Zhang Guoqing came up to Zhou Xiaozheng and noticed that the two bamboo baskets full of crabs were empty, surprised he looked around at the several other baskets of various sizes. Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and reassured him, "No worries, if it’s gone, I’ll go buy more in a few days. Next time, you and Jiao Jiao can have your fill. Our family isn’t short of money, these live crabs are only fourteen cents a pound, as much as you want." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩 Zhang Guoqing felt both touched and amused, "Dad, you should go one more time before returning to Beijing, buy some to eat back there, they’d even make great gifts. Over in the provincial city, such big and fat ones cost forty cents a pound." "Rare things are valuable. The fishing village buys rice privately from other villages at sixteen cents; to them, fourteen cents is still a high price. They don’t care to eat these without meat. All these good things are wasted. In the dining hall at the fishery, people eat shrimp bodies directly, tossing the heads and tails. The large yellow croaker heads and tails are thrown into the trash too." Zhou Xiaozheng sighed and shook his head, looking at the opposite side not noticing them, and whispered, "Look at these sacks of fish, all good stuff just broke out of the boxes in the cold storage and piled at the entrance labeled as waste. I secretly gave the storekeeper five yuan to buy 400 pounds, and my share of this bag only cost two and a half yuan. That mixed bamboo basket only cost one yuan; it’s really unbelievable. Rice and flour in the nearby village are only sixteen cents a pound, all top grade. I bought 400 pounds and they also gave 50 pounds of sweet potato slices. Spend four yuan on noodles to buy a heap; with nowhere to store them, I had to tie everything on top of the car. Unfortunately, the car was too small. Their management is too loose; it’s best to buy early. Even passing drivers know where to get food. Seeing them mess around , they’re bound to get into trouble sooner or later." After listening, Zhang Guoqing also shook his head, "Is their village very remote? Here we don’t have enough grain to eat, but that village has a surplus. I guess it’s because they have a small population and lots of land." "I didn’t look into the village details, but the area is quite remote. After buying, I hurried back to the fishing village with people, hard to find without a local guide. Today I just happened to meet a driver from the aquatic company; he’s not short of money and loves good food. Today he bought 200 pounds of rice and flour, the same as us with other things. He found a connection to buy the live crabs – it’s said that others mix in male crabs and don’t size them properly. He was the one who remembered those red roe dumplings." As they talked, the father-in-law and son-in-law laughed heartily. Zhang Guoqing kept saying he was a foodie. Zhou Xiaozheng saw that they’d tidied up almost everything and took Zhang Guoqing to the main living room, planning to discuss some matters with him while they came to mind. After the two sat down and drank some water, Zhou Xiaozheng spoke to him after a while, "Aside from Uncle Dashan and Zuo Lin in the county, is there anyone else you need to give gifts to? Send them early, and the leftovers will freeze in the cold weather, so you can eat them slowly." Zhang Guoqing shook his head, "No need to give the rest; you worked hard to buy them from another province. It’s not my place to give them away. Keep them to give to Uncle Guang tomorrow. Last time Mom brought back quite a few tickets from Aunt Xiao Fei’s place; if there are extras, give some to her in exchange for a favor, what do you think? As for Fang Jianmei from the Fang family in Beijing, Grandpa’s advice was to let nature take its course. Dad, speaking of which, I need your help thinking about this. Last time, Grandpa took me to the provincial city and I met some people. I’ve filtered out some peers I didn’t vibe with, but there are still three families left. Should I send them some gifts by the end of the year to keep in touch?" "Are they all from the military district?" Zhang Guoqing nodded, "They’re all higher-ups in the military district, higher positions than Uncle Guang’s, apparently Grandpa’s old subordinates. I also know some from the provincial/department and government, but the relations aren’t established enough yet, so I haven’t planned on exchanging gifts." "Forget about the military district, with Dad around, there’s no need to be too close. All your Grandpa’s old subordinates are known to me, just keep regular contact with them, no need for gift exchanges. Outside of that, when you have time, I’ll have Uncle Guang guide you. His father-in-law is the top leader; both of his big brothers-in-law have promising futures, and the youngest works in the provincial office. His two sisters are married well, not for alliances, but through their choices. They have influence in their in-laws’ families. You’ll learn when you meet them; they’re pretty and capable. His eldest brother moved up to Beijing last year, and Uncle Guang himself is a director in JXC, he’s truly a golden nugget. Outsiders don’t know his family background, not even your mom; he only confides in me a bit because we’re close. His wife is called Jin Hui Min, and it took Uncle Guang a lot of effort to marry her. Jin Hui Min is rather delicate; she’s a lot like our Jiao Jiao in her approach to people and things – she won’t easily let them in her heart, though she’s not as clever and shrewd as Jiao Jiao. With our 12 brothers, she is only warm to me and treats others politely. Uncle Guang’s fear of his wife is known to all – after having two sons, his wife was afraid of the pain and wouldn’t have more, and Uncle Guang jovially admits that he doesn’t want more kids. Think about Jiao Jiao’s personality; she’s not keen on getting close to strangers or pretending with people, so when looking for Uncle Guang, just go to his work, visit his house less unless Jin Hui Min herself invites you, then don’t hesitate. How to describe her? If you’re someone she likes, she’ll treat you like her own, not being polite. If you’re polite, she’ll get upset. She’s straightforward, without many tricks; if you don’t know her well, you might find her arrogant. Getting along with her is more suitable for Jiao Jiao, I’ll discuss this with Jiao Jiao. Uncle Guang is very loyal; he and I have repeatedly entrusted our lives to each other. He and his wife are both single-minded, and he cares about you and Jiao Jiao more than your Grandpa’s people, even more reliable. When I’m not around, whether you have issues or not, seek him out if you’re in need, he won’t be annoyed but will feel that you trust him. As for the four from last night, I observed, they’re still not good enough, too weak, not even as capable as you, their minds willing but unable. Just keep friendly relations; don’t mention any matters to them. Zhao Dashan can be relied upon, but he’s not much help to you. However, his character and skills are decent. Look for opportunities to lend him a hand, as they’ve been decent people for decades. In case our fortunes wane someday, it’d be good to have someone behind the scenes." Zhang Guoqing listened intently; when he paused, he asked his question, "Dad, I’ve heard from Zuo Lin that you made your own fortune before marrying Mom. How much do you know about the Lin family? I always feel I can’t trust them." Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at him, "Why trust them? It’s necessary to maintain a skeptical attitude. In this world, apart from your parents, me, Jiao Jiao, and your parents-in-law, don’t trust anyone blindly. I’m not saying your mother-in-law can’t be trusted, but she is very emotional and easily influenced. Regardless of who it is, always keep a boundary in mind. For example, today your mom said she wanted to have Liu Xiaoya stay to take care of Jiao Jiao and Ping’an. I immediately refused upon hearing it and told her not to mention it again. I worry that if she stays with you for a long time, she’ll feel jealous, which could turn to hate over time, and she might find ways to attract your attention. Do I not trust your character? No, I trust my Jiao Jiao completely, never worrying she’d encounter problems; with her cleverness, she’ll live well. But no matter how much I trust your character, I’ll keep a boundary in mind to be safe. Having been out for years, I’ve seen many people lose everything because of a careless word. Many haven’t guarded against insignificant people, pitying the weak only to end up sinking their own ship. So always remember to draw a line in your heart, be cautious with your words, and consider before speaking to others, otherwise, it’s better to speak less. In dealing with people and matters, it’s better to exert three parts of effort than to invest fully."