Chapter 332 A Busy Family

Chapter 332 A Busy Family

Chapter 332 A Busy Family

"I'll spare your life this time!" Brother Li said, and then he squatted down and touched the stones, laughing happily, "A Le, I think going out to sea with you is just one word, it's fun!"

When I was working on the fishing boats on the South Coast, I was as tired as an ox every day and had to face people’s contempt. It’s hard now, but I feel comfortable in my heart. No matter how hard or tired I am, I am happy.

Li Changle raised two fingers with a playful smile, "You said two words, okay?"

"You little brat, you're not going to say anything to me about feeling uncomfortable, are you?"

Brother Li smiled and kicked him, took out the banknotes and pressed them with stones, and then put a few sacks on top, "Let's go and pack up the fishing gear."

"okay!"

The advantage of a big ship is that the rubber buckets, plastic buckets and bamboo baskets can be directly loaded into the bottom hold after being rinsed clean at the dock, without having to carry them in and out.

The two brothers packed up the fishing gear that they didn't need to take away, then moved the things that needed to be taken away onto the cart and pulled it back.

Brother Li looked back at his own big ship and smiled happily, "Ah Le, now I know what it means to stand out from the crowd."

"Brother, you are talking about me, right? I am not bragging, if I were born in Hong Kong or Taiwan, I would have been invited to film a TV series long ago."

As Li Changle spoke, he stroked his greasy curly hair a few times and deliberately struck a pose that he thought looked cool and handsome.

"Get lost!" Brother Li slapped him in anger and pointed at the Xusheng. "I'm talking about this one!"

Li Changle turned his head to look at the Xusheng, then at the wooden boat parked next to it. He immediately understood what he meant and laughed awkwardly, "He really stands out from the crowd. He's as handsome as me."

"You idiot!" Brother Li looked at him with his eyes almost popping out, "Luckily Xiaohai and Xiaozhou are like my brother's sisters, not like you!"

"It's not good for a boy to be like An Nan. He is too thin-skinned and won't be able to get a wife in the future!"

"What a twisted logic! You have to be down-to-earth. Not every woman has the good character of my sister-in-law."

"Yes, my Anan has the best character."

"Now that your family is well off, you should also treat your younger siblings well."

"Don't worry, the men in our family are not playboys!"

"I don't know where you learned all these weird words."

The two brothers walked to the corner of the pier, chatting and laughing, and met a group of women who had just returned from fishing. They heard a lot of compliments and received a lot of envious looks.

Brother Li pulled the cart downhill to the foot of Nanshan Mountain and said, "Ah Le, the diesel fuel at Uncle Zhang's friend's house is one cent cheaper per liter than at the dock.

How about talking to Uncle Zhang and asking them to deliver the diesel directly to the dock? We use a lot, so we can save a lot of money each time."

"Okay! And ice cubes. The price here at the dock is also more expensive than Uncle Zhang's friend's. When you tell him about this, decide on the source of ice cubes as well."

"Then when you go to paint the bridge tomorrow, come back and go to Uncle Zhang to settle this matter."

"Okay, I'll also send some fresh food to his house." Li Changle said, thinking about buying a house again, "Brother, Uncle Kun helped me find two shops.

One is across from Chen Ji, the owner is planning to sell it. The other is at the end of the street, if you rent both together, it’s 70 dollars a month.”

Li Erge certainly didn't consider the place across from Chen Ji. He said with some disdain, "The one at the end of the street is still 70 yuan a month. The rent at Tuxiaqiao is quite expensive!"

As he spoke, he thought about the rent for Zhou's mother's two shops, "Ah Le, your mother-in-law only charges us thirty yuan a month. Isn't she losing money?"

"My mother-in-law's house is not in the city center. Others rent a double-bay room like hers for 40 yuan a month. She said we are all family, so 30 yuan a month is fine."

"Ah! This is a huge favor. We have to raise the rent back."

"No, she won't want it even if I give it to her." Li Changle changed the subject, "Brother, Uncle Kun said... I want to go see the house opposite Chen Ji tomorrow. If it's suitable, I want to buy it."

"It's more than 9,000 yuan. The interest on a deposit in a credit union is more than 70 yuan a month. Don't just think about it. Go back and discuss it with your sister-in-law before making any plans."

"I must discuss this with An Nan." Li Changle paused, "Brother, you have to change your mindset. Don't just think about saving the money and earning interest, or lending it to others and earning interest."

"There is no household in the village that would not pay back the money they borrowed, except for Wang Laokou. When he had money, he paid back the food and cash he borrowed, including the principal and interest."

"There are some deadbeats in the village right now who don't pay back the money they borrowed, but that doesn't mean there won't be any in the future. Uncle Kun said that in the future... if you want to have children with the money you have, you have to buy some property..."

"People with ability see things differently from us. You buy first this time, and we'll buy some later if we have the chance."

"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future!"

When the two brothers got home, they saw a group of children gathered around three round tables helping to cut shrimp whiskers and peel shrimps.

Li Xiaohai, Li Xiaotao and others were telling their friends excitedly about their big boat and the big fish they had caught.

"My father said that marlin was twice as long as him, and it was also chased by a great white shark and fled all over the ocean."

"The snout of my big marlin is so long, much longer than the spears on the stage."

"My dad is really awesome! There was a strong wind last night, and they were still sailing back on the sea. The waves were higher than the roof, and their boat was running on the waves..." "There are also a few big conchs in the live cabin. I have several of them. They were all polished for me by Uncle Awei. They look very beautiful..."

Brother Li glanced at Li Changle and said, "Your Xiaohai is much more like a child now. He used to be so mature and didn't look like a child at all."

"He used to care about me! He would always give me a cold look and protect his mother."

"Who made you useless? Even children know how to help with the sewing, but you don't earn a penny every day and just sit there playing with your hands behind your back."

Brother Li stopped and said to him earnestly, "Ah Le, I have something to say. Work hard to earn money on the boat. Don't get carried away after earning a little money."

"Brother, don't worry!" Li Changle responded seriously.

"Yes!" Brother Li pulled the cart in. Li Changle rubbed his two sons and nephew, "Kids, work hard."

"Dad, I invited Lao Wai and Xiao Hui to help us cut shrimp whiskers and peel shrimps. Grandma also made mint syrup for them to drink."

"Uncle A-Le, do you think the shrimp whiskers we cut are clean?"

"Clean it up and do your job well. I'll give you a reward when you're done!"

"Don't worry, Uncle A Le, I guarantee that I will complete the task." A dozen children said with their chests puffed out.

Brother Li took the things off the cart and looked around. He didn't see Li Xiaoyang and Li Xiaobo. "Where are Xiaoyang and Xiaobo?"

Li Xiaohui looked up and said, "They are drying dried fish in the old house."

Brother Li nodded, and he and Li Changle carried the rubber bucket filled with stones and banknotes into the house, and went to the beach to help.

After Li Changle put his things away, he heard Brother Li shouting that the shrimps had arrived. He quickly closed the door and went out to help, "Brother, how many shrimps are left to be picked up?"

"There are also two baskets of mantis shrimp and four baskets of hawk claw shrimp."

Brother Li wiped his sweat and said, "The basket of eagle claw shrimps on the right are all large ones. They are used to dry the golden hook shrimps. Tell my mother not to put them in the pot with the basket on the left."

"I know." Li Changle carried the shrimps into the kitchen. Mother Li and Zhou Ruonan were busy cooking the shrimps. They were sweating profusely, and even their clothes were soaked with sweat.

As soon as Li's mother saw him, she hurriedly pulled him aside and asked, "Awei said you sold it for 30,000 or 40,000 yuan. Is that true?"

"Really!" Li Changle whispered, "Adong's 19,000 plus, Uncle Kun's 15,000 plus, and I haven't received the money for the hairtail yet. After deducting the expenses, I can earn more than 30,000 this trip."

Zhou Ruonan excitedly grabbed Li's mother and asked, "Did you hear that, mother?"

"I heard it, I heard it!" Li's mother happily held her hand and responded repeatedly.

Li Changle looked at his wife and mother who were smiling happily, and his heart felt as sweet and dizzy as if he had drunk rice wine.

"When we're done with the housework, we'll have something else to show you, including those big yellow snails. We'll have to open them up and have a look at them, too."

"Those yellow snails are pretty big, and there might be beads inside them."

"It's hard to explain! Take out the conch meat and eat it, otherwise it will die and taste bad."

"I know. Send these two baskets of mantis shrimps to those kids to peel them."

"Oh! Big brother said that the hawk claw shrimps have been picked out, so don't mix them together again." Li Changle said, "Mother, we kept more than 500 kilograms of hawk claw shrimps this time. How many shrimp meats can be dried?"

Li's mother grabbed a handful and took a look. "It takes 11 or 12 kilograms of fresh shrimp to produce one kilogram of shrimp meat. Shrimp meat tastes better when dried with eagle claw shrimp."

"It's about the same as the loss of mantis shrimp." Zhou Ruonan took a look and said, "Mother, how do we peel the shells of such small shrimps?"

“No need to peel them, just put the dried shrimps into a net bag and beat them, and the shrimp shells and shrimp meat will be separated. Your father, your eldest brother and your second brother are the best at this job in your family.

They use their skillful strength to beat the shrimps so that the meat is intact and looks good.

Your two sisters-in-law and I are no match for this. The shrimps we pounded are a mess and don’t look presentable at all.”

Zhou Ruonan asked curiously: "How do you wrestle?"

"Tighten the bag, grab both ends of the net bag and throw it against a stone slab or the ground. You have to use some strength. If you use too much force, the shrimp meat will break easily. If you use too little force, the shrimp shell will not come off."

Eagle claw shrimps are small in size, with a high meat yield and plump texture. The fishing village still uses the old method of drying the shrimps.

Simply boil the selected eagle claw shrimps in water, five pounds of shrimps for one pound of water, and then add a small amount of salt. This way, the shrimp shells and shrimp meat will not stick together when cooked, and the shrimp meat will taste better.

Keeping track of the heat when cooking shrimps is also a technical job. If you cook them too long, the shrimps will be overcooked and their freshness will be greatly reduced; if you cook them too short, the shrimp shell and the shrimp meat will be connected together and will not be easy to remove when shelling.

Generally, the shrimps are cooked until they gradually turn red, then they are taken out of the pot and spread on a drying rack to dry.

This season is a good time to dry dried fish heads and shrimps.

(End of this chapter)