The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Dumping the Scumbag and Getting Lucky with a Luo Duan

Han Xiaorui finally nodded. ”To be exact, it was 1,500 yuan. After deducting the cost of fuel and other expenses, we profited 1,260 yuan.”

With that, Han Xiaorui pulled out one hundred and fifty 10-yuan ”Great Unity” bills and placed them on the table.

Han Xiaoqing’s eyes lit up. She quickly grabbed the bills and counted them one by one. Confirming it was 1,500 yuan, she burst into laughter.

”Sis, I had no idea fishing was so profitable! Divorce him! Do it now! If you don’t, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from beating up Yang Jianming’s mom.”

”You’re right! Once we’re divorced, if she still runs her mouth, we’ll give her the beating she deserves!” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ”Don’t worry about me anymore. We can live well even after the divorce!”

”The only reason the divorce isn’t finalized yet is because the transfer procedures for the boat, the house, and the land are a bit slow. I expect it’ll all be done around tomorrow.”

Sure enough, after dinner, Zhang Xiufang called. She informed them that all the paperwork was complete and that they could bring it over tomorrow to finalize the divorce immediately.

Riding in Song Sixth’s car through the county, Han Xiaorui saw Yang Jianming already waiting at the entrance of the government office.

When Yang Jianming saw Han Xiaorui dressed in a knit sweater and jeans, his eyes lit up. ”Xiao Rui, actually, I...”

”I don’t have time for your nonsense!” Han Xiaorui strode inside. They signed and confirmed the documents at various offices, successively completing the transfers for the boat, the house, and the contracted land.

Finally, they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their divorce certificate.

The divorce certificates of that era were blue, with an individual black-and-white photo of each person.

After receiving the certificate, Han Xiaorui put it in her bag, turned, and left.

Yang Jianming stared at the divorce certificate with mixed feelings. ”Xiao Rui, if...”

”There are no ’ifs’! From now on, if we see each other, we’ll act like strangers. In any case, I won’t be acknowledging you.”

With that, Han Xiaorui walked away quickly.

She planned to buy a couple of new outfits for her sister and two daughters, and some White Rabbit creamy candy.

’Oh, right, I also need to buy two pairs of shoes for my sister! One pair of leather shoes and one pair of white Warrior sneakers.’

’Who has the time to get tangled up with a scumbag when you’re busy taking care of family and making money?’

’Even looking at him for one more second is a waste of time.’

Watching Han Xiaorui walk away so quickly, Yang Jianming, who was behind her, assumed she was sad but just too proud to show it.

’She clearly can’t bear to leave me, but she’s pretending not to care.’

’It would be a lie to say I didn’t like Han Xiaorui back then, but our married life was just too dull.’

’Besides the trouble with the children and the bickering between us, it was just a chaotic mess. Where was the romance of our school days, with moonlit strolls and sunset dates?’

’The fact that our two daughters couldn’t speak made me lose even more face.’

’Zhang Lili is young and passionate. She’s pregnant now, with a son, and she’ll definitely give birth to a healthy baby.’

’Plus, Zhang Lili’s uncle is the vice dean of the university. Whether or not I can become a professor by the time I’m thirty depends entirely on my ”Dean Uncle.”’

’All things considered, this divorce is for the best, for both me and Han Xiaorui.’

’Worst comes to worst, I can just secretly give Han Xiaorui some money in the future.’

’And if Han Xiaorui still loves me and is willing to be the woman in the shadows, I could, for the sake of the children, reluctantly accept that.’

What a dreamer, that Yang Jianming!

If Han Xiaorui knew about the rich inner drama playing out in Yang Jianming’s head, she would have really thrown a pile of dog crap at him.

Because he was a dog, and dog crap suited him perfectly!

After buying a lot of things, Han Xiaorui checked the time. Seeing it was getting late, she took the bus home.

She had just finished cooking when Liu Sihai’s ”turtle car” pulled up to the door.

Han Xiaorui grabbed two packs of cigarettes and handed them to Liu Sihai. ”Uncle Liu, I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Liu Sihai waved his hand. ”You’re paying me; this is my job. Don’t worry, I’d get them home safely even if you didn’t give me cigarettes.”

Han Xiaorui pushed the two packs through the window of the ”turtle car.” ”Uncle Liu, don’t be a stranger. We’ll be working together long-term. I’d rather you drive a little slower than try to cut people off.”

”Don’t you worry. I used to be a driver for the leadership at the factory—I’m steady and cautious.” Liu Sihai was delighted. Two packs of cigarettes cost fifty cents, enough to last him two weeks.

Han Xiaorui urged, ”Xiao Jing, today is a good day. Let’s celebrate properly.”

As she spoke, Han Xiaorui brought out dishes from the kitchen: braised grouper, sweet and sour spare ribs, red-braised pork belly, green pepper beef stir-fry, steamed egg with minced pork, shrimp with pine nuts and peas, stir-fried potato slivers with green pepper, garlic bok choy, and a seaweed egg drop soup.

She poured two small cups of baijiu and gave the children some hawthorn juice to whet their appetites and aid digestion.

”Cheers!” Han Xiaorui said with a smile, encouraging the children to join in.

Perhaps sensing the good mood of their mother and aunt, Pingping and An’an also raised their glasses, clinking them gently against the others. ”Cheers!”

Pingping and An’an each ate half a bowl of rice, some fish, two pieces of braised spare ribs, a few bites of vegetables, and a few spoonfuls of soup.

Their appetites were gradually changing. For one, the doctor had them exercising in the mornings, which used up a lot of energy and made them hungrier. For another, the water enhanced by her Water Ability made the food taste even better.

Han Xiaoqing had eaten until she was stuffed because her sister’s cooking was just too delicious. She took the children out to the yard to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese, and to play with the cat and chase the dog.

The sound of Han Xiaoqing’s and the children’s laughter drifted in from the yard from time to time.

After cleaning up, Han Xiaorui picked up a bucket filled with stinky fermented fish bait. ”You all stay home, I’m heading out to sea!”

”Be careful, Sis!” Han Xiaoqing waved, encouraging her two nieces to interact more. ”Pingping, An’an, say ’goodbye, Mommy!’”

”Goodbye, Mommy!”

The children were making eye contact with the adults, and teaching them face-to-face was proving very effective.

”Goodbye, Pingping, An’an!” Han Xiaorui felt joyful, her steps light. She could feel the Water Ability within her growing stronger.

’It must be true what they say: getting rid of a scumbag puts you on cloud nine. I’ll definitely have good luck out at sea today!’

At the dock, she had someone load up ice and refuel the boat, then set off, speeding across the boundless sea.

After heading southeast for an hour and a half, she reached the same reef from yesterday, located twenty meters below the surface.

She moved to the other side and explored carefully. It was incredible!

Her luck was even better today!

There was actually a Luo Duan nearby—a saddle-banded grouper, with the scientific name giant grouper.

It was the largest species of grouper!

The Luo Duan is a precious delicacy of the ocean. Wild ones typically weigh over forty or fifty jin. They’re usually found in subtropical and tropical waters, so it was a surprise to find such a fine fish here.

Wild Luo Duan often hide in coral reefs and rarely show themselves. They grow slowly; a Luo Duan over sixty centimeters long has likely lived in the sea for more than twenty years. They are quite clever and extremely difficult to catch.

It also has impressive medicinal properties, said to help with hypertension, high cholesterol, and coronary heart disease.

Its price was also higher than the green grouper from yesterday!

In this school of Luo Duan, a few were as long as a meter.

She didn’t need many. Catching just one would make for a huge profit today!

Han Xiaorui quickly switched to a thicker, stronger fishing line. The bait on it was one she had carefully fermented until it was rank, a smell that was fatally attractive to Luo Duan.

These fish had lived for at least thirty years. Just as old people can become wise and cunning, fish that live long enough can also become ”cunning spirits.”

Even though the alluring, ”fragrantly stinky” food was right in front of them, the Luo Duan just circled the bait. They flicked their tails impatiently and opened their mouths from time to time, but they wouldn’t move in for a big bite.