Chapter 1004

"Then eat it yourself. See whether Ah-Guang leaves tomorrow or the day after—take six cans for him. Give two cans each to your parents, your eldest brother and Ye Dasao, and two cans to Ah-Guang himself. No one else gets any. Your Ye Erge and his family live too far away, so don't send them any—we'll keep it all for ourselves."

"Alright."

Lin Lin Xiuqing took out the cans and, under the moonlight, turned them over and over, examining them. "I can't see anything different. Will these fish cans actually taste good?"

"They'll taste good—very fragrant. The fish inside is fried all the way through, even the bones, so you can chew them up and eat them. There's also a lot of fermented soybeans—you can just mix them straight into rice."

"So there's a lot of oil then?"

"Exactly. That's why they're expensive."

"Let's try one tomorrow. So what's the difference between these fish cans and caviar?"

"There's a big difference. It's dark now, and it's late. I'll tell you tomorrow. Right now, rummaging won't help—we can't even see what we're looking for."

Ye Yaodong returned to the table, ate the last two hot spring eggs, then climbed into bed.

Lin Lin Xiuqing put the fish cans back, then got into bed too—only to see him pouncing on the child, kissing her nonstop.

"Stop messing with her, or if she wakes up, I won't soothe her."

"I'll soothe her."

"You? Soothe her? You wake her up every day, then just drop off to sleep yourself. Get back to your own spot and sleep there."

Ye Yaodong was tugged away; the child frowned and wriggled in protest. He had no choice but to return to his side, leaving the middle space open for Lin Xiuqing.

"While I was away, did anything happen in the village?"

"Yes. Old Wang Qi from the village had been hoarding dried fish for ages. A few days ago, he pushed a cart piled higher than a man, saying he wanted to follow your example and sell them in the city to slowly earn big money."

"But he wouldn't spend money on a tractor, so he walked. They say it took him a full day and night to reach the city. He got lucky going there—no trouble at all. Then he hawked them on the streets, and apparently sold well—he cleared out his stock in three or four days at the farmers' market."

"But before they could celebrate, he was robbed while sleeping outside the train station. He'd planned to wait there until the first morning train arrived."

Idiot!

"Fool! The train station's the most chaotic place right now. You make money and still sleep outside the station? Couldn't you afford one night at a guesthouse? You got what you deserved."

"They say he'd just finished selling at the early morning market, and the station hadn't opened yet. He figured it'd only be one or two hours till dawn, so he sat outside waiting. He'd been staying at guesthouses those past few nights."

"That's understandable. Maybe he was spotted while selling at the farmers' market. Around New Year, these places are the most chaotic. Even normally, the train station is a den of all sorts."

"I was willing to spend, and always took tractors. Even when I sold out, I went straight to the station and boarded the train."

"Even then, a few bills were stolen from my pocket."

"Then what? Didn't they go there pushing a cart? If they took a vehicle back, how would the cart fit on the bus?"

"He took his two sons with him to sell. He planned to have the two boys take the money and ride back, while he walked slowly pushing the cart. But all three were robbed at the station before dawn, beaten up, and had to push the cart back slowly."

"They say it took them a full day and night to get home. All three arrived at their doorstep before dawn, faces swollen like pig heads. It was only when the village's early morning manure carrier passed by that they were noticed and helped inside."

"They say even their cotton coats were stripped off. All three were freezing cold, barely clinging to life. The villagers were terrified, saying thank goodness they didn't go that far—earning money requires having the right luck."

"But I heard other villages had people last year who carried baskets to neighboring towns or other county seats to sell their own dried fish—and they all made a bit of profit."

"But none of them had big boats—only small wooden ones for fishing, so the catch was small. They saved up slowly over time, then carried a basket out to sell once."

Ye Yaodong murmured a quiet reply, half-asleep already.

"Who'd spend money on things they can easily get themselves? They just want to hoard more and sell it all at once. But your husband? I'm smart—I won't catch the wolf unless I'm willing to lose the kid."

"Yes yes yes, sleep now. You've been exhausted for days. I'll tell you more tomorrow."

After a week adrift on the boat, not a single day had brought proper sleep—even when he dozed off, it was broken, the machine's roar never stopping.

Now lying on the soft bed at home, on the fragrant pillow, he was already half-asleep, half-listening to her stories, having forgotten he hadn't paid his grain quota in days.

The moment Lin Lin Xiuqing finished speaking, a snore sounded beside her. She turned, pulled the blanket higher, and tucked it up to his neck.

He slept soundly through the night till dawn. When he woke, he buried his head again under the covers—the soft fabric smelled of nothing but sunshine, no fish stink at all. He didn't want to get up.

But then a small butt wiggled inside the blanket, tugging at the sheets—he realized someone else was in there.

With eyes closed, he reached into the blanket—and his hand came out wet.

"Holy shit, you wet the bed?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi giggled, forming a big bulge under the covers. Ye Yaodong yanked the blanket open and saw her sitting inside.

"You dummy, take off your pants right now."

"Cold~ No~"

She plopped back down and tugged the blanket shut at the opening he'd created.

Ye Yaodong had to reach into the blanket, grab her, and pull off her pants. "Did you get drunk last night? That's why you couldn't get up today and wet the bed?"

Normally she woke up early—he'd wake to an empty bed.

"Where'd you pee? You've only had this bed for a few days and already you've peed on it… Lin Xiuqing~ Lin Xiuqing~ Your daughter wet the bed~"

Lin Lin Xiuqing heard the shouting and rushed in.

"Why shout like that? She's old enough. Can't she wake up and dress herself? You're her father—get her dressed. I'm busy—I'm heading to the workshop."

"She wet the bed. Bring me a set of clothes and pants. I don't know where you put them."

"Wet the bed again? No wonder you keep saying 'your daughter, your daughter'—now that she wets the bed, she's your daughter, not mine?" Lin Lin Xiuqing muttered, then hurried to fetch the clothes.

"This brat's been eating too well these past few days of the New Year—peeing the bed every other day."

"When did she ever wet the bed before?"

"While you were away, she and Pei Yu were competing—today you pee, tomorrow I pee, taking turns every single day. I spent all day washing and drying their sheets, just so you'd have extra work."

"So that's why the sheets smelled like sunshine."

"Didn't you smell the urine stink?"

"Cough. No. Didn't I wash them? Of course they smell like sunshine."

"Thank goodness we had fabric—I made a new sheet cover on the spot. The plastic film underneath was still intact, or your brand-new bed would've been covered in yellow stains."

"Next time, make Ah-Guang pay for the sheets."

Lin Lin Xiuqing turned, tossed the clothes onto the bed, and snapped, "How dare you? You little brat, come out and change your clothes—stuck in there like that…"

"Don't hit!"

"Come out!"

"Don't hit!"

"Still being stubborn in there? If you don't come out I'm getting the whip."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi threw off the blanket, poked her head out, then pulled the opening of the blanket tight, and stared at Lin Lin Xiuqing with wide eyes, "You can't hit!"

Lin Lin Xiuqing, annoyed, climbed up and dragged her out of the covers, giving her bottom two hard smacks.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi cupped her bare bottom and bounced around on the bed, "Ow ow~ cold~"

"If you're cold then come over here and get dressed."

"You can't hit!"

She hadn't planned on hitting her in the first place, but the more Ye Ye Xiaoxi said it the more she wanted to, and once she caught her she gave her two more smacks.

Ye Yaodong saw his daughter's bottom was all red, covered in five-finger prints, and felt a bit of heartache too.

"Why'd you hit so hard, look—her bottom's all red with five-finger prints."

"Then you dress her."

Saying that she tossed the clothes to him, and hurried off again to busy herself.

Ye Yaodong watched her rush out again, and could only pick up the little clothes on the bed, "Come here, come here, your hitting mother has left, your dear daddy won't hit you, come quick and I'll dress you."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi bounced over, threw her arms around his neck and planted a loud kiss, then shrank back into the covers, hard to fish out.

Father and daughter played a chasing game in the bed covers, playing for quite a while, peals of laughter filling the room, before finally getting her clothes on.

He himself, shivering nonstop, got out of bed to put on his shirt and pants, then squatted there again to put her socks and shoes on.

"Serving you like an ancestor, I wonder if when I'm old I'll get to enjoy this kind of blessing."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi giggled and kicked her feet about, refusing to cooperate.

Ye Yaodong swatted the little feet that kept kicking his face, then grabbed her feet and rubbed them against his stubbly face to tickle her—she laughed even louder, curling her toes nonstop.

"Hahaha, tickles~ daddy~"

"Be good, don't wiggle, once the socks are on and the shoes are on you can run around on the ground."

"Where's little sister?"

"Picked her up and brought her home, she'll be back tonight to keep you company."

"Oh."

"Alright, let's go, wash your face and eat."

Big and small, hand in hand, walked outside.

The old lady sat in front of the stove, poking at the ashes in the Zaotang with fire tongs, and seeing them laughed and said, "You're up. I've been hearing you two playing around in the room. Hurry and eat, the porridge is being kept warm in the pot."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong washed his daughter's face, then tugged at a few strands of hair on her head, "How am I supposed to tie this."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi shook her head, dodging his evil claws, "Don't tie it."

"Then forget it, just leave it loose like a dummy."

After saying that he turned to look at the old lady, "The workshop started work first thing this morning?"

"Started ages ago, early in the morning, just after dawn, everyone came to work. The sun's out now so it looks a bit warmer. Finish eating then go check."

"Mm."

Ye Yaodong looked at the dishes on the table, saw no canned fish, so went back inside and brought out a can to open.

"What's this stuff? Black as anything." The old lady craned her neck, her index finger almost poking into the can.

"Canned fish." He patiently explained again.

"Won't eat fresh stuff, eating this?"

"So you won't eat fresh, you want pickled? Salty? Dried? Stop nagging, each has its own flavor, goes perfectly with rice."

"Fine, fine, fine, then you eat it, you eat it." The old lady stopped nagging.

While the two were talking, Ye Ye Xiaoxi had already finished a whole bowl of porridge, no one needed to feed her, no side dishes needed, she just gulped it down, her appetite so good it was impossible not to admire.

Ye Yaodong only noticed she'd finished when he looked down from his own eating—she'd already slid down off the stool and scooted off nimbly.

"Ate that fast?"

"Eager to go play, it's a madhouse outside."

Ye Yaodong pricked up his ears to listen—sure enough, a huge racket outside.

"Did the older ones finish their homework? Did they register? How are they still playing so happily? In a bit I'll have to make them cry."

He also quickly finished eating, went out to look, and a big pile of little girls were at the door playing and singing.

"Malan blooms, twenty-one, two five six, two five seven, two eight two nine thirty-one… three five six, three five seven, three eight three nine forty-one…"

A group of little girls stood on one foot, the other foot curled into a circle as they spun around, spinning and hopping. At some point Ye Ye Xiaoxi had squeezed in, standing in the middle circle clapping and singing along.

No wonder she ate so fast and scooted off so nimbly.

A few boys were off to the side playing one-legged cockfighting, yelling and shrieking.

"Is your homework all done?"

"Dad, stop nagging!"

"Third Uncle, go away!"

"Third Uncle, you're so annoying!"

Ye Yaodong got pushed by one and swatted by another, and could only glower—yesterday each and every one of them had been happily crowding around him calling him Third Uncle, today they'd changed.

"Let's see how long you can stay happy."

He shook his head and headed straight for the workshop.

Making a ruckus like this and playing around is a little better than gathering together to set off firecrackers. Probably because the New Year is over, the red envelopes that should have been collected have all been collected, and the pocket money that should have been spent has all been spent.

Unlike those few days after the New Year, the crackling sounds at the door never stopped, and the country kids had all kinds of ways to play.

It's just that Ye Yaodong couldn't stand seeing them so happy, so he made a round of the workshop and tattled on them all around.

In no time, Ye Ye Dasao and Ye Ye Ersao hurried back home, and the sound of a lioness roaring from the east of the river could be heard from far away.

"Are you still signing up this afternoon? Still playing around…"

"No time to manage you, and you're already going to climb to the heavens… You treat my words like passing wind, still playing here. You're so backed up it reached your back door and you still don't know to take your pants off."

"Just because the New Year passed you think you can fly? If I don't tighten your skin a bit, you won't know what fear is."

"Run, run!!!"

"It must be Third Uncle!"

"It was definitely done by Third Uncle…"