Chapter 52: with translation of chapter title

Well, Lao Er has made something of himself now, not as much of a bastard as before.

Speaking of which, Lao Er stole a chicken from my house last month, hahaha.

Tch, you only stole a few, my chicken coop was completely emptied—you tell me, Lao Er, wasn't it you who did it?

Ye Cheng wore a speechless expression, and now they're bringing up old scores.

He hurriedly took out a cigarette and passed a round to the elders; there's no helping it, the village values seniority, so even though he saved someone this time, he can't be too proud.

Uncles and aunts, you're right to educate me; next time I'll definitely change, definitely change.

Don't bother changing; next time you want chicken, just tell Uncle and come take it directly—sneaking around, we're all from the same village. Zhao Shu was the first to voice his opinion.

Well, we don't have many left either, but if you'd like, I'll bring some over tonight.

I still have a few ducks at home; I'll bring them over as well.

Seeing the Duan family's miserable state, they all felt they had struck it big; a few chickens and ducks were nothing.

Villagers raise chickens and ducks quickly.

No, no, uncles and aunts, really not needed; I merely passed along the news—everything was decided by you yourselves.

Ye Cheng knew well that at times like this one must be steady; when he first started working, it was the same.

He single-handedly landed the whole project; at the celebration banquet, after drinking too much, the young and energetic him told the leader, 'If it weren't for me on this project, our company would be doomed.'

It was the truth, but it also offended the leader, and other colleagues gradually began to distance themselves from him.

From then on he understood: being a person must always come before doing things.

Seeing Ye Cheng modest about his achievement yet still prompting everyone to speak, the crowd grew even happier; one person pulled Ye Guowei aside to offer congratulations, saying the Ye family would surely prosper.

Ye Guowei wore a fond fatherly smile, happier than when Dou Dou scored a hundred.

Duan Yong was also dragged over by his mother, his face showing great displeasure, as if he'd eaten feces; Duan Shen went up and gave him two smacks, though they were on his back and the damage was negligible.

Lao Er, Auntie, on behalf of my family I thank you—our Duan Yong used to fight with you, yet you still notified our family; sigh, I'm embarrassed to say it.

Auntie, we're all from the same village; those were just minor squabbles, don't take them to heart.

Ye Cheng said while pulling a cigarette from his pocket and handing it to Duan Yong, 'Ah Yong, have a smoke to calm your nerves.'

Duan Yong hesitated a moment, nodded, silently took the cigarette, said nothing, and his anger hadn't subsided.

Ye Cheng didn't call him out; young people are like that—thin-skinned, they'd rather die than admit fault publicly.

Besides, he didn't think he'd done anything wrong; this Ye Cheng was just lucky.

Moreover, if his father hadn't come back, he might not have gotten caught up in this storm.

But as things stand now, if I were to openly oppose Ye Cheng again in the future, I guess my old mother would beat me.

Uncle Duan, Auntie Duan, your boat is gone this time—what do you plan to do? Ye Cheng asked.

Speaking of the boat, the Duan couple felt heartbroken, faces full of regret: 'What else can we do? Scrape together money to build another boat, otherwise life will become a problem.'

The profession of fisherman sounds great—cast a net and you get fish, haul them up and you can sell them for money.

But the effort and reward are completely disproportionate; know that since ancient times, fishermen have never been considered wealthy.

These days it's a bit better thanks to tourism, but relying solely on fishing, even near-shore, it's hard to make any money.

Uncle, I don't have much money either, but here's 3000 yuan—take it first, buy a boat early, and pay me back when you have the funds.

Duan Shu gaped, staring at Ye Cheng in disbelief, his mouth trembling a few times without uttering a word.

A Cheng, this... this is too embarrassing.

Beside him, Duan Yong looked at Ye Cheng with utter shock, never expecting Ye Cheng would actually spend money to help them.

When did Ye Cheng, the village's notorious good-for-nothing and a negative example, suddenly become so magnanimous?

And he just pulled out 3000 yuan at once—that's no small sum; you can make that much from gathering seafood?

Yeah, A Cheng, you need money too—how could we take yours? Duan Shen said that, but she didn't move; they did need money, yet they still had to observe propriety.

Uncle, Auntie, I'm a bachelor with little expense for now; if you need to buy a boat, use this first—don't worry about interest.

A thousand gold is easy to get, but chances to spend a thousand gold to buy a horse are rare; Ye Cheng won't let this slip.

Lending 3000 yuan to fellow villagers—people whose backgrounds we know—won't lose us anything, and we might even earn some goodwill; no matter how you count it, it's not a loss.

Well... we'll take it for now, go home and write you an IOU; once we've bought the boat and caught fish we'll repay you. Duan Shen beamed as she tucked the money into her pocket.

Lao Er is righteous.

Old Duan, you ought to properly thank Lao Er.

3000 yuan is no small amount; Lao Er has made something of himself now.

I've said since he was little: this Lao Er kid is clever; he'll surely amount to something when he grows up—just watch.

Sigh, if only my own son were as sensible as Lao Er.

A bunch of people were praising themselves as if they were Zhuge Liang reborn, lauding Ye Cheng this old fool to the point of embarrassment.

After the storm at sea lasted more than half an hour, calm finally returned.

After the big waves passed, there was still plenty of follow-up work to do.

Ye Guowei stayed behind to help the boss tally the goods, while the other villagers each returned to their own boats to check for leaks.

There was nothing left for Ye Cheng to do here; Xiao Hu also went to help his second uncle with work, so Ye Cheng could only head back alone.

Just as he pedaled his bicycle to the village entrance, he saw a crowd already gathered there—everyone had witnessed that recent bout of storm.

The dock is so close to the village that the village felt the impact too; they were frightened, but fortunately word came from home that everyone was safe.

Seeing Ye Cheng return, people spontaneously gathered around, showering him with praise.

Chen Jinhai stood up front, all smiles: 'Ah Cheng, this time we owe it to you for the tip—otherwise the village committee couldn't have warned everyone in time.'

Ye Cheng smirked, speaking bluntly: 'I don't even know who at the time disagreed with what I said.'

Chen Jinhai gave an embarrassed dry laugh twice: 'Well, the village committee also had to be cautious, cautious. It's all over now—over is good—but next time you ought to thank that friend of yours properly.'

That old bastard just won't give Ye Cheng any credit, attributing all the merit to that fictitious meteorological bureau friend of his.