Chapter 80

Spider Snail and Blue Crab can sell quite a lot.

They're large; several hundred is no problem.

Da Liu saw the wind shifting and immediately started making excuses, "I never said I wanted to rob them; I just wanted to look, and they attacked right away—clearly they don't take our village seriously."

Liu Zhengming stared at his son, eyes slightly narrowed; he knew better than anyone what sort of crowd his son was with—surely he felt they'd gotten too little and wanted more, which sparked the quarrel.

Logically speaking, his son was in the wrong.

But...

Logic has nothing to do with me; here in Liu Village, he's the Village Chief, his word is law.

Liu Zhengming straightened his clothes, puffed out his chest, and walked up to Ye Cheng with a petty-official's stride.

"Um, Ye Cheng, it's wrong to resort to violence, you..."

Before he could finish, Ye Cheng cut him off: "Uncle Liu, we should call the police—I have a recording on my phone."

Seeing Ye Cheng's Nokia phone in his hand, Liu Zhengming swallowed the rest of his words.

He frowned a moment, then glanced back at his son; Da Liu and the others' faces changed drastically, their eyes panicked.

Things aren't like they used to be; before it was just a black-and-white matter, but after several rounds of strict crackdowns, anyone who breaks the law will surely be locked up.

Seeing his sons like that, Liu Zhengming knew they must have spoken up; he hadn't expected Ye Cheng to know how to use a recording.

His expression twisted for a moment, then he barely managed to put on a slightly kinder face.

"Um, Ye Cheng, why call the police? We're all neighbors; any dispute can be settled privately."

"Yeah, Uncle, that's what I said too—distant relatives aren't as good as close neighbors; we're all like brothers, come on, uncles, have a smoke."

Ye Cheng spoke while pulling out a cigarette for Liu Zhengming; Liu Zhengming stared a moment, then instinctively took it, and Ye Cheng seized the chance to light it for him.

Seeing the Village Chief light up, the other villagers readily took cigarettes and let Ye Cheng light them.

As for Da Liu and the others, Ye Cheng also handed out cigarettes, but he didn't bother lighting them—everyone was still holding back their anger.

A dozen or so cigarettes were lit, and the atmosphere instantly turned eerie.

Just moments ago they were talking about fighting and calling the police; now they stand together smoking—are they fighting or making peace?

Ye Cheng didn't wait for their reaction; after two puffs he told Xiao Hu to load the vehicle.

"Uncles, it's getting late; my older brother is waiting for me to eat, so we'll head back now—we'll come again another time."

Having said that, he swung onto the motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and rode off with Xiao Hu.

"Dad." Da Liu called out a little dissatisfied—his father had arrived but was completely useless.

Liu Zhengming gave him a sideways glance, wearing the look of a father disgusted with his son: "Stay out of trouble; others know how to gather seafood—if you can't, go make some money that way. All you do is eat and drink off me, and you even want me to wipe your ass—hmph."

If I hadn't come today, you and your buddies might well have ended up in the police station.

"Liu Yong, tell me—were you the first to charge in?" Liu Zhengming pointed at Ah Yong as he spoke.

These few are just petty youngsters, and Liu Yong is the most impulsive among them.

Liu Yong lowered his head, looking aggrieved: "Uncle, I didn't do anything."

"Cut it out; when we get back I'll tell your father to discipline you properly."

After riding out of Liu Village, Ye Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief—he had almost come to grief there; damn, gathering seafood brings so many hassles.

"Brother, they just wanted to rob us outright."

Because of the water tank, Xiao Hu was lying flat on the front of the motorcycle.

"Just say what you have to say; don't lift your head—I can't see anything." Ye Cheng slapped Xiao Hu's head.

"Can't help it; it's their turf. Worst case, we just won't come back next time—we'll go elsewhere. Damn, with a vehicle we're not afraid of distance."

Ye Cheng's fear was mixed with more anger—after giving them several hundred dollars, what more do they want? Do they want half?

Dream on!

I'm soaked all over, yet they're lounging about—what gives them the right?

They're just drinking buddies with Da Liu—nothing special.

He also figured it out: no more trips to Liu Village; the coastline is long—just ride the motorcycle and scout.

The two returned to the village; it was already dinnertime.

They first put the stuff at Ye Cheng's house, divided it into two water tanks, then pumped oxygen into them with an aerator.

Tonight I'm too lazy to cook, so I'll eat at Xiao Hu's place—but I need to take a shower first.

I'm filthy all over; the seawater isn't clean either, and my hair is all tangled.

"Brother, let's shower together," Xiao Hu suddenly said.

Ye Cheng instinctively covered his butt, stepped back two paces, and stared at Xiao Hu with a look of disbelief.

"Holy shit, you old glass, you actually like that sort of thing? Don't touch me—I'm into girls."

Seeing Ye Cheng like that, Xiao Hu could hardly believe it: "Brother, I just wanted to bum a hot shower from your place—what are you thinking? Just looking at your butt makes me nauseous."

"You... you've seen it?" Ye Cheng's voice changed pitch.

"Ah, it's not like we haven't swum naked together before—what's the big deal? I've seen every guy in the village."

"You old pervert, get lost—wait till I'm done showering before you go, damn it."

In the end, Ye Cheng showered first; then Xiao Hu ran home to grab underwear and clothes, and stubbornly waited for Ye Cheng to finish before enjoying the hot water himself.

Good thing it's men showering; otherwise one water heater wouldn't be enough for two.

"Brother, a hot shower is just great," said Xiao Hu, fresh from the shower, looking relaxed.

"Sounds like your place doesn't have hot showers," Ye Cheng rolled his eyes.

"No, it's different—yours is from a water heater."

"It's all water, all hot; the only difference is that this water heater uses my family's electricity, not yours."

"Brother, hearing you talk like that, come on, let's eat—my mom's been urging us."

Today's dinner was at Xiao Hu's place, just a simple family meal, but since Ye Cheng came over to eat, Xiao Hu's mother specially stewed a chicken soup and added some dried scallops.

"Come, A Cheng, have some chicken soup, eat some meat, build up your strength." Xiao Hu's mother was very enthusiastic; she almost gave Ye Cheng half a chicken.

However, Ye Cheng really didn't want to eat; he had gotten sick of it in later life.

In this day and age, chicken soup is a staple New Year dish—a whole chicken stewed with mushrooms and dried scallops, golden broth with a slick of oil on top; in these still relatively oil‑scarce times it's absolutely a nourishing delicacy, and tasty too.

But later, fewer people ate chicken soup—eating too much made them sick of it, and the chicken isn't the same anymore, it's very dry—so Ye Cheng usually just bowls a serving casually, just for the sake of it.

Seeing the bowl brimming with chicken meat, Ye Cheng's mouth twitched, and without hesitation he shoved it into Xiao Hu's bowl.

"A Cheng, eat it yourself—why give it to him?" Xiao Hu's mother sprang up, trying to pull it back out of Xiao Hu's bowl.