Chapter 103: Reminders

September 18, 2023

Author: Zi Tao

Mu Chenze deliberately looked at Chu Xuan as if she were an idiot.

“Silly Xuan, can’t you use your brain a little? Is Li Tong’s family the only one who buys fish?”

Chu Xuan didn’t get upset—after all, she owed him so much.

She smoothed her messy bangs to the side so they wouldn’t block her view. “You’re right! If we sell to someone else, it won’t be so obvious. When we get near the docks, you go sell the catch by yourself.”

Today, her family had sold so much fish, earning more than the regular fishermen who went out to sea. It was bound to make others jealous.

Mu Chenze gently patted Chu Xuan on the head. “Think a bit harder.”

Chu Xuan looked confused. “How am I supposed to think harder?”

“What do you think your buddy here does for a living?”

“You’re a fisherman, what else?” As she spoke, Chu Xuan suddenly realized what Mu Chenze meant. “I get it! You also buy fish to take to the city!”

“Exactly.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? We just sold two and a half truckloads of fish to Li Tong…”

“I only thought of it after talking to Li Tong. Next time you run into a windfall like this from a typhoon, remember to come to me first.”

“Of course. By the way, since you came out to the shore with me, who’s helping you buy fish at the docks?”

“My family, of course. When we get near the docks, I’ll take the fish over myself. You can just head home. If the weather’s good, I’ll bring you the money when I get back.”

“Thanks for your hard work! Your family sure is brave, though—waiting at the docks in this weather just to buy fish.”

“They’re just near the docks, not right on them. Besides, there are plenty of people scavenging for fish nearby. The typhoon blew a lot of fish ashore over there too.”

Chu Xuan remembered that, in her previous life, the typhoon would swing back around at about three in the morning the next day.

She quickly reminded him, “I heard there’ll be another typhoon around two or three in the morning tomorrow. If you’re going to the city to sell fish, make sure you’re back before then.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll be back before midnight tonight.”

The two of them walked and talked in the rain, and before they knew it, they were near the docks.

After watching Chu Xuan walk off into the distance, Mu Chenze called his family over to help move the fish and the sea ducks tied together in bunches.

When his family asked where he’d gotten the fish, Mu Chenze just made up a story about someone from the neighboring village.

About twenty minutes later, Chu Xuan arrived home. The rain had eased up a bit.

As soon as she walked in, Chu Feng came running over with a clean towel. “Sis, you must be exhausted! I already made dinner—it’s in the pot.”

Chu Xuan felt a wave of warmth. She took the towel and wiped the rain from her face and hair. Even with a rain hat, her hair was soaked.

“No rush for dinner. While the rain’s light, I’ll go fetch a few buckets of water.”

She planned to take a hot bath.

Chu Feng smiled. “You weren’t home earlier, so Aunt Niu helped carry three loads of water.”

Chu Xuan was surprised. “How did Aunt Niu know we needed water?”

“I was heading out with the buckets, and she saw me. She couldn’t bear to see me, a little guy, carrying water in the rain, so she brought three loads over for us.”

Chu Xuan walked over to the big water tank, lifted the lid, and saw it was full to the brim.

She made a mental note to remember this kindness.

“Did anyone else come by while I was out?”

“After Aunt Niu left, Grandma Gao and Uncle Mingchen stopped by. They saw our mud-brick house was fine and checked that the water tank was full before leaving.”

Chu Xuan felt a warm glow inside. It was nice to have people who cared.

“Got it.”

She went into the kitchen, took off her raincoat and hung it on the door, then got out the food and started eating.

Chu Feng had already eaten and was sitting nearby brewing herbal medicine.

They’d been so busy collecting fish and making money today that they hadn’t had time to make the medicine.

He also started boiling a pot of hot water.

After dinner, Chu Xuan took a hot bath, changed into clean clothes, washed some laundry, and hung it on the rope in the kitchen.

Chu Feng handed her a bowl of herbal medicine at just the right temperature, and Chu Xuan drank it all in one go.

She’d just sipped some warm water to chase away the bitter taste when there was a knock at the door.

“Xiao Xuan, it’s me. Open up.”

It was Hua Daling’s voice.

Chu Feng grabbed Chu Xuan’s arm. “Sis, you scolded Aunt Hua’s son this afternoon. Now she’s here at night—do you think she’s here to settle the score?”

Chu Xuan knew Aunt Hua wasn’t the type to blindly defend her son. She probably had something else to discuss.

“I’ll go see. You wait in the kitchen.”

“I’d better go with you.”

He didn’t want his sister to get the short end of the stick.

Chu Xuan saw through her little brother’s worries and reassured him, “Aunt Hua isn’t here to pick a fight. Don’t worry, I asked her to come.”

That put Chu Feng at ease, and he stayed in the kitchen.

The rain was coming down harder again, and the wind was picking up.

Chu Xuan grabbed an umbrella and went to open the door, almost having the umbrella blown inside out.

For Aunt Hua to come over in this kind of weather, it had to be important.

She opened the gate.

Aunt Hua was wearing a raincoat and boots, holding a flashlight. She shone it around to make sure no one was nearby before speaking in a low voice, “Xiao Xuan, I overheard Feng Chunhua saying she’s catching the 2 a.m. train to Haishi tomorrow. I knew it couldn’t wait, so I braved the rain to tell you.”

Chu Xuan remembered that in her previous life, Feng Chunhua hadn’t left home—she’d broken her leg instead.

Could it be that she’d actually tried to sneak out, had an accident, and failed to leave?

The typhoon would swing back around after three in the morning, and Feng Chunhua’s train was at two. The train would definitely be delayed or canceled.

Feng Chunhua definitely wouldn’t make it out.

“Aunt Hua, thank you for coming all this way. But I’ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on her. She won’t be able to leave tomorrow morning. I heard there’ll be another typhoon.”

Aunt Hua agreed without hesitation. “No problem! I love keeping an eye on her. By the way, I heard Ge Dan tried to borrow money using my name and got caught? Next time he tries that, give him a good kick for me. If he hadn’t run so fast, I’d have beaten him so bad he couldn’t walk! Always siding with outsiders, always wanting money to please his mother-in-law.”

Thinking of Ge Dan’s fate in her previous life, Chu Xuan warned, “Aunt Hua, no matter how useless Ge Dan is, you can’t just let him stay at his mother-in-law’s. I heard she’s no good—if she teaches him to steal or cheat, you’ll have nowhere to cry!”

Aunt Hua slapped her thigh. “Good thing you reminded me! I never realized he always comes back worse after visiting his mother-in-law. Tomorrow I’ll drag him home and set him straight! I’ll get going now!”

“Here, take this.” Chu Xuan shoved a basket of small miscellaneous fish into Aunt Hua’s arms. “It’s not worth much, so I didn’t bother selling it. Take it home for a meal.”

“I’ll just take a few.”

Aunt Hua tried to put it back, but Chu Xuan stopped her.

“There’s plenty at home—enough for Xiao Feng to eat for half a month. I’m on herbal medicine and can’t eat fish, you know that!”

With Chu Xuan insisting, Aunt Hua finally accepted it.

The basket weighed at least thirty jin (about 15 kg). It wasn’t much for Chu Xuan, but for Aunt Hua, it could be salted and last as meat for over ten days.

After watching Aunt Hua leave, Chu Xuan had just locked the door and was about to tidy up the kitchen when there was another knock.

She called out, “Who is it?”

“Chu Xuan, it’s me, Li Tong’s wife. My son Li Lin and I are here to bring you your money.”

Chu Xuan hurried to open the door.

She’d made a good bit of money tonight!

There was no electricity or candles in the bedroom, so she invited the mother and son into the kitchen.

There, they had candles and a flashlight.

Li Lin, still in his raincoat, took an account book out of his pocket and handed it to Chu Xuan. “Check the accounts first.”"