The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 258: Chapter 258: The Importance of a Good Mother-in-Law

Liang Xiaoyu understood Sister Yun’s situation. ”Sister Yun, be patient. Don’t rush. I’ll ask someone reliable to look into him. Hu Yaowu is a fine worker and a good person.”

”His salary is pretty good now, so he’s planning to bring his daughter here to live and go to school. Next week, Hu Yaowu’s mom is bringing the child over.”

”When the time comes, I’ll have my mother-in-law check her out for you. If Hu Yaowu’s mom is a good person too, then I’ll introduce you. But if his mom is a real piece of work, then no matter how good Hu Yaowu is, we’ll just forget about it and find someone else.”

Liang Xiaoyu knew the importance of having a good mother-in-law.

Chen Yishui deeply agreed, patting Sister Yun’s shoulder. ”Do you know why I divorced my ex-husband?”

Sister Yun was taken aback. ”Wasn’t it because your ex-husband cheated on you?”

”Uh, yes,” Chen Yishui said with a nod and a smile. ”But our relationship was great at first. We even fell in love on our own, so we had a solid foundation. But that mother-in-law of mine... she was black-hearted. Sweet on the outside, bitter on the inside.”

”My mom warned me about her before, but I didn’t believe it. I thought my ex-mother-in-law was just good with words and capable. It wasn’t until after we got married that I realized what a huge trap it was!”

”In front of my ex-husband, she’d act all busy, doing everything. But as soon as her son left for work, she wouldn’t lift a finger. That was one thing; I could do the work. But then she had the nerve to criticize me for not doing it well enough.”

”For the sake of my kids, I could tolerate it. But then she actually wanted to control my money. The money I worked so hard for out at sea—how could I possibly let her manage it? Besides, I had already seen that she was two-faced and extremely harsh with me.”

”I’m not a glutton for punishment, so why should I just hand over my hard-earned money to her? Any money that got into her hands would just end up funding her other relatives. So, she started badmouthing me to my ex-husband all day long, telling him all sorts of bad things about me. You can’t underestimate the power of constant dripping wearing away a stone. No matter how awful she was, she was still his mother.”

”So we started to argue. Later, we had a huge fight because she was mistreating my two kids. I took the children and went back to my parents’ house. Our feelings for each other faded, he cheated, and we got divorced.”

”Honestly, if my mother-in-law hadn’t been in the picture, I’m one hundred percent sure I wouldn’t have gotten a divorce. Of course, I’m not saying I miss the old days. I just think a mother-in-law plays such an important role in your life.”

Sister Tang nodded. ”Ah Yun, remember this: the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Children are usually a lot like their parents, so it matters what the elders in the family are like.”

Han Xiaorui completely agreed. ”Look at me. I’m so capable, but wasn’t I still despised by Zhang Xiufang back then? Of course, Yang Jianming was a real scumbag and a jerk, too.”

”To be honest, I can’t blame my divorce entirely on Zhang Xiufang. She was a secondary factor. The main problem was Yang Jianming, and I just lost all hope. In short, when it comes to marriage, you have to look at the man, but you also have to look at his mother.”

Sister Yun nodded. ”Thank you for all your help, sisters. I do want to get married, but I can’t just recklessly jump from one fiery pit into another.”

”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, I’ll have to trouble you and Sister Cai, then. When we get off the boat, I’ll buy you both a generous gift.”

Liang Xiaoyu waved her hand. ”No need to thank me, and you don’t have to buy anything. Once we’ve successfully set you up, just buy my mother-in-law a new outfit. That’s all. When Hu Yaowu’s mother comes over with the child, my mother-in-law just needs to spend a little time with her, and I guarantee she’ll have her all figured out for you.”

Liang Xiaoyu was very confident in her mother-in-law’s abilities.

Han Xiaorui sighed with emotion. ”Of everyone here, not a single one of us is as lucky as my Sister-in-law Xiao Yu. Just having a mother-in-law like Sister Cai saves you a lifetime of worry!”

Hearing this, everyone looked at Liang Xiaoyu with great envy.

Chen Yishui nodded in agreement. ”Back in the village, of all the people there, Sister Cai was pretty much the only one my mom thought was a good person.”

Liang Xiaoyu said proudly, ”But of course! Back then, I was head over heels for my boyfriend, but my dad said he was too good-looking and would end up fooling around just like my father-in-law.”

”But my mom said his mother was a good person and guaranteed I wouldn’t have to suffer at the hands of my mother-in-law if I married him. Growing up, I saw how my mom was bullied by my grandmother and my aunts-in-law because she only had my sister and me before finally having my little brother.”

”So I really understood the importance of a good mother-in-law and agreed to the marriage right away. My mom really is a steady judge of character. My mother-in-law is just wonderful. You all know about Wenjun’s situation. If it weren’t for my mother-in-law, I might have had a breakdown.”

As the women chatted about their lives, many feelings came to the surface. At the same time, they all felt that their lives were much better now.

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they forgot to haul in the net.

Xiao Dai rushed up, thrashing about in the water.

Han Xiaorui used Xiao Dai’s perspective to look at the fishing net on the seabed and immediately shouted, ”Haul in the net!”

Seeing that it was about time, Chen Yishui smiled. ”Let’s hope we get some good fish in our first haul.”

Everyone watched the bulging fishing net with anticipation.

When the fish landed on the deck, they saw that they were redfish.

Redfish are not only beautiful in appearance, but because they aren’t deep-sea fish, their mercury content is especially low.

They are especially suitable for pregnant women and children to eat, as they are very high in nutrients.

The texture is firm and springy, tougher and chewier than salmon.

It has a moderate fat content and a sweet aftertaste.

Han Xiaorui especially loved eating redfish.

Whether as sashimi, pan-fried, or steamed, it was all delicious.

Just as Han Xiaorui was about to pick out two good ones, Liu Huamei rushed over and picked up two that weren’t in the best condition.

”This one’s skin is torn; it won’t sell for a good price! We can eat it. It’ll taste the same!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”You’re always trying to save me money.”

Liu Huamei had been waiting for just this moment. ”Boss, I know you’re generous, but we can’t be wasteful.”

”This fish is thirteen or fourteen pounds. Its tail was bitten by another fish, ruining its appearance, but it doesn’t affect the taste of the meat on the rest of its body at all.”

”But since a fish like this won’t fetch a high price due to its poor appearance, isn’t it perfect for us to eat ourselves?”

”From now on, you all need to keep an eye out. We can’t let her be so recklessly generous! We all get a commission, so we need to remind the boss regularly.”

Han Xiaorui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She found an excuse, ”I was just worried you’d all say I was being cheap, always picking out the bad fish for you to eat.”

At this, Sister Tang burst out laughing. ”If it were any other boss, we’d be thrilled to eat some good fish, because most bosses would never be willing to let us eat the good stuff.”

”But you, Boss, you give us whatever’s tastiest! We get to benefit too, but let’s save the good-looking ones to sell. The ones that don’t look as good will taste the same once they’re cooked anyway.”

Sister Lan also smiled. ”That’s right. You’re too good a boss. Of course we crew members have to rein you in a bit.”

Everyone was inwardly thankful to have a good boss like Han Xiaorui. Working for a boss like her was satisfying, and they earned good money.

Just as they were talking, someone exclaimed, ”Xiao Rui, come test your knowledge! What kind of fish is this?”

It was another very experienced crew member, giving Han Xiaorui a little quiz.

Everyone temporarily stopped what they were doing and looked over, gathering around to see.

They could tell the fish was a type of red gurnard, but it looked slightly different from the local red gurnards.

Han Xiaorui wracked her brain, thinking back to the books she had read, and it finally came to her.