Old Lian’s family had a great haul that day. As they rowed their boat to the port, the vessel overflowing with little yellow croakers drew significant attention.
A crowd gathered, their envy and admiration evident.
Old Lian didn’t hide anything and openly shared how they had encountered the yellow croaker shoal.
At this time, the sea was still abundant with fish, as overfishing hadn’t yet become a problem. While wild yellow croaker shoals became rare in later years, they were relatively common during this era.
Due to their tender, delicious meat and affordability, yellow croakers were highly sought after by buyers.
Old Lian measured out ten pounds of yellow croakers for Song Wei and Lin Zhen. He set aside some for his family and to send to his daughter at the military family compound. The rest he sold off.
As for the East Star Grouper that Song Wei had caught, it fetched an excellent price. Being a rare and sought-after fish, and with Old Lian’s deliberate promotion, it was quickly sold. He even joked that the yellow croaker shoal might have been attracted by the grouper’s luck.
The grouper caught the attention of a state-owned restaurant’s chef, who purchased it for a high price of 30 yuan.
As for the remaining fish they had caught with their rods, Song Wei and Lin Zhen chose not to sell them and took them home instead.
Song Wei planned to dry the yellow croakers into salted fish to take back to Ping’an Village when they returned.
After picking up Heidan and the two wolf pups, Lin Zhen cooked a feast to celebrate. He even invited Song Jing to join them after his training.
“I took a lot of photos today,” Song Wei said during the meal. “I’ll go to the photo studio tomorrow to get them developed.”
The pictures included shots of the sea, the fishing net being cast, them reeling in fish, and the yellow croaker shoal they encountered later. She had used up an entire roll of film.
Lin Zhen nodded. “I’ll take them to the studio tomorrow.”
“Make extra copies of the photos for the fishermen,” Song Wei added.
After dinner, Heidan eagerly asked Song Wei to recount their fishing trip.
Her animated storytelling left Heidan brimming with excitement, so much so that he desperately wanted to join them next time.
Unfortunately, he was too young. Even the fishermen didn’t let their own children go to sea, no matter how skilled they were at swimming.
The next two days brought bad weather, so the fishermen stayed ashore, and Song Wei didn’t head to the coast either. Instead, she took the wolf pups for walks.
When the photos were finally developed, there were over twenty pictures in total. Twelve were from the fishing trip, while the rest featured their group.
Heidan beamed with joy when he saw his picture, letting out an excited howl that almost set the wolf pups howling along with him.
“This is me! This is Wolf One and Wolf Two! This is Sister Song! And this is Big Brother!”
Seeing his own photo for the first time, Heidan was thrilled and proud.
“When I go back, I’m going to show this to everyone in the village! They’ll all be so jealous!”
He clutched the photos tightly, already imagining how he’d show them off.
“Take your time looking at them, but don’t ruin them,” Song Wei reminded.
She then turned to Lin Zhen and asked, “How are things on your end? No trouble so far?”
She had given him all the money from selling the fish, as well as the gold bracelet they had obtained from the robbers.
“Don’t worry,” Lin Zhen reassured her. “I’m staying cautious.”
Lin Zhen was good at blending in. So far, those running the black market had no idea what he looked like.
Using the funds they had pooled together, Lin Zhen had already purchased many valuable items from the black market at low prices. His plan was to sell them across several cities on their way back north rather than relying on a single market.
However, he wanted to discuss another matter with Song Wei.
“I’ve heard that policies might change in a couple of years. Once we return, I plan to start driving trucks again. If the policies do shift, I’ll reassess whether to continue or try something else.”
He laid out his plans transparently, and Song Wei fully supported him.
“You really do have your sources, don’t you?”
Lin Zhen smiled. Although he wasn’t in the military anymore, he still had connections with people in high places, making it easier for him to gather information.
The day after receiving the photos, Song Wei visited Aunt Lian.
When Aunt Lian saw the pictures of her father and brother, her face lit up with joy, her eyes nearly disappearing into her smile.
“These turned out great!”
“My father and brother are going to be so happy when they see these. Song Wei, do you still have your camera? Could you take a picture of me and my kids too?”
She had never had her picture taken before, and it felt unfair that her father and brother had photos before she did.
“Of course,” Song Wei agreed. “Once they’re developed, I’ll bring them to you.”
“That’s wonderful! Just one photo is enough. And don’t think I’ll let you do it for free—I’ll pay you for it.”
Song Wei tried to decline the payment, but Aunt Lian sternely refused. “No, no, I insist. If you won’t take my money, I can’t let you take the photo.”
Laughing, Song Wei relented. She liked dealing with straightforward and fair people like Aunt Lian.
Aunt Lian called her three children over, straightened their clothes and hair, and stood in front of Song Wei with a big smile.
The kids, thrilled at the idea of being photographed, put on their brightest smiles, hoping to look their best in the picture.
After capturing the moment, Song Wei handed over the three photos she had developed for the fishermen.
“Take these to the village. I’m sure they’ll be excited to see them.”
“Absolutely! I’ll give one to the village chief and one to my father. As for the third, I’ll figure out who gets it later, but I’ll make sure it’s worth it.”
Satisfied, Song Wei smiled and left the arrangements to Aunt Lian.
“Oh, by the way,” Aunt Lian added, “I heard you want to go out to sea again. Does your fiance know how to row a boat?”
Song Wei paused. Lin Zhen probably didn’t.
“I’ll ask my brother if he can join us instead,” she replied.
“Your brother should be able to manage. I know of an available fishing boat. My uncle is sick and won’t be using it for a while. If you’re interested, I can help you rent it. You’d just need to pay a bit, and you could use it to go out to sea on your own.”
Song Wei’s eyes lit up. “That would be perfect! Thank you so much!”
“It’s no trouble.”
At Song Jing’s rank, he could take leave or swap shifts to handle personal matters when he wasn’t on mission.
But when Song Wei went to find him, she stumbled upon a dramatic scene: her brother was cornered and the person who cornered him was someone Song Wei knew—Su Li.
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