Chapter 560 - 558: Forging a Sword for the Nation
Chapter 560: Chapter 558: Forging a Sword for the Nation
Chen Wenxuan didn’t leave right away. Instead, he waited for Ye Feng to return with the children.
Seeing Chen Wenxuan’s grave expression, Ye Feng asked, "What happened?"
"Brother-in-law, the research institute just called. They said there’s an urgent, secret mission and told me to pack some clothes and head over. Xiao Jing is home alone, so I was worried. I specifically waited for you to get back so I could ask you and my sister to help look after her."
Ye Feng was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. Xiao Jing will be fine with us. Since you won’t be home, she can just stay here. It’s close to her workplace anyway."
"Your sister and I will be here, so you can focus on your work without worry. This is the perfect time to apply all the advanced knowledge you learned abroad. Go on!"
Ye Feng also showed his love for the country through his actions, investing a huge amount of money into lithography machine research every year.
Over half the profits earned from his family’s other businesses were funneled into this endeavor.
Hearing his brother-in-law agree, Chen Wenxuan shook his hand again, bid him farewell, and departed.
Ye Feng had his driver take Chen Wenxuan home to grab his things before dropping him off at his workplace.
After Han Xiaoqing saw Chen Wenxuan leave, her eyes began to redden slightly. "I don’t know when Wenxuan will be back!"
’What if it’s like those top-secret national projects? He could be sent to some remote place and be gone for eight or ten years.’
Ye Feng comforted her, "Xiao Jing, don’t worry. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. When you’re forging a sword for the nation, you have to consider the bigger picture. You’re pregnant, so don’t let yourself get weighed down by anxiety."
"We’ve always kept a room for you here. The kids miss you, too. It’s better for you to stay here than to be all alone at home."
"Besides, I expect your sister will be back tomorrow afternoon. When she’s here to talk with you, you’ll feel much better."
Han Xiaoqing managed a smile at her brother-in-law’s words. "I always talked about contributing to the country, but now that the time has come, I can’t help but worry that Chen Wenxuan will be in danger, or that he’ll be gone for a long time. In short... I feel very proud, but also very torn and conflicted."
Ye Feng nodded and replied with a soft chuckle, "That’s only natural. I used to go on missions frequently, and your sister was always worried. It’s not as dangerous for me now, but I still have to go abroad sometimes. I have to complete my official duties, as well as the other tasks assigned by my superiors."
"I’m proud of my work, but I also worry about something happening to me and making my family anxious and sad. It’s the same as what you’re feeling now. But it’s precisely these things that make up the rich tapestry of life."
Between Ye Feng’s reassurances and Pingping and An’an’s sweet words, Han Xiaoqing gradually began to relax.
Meanwhile, Han Xiaorui, having determined their course, had Chen Yishui start the boat.
The other boats followed, spaced several hundred meters apart.
Heading steadily southeast, the catch was incredibly plentiful.
All the crew members were beaming with joy. They were a bit tired, but the haul was huge. Once their holds were full, they could head home.
They had filled their holds before, but it didn’t happen on every trip.
Furthermore, Han Xiaorui had a rule: they were to pack enough supplies for ten days but spend no more than six days at sea.
They were never to go out too far or stay at sea for too long.
That night, as Han Xiaorui lay on her small bunk and closed her eyes, the images of her children in her mind gradually faded, replaced by the deep blue sea.
It was filled with all sorts of marine life, so beautiful and so abundant.
They sailed day and night, never stopping the boat or the nets, all so they could get back sooner.
After two days and two nights without seeing her children, Han Xiaorui was really starting to miss them.
"Let’s head back. We’ll trawl in a circular route, and by tonight, we should reach the docks," Han Xiaorui instructed. Their boat could fill its holds to capacity, and as for the other boats, even if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be far behind.
Chen Yishui smiled. "I was just about to suggest the same thing!"
"Then we’re on the same wavelength. We’ll be home today," Han Xiaorui said with a laugh, pointing in a direction where there were numerous schools of fish along the way.
Sure enough, two hours later, when they pulled up the net, it was completely full of blue-spotted wrasse.
Liang Xiaoyu gasped. "Oh my god, the quality of these blue-spotted wrasse is amazing! Don’t be fooled by their strange appearance and odd color—they taste incredible. The price has skyrocketed recently. My mother-in-law bought one the other day, and it was quite expensive, but it really was delicious."
Chen Yishui came over, beaming. "The price of blue-spotted wrasse has shot up lately. Some dishonest fishmongers have been passing off a lot of green wrasse as blue-spotted wrasse. My mom ended up reporting them."
"Huh?" Han Xiaorui was surprised. "That’s awesome! What’s the difference between green wrasse and blue-spotted wrasse?"
Chen Yishui answered, picking up a blue-spotted wrasse and pointing to its teeth. "Green wrasse look like they’re covered in a layer of green armor. They’re quite beautiful and have a similar color to the blue-spotted wrasse."
"It’s almost impossible to tell them apart by their appearance, but there’s one feature that makes it easy: their teeth. The blue-spotted wrasse has protruding teeth, while the green wrasse’s teeth are flat and even."
An experienced captain is a walking encyclopedia of seafood.
Chen Yishui’s store of knowledge was vast.
Fortunately, the next net was full of silver pomfret, which made everyone jump for joy again.
The final haul, the perfect catch before their holds were full, was a net of Big Yellow Fish. They were huge and incredibly rare.
Their holds were now full. Han Xiaorui smiled. "Pull in the nets. Let’s head back as quickly as possible. As for the others, if their holds aren’t full yet, they can keep fishing."
Chen Yishui nodded. "Alright, I’ll let them know right now."
Not only that, but Chen Yishui also sent a radio message to shore, informing them that they would arrive at the docks in two hours.
When Yang Zhigang received the notice, he beamed and immediately started calling his clients.
With seafood, freshness is everything.
If the clients could haul it away the same day, it would save them the trouble of moving it into cold storage.
Only when the clients couldn’t buy it all would Yang Zhigang have his people send the fish to the cold storage facility.
However, Jinshan Bay had its own wholesale seafood market, and in most cases, the market took the entire catch.
After finishing his calls, Yang Zhigang personally went to Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng’s house.
When Pingping and An’an saw their grandpa, they ran over. "Grandpa..."
Yang Zhigang was holding a few pieces of chili candy. "Have some candy! Don’t fight, there’s enough for everyone."
Ningning and Zhuangzhuang’s shouts of "Grandpa" were especially loud and cheerful.
Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought Yang Zhigang was Ningning and Zhuangzhuang’s biological grandfather.
Although Ningning and Zhuangzhuang knew he wasn’t their father’s father—their real paternal grandfather was a high-ranking official in Beijing—this grandpa right here often gave them candy, so they were especially close to Yang Zhigang.
Yang Zhigang treated them all the same, smiling so widely his eyes crinkled into slits as he handed out the candy.
"Ye Feng, Xiao Rui will be at the docks in two hours. I came to let you know so you wouldn’t worry."
Ye Feng’s eyes lit up. "Great. I’ll take the kids to pick her up in a little while."
"When Xiao Rui goes to sea, she’s fast, and the catch is always good. I’ll see what nice seafood there is later and send some more over for you," Yang Zhigang said with a laugh.
Ye Feng nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Yang."
Yang Zhigang now had six biological granddaughters, plus Yang Minmin, Ningning, and Zhuangzhuang, which brought the total number of grandkids in his life to nine.
He was full of drive and energy every day, feeling like he could ask the heavens for another five hundred years just to earn more money.