Chapter 1020

Ye Yaodong had his hands behind his back, strolling casually through the workshop, circling behind the group of women filleting fish, then circling behind the group washing fish.

They chattered nonstop, only smiling and nodding at him when he arrived, then resuming their talk—his presence didn't dampen their gossiping at all; their eyes, noses, and eyebrows all performed, their voices lively and animated.

He listened, curious, and lingered nearby for a while.

"Didn't expect them to be so fearless—last time they almost made money but nearly died, and how long has it been?"

"Yeah, only ten days passed, and they're already rushing out of bed to dry fish again…"

"Still deny it, saying they're just drying a little for home consumption—who believes that? They buy hundreds of pounds from Ah Cai every day, thinking everyone else is stupid…"

"Aren't they afraid they'll lose everything they've got… Out there's so dangerous… Money isn't that easy to make—if it were, wouldn't everyone be rich?"

"Didn't expect they recovered so fast—ten days and they're already out of bed…"

"Recovered? Their faces are still bruised purple and blue, eyes barely open, swollen shut, walking with a limp—still rushing to get back to work, really just tired of living…"

These women were discussing Wang Chen Laoqi and his two sons, who had tried to replicate his path after the New Year, selling dried fish in town, claiming they finished selling at dawn and waited at the bus station for the first bus back—only to have their money stolen and be beaten half to death, crawling home and collapsing at their doorstep.

"Heard it's because the weather's been good lately, so they want to dry as much as possible before it rains—wait a few more days and spring showers will come, then it'll be impossible."

"Truly fearless—last year they saved up for a year before selling, no big loss, worst case got beaten up; now they're spending money to buy fish too, afraid they'll lose everything and end up begging…"

"They won't dry much anyway—weather's warming up, dried fish is best made in autumn and winter; it's already spring, and soon rains will come often—they won't get more than a few days' drying, just wasting effort, thinking everyone can be Adong?"

"Exactly—making money depends on fate. Just finished the year, got robbed and beaten, and now they're still trying…"

After understanding the gossip, Ye Yaodong walked further inside—let them learn if they want; if they get rich, it's just luck.

After being beaten so badly, they still started drying fish the moment they could walk—this proves they already knew the profits and rewards, knew they'd definitely make money, so the instant they could move, they planned to try again.

He too believed wealth depended on fate and luck; though opportunities were plentiful now, so were risks. Easy to get rich, easy to get unlucky.

The old lady had sat down with the group sorting fish this morning; a radio played nearby, and she happily listened to the chatter around her while helping sort.

Probably because nighttime lighting was poor and her eyesight was bad, she'd sat with the filleting women at night; today the sun was bright and strong, so she moved here.

Today the children had gone to school, too young to earn money yet, reluctantly chased away—only Ye Ye Chengyang, too young for school, happily worked hard.

The moment he saw Ye Yaodong, he shouted loudly and happily, "Dad!"

"Mm, diligent—didn't run off to play this morning, knew to help with household work."

"Aren't you telling them ten cents an hour? That's why you're so eager—Brother Brother Ahai and the others all wanted to skip school today, got beaten senseless and dragged off to school."

Ye Ye Chengyang's eyes sparkled: "Dad, you've got to keep your word—everyone else gets ten cents an hour, so do I."

"What pay for your own workshop? When I'm old, everything I have will be yours three siblings'."

Ye Ye Chengyang tilted his head, thinking—it sounded familiar.

"But you're not old yet."

"It'll be yours later too—who asks their own family for pay? Good boy, work hard—Brother Ahai and the others are outsiders, they get paid for helping us; just like those old ladies over there—they're hired labor. This workshop will be yours—why pay yourself? Have you ever seen me pay myself?"

Ye Ye Chengyang was confused, stunned, unsure what to say.

He also didn't understand—did he even get paid for drying fish here?

Ye's father rolled his eyes—wasn't that the same thing his wife used to say all the time? Still using it to fool the kid.

"Why are you only getting up now? Don't you have errands in the county?"

"Little Jiu slept in the doghouse last night—the whole family was up all night searching, finally found her after a long fuss, so we slept in late. Just finished breakfast, came out to check, now I'm heading to the county."

"Slept in the doghouse? How'd she end up there? How could she fall into the doghouse? Didn't you lock the house at night? Did she run out alone?"

Ye Ye Chengyang was surprised too: "Sister slept with the dogs last night?"

Ye Yaodong glanced at his dumb son and gave their father a brief explanation.

"At least she ran to the doghouse, not outside—it was pitch black, if she'd wandered off into some corner, she'd have frozen to death."

"Mm, learned your lesson—next time keep a closer eye. I'm going to the county—want to come?"

"Of course I do—I've got to go with you. You're going to the shipyard today, I've got to watch you, so I won't get cheated. I came here early just to wait for you to go together."

"Then let's go—motorcycle's faster."

Ye's father's eyes lit up: "Good, good, let's take the motorcycle."

He happily reached to wipe his hands on his clothes, then remembered he was wearing his New Year cotton coat and stopped himself abruptly; he stepped past Ye Yaodong and headed toward the women washing fish.

"I'll wash my hands first—wait for me."

Ye Ye Chengyang fidgeted, face twisted in indecision, opening his mouth but holding back.

Ye Yaodong smiled and raised an eyebrow: "Want to come?"

"Dad, do I get paid for drying fish?"

"Mm, fine, I'll reluctantly give you some—otherwise everyone else gets paid and you don't."

He smirked, setting Ye Ye Chengyang a dilemma: stay and earn pay, or ride the motorcycle with him to town.

Once Ye Ye Chengyang confirmed he'd get paid, he was delighted—but struggled, ultimately unable to resist the lure of money.

"Fine, I'll stay and earn my pay—Dad, you've got to keep your word."

"Mm, work hard."

He nodded vigorously, pleased.

Choosing money over showing off—practical choice, not stupid.

Ye's father finished washing his hands, saw him still standing there, and urged: "Come on, why are you still standing there? It'll be noon soon—hurry up, get going, get back early…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing had just finished eating and came over to help, only to see the father and son shouting as they prepared to leave; she called out.

"Where are you going?"

"To the county for errands—don't cook for us at lunch. We're leaving now on the motorcycle. Watch the house—don't let anyone steal the boxes in the yard. Tell the old lady to… wait, I'll lock more dogs inside—two in the yard, two in the house, one locked in the room."

The workshop was so lively, the old lady loved bustling places—no point calling her back to sit at the door staring blankly this way—let her stay and enjoy the noise.

If thieves came, she couldn't handle it alone—she probably couldn't even scream, and that'd be the end.

The family's dogs were smart and alert, and the places were close—just have Ah Qing check back occasionally to open the door.

"That works too. When you tell A-Liang and the others to haul water, have them swing by the house and keep an eye out. I'll be back in a bit to cook lunch after ten."

"Mm, then I'm off."

Before leaving, Ye Yaodong bent down and pinched the little chubby's cheek.

The little chubby had a short memory and had already forgotten his misdeed, beaming up at him with two rows of tiny rice-teeth showing.

Finding it rather amusing, he squatted down and brought his face close to hers. "Give me a kiss?"

Smack~

"Good girl~ I'll buy you candy when I get back."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi nodded her head vigorously with delight, the two little tufts on top bouncing along.

Seeing him dawdling there, Ye Fu had already walked ahead of him, then called out to the dogs running around, telling them to follow him home.

Wang Wang obediently followed behind and returned to the yard, but when Ye Fu called them into the house, not a single one of the dogs wanted to go in—they all planted their hind legs at the threshold.

"Get in, will you? Just one of you, any one—hurry up…"

All the dogs barked at him twice, then retreated to a corner. Ye Fu hurried over, meaning to grab one, but they scattered all over the house and bolted out one after another.

Ye Yaodong had just stepped into the yard when he saw the dogs about to dash out and quickly shut the gate.

"What are you doing? Why are you running? I have a glorious and arduous mission for you now—you've been fed for a thousand days, time to put you to work. Come here, cooperate a little, and I'll buy you pork lungs and bones later."

"Why run, why hide? Weren't you doing fine last night? Keep up the good work today…"

Watching the dogs barking and tearing around the yard, he could only help his father catch them one by one.

Da Da Heizi was the biggest, so he went after it first.

He locked it in the room—safer that way.

Once caught, Da Da Heizi wore a thoroughly done-with-life expression as it was dragged toward the house, turning its head to look at the other dogs and letting out whimper after whimper.

"Be good, you're just watching the house. I'll give you extra food tonight—definitely more than the other dogs."

Ye Yaodong dragged the dog into the room and warned it, "No digging around everywhere, no jumping on the bed, no burrowing into the cabinet. Just stay put on the open floor."

"Whine~"

Listless, it flopped down on the ground behind the door, its whole muzzle pressed flat to the floor, motionless, like a dead dog.

Ye Yaodong couldn't stand its dead-fish act and gave it a kick. "Stop playing dead. Be sharp now and guard the house."

It immediately got up again, slowly.

Only then did he lock the door.

"These dogs have all been raised pretty well, they're obedient—didn't raise them for nothing, they can even guard the house."

"Of course they're well-raised. Look at that sleek, glossy coat—it's definitely been getting more good stuff than other dogs. Eat too much, and of course it has to work."

After saying that, Ye Yaodong went back to the yard, caught two more, and locked them in the main room.

He also took down a basket hanging on the wall inside the house—it was full of dried shrimp meat, sun-dried just after the New Year, a whole basketful.

It had originally been saved for the family to eat, but since he was heading to the county to pay a visit, he couldn't go empty-handed. A basket of dried shrimp would look presentable.

Once he locked up the house, the two remaining dogs in the yard had all hidden in the corners; one even deliberately burrowed under the nylon sheet covering his boxes, as if that would let it escape and keep him from noticing.

Meanwhile, the two locked in the main room were now both pressed up against the window, their muzzles flat against the glass, staring outside—they looked rather pitiful.

"Be good, you two are watching the house. I'm leaving. Don't eat anything strangers hand you, and if any random junk suddenly appears in the yard, don't eat that either, got it?"

"Woof~"

Only the one hiding in the corner answered; the spotted dog under the nylon sheet stayed silent.

When he went to get on the motorcycle, he gave it a kick on the way, and only then did the dog yield to his overbearing pressure and let out a woof as well.

"Dad, go open the yard gate."

"Alright."

After Ye Yaodong rode the motorcycle out, he locked the yard gate again.

Ye Fu had already scrambled excitedly into the sidecar, all in a fluster, and was waiting.

Apart from when the motorcycle had first been ridden back—when he'd touched it, sat on it, and driven it back and forth twice—he hadn't been on it since and had long forgotten how to drive. Sitting in it now still felt quite novel.

He hadn't sat in the sidecar before, so he stomped his feet twice inside, felt the seat, and looked around.

"Sitting steady? I'm starting?"

He immediately sat up straight and gripped the hollowed-out handhold on the vehicle with Lin Lin Yongshou, so he wouldn't get tossed off by the bumpy road.

Seeing his father all set, Ye Yaodong slowly started the motorcycle and eased his way through the village.

Some old men and women sitting at their doors soaking up the sun heard the motorcycle and craned their necks toward the sound, then stood up—only sitting back down once the motorcycle had gone far into the distance.

Ye Yaodong couldn't hear the whispered chatter behind him; he kept his eyes fixed ahead, only picking up a little speed once he reached the main road.

From getting up until now, quite a bit of time had been wasted—it was already just past nine.

At the motorcycle's pace, he'd reach the county by half past nine at the latest, but the county town was full of people coming and going, so the motorcycle certainly couldn't go as fast as on the open road—it'd be inching along at a snail's pace.

The motorcycle was quite an eye-catcher too—there weren't more than a few in the whole county. Only the well-dressed folks on the street could ride bicycles; the average person carried a basket and got around on foot.

He deliberately took the back roads. Most of the county town was still farmland, not yet requisitioned, making the urban area look especially small—just a tiny patch. Once he reached the town, it wasn't long before he drove into the alley near Director Chen's house.

He wouldn't dare, even with ten times the nerve, drive the motorcycle right up to the Haishi Bureau's gate, nor park it under the family quarters—didn't want to cause anyone trouble.

"Dad, stay here and watch it. I'll walk over—just two alleys."

"You don't need me to come with you?"

"No, keeping an eye on the motorcycle is more important—what if it gets stolen? We can't drive the motorcycle right up to their family quarters either—what if it causes the leader trouble? We have to be sensible."

"Alright, alright, then I'll wait here. Remember to ask a few more questions, get things clear, and don't get yourself into trouble. If those goods are being investigated, let's just hand them over straightaway—don't take that cheap advantage, getting into trouble isn't good, and don't make things hard for them either."

"Got it, I know my limits. I'm not the kind to be blinded by money."

After saying that, Ye Yaodong walked on ahead. He casually pulled out the watch in his pocket and checked—after all that dawdling, it was only ten, not yet time to get off work.

Figuring he'd have to wait ages downstairs at the family quarters, and since the Haishi Bureau wasn't far, he simply walked straight to the bureau's gate to wait.

It's just that he was happy to squat at the door, but the gate guard wasn't happy to see him and even came over to shoo him away.

He had no choice but to explain his purpose. The guard looked him up and down, saw that he was dressed quite smartly and looked presentable, accepted two cigarettes, and cheerfully went in to announce him.

Ye Yaodong had gotten up early this morning and made a point of tidying himself up. He'd shaved clean the stubble that had been growing for days, and combed his hair into the currently most popular slicked-back style, making him look especially like a successful man.

A person relies on clothes, a horse on its saddle.

Respect the clothes before respecting the person — there's some truth to it.

Director Chen heard that a fair-skinned and bright-eyed young man had come to see him, figured it must be Ye Yaodong, and hurried out.

"Comrade A-Dong, why are you here again? Come inside to my office and sit for a while, have some tea."

"Alright, thank you. Sorry to bother you again. Are you busy? If you're busy I'll just wait here at the door until you're off work. No rush, it's nothing urgent, official business comes first."

"It's nothing, just small matters. Come inside and sit for a while, have some tea."

"Alright, alright. Why does it feel like there are a lot fewer people?" Ye Yaodong had just stepped into the shabby courtyard when he noticed it seemed much emptier inside, with several doors still locked.

"Out handling cases."

He gave an "oh" and didn't feel right pressing further. Only after entering the office did he hand Director Chen a basket of dried shrimp.

"First trip out to sea after the new year, sun-dried. The weather's been good these past two days, dried fast. I specially brought a basket over for you to try something fresh. These dried shrimp are good for calcium — eating them long-term is good for you."

"Thanks, sit, sit."

Ye Yaodong got straight to the point and asked him about the matter he'd mentioned to him a few days ago when he came over.

"That canned fish matter — was it useful to you? On this trip out at sea, we originally tried to contact the usual fresh-fish collector boat, but couldn't reach them. And those people from the other day, I don't know if they've been released yet?"

Director Chen's expression grew especially solemn. "This matter is classified now. The implications are huge. I can't say anything, and you shouldn't inquire about anything either. This case won't be wrapped up in just a few months. You'll need to contact a fresh-fish collector boat again, and don't ask about the original one."

Ye Yaodong immediately sat up straight. He'd never seen Director Chen look this serious before. Although he'd long figured that anything involving caviar couldn't be a small matter, his imagination was limited and he had no concrete sense of it.

Now at least he knew something major had happened.

Not to mention the caviar — just the ship full of canned fish alone was already worth a fortune, at least worth a few hundred thousand. He wouldn't believe it without some big fish being dragged out.

He just didn't know whether it could bring Director Chen any benefits. But since it was reported upward by him, surely it would carry some influence, count as some merit, right?

"Since it's pretty serious, are they going to salvage the sunken ship from the seabed?"

"How would they salvage it? It's sunk to the seabed — who knows how many hundreds of meters deep down there? How could they possibly salvage it? It's not like the shallow waters near your fishing village where people could go down and salvage things."

Ye Yaodong put on a thoughtful nod. "That's true. Once it sank, it must have sunk all the way to the bottom. Even with the manpower and resources, it might not be possible to salvage it. Anyway, there's already one piece of physical evidence."

"Right. It's already been transferred to the province. How it gets resolved isn't something we can inquire about, and I'm not sure how it'll be handled. Just wait for notice."

"When the fishing boat sank, there were a bunch of boxes piled on the deck that were floating on the sea. I didn't know what was going on, saw one drift close to me, and curiously tried to fish one up. The others that weren't salvaged in time all drifted away. Could they have run into other fishing boats out at sea and been salvaged by them? If these things were accidentally salvaged by other fishing boats and ended up flowing into the market, what then?"

"I don't know. If no one reports it to us, to our Gongan Bureau here, then the Gongan Bureau elsewhere definitely wouldn't know anything either. Right now they're investigating the background of that manufacturer… Keep it confidential, Comrade Ye Yaodong — this is the classified stage, don't ask anything."

Ye Yaodong immediately understood. Anyone who bought them on the market would just think it was a normal purchase and eat them straight away. Which ordinary citizen would take a can of fish to the Gongan Bureau?

Most fishermen, seeing boxes floating on the sea, would salvage them, know the goods are worth money, and just sell them directly. Who would stop to wonder if there's a problem with the goods?

If someone accidentally bought caviar, ordinary folks would probably just think it was a crooked merchant selling goods that didn't match the description, and would only go demand a refund. Apart from foreigners who eat caviar, who in their own country eats this stuff?

Just like the year before last when he came back from Zhejiang Province and accidentally fished up a few bags of cargo on the sea surface.

Once salvaged, would anyone really be foolish enough to deliver them to the Gongan Bureau?

They'd definitely just handle it privately and sell it for money.

So the boxes he had salvaged could also be taken directly to Lin Ji to be sold off. The caviar could be set aside separately for now, wait a few months before dealing with it, to avoid mixing them together when selling.

The most eye-catching item in this batch would only be the caviar. Worst case, he'd keep it under wraps and splurge on it himself.

As for the manufacturer up the chain, what of it? A factory couldn't have made just one batch — it might also be goods made earlier and sold to other people.

Once Ye Yaodong figured it out clearly, he immediately felt relieved. Basically, it should be possible to sell them on the sly.

"Understood. I won't ask anything, don't know anything. Today I just came to bring you a basket of dried shrimp, for you to try something fresh."

"Mm, that's thoughtful of you. It's rare for a little fisherman to be as promising as you, and you're still so young, and so steady — much better than some of the young people nowadays. All they do every day is twist around in the park, what does that even look like."

"I don't think I've ever met Director Chen's sons and daughters?"

"Both daughters followed their husbands into the military. There are also three sons — one's in the army too, one works at the city's Electric Power Bureau, and one's still in college. They're usually not home. Having so many kids and none of them by your side doesn't do much good. Same as always, just the two of us old folks at home keeping watch."

Ye Yaodong's face was full of envy. "You're already a sure winner in life. Barely in your forties, and your sons and daughters are all so accomplished — nothing to worry about."

"Live to a hundred and worry ninety-nine. There's still plenty to worry about. When you're old, you just hope your children are by your side. None of them are home — if something happens to me and their mother in the future, it'll be hard to even get anyone to come. Sigh, forget it. For young people, work comes first."

"As long as they're accomplished, they'll always come home to visit. You're not old anyway — still very young, right in your prime. If not for the policy, having a few more wouldn't be a problem."

"Heh, nonsense. We're old already, the kids are all grown up. Having more would just be a joke, and where would we get the energy to raise children."

"What's there to joke about? People would only praise you for being as virile as ever, a real man. But then again, we have to follow the policy now, respond to the nation's call — have fewer, have better, live happily. Once you retire, have them send the kids back. You can look after your grandchildren to pass the time — you'll have company just the same."

"Heh, so yeah, right now I'm just looking forward to retiring in a few years when I'm older. Not expecting much else."

"You've still got quite a few years until retirement. In these years you'll surely keep rising step by step, and can give your children a pull along the way, be their strongest backing. They say a father's shoulders are like a great mountain, holding up all hope. My old man's shoulders, though, took up a carrying pole and bore the weight of the whole family."

Director Chen laughed and patted his shoulder, his face full of affection. "You're the one with the gift of gab. My three sons, each more serious than the last."

"Heh, different living environments. We're used to running free in the countryside…"

Ye Yaodong sat there chatting with him for a while, soothing the heart of an empty-nest elder, made him happy, then made an excuse not to disturb his work and took his leave.

Director Chen was also very happy to see him out.

Probably because his children really weren't around and he was a bit lonely, and Ye Yaodong knew how to talk, so he was always quite friendly toward him.

"You didn't ride your bike over?"

"I did. It's with my dad — he's wandering around the county. Once I'm done here I'll go find him."

"Alright, then head back early. I haven't gotten off work yet, so I won't invite you to the house."

"No need, no need. You go ahead. I'll just head back with my dad."

"Mm, take care." Director Chen smiled and waved at him.