"San'er, can the County's bank really exchange fake money?"
Wang Gensheng was a bit skeptical and sat down next to Wang Qiang to question him.
Upon hearing the word "bank," Wang Qiang chuckled.
If he were to set the coordinates at a bank…
No, the System wouldn't be so foolish as to allow him to do something as stupid as a moth flying into a flame.
"What's wrong, Dad? Did you receive fake money too?"
Cough, cough!
Wang Gensheng bumped Wang Qiang's leg, then raised his voice, emphasizing to everyone in the yard, "This matter, once it leaves this yard, no one is to mention it."
The old man specifically looked at his two granddaughters, telling them not to spread rumors about adult matters.
"San'er, call your buddies and come with me to find those two buyers. If they don't return the money, we'll beat them up."
Seeing his elder brother suddenly act tough, Wang Qiang laughed, "Big Brother, you don't even know who gave you the fake money, so who are you going to look for? Those buyers travel all over the country; they might have a wrench hidden in their car!"
Although eighteen-year-old Wang Qiang was full of youthful vigor, his thirty-something-year-old soul told him not to handle things this way.
Wang Gensheng kicked his eldest son's leg, muttering, "You're only tough at home. If you've got guts, go out and show it. I don't care anymore; I already handed over authority. You can slowly coax Jufang."
Having received a hundred yuan in fake money, Wang Gensheng was also very upset, but he was no longer the head of the household.
Wang Gensheng had three sons. His second son, Wang Lin, joined the army years ago and had been gone for ten years.
His eldest son, Wang Hai, married at twenty, and just two years later, his mother contracted a serious illness and passed away.
At that time, Wang Qiang was only six years old, still a small child, and Sun Jufang was the only woman in the household.
Sun Jufang was decisive in her actions and kind-hearted, taking care of the entire family comfortably.
His eldest son, Wang Hai, was so timid that he couldn't even fart with three sticks, so Wang Gensheng simply handed over the reins of power to Sun Jufang.
Wang Qiang had been raised by his elder sister-in-law since he was a child, which was why he dared to joke around with her.
After smelling the aroma of food, Wang Qiang ducked into the kitchen and peered into the large iron pot.
A fish was stewing at the bottom of the pot, so dark that its type was unclear.
A circle of golden corn cakes was stuck to the side of the pot, looking very appealing.
"Fragrant, truly fragrant!"
Sun Jufang was preparing a cold jellyfish salad. She turned her head and said, "San'er, when you get the money back, your sister-in-law will cut some meat for you to eat."
"No, no, this food is good enough!"
In his previous life, Wang Qiang's family lived inland, rarely eating sea fish.
Corn cakes were even rarer; this kind of coarse grain was the most nourishing.
It truly confirmed the saying: the fishermen by the Seaside were so poor they could only eat seafood.
Wang Qiang hummed a tune and strolled outside, re-entering the System.
There was a map in the System, but its coverage wasn't very large, drawing a two-kilometer circle centered on the village.
There shouldn't be anything on the mountain, but there should be good stuff in the sea.
Wang Qiang focused his gaze on the coastline outside the village. The shallow beach was probably scoured clean of good finds.
"The reef area, this is it!"
After selecting the marked area, a red dot lit up on the map.
At this moment, the System panel data changed.
"Luck Value: 1089."
Holy cow!
What good stuff could possibly be in this place? The luck value directly skyrocketed to four digits?
Wang Qiang rubbed his hands, overjoyed.
"What are you grinning about? Grab your chopsticks and eat."
Sun Jufang carried the dishes past Wang Qiang. As she walked past the platform, she kicked Wang Hai.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was a bit subdued, with only Wang Qiang eating with gusto.
Wang Gensheng and Wang Hai exchanged glances, the father and son somewhat confused.
Why was Wang Qiang eating more enthusiastically than a pig today? His bowl was cleaner than a pig's trough.
Sun Jufang chewed a corn cake, feeling a bit uneasy, and asked, "San'er, what you said about going to the bank to exchange money, is it true?"
"True, absolutely true!"
Wang Qiang drank a mouthful of porridge, still wanting more, and stuck his chopsticks into the fish plate.
"Big Brother, come on, flip the fish over."
Everyone at the table froze simultaneously, looking at each other. Two seconds later, they all slammed their chopsticks onto the table in unison.
"San'er!!!"
Wang Qiang flinched in fright and quickly pulled his chopsticks back.
Wang Gensheng, with a cold face, scolded, "You're regressing! Slice the fish..."
Even the usually quiet Wang Hai was a bit displeased, muttering, "San'er, hurry up and rinse your mouth. You're never serious."
Wang Qiang instantly lost his appetite. Only then did he realize that fishermen had many taboos.
They avoided saying "flip" or "capsize," fearing that their boat would capsize in the sea.
It seemed he needed to quickly integrate into the fishermen's life and culture.
"Qiang Zi!"
"Let's go!"
A shout came from the courtyard gate; his group of scoundrel friends had arrived again.
Wang Qiang got up and walked out, seeing three old-fashioned bicycles and a motorcycle parked at the entrance.
The one on the motorcycle was Hou Zhen, the village chief's nephew, and the leader of this group.
"Qiang Zi, let's go, there's a song and dance troupe in the next village today!"
"Damn it, I heard they're from the South! They have special acts!!"
Wang Qiang was tempted. Just as he was about to rush out, he remembered the red dot on the Seaside.
Just then, footsteps sounded behind him, and Sun Jufang came out carrying a bowl.
"Brother Zhen, you go first. Come back and tell me about it. I can't go today."
"The shredded potatoes turned sour; they gave me diarrhea."
Hou Zhen laughed heartily, shaking his head, "It'll be a joke if it gets out. Let's go."
After seeing Sun Jufang, Hou Zhen didn't linger either.
Wang Qiang turned and ducked into the storage room, rummaging out the family's fishing fork, then took a small rake, and came out carrying a bucket.
He put on a straw hat and a shirt to protect himself from the sun.
"What are you going to do?"
Sun Jufang found her brother-in-law strange today. Instead of going out to play with his rowdy friends, why was he fiddling with fishing gear?
"Sister-in-law, I'm going to the Seaside!"
Wang Qiang stopped short at the courtyard gate, turned back, and shouted, "Sister-in-law, later I'll borrow a motorcycle to go to the County and exchange your money!"
Wang Gensheng came out after finishing his meal, took a mouthful of water, and rinsed his mouth.
Sun Jufang quickly asked, "Dad, San'er is acting strange today. Did the sun rise from the west? Why is he going to the Seaside alone?"
"Go to the Seaside? Does he even know where to put the shovel?" Wang Gensheng dismissed it, carrying the swill bucket towards the pigsty.
"What? San'er went to the Seaside?" Wang Hai was a bit disbelieving. He ran to the courtyard gate and looked down the road, seeing his younger brother carrying a bucket and walking out of the village.
An unusual event always indicates something strange.
Sun Jufang increasingly felt that her brother-in-law's talk of exchanging money was false, just to coax her into making food.
Now that he was carrying a bucket and going out, was he going to cause trouble somewhere else again?
"Hui Hui." Sun Jufang pulled out a dime from her pocket. "Go follow your uncle and see what he's up to."
"Mom, a dime ice cream doesn't taste good."
Sun Jufang pouted, pretending to put her hand into her pocket.
Wang Hui immediately intercepted, snatching the dime from her mother's hand.
Wang Qiang walked through the village carrying the bucket, suddenly feeling a bit socially anxious.
At noon, many women were eating and chatting at their doorways, holding their bowls.
"Isn't that the Wang family's San'er? Why is he carrying a bucket out in such strong sunlight?"
"Qiang Zi! Why didn't you go see the song and dance troupe?"
"Carrying a bucket, is he going to the Seaside?"
Wang Qiang sighed inwardly, thinking that this could even be considered a rare event. How lazy must he have been before!
"Second Aunt, why is there only noodles in your bowl? Put some meat in! I'm going to the Seaside; I'll add a dish for you later!"
After he walked away, the women stopped eating and burst into laughter, talking over each other.
"The Seaside? Maybe he's going out to fool around with some young girl."
"Shameless, eighteen and still lounging at home, always talking about eating meat!"
"The Old Wang family has three sons. The eldest is honest and capable, the second joined the army to serve the country. Is this San'er even their biological son? He's completely different from the eldest and second."
"If I were Jufang, I'd definitely split the family and get rid of this burden."