Chapter 1076: The Matchmaker

Ye Fu was extremely curious.

"You two seem to have been in pretty close contact this year, haven't you?"

"What contact? What do you mean by close contact? Just because he came to me to buy dried fish, that counts as close contact? He only bought from me twice in total, and it's all the villagers gossiping, saying I'm pulling him along to make money—it's all just talk."

"That's true, but those two times added up to 10,000 jin, and that's not a small amount. The troops in the city plus Boss Zhou's side only take about 5,000 jin a month, and sometimes not even that much. It's quite a lot."

"Mm, quite a lot. Luckily after the new year, two boats went out fishing together, so we had more stock left, and there was inventory to sell. Otherwise, with most of this year already gone and the last two months not doing much drying, there probably wouldn't be any stock left."

"Weren't you drying cuttlefish all last month? Have you sold all the dried cuttlefish yet?"

"Not even close. Once the novelty of the first batch hitting the market wore off, the sales slowed down a lot. We can't sell more than a few jin a day normally—it's too expensive. Anyway, it won't go bad sitting there, so we'll wait until the holidays when everyone's willing to spend."

Hearing that sales had stalled, Ye Fu got anxious too and rattled off a string of complaints, saying he'd dried too much.

Ye Yaodong's face immediately fell. "I know what I'm doing."

Ye Mu came back to her senses and glared at Ye Fu. "What are you nagging about? As long as he hasn't lost money, that's fine. Besides, when have you ever sold everything at once? There are always slow periods."

"As long as it sells well during the holidays, that's enough. This dried stuff isn't fresh—it won't go bad in two or three days. Just let him sell it slowly. When has he ever taken a loss? The money isn't going into your pocket anyway, so what are you getting anxious about?"

The old lady also said, "Who can afford to eat something that expensive every day? Just sell it slowly. It's only been a month and half is already gone. The rest isn't unsellable. Stop worrying over nothing. Even with food in your mouth, you still can't shut up."

Just one sentence and the whole family turned against him. Ye Fu immediately shut up, feeling he truly couldn't stay in this house for a single moment longer—not even allowed to speak. Clearly, he was only concerned, and he also felt taking it slow was better.

Feeling sour, he didn't dawdle over his meal until the end today. Before anyone else had even gotten up, he had already set down his bowl and chopsticks and gone to sit aside to smoke his water pipe.

However, when he heard Ye Mu tell Ye Yaodong not to leave so early tomorrow and that she would go ask first to see if she could take half a month off, Ye Fu's ears both perked up.

A middle-aged man can't afford to take a hit—he just longs for a quiet space to catch his breath, a few days of freedom. Now it was finally almost here.

Ye Yaodong immediately said, "It'll definitely work. The village has been pretty peaceful lately. We don't need you to break up fights, and we don't need you to fight."

"Nonsense. When have I ever fought? Don't talk nonsense. At most I break up fights—when have I ever hit anyone? But honestly, Haozi's ex-wife has already moved back into his house. It rained these past two days and she didn't get kicked out. Looks like the remarriage is already half successful. These past few days, the only drama in the village is his family's mess. Otherwise, things have been pretty peaceful."

"She moved in? That fast?"

Ye Yaodong was surprised. He'd thought the former mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would battle it out for a few more months. He hadn't expected that in just a few days, the ex-wife had gotten her way. His old lady wasn't holding up her end.

"I heard she moved in during those rainy days, saying she wasn't comfortable leaving the kids—the house was leaking everywhere and she was afraid no one would look after them. Then Haozi's old lady tried to chase her out a few times but couldn't succeed. After all, her own grandson was there protecting his mother, and the three of them huddled together."

Lin Lin Xiuqing was also full of curiosity. "And then she just stayed? Just the other day I heard the two mothers-in-law had a big fight, arguing every other day."

"Yep, she just stayed. She went in during the first power outage, and then the next day when the rain stopped, Old Man Wang couldn't wait and hurriedly sent all her luggage over. Now there's no chasing her out."

Ye Yaodong chuckled twice. "Then when he comes back, there'll be a good show at his house."

"You bet. Coming back with money, the household is a problem; coming back with empty pockets, the household is still a problem. His old lady is probably thinking of waiting for him to come back and leaving it for him to handle. After all, both kids need their real mother and want their real mother to take care of them. She herself probably just wants to save trouble and not raise two grandsons."

"Then now that there's no more excitement in the village, you can go stay in the city for ten days to half a month. While looking after Ye Huimei, you can also look around and take in the sights—treat it like a trip."

"In the village there aren't even a few women who've been to the county town, let alone the city. You stayed for half a month—when you come back, there'll be talk again. You can tell everyone about the city."

Ye Mu was even more tempted after hearing this and ate her meal even more absent-mindedly.

"I'll ask tomorrow. Don't leave so early tomorrow."

"Got it."

She said she'd ask tomorrow, but once the thought took hold, she couldn't sit still for a moment. After hastily eating a few bites, she didn't wait for Ye Fu and went out on her own.

She usually would have stayed to help clear the table or wash the dishes.

Only after she went out did Ye Fu relax and say, "It's good to go for a few days. Saves her from looking at me with disapproval here and there at home. She always feels that as long as I'm not out at sea and I'm under her nose, even if I'm as busy as a top, she still thinks I'm just fooling around."

Ye Yaodong nodded solemnly—he deeply related to this point.

"Exactly, that's how it is."

As he spoke, he had already cast a glance at Lin Lin Xiuqing.

Lin Lin Xiuqing shot him an annoyed look. "When have I ever looked at you with disapproval? You lounge around at home with your feet up every day, and I haven't said a word, have I?"

"Isn't it all up to your mood? When you're in a good mood, the house is sunny. When you're unhappy, you scold this one and that one, never enough."

The old lady chuckled. "Don't say that. When you're free at home, just lend a hand more. A-Qing spins around like a top every day—either running around the kids, or the stove, or having to run to the workshop by the beach, and sometimes she has to work in the fields too."

"I know, I know. When have I ever been idle at home without helping out with chores and the kids? Sometimes I look after eight or nine, even ten at once. Just now wasn't my dad complaining? I think he has a point. My mom's mouth can be really useful sometimes, but really annoying other times."

"Exactly!" This time it was Ye Fu's turn to nod in agreement.

"You've already finished eating—what's it got to do with you? Still going 'exactly, exactly.' Once you're done, go back. Sitting there nagging and affecting other people's meals."

The old lady was already shooing him away. Ye Fu had no choice but to take one last puff, then, holding the water pipe in one hand and tucking the tobacco tin into his pocket with the other, he headed out, dropping a line before he left.

"I'll bring the clothes over in a bit."

Ye Chenghu immediately answered happily, "Okay."

"My mom really told my dad to do his own laundry?"

"Yesterday mom was only being politely courteous with the drinks. Who told dad to be so greedy for alcohol, drinking along with everyone until he was dead drunk—maybe even more than them. Those rice wines were originally made for Ye Huimei's confinement month. It's fine for guests to drink some, but dad had no sense and kept drinking like crazy."

"So last night she didn't make us throw him into the pigpen, and even let him sleep on the floor—that was already showing mercy?"

"Hard to say if it was mercy."

"Eat, eat, eat. Don't worry about your dad. Serves him right. At his age, still being managed so tightly. I think it's better mom doesn't go out, otherwise no one will be watching him."

"Once we get things done tomorrow, the day after we'll see the weather. If the sea's calm, I'll head out. Dad won't have that much leisure to drink and play cards at home."

After the heavy rain, the sky was full of rosy clouds. Logically, the next few days should mostly be sunny—today was already sunny, just with big waves. In a couple of days, he'd probably have to head out to sea. His dad's carefree days were numbered.

Both Ye Fu and Ye Mu had already left the table. With no other gossip to share, the couple just exchanged a few casual words.

Ye Yaodong had been thinking about Lin Ji the whole time. Knowing he'd definitely come over once he was back, he carried a stool to the doorway to enjoy the breeze and wait.

To his surprise, this guy actually showed up just as it was getting dark today—not in the middle of the night like usual.

"Your timing is a bit off." Ye Yaodong heard the dogs barking, looked up, and saw the man standing at the door, saying in surprise.

"How is my timing off?"

Too brazen—hard to get used to. He was used to seeing a ghost, and now he was seeing a person.

"Did you bring the stuff I asked for last time?"

"Yeah, I'll bring it over tomorrow. I just came to see if you were home. I heard you've been busy collecting kelp these past two days."

"That's right."

"I'm just letting you know, kelp seems to sell pretty well in inland areas these past two years."

"I know that, so I've been getting the village to farm kelp these past two days."

"Huh? You're getting the village to farm it too?"

Lin Ji was surprised for a moment, not expecting him to be this proactive. "Aren't you afraid of taking responsibility? What if you make the whole village busy for nothing?"

"It won't come to that. I'm just having a few people research it first—a small investment, that's all. It only takes some labor, it's not on a large scale anyway. Let's just give it a try first, and once we get results, then we can get the others involved."

Ye Yaodong told him his thoughts. It wasn't some unspeakable secret, so there was no harm in letting him in on it.

After listening, Lin Ji was quite impressed with him. "I didn't expect your vision to be this far-reaching. It's not just high awareness—it's also a way to make money for yourself. And you can bring hope to the village. If it really works, the villagers can rely on this for the next few decades."

"Mm, that's the idea. It's all benefits and no harm. Trying it won't be a loss."

He thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "I have two underlings. Their villages seem to have been researching kelp farming a few years back, and these past two years they seem to have succeeded. It's just that most people think the money comes in slowly and the share is small…"

Ye Yaodong's eyes lit up. "So you have technical talent you can introduce, or fishermen with farming experience?"

He knew that in coastal areas a bit further south, some people found fishing too slow and too risky, so they abandoned their old trade and chose to make quick money instead.

After all, if it's the same high risk, why not pick something that pays faster?

Following Lin Ji, you could earn a month's wages in a single day—who the hell would still go farming?

"I'll have to ask my two underlings, see if anyone in their villages is still doing it this year. You know, these past few years, with some loosening policies, a lot of people have abandoned the skills they used to rely on for survival…"

"I get it… I get that… Even those who still keep their survival skills will take side jobs to make quick money."

"Mm."

"Then go ahead and ask. Once you've got an answer, go tell the village committee. If there really are people who know how to farm it, hire two of them over, and have the village committee pay them a fixed monthly wage. The committee will definitely be willing."

Besides, this was stable—a steady monthly paycheck. There would always be older folks who didn't want to take risks like the younger ones.

As long as he could hire two people with farming experience, it would be twice the result with half the effort. And he wouldn't need to keep an eye on it himself. The people he hired would be far more useful than him—they just had to copy and replicate.

When problems or difficulties came up, more experienced people would solve them, and the success rate would be higher.

Once they'd farmed for a year and the villagers all learned, the following year would be much easier. Everyone would have a skill—how could they not gradually get rich?

Keeping both feet on the ground was more important for a village's development. Quick money only enriched the individual, and the risk was even more deadly.

Lin Ji chuckled. "You can already make decisions for the village committee?"

"Not at all. I just think they'd be willing too. They were going to organize the villagers and pay a little hardship fee anyway. Now, bringing people in to do it saves a lot of detours."

"Aren't you afraid that because of regional differences it won't grow, and the people you hired will just make the village committee waste money for nothing?"

"That's not my concern. I was just making a suggestion in the first place, and their village cadres themselves are tempted. I'm just helping them solve the sales problem. The original intention was good—I want the whole village to get rich."

Besides, he'd already supported two boats. Based on his past-life experience, it would succeed—their stretch of sea was suitable for it.

The village just lacked the first person willing to take the risk, and someone to lead the way.

Of course, you had to dare to try everything. How would you know if it works without trying? Once you try it, you'll probably see how good it is.

"Mm, as long as it doesn't end in complaints, if you've got the confidence, I'll go introduce two people for you. I'll ask tomorrow first—it's already dark today."

"Alright."