Chapter 69: Bait Box
Han Jianyou was speechless. He thought that his sister would tell him to work harder in his studies, but to his surprise, the woman actually told him that it was all right if he didn’t want to work hard. That he could strike his way into the society sooner this way. Shouldn’t his sister tell him that he needed to study hard and bring glory to their family now that they were so poor? Why was she singing a tune that he couldn’t even understand?
"Sister, how can I start working? I haven’t even studied properly. Without proper studies, who will dare to give me a job?" Han Jianyou didn’t want to work, and just the thought alone made his scalp tingle. He was so young, not even eighteen yet. How could he start working so soon?
"But you are not doing well in school. You might as well join the workforce earlier; that way, you will not waste your time and effort, as well as the hard-earned money of our family. Anyway, even if I was not paying attention to your results, I know that your grades are neither here nor there. I am afraid that you will not be able to earn any money in the future. Listen to me, Jianyou. You should start working. I will ask Dad to introduce you to a good job."
Of course, Han Ruochen had no desire to make her brother work. But she wanted to give him a good, heavy dose. Han Jianyou was a rebel, and he did exactly the opposite of what people asked him to do. If she had told him to work hard at his studies, then maybe he might have refused her, but if she asked him to start working, then he would lean more toward studying rather than working.
Sure enough, just as she had expected, her second brother showed a look of unwillingness. He shook his head and stubbornly insisted, "Sister, my dear sister. Just help me out this time around. I promise that I will work hard and won’t give you a chance to complain."
Han Jianyou was worried that Han Ruochen would really make him work with her and hurriedly rushed to promise him.
Seeing that he was being serious, Han Ruochen decided to give him one last chance. "Then you’d better finish your homework before I return home. And if I see you at the bottom of the class in the midterm exams, I am going to take you along with me to collect seafood. Since you are not cut out for studies, you might as well start working hard for the family."
Han Jianyou nodded and hurried back home. He needed to finish his homework, or else this sea devil would drag him to collect seafood!
Han Ruochen watched him leave and shook her head. She then said to Han Beijiang, "Ah Jiang, do you want to go with your sister to the market?"
Han Beijiang didn’t say anything, but he did hug Han Ruochen tighter. He had seen the screaming and yelling happening at home and didn’t want to go back. He also had no fondness for Meng Yunhan and Han Ziyan, who pinched and twisted his ears whenever they wanted. But he couldn’t tell his sister the sufferings that he had gone through, so he just hugged her tighter and hoped that she wouldn’t leave him to those evil witches.
Feeling his little arms tighten around her neck, Han Ruochen’s eyes softened. She patted her youngest brother on the back and then went to the bus stop, where she caught the quickest bus to the town. Upon arriving at the town, Han Ruochen went straight to the fishing store; she needed to buy some tools for fishing. There was still some equipment from her grandfather left at home, but they were all old and really not easy to use.
Han Ruochen first looked at the pliers, which were useful on rocky beaches. They were eel pliers, which could also be used to catch octopuses.
Finally, after looking around for a long time, Han Ruochen gritted her teeth and bought one with a curved mouth and one with a straight mouth. She had to bargain a lot before the shopkeeper reduced the price to a hundred yuan. She also brought a pair of rain boots for herself as well as Han Beijiang, along with beach hunting gloves.
These gloves were made from strong materials, which meant that they could be kept without being punctured, and they didn’t slip off one’s hands when they were searching for seafood.
She even bought four sets of sun-protective clothing for herself and Han Beijiang. Otherwise, the two of them would become so tanned that even their father would refuse to recognise them.
She then bought a shovel and rake along with a headlamp and flashlight.
These two things were rather important, as they easily scooped out the seafood without damaging it. She also bought a long-handled shovel, which was a bit heavier, but it saved a lot of effort.
By the time Han Ruochen finished shopping, she could feel her purse getting lighter and sighed. It seemed like she had to go to the beach today, no matter what, or else she would be forced to drink northwest wind. Anyway, she was willing to suffer, but she could not leave her youngest brother to suffer along with her.
"Sister, how about you buy some traps from me? The new ones are of really good quality." When the shopkeeper saw that this customer was a big one, his attitude became much better and he offered some suggestions to Han Ruochen. Though he was confused why a woman was buying these things, he was not a nosy person.
Seeing Han Ruochen’s hesitation, he added, "Although it’s the time of sea closure, you can always put these traps in small rivers and reservoirs; you are bound to catch some shrimps and crabs."
Han Ruochen pursed her lips; there were no reservoirs close to her village but under the gentle and repeated persuasion of the boss, she bought seven traps, as she would use them anyway.
She was also thinking of buying a bait box when—
[Ding]
