Chapter 145: Getting Rich Quietly

’No wonder this little girl is so well cared-for,’ he thought. ’With nine boys in the family, it’d be a miracle if a pretty little girl like her wasn’t spoiled rotten.’

The three packs of instant noodles cost two yuan and forty cents. Yun Jiao spent the remaining sixty cents on snacks and popsicles for her brothers.

The owner generously threw in another lollipop for her.

Once they had their things, they didn’t linger, climbing straight onto the village head’s tractor.

The village head’s son was waiting for them on the tractor.

"Are you guys okay?"

Yun Linhai’s eyes darted around. He immediately put on a miserable expression and began to play the victim.

"Those damn thieves... we only got five hundred yuan back. They split the money after they stole it. The police only caught one of them; the rest got away. Who knows if any of our money will be left by the time they catch the others."

Hearing him say this, Yun Linhe instantly understood his plan.

Their family’s luck at sea had been incredible ever since they bought the boat. Although they never revealed how much they earned, anyone paying attention could figure out a rough estimate.

This bluefin tuna was just too high-profile. There was no telling how many people were green with envy.

Yun Linhe’s face immediately fell as well, and he started cursing out the thieves. His performance was filled with genuine emotion.

"But as long as we got Jiaojiao back, that’s what matters. We can always earn more money. As long as our Jiaojiao is safe, everything is fine."

Yun Jiao wore a blank expression.

Yun Xiaowu and the others scratched their heads. ’Didn’t we get all the money back?’

But they were sharp enough to keep quiet, even if they couldn’t fake a sad, crying face.

The village head’s son had seen the theft with his own eyes, so he sighed, his heart aching for them.

"Over two thousand yuan... and you only got five hundred back."

The thought alone was painful, even though it wasn’t his money.

Yun Linhe sighed. "You’re telling me. We were going to use that money to pay off the debt from building our house. I guess with this five hundred, we can just about finish paying it off."

’Getting rich on the quiet is the way to go.’

After that, they were mostly quiet for the rest of the ride.

Yun Linhe quietly instructed Yun Xiaowu and the others to act heartbroken when they got back to the village.

Yun Xiaowu asked, "But what if I can’t fake it?"

Yun Linhe replied, "Then you don’t get to eat your instant noodles."

Yun Xiaowu was instantly heartbroken.

When the tractor returned to the village, everyone was baffled to see Yun Linhai and his family looking so dejected.

’Didn’t they go to sell the tuna? Why the long faces?’

Before Yun Linhai’s family could even say a word, the village head’s son vividly recounted their run-in with the thieves and how Jiaojiao had nearly gone missing.

Yun Xiaojiu, his inner actor bursting forth, hugged Yun Jiao tightly.

"WAHHH... My sister almost disappeared! The bad guys stole our money! My poor sister..."

He could cry on cue, the tears streaming down his face.

Yun Jiao’s expression was one of pure shock.

Yun Xiaowu and the others held their breath until their faces turned red. All of them combined couldn’t look as heartbroken as Yun Xiaojiu did all by himself.

Yun Xiaowu and the others were speechless.

’Bro, could you lend us some of those tears?’

Yun Linhai was struggling to keep a straight face. He had to get out of there with Jiaojiao before they were exposed.

After they left, the crowd let out sighs of pity.

"How much money would a tuna that big sell for? And it got stolen before the cash was even warm in their pockets."

"You’re right. At nine yuan a catty... that would be... that’d be over two thousand yuan, wouldn’t it?"

"Hiss... Such a huge amount of money. Damn those rotten thieves."

Some people were genuinely sympathetic, but others were gloating.

When Yun Dafu got to the pier, he heard that Yun Linhai’s family had caught a bluefin tuna weighing over two hundred catties. Instantly, his own boat and his eighty-something-catty bomb-fish lost all their appeal.

He was seething with resentment. ’That family of Yun Linhai’s, with their crappy little boat... what right do they have!’

He hadn’t expected to hear this kind of news when he came over to see what the commotion was about. A wave of satisfaction washed over him.

’Serves them right. That’s what they get for showing off.’

"If you ask me, they just aren’t fated to be rich. They ended up worse off than I did with my bomb-fish. It might not be a bluefin, but it still sold for a good bit of money."

"My iron-hulled boat can pull in a ton of fish in a single haul. I had good luck today—not only did I get that bomb-fish, but also several hundred catties of small yellow croaker and squid."

Everyone turned to look at Yun Dafu.

Basking in everyone’s envious gazes, Yun Dafu puffed out his big belly and continued to gloat smugly.

Cai Jinhua’s and Ma Po’s families, who were in the crowd, had both had run-ins with Yun Linhai’s family in the past. Hearing that they’d caught a bluefin tuna had been an unbearable, itching irritation.

Now, learning their money had been stolen felt as refreshing as a glass of cold water on a sweltering summer day.

Cai Jinhua slapped her thigh. "They’ve got no luck! If only that bluefin tuna had been ours."

A shame they could only dream.

Meanwhile, Yun Linhai and his family arrived home. After they’d had some water, Granny Yun brought the dinner she had kept warm for them to the table.

"Hurry and eat. You haven’t had a bite all this time."

Yun Jiao patted her little tummy. She could still eat.

The family gathered around the table, all traces of their earlier sorrow gone. Every one of them was smiling happily.

"Not bad, kiddo," Yun Linhe said, ruffling Yun Xiaojiu’s hair. "You cried so hard even I almost believed it."

Yun Xiaojiu looked smug.

Halfway through their meal, Grandpa Yun, Yun Chen Nan, and Yun Chenbei all rushed back home.

"Linhai, Linhe! Everyone outside is saying Jiaojiao nearly went missing and that your money was stolen! What happened?"

Granny Yun, who had been mending a net, shot to her feet. "What?!"

The group crowded around Jiaojiao. "Jiaojiao, are you okay? How did you almost get lost?!"

Under the stern gazes of the two elders, Yun Linhe quickly explained the whole story.

Yun Jiao added, "I didn’t get lost! I chased the thief, beat him up, got the money back, and even took him to the police station!"

"Oh, you little rascal! How could you be so bold? Those men are dangerous! You have no idea if they were carrying weapons."

Yun Jiao blinked. ’Actually, I think they were.’

"Money can be earned back, but you can’t risk your life."

"Don’t you ever do something so dangerous again, you hear me?"

Yun Jiao nodded obediently under the barrage of scolding, but in her heart, she thought, ’I’d do it again!’

’I earned that money with my own two hands. What right did those jerks have to steal it?!’

After dinner, more than two thousand yuan was laid out on the table.

Yun Jiao swung her short legs. "Grandma, split the money! Split the money!"

She now fully understood the importance of money in this world. It could be used to build a beautiful big house and buy lots of tasty food and pretty clothes.

Granny Yun divided the money into three shares. A full one thousand yuan was for Yun Jiao.

"On this trip, Jiaojiao caught both the bluefin tuna and the leopard coral grouper, so she gets the largest share. This one thousand yuan is hers. The two of you can split the rest between your families."

Neither Yun Linhai’s nor Yun Linhe’s family had any objections.

Holding the money, Granny Yun said, "I need to open a separate bank account for Jiaojiao."

She didn’t feel safe keeping such a large sum of cash at home.

Yun Jiao sidled up to her grandma. "Grandma, count the money for Jiaojiao."

Granny Yun’s smile was impossibly kind. She stuffed the thousand yuan directly into her hands.

"Go on, count it yourself."

And it had to be said, counting money truly was a joyous activity.