CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199: SPLIT EVENLY

Ren Laodi really knows how to find a place.

The place she mentioned is similar to a pond. The depth wouldn’t be a problem for adults, but it’s a bit deep for her.

She’s too small, obviously an eight-year-old child, but her size is similar to that of a four- or five-year-old.

With thin arms and legs, it’s truly dangerous for her to go in.

Plus, there are rocks all around. Without shoes, it’s easy for her bare feet to get cut.

This is also why she’s afraid to go into the water, only daring to pick some shells to eat from the edge.

Yi Chichi stood at the edge, glanced around, and spotted several extremely plump scallops.

Each one was about the size of her palm.

In addition, beneath the rocks, she saw various shaped conchs and lobsters.

And a few crabs.

She couldn’t identify the species, but they were all quite large.

Excited by the discovery, she poked Wen Shi, "Old Wen, go pick them up."

"Alright."

Wen Shi bent down to roll up his pants below his knees, and entered the water without taking off his shoes.

He instructed the two of them not to come down and to wait for him on the shore.

Yi Chichi agreed, and together with Ren Laodi, obediently squatted at the edge, watching him busy, while also serving as seafood-seeking tools to find sea creatures.

Once they spotted something, they’d tell him where it was, and he’d retrieve it.

The three of them worked in perfect harmony, and in less than half an hour, they had a bountiful harvest.

"Uncle, there’s a conch there."

With sharp eyes, Ren Laodi pointed out to Wen Shi a conch in the crevice of a rock not far from him, "A big conch."

Before Wen Shi could react, Yi Chichi asked, "Where?"

"There."

Laidi pointed it out to her, and Wen Shi saw it too. He was about to step into the water to get it when Yi Chichi stopped him.

"Don’t pick it, that’s a chicken heart conch, it’s poisonous."

Wen Shi withdrew his outstretched hand in shock and looked over in amazement, "Conchs can be poisonous?"

"Yes."

She nodded, motioning for him to come over, "Be good, let’s not pick poisonous conchs, you hurry up and come back."

In a coaxing tone used for children.

Wen Shi didn’t feel his masculinity was slighted. Instead, he happily responded and came up with the bucket.

Laidi kept her eyes on the bucket in his hand, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. Though her face was full of anticipation, she didn’t dare step forward to see what was inside.

Noticing her gaze, Yi Chichi reached out her hand to her, "Come on, Laidi, let’s go see what Uncle has caught."

The little girl excitedly raised her head, "Can, can I see too?"

"Of course."

Yi Chichi encouraged her with a smile, "Without your guidance, Uncle wouldn’t have caught these sea treasures. Don’t be afraid, we’ll look together."

"Thank you, Auntie."

She reached out to hold Yi Chichi’s hand, only to discover her own hand was black and dirty like a chicken claw, whereas Auntie’s hand was soft and white. An inexplicable feeling of inferiority quickly spread through her heart.

She timidly wanted to retract her hand, but Yi Chichi didn’t give her the chance, immediately grasping her hand, "Don’t be afraid."

Her hand was warm and soft, unlike her mother’s callous hands that seemed like they wanted to crush hers.

"Auntie, your hand is so soft."

She sounded like she had discovered a new world, her expression filled with surprise and delight.

Yi Chichi, ... the thoughts and happiness of children in this era are actually quite simple.

A parent who puts in a little effort can give a child a happy childhood.

Hopefully, when Laidi’s father returns, he can improve her situation.

"Laidi has pretty hands too."

Actually, this kid is not bad looking—big eyes on a small face. Even though she’s thin and dark, her features and bone structure are there; if nurtured well, she could be a beautiful little girl.

"And she’s pretty too."

Being praised is something that makes anyone happy, and Ren Laodi is no exception. She shyly pressed her lips and smiled, "Auntie, let’s go to Uncle."

"Let’s go."

When they got to the bucket, they found the harvest was indeed not bad.

There were more than a dozen scallops, a large coconut conch, two sea cucumbers, one sea urchin, and six tiger crabs, two males and four females.

And then there were small seafood like octopuses.

Oh, and a small green lobster.

After taking stock of the haul, Yi Chichi marveled internally about how rich the marine resources are these days.

Too bad there were no fish.

But even so, it was enough.

"Let’s split it with Laidi."

She suggested, and Wen Shi grunted in agreement.

But the little girl shook her head and refused, "No, Uncle caught these; I can’t take them."

Wen Shi laughed, "Without your guidance, we wouldn’t have caught these either."

"But, but..."

"Don’t ’but’ me, listen to Uncle."

Yi Chichi patted her head, her tone leaving no room for argument.

And with that, the seafood was divided into two parts.

"Shall we take you back home?"

"Can, can you take it to the procurement station?"

The little girl cautiously asked, Wen Shi and Yi Chichi immediately understood that she wanted to sell it at the market.

"When you sell it, will you hide the money well?"

"Yes."

She said softly, "Mom doesn’t work, I do all the house chores, and there’s a hole in the wall where I can hide money."

Afraid they wouldn’t agree, she pleaded, "Uncle, Auntie, I want to earn money to buy fine grain for my sister to eat."

"...Okay."

Buying grain requires grain coupons, which the little girl certainly doesn’t have.

But there is no way to refuse.

Nor is it right to dampen the little girl’s joy in earning money.

Helplessly, the couple exchanged a glance and agreed to accompany her to the procurement station.

It wasn’t too late yet, and the procurement station hadn’t closed because a fishing boat had returned today, and staff were waiting for stock.

Ren Laodi’s share of the seafood fetched 23 cents, which may seem little, but given the purchasing power at that time, it was enough for a hearty breakfast with some left over; for a penniless little girl, it was a huge fortune.

Clutching the money, she was so excited her eyes turned red, murmuring about buying fine grain for her sister.

The couple felt heartbroken but helpless as well.

The best they could do was send her back home, hoping her father would return soon.

On the way back, Wen Shi sighed, "If the rear is unstable, the front will definitely be chaotic."

Yi Chichi glanced at him, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep your back stable."

"I trust you, naturally. I’m worried for Old Ren."

This situation is too difficult to handle. Even impartial officials can’t decide domestic matters. If Old Ren doesn’t get tough, with the way his wife is acting, trouble is bound to happen sooner or later.

"If it doesn’t work out, they should separate."

She said softly, "It definitely can’t go on this way. A child’s childhood is just these few years. Not to mention, Jiajia and the others are so young yet they’re already in school, while Laidi is over eight and still hasn’t started school. This might not matter in rural areas, but here it can be seen as backward thinking."

Seeing him deep in thought, Yi Chichi continued meaningfully, "Old Wen, you have to understand that if you can’t even manage your own household, how can you manage the world?"

Implicitly suggesting that if he can’t manage his own wife’s affairs well, how can he be trusted in his official duties?!

"Divorce?"

Wen Shi found her reasoning sound, but was still startled by her suggestion of divorce.

It’s said that it’s better to break up a temple than a marriage, yet his wife was quick to mention divorce.

"Can’t you accept divorce?"

Yi Chichi didn’t answer but queried back, causing Wen Shi’s mouth to twitch, "If I say this to Old Ren, he’d fight me."

"Foolish, this isn’t something you should handle. It needs a political officer to discuss with him."