Chapter 523: Needle Tip Against Wheat Awn

Weather is poor, fishing boats are all moored at the village dock; the fishermen of nearby villages mostly have small fishing boats, similar in size to Wu An's previous boat, and there are not many 25‑meter trawlers.

And a brand‑new, deep‑brown‑hulled trawler appeared on the horizon, drawing everyone's attention.

Mei Yueqin and Li Juan stood together, seeing the boat approach, they happily chatted.

As the boat docked.

Against the backdrop of the small fishing boats nearby, the 25‑meter medium‑sized trawler looked especially tall, its upper‑level white wheelhouse particularly conspicuous, with the gear and masts used to assist fishing operations on either side of the hull, and various antennas and equipment on top of the wheelhouse.

On the dock, everyone pointed and commented on the boat, and the fishermen all wore envious looks.

Who among those who go out to fish wouldn't want such a boat?

The boat docked steadily.

Wu An stepped out of the wheelhouse, saw his older brother and sister‑in‑law waving at him, and quickly responded.

At the same time.

Firecracker sounds went off one after another, continuous and unending.

Amidst the lingering gunpowder smoke, the scene was extraordinarily lively.

Wu An still intended to disembark, but his older brother and sister‑in‑law and the familiar villagers went aboard first.

Actually, trawlers aren't that rare.

Everyone has seen one before.

But it's like moving into a newly renovated house—when relatives and friends come over, they all want to tour the new renovation.

This new boat naturally deserves a look‑around as well.

In the future, if our family also buys a trawler, we'll have a reference.

Wu An handed out gift packets to everyone, accepting their congratulations.

Lao Xie came up onto the deck, touched the gunwale, and exclaimed, "What a fine partner! As expected of a new boat—going out to sea will be steady, and the fishing hauls will probably be tons upon tons, so the money‑making speed will surely be like riding a rocket."

Wu An passed a cigarette, saying, "Let's get rich together, let's get rich together."

Lao Xie laughed and took it.

He knew that with this trawler, Wu An's catch would surely be plentiful—more than he could eat—but this relationship also needed to be well maintained, for who knows when Wu An might on a whim return to the village dock once and leave him with some profit.

"A An, the new boat coming home brings great luck and profit."

"Congratulations on making a fortune."

"A An, is the boat still short‑handed? Bring us along to make a fortune together."

Many people gathered around, chattering away with all sorts of remarks; Wu An remained calm and unhurried, greeting them with a smile and responding to each one, leaving no one out. Wu Ping, as the elder brother, wanted to help, but just watching made his scalp go numb.

He really didn't know how to handle such a situation.

Seeing Wu An handle things with ease, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"This new boat has a rather strong smell."

"Yes, after all, it just came off the line."

"Yo, you've got a lot of equipment in the wheelhouse—what is this, and this?"

When it came to these, Lao Fu Tou stepped forward, explaining some of the equipment—some of which weren't installed by Wu An but are required by the state, such as BeiDou navigation positioning equipment and radio communication devices, etc.

Especially the BeiDou navigation, which only went online this year.

This is a global satellite navigation system independently developed by the state; from now on, the country will not be subject to others in this regard, and there will be no incidents of losing direction at sea!

"Wow, this lounge is luxurious enough."

"It's almost like being at home."

"Better than my own home's renovation."

"Tsk tsk, this will definitely cost a lot extra."

Seeing the lounge, everyone couldn't help but click their tongues—ordinary fishing boats, even if they have a lounge, just make do with it; they wouldn't be like Wu An's, whose decoration is comparable to that of a yacht.

Wu An didn't explain anything about it either.

As Uncle Liu Huang said, after fighting a lifetime of battles, shouldn't he be allowed to enjoy himself?

After several days out at sea, fishing is already hard enough; during rest, he must not be short‑changed—if conditions allowed, he'd want to try having music followed by dance, just what the thing is.

……

Village Committee.

Watching Secretary Qi get into the car and wait for it to drive off, Wu Yingwei, who had been keeping a straight face, broke into a smile and called out, "All right, it's good to come out early today to get busy—just the thing to finish the work sooner."

"If anyone's free at noon, give me some face and come to my place for a drink."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"That's only natural; we'll definitely go."

"Even if I have something else, I'll push it aside—this is a joyous feast, I need to drink a little more to soak up the good luck."

"Everyone go, everyone go."

Everyone laughed and offered congratulations; at that moment, Shen Nan suddenly said, "Uncle Yingwei, Wu An's new boat arriving home is a good thing—I also want to share in your family's good fortune."

"But I'm really sorry, I can't go—the leadership attaches great importance to the sea‑area contracting, so I need to prepare well."

"If the project turns out well, not only me, but our village and every single person will benefit."

"Unlike Wu An buying a boat to go out to sea, where only he himself benefits."

"I'll just stay here and congratulate A An on smooth sailing and future big profits."

Having said that, he laughed, then walked toward the Audi parked off to the side.

He got in the car.

He slammed the accelerator and shot out.

Wu Yingwei shook his head, didn't mind it, greeted everyone, and left first.

After Wu Yingwei left, everyone looked at each other.

"What's going on with this kid Shen Nan?"

"At such a time, you don't give face?"

"I haven't heard that he and A An don't get along either."

"This isn't normal, is it? Among the young people in our village, who else has talent besides Shen Nan and Wu An? It's like needle point against wheat awn—can they even see eye to eye?"

"I think this kid Shen Nan isn't up to it, but A An would definitely not be so incompetent."

"That's true."

"If you say A An has really changed from before, is it that the prodigal son's return is so fierce?"

……

Wu Yingwei returned, everyone gathered around, offering congratulations, saying that A An had talent, so as his father he didn't need to worry anymore.

Hearing these words, Wu Yingwei smiled so broadly he couldn't close his mouth, and his few worries naturally were thrown to the back of his mind.

"When, as parents, does one count as having graduated?"

"Nothing more than helping one's son establish a family and career."

Now Wu An is buying property and a boat, a multi-million-dollar villa is already under construction; for Wu Yingwei, there's indeed nothing to worry about, as Wu An himself has already taken care of everything.

As his father, he certainly makes a few old buddies who haven't 'graduated' yet envy him greatly.

Not long after.

When the time came.

The feast began.

The guests took their seats.

While eating and drinking, everyone's conversation became even more lively.

Duan Dajie has a loud voice, shouting "overpowering the heroes".

"I just knew this kid A An would have a bright future."

"Hey, back when A An was stealing chickens and dogs, you were the one who scolded him the most."

"You don't understand; I scolded him for his own good—this is a necessary trial on the road to success. Look at those capable big bosses—who has smooth sailing? Am I right, everyone?"

"Fine, fine, you're right."

"The Lao Wu Jia family isn't large, but everyone is capable; Wu Yingwei serves as Village head, I hear Wu Yingjin is the deputy, appointed personally by the old village head, who said they recommend the worthy without avoiding nepotism."

"The Lao Wu Jia ancestral grave is probably emitting green smoke, huh."

"Who would say otherwise?"