The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Tailing Strange Fisherman

Hearing Liang Xiaoyu’s voice, Han Xiaorui turned to look, her brow immediately furrowing in irritation.

”Why are so many boats following us? They aren’t from our village, are they?” Han Xiaorui said, a vexing possibility dawning on her.

Liang Xiaoyu was fuming, grinding her teeth. ”They want to see where we’re from. They’ll definitely trail us tomorrow, and they might even steal our shrimp pots.”

Han Xiaorui forced a smile. ”They must have seen us making money selling fish at the county pier and gotten jealous.”

”That’s true. The amount of good fish we catch in our little boat is no less than what the big boats get,” Liang Xiaoyu sighed. ”They must think we’ve found a good spot, so they’re tailing us to fish.”

”If that’s all it was, I could live with it. But we’re two women out on the vast ocean. If we run into someone malicious, they could kill us and dump our bodies in the sea, and no one would ever know.”

Han Xiaorui frowned. She glanced back at the five or more boats following them. ’There’ll be even more in the future,’ she thought. ’What are we going to do?’

’I could use my Water Ability to capsize all their boats, but that would cause a massive uproar.’

’This isn’t some apocalypse where superpowers are awakening. It’s the modern era. If something so unscientific were to be revealed, it would inevitably lead to even more trouble.’

”Don’t panic. Let’s get back to the village first, then we’ll figure it out,” Han Xiaorui said in a low voice. ’There’s always a solution for every problem. We’ll find a way.’

The boat docked at their private berth at Jinshan Bay Pier. Han Xiaorui disembarked, carrying a bucket.

When the other boaters saw this, they docked their vessels right at Jinshan Bay Pier as well.

Villagers could dock there for free, but boats from other villages had to pay a fee—one yuan per night.

In total, six boats docked there. The people on board were living on their vessels and had brought plenty of dry rations.

It seemed they had been targeting Han Xiaorui for some time.

Perhaps they weren’t planning to murder and rob them, but they wanted to follow Han Xiaorui’s boat to find her fishing spots for fish, shrimp, and crab, and increase their own hauls.

But Han Xiaorui and Liang Xiaoyu were women trying to make a living on the sea; they had to be extra cautious.

Bringing men from the village onto the boat would be inconvenient. After all, they weren’t married couples. Eating and drinking would be fine, but using the bathroom would be awkward.

Back home, Han Xiaorui handed an eight-pound Redfish to Liang Xiaoyu. ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, take this home to eat.”

Liang Xiaoyu quickly waved her hands in refusal. ”Xiao Rui, I know this fish is delicious, but it’s too expensive—five yuan a pound! I can’t possibly take it. You should take it back.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”We caught it ourselves, so what’s the big deal? No matter how expensive it is, it didn’t cost us anything. It’s nutritious. If you won’t eat it, give it to Wenjun.”

”It’s still too much. How about you just cut me a slice? I’ll pan-fry it for Wenjun at home.” The moment her son was mentioned, Liang Xiaoyu’s resolve wavered.

Han Xiaorui fetched a sharp cleaver and sliced the eight-pound Redfish into steaks about a finger’s-width thick, filling more than half a large basin. ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, since you feel bad taking so much, why not share some with Sister Cuicui and Aunt Hongxia?”

”With this much, I can even give a few slices to Song Sixth’s family. Just enough for a meal will do.” Liang Xiaoyu was very thoughtful. From Monday to Friday, her son, Pingping, and An’an rode in Song Sixth’s car, so giving him a little something would encourage him to be more diligent.

”Sure, you can decide what to do with it,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile, sending Liang Xiaoyu off with the basin.

The Redfish Han Xiaorui kept for herself weighed over ten pounds—the perfect size for the best flavor.

With practiced skill, she sliced two large platters of sashimi for herself and her sister.

Raw fish isn’t easy for children to digest, so Han Xiaorui made pan-seared Redfish for her daughters.

She seasoned the Redfish steaks with shredded ginger, black pepper, cooking wine, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce, mixing them by hand before letting them marinate for half an hour.

Then, she heated some oil in a pan and added the fish steaks one by one, searing them over medium heat until one side was cooked before flipping them to cook the other. Once done, she took them out of the pan.

She used the Redfish head to make a soup, prepared some sweet, braised fish chunks, and finally, placed a platter of stir-fried greens on the table.

The spread was a feast for the senses.

Pingping and An’an ate with their heads bowed, needing no encouragement. They especially loved the pan-seared Redfish their mother made.

Han Xiaoqing ate the braised and pan-seared fish but wouldn’t touch the sashimi. ”Sis, doesn’t raw fish disgust you?”

Han Xiaorui swallowed a piece of the sweet, delicate fish, praising it generously. ”It’s so fresh, the raw meat is delicious. You’ll know once you try it.”

Han Xiaoqing shook her head repeatedly, not daring to pick up a slice. ”The slices of fish look pretty, but I just can’t bring myself to eat it.”

”That’s because you don’t know how to enjoy life’s pleasures. You have to try all sorts of things. How will you know if you like something if you never try it?” Han Xiaorui encouraged before swallowing another piece of fish and taking a sip of soup.

’One word: perfect!’

The texture was firm and springy, with more of a bite than salmon. Its color was a brilliant, crystalline white that was truly eye-catching.

Seeing the look of pure bliss on her sister’s face, Han Xiaoqing finally mustered her courage, picked up a slice, and placed it in her mouth, chewing it carefully.

Han Xiaoqing’s eyes lit up, her face filled with surprise. ”It’s not fishy at all! It’s delicious, so clean and refreshing.”

”If you like it, have some more,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile, turning her attention to the other dishes.

Today’s Redfish feast was a great success, earning rave reviews from everyone.

Three good, delicious meals a day—it was double the happiness!

After dinner, Han Xiaoqing went back to doing arts and crafts with the children to practice their fine motor skills.

Meanwhile, Han Xiaorui grabbed a flashlight and headed to Wu Cuicui and Yang Jianguo’s house.

’Since I can’t reveal my superpower, I’m out of good options. I’ll go talk it over with them. Maybe they’ll have an idea.’

Yang Jianguo’s family had also just finished dinner. When Wu Cuicui saw Han Xiaorui arrive, she chided, ”You keep bringing fish over day after day. It’s making me feel embarrassed.”

Han Xiaorui just smiled, speaking with conviction. ”What’s there to be embarrassed about? We’re fisherfolk; we should eat the good stuff. Besides, if you eat my fish, then I won’t feel so bad about coming to you and Brother Jianguo for help when I need it.”

”Xiao Rui, perfect timing. I was just about to tell you about the farm,” Yang Jianguo said with a smile. ”There’s a plot of flat, saline-alkali land in the village right next to your Peach Garden. I asked around. The lease is one hundred yuan per mu. It’s seven mu in total, so that’s seven hundred yuan a year. A twenty-year lease would cost fourteen thousand.”

Han Xiaorui listened and thought for a moment. ”What’s the longest lease we can get?”

”Seventy years,” Yang Jianguo replied, a look of surprise on his face. ”You’re not actually thinking of leasing it for seventy years, are you?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”That’s exactly my plan.”

Yang Jianguo did the math. ”Seven hundred a year for seventy years... that’s 49,000 yuan! Didn’t you already spend your money on the shop? Why not just go for the twenty-year lease? It’s cheaper.”

Han Xiaorui shook her head. ”I think the land here in Jinshan Bay will be valuable in the future, so leasing it now while it’s cheap is a good idea. Let’s go for seventy years. I don’t have enough right now, but a few more good hauls and I will.”

”The only thing is, I’ve run into some trouble with my fishing. I’m out of ideas, so I wanted to discuss it with you and Sister Cuicui.”

”Trouble? Are some of the village fishermen giving you a hard time?” Yang Jianguo’s expression darkened at her words. ’Do they really think they can ignore the Yang Family’s influence?’