Chapter 52 Encountering a Warm-Hearted Fellow

Because of this matter, Lin Yu's fish were all sold out smoothly before noon. His afternoon suddenly became wide open, leaving him plenty of time to run some errands before heading home.

Therefore, he drove his donkey cart straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.

The cooperative was bustling with a constant stream of people, making it quite lively.

Lin Yu first browsed the shelves of daily necessities, picking up essentials like soap and towels. Then he walked directly to the fishing gear section, where he carefully selected a few rolls of sturdy fishing line, along with some tools for repairing the fishing boat, such as wrenches and nails. He figured he should mend the boat during his downtime, otherwise, it would be too overwhelming to tackle all the major repairs when early spring arrived.

After gathering these items, Lin Yu headed over to the footwear section and carefully chose several pairs of shoes, all in sizes that fit everyone in his family. The pair on his own feet had worn through at the big toe and had become too small, slipping off his heels. The shoes worn by his mother and younger sister were also badly damaged and were long overdue for replacements.

Finally, his gaze fell upon some small accessories meant for young women. Thinking of Erni, a sweet feeling welled up in his heart, and he picked out a delicate hair clip. The clip was embedded with a few shiny little beads that caught the light with a lovely luster.

Lin Yu imagined how exceptionally pretty Erni would look wearing it.

Once he had gathered everything on his shopping list, Lin Yu left the supply and marketing cooperative with a sense of satisfaction and drove his donkey cart onto the road home.

Along the way, seated on the donkey cart, Lin Yu hummed a little tune, feeling exceptionally relaxed and cheerful. He took advantage of the quiet moment to tally up his earnings.

The mere calculation made his heart blossom with joy.

The fish sold this time brought in over a hundred and twenty yuan, and combined with the hundred and eighty yuan the man had paid in compensation, the total earnings came to over three hundred yuan.

However, Lin Yu knew very well that the vast majority of this three hundred yuan actually belonged to Brother Dachun. After all, Dachun's catch made up the bulk of the volume. He estimated that his own fish, sold under normal circumstances, would have fetched at most a little over eighty yuan, while Dachun's fish should have been worth around one hundred and fifty or sixty.

After thinking it over carefully, Lin Yu made up his mind: he would give Dachun two hundred yuan when he got back, and keep just one hundred for himself.

If it were anyone else, he definitely wouldn't share a single cent of the extra money. But Brother Dachun was different. In Lin Yu's heart, Dachun was no different from his own biological brother; naturally, blessings should be shared together.

As evening approached, the sun gradually sank westward, and Lin Yu drove his donkey cart onto the coastal road. Bathed in the setting sun, the sea looked like an exquisite painting.

The orange-red afterglow sprinkled across the sea surface, making it shimmer. The golden light flickered and danced with the undulating waves, resembling countless fragments of gold pirouetting on the water, breathtakingly dreamlike.

On the distant horizon, the red sun was large and round, its color deepening until it looked like blazing fire. The surrounding clouds were dyed in gorgeous, brilliant hues—some resembling soaring dragons with open claws and brandishing paws, others like blooming flowers dripping with tenderness, and still others like galloping steeds with majestic momentum. Intertwined, they constantly shifted shapes, adding endless fantastical colors to the vast sky.

Gazing at the familiar and mesmerizing coastal scenery before him, Lin Yu thought to himself that he was finally home. He gave a shout to the donkey and quickened his pace.

When Lin Yu arrived home, the family was sitting in the courtyard chatting about daily matters. Seeing Lin Yu return with so many things, they were all overjoyed. His mother, Wang Yufen, hurried forward with a face full of pleasant surprise and muttered, "Oh, Xiaoyu, you're finally back! You had your mother worried sick."

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the things Lin Yu had brought back.

Wang Yufen asked with a smile, "Xiaoyu, how did the fish selling go? Did anything happen?"

Wishing not to worry his mother, Lin Yu said nothing of the trouble and replied with a smile, "You can tell how well it went just by seeing how early I'm back. The fish sold wonderfully and smoothly, all gone in no time at all."

Hearing this, Wang Yufen widened her eyes in astonishment and exclaimed, "With that much fish, you sold out not long after you left? That's way too fast."

"Actually, this time I ran into a warm-hearted fellow who insisted on buying all my fish at a high price. I couldn't talk him out of it, and since the price was right, I let him have the lot," Lin Yu explained.

"Oh my, buying so much fish all at once, could he possibly finish eating it all?" Mother Wang Yufen asked, momentarily stunned.

At the same time, in Yingkou City, the man who had packed up his stall not long ago suddenly sneezed fiercely a few times and muttered with lingering hostility, "I've got a feeling some bastard is cursing me out."

Back home, not long after Lin Yu's arrival, a familiar set of footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard. It was Wang Dachun, who had returned from fishing out at sea.

Yet at this moment, Wang Dachun was drooping his head with a look of utter dejection, completely lacking his usual breezy spirit. He was carrying a small bucket containing only a few tiny, half-dead fish swimming feebly inside—a catch that clearly wouldn't fetch any decent price.

Wang Dachun was pondering to himself that since it wouldn't sell for much anyway, he might as well bring it for his mentor's family to eat; at least it counted as bringing something back.

With her sharp eyes, Wang Yufen spotted Dachun's despondency right away. She hurried over and asked, "Dachun, what's wrong? Why are you slouching like a frostbitten eggplant?"

"Ah, Mentor's wife, today's trip out to sea didn't go well. Look, I only caught these few little fish."

"Don't get discouraged. What's not catching fish? Just head out and catch some more tomorrow. Who gets a bumper harvest every single day? Put your mind at ease." Patting Wang Dachun on the shoulder, she continued, "Xiaoyu is back. He says the fish sold really well today. He's inside the house, go on in and ask him."

Hearing that Lin Yu was actually back, Wang Dachun instantly perked up. His eyes lit up, and forgetting all about the fish in his hand, he hurried toward the house, calling out as he walked, "Xiaoyu! Xiaoyu, you're really back!"

Entering the room and seeing that Lin Yu was indeed there, Wang Dachun strode right up to him and asked eagerly, "Xiaoyu, tell me fast, how did the fish selling go?"

Watching Dachun's anxious expression, Lin Yu found it quite amusing and deliberately kept him in suspense, saying mysteriously, "Brother Dachun, take a guess."

"Ninety-something?"

Lin Yu shook his head.

"A hundred?"

"Wrong!"

Being of an impatient nature, Wang Dachun could hardly endure this. Failing to guess correctly after two tries, he stamped his feet in frustration, grabbed Lin Yu's arm, and pleaded, "Oh, stop keeping me in suspense! I'm dying of curiosity here, just tell me already!"

Seeing him like this, Lin Yu stopped teasing him. He held up two fingers and smiled, "We sold two hundred."

"What? Two hundred?" Hearing this, Wang Yufen—wait, Wang Dachun widened his eyes so much they almost popped out of his head. His face was painted with sheer disbelief, his jaw dropping wide open, unable to close for a long while.

He knew very well that those fish, if sold at the dock, would probably only bring in a few dozen yuan. Selling them for two hundred all at once felt just like a dream.

Lin Yu chuckled and explained, "Brother Dachun, don't get so excited. The consumption level in the city is high to begin with, and on top of that, we met a benefactor this time who was willing to spend big money on our fish. That's why we made a bit more. But we might not have such good luck next time."

With that, Lin Yu took the prepared two hundred yuan from his pocket, handed it to Wang Dachun, and said, "Here, Brother Dachun, take it and count it carefully to make sure nothing is missing."

Looking at the two hundred yuan, Wang Dachun grinned from ear to ear. He reached out, took the money, and shoved it straight into his pocket, wearing a simple, foolish smile as he said, "What are you talking about? How could your brother not trust you? Whatever you handle, your brother rests easy."

Seeing this, Lin Yu teased, "Brother Dachun, this time your bride price is pretty much all saved up, and you can buy at least one of the 'three rounds and a sound'. Can't you marry little Xiaocui from the neighboring village soon?"

Hearing this from the side, Mother Wang Yufen also grinned from ear to ear, nodding repeatedly as she said, "If you ask me, you should go make a formal marriage proposal right now. Little Xiaocui likes you so much; maybe once you buy one of those items, she'll agree to marry you. Before, you were all on your own without anyone to anchor you, and you didn't know how to deal with Xiaocui's parents, let alone have anyone speak on your behalf. Her parents certainly wouldn't dare hand their daughter over to you lightly. Now that your mentor's wife is back, I'll take some time to go put in a good word for you and strive to get this settled as soon as possible."

Wang Dachun scratched the back of his head, chuckled foolishly, and said, "Mentor's wife, that would be wonderful! You're just like my own mother; you just make the decisions for whatever needs to be done, and I'll listen to you entirely."

"Alright, rest assured, your mentor's wife knows what she's doing," Wang Yufen said with a smile.

Hearing this, Wang Dachun felt a wave of warmth and bliss wash over him. He could practically picture himself bringing Xiaocui home as his bride, living a harmonious and happy life thereafter. He felt that life was growing more promising by the day.

Yet just as he was rejoicing, Wang Dachun suddenly seemed to recall something. He frowned and said, "Don't just talk about my matters—let's talk about Xiaoyu and Erni. When I was just walking over, I saw Second Uncle and Second Aunt carrying two fish and a basket of eggs toward Erni's place. Something felt a bit off when I saw that. They aren't going over there to propose marriage, are they?"