Chapter 89: Wu Yingwei: What's My Family Standing?

Wu An saw that Father's expression wasn't very good.

Obviously, his work wasn't going well.

He didn't ask further, so as not to invite bad luck.

A Qing opened the door.

Wu Ping heard the movement, came out of the room, saw them returning together, greeted them with a smile, and asked, "Dad, are there many people at the seaside?"

Wu Yingwei's face darkened several shades instantly.

Wu Ping still didn't realize he was touching a sore spot, and continued asking, "It's low tide now; I guess there aren't few people at the seaside."

After each typhoon passes, not to mention low tide, even at high tide there are always plenty of people at the seaside.

No way.

The typhoon blew too much seafood onto the seaside.

Whoever doesn't pick it up is an idiot.

Wu Yingwei always goes to the seaside at such times to dissuade people, and he often gets white-eyed looks.

Wu Yingwei said in a muffled voice, "I came back to get the loudspeaker."

After saying that, he handed the loudspeaker in his hand to Wu Ping: "Take this to charge."

Wu Ping took it.

But he didn't move.

He looked at Wu An with an expectant face: "Did you sell everything?"

Wu An nodded.

He also wondered how long the older brother could endure.

Wu Yingwei frowned: "Everything's sold, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and go charge the loudspeaker—this thing needs half a day's charge after not long of use."

Mei Yueqin came out of the room and said, "Dad, don't be anxious."

"Let's go inside to talk."

"Second son, everything went smoothly, right?"

Everyone walked into the hall, pulled up stools, and sat down.

Wu Yingwei's face was full of puzzlement—what's wrong with these one or two, they aren't even listening to his words?

What about his standing in the family?

Wu An coughed once: "Dad, later don't get angry."

Wu Yingwei's expression changed, and he jumped up: "What did you do again?"

It's not that he overreacted.

But Wu An has a record.

Wu Ping and Mei Yueqin quickly grabbed him, had him sit down, told him to calm down and listen to Wu An finish speaking.

Wu An looked toward A Qing.

A Qing took out his wallet bag, opened it, and pulled out the money inside, stack after stack—five bundles in total, plus sixty 100-yuan bills.

The sixty scattered bills, when the wind blew, covered the whole table, with some falling to the floor.

Seeing this, Wu An and Mei Yueqin instantly beamed with joy.

They couldn't even close their mouths.

Wu Yingwei was the same—he was stunned.

A Qing gave a hehe smile, watching the three's reactions and finding it quite amusing; he secretly felt a bit proud, looking at these people who lacked experience—his earlier reaction probably wasn't that big either.

"You sold that much money?"

"Good heavens, each bundle is ten thousand, right? One, two, three, four, five—over fifty thousand?"

"Good lord, even at most it hasn't been a day, and…… they earned this much money?"

"Second son, is it really that much?"

Wu An grinned widely; besides the older brother and sister-in-law's big reaction, seeing so much money made him extremely happy—earning this much in a day, in his past life he wouldn't even dare dream of it.

And now, this much money is just a day's work.

In the future he will surely be able to earn even more.

Wu Yingwei listened, growing more bewildered: "Is this much money earned?"

"How was it earned?"

"What exactly did you do?"

"Dad, I know you're anxious, but don't rush, let me speak first." Wu An deliberately kept them in suspense, saying: "Older brother, sister-in-law, A Qing, let's handle the main business first."

"Divide the accounts."

He picked up a stack of money, counted out 56 bills, handed them to Wu Ping, and said, "Older brother, this is fifty-six hundred, take it."

"This……" Wu Ping rubbed his hands, wanting to take it but hesitating, feeling awkward all over.

Wu An said, "Older brother, do you think it's too little?"

"I'm calculating according to the split I have with A Qing, we brothers should settle accounts clearly."

"If you think it's too little……"

Upon hearing that, Wu Ping quickly took the money, cutting him off, and said, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm happy; actually I just exerted a bit of effort, and…… I earned this much money."

"I feel guilty."

The money earned in one night is much more than his monthly salary.

Wu Yingwei was so anxious he wanted to scratch his ears and cheeks.

But to maintain the persona of a father, he could only force himself to stay calm.

I'm not in a hurry.

I'm not at all in a hurry.

Wu An counted out another 5600, handed it to A Qing, watched him put the money into his pocket, then took out over ten green crabs and let him take them away.

A Qing took it, stood up, and left.

Wu An instructed: "Also don't wander off, just go straight home."

A Qing responded with an acknowledgement.

Wu An put the money away and said: "Sister-in-law, I won't turn this money in; I had planned to buy a fishing boat, and a friend in town said there's news."

Wu Yingwei finally couldn't hold back: "Shouldn't I be given an explanation?"

Mei Yueqin laughed and said: "Dad, yesterday they went out to glean the sea, caught quite a few green crabs; after the typhoon passed, they went to town to sell them."

Wu Yingwei blinked: "Gleaning the sea?"

"You... went gleaning the sea during a typhoon?"

Mei Yueqin said: "Yeah."

"It's a bit risky."

"But after all, they earned so much money."

Wu Yingwei wanted to lose his temper, but seeing the money on the table, he didn't know what to say.

This isn't just a few hundred or thousand.

It's over fifty thousand!

His annual salary is only that much, plus bonuses; sometimes no bonus is paid, and over a year he still can't earn that much.

Mei Yueqin, taking advantage of the moment, said: "Dad, nobody knows."

"If the second son knows, it might have a bad influence on you, so we're being very careful."

"I think the second son did the right thing."

"If the second son wants to buy a fishing boat, given our family's situation, even if he works hard and earns money steadily, when could he afford it, let alone building a new house and getting married?"

Wu Ping said: "Dad, why aren't you speaking? If you're angry, just scold a couple of sentences."

Don't say they're all speaking up for Wu An just because they're greedy for money.

Who could refuse so much money?

Besides, the money has already been earned.

If we say Wu An is the principal offender, then they are accomplices, and we definitely need to speak well for ourselves.

Could it be that after making money, we still criticize ourselves?

That would be too hypocritical.

Wu Yingwei said: "I have nothing more to say; you've said everything that needed to be said, and you all understand the reasoning." Wu Yingwei stood up, took the loudspeaker from Wu Ping's hand, went inside to charge it, and then took the household loudspeaker and went out.

This sea‑gleaning isn't illegal.

He goes to the seaside to work, merely saying to dissuade; if they insist on going to the seaside, he can't stop them.

He had taken only a couple of steps when he saw the two brothers walking out together.

"Hmph." Wu Yingwei gave a cold snort, thinking they still knew to come see him off.

When the two approached, he then saw they were carrying buckets, which still held sea‑gleaning tools and a Snake Skin Bag, and asked: "Are you going sea‑gleaning?"

"Yeah." Wu An gave an embarrassed laugh and said: "Dad, you do your thing, we do ours, no conflict."

Wu Ping added: "Dad, we're going to the tidal flats."

"You'd better not come."

Wu An quickly added: "Older brother means nothing else; he's just worried it'll be difficult for you."

Wu Yingwei said angrily: "You still know I'll have a hard time!"

Wu Ping, as if he hadn't heard, said: "Dad, come home early tonight to eat; we have so many green crabs at home, Mei Yueqin will bring some to her family and then cook, and we'll have a full crab feast tonight."

Upon reaching the fork in the road, Wu An waved his hand: "Dad, see you tonight."

He watched the two talking and laughing.

Wu Yingwei stroked his beard and glared, after a moment he laughed again, not knowing whether he was angry or genuinely pleased.