Chapter 1072: Connecting the Lines (Ah, I'm collapsing, my draft is gone)

Outside, the chatting was lively, and inside, it was also chirping, basically all Ye Xiaoxi's complaints about Pei Yu.

"Bad little sister~ bad little sister~ I won't play with you anymore, I won't sleep with you anymore~ I hate you~"

Pei Yu just opened her clear, big eyes, sitting on the edge of the bed swinging her legs, watching her curse with tears hanging, looking innocent.

Seeing her just looking without speaking, Ye Xiaoxi started crying herself as she cursed, "Wa wu~ bad little sister~ ah~ scared~ snake~ snake~ bad little sister~"

Lin Xiuqing first got their clothes, turned her head, and couldn't help but laugh, then smiled at A-Guang's older sister.

"Little Yu's body is still clean, just her pant legs are wet and dirty. You take off her pants first, I'll go get hot water. Little Jiu's sleeves and pants are all mud, I have to wipe her body."

"Alright, sister-in-law, I'll watch them here, you go get hot water." She also looked at Ye Xiaoxi, who was crying and cursing, and couldn't help but laugh, enjoying it.

"Bad little sister~ don't play with you~"

Pei Yu tilted her head to watch her cry, and said in a milky voice, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, you can eat it~"

"No, so scary..."

"It's delicious~"

"I hate you~"

The two communicated with full milky voices, and the other voice was still crying, sounding as cute as could be.

When Lin Xiuqing was changing their clothes, she suddenly heard shouting outside, "Yingqiu~ Yingqiu~"

After A-Guang's older sister answered, she said to Lin Xiuqing, "My dad is calling me, I'll go out and take a look."

"You go."

Lin Xiuqing changed the two children's clothes and let them stay on the bed, not to come down. She first carried the water out to pour it, but just as she carried the water out, she saw Pei Yingqiu running back into the room with a red face, almost bumping into her and spilling the water.

"Sorry, sister-in-law..."

"What's going on?"

Everyone at the dinner table was laughing.

Ye's mother stood to the side and said with a smile, "Just now the village chief asked Captain Chen how old he was and if he was married. His comrades-in-arms all started teasing him, saying no. It just so happened that Yingqiu was here, so they thought of her. The in-law heard everyone talking, so he called her out."

Lin Xiuqing also smiled and looked at the embarrassed Captain Chen, looking at his dark, quite mature appearance, not expecting he wasn't married yet.

"This is a good thing."

The village chief and the others at the dinner table were also teasing, laughing and saying, "Look, you have quite a fate with our village. Why not marry a wife from our village and take her back? Are you also from this city?"

"Our captain is from the provincial capital..."

"Oh..."

Upon hearing it was the provincial capital, everyone instantly wasn't as enthusiastic. The provincial capital city, how could people from their small, rural place climb that high? Not to mention it was far away.

Pei's father didn't think so, "Provincial capital, huh? Provincial capital is good, a big place, prosperous and lively. I often dock in the provincial capital when I drag nets, and I can see the liveliness of the city."

"I'm also from the countryside of the provincial capital, not a city person. Everyone, stop joking. The girl is thin-skinned, and besides, we have regulations that we can't get married at the station."

"This isn't your station, and you aren't dispatched to be stationed here. You're here to support local construction, and you'll return to the city after building the lighthouse. A-Guang is her big brother, and he's still in the city now. His family also has two shops bought in the city's wholesale market." Ye Yaodong smiled and refuted, incidentally supplementing the Pei family's situation.

In this era, soldiers were still very reliable. The People's Liberation Army served the people wholeheartedly, and their sense of responsibility and duty were overflowing. Plus, after serving for so many years, when they were transferred out, they would definitely be good. It was much better than finding someone from the countryside.

Think about how popular it was. In the future, they would be in politics, which was much better than their rural mud-legged selves. And speaking of it, they were all relatives.

When Lin Guangyuan finished junior high school next year, he would ask them to help and see if he could get him in.

How good, everyone was a relative, helping each other.

Other naval officers also followed suit.

"Yes, yes, Captain, the man is unmarried and the woman is unmarried, and we aren't here to be stationed. You can marry a wife here and take her to the city to settle down early. After two years of promotion, you can bring your family."

"Even if we were stationed, it wouldn't matter. Get married first. When the lighthouse project is completed and the transfer order from above comes down to be stationed, it will be after the marriage, so it doesn't count as getting married at the station."

"That's right, that's right, and you're over 25, you're already 26..."

One by one, they were more active than Captain Chen himself, all excitedly wanting to play matchmaker for him, wishing they could let him bow to heaven and earth and enter the bridal chamber right now.

Captain Chen glared at the others in embarrassment, but there was no threat at the dinner table, and everyone was laughing and not afraid at all.

"Stop making noise, don't affect the girl's reputation. It doesn't matter if you joke about me, as long as you carry 20 kilometers when you go back."

Pei's father originally didn't have any thoughts, but since the village chief and the others started it, he now had a strong interest and kept asking about Captain Chen's family situation.

Since he asked, he didn't have the heart not to answer, so he just bit the bullet and answered one question after another.

For those he didn't answer perfectly, his comrades-in-arms actively helped him supplement. As long as they knew, they told everything they knew, making the atmosphere even more intense.

"Otherwise, repair the circuits a bit slower, and go to my house for dinner tonight?"

"Ah?"

"Hahahahaha..."

Everyone burst into laughter.

After Lin Xiuqing poured the water, she also stood in the main hall and listened for a while, unable to stop laughing, and then returned to the room.

Pei Yingqiu was still blushing with embarrassment, sitting on the edge of the bed, not knowing what she was thinking.

The two children on the bed had already made up and were laughing as they flipped around.

"What are you thinking about?"

Pei Yingqiu raised her head in embarrassment, "Nothing..."

"Hehe, Captain Chen ate and lived in our old home for a month before. My parents-in-law both said he was quite good. Two years ago, when he left after completing his mission, he even gave my niece a navy-style shirt. My niece still treats it as a treasure and often writes to Captain Chen."

"Our dried fish is supplied to the military, which was also initiated by Captain Chen. Not to mention anything else, Captain Chen's character is really quite good, it's just that I don't know if there's this fate."

Pei Yingqiu lowered her head and didn't speak. Lin Xiuqing was also embarrassed to say more, so she stopped after saying two sentences.

After all, this wasn't her younger sister, just her younger sister-in-law's younger sister-in-law, so it wasn't her turn to say more or worry more. Anyway, people now had a stepmother, so they didn't need her mother-in-law to worry about it.

Who knows if Captain Chen would leave? If he got married and left, it would be even worse.

So she guessed that this was probably why the military couldn't get married at the station—afraid that soldiers would abandon their wives and children after being transferred, and the country would become a sinner if it got out.

Outside, it was still lively, and Pei Yingqiu didn't dare to go out immediately, to avoid being teased again, so she had to stay in the room with Lin Xiuqing to play with the two children.

Fortunately, there were two children, so it wasn't awkward. The two put aside the topic just now and chatted quite happily, incidentally chatting about Aunt Ma.

Pei Yingqiu said that Aunt Ma treated them politely, but they were all grown up and didn't need to trouble others to do anything. They washed their own clothes, and at most, when Aunt Ma cooked, they helped out. Basically, Aunt Ma took care of the housework.

When Pei's father wasn't at home, Aunt Ma mostly lived next door to accompany her own children, only letting them call her if there was anything, and they basically ate together.

Lin Xiuqing nodded. After all, the two girls of the Pei family were going to marry out, so it was fine to be polite. The ones who would get along for a long time were A-Guang and Huimei, but they weren't at home now.

However, after giving birth and picking them up, she would probably still have to let Aunt Ma help take care of the postpartum period. Fortunately, they were all from the same village, and Ye's mother would definitely come to the door every day and help take care of them.

After the liveliness outside came to an end and the sound gradually faded away, the two came out of the room.

Pei Yingqiu didn't leave immediately, but also followed to help clean up the mess on the table.

Ye's mother, however, extremely politely didn't let her do it, only letting her go to accompany the children.

"How can I let the younger sister-in-law do it? We'll do it ourselves. It's just cleaning up a table. You go watch the two little ones, we'll clean up here."

The old lady also politely pulled her, not letting her touch it, so she had to return to the room to watch the two children.

Lin Xiuqing also whispered to Ye's mother to inquire, incidentally pouting at the room, "How was that just now?"

"Everyone talked about it like a joke. After teasing for a while, they didn't talk about it anymore. This also depends on the person's meaning, and it also depends on how the in-law's side prepares to handle it. After all, people in the military are away all year round."

"Oh, oh."

"Don't worry about it blindly. People's own biological father will worry about it. We'll just listen to the liveliness."

"Then Mom, don't go out and talk about it. If you go out and talk about it and people know, it will be spread around again. This kind of gossip is spread around and changes. By the end, it will probably be very outrageous."

"I know, I know, I'm not someone who talks about everything."

"I'll clean up here. There's no rain outside anymore. Mom, you go out and help spread the word about collecting kelp. I'll be able to go to the workshop after I finish busy here. A-Dong followed them out. After sending them to the power box and watching them work, he'll probably be back in a while."

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you to clean up, I'll go out and walk around." Ye's mother wiped her hands, doing the right thing was important.

Because Lin Xiuqing had to collect kelp in the afternoon and do the right thing, she couldn't take the two children. The ground outside was wet, and if she didn't watch them, they would probably be a mess again.

So after cleaning up, she followed Pei Yingqiu, each holding one, and sent the children to the Pei family.

Ye's mother's efficiency was also top-notch. When she sent them off and walked toward the village, a bunch of women pulled her to ask this and that.

"A-Qing, is your family really collecting kelp?"

"I heard your mother say that you are planning to collect all the kelp that everyone has been drying sporadically in the past few days, is it true?"

"I also heard it. When the sister-in-law next door told me, I thought it was just a rumor. You actually all heard it? Is it true?"

After one person pulled her, before long, a bunch of sharp-eyed people surrounded her.

Originally, it had just rained and it was wet outside, so no one wanted to come out and walk around, but they were spreading the word that their family was collecting kelp, and enthusiastic relatives or neighbors all ran to other people's houses to notify them.

Therefore, the women in the village were all energized and ran out to inquire from their neighbors.

Now that they had met the main person, how could they let her go?

"It's true, I heard her mother came out and said it, saying collect as much as there is? I just finished cleaning up the kelp at home, and it's all here. I was just about to send it over."

"I also cleaned it all out. Fortunately, I picked up a lot, and I have ten or so jin. I heard it's six cents a jin. This can also sell for eight or nine dimes, enough for a month's seasoning fee."

"Six cents, huh? That's fine, anyway, it's all picked up."

Lin Xiuqing watched a bunch of people surrounding her and chattering, and some people were running toward this side.

She hurriedly confirmed, "Yes, yes, A-Dong thought that everyone had picked up quite a bit of kelp in the past few days, so he wanted to try if kelp was easy to sell, and it could also increase everyone's income. In this way, if everyone encounters it next year, they can pick up more."

"Good, good, good, this is good..."

"This is good. Things in the sea don't cost money. Everyone will pick up more next year. I didn't think about picking up the small ones today, it was a waste."

"Then I'll go home and get it now..."

Lin Xiuqing said loudly again, "Everyone don't worry, we'll collect it for two or three days. If you have relatives who also picked up quite a bit of kelp at home, you can all send it over. Send it to our workshop, don't send it to our door."

"Alright, send it to the workshop, right?"

The enthusiastic women all shouted loudly to the people who had already run away, letting them send it to the workshop.

And those who already had it in their hands walked beside her, following her all the way to the workshop to weigh it.

There weren't many people, so she let them wait first, and she went home to get money. Weigh how much, give how much, and settle it on the spot without having to keep accounts, saving trouble.

She happened to have a large pile of small change in a jar at home, which was just right for pouring out a portion to settle these fragmented small amounts of money.

Basically, each household brought over five or six jin or more, and more than ten jin. If there were more, there wouldn't be any. After all, everyone just picked up a little and stored it there, eating it occasionally. Anyway, it would be there every year on the sea, it just depended on luck whether it would drift to the beach.

If they had known it would sell for money, they would probably have snatched it up at the time.

After she organized a pile of small change and brought it to the workshop, there were already twenty or thirty women waiting there, and people were continuously coming in with kelp in groups.

Ye Yaodong was also already in the workshop, comforting everyone, "Everyone don't worry, anyway, we want as much as there is. Take your time, one by one. After A-Qing brings the money, we'll weigh it."

"I'm here, start weighing, you weigh it, I'll give the money."

"Alright, start weighing."

After Ye Yaodong shouted, watching everyone crowding forward, he continued, "Don't worry, take your time. Line up. Also, if you finish selling, if you have relatives who still have some, you can all bring it over."

After the nonsense ended, Ye Yaodong used the scale he had just bought to weigh it. He also took a wooden scale and let another younger brother weigh it on the side at the same time, proceeding on both sides.

After weighing, A-Qing immediately gave the money.

The first few people who got the money didn't leave, all standing on the side discussing and chatting with smiles on their faces. The people who had just come and saw that it could indeed sell for money were also relieved.

Everyone was discussing it, discussing how many jin each had picked up and how much money they could sell it for.

Some slapped their thighs and regretted not picking up more at the time, and some were also regretting giving a portion to relatives and friends, their intestines turning green with regret.

In families in the village without much income and without stable jobs, a little money was also money. No matter how small the mosquito's leg was, it was meat.

The work of collecting kelp proceeded in an orderly manner, and there were more and more people in the workshop. People were continuously coming in, and those who had finished selling hadn't left. There were also some who came to watch the fun. It looked like it was densely packed with people, and there was noise everywhere, not inferior to a vegetable market.

After Ye Yaodong weighed for a while, he handed the work to another younger brother and stood on the side.

And A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao had already run over to watch the fun, but seeing him busy there, they didn't crowd up. It was only when he saw them that he walked toward them.

"Why did you come?"

"Came over to watch you mess around, to see what money you're going to earn again. Is it useful to collect so much of this?"

"Try it out, just muddle along to get a meal."

"Do you still want to go to the shipyard in the afternoon? The rain has stopped."

"Now?"

Ye Yaodong looked at everyone lining up there, and there wouldn't be any problems. Not to mention, it was only two or three hundred yuan worth of goods. In their village, there wouldn't be any larger quantity.

By the time it spread to other villages and people came over, it would be mid-afternoon, and the quantity and people would be even less. With him or without him, it was the same.

"That's fine, hand over the goods here to others, I'll go to the shipyard with you to take a look. I'll go tell my wife."

Lin Xiuqing was too busy to pay attention to him, just nodding. Anyway, there were people helping to weigh.

Ye Yaodong let them all go back to ride their own bicycles, and he also went home to ride his bicycle, put on his hat, and waited to meet at the village entrance later.

When he passed by the power box, there weren't many people gathered there anymore.

After eating a meal, everyone had other gossip and all concentrated in his workshop. Only his father, Pei's father, and a few village cadres were accompanying them on the side.

Thinking that someone still had to watch there, he went over to tell his father, let his father watch at the workshop, and also said that he was going to the shipyard with friends.

They went for the whole afternoon, until dusk, when the three of them pedaled their bicycles back to the village.

And the kelp collection work in the workshop had temporarily come to an end. When he came back, his father, his mother, and A-Qing were all organizing kelp in sacks, carrying them onto the cart.

"Not putting it in the small warehouse here? Where are you pulling it to? Putting it at home?"

A few days ago, Lin Jishang wanted 5,000 jin, but he hadn't been home for a few days. A-Qing had weighed the goods for him, and the idle room at home was emptied all at once. For the past few days, even the fishy smell at home had dissipated a bit.

"It just rained, I'm afraid that if the door here is always open, it will be damp. It will be better at home. After all, the door of the empty room can be closed, and the windows don't have to be opened."

"Oh, how many jin did you collect?"

"Just like you expected, we collected over 3,000 jin in bits and pieces. There are others from other villages bringing it over later, but there isn't much. Let's see if we can collect a bit more tomorrow. 10,000 jin is impossible. Without advance notice, everyone didn't store much, just dried a little and kept it for themselves to eat."

"It doesn't matter. The rain has stopped. Let's see if anyone goes out to sea tomorrow. If they go out to sea, they'll probably search around the nearby islands. If it clears up, I estimate we can still have some goods in two or three days."

"We'll see when the time comes."

Ye's father interrupted and asked, "How did it go when you asked at the shipyard?"

"The price went up. They told me they wanted the same as the Dong Sheng Hao, and the same as the Feng Shou Hao was 18,000, which is 3,000 yuan more expensive. The key is that they can't make it. They can't make it by the end of next year. In two days, when I go to the provincial capital, I'll also inquire about it. As for the city, I already called A-Guang this morning and asked him to take time to ask. Anyway, his family has ordered several boats in the city, so it's just right for him to ask."

"That much more expensive?"

"Yes, I don't know why, it just went up that much. They just told me the material went up and the workers' wages went up. The key is that they told me directly they couldn't make it. They won't take orders for two years from now. I don't know if they were taken advantage of by me and don't want to give me such an early order for the year after next."

"Then we can only ask elsewhere."

"Hmm."

Ye's mother said on the side, "Then you can mess around later. It's kelp, it's boats... so good at messing around, you can't find anyone in the whole village who can mess around more than you..."

"It's only after it's decided that you don't have to worry. It's only when it's not decided that you have to worry."

"Let's not talk about it, push this cart home first."

Ye Yaodong directly waved to the two younger brothers, letting them push it back to unload the goods, while he continued to stand with Ye's father and talk.

"Are the circuits fixed? When I came back just now, I didn't see anyone at the power box."

"I don't know, I've been watching here all afternoon, you have to ask your mother..."

"It's fixed. At two or three o'clock, I saw the village chief and the secretary return to the village committee. Those few naval officers probably went back to the town." Ye's mother said, and then walked toward the bicycle in the corner.

"That's quite fast, it was done in half a day."

"How do you ride this bike? It's all mud, it's scary. I don't know if people would think it was fished out of the mud."

"It just rained, aren't the roads all mud? Isn't it normal to ride it like this? Look at my pant legs, they're also splashed everywhere."

"This bike will be scrapped in two years at most if you ride it like this. Others can ride it for 30 years, you can ride this for 3 years at most."

"It won't, it can still be used after washing. You push it back and wash it."

Ye's mother really felt sorry for him wasting things, scolded him twice, and then really pushed it back to help him wash it.

Only Ye's father and him were left in the workshop.

"Why didn't you say directly at lunch that you were donating two boats?"

"No rush. Anyway, they still have to hold a meeting to discuss it. There's no need for me to be in such a hurry to rush up. Once they've decided, they'll naturally come back to find me."

Knowing that it can sell for money and can bring an income to all the villagers, improving the living standards of the whole village, no matter what, they will all try it.

After all, the labor input at the beginning is not very large, and it doesn't require the strength of the whole village, but it is possible for the whole village to benefit.

Small gamble for big.

He estimated that at most in three days, the village committee would find him to chat about this matter.

By then, when they are troubled by the input of funds, he will push the boat along with the current and donate two boats, which can better show his high awareness, sincerity, and concern for the villagers of the whole village.

With his input at the beginning, it is logical for him to collect it after there is a harvest in the future.

"As long as you have a count in your heart. Did you ask about your remaining 6 boats when you went to the shipyard this afternoon?"

"I asked. One more will be delivered in half a month, and the rest will have to wait until the end of the year, or early next year. Maybe by then, two will be delivered at once, and the last two will wait until the middle of next year."

"That's just right. When the time comes, just park them at the pier temporarily, don't rent them out. When we go to Zhejiang Province next month, the Dong Sheng Hao will specifically pull ten small wooden boats, and the newly returned boats will be used specifically to carry twenty or so people."

"Yes."

"You also have to remind A-Guang when you call him in two days, let him call the jellyfish factory to ask, keep in touch, and be a bit more diligent at the end of the month, call every few days to ask."

"Hmm."

"It's not easy to do this year."

"It doesn't matter, it will be even harder to do next year."

Ye's father had nothing to say and could only ask when they would go out to sea after the rain stopped.

"Listen to the weather forecast at night, look at the weather, and then discuss it with Uncle Pei."

However, reality exceeded expectations. Before the 7:30 weather forecast at night, it started raining heavily again after dark.

The light bulb above their heads flickered on and off, like a firefly.

The whole family was originally sitting there watching the news broadcast, all with their mouths rounded, either looking at the flickering light above their heads or looking at the buzzing sound coming from the TV.

"Wow~"

The old lady shouted urgently, "Oh my, hurry up and turn off the TV and unplug it. There's no signal, it's going to lose power again, don't burn it out..."

Just as she stood up, the light went out with a 'pop'.

"Power's out again!"

Lin Xiuqing also said at the same time, "Everyone stay where you are and don't move, I'll go light a candle."

Ye Yaodong also said depressedly, "Power's out again."

Ye Chenghu said happily, "It's raining heavily again."

"What are you happy about?"

"Brother said that if it rains heavily, we don't have to go to school."

"Dream on. The rain will stop tomorrow morning, just like today."

Ye Chenghu didn't dare to make a sound, afraid of being beaten.

Lin Xiuqing lit the candles and asked, "Are Captain Chen and the others coming to repair the circuits again tomorrow?"

"Who knows? It's estimated that they might have been scared away by everyone's suggestions during the day and don't dare to take the initiative to ask to come in again."

"What if they come again?"

"Even if they come again, it doesn't explain anything, it just means they're familiar with it."

The old lady smiled and said, "The soldiers during the day were all quite good. If one is unwilling, can you ask if others are willing?"

"That can't be so rash, no matter what, you have to inquire about people's family background."

"I think Uncle Pei was also quite tempted this afternoon."

"Don't say he was tempted, I was also tempted. It's a pity, the cabbage at home has already been arched by a pig. Damn it, if it were two years later, what would A-Guang have to do with it?"

"What kind of talk is that? Huimei is already married, you can't talk nonsense."

"I'm just talking casually, venting my frustration, I won't say it anymore." ===== CHAPTER 1073 =====