Chapter 1032: Slaughtered for Meat

As soon as Lin Lin Xiuqing came out, she heard them boasting that eating this fish would grant eternal life, and she laughed too.

"Do you think this is Tang Seng's flesh?"

"You've been at home all day, watching plenty of TV, haven't you? You even know about Tang Seng's flesh?"

"With several children at home, as soon as the monkeys appear, they all swarm around the TV. It's hard for me not to know."

"You like watching it yourself too, right?"

"Actually, it really is quite good."

"Stop talking. There's a pile of work waiting for you at the workshop. Go call the aunts over now. Some need to gut the fish, others need to sort it. It might really rain later, so you'll need to gather the dried goods quickly too."

"I know, I was just about to get busy. You were the one who called me to take photos just now, making me waste time here. You deal with this fish yourself."

Lin Lin Xiuqing gave the old lady some instructions again, asking her to remember to help cook the meal.

As soon as he returned, a pile of work had piled up all at once, and with the constant talk of rain, her heart was in her throat. But she had to wait for Ye's mother to return to help before she could free her hands to handle the household chores. For now, she could only entrust the cooking to the old lady.

An old person in the house is like a treasure; they come in very handy at critical moments.

The old lady was used to hard work. Although she was over eighty, her hands and feet were very nimble. If it hadn't been for the illness she suffered two years ago when Ye Ye Yaohong went away, she probably wouldn't even need a cane.

Lin Ji, having nothing to do, wasn't in a hurry to leave. He squatted there watching him scale the fish. He had originally just wandered over to check on him since he was home, and to ask what he had needed earlier.

"What did you need from me earlier?"

Ye Yaodong took one last drag on the cigarette in his hand, then pressed the butt directly into the ground. He tilted his chin toward the corner of the wall, signaling him to look over there.

"There's a pile of boxes over there. The canned fish inside is unexpected wealth I fished out of the sea. I wanted to sell them in the shop, but I don't know what price to set, so I wanted to ask if you want them. If you do, I'll sell them all to you. You give me a fair price."

He spoke words that made sense, half serious and half joking.

Lin Ji raised an eyebrow. "Fished out from the seabed? So many? That's dozens of boxes, isn't it? Maybe a hundred?"

"Not that many. Lift the nylon bag. The boxes have already been opened. Just grab two cans, take a look, and open them."

He walked over to the pile of goods, casually lifted the nylon bag, and said, "I've noticed you always seem to fish up some strange good things from the sea. This fish struck by lightning is one, this pile of canned fish is another. I've also heard a few rumors before; there seem to be quite a few strange fish?"

"Goddess Mazu protects me, the God of Wealth follows me every day. I'm a born lucky star."

"Maybe it really is. Otherwise, who else makes money as fast as you?"

He casually opened a box, pulled out a can to inspect it, and said, "Fermented black bean lizardfish? This fish is mostly used for export, or specially supplied to various units, factories, or the military."

"Really?" Ye Yaodong feigned surprise. "You're amazing; you can tell just by looking. I still have to open it to see the fish inside to know it's canned fish. Otherwise, I haven't even seen it before. Actually, the oil and fermented black beans inside are quite fragrant when mixed with rice."

"Your luck is truly unmatched. This large batch of goods is worth a lot of money."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Keep a low profile."

He stood up and glanced at the neighbors on both sides. Fortunately, at this time of day, everyone was inside cooking. His big sister-in-law and second sister-in-law had already gone to the workshop to help when his goods were brought back, so no one had heard their conversation.

"Alright, then we'll talk about this batch of goods tonight and count them then."

"Okay, then we'll discuss these goods tonight."

Ye Yaodong had been scaling the fish for a long time and had only finished one side. He put down the knife, called for help to turn the fish over, and then continued scaling.

"By the way, do you have a washing machine? Get one over here for me?"

"Sure."

"How much does one of these canned fish sell for?"

"Three or four yuan. I'll have to ask the price in a moment. If you resell them to me, it definitely won't be that high."

"I understand that."

Even if the value was halved, that pile of dozens of boxes would be enough for him to make a huge windfall.

When he came over again tonight, he would also show him the caviar.

Anyway, everything was said to be fished out of the sea. Things from the sea aren't illegal. What is fished up is naturally ownerless property, so it naturally belongs to him to handle.

Lin Ji was the type of person with a very tight mouth. He definitely wouldn't know about the source of the goods.

However, if he didn't dare to touch them, it didn't matter if he kept them to eat himself. It's just that this caviar hype is blown sky high, but it's actually quite average for us Chinese babies. If he really had to eat it every day, he couldn't swallow it.

"Do you still want dried fish? Do you want me to weigh out a few thousand jin for you?"

"Are you addicted to selling goods?"

"Hehe, it's rare to meet a big customer like you, so I definitely have to push as much stock as possible your way."

"Let's see in a while. Qingming Festival is coming soon. I won't be going out for this period. I'll just rest at home for a few days first."

"Alright, I'll have stock available whenever you come over."

"Those two kids are playing with mud and peeing." Lin Ji tilted his chin toward the two little girls digging in the mud by the soil, signaling Ye Yaodong to look over.

Ye Yaodong turned his head and saw it was true. Pei Yu was there pulling up his pants, while Ye Ye Xiaoxi was stirring mud with a stick, even digging some onto the doll's mouth, laughing giddily by herself, looking carefree and happy.

"Don't worry about them."

"One is from your family. Who is the other one from?"

"Ah Guang's."

"Oh, is he going out to sea with his father every day recently too?"

Ye Yaodong gave a vague answer, not stating it clearly, and changed the subject: "Damn, this fish is so big, it's really hard to gut. Scaling the scales took half a day. I haven't even washed myself this carefully."

"Let's cut it open and see how big the fish maw is?"

"Mm."

He lightly sliced open the belly with a knife, then slowly pulled down along the thin flesh on the stomach. He flipped open the belly, revealing a large pile of internal organs, which he carefully cut off with a knife, taking care not to break the swim bladder.

"Tsk tsk tsk, a top-grade item. This swim bladder should be about fifty centimeters long. This fish liver is the same. Eating it is a great tonic."

Ye Yaodong also smiled broadly as he sliced the internal organs apart, first picking out the entire swim bladder to ensure it remained in good condition.

The swim bladder of this hairtail catfish was about fifty centimeters long, weighing four or five jin. However, this was because the impurities inside the swim bladder hadn't been cleaned out. Once cleaned and dried, it should be around one jin, maybe even a bit less.

That large chunk of fish liver was also huge, comparable to a pig's liver.

At this moment, Lin Ji couldn't help but envy his good luck and good appetite. Such good things were just being slaughtered and eaten. Indeed, he must be making too much money.

Damn, he hadn't enjoyed any blessings at all, yet he was running around everywhere every day.

"As agreed, cut me a piece of meat later to take home."

"You just threatened me!"

Lin Ji smiled and raised an eyebrow, pointing at the goods in the corner, "You're still counting on me to handle these goods of yours!"

"I can also put them in my own shop to sell."

"Want a washing machine? I'll give you a discount, imported, whatever price I paid, that's what I'll sell it to you for? I didn't even charge you for the film, and I was planning to give you two rolls, so should I throw in one more? Want it? If not, forget it."

Ye Yaodong looked at his sincere concession, and didn't feel it was such a painful loss after all.

"Then I'll reluctantly give you a piece of top-grade fish meat. Tsk tsk tsk, this meat is amazing, eating it really can strengthen the body and prevent all diseases, huh~tch~"

"Mm, strengthen the body, give me more."

"I got rained on, just to catch this fish, got drenched in the rain for quite a while."

"Cut me the meat below the head, make it thick! I don't want the burnt parts!"

"You sure know how to pick! I'll give you the tail."

"No, just this one piece. Since you're giving it away, you should be more sincere. Whose family doesn't give the good stuff to others and keep the bad stuff for themselves?"

"That's not the case. My family's tradition is that the good stuff is for ourselves. Move your finger away, or I'll just chop it off and add it to the dish later."

The two of them chattered on about conditions. In the end, Ye Yaodong reluctantly cut a piece from the middle for him, about seven or eight centimeters thick, with a diameter of over twenty centimeters. Cut it up a bit more, and it could be sliced into two or three pieces to make a whole pot of soup, enough for the whole family to have a meal.

"Ah! You really killed it? Such a big fish, and you killed it so fast?" Ye Fu walked into the yard and saw he had already chopped several pieces of meat off the fish, immediately feeling like he'd been struck by lightning, his face full of pain.

"Ah? Yeah, I've already taken the photos, so I had to kill it while it's fresh, right?"

"I also brought back a bucket of ice, thinking I'd let it sit for a while first. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"If we don't eat it while it's fresh, should we wait until it stinks before killing it? Wouldn't that be wasting it?"

"Slow down, after all it's so expensive, what's the rush? If you wake up tomorrow and regret it, you can still sell it."

Ye Yaodong couldn't help but roll his eyes. This fish was fresh, not something else that could be set aside for a day or two to think about.

Lin Ji held a large piece of fish meat, afraid Ye Fu would change his mind, and immediately slipped away.

"I'm leaving first."

"You gave such a big piece of meat to him? This is the fish that leaped over the dragon gate after being struck by lightning!"

Lin Ji walked even faster.

"Keep your voice down. The ice brought back is just right. This fish is too big, there's nowhere to put a whole one. I'll just slice it into pieces, layer by layer with ice to keep it fresh, and it can be stored for a few days."

"I'll cut it thinner, take a few pieces out tonight to stew. Later, send two pieces to Big Brother and Ye Ye Erge's side, and two pieces to Uncle Pei's side too."

"How much did you sell that ice for just now?"

"Eight yuan each, not much, but every little bit counts, better than letting it melt away. Why did you cut him such a big piece?"

"I've already discussed the canned fish in the corner with him. He'll come over tonight to negotiate the price, and we'll count and move them out then. Saves them from piling up in the yard, where everyone who comes by has to take a look and ask what they are."

Ye Fu frowned and nodded, "That works too. Better to deal with these sooner rather than later, saves them from taking up space all over the yard, and I'm worried they might expire."

"What about the caviar you still have?"

"Once these are dealt with, I'll open a separate box for him tonight to see, see if he wants it, dares to take it."

"If you sell this directly, there won't be any problems, right?"

"We caught it at sea, it's not illegal gains? Besides, if he wants to deal with these, he should probably take them straight to international waters, abroad."

Following the trajectory of his past life, this man had also smoothly made a fortune, so it was worth a try.

"Then you decide for yourself."

Ye Fu was drawn to the fish bladder set aside, squatted down and turned it over in his hands.

"Clean it up later, hang it under the eaves to air dry, don't let it get sun, and don't let it get rained on."

"Got it."

"What a pity, the weather might not be good from now on, don't know how long it'll take to dry, hope the quality of the air-dried product will be decent."

"You take these two pieces of meat to Uncle Pei first, and give him the money from selling the ice while you're at it."

"Let's take it all over together tonight, anyway we have to settle accounts, why make an extra trip?"

"You're so lazy! I asked you to bring the blankets off the boat to air out a few days ago, and you didn't go get them. If you bring fish meat over and others see it and want some too, what then?"

"How dare you call me lazy, why don't you go get them yourself? I've been running back and forth doing things, my feet barely touch the ground, there's never a moment I'm idle. You could go get them now."

"Forget it, I'll tell Chen Shi later."

"Calling yourself lazy and still having the nerve to talk."

"You're not lazy? The upper beam is crooked, so the lower beam is crooked too."

Ye Fu was turned against by his son's twisted logic, almost laughed out of anger.

After the two of them squatted there arguing for a while, once the fish was all killed and cut into thick oval slices, they layered them in buckets: a layer of ice, a slice of fish meat, a layer of ice, another slice of fish meat.

Until four full buckets were packed, there were still fish head, fish tail, and several pieces of meat left, which he was keeping to give to friends, the village chief, and the village party secretary.

Cover them with some old clothes, put them in a cool place out of the sun, the ones in the buckets should keep fresh for four or five days, any longer and they won't last.

"Tonight, stew a clear fish soup, braise the fish tail and fish liver, save the fish head, tomorrow morning buy some tofu and stew a fish head tofu soup. The burnt parts don't matter, just scrape them off with a knife. Mm, perfect, all arranged clearly!"

Ye Fu looked at his satisfied expression, didn't want to bother with him, and took the lead in delivering the meat to Father Pei.

Ye Yaodong also carried the several buckets into the house, set aside the remaining meat for now, he had to deal with the fish bladder first.

First, remove the black membrane, blood streaks, blood membrane, and impurities inside the fish bladder, then wash it clean.

What's important here is not to tear the fish bladder, otherwise the fish maw made from it won't be worth much.

After washing clean, it needs to be soaked in water for 2-3 hours to soften, then air-dried.

The traditional method is to lay the fish bladders individually on bamboo racks or bamboo slats, and dry them in the sun. This relies more on experience, otherwise they easily crack in the sun or get moldy. There's also a method of shade-drying, which takes longer, but is better than direct sun exposure.

After Ye Yaodong finished processing them and put them in water to soak, he went to deliver the fish meat first.

After finishing lunch, just keep an eye on the time and set them in a ventilated spot to air-dry.

He only picked out the portions of this hairtail meat to give to people he knew well; as for the other relatives, that would depend on how his mother wanted to distribute them.

Anyway, there were several buckets of it, and he definitely couldn't finish it all by himself. He'd only been joking around with Lin Ji earlier—of course he'd give some away when he should.

Still, Lin Ji really did know how to handle people. Their playful back-and-forth had let him grab a huge bargain, which made the big chunk of good meat he'd cut off to feed him well worth it.

He carried the bucket through the village, but the roads were oddly deserted, barely a soul in sight. He found it strange—even though there was no sun today, it wasn't raining either, and the lack of people seemed excessive.

Not until he reached the area near Ye Ye Yaosheng's house did he see a crowd gathered there, with waves of wailing and cursing ringing out nonstop.

"Oh dear, what kind of jinx did he marry—one who can't bear a son—and she still has the nerve to point at my nose and curse me…"

"Neighbors, be the judge! How wretched is my fate, to be saddled with a mother-in-law who can't see reason? The daughter-in-law has only just married into the family, yet she keeps harping on about how fertile the previously betrothed one was."

"So she's decided I can't bear children? Then where did my two kids come from? They say flowers bloom first, then fruit sets—at least I managed to lay two eggs and raise them."

"I'm truly wretched! If I'd known, I would've just raised my two kids on my own, spared myself all this torment. If it weren't for seeing that Brother Asheng is an honest man, who would dare take on a mother-in-law like this? No wonder the previous one didn't even make it past thirty before she died—how tragic~"

Ye Yaodong walked closer and could hear more clearly, his mouth twitching despite himself.

Brother Brother Asheng's new wife was quite something—she'd completely steamrolled his mother, leaving Ye Ye Erbo's wife's face cycling between green and pale, with nothing to say in return.

"Don't talk nonsense! The previous one died because she couldn't have kids and took random medicines and killed herself. What's that got to do with me? When have I ever tormented anyone?"

"Forcing her to bear a son every single day isn't torment? Look, neighbors—see this bowl of black stuff on the stool? It's the talisman water she brought over for me to drink, saying it'll guarantee a son. Have you all forgotten the previous one died from randomly drinking medicines and talisman water? My mother-in-law must think my life is too long—how wretched I am~ Just married in and already being told to make room for the previously betrothed one…"

"Don't make stuff up! Who told you to make room for her?" Ye Ye Yaosheng rushed forward helplessly to soothe her.

"Your mother said it—she said if I don't drink it and don't give birth to a son, I shouldn't hog the latrine without doing my business, and told me to get lost early so you could still marry someone fertile while you're young."

"Don't listen to her. She's gone senile. We've already split the household—just ignore her."

Ye Yaodong's face was full of dark lines as he listened. His second aunt really knew how to stir things up, always targeting her own son. Brother Brother Asheng was truly miserable.

No wonder in his past life he kept hearing about all the mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law battles at their house—they were even more dramatic than TV shows.

"What did I say wrong? Brother Asheng's already over thirty and doesn't even have a son—people gossip behind his backs. What's wrong with asking you to bear a son? You want Brother Asheng's line to die out…"

"Listen, listen, neighbors—can a mother say such things? Cursing her own son to have no descendants? What kind of mother is that? That's an enemy! How long have I even been here? A month at most, right? And she's already rushing to say if I can't bear children, I should get lost, that the previously betrothed one was better than me, that if I can't have kids, I shouldn't hog the nest."

"Alright, alright, say less. The one living the life is me, not my mother—just ignore her."

Ye Ye Erbo's wife also wailed and slapped her thigh, "Everything I do is for your own good! Son forgets his mother the moment he has a wife! I do it all for your sake—wanting you to have someone to rely on in your old age, to have support. Where did I go wrong? Doing good for you and still getting resented—I'm wrong no matter which way I turn."

Some of the older aunties nearby were trying to mediate, saying "Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes"—telling her to stop meddling.

"Mother, please stop getting involved. Who knows what kind of water that is? Is it even drinkable? What if it makes someone sick? My wife has already given birth to two daughters—her body is clearly fine. Given more time, we'll definitely have a child. What's the rush? I've already said these random things shouldn't be eaten."

"Who says they can't be eaten? I'm doing it for your own good, yet you refuse to appreciate it and point at my nose to curse me. Every one of you is a debt collector—utterly useless. When I'm old, can I count on you to be filial? Your wife looks like she could sweep me out with a broom."

"Put yourself in our shoes, Mother. When we slaughter a chicken, we still pick out a drumstick and bring you a bowl of meat. Yet you bring over a bowl of talisman water and force me to drink it, hinting left and right that you despise me for not laying eggs, telling me to make room."

"I did nothing wrong. I told you to drink it—why wouldn't you?"

"So if I drink it and get sick, you can marry Brother Asheng a new wife, right?"

"Stop arguing!" Ye Ye Yaosheng watched them quarrel over that bowl of talisman water and simply dumped it out in one go.

"It's gone. Nothing left. No need to argue, no need to keep making trouble. Mother, go back to your own home. Whatever filial duty is owed, we'll fulfill it—you don't need to stir things up like this. If it's my fate to have a son, I'll have one no matter what. If it's not, no amount of scheming will help. It's all heaven's will."

"You! Are you trying to anger me to death?"

"You've already tormented one daughter-in-law to death—do you want to ruin another one too? Learn a lesson. My wife and I will close our door and live our own little life. Stop bringing over all this strange stuff."

After speaking, Ye Ye Yaosheng pulled his new wife inside and shut the door, ignoring his own mother still wailing at the doorstep.

Some of the older, familiar elderly women helped support Ye Ye Erbo's wife back to her own home.

Only then did Ye Yaodong notice his own mother was also in the crowd watching the show.

"Mother, why are you here?"

"Wherever there's a show, that's where you'll find me."

"You're really bored out of your mind. Tormenting one to death isn't enough—now you want to start tormenting again? She's only been married in for a month—how could she get pregnant that fast?"

"Your eldest sister-in-law, your second sister-in-law, your wife—all took three to five months to conceive. What's the rush? Being old and sonless isn't the new daughter-in-law's fault—she just married in, didn't she?"

"All this pointless torment just makes people hate you—making trouble where there is none. Offend everyone thoroughly, and let's see who'll take care of you in your old age. You'll really get swept out with a broom."

"What are you doing? Why are you here?" Ye's mother, after a long string of disgusted complaints, finally reacted and asked him.

"You only just noticed? I'm back?"

"I know you're back. I'm asking why you're here."

"Caught a good fish, planning to share some with a few friends. Just happened to hear the commotion over here, so I came to take a look."

"Your second aunt's brain is full of shit. She thinks everyone else's brain is full of the same shit."

"Stop cursing, it's none of your business. Hurry back and get to work—there's a pile of tasks at the workshop waiting for you to assign…"

"Dongzi, how come you're here?" Ye Ye Yaosheng suddenly opened his door again and walked out.

"Just passing by. Not going out to sea today?"

"The engine broke down last night. Had just reached town when it acted up, so we docked at the nearest port. Called an old master mechanic to the boat this morning to inspect and repair—just got back."

"No wonder. I was saying I didn't see any boats at the dock when I came back earlier, yet you were home."

"Heh, want to come in and sit for a while? Have you eaten? Grab a bite here?"

"No need, no need…" Ye Yaodong thought it over, then carried the bucket over and gave him two pieces of hairtail meat.

Originally there wasn't a portion for him, but since he'd walked right to his doorstep and the man had warmly invited him to eat, he figured he should show some courtesy.

"Thanks."

Ye Yaodong then spun an elaborate tale about the fish's origins, bragging up a storm, so the man wouldn't think it was just some ordinary fish worth fussing over and giving away everywhere.

"Really? Why not sell such a good fish?"

"Didn't I already say? A big chunk got charred by lightning—what's there to sell?"

"Heh heh, that's true, that's true."

Brother Asheng's new wife also came out tying on an apron, smiling and greeting them, inviting them inside to sit.

He and his mother hurriedly made excuses about having things to do and left first.

The two of them went one east and one west, each off to their own business.

On the way they ran into quite a few women, all of them having just finished watching the show, chatting as they walked.

Some felt Ye Ye Erbo's wife was in the right, some felt the new bride was in the right, each arguing their own side.

Ye Yaodong only felt that a wicked person needed a wicked person to grind them down; with his second aunt the way she was, she really did need someone fierce to put her in her place. If it were a soft-faced young bride, she really wouldn't be able to bring herself to make a scene, and would get eaten alive.

He shook his head — none of his business.

He delivered the hairy fish to each household one by one, and at the same time bragged several dozen times over, his lips dry from talking, before slowly making his way home.

Most of the men weren't home, having gone out to sea, so he handed them over to their wives.

Fatty wasn't home, so he gave his share to Ye Ye Yaosheng. Whenever Fatty came back, he'd give him another portion. If it was all eaten and the man still hadn't returned, then so be it.

The hairy fish at home had already been stewed by the old lady until mouthwateringly fragrant — a clear stew with rice wine, the broth a pale orange, with the freshness of fish and the aroma of wine, sprinkled with scallions on top, looking incredibly appetizing.

"Come quick, come quick — I set aside a bowl just for you. Eat a bowl first to line your stomach, then I'll call the others to eat."

He gulped several mouthfuls of tea before setting down the teapot.

"The tea's cold, don't drink so much of it. Here, have some fish soup."

"Don't need to give me special treatment. The older ones and the younger ones should all be back by now, right? Just call them all to the table and let's eat together."

The old lady, thinking there were still several buckets of fish, smiled and agreed. "That works too. Then you go call them from the workshop — the four little ones are all upstairs. I'll go call them down."

A big bowl of fish was exceptionally well received by the whole family. On a seaside family's table, you could do without vegetables, but you couldn't do without fish.

Each person got a big bowl, and it was all swept clean in one go — even the last of the broth was finished off by Ye Fu.

Lin Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, "It's really fresh."

"Of course it's fresh! This is hairy fish — one of these fish can sell for over a thousand yuan. How could it not be good? And it's been struck by lightning…"

"What what… what did you say?" Ye Mu asked, dumbfounded.

Lin Lin Xiuqing's face was full of shock too. "Dad, how much did you just say? How much money?"

Ye Yaodong also turned his head and stared at his father.

"O-over a thousand yuan? What about it? You guys didn't know?"

Ye Fu looked left and right, and his voice immediately grew quieter.