sit there—hurry up and find me another woman. It’s not right for this house to be without a woman to manage things."

...

Back home, Wang Yufen walked straight into the house and sat on the edge of the *kang*, her brows knitted and her eyes filled with worry.

She stared out the window, her mind in a mess, burdened by anxiety about the future. How would they feed another mouth? Their family was already struggling, and now things were getting even worse.

Seeing his mother’s distressed expression, Lin Yu felt a pang of heartache. He sat beside her, gently took her hand, and comforted her: "Mom, don't worry. It’s just raising one more child—at most, it’s just one more mouth to feed. Here in our Northeast fishing village, kids are raised quite freely. Besides food and clothes, how much can a child really cost? Don't worry, I can handle it."

The more his son said this, the more bitter Wang Yufen felt in her heart.

But since things had reached this point, what other choice was there? They would just have to take it one step at a time.

She secretly resolved to do as much handicraft work as possible to help improve the family’s standard of living.

With that thought, Wang Yufen stood up, found a tape measure, and went over to Nannan. She picked him up gently and began carefully measuring him, muttering to herself: "I need to make Nannan a cotton-padded coat first. The weather is getting colder, and I mustn't let the child freeze."

As she measured, she couldn't help but complain to herself: "Sigh, I was so angry at the time, just focused on arguing with Yang Shulin and the others. Why didn't I think to ask for some of his things? Even getting back the child’s clothes would have been something; now I have to buy everything all over again."

Lin Yu laughed and said, "Mom, forget it. You know what kind of people they are. Even if you asked, they wouldn't give anything, and you’d just end up furious. Alright, you get to work; I’m going to return the donkey cart."

Lin Yu headed out silently and drove the cart to the village chief's house to return it. Ever since Lin Yu had brought meat over last time, the village chief’s wife had become increasingly polite toward him, and this time was no exception.

Lin Yu, being a sensible person, gave all the meat he had intended to bring back for Nannan to the village chief’s family. The wife beamed, showering Lin Yu with praise and telling him he could use the donkey cart whenever he liked.

After leaving the village chief’s house, he headed straight for the pier.

The seaside pier seemed as if the world had pressed the mute button, immersed in a profound stillness.

The deep blue water was like a massive piece of silk, stretching gently toward the horizon without a ripple. Sunlight, like fine gold dust, spilled through the thin clouds, dancing and shimmering on the surface of the sea.

The pier’s jetty reached silently into the ocean, the wooden planks reflecting the warm light. Occasionally, a few water droplets from the dampness of the previous night rolled off, hitting the sea with a "drip" that briefly broke the silence, yet only served to make the tranquility seem even deeper.

In the distance, a few fishing boats bobbed lazily in the harbor, swaying with the slight undulations of the waves as if dozing off in the embrace of the gentle sun and calm sea.

A breeze brushed against his cheeks, carrying the unique, salty scent of the ocean, which refreshed Lin Yu’s spirit.

Just then, a heavy hand patted his shoulder. Lin Yu turned to see Wang Dachun’s dark, honest, and smiling face. Without a word, Wang Dachun pointed toward one of the lonely fishing boats and said, "Lin Yu, see that? That’s the village chief’s boat."

On the way back, the two of them had agreed to check out the boat together. Repairing a fishing boat required a lot of money, but if they did the work themselves, the cost would be greatly reduced, though it would take a great deal of effort.

Wang Dachun had gone home to get some tools and had hurried over.

Lin Yu’s gaze followed the gesture. The fishing boat looked completely out of place among the others. The paint on the hull had peeled away, exposing mottled wood textures like deep wrinkles carved by time. Planks that should have been tight were now cracked and warped, as if they would shatter at the slightest touch. The bow tilted slightly, like an overburdened old man, emitting a faint, creaking groan under the gentle caress of the waves—a sigh of exhaustion. The ropes were also worn and frayed, thin and rough, tied with crude knots that barely kept the boat tethered to the pier.

Lin Yu couldn't help but frown, a sense of worry rising in his heart.

Following Wang Dachun’s suggestion, he walked up to the boat. A close inspection made its dilapidated state even more obvious.

The guardrails on the gunwales were broken in several places, pointing jaggedly into the air. The cabin roof had several large holes, allowing the sunlight to shine straight through, illuminating the debris and dust accumulated inside. Lin Yu crouched down to examine the hull, finding that the planks had become somewhat rotten from long-term exposure to seawater; a light press caused a shallow dent to sink in.

"This boat has been neglected for too long. It’ll take a lot of money and effort to fix it," Wang Dachun said, crouching nearby with his hands around his knees, looking at Lin Yu with sincerity. "I think you should put this idea aside for now. If you really want to go out to sea, just come on my boat. Whatever fish you catch, you keep for yourself. If there’s anything you don’t know, I can teach you."

Lin Yu stood up and thought about it carefully.

He knew clearly that Wang Dachun’s offer was excellent.

The situation at home was not optimistic, and with another mouth to feed, their already strained finances were becoming even tighter. He had his heart set on buying a horse and cart to facilitate his work and travel, but everything required money.

Relying on beachcombing or trying his luck with a fish spear to snag a few fish simply wouldn't accumulate enough capital in the short term.

If he joined Wang Dachun’s boat, at least his life could stabilize for the time being. Going out to sea every day would provide a steady income, and by slowly accumulating wealth over this period, he might eventually save enough to buy a cart and repair his own boat.

Furthermore, he needed to become familiar with the local waters. If he didn't understand the environment, it would be very easy to run into trouble if he went out to sea alone.

After weighing his options, Lin Yu finally made his decision.

He looked up at Wang Dachun with a gaze filled with gratitude and determination, nodding slightly. "Brother Dachun, thank you. I’ll go out to sea with you tomorrow. I’ll be counting on you for this period."

Wang Dachun grinned, patted Lin Yu on the shoulder, and said, "What are you thanking me for? We’re brothers; we’re supposed to help each other out!"

"Right, brothers. Come on, let’s go home and eat meat."