Chapter Five: The Only Things a Man Can Truly Rely On Are Money and His Mother

“Duyu...” Zhao Qinqin bit her lower lip.

But unfortunately, her manipulative act was far too crude for Duyu.

“Come on, what are you standing there for?” Duyu urged Wang Xiaowei, who was frozen in place, then strode past Zhao Qinqin.

As if! Zhao Qinqin wouldn’t really believe that putting on a little act could make him return to the past, right?

“Oh, okay!” Wang Xiaowei finally snapped out of it.

“Duyu, what I said the other day was just out of anger. Can’t you, a grown man, stop being so petty?” Zhao Qinqin ran up to Duyu, trying to explain.

But Duyu had long glimpsed the truth about Zhao Qinqin from the original memories.

All that so-called secret affection was just a performance by Zhao Qinqin.

“Zhao Qinqin, I have nothing to say to you. We have no relation. Don’t bother me. If the village chief asks, I won’t be able to explain.” Duyu cut it off decisively. Right now, all he wanted was to make money.

Zhao Qinqin trembled slightly, frozen in place.

...

After walking a long distance, Wang Xiaowei glanced back to see Zhao Qinqin crouching on the ground, hands clutching her head. He couldn’t help but say, “Brother Yu, it looks like Zhao Qinqin is trying to apologize to you.”

“Apologize? Xiaowei, remember this: the only things a man can rely on are money and his own mother.” Duyu imparted his life philosophy as he walked on.

The weather today was somewhat overcast. The seaside climate was changeable, but it brought a slight coolness after a whole summer of stifling heat.

Summer sea breeze and barbecue truly made a perfect match.

If it weren’t for the heavy debts at home, he would have liked to find a small island and just lie low for a couple of days.

“Brother Yu! Look over there!” At that moment, Wang Xiaowei pointed ahead and shouted loudly.

Duyu followed his gaze and saw that the spot where he and Wang Xiaowei had gathered shellfish yesterday was now occupied by other villagers.

“This is too much! Brother Yu, I’m going to chase them off!” Wang Xiaowei rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush over but was stopped by Duyu.

Because Duyu recognized one of the figures clearly.

None other than his sister-in-law, Ma Xiuzhen.

...

“Strange, how did that brat Duyu dig up so many king razor clams?”

By now, Ma Xiuzhen had been busy with the neighbors for half a day, but what they unearthed were mostly small clams or small mussels.

Compared to what Duyu had dug up, theirs looked underdeveloped.

During the high tide yesterday, many people saw Duyu selling his catch, including Ma Xiuzhen.

She saw him collect money and estimated that he must have earned at least two hundred yuan yesterday!

She also heard from Zhao San’s men that Duyu had sold a bucket of king razor clams.

So she came to the beach early this morning to dig clams.

“Isn’t that your sister-in-law? Are we going over there today?” Wang Xiaowei looked carefully and recognized Ma Xiuzhen as well.

“Not going. Today, we’re heading toward the river ditch.”

What Duyu called the river ditch was actually a row of concrete drainage pipes, discharging purified wastewater from the city.

The junction of saltwater and freshwater was full of crabs.

Moreover, that area was all rocks, and the concrete pipes naturally served as a refuge for marine creatures to avoid predators.

“Alright! I know that place well.”

Soon, the two of them walked about a mile south along the beach and spotted three parallel drainage pipes from afar.

This spot was far from the village, so few people came here. On the vast beach, only Duyu and Wang Xiaowei were present.

Then they split up to search. Soon, Duyu noticed crawling marks on the ground.

Crabs crawl on the shore with their bellies touching the ground, leaving clear traces. Duyu followed the direction and finally saw bubbles in a small pool.

Blue crabs!

A surge of excitement warmed Duyu’s heart—this was prime season for them.

Traditionally, if someone suffered from blood deficiency, they would buy a crab with roe, steam it with yellow wine, and recover afterward.

From February to October, blue crabs were in their breeding season. Judging by the crawling traces, this was likely a big, roe-filled female crab!

But Duyu didn’t recklessly reach in with his hands.

Blue crabs were fierce, especially their large claws that could easily crush small shells.

The water in the pool was murky, making it hard to see the bottom with the naked eye. He first carefully probed with tongs.

“Clack.”

Duyu felt the metal tongs touch something hard and his heart leapt. Then a strong force pushed back against the tongs!

It seemed a large blue crab was hiding beneath.

After gauging the environment with the tongs, Duyu took off his shirt and slipped his hands into the chilly water.

He first familiarized himself with the underwater terrain, then mentally mapped what he had just felt.

“Hss…”

Soon, his hands found a slightly slippery, round object. He cautiously pressed down with his fingers, then slowly moved the others around it.

Once he shaped the entire crab’s body with his hands, he couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

Based on the size he felt, this blue crab weighed at least over a pound!

Catching blue crabs was a skillful task, and avoiding being pinched by their claws required even greater technique.

Drawing on his childhood experience growing up by the sea, Duyu firmly grasped the crab’s tail.

By now, he had been bent over searching for nearly ten minutes, sweat trickling down his face.

But his eyes didn’t blink; he was focused on his prey below.

Then, exerting force, he slowly lifted the crab up!

The blue crab was slow to react and hadn’t realized what was happening as it was pulled out of the water. Duyu paid no mind.

He stepped on its body, grabbed a length of plastic rope from his bucket, and deftly tied it securely.

“One pound? No, at least two pounds!”

Duyu weighed it in his hand; this crab was a real giant!

“Ding! Detected host’s first capture of blue crab. Reward: Luck +10!”

The system’s voice rang out. Duyu glanced at his current luck points, still insufficient to buy new equipment.

He had long wanted to buy a fishing rod since the southeastern coastal waters were rich in fish, and many fishermen owned professional rods.

By now, sea fishing had already become a considerable market.

And with such a great catch, it would be easier to connect with clients.

Like the old man who bought the orchid crab yesterday.

Duyu sensed a different aura from him, a tone deeply rooted in the system’s inner workings.

If he could hitch a ride on this big opportunity, would he have to worry in the future?