CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: LIN QIN’S PLAN

Lin Qin nodded, pointing to the sink next to her. Seeing two fish that hadn’t been prepared, she asked, "Can you gut fish, cousin?"

Huang Yuezhen nodded, "A little bit. Back when the village had the fish pond, we were allowed to take some small fish and shrimp with us. I could handle the simple ones, but the fishy smell was strong and not very appetizing."

Lin Qin immediately picked up the knife to teach her, "You need to cut from the belly of the fish like this. Be careful not to break the internal organs. Clean them out entirely, then scrape off the scales and clip the fins. That’s it."

Huang Yuezhen watched very attentively and chuckled, "The fish we got were always small. A single snip and the guts were ruined. I couldn’t do it as well as you do. You make it look easy."

Lin Ying laughed heartily, "Of course! They do this for a living, practice makes perfect! By the way, what do you and your husband plan to do when you get to the city?"

Huang Yuezhen shook her head, looking a bit lost, "I don’t really know. But many people from our village have already left. Those who left earlier returned at the end of the year with money. My in-laws were tempted by that; they want us to save up, especially because we have three kids to raise, and we’ll need money for their marriages later."

Lin Ying agreed wholeheartedly, "Yes, earning money is essential. I have two boys, and I’m worried too! But the most important thing now is to build a house. Only with a house can we think about other things."

The three women chatted away as they prepared a table full of dishes.

Seeing the dishes served, Huang Yuezhen kept praising Lin Qin’s cooking skills and said she’d opened her eyes.

Lin Yi, proud of his daughter’s compliments, was especially pleased.

Speaking of work...

Lin Yi saw that Hong Weimin had no plans, so he advised, "Stay with us for a couple of days. After the fifteen, there will be lots of job openings. If you don’t feel comfortable staying here, you can help me on the farm for now. Ah Qin wants to plant fruit trees on the hillside; we need to dig many holes and gather fertilizer. There’s a ton of work, and it’s tough to handle alone."

Hong Weimin and his wife already knew that the entire Nanyu belonged to Chen Wenjun, and they knew Lin Yi was telling the truth, so they promptly agreed.

With the two of them here, Nanyu became notably livelier, causing Lin Ying’s family, who had planned to leave by the fifth, to stay until the sixth.

Before they left...

Lin Qin gave Lin Ying three hundred yuan.

Lin Ying panicked immediately, "What are you doing? Why are you giving me this money?"

Lin Qin said softly, "This money is from Dad. He knows you’re building a house and worries you might not have enough funds. Take it for now, build the house, and pay Dad back when you can. If you can’t, it doesn’t matter. It’s just us sisters; I’m not fussed, so you shouldn’t be either.

During summer, you can bring Ah Jian and Ah Kang over to stay. We have food and fun here, and they can even earn some pocket money, which is better than staying with you."

Lin Ying was tempted, and happily held Lin Qin’s hand, "Then I’ll thank you on their behalf! As soon as they’re on vacation, I’ll send them over and focus on building the house in peace."

They said they’d start building after the first month of the lunar year, but there was still a heap of farm work waiting. Once the field work was done, the unstable weather of late spring and early summer would hit. By the time the weather settled, it would be summer, and construction starting then would likely last until autumn.

Lin Ying really didn’t have much time to take care of the two mischievous kids. Sending them to Lin Qin and Lin Yi would at least ensure their summer homework got finished.

After Lin Ying’s family left, Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun returned to their busy life of making money.

Just as everyone’s pre-ordered food had been pretty much consumed yet the New Year wasn’t over, they went to South Port to wholesale a boatload of seafood. It was immediately snatched up when they arrived at the market by those who heard the news.

It was the couple’s first time doing business during the lunar New Year, and they didn’t know whether prices had gone up, so they sold at regular prices.

It was only after most of it was sold that they realized prices hadn’t dropped to normal levels and wouldn’t until after the fifteenth.

In other words, they sold at a loss.

Fortunately, both were open-minded and didn’t dwell on it. After returning from the market, they took a nap and then set off to South Port in the afternoon to wholesale another boatload of seafood for Guoxing Restaurant.

Zheng Guoxing’s restaurant started operations on the fourth day, and quite a few people came to eat there these days. However, ingredients were scarce and expensive. Embarrassed to bother Chen Wenjun at Nanyu, he wandered around various markets himself.

While worrying about not finding good stuff, Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin arrived with fresh seafood for him.

At that moment, Zheng Guoxing felt like seeing a long-lost relative and threw himself onto Chen Wenjun, spouting a bunch of gushy words.

Lin Qin felt goosebumps listening to it.

The staff came to help unload the cart, as Chen Wenjun needed to return for a second load.

Zheng Guoxing casually said, "I think you guys should switch to a motor tricycle. Spend some money on one, and it’ll save time and effort whether for deliveries or market stalls."

Chen Wenjun handed a cigarette to Zheng Guoxing, "Do you have any contacts?"

Zheng Guoxing grinned, "I must get it for you even if I don’t! This is about my business after all!"

Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin exchanged a smile.

"Then I’ll trouble you with that, Brother Zheng. I’ll head back first, leaving Ah Qin to settle accounts with you."

While Lin Qin was busy, Huang Wenlong came in with some people for a meal. Seeing the seafood, he was particularly excited, "Sis-in-law! I was just about to look for you! Zheng said you got a lot of fresh seafood. Can you send some to the construction site too?"

"No problem at all!" Lin Qin agreed but asked, puzzled, "Isn’t the project almost over?"

Huang Wenlong shook his head like a rattle, "It was supposed to be done by this summer, but after chatting with someone from the municipal department a few days ago, there’s another side road, and I’ve got another year’s work now."

Lin Qin thought for a moment, then stood up to discuss with Huang Wenlong, "Boss Huang, my husband deals in seafood. I originally thought the project was ending soon, and I’d stop after a few months, but now it’s a whole year, and I fear I can’t continue that long. Can you find someone new? I can wait until you do."

Huang Wenlong’s face fell instantly, "Sis-in-law, this news is a real blow. To be honest, if I had found a suitable replacement, I wouldn’t have bothered you like this. Could you help keep an ear out for someone suitable? Let me know if you find someone?"

"Sure, sure..." Lin Qin agreed wholeheartedly, considering this could be a job for Huang Yuezhen.

So she carefully explained Huang Yuezhen’s situation to Huang Wenlong, "She’s my cousin. She and her husband just started looking for work this year. Recently, she’s been doing some cooking, and her skills are decent. If Boss Huang is willing to hire her, I’ll teach her how to handle seafood over the next few days."