Chapter 10: Scheming Sister? Stealing Seafood

Chu Xuan wasn’t about to give her a chance.

She quickly reached out, grabbed the fish, and dropped it into her newly bought iron bucket.

Only then did she see clearly that it was Aunt Hua.

Normally, Aunt Hua was known for her sharp tongue, but she’d never actually tried to snatch someone else’s catch before.

What was going on today?

Aunt Hua saw that Chu Xuan had already caught the fish, so there was no point in rushing anymore. She came to a sudden stop and plopped down on the wet sand, getting her pants dirty, but she didn’t care. With a forced smile, she tried to negotiate, “Xiao Xuan, I was a bit rash just now. My sister-in-law from my mother’s side really needs a blackfish. She’s a high-risk mother, forty years old, just had a C-section a week ago, and her wound isn’t healing well…”

Chu Xuan knew that blackfish was good for healing wounds and replenishing blood.

Usually, you might get lucky and find blackfish at the wharf, but it wasn’t common.

But after Aunt Hua’s attempt to snatch the fish, Chu Xuan really didn’t feel like just giving it away for free.

She deliberately said, “Aunt Hua, I was just thinking whether to make blackfish tofu soup tonight, or maybe braised or stir-fried. It’s rare for Xiao Feng and me to have a chance to eat something nice.”

Aunt Hua said, pained, “I still have five or six jin of dried scallops at home. How about I trade them for your blackfish?”

That hit Chu Xuan’s sweet spot. She’d just had mackerel yesterday, and today she really wanted some dried scallops.

Just thinking about scallop and cabbage soup or steamed eggs with scallops made her mouth water.

It was already late June, and it was hard to find plump scallops at this time of year.

The best scallops here were from November to April. Aunt Hua’s dried scallops were made at the end of April, so they were nice and plump.

Before the family split, if Chu Xuan and Chu Feng wanted to eat the Chu family’s dried scallops, they had to sneak them, which was always a bitter memory.

She hadn’t expected Aunt Hua to know her so well.

“Alright then! After 7:30 tonight, bring five jin of dried scallops to my place and we’ll trade for the fish!”

As soon as she finished speaking, an annoying voice sounded behind Chu Xuan. “No way! I want that blackfish. Chu Xuan, you have to give it to me out of respect! I’m your grandmother, after all!”

It was Feng Chunhua.

Before Chu Xuan could respond, Aunt Hua spoke up, “You’ve cut ties, and you still have the nerve to call yourself Xiao Xuan’s grandmother? Shameless! Xiao Xuan, you keep gathering seafood. Leave this old hag to me!”

Chu Xuan shot Aunt Hua an approving look, ignored Feng Chunhua, filled her bucket with some seawater, and went on searching for more seafood.

Feng Chunhua tried to stop her, but Aunt Hua blocked her.

Both Aunt Hua and Feng Chunhua were famous “tigresses” in the village. Who would win today was anyone’s guess.

But Chu Xuan didn’t have time to watch the fight, because she’d just spotted another stranded blackfish—this one looked to be seven or eight jin!

She wondered if she’d come across a pair of blackfish.

Happily, she caught it and put it in her bucket.

After that, she only found some small fry, which she released back into the sea, and picked up about twenty clams—nice and plump this time of year.

Just as she was about to go find her little brother, he came over carrying a wooden bucket full of seafood.

He looked proud. “Sis, look! I got a whole bucket of seafood—clams, sea snails, swimming crabs. Even though it’s not the best season for crabs, we can still have a taste or sell them for some money…”

Chu Xuan was surprised at how capable her brother was, but she asked suspiciously, “Did you really find all this yourself?”

Chu Feng’s eyes darted away. “I had a few kids help me. I paid them—promised each two pieces of mint candy.”

Chu Xuan was all too familiar with that guilty look. In her previous life, every time he looked like that, he’d gotten her into trouble.

“Xiao Feng, tell me the truth! Otherwise, I’ll go ask the others by the rocks. I’m sure they know what happened.”

Only then did Chu Feng confess, “I took Liu Zhaodi and the Sanleng siblings’ seafood…”

He hung his head, not daring to go on.

He could see the anger in his sister’s eyes. His first instinct was to run, but reason told him that getting scolded here was better than getting beaten at home.

Chu Xuan kicked him in the butt. “Why did you take the Liu siblings’ seafood? Don’t you know how hard it is for a sister to raise her brother? And Liu Zhaodi is raising two younger brothers all by herself! Their mother’s bedridden and needs medicine all year round. You little brat, I ought to kick you to death so you don’t cause trouble for others!”

She kicked him a few more times.

Thinking of how Chu Feng spent the second half of his previous life in prison, Chu Xuan knew she had to discipline him and set him on the right path.

After a few kicks, Chu Feng put down the bucket and started to cry. “I just wanted to make some money. Grandma always told me, if you’re going to steal, steal from people weaker than you, so you don’t get beaten up…”

Chu Xuan’s raised foot suddenly couldn’t come down. It was her own negligence—she hadn’t taught her brother the right values. “Xiao Feng, remember, stealing is wrong, and stealing from people weaker than you is not only wrong, it’s cowardly! That’s not what a man does! You don’t want to be a coward, do you?”

Thinking of all the times he’d been beaten by the Chu family for being weak, Chu Feng wiped his tears. “I don’t want to be a coward. I want to be brave!”

At that moment, he felt his sister was right to hit him.

“Good! A brave person admits their mistakes and takes responsibility. Pick up the bucket—we’re going to apologize together.”

Chu Xuan carried her iron bucket in front, Chu Feng followed behind with the wooden bucket.

They didn’t see Feng Chunhua or Aunt Hua on the way, probably because their fight was over and they’d gone home.

Before they even reached Liu Zhaodi’s house, they saw her and her two brothers, Erleng and Sanleng, rushing over, each holding a stick.

Chu Xuan immediately understood—they were here to settle the score with Xiao Feng.

She quickly explained, “Zhaodi, I brought Xiao Feng to apologize and return your seafood.”

She gave Xiao Feng a gentle push, signaling him to hand over the bucket.

He did so at once, and apologized sincerely, “Zhaodi, Erleng, Sanleng, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have taken your seafood. And Zhaodi, I shouldn’t have hurt you. I saw you were bleeding…”

Hearing the word “hurt,” Chu Xuan’s anger flared again. Her brother just kept getting her into trouble!

She glared at Chu Feng and gritted her teeth. “Why didn’t you say so earlier! Hurting a girl—just wait till we get home!”

Chu Xuan forced a smile and offered a seven or eight jin blackfish. “Zhaodi, I’m really sorry. I didn’t discipline Xiao Feng well enough. Take this fish to help you recover. Let your brothers take the seafood home—I’ll take you to the village clinic to get your wound treated, and I’ll cover all the medical expenses…”

Now it was Liu Zhaodi’s turn to feel embarrassed. She waved her hands. “It’s not the kind of injury you think. I’ll be fine in a few days. As long as we get our seafood back, that’s enough. I don’t need the blackfish.”

Only then did Chu Xuan realize Liu Zhaodi was on her period.

But she couldn’t take the blackfish back.

In another ten years, Liu Zhaodi would be incredibly successful, and her two brothers would become tycoons. This was a family you absolutely couldn’t afford to offend.

Everyone who had crossed them ended up getting payback tenfold.

Their fate was nothing short of tragic."