Chapter 51: The Best Candidate

Chu Xuan held the long tongs, fully focused.

But after several tries, she still couldn’t manage it.

In fact, in both her lifetimes combined, she hadn’t caught live eels more than twice.

Mu Chenze stood with his arms crossed, watching patiently.

Chu Xuan felt a bit embarrassed, letting this guy see her make a fool of herself.

She tried a few more times. She managed to grab one, but the eel slipped away halfway and fell back into the tidal pool.

She was secretly relieved it hadn’t fallen onto her hands or body...

Finally, Mu Chenze couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up, “Give me the tongs.”

Chu Xuan handed them over immediately, smiling, “Please teach me.”

Catching eels took real skill.

Mu Chenze picked up the tongs. In less than a minute, all three eels were in the bucket.

Chu Xuan cheered and applauded for him, “You’re amazing! Can you teach me today?”

“Some other day.”

“When exactly is ‘some other day’?”

“When I’m in a good mood.”

“You caught so many fish, and you’re still not in a good mood? Why?”

“Because employees don’t listen to their boss.”

As he spoke, Mu Chenze grabbed a bass and put it in the bucket.

He handed the tongs back to Chu Xuan and got ready to head back.

Chu Xuan put the bucket into her basket. She hadn’t been scared while catching the fish, but now, carrying the basket on her back, her scalp tingled and she broke out in goosebumps.

“Mu Chenze, wait for me!”

Mu Chenze deliberately didn’t wait, wanting her to spend a little more time alone with the eels.

Chu Xuan finally made it near the dock. Only then did Mu Chenze take the wooden bucket out of her basket. “I’ll take these to the city to sell at dawn. For now, I’ll leave them at Li Tong’s stall.”

“You can do that? Won’t Li Tong be unhappy?”

He’s just watching over them, not getting to buy them—he doesn’t make any money from it, uh...

Mu Chenze replied with certainty, “He won’t. I know him.”

Selling in the city would definitely fetch a higher price.

Chu Xuan readily agreed, “Thanks for your hard work. I’ll head back first, no need to wait for you, right?”

Mu Chenze put on a look of disdain, “I don’t recall asking you to wait for me.”

Chu Xuan didn’t mind at all, because she knew this guy was warm-hearted beneath his cold exterior.

He acted annoyed, but in reality, he was full of warmth and kindness.

“I’m off, then. You’ve had a long day—go home and rest early.”

Mu Chenze grunted in acknowledgment, picked up the bucket, and headed to the dock.

On her way back, Chu Xuan deliberately took a detour past Feng Chunhua’s house.

The front gate was tightly shut, but there were lights on in the yard.

Chu Xuan stood outside the courtyard wall for a while.

She didn’t hear Feng Chunhua’s voice, but she did hear Chu Zhi and a woman talking.

“Xiao Li, my family’s got money now. Why don’t you stay with me tonight?”

“No way! You can look but not touch. Wait until you marry me properly, then we’ll talk.”

“You’re already staying over—even if nothing happens, people will assume it did.”

“Let people think what they want. I only care about you.”

“So how much is your family asking for as a bride price?”

“Two thousand yuan! Not a cent less.”

“Are you robbing me?!”

Chu Xuan didn’t listen any further.

Back then, Feng Chunhua and Chu Zhi had wanted her to ask Mu Chenze for a two-thousand-yuan bride price. Now the tables had turned, and Chu Zhi was being asked for two thousand by Pan Xiaoli.

In her previous life, Pan Xiaoli hadn’t married Chu Zhi, but this time, who knows—it could happen.

If Feng Chunhua’s money got taken, she’d definitely try to get more somehow.

If only someone could keep an eye on Feng Chunhua...

As Chu Xuan passed by Hua Daling’s house, she heard Hua Daling complaining, “We can barely put food on the table. You can’t just lie around all day and not look for work.”

“My leg’s busted like this, and you still want me to go out and work? Why don’t you go? I heard Widow Niu found a job—you should try too!”

“You think I don’t want to ask Chu Xuan? But I feel guilty. I always knew her dad wasn’t Feng Chunhua’s biological child, but I helped keep it a secret. I’m too ashamed to go ask her for work.”

Hearing this, Chu Xuan started to form a plan.

After what happened with Feng Ti, Feng Chunhua had money, but Hua Daling’s family didn’t. That meant Feng Chunhua hadn’t bribed Hua Daling.

So what Hua Daling told the security team must have been the truth.

Right now, Hua Daling and Feng Chunhua weren’t in cahoots.

As for someone to keep an eye on Feng Chunhua, Hua Daling was the perfect candidate.

She just needed to figure out how to use her.

She’d wait for Hua Daling to come and ask for work.

By the time Chu Xuan got home, it was already past ten at night.

Only Chu Feng was still up; everyone else had gone home to rest, and all the dried fish had been put in their designated spots.

Chu Feng took out the account book and reported everything: how much wages were paid today, how much was spent on supplies...

For a twelve-year-old, he was doing really well.

All Chu Xuan had to do was calculate the profit and see how much money was left.

She realized her little brother had a natural talent for numbers—something worth nurturing.

“Little brother, do you want to learn how to use an abacus?”

Actually, Chu Feng had wanted to for a while. “Yes! I’ve always been so envious watching Accountant Wen in the village use his abacus.”

“I’ll mention it to Grandpa Wang tomorrow and see if he can put in a good word for you—maybe you can apprentice with Accountant Wen.”

“Great!” After his excitement faded, Chu Feng noticed that the only tool his sister had brought back from the beach was a wooden bucket. “Sis, where’s our bucket? How did the fishing go today?”

Chu Xuan answered while washing up, “The bucket’s full of eels and such. I asked Mu Chenze to take them to the city to sell tonight.”

“Sis, the Mu family is so nice!”

“They really are! Oh, by the way, Xiao Feng, if Hua Daling comes by looking for work, don’t turn her down right away...”

Chu Xuan successfully changed the subject.

Meanwhile, Qin Mahua was sitting in the main room, counting the day’s fish sales with Fu Qing.

Mu Qinlao and Mu Chenfu had already gone to bed.

“We brought in so much today! If we sold directly in the city, wouldn’t we make even more? Eldest daughter-in-law, tell Da Fu tomorrow: from now on, save the ribbonfish for Xiao Ze to sell in the city, okay?”

Just then, Mu Chenze walked in. “The boss in the city doesn’t buy ribbonfish anymore—he’s only dealing in abalone, sea cucumber, and premium shrimp. Mom, tell Dad and Big Brother tomorrow: if they catch any sea eels, save them for me. I want to give them to someone. That person loves sea eel.”

“Alright.”

Ten minutes later, Mu Chenze was lying on his kang, deep in thought.

He hadn’t told Chu Xuan that he was actually buying the seafood himself to give away.

How much should he pay Chu Xuan tomorrow?

The more he got to know her, the more he realized what a good person she was.

She wouldn’t lend him money, so he’d help her in another way!

After all, she’d run back to save him when the car was about to hit, risking her own life.

She always called him silly.

But she was just as silly herself.

He drifted off to sleep.

At midnight, the alarm went off, and he groggily got up.

He washed his face to wake up.

Hopefully everything would go smoothly today.

At 1 a.m., a truck picked up Chu Xuan and over three hundred jin of dried fish.

By 3 a.m., Chu Xuan was already setting up her stall in the city, and Mu Chenze was off making deliveries.

Before she’d even made her first sale, she heard someone hawking nearby: “Freshly roasted fish fillets! Three flavors! Only 1.5 yuan a jin—cheap and delicious! Come take a look!”

Chu Xuan had expected to be copied, but not this fast.

And the price was even lower..."