"Haochen, ready to set out to sea?"
"Yes, Uncle. You're back so early? Did you have a good haul today?"
Li Dehai's hearty laughter indicated a substantial catch.
"Come over to my place for dinner tonight. I've saved a few of your favorite mantis shrimps. Remember to drop by when you get back."
Li Haochen felt Li Dehai's concern, and a small part of his inner wounds began to heal.
"Alright, Uncle. I'll definitely come over tonight. I'll head out to sea now then."
"Hmm, you go ahead. Be careful, always be mindful of safety. Leave a line at sea, don't be greedy, you understand?"
"Yes."
Li Dehai watched Li Haochen's solitary figure, shaking his head with a mixture of pain and helplessness.
"Sigh."
Li Haochen arrived at the village dock, nodding greetings to the villagers returning from sea, but without much conversation. He walked directly towards his own sampan. Ever since his parents passed away, the first thing Li Haochen did before heading out to sea was to caress the entire sampan, as if reminiscing about the bits and pieces of his parents' time at sea.
"Dad, Mom, we're setting off!"
Dong~ Dong~ Dong~
After some practice, Li Haochen's handling of the boat was quite skilled. The diesel engine hummed continuously, and the sampan gradually picked up speed. The bow tilted slightly, rising and falling with the waves, colliding with the water and making splashing sounds.
The boat stopped at the periphery of a low-lying, rocky sea area. The reason for choosing this spot was Li Haochen's excellent swimming and diving skills. Rocky areas were prime hiding and feeding grounds for various seafood, so it often yielded a good harvest.
The choice to dive for catches was out of necessity. His parents had left considerable debts from family matters and the purchase of the boat, so Li Haochen did not have enough funds to purchase other fishing gear.
Li Haochen, with a net bag slung around his waist and carrying a fish spear and net, checked for any omissions, put on his goggles, and glanced at the somewhat calm sea surface.
"Plop~"
The water churned, and Li Haochen, like a fish, weaved through the seabed, his eyes scanning the crevices of the underwater rocks and coral like radar.
Evidently, Li Haochen, the outsider, had quieted the previously bustling underwater city. A few small fish, unconcerned, chased each other playfully.
Li Haochen's main targets were not the expensive fish or lobsters; those depended entirely on luck and were difficult to catch.
"Huh...!"
Suddenly, Li Haochen spotted several scallops clinging to a crevice at the base of a coral reef. His eyes lit up, and he quickly dived over. He drew out a small prying bar from his waist, inserted the small hook, and with a strong pull, pried out the scallops.
One, two... seven. Li Haochen smiled with satisfaction, put the scallops into his net bag, and quickly swam to the surface.
"Pfft~!"
"Whew... the harvest is getting smaller and smaller." Li Haochen removed his goggles and sat on the boat, looking at his catch after more than an hour with a rather bleak, wry smile. "These few scallops will probably only sell for ten yuan or so, and that's not even enough for fuel... Sigh!"
After a short rest, Li Haochen dived back into the sea. As time passed, Li Haochen shuttled between the sea surface and the seabed, his catch gradually increasing, but mostly consisting of low-value scallops.
Looking at the few pounds of scallops and a stonefish weighing over a pound, Li Haochen's face finally showed a hint of a smile. He checked the time.
"It's about time. One more dive, whether I catch anything or not, I'm heading back." Li Haochen said with determination.
"Plop..."
Li Haochen dived into the sea again, changing his location and diving into another rocky area. To his disappointment, he found no valuable seafood.
Li Haochen shook his head with some disappointment, preparing to ascend and go home. Suddenly, his eyes brightened, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He quickly swam towards a crevice obscured by seaweed.
"Mussels?"
Seeing the densely packed mussels, Li Haochen excitedly clenched his fist tightly.
Sensing his excitement, he calmed his racing heart and used both hands to pry them off. Clusters of mussels fell into his net bag, heavy and reassuring.
"Huh, what is this?"
Through the crevice, Li Haochen saw a glimmer of light. He reached inside and fumbled around. He pulled out a round object, like a large pearl. Li Haochen didn't study it further, tossing the round bead into the net bag along with the mussels he had just collected.
Li Haochen saw that there were still many mussels inside the crevice. Not wanting to be too greedy, he quickly swam to the surface.
"Whew~ Fortunately, I didn't get greedy. I almost couldn't hold on!"
Li Haochen climbed onto the boat with great effort, catching his breath.
"Lift...!"
With all his might, he finally managed to haul up the heavy bag of mussels. Gasping for breath, Li Haochen touched the substantial gift from nature and smiled radiantly!
He caressed the boat once more and looked towards the distant sky.
"Dad, Mom, we're going home!"
...
"Xiao Chen, you're back!"
Li Zijian, a second-tier dealer at the dock, called out.
Li Haochen carried all his catch ashore and said to Li Zijian, "Uncle Jian, thank you!"
"Oh, not bad, so many mussels. Xiao Chen, you've got good luck today, hehe!"
Li Zijian was about to help carry the shellfish when Li Haochen called out, "Uncle Jian, wait!"
Li Haochen walked over, picked out a few pounds of plump mussels from the large bag and placed them in another net bag. After rummaging around, he found the round bead and placed it in the net bag as well, saying a little sheepishly, "I'm taking some home to try, hehe!"
As he neared the village, Li Haochen's smile grew wider. He tightly gripped the 427 yuan he earned today, the biggest harvest yet, which filled him with anticipation for the future.
"Huh, Qianrong?"
Li Haochen saw his high school classmate Li Qianrong not far from the village entrance and, with some excited anticipation, jogged towards her.
"Qianrong..."
Li Qianrong looked over at the sound and frowned, a flicker of disdain crossing her face.
"Haochen."
"What brings you here?"
Li Qianrong turned around, looked ahead, and said faintly, "Just taking a walk?"
The two began to walk slowly along the path. The scene was not harmonious at all; rather, it seemed somewhat out of place. Unconsciously, Li Qianrong seemed to be distancing herself from Li Haochen!
"I got accepted into Binhai University."
Li Haochen paused, a bitter, wry smile on his face.
"Congratulations!"
"Are you... going to repeat?" Li Qianrong asked softly.
"My family... still owes a lot of debt. If I can pay it off and catch up, I will!"
Li Qianrong stopped, sighing inwardly, "Alas, we're ultimately on different paths."
"I should go. Take care!"
Li Haochen looked at Li Qianrong, words caught in his throat.
"Qianrong, these mussels were just dug up. They're fresh. Take them home to eat."
Li Qianrong did not take the mussels, offering a faint smile instead.
"Thank you, I'm... allergic to mussels!"
"I'm leaving. Goodbye!"
Watching Li Qianrong's departing back, Li Haochen gave a wry smile.
"Allergic, huh..."