Chapter 33

Since Uncle Xiao was coming to Bannshan Village for the Mid-Autumn Festival, this year's festival couldn't be like previous years, where each family celebrated on their own. The whole family had to celebrate together, especially since it was Uncle Xiao's first time meeting everyone, so everyone took it very seriously. Not only were Uncle and Aunt busy running around, but Auntie and Old Auntie also came early to help. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, both families would come together for a reunion dinner.

Wang Yong and his brother Wang Liang were naturally assigned various tasks by the elders. Wang Yong was unsure how to tell Aunt about inviting Yuan Yuan's family to the village for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Suddenly, Aunt remembered and discussed it with Wang Yong:

"Wang Yong! Give Yuan Yuan a call and see if she can come over to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. It would be a good opportunity for her to meet your Uncle Xiao."

Since Aunt had brought it up, Wang Yong didn't hide it and directly told her that he had already invited Yuan Yuan's family, and they had agreed to come.

Aunt was immediately angry and shouted at Wang Yong, "You kid, why didn't you tell me earlier about such a big thing? This is the first time your future mother-in-law is coming to our home. If we're not prepared, won't it be embarrassing for the Wang family?"

Auntie and Old Auntie also chimed in, "Yes! You kid, how can you be so unreliable? According to our local customs, this is like a formal engagement. We need to make proper arrangements."

"Exactly, it's a good thing Aunt mentioned it today. Otherwise, if your mother-in-law's family came and we had no preparations, the villagers would laugh at us!"

The elders scolded Wang Yong one after another, making Wang Liang, who was watching, feel quite amused. However, they were still brothers, and seeing his brother in trouble, Wang Liang immediately used his high IQ of 180 to come up with an idea. After thinking it through, he quickly left the house. Soon, Grandma's voice was heard in the courtyard.

"Is Yuan Yuan's family really coming to our house for the Mid-Autumn Festival? Wang Yong, are you sure about this?" Grandma asked as she was supported by Wang Liang into the house.

After Wang Yong confirmed, Grandma didn't scold him but immediately started discussing the arrangements with Aunt and the others. Aunt even called Yuan Yuan's family and talked to her mother for a long time. Wang Yong, who had been sent out to buy things, didn't know what they discussed.

There wasn't much need to buy vegetables since the family had a greenhouse with many varieties. They only needed to buy a few that weren't grown there. The key was meat and seafood, which required a trip to the county or city. Wang Yong first drove to the county's agricultural market. As the most economically developed county in the city and a famous tourist destination, the market was well-constructed with countless stalls categorized by type. Due to the approaching Mid-Autumn Festival, business was booming, with crowds of people.

Following the list provided by the elders, Wang Yong began his shopping spree. Originally, it was just a family gathering, but because of Yuan Yuan's family, the nature of the event changed. According to Auntie, in the afternoon, it would be a formal engagement, and in the evening, it would be a family reunion. Since it was a formal engagement, they couldn't just involve the Wang family; they had to notify some relatives and villagers. This was a matter of etiquette. Despite Wang Yong's strong opposition, Grandma overruled him, and he had no choice but to accept his fate. He had initially wanted to spend some time alone with Yuan Yuan, but due to etiquette, he had invited her parents, who unexpectedly agreed. Even more unexpectedly, Uncle Xiao, who was always busy, was coming back to the village for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Most unexpectedly, what was supposed to be a simple invitation turned into a formal engagement (in the local context, it was almost the same as an engagement).

Wang Yong didn't spend much time browsing at the market; he went straight to his destinations, bought what he needed, and moved on to the next. He quickly bought pork, chicken, duck, and fish. Because he had bought so much, he hired a minivan. By the time he got home, it was already eleven o'clock, and the elders didn't even let him eat before sending him to the city to buy seafood.

By the time he reached the city, it was almost one o'clock, and Wang Yong's stomach was growling. He found a small shop and ate a bowl of noodles before heading to the Xianqiao Seafood Wholesale Market.

This market, established in the early stages of the reform and opening-up, specialized in seafood. Initially, it was a fixed trading point for local fishermen, but it gradually grew larger and more formal. Now, you could buy almost any kind of seafood from around the world here. Not only were there local fish, crabs, shrimp, and shellfish, but also sea cucumbers, abalones, and various fish, some of which Wang Yong had never even heard of. However, he just needed to follow the list provided by Aunt and the others.

True to its reputation as the largest seafood wholesale market in the city, Wang Yong found everything he needed in less than half an hour, visiting only a few shops. He bought frozen shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, and jellyfish heads. Just as he was about to leave, a stall caught his attention.

It was actually a display of several small glass tanks set up outside the shop to attract customers. What truly caught Wang Yong's attention was the content of the tanks: small fish, shrimp, and various shellfish. A sign next to the tanks read: "Wholesale and retail of various fish and shellfish seedlings."

Seeing the sign, Wang Yong immediately thought of his small world, where he had long wanted to introduce some marine life. He had planned to go to the southern regions known for aquaculture to get some seedlings, but he never expected to find them right at his doorstep. Since he had found them, he didn't want to miss the opportunity and immediately walked over.

The shop owner was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a rubber suit and rubber gloves. Seeing Wang Yong approach, he greeted him, "Sir, what would you like to buy? I have a wide variety of seedlings at the lowest prices in the city."

Wang Yong didn't respond but went to the glass tanks to observe closely. He couldn't identify the different types of seedlings, so he turned to the owner and asked, "What kind of seedlings do you have here?"

The owner immediately knew that Wang Yong was just curious. After all, if someone came to buy seedlings but didn't know what they were, how could they raise them? However, since there were no other customers, the owner decided to chat with Wang Yong to pass the time.

The owner's introduction truly broadened Wang Yong's horizons. What looked almost identical to him turned out to be several different types. They chatted for over half an hour, and Wang Yong listened with great interest. The owner, who rarely had the chance to show off his knowledge, was also enjoying the conversation, speaking enthusiastically and animatedly.

To the owner's surprise, Wang Yong asked for a few of each type. The owner was taken aback. What was this guy planning? You can't just raise a few of each type, and there were nearly thirty types of seedlings. Most farmers raised only one or two types for easier management, but this guy wanted a little of everything. Seeing the owner's puzzled look, Wang Yong had to lie to explain:

"I run a kindergarten at home. I thought I'd buy some of these seedlings for the children to raise and play with, and they could learn more about marine life and broaden their knowledge."

The owner suddenly understood, "Ah, I see! I've never met a customer like you before. Who buys a few of every type? It's for the children's education, I get it!"

"Exactly, that's the idea. How much will it cost?" Wang Yong asked.

"Don't worry about money. I'll just give you a few of each to play with," the owner said generously.

"That's not right. You make a living from this. Tell me how much, and don't worry, I can get reimbursed. I don't need you to save money for me," Wang Yong said with a smile. He liked the owner's generosity, but he was willing to pay for the seedlings. Although there were dozens of types, he only needed a few of each, and the cost was negligible to him.

After much persuasion, the owner finally accepted 100 yuan as a token payment. If calculated, it would have been much more, especially the three types of abalone seedlings, five of each, which alone would have cost more than 100 yuan. There were also some expensive items like sea cucumber and grouper seedlings. The owner mentioned that these were just for curiosity and wouldn't be suitable for large-scale farming in the area due to different environmental requirements. He had them to attract customers and show his expertise.

After Wang Yong left, the middle-aged owner put away his smile and called someone. The man on the other end answered:

"Uncle, what's up? You're not asking me to find some rare seedlings again, are you? I went through a lot of trouble last time to find Australian abalone seedlings for you."

Before the man could continue, the owner interrupted, "Listen, do you know who I just met?"

"You're not asking me to buy seedlings? That's good, that's good."

"Cut the crap. You're always hesitant when I ask for help. I met Yuan Yuan's boyfriend today," the owner said.

"Who? Who did you meet?" the man asked, surprised.

"Yuan Yuan's boyfriend! I haven't seen him in person, but I recognized his car. Didn't you say they met because he bought a car from you?"

"Yes, but what was he doing at your place?"

The owner said calmly, "He came to buy fish and shrimp. He saw the seedlings and bought a few of each, saying he wanted to give them to the children at the village school to broaden their horizons. I didn't want to charge him, but he insisted, so I took 100 yuan."

"Ha, you should have just told him you recognized him. Why hide it? It's not like it's a secret."

"Hehe, don't you think it will be funny when Yuan Yuan introduces me as her uncle and he's surprised?"

"You're so boring! Alright, I won't chat with you anymore. Remember to come over for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Bye."

Wang Yong, who had already left, didn't know that his future unscrupulous uncle was waiting to see his reaction. After putting the various seedlings in several bags in the car, he closed the door and directly stored them in his small world, placing them in the ocean.

There will be another chapter soon. Thanks to the reminder from reader roy1981. Please understand!

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