The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Discovering an Affair

Song the Second climbed out of the water and onto the dock, spat out a mouthful of seaweed, and watched the fishing boat shrink into the distance, his eyes cold and grim.

’Since she refused to show me, Song the Second, any respect, she can’t blame me for being ruthless!’

Han Xiaorui couldn’t be bothered with Song the Second. She wasn’t afraid of him, and she wasn’t afraid of his wife either.

About twenty minutes later, she arrived at the county dock. The moment she pulled in, Boss Zhang and his men rushed over.

”Xiao Han, did you catch any Luo Duan?” Zhang Fa Cai had a naturally flamboyant personality and was eager to make a name for himself, so he had no qualms about shouting from the shore.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Your luck must have rubbed off on me, Boss Zhang. I got lucky today and caught them. They’re all alive. Did you bring a live fish tank?”

”I did!” Boss Zhang replied, jumping onto Han Xiaorui’s fishing boat. He walked over to the livewell, his face lighting up with surprise. ”Well, I’ll be! Two Luo Duan, and each one looks to be at least a hundred and fifty pounds.”

”Xiao Han, let’s move them directly into the tank and use a platform scale, okay?” Zhang Fa Cai didn’t want to stress the fish. A live Luo Duan was more auspicious, especially for a birthday celebration.

Han Xiaorui readily agreed. ”Sure! I have a good idea of how much these two Luo Duan weigh.”

Boss Zhang had his men and three other guys he hired at the dock move the fish into the tank and then onto the platform scale. The two Luo Duan weighed a total of 316 pounds.

At the price Boss Zhang offered, 20 yuan per pound—two yuan per pound higher than the market rate—the total came to 6,320 yuan.

The two large Luo Duan caused a sensation at the dock. Whether they were being moved or weighed, a crowd gathered three layers deep to watch.

”What a sight! And a woman caught these huge Luo Duan. I remember she was the one last time, too.”

”Did she find a whole nest of Luo Duan or something? If I knew where she catches them, I’d go fishing there myself.”

”Boss Zhang is generous, 20 yuan per pound. The money from those two fish is what some people make in a year.”

...

After taking the 6,320 yuan from Boss Zhang and putting it in her bag, Han Xiaorui didn’t stop. Instead, she piloted her boat to a shipyard in the county that offered repair and modification services.

Her family had bought this very boat here.

Finding Director Li, the man who had sold her the boat, Han Xiaorui handed him two packs of good cigarettes. ”Director Li, how much to install a net hauler?”

Director Li was surprised to see Han Xiaorui. Men were usually the ones who brought boats in for modifications; he was surprised a woman could pilot one here herself.

”That won’t be cheap. It’ll cost at least two thousand yuan,” Director Li replied. ”I’m being straight with you on the price, not trying to rip you off.”

Han Xiaorui had already asked around, and that was indeed the price. ”Alright, install a net hauler for me then. Can you also add a built-in livewell?”

”I can’t,” Director Li replied. ”A small boat like yours has a fixed design, and it’s not a good idea to alter it. For a vessel this size, the storage space you have is already sufficient.”

Hearing that the livewell couldn’t be installed, Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Then let’s skip it. Safety first. Oh, right, Director Li, after you install the net hauler, please service my boat as well.”

”Can do,” Director Li agreed, rather surprised by how straightforward she was.

Han Xiaorui paid promptly and left the shipyard. A bus was just arriving, so she hopped on to head back to Jinshan Bay.

She smelled of fish, but luckily the bus wasn’t crowded, so she chose a seat at the very back.

Sitting on the bus, she looked carefully out the window. ’It seems that, in my memory, the original Han Xiaorui had never taken the time to leisurely watch the world go by.’

The area was changing so much, evolving day by day.

Han Xiaorui really loved her present life!

Just then, as the bus passed the seafood wholesale market, she saw Yu Lanlan, the wife of the fishmonger Song the Second.

’That couple is bad news. Song the Second is vile, but Yu Lanlan is venomous.’

When the small fishing boats from the village didn’t sell their catch to them, their boats would often get vandalized.

But as long as they sold to the couple, their boats remained untouched.

Everyone suspected what was happening, but without anyone being caught in the act, the couple would never confess.

Yu Lanlan was acting strangely, furtively glancing around. Seeing no acquaintances, she turned into a small alley.

Business at the seafood wholesale market was slow at this hour; things were typically busiest in the morning and evening.

Coincidentally, the bus arrived at the wholesale market stop just then, and Han Xiaorui got off.

’Make me suffer a silent loss? Not a chance!’

With light steps, she quickly headed for the alley Yu Lanlan had just entered.

Yu Lanlan kept glancing over her shoulder, forcing Han Xiaorui to duck out of sight. She watched as Yu Lanlan stopped at Number 46 Xiaohe Lane and knocked.

The door opened, and a large hand shot out, yanked Yu Lanlan inside, and slammed shut.

”Easy there, keep it down.”

Han Xiaorui froze. ’Judging by that and the voice, this has to be an affair!’

’Song the Second is so short and ugly, while Yu Lanlan is gorgeous. How did she ever end up with him?’

Han Xiaorui tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it to eavesdrop.

”Hurry up. If Song the Second shows up, we won’t get to do anything,” a man said in a muffled, impatient voice.

Yu Lanlan, breathing heavily, said in a seductive voice, ”Song the Second won’t be back until this afternoon. We still have plenty of time! I have something I need Brother Wolf’s help with.”

”What is it?” This man, called Brother Wolf, was getting impatient and wanted to get down to business.

Yu Lanlan giggled seductively. ”There’s a woman in our village who’s really good-looking and knows how to fish. She’s the one who caught those few hundred pounds of Big Yellow Fish last time.”

Han Xiaorui froze when she heard that. ’I came here to get some dirt on Yu Lanlan, not to hear them talking about me!’

’I’m definitely going to deal with this shameless pair!’

She continued to listen carefully.

”She’s not quite as pretty as me, but she has youth on her side!” Yu Lanlan, who prided herself on her looks, had quite a reputation for being a beauty around the seafood market.

Song the Second sometimes suspected his wife wasn’t being faithful, but without proof, and for the sake of their three children, he didn’t give Yu Lanlan a hard time.

”If she’s not as pretty as you, I’m not interested. Now hurry up and tell me what you want,” Brother Wolf asked eagerly, his hands already starting to pull at Yu Lanlan’s clothes.

Yu Lanlan giggled coyly. ”Her family has a ten-acre peach orchard. The trees bloomed really well this year. Find a way to kill them all.”

”No problem, that’s easy. Leave it to me. I’ll just spray them with some chemicals, and they’ll all be dead.” After saying that, Brother Wolf pushed her down on the bed.

Han Xiaorui was seething with rage.

Those were a new variety of honey peaches. They had grown some fruit last year, and though there weren’t many, the taste was excellent.

They were sure to bear even more fruit this year. Besides, Han Xiaorui had been watering them with water infused with her Water Ability, making them grow even better.

This year’s honey peaches would not only be plentiful, but they would taste even better.

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. She would spare this illicit couple for now.

She wasn’t sure she could win a fight against both of them. She didn’t know this area—it wasn’t her home turf—and who knew if the man had backup?

But if they dared to come to her turf, Han Xiaorui was completely confident she could deal with them.

Song the Second would try to wreck her boat, Yu Lanlan was hiring someone to kill her family’s peach trees, and then there was this lover, Brother Wolf.

Han Xiaorui wouldn’t let a single one of them off the hook!