"Whoa! Fan! When did you come back?!"
Yang Fan turned his head and saw a sun-darkened, sleeveless, muscular young man with a crew cut standing not far outside the courtyard gate, eyes wide with surprise and joy looking at him.
"Hongtao! You're back from the sea?"
Seeing the crew-cut youth, Yang Fan immediately smiled.
This young man was Yang Hongtao, Yang Fan's childhood buddy from the same village. The two had been inseparable since they were kids, practically grew up wearing open-crotch pants together!
Before leaving the fishing village, Yang Fan had entrusted Yellow to him for care.
"Damn! Fan, you jerk!"
"Coming back without telling your buddies in advance? How was I supposed to come pick you up?"
"When I passed by your house just now, the door was open—I thought you'd been robbed! Turns out it was just you coming back!"
Yang Hongtao laughed and teased as he strode over, then threw his arms wide and gave Yang Fan a big bear hug!
Old friends reunited—one hug said it all!
"Damn! I just took a shower, and you with your sweaty stench are dirtying me again!"
Yang Fan patted Yang Hongtao's shoulder, half-joking.
"What, so you're a big shot college grad now, stuck in the big city, and look down on your stinky fisherman buddy?" Yang Hongtao laughed and mocked.
"Screw that! I don't even go to college and I already look down on you! Have you even smelled yourself? You're downright rancid!"
"I'm a fisherman—how clean can I be!"
Yang Hongtao rolled his eyes, then asked suspiciously, "Fan, why are you suddenly back? And I see you even tidied the house? Planning to stay for a few days?"
As Yang Fan's best buddy in the village, Yang Hongtao knew very well how deeply the incident six years ago had affected Yang Fan.
Since Yang Fan settled his parents' affairs and left the fishing village six years ago, this was the first time he had entered his own home.
"Not just a few days. I'm planning to stay for good." Yang Fan smiled faintly.
"Stay for good? Seriously? Fan, are you really moving back to the fishing village?"
"Yeah, planning to live here long-term."
Seeing Yang Fan was serious, Yang Hongtao became even more puzzled.
"Fan, you're not joking, right? You graduated from a prestigious university — why would you come back to this nowhere village?"
"The big city's pace is too fast, pressure's huge, and drifting away from home is lonely. So, I figured, why not come back here and enjoy a leisurely life?"
Faced with his friend's questions, Yang Fan shrugged and gave a casual smile.
Despite their close bond, Yang Fan obviously couldn't reveal anything about the Dragon Pearl.
"Seriously? Then what do you plan to do?" Yang Hongtao's eyes widened.
"Our family's been fishermen for generations. I'm coming back to fish, of course." Yang Fan laughed.
"Ha! Fish my ass! The nearshore fish are all gone!"
"I work myself to the bone fishing and can't even save for a wife's dowry. I was thinking of leaving to work elsewhere, and you want to come back fishing?!"
Hearing Yang Fan's plan to fish, Yang Hongtao couldn't help but curse.
Nowadays, nearshore fishery resources are dwindling year by year.
Many fishermen have to sail further offshore to fish.
But going far offshore with a small boat is risky.
So fishing nowadays is exhausting, dangerous, and low-paying.
Most young people from the village prefer to leave and find jobs elsewhere rather than stay and fish.
If it weren't for Yang Hongtao's exceptional fishing talent since childhood, he'd probably have left to work elsewhere too.
"Damn! Fan, did something happen to you out there? You're a prestigious university grad — why the hell would you come back fishing? Are you out of your mind?"
The more Yang Hongtao thought about it, the angrier he got.
His buddy finally made it out of the village, and now he's coming back?
"Get lost! Your head's the one that's out of its mind!"
Yang Fan rolled his eyes and joked back.
"What's wrong with fishing? Seafood is expensive now. Catch a few yellow croaker or big lobsters and you can make a killing."
"Bull! Seafood's expensive, but only if you can catch it!"
Yang Hongtao rolled his eyes back at Yang Fan's words.
"Don't even mention it, Fan, you know I'm the village's famous fishing ace. Even I'm about to give up fishing. You really think a white-collar scholar like you can handle this life?"
"What, you look down on my fishing skills?"
"Heh, I do! Fan, I'm no scholar like you, but in fishing, you wouldn't even catch the taillight of my boat!"
Yang Hongtao said proudly.
"Oh yeah? Fishing ace, huh? Then tell me, what's the biggest Radiant lobster you've ever caught?"
Seeing Yang Hongtao acting all cocky, Yang Fan asked slyly.
"What's that got to do with anything? lobsters are rare and hard to catch. The biggest I caught was a bit over one pound."
Yang Hongtao didn't get why Yang Fan was asking.
"One pound? Heh, just wait."
Yang Fan said, then went to the kitchen and brought out the water bucket holding the lobsters.
"Fan, we're talking here—why are you going to carry that bucket… W-Whoa!"
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。