Chapter 72

Old Sun sent the young man named Gao Jun to wait for his adopted son at the village entrance. Seeing this, Fan Wucheng and the others couldn't help but feel wary. From the old man's words, it seemed that he had more than one adopted son, and this young man was one of them. Could it be that this old man, seeing that they had money, had evil intentions and planned to use the excuse of waiting for his adopted son to gather the villagers and subdue them to seize their wealth?

Thinking this, Fan Wucheng gave Qingchen a nod, signaling him to go out and check. Qingchen, with his extensive experience in the world, naturally understood Fan Wucheng's meaning. So, he got up without showing any emotion, excusing himself to go to the toilet, and followed the young man out of the thatched hut.

Fan Wucheng then pretended to be indifferent and asked, "Why did you send your adopted son rather than your biological son to handle this matter? Could it be that your biological son is not good to you?"

Old Sun shook his head and said, "No, no. I am not partial to my adopted son. The truth is, I don't have any biological sons. My first wife died in childbirth, and the child didn't survive either. Since then, I never remarried, so I have no descendants. For these past few decades, I have lived alone.

These four adopted sons were rescued by the village fishermen last April from a small reef. According to them, they were fishermen from the Southern Dynasty who encountered a storm at sea, which damaged their boat and left them unable to navigate. They drifted to the small reef and had to swim there for shelter. If they hadn't been rescued by our village fishermen, they would have died of hunger and thirst in a couple of days. Seeing that they had no means of support and couldn't return home, I decided to take them in and let them live in the village. Later, seeing that they were hardworking, intelligent, and strong, and since I had no children of my own, I adopted them as my sons, so I would have someone to rely on in my old age."

After hearing Old Sun's story, Fan Wucheng and the others gained a newfound respect for the old man. It was not easy to give a stranger a chance to live when one's own life was already difficult. Thus, their suspicions about the old man diminished.

After a while, Qingchen returned from outside and gave a slight nod to Fan Wucheng, indicating that there was no danger. Soon, the young man named Gao Jun returned with three other men, who were dark-skinned and strong. They must be Old Sun's other three adopted sons. They bowed to Old Sun, who then introduced Fan Wucheng and the others to them. The three men were surprised to hear that Fan Wucheng and his group wanted to buy 'sea cucumbers' and carefully examined them, as if trying to discern something from their appearance.

Old Sun, clearly displeased with his adopted sons' impolite behavior, waved them to sit down. He then explained the business deal to them and said to one of them, "Xie Tian, please read the contract written by Mr. Fan. If there are no issues, sign it. In the future, you and your brothers will be responsible for receiving the goods. As for the specific price, we can discuss it later."

Xie Tian took the contract and read it carefully. After a few moments, he began to frown. The more he read, the more his frown deepened. Finally, he put down the contract, looking at Fan Wucheng and the others with a mix of surprise and excitement, though he quickly hid his emotions so that they were not noticed by Fan Wucheng and Old Sun.

He then passed the contract to his two brothers and bowed to Fan Wucheng and the others, saying, "I am Xie Tian, and these are my brothers, Huang Hai, Huang Shan, and Gao Jun. We are all the old man's adopted sons. May I ask how you should be addressed?"

Fan Wucheng returned the bow and introduced his group to Xie Tian. At this point, Xie Tian's two brothers had finished reading the contract and also showed a puzzled expression. Fan Wucheng thought there might be something wrong with the contract and asked, "Xie Tian and your brothers, do you see any issues with the contract? If so, please speak up, and we can discuss it together."

Xie Tian shook his head and said in a somewhat strange tone, "No, no, there are no issues with Mr. Fan's contract. Not only are there no issues, but it is also nearly perfect. In my opinion, such a well-drafted contract is probably the first of its kind in this era."

At first, Fan Wucheng and the others thought Xie Tian was flattering them, but the phrase "the first of its kind" made them uneasy. Fan Wucheng and Yang Xin instinctively examined the four men more closely. Xie Tian's words were indeed peculiar, not what one would expect from a fisherman of this era.

Fan and Yang noticed that while they were examining the others, the others were also looking at them with a probing gaze. Suddenly, both sides had a thought, a thought that was both surprising and exhilarating. So, Xie Tian asked, "Mr. Fan, you are from Liangxiang. Are you originally from there, or did you move there from elsewhere?"

Fan Wucheng replied, "To be honest, my companions and I are not originally from Liangxiang. We returned from overseas last April and have been here for about ten months."

Xie Tian and his adopted brothers were shocked by this. The young man named Huang Hai quickly asked, "Before you returned to China, which country did you live in overseas?"

By this point, Fan Wucheng was almost certain of his guess. To confirm it, he thought for a moment and found an effective way. He then answered with some excitement, "We actually lived on a large island called Australia. Have you heard of it, Mr. Huang?"

Upon hearing this, the four men became extremely excited. The young man named Gao Jun even started to cry. Huang Hai said excitedly, "Yes, I have heard of it. Before I came here, I heard from a sea merchant that there is a city called Sydney on that island. Did you live there, Mr. Fan?"

Fan Wucheng, now without any doubt, suppressed his excitement and replied, "No, no, we lived in Canberra, which is some distance from Sydney." As he spoke, he felt lucky. He thought, "Thank goodness I went to Australia last year; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to find a familiar country to talk about."

With this, the four men no longer held back. They all stood up from their seats and quickly approached Fan Wucheng and the others. Fan Wucheng, Yang Xin, and Zhong Tao also stood up and walked towards them. The seven men met in the middle of the room, shaking hands and hugging, their excitement evident.

The sudden actions of the seven men left Old Sun and Qingchen speechless. The seven men were shaking hands and hugging, and they couldn't understand what was happening. Qingchen even thought, somewhat mischievously, "Could it be that they all have a preference for men, and now they are expressing their feelings without restraint?" Of course, this thought quickly passed, as he knew it would be bad luck to think ill of his uncle.

Old Sun, though surprised, did not think the worst. This scene gave him some answers to his previous questions, or at least what he believed to be answers. So, he neither asked questions nor rushed, but sat there drinking water slowly, waiting for his adopted sons to explain.

After a while, the seven men calmed down and noticed that Old Sun and Qingchen were looking at them with questioning eyes. Realizing that their actions had been a bit over the top, Fan Wucheng stepped forward and explained, "Old Sun, Qingchen, I know you have many questions. Don't worry, let me explain."

He pointed to Xie Tian and the others and said to Old Sun, "When these brothers were rescued by the village fishermen, they did not tell you the truth to avoid drawing too much attention. They are not fishermen from the Southern Dynasty. They, like us, are descendants of the Han people who returned from a distant island. They encountered a storm at sea, and their fleet was scattered. Many ships were capsized and sunk, and only a few managed to return to China. The island and the place names we mentioned just now are known only to us who have returned from overseas. Although we didn't know each other before, we are all fellow countrymen who have experienced life and death together. Meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign land is one of the four great joys in life, which is why we were so excited."

Hearing this, Xie Tian understood how Fan Wucheng and the others were presenting their identity. He then led the other three to bow deeply to Old Sun and said, "Mr. Fan is right. We are not fishermen from the Southern Dynasty. We lied to our adoptive father to avoid unnecessary trouble. Please forgive us, Father."

Old Sun waved his hand and said, "My children, there is no need for such a deep bow. You had your reasons, and there is no fault. Besides, I always felt you didn't seem like fishermen. Who has ever seen a fisherman who can't tell the difference between fish species? However, I believed you had your reasons for not telling the truth, so I didn't press you. Today, Mr. Fan has explained everything, and you had your reasons for lying. I will not blame you. Please stand up and sit down to talk."

Seeing their adoptive father's magnanimity, Xie Tian and the others were deeply moved and returned to their seats. Fan Wucheng and the others also sat down, and the conversation naturally turned to the experiences of Fan Wucheng and his group of "returnees."

Fan Wucheng, following the standard content of the team, recounted the process of their return and then focused on their experiences over the past year. As a salesperson, he was eloquent and expressive. His vivid description was like a storytelling session, making Xie Tian and the others feel as if they were there, marveling at the twists and turns of fate and the unfairness of life. Fan Wucheng and his group could be considered fortunate, as their journey from the start was smooth. They not only avoided hardship but also achieved success, building a large business and establishing good relationships. Their future looked bright.

In contrast, the four of them were worlds apart. When they first arrived, they found themselves in a dire situation. They were on a small reef that was barely ten square meters at high tide, surrounded by endless sea. If it weren't for the two cases of beer and some food left on the two tables they were on, they would have died of hunger and thirst before the fishermen rescued them.

Even after being rescued and brought to shore, they faced many hardships. The village was poor, and they had nothing to trade for money. Before being adopted by Old Sun, they often went hungry and worked hard