Chapter 29: A Misunderstanding? Let

Wu Yingwei arrived at the pier, Chen Gui was already waiting, the two met up and walked together toward the storefront.

Chen Gui said, "At this spot, the villagers all come to sell seafood."

Wu Yingwei held a flyer in his hand, handing them out as he walked.

Although the village isn't very large and is in a remote location, occasional curious tourists do come here to play; two months ago a tourist who went out to sea was trapped by the tide.

That was actually fine.

The main problem is the local villagers.

As the saying goes, those who drown in the river know how to swim; each year when accidents happen by the sea, most of the victims are local villagers.

Why is that?

Because they're accustomed to wind and waves.

Their fear threshold for danger is so high that when they see big waves they even shout that larger waves mean pricier fish; some reckless ones even run to the sea on typhoon days.

Most of them are indeed fine, but a few who get caught up and swept into the sea lose their lives.

Wu Yingwei set aside a flyer and handed it to Chen Gui.

Chen Gui shook his head, "I have other matters."

"The elder village chief also said so."

"It's not advisable, it's time‑consuming and labor‑intensive; printing these flyers costs money, most people don't even look at them and just toss them on the ground, polluting the environment…"

He rambled on, and then saw Wu Yingwei already walking ahead.

He looked down on Wu Yingwei's approach, saying that everyone has some status, yet what you do is no better than a waiter's.

That lowers everyone's level.

He felt embarrassed.

In reality, thanks to Wu Yingwei's day‑after‑day, year‑after‑year effort, Xixi Village hasn't had a villager accident in several years.

In these ten‑plus villages, there are almost casualties every year.

But the folks don't attribute it to Wu Yingwei; they just say Goddess Mazu blesses the villagers of Xixi Village.

Wu Yingwei doesn't consider his deeds great; it's just an ordinary job, and he printed the flyers at his own expense.

"Elder Wu, you're here so early to inspect the work?"

"Again these flyers, my house already has a stack of them."

"I don't want them; I know what's written on them."

"You're truly dedicated."

"I heard there's a change of term; I support you becoming village chief."

"Me too."

"In our village nobody respects anyone; I only respect Elder Wu."

"Who isn't?"

Everyone laughed and greeted Wu Yingwei.

Wu Yingwei's usually stern face finally showed a hint of a smile, replying, "Don't make a fuss; take it back for the kids at home to see."

"A Wen, the tide rose yesterday, and your son was playing on the beach with several kids."

Chen Gui walked over, picking up the thread, and said, "Did you hear? Go home and keep an eye on your kids."

"If you can't manage them, ask Elder Wu for advice."

"His second son is wayward; Elder Wu even cut off the father‑son relationship."

He exposed the wound right there.

Wu Yingwei's smile froze, and the others showed varied expressions; the once lively atmosphere turned icy.

Chen Gui seemed oblivious to the shift, continuing, "I also think Elder Wu should be village chief."

"With Elder Wu's ruthless tactics of sacrificing kin for the greater good, plus his relentless drive for the village, if he doesn't become village chief, I'll be the first to object."

His words were like knives.

Everyone's gaze shifted from Chen Gui to the Wu Yingwei walking ahead, as if seeing knives repeatedly stabbing at Wu Yingwei's chest.

Someone said, "A Gui, could you say a bit less?"

"I heard Wu An has gotten better and goes out to sea every day."

"A prodigal son who returns is priceless…"

Before the sentence finished, Chen Gui suddenly shouted, "Wu An goes out to sea, right? Seems true—there's a sneaky figure at Lao Xie's gate, that must be Wu An."

Right.

Going out to sea.

He sneered at what the person said, even wanting to laugh.

People go out to sea to get seafood, then Wu An sneaks into their homes and steals the seafood; rounding up, Wu An isn't out to sea every day.

When he shouted, everyone turned their heads in unison.

Wu Yingwei stopped in his tracks.

Chen Gui walked over, smiling, and said, "Elder Wu, go over and see what seafood your second son has caught by going out to sea."

"Oh, I forgot, Wu An is no longer your son now."

"But he's still a villager of our village; it's reasonable for us to go see."

Wu Yingwei nodded.

Wu An and A Qing indeed act a bit sneaky, but not because they're thieves; they just want to avoid others and sell Crab Tiger.

Crab Tiger is worth far more than green crabs.

If the villagers found out, that tidal flat would surely be plowed over by them.

Their behavior like this looks very suspicious to outsiders.

Wu Yingwei shouted from afar, "A Qing, what are you two doing?"

Wu An turned his head and saw Wu Yingwei striding over; he felt a bit annoyed—this old man was so stubborn, preferring to call A Qing rather than greet him.

A Qing jumped in fright and instinctively said, "Brother, what should we do?"

"Look at your father's walking posture; he's going to attack us."

"Or we could run."

Wu An shook his head. "What's there to fear? Our bodies are straight, shadows can't bend." He replied calmly, "We're selling seafood."

Wu Yingwei saw A Qing's nervousness and his own face grew even worse; not only Chen Gui, but even the villagers who followed thought the two were up to no good.

Otherwise, why would A Qing be so scared?

Wu An, however, wore a calm expression; he was just throwing in the towel, having lost all face.

Wu Yingwei looked at the two buckets at A Qing's feet, each covered with a straw hat, obscuring their contents, and asked coldly, "Where did the seafood come from?"

Before Wu An could speak, Chen Gui beside him said sarcastically, "Elder Wu, speak properly to the child."

"Calling like that, can they tell the truth?"

"They're definitely lying, saying the seafood was caught while chasing the sea."

Wu Yingwei barked, "Come clean right now."

A Qing shouted, "Uncle Wu, the seafood my brother and I caught while chasing the sea is real; don't listen to that old thing Chen Gui rambling."

"We didn't lie."

"If you don't believe it, you can ask Lao Xie."

"He's been collecting our goods these past two days."

Chen Gui exclaimed, "Good fellow, this isn't the first time?"

"You're really bold, aren't you?"

"A An, after being expelled from home you've completely let yourself go, right?"

"Do you know that if the money from the sale reaches a certain amount, you'll go to prison."

Wu An raised his middle finger at him and said, "Shut up!"

Chen Gui, furious, pointed at him and shouted, "Elder Wu, look, look, this…"

Wu An, expressionless, said, "You already said it, I've been expelled from home; no one can control me."

"Also, A Qing didn't lie."

"I understand the misunderstanding, but this misunderstanding can be resolved easily."

He said the last two sentences while looking at Wu Yingwei.

Having finished speaking.

He turned, kicked the roller shutter Gate, and shouted, "Lao Xie, open the Gate quickly so we can do business."

Soon.

From inside came Lao Xie's voice, "Coming, coming."

"Sorry, I was delivering goods yesterday and only got back at midnight; I've only slept a few hours."

"You two…"

He shouted that, and the roller shutter Gate creaked as it rose.