The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 476: Chapter 476: Fighting and Making Up

Huo Nian let out a hearty laugh. ”My son is being sent to the Western New Autonomous Region. Developing the economy there is incredibly difficult due to the climate. That’s why we’ve come to learn from your experience, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Ye Zheng grew even more confused. ”I don’t know much about that region, and economic development isn’t my forte. Your son is going there—didn’t you make any arrangements for him beforehand?”

Huo Nian chuckled slyly. ”Well, that’s what we’re doing right now, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Ye Zheng’s brow furrowed slightly. ”Old Huo, we’re old friends. Don’t speak in riddles. Just tell me, what’s really going on? If I can help, I will, but if it violates my principles, don’t even bring it up.”

After a lifetime of hard work, he wanted to preserve his integrity in his final years.

Huo Nian smiled. ”Old Ye, I was watching TV last night. There was a report on marine aquaculture, and I saw your daughter-in-law, Han Xiaorui.”

Ye Zheng had only watched the seven o’clock news last night. He wasn’t familiar with agricultural programs, as his main responsibilities were in the industrial sector.

”And? My daughter-in-law is in Shencheng, and your son is going to the New Autonomous Region. One’s in the far east, the other in the far west. What connection could there be? You know she’s in marine aquaculture, and there’s no sea in the New Autonomous Region!”

Huo Nian chuckled slyly. ”Your daughter-in-law said that they’ve not only mastered marine aquaculture but also the technology to raise seafood in saline-alkali soil. The place my son is being assigned to doesn’t have much, but it has plenty of sand and saline-alkali land. If we could introduce that technology and raise seafood in the New Autonomous Region, it would not only increase the local people’s income but also enrich the dinner tables of people in the west.”

In the past, seafood was only available by the coast. Transport by car and train was too slow, and air freight was too expensive.

It was very difficult for people inland to eat seafood.

Even if they could get it, it was frozen and extremely expensive.

Hearing this, it dawned on Ye Zheng. ”I’m not sure about this. I’ll ask around for you later.”

Huo Nian was excited. ”You don’t need to ask around! I just hope you can make a call over there. I’ll have Huo Guang go and learn from Ye Feng and Xiao Rui. If we can introduce the aquaculture technology, or even the fish fry, and raise seafood there, it would be a huge accomplishment.”

The younger generation needs impressive achievements to get promoted.

Without noteworthy achievements, one simply lacks standing.

If they could channel water to raise fish in the parts of the New Autonomous Region where crops couldn’t grow, it would definitely be a standout accomplishment.

Ye Zheng understood and nodded. ”Alright, I’ll call Xiao Rui and Ye Feng later. However, Huo Guang, when you go to investigate in person, it would be best if aquaculture is feasible, of course, but you must consider the costs.”

”If the costs are high, the price will be high, and ordinary people won’t be able to afford it. If the farmed seafood can’t be sold, then there’s not much point in promoting it. You must remember this.”

Huo Guang nodded. ”Thank you, Uncle Ye. When I get to Shencheng, I promise to learn with an open mind from Brother Ye and Xiao Rui.”

It was a favor that cost him nothing, so Ye Zheng agreed.

When Ye Feng received his father’s call, he was a bit unhappy. ”This Huo Guang is being ridiculous. How can you raise seafood in a place like that?”

Ye Zheng frowned. ”Didn’t Xiao Rui say she already has the technology to raise seafood in saline-alkali soil? If it’s not possible, she can’t be making such claims in the future.”

Ye Feng replied, ”The technology exists. Xiao Rui wasn’t making it up. But that’s for eastern saline-alkali soil. We don’t know if it will work on the western kind yet.”

”As long as she wasn’t making it up, that’s fine.” Ye Zheng smiled. ”We’re getting old. It’s time for your generation to build connections, to pave the way for yourselves and for your children.”

Ye Feng, of course, understood his father’s words. ”Dad, I get it. I’ll talk to Xiao Rui about it in a bit.”

After hanging up, Ye Feng wiped his children’s mouths.

His children were teething lately and constantly drooled.

If their mouths weren’t wiped often, they would get a red rash underneath. They were so delicate.

When Ye Feng wiped his daughter’s mouth, he was meticulous, but when he wiped his son’s, he was a bit perfunctory.

Han Xiaorui came out of the shower, saw Ye Feng carelessly wiping their son’s mouth, and was not pleased.

”Ye Feng, how could you do that? So your daughter is your child, but your son isn’t?”

Ye Feng quickly took the cloth and wiped his son’s mouth again. ”Xiao Rui, I think you’re right about most things, but when it comes to raising a son, I think you’re completely wrong.”

”You can’t coddle a son. ’Good enough’ is good enough. Spoiling a son is like killing him. You have to be tougher on a son. You can’t just arrange everything perfectly for him.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui got so angry she fiercely pinched the flesh on Ye Feng’s waist. ”How old is he, and you’re already using that ’raise boys the rough way’ philosophy? You remember to put pomade on your own hair every morning, shave your face, and wear neat clothes. Shouldn’t you do the same for your child?”

”You just wait. Tomorrow when we go to Grandma’s, I’m going to tell on you to Grandma and Auntie! I’ll tell them you’re raising our son as roughly as a pig. You suffered when you were little, so now you want our child to suffer too? Then what are we working so hard for?”

In the past, Ye Feng would have given in long ago, but when it came to his children, he had always believed they must be raised the hard way.

”Xiao Rui, I grew up in a residential compound! The kids who had a rough-and-tumble upbringing all ended up accomplished. But the ones who were pampered rotten—the kind whose parents would give them the sun if they asked for the moon—they were never punished, even when they did wrong. In the end, they all grew up into troublemakers who couldn’t tell right from wrong.”

Seeing that Ye Feng had misunderstood her, Han Xiaorui became even more displeased. Not only did she not let go, but she twisted even harder.

”Gently, be gentle!” Ye Feng winced from the pinch. ’How can her tiny fingernails be this painful?’

Han Xiaorui said, ”Educating children doesn’t mean making them suffer! If the kids make a mistake, I’ll discipline them before you even have to say a word.”

”But the children haven’t done anything wrong! They’re just enjoying a slightly better material life. Is that so wrong? Then what’s the point of us working so hard to earn so much money? What was the point of the country’s Reform and Opening-Up?”

”Besides, the kids are only a little over six months old, and you’re already applying this philosophy to them. Don’t you think that’s going too far? He’s drooling because he’s teething; he can’t control it.”

”If I see you being so careless with our son again, don’t blame me for getting rough! Go sleep on the sofa. Don’t come into my room.”

With that, Han Xiaorui opened the door and pushed Ye Feng out.

When it came to educating her children, Han Xiaorui would absolutely not back down.

Han Xiaoqing was on summer break and living on the third floor.

Wanting a piece of fruit, she came down from the third floor, only to see her brother-in-law being kicked out of the second-floor bedroom by her sister.

Ye Feng heard the noise, saw Han Xiaoqing, and gave an awkward smile. ”Xiao Jing, your sister and I weren’t fighting!”

”Oh!” Han Xiaoqing suppressed a laugh and quickly went downstairs, not wanting to embarrass her brother-in-law.

Ye Feng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Han Xiaoqing had caught him in an embarrassing situation.

”Xiao Rui, open the door.” Ye Feng knocked. ”I’m only in my boxers! Xiao Jing just went downstairs and saw me...”