Chapter 148: Seeking a Share

Wu An took it, slipped the business card into his pocket, and said, "Thanks, Dad."

Wu Yingwei waved his hand, lowered his head to eat; his habitually stern face rarely showed warmth.

Between father and son, what deep hatred could there be? He had previously expelled Wu An from the house.

It seemed to be out of anger and disappointment, but wasn't it also a kind of helplessness?

In that situation at the time, he simply lacked the ability to help Wu An resolve the trouble.

All he could do was keep this good-for-nothing second son from affecting the eldest son and his wife.

As for him, he naturally still wanted to find a way to help Wu An.

In fact, that was indeed the case.

In his previous life.

The debts Wu An owed were the ones he repaid.

Now.

Now Wu An has improved, and keeps getting better and better.

Not only does he no longer need to repay the debts, but he doesn't need to worry about anything either.

Unbeknownst to them, Wu An had become the mainstay of the household; daily food, drink, and household appliances were all arranged by him.

In this situation, Wu Yingwei suddenly realized he seemed to have become a burden to the family.

Actually he always had been; it's just that before, with Wu An around, it wasn't noticeable.

Although Wu Ping and he are about equal, Wu Ping is a teacher, engaged in educating people; the teacher's identity is noble, praised as "gardener, candle," and inherently possesses a spirit of sacrifice.

He is different.

He merely does work in the village.

Don't look at him being hardworking and uncomplaining, but many in the village gossip about him, calling him an official-obsessed...

Because sometimes he also reflects on himself, feeling he owes a lot to the family.

Wu An's waywardness, he also bears responsibility.

Because from Wu An's birth to now, initially Wu Ping took care of him, later Mei Yueqin entered the household, and it was Mei Yueqin who took care of him.

He actually never fulfilled the duties and responsibilities of a father.

Others scold Wu An for being born of a mother but raised without a father, and they are not wrong at all.

Now being able to help Wu An also makes him feel glad inside.

Thinking of this, he raised his head and said, "A An, you said you want to contract the sea area to run a fish farm, right?"

Wu An nodded.

Wu Yingwei said, "Actually, the village head has been pushing this matter all along."

Upon hearing this, Wu An's heart skipped a beat: "Dad, what does this mean?"

Wu Yingwei said, "The village head has already applied to the town to change the sea area's nature, leading Xixi Village to develop a profitable industry."

"I only found this out after making inquiries."

"Probably not long from now, the superior's approval will come down."

Originally, these sea areas in the village could not be developed; to develop them, permission from higher authorities is required.

Simply put, it's the same principle as building a house: you need to change the land's nature.

Originally this sea area could only be used for fishing; now it can be used for aquaculture and other commercial activities.

Wu An pondered, it seemed he was still a step behind.

Earlier, when he met Shen Nan, he had anticipated this; the village head's application to the superiors was basically paving the way for his grandson.

That's also normal.

Not everyone is like Wu Yingwei, fearing that if his own people gain even a little advantage, others will gossip.

Never mind that the village head is about to retire; even if he retires later, the network he has accumulated over the years is still a considerable fortune.

In his previous life.

Shen Nan's success likely owes a lot to the village head behind the scenes.

Shen Nan is also capable; his success is hardly blameworthy.

But now.

Such a variable has appeared in the form of him.

In the future, will he cooperate with Shen Nan, compete with him, or is it still unknown?

But one thing is certain: what he needs to do now is take a share from Shen Nan's pot.

He asked, "Then what?"

Wu Yingwei said, "Next, the village should look for contractors."

He isn't just saying this casually.

Such matters, neighboring villages already have precedents; that large stretch of tidal flats to the west has been contracted by someone from a neighboring village for aquaculture.

Some say they lost money, others say they made money; he hasn't looked into the specifics.

He feels he ought to look into this, after all, the family's second son is about to undertake these things.

Wu An asked, "Hasn't it been decided yet?"

Wu Yingwei shook his head: "Probably not, after all, changing the sea area's nature isn't certain to succeed."

Wu An felt it wasn't certain either.

Shen Nan suddenly returned, and with no intention of leaving, apparently he had already prepared to go all out.

He said, "Dad, please keep an eye on this for me."

"As soon as there's news, let me know."

Wu Yingwei nodded.

At first he hadn't taken this matter seriously, but upon learning that the old village chief was already doing it, he wasn't a fool and knew the old village chief was helping his grandson.

What does this indicate? It shows that Lao Er's claim to contract the sea area for a fish farm is a very good thing.

Otherwise, why would anyone be scrambling to do it?

Mei Yueqin wanted to speak but held back, feeling that Wu An seemed suddenly about to take on many tasks.

Can Wu An keep up with the busyness?

But she, seeing Wu An's confident way of speaking, finally set aside her concerns and decided to watch further.

She believes Wu An won't act recklessly.

Wu Ping interjected several times, uttering a few meaningless sentences, and no one paid him any attention.

Wu Yingwei and Wu An, the father‑son pair, were engrossed in a heated conversation, while Wu Ping and Mei Yueqin glanced at each other.

They couldn't get a word in at all.

This is simply unbelievable.

In the past, when the four of them sat down to eat, only the two of them spoke, Wu An would occasionally interject, and Wu Yingwei was generally silent and taciturn.

Even when he spoke, it was with those two, and he hardly ever talked with Wu An.

In Mei Yueqin's words, it was as if the father‑son pair were holding a grudge.

They always strained their brains at the dining table to liven the atmosphere, especially Mei Yueqin, who often helped Wu Yingwei and Wu An find topics, yet the father‑son pair always managed to kill the conversation.

Now it's the opposite.

Wu Yingwei and Wu An talked closely; she and Wu Ping couldn't get a word in.

Mei Yueqin naturally wasn't unhappy.

On the contrary, she thought this was quite good.

Wu An has grown up, matured, and learned to care for others; Wu Yingwei has aged and no longer puts on a fatherly stance.

The two seem to have both "grown up" overnight.

Mei Yueqin felt deeply gratified.

During this meal, Wu An was still quite busy, eating and drinking while also talking with Wu Yingwei, his mind staying active.

Tired yet happy.

He also noticed that Father had changed.

Perhaps it was caused by his tiny butterfly flapping its wings.

That's pretty good.

Days like this are the only ones that feel meaningful.

He had been drinking a bit too much; looking at the time, it was already close to 9 p. m., he had just gotten up and left, and heard Mei Yueqin say, "Tomorrow, come with me to worship Goddess Mazu."

Wu An thought for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay."

"Do I need to prepare anything?"

Mei Yueqin shook her head: "No need, for our family I've already prepared everything; just use it."

Wu An nodded, agreed to come early tomorrow, turned and left, and while walking he kept pondering, thinking he could use the occasion of Goddess Mazu to say a few things.