CHAPTER 101: CHAPTER 101: HONG WEIMIN’S JOB

"Work, meals and accommodation included, thirty a month."

Huang Yuezhen and her husband were shocked and quickly refused.

"I cook over there for thirty a month; here you include meals and accommodation and still pay thirty. I can’t take that!"

Hong Weimin chimed in, "Yuezhen is right, we can’t take advantage of you."

Lin Qin rarely explained so seriously, "Cousin, cousin-in-law, this pay isn’t you taking advantage of us. How did you feel cooking this morning, cousin-in-law?"

Huang Yuezhen thought carefully and said, "I felt pretty good; it wasn’t as hard as I imagined. And being able to sit while working, compared to working in the village before, it’s incredibly easy."

Lin Qin clapped her hands, "That’s right! You cook with ease for thirty a month. In the afternoon, you help my dad farm and build a pigpen; you might even help clean the pigpen and water the plants. These are all physical tasks, busy from about two in the afternoon to seven or eight in the evening. It’s long hours and tiring. I’d say thirty a month is less."

Huang Yuezhen shook her head repeatedly, "Not at all, not at all, let’s go with your plan. I’ll cook at the site in the morning, and in the afternoon, I’ll come back to help Uncle."

Hong Weimin asked, "Wenjun and Ah Qin are both out on the boat, what about Yuezhen coming and going?"

Lin Yi smiled, "Wenjun already sorted it out. There are quite a few Dang people in Nanxi, many elderly who occasionally fish at home. Wenjun arranged with an old man for fifteen a month, and the man fishes near Nanyu. If you need a boat, just shout, and he’ll come over. It won’t delay anything.

If we can’t find him, we can call any passing boat to ferry over, usually ten cents per ride, simple."

Hong Weimin gave Chen Wenjun a thumbs-up, "You’re amazing; everything’s arranged perfectly."

The next afternoon, Hong Weimin went with Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin on their boat to South Port.

This was Hong Weimin’s first time seeing the sea. Though just an inland bay, it was enough to leave this inexperienced man speechless with shock.

The trio arrived relatively early; the fishing boats hadn’t docked yet.

Hong Weimin followed Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin to the dock’s recruitment point.

The person in charge, Lv Lin, was a local fisherman. His family owned two large fishing boats, making their living from fishing seafood.

Lately, Chen Wenjun had been wholesaling quite a bit of seafood from Lv Lin. With large orders, Chen Wenjun was a significant client in Lv Lin’s eyes, not to be neglected.

Seeing the trio approach, Lv Lin hurriedly greeted them warmly, "Hey! Brother Chen, Sister-in-law, you’re early today!"

Chen Wenjun handed him a cigarette, speaking familiarly, "I brought my relative here to find work; we’ll get the goods once the boats come in. Brother Lv, you’re experienced and knowledgeable; see if there’s anything suitable for my cousin."

Lv Lin shifted his gaze from Chen Wenjun to Hong Weimin, and without hesitation, nodded, "Sure! I actually need hands here, but does your cousin know anything? Can he read?"

Just as Hong Weimin was about to speak, Chen Wenjun jumped in, "Why? Does working need reading skills?"

Lv Lin laughed, "No, it’s just that I have a well-paying and easy job here that requires reading skills. It’s about recording the number and weight of seafood caught daily. Only one person has been doing it, but it’s been too busy since last year.

This is the dock, and it’s not suitable for hiring women. If there’s a man who can read, that would be great. The salary is forty-five a month, meals and accommodation included.

Don’t think this salary can’t compare with the boatmen, but it’s relaxed! You only start work when the boats dock and rest once done."

To be honest, even Chen Wenjun was tempted, instinctively looking at Hong Weimin, "Cousin, can you do it?"

Hong Weimin was a bit hesitant, honestly saying, "I only studied until the fourth grade. I can write and recognize common characters, but not the difficult ones."

Chen Wenjun quickly turned to Lv Lin, "Brother Lv, you see my cousin can read; why not give him a few days to learn and acquaint himself with the seafood. If he really can’t do it, then we’ll call it off, and we won’t take these days’ wages."

Originally a bit hesitant, upon hearing they wouldn’t take wages, Lv Lin readily agreed, "Then let’s start today. Boats will dock at five. You follow me to learn the seafood; I’ll write down common names for you to refer to, alright?"

Hong Weimin nodded repeatedly in gratitude.

Chen Wenjun exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lv Lin before taking Lin Qin and Hong Weimin to the metal boat.

Once on the boat, Hong Weimin became anxious, "Wenjun, can I really do this job? What if I can’t pull it off?"

Lin Qin immediately encouraged him, "Cousin, have confidence in yourself. Look at Wenjun and me; we barely recognized a few words before, but in a year, we’ve almost learned them all, can even write those complex seafood names. You studied until the fourth grade; don’t be timid.

Besides, you haven’t taken any wages these few days. Even if you can’t do it, the others don’t lose out; what are you afraid of? As for the meals and accommodations, we can discuss with Boss Lv later. He can arrange a bed for you without issue. As for food, you can sort it out yourself, or we can bring some when we come over."

Hong Weimin shook his head hurriedly, "No need, no need, I’ll sort it myself. You guys are busy enough, no need to trouble yourselves."

With encouragement from Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin, Hong Weimin was more confident when he approached Lv Lin for the seafood list again.

When the fishing boats docked, Hong Weimin was busy writing and drawing on the ground, very diligently.

Lv Lin, observing this, couldn’t help nodding in approval. Whether or not Hong Weimin could do the job, his attitude was commendable.

As the fishing boats docked, Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin were entirely preoccupied with their tasks.

The couple rushed forward with other seafood vendors, some even boarding the boats directly, with clear targets.

Their focus was also clear: collecting common seafood like small yellow croakers, squids, small octopuses, pomfrets, shrimps, crabs, and razor clams — the rare and luxurious were not on their list.

Hong Weimin glanced at them, seeing how busy the couple was, and felt instantly motivated. He quickly focused on identifying seafood with Lv Lin, also learning some skills in selecting seafood.

When he snapped back from his busyness, it was already too dark to read.

The bustling harbor, once lively, now had only a few people remaining.

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun had almost finished loading their seafood.

Before leaving, Chen Wenjun popped back into the recruitment point, spoke briefly with Lv Lin and Hong Weimin, then left.

In the following four to five days, Hong Weimin gradually adapted to the dock work of inventorying and began trying to record the seafood names and numbers.

Each time the goods were cleared, Lv Lin would verify them with him.

Half a month later, Lv Lin took the initiative to find Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin.