Chapter 1130: Laughter and Joy

Ye Yaodong stood for a while, not hearing a single word of moral coercion, at most only pity, and then contentedly draped his arm over Lin Lin Xiuqing's shoulder and walked back with the crowd.

"Let's go, the matter's settled, heading home."

"They won't come back, will they?" Lin Lin Xiuqing was a little uneasy.

"With the officials up front holding the line, they probably won't come."

He didn't dare say it so absolutely either. When he'd invited the big hats over earlier, he hadn't actually had that intention in mind—he really had wanted to invite them over to discuss things. But before they arrived, he realized—what was there to discuss with them? Who was he, anyway? Just let those people sort it out themselves.

Besides, only small fry could come; would they even discuss things with him? They couldn't call the shots themselves, so he just kicked those people over to their own units to worry about.

The capable do more work—he certainly couldn't, he really didn't have that kind of ability. The officials were better suited to handle this matter than he was.

"With that show up ahead, if you hadn't nodded, they looked like they could have eaten you alive."

"Up ahead they treated me as their only straw to clutch at, and now I've pulled out an even thicker stick for them. Didn't they just strike while the iron is hot and cling to the thicker stick?"

"After all, I've always said I don't have that ability, and when those two Public Security officers came over just now, I had Aguang tell everyone that the Gongan Bureau would figure out a way to negotiate and bring the people back from out of town—whether sentencing or execution, they'd at least get to see them. Isn't that better than my stonewalling?"

"So, one by one, as if they'd seen hope, they were already crowding around them the moment they came out, and naturally followed them along."

Most common folk weren't that clever to begin with, easily swayed by the crowd. This hope was right before their eyes, so of course the Gongan Bureau was a bit more trustworthy than him.

Such a large group being sent away so easily—the others were quite astonished too, thinking there'd have to be some fuss made.

Actually, without the village cadres from each village, it wouldn't have been so easy. The village cadres were an important link; to those family members, their own village cadres were also people they could trust.

The village cadres served to buy time and also to soothe; psychologically, they made everyone more willing to believe what their own cadres said.

He had the village cadres go tell the Public Security officers to let the Gongan Bureau step in to negotiate, and the village cadres would naturally tell those family members that they'd already had the Public Security officers negotiate. This already served to keep the people steady—at least for the short term, without a result, they wouldn't come back to the village to make trouble.

Hope had found a new anchor, a ray of dawn rising in their hearts again, so naturally they weren't so quick to cause trouble.

"Anyway, I've already tossed this trouble out. Let's go home and eat. You were called out early in the morning and hadn't eaten yet; after all this fuss it's almost noon."

Ye Yaodong rubbed his growling stomach, "Did you cook rice?"

"The old lady's home, she probably cooked. If not, just have some of this morning's congee to tide you over."

At this moment, Secretary Chen came up from behind and patted his shoulder, "When do you have time to drop by the village committee for a chat?"

"Tomorrow. I probably won't have time today—still have accounts to settle, the stuff on the boat hasn't been unloaded and sorted, and it's almost noon now, haven't even had breakfast."

"No rush, you just got back too. Something like this happened this morning, so go handle your household work first. If you don't have time tomorrow, then the day after. Anyway, we're a bunch of old folks here, not like you with your busy important affairs."

"Alright, once I've handled things at home I'll head over to the village committee."

It was almost lunchtime again, the sun was strong, everyone chatted as they walked home, and the topic of discussion lately was probably all about this.

Ye Mu walked beside him, sighing that it was good their villagers had all come out, otherwise who knows what would've happened—even outsiders could come to their door making trouble, let alone people from their own village.

"Good thing you lot were lucky and didn't get dragged in."

Lin Lin Xiuqing nodded in agreement.

"So many people are worse off than everyone else, so if everyone got dragged in there'd be nothing to say about it."

Ye Fu turned and glared at her—why bring up the one thing nobody wanted to talk about.

Ye Yaodong changed the subject: "Dad, after we eat, when the sun's not so strong this afternoon, get a few people to unload all the odds and ends from the boat. Wash what needs washing, put it away first. We got back late yesterday, there's a pile of stuff on the boat that hasn't been dealt with or moved."

"Mm, I know. What about your small boats?"

"No rush. Whoever wants them will come on their own. Leave the one from No. 002 there too, no rush."

"Are you going back over?"

"We'll see. Let me handle things at home first. I still need to make a trip to the city—might as well check the situation there these few days, see if anyone's called back, and ask around then."

Anyway, he'd already made his money; the rest didn't necessarily need him to risk his neck scrambling for it. Waiting a bit until it's near the end to sweep up sea urchins wouldn't be bad either—for now, he'd just see how things go.

He'd only just gotten back yesterday, and there was still a lot to handle, so he had no time to worry about those people he'd left behind.

The couple first walked to the village committee, then rode Aguang's motorcycle parked at the door straight home.

The old lady had been waiting anxiously at home for ages, unable to sit still—while cooking rice she had to step out to the doorway to look several times. Only when she heard the motorcycle, and shortly after it pulled up to the house, did she finally relax.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi was the first to dash out, "Daddy~"

"Just got back and you're already this clingy, don't want me at all." Lin Lin Xiuqing laughed from the side.

The old lady hurried out and asked, "How did it go? Did those people leave?"

"They left, it's fine now."

"That's good, eat first. You two went out without eating this morning. There's congee, and lunch is ready too. Eat early—none of you ate this morning…"

After a simple lunch, he tiredly fended off his old mother's various questions, then quickly left the table and went back to the room planning to catch up on sleep, so he could get up later and work.

Ye Fu also hurriedly ate a few bites and left the table, not waiting for Ye Mu, figuring he'd lost face in front of her for the time being.

Ye Mu looked at that retreating back, then this one, and said irritably, "I just wanted to get a clearer picture, didn't I? One won't talk, one finds me annoying. I step outside and everyone else knows everything, I know nothing—when people ask I'm clueless, how much money was made they won't say either, guarding against a thief…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing replied, "Anyway, you've been given the wages, you just need to know how much Dad got paid."

"Don't even get me started. Thought hiding private savings in the pillowcase meant I wouldn't find out? If it weren't for him just getting back, afraid of touching his bad luck and not wanting to make a scene, I'd have cursed him out long ago—he keeps giving me the cold shoulder."

"Dongzi doesn't even know how much he gave him, yet there's still over 100 hidden in the pillowcase. There wasn't any before either—last night I was tossing the pillow around and a coin fell out before I discovered it."

Lin Lin Xiuqing didn't say more. Last night Adong had told her he'd given his dad 200 yuan to buy things; she hadn't expected his dad to be so bad at keeping it, exposed in no time. She wondered where he'd hidden his private savings in the past.

The old lady said, "Then give me the money, without this money there's nothing to quarrel about. I'll tell Dongzi later—next time don't give his dad money, give it to you lot, and we'll all split it together anyway. You all have enough to eat and drink as it is, saves the daily arguing."

Ye Mu shot the old lady a look, then turned to Lin Lin Xiuqing, "Did Dongzi say when he'd settle the accounts? We don't even know how much we'd get from renting out our boat."

"Adong said he'd settle after dinner in the evening. He only just got back yesterday, and today there's a pile of things to do too—once he's free in the evening he'll settle it."

"Oh."

After lunch Lin Lin Xiuqing also went back to the room. For the past month the workshop hadn't been running, and all the fishing boats had gone along to catch jellyfish, so she had nothing much to do.

The two boys were on summer vacation, running wild all day—except at meals and bedtime you could catch a glimpse of them, the rest of the time forget about seeing them. Only Ye Ye Xiaoxi with her short legs couldn't keep up with them and could only chase chickens and shoo dogs at the doorstep, with the old lady watching her—that was enough.

When she entered the room, Ye Yaodong was still lying there staring at the ceiling in a daze.

"If you go to Aguang's place to settle accounts in the evening, bring back the cargo list the agent left while you're at it. Let's first go over the accounts for each boat ourselves—after all, some boats came back and some didn't."

"Okay."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm scheduling my time. I was thinking about sorting out the stuff on the fishing boat this afternoon, going to the city tomorrow to settle accounts, look into the land matter, and visit the leaders while I'm at it. Then the day after tomorrow I'll go to the village committee. The two boats they said they'd donate, just donate them. Then we'll talk about the kelp business."

"Oh."

Ye Yaodong scooted inward, patted the bedboard, and said, "Lie down and let's chat. How much money do we have now? We haven't gone to collect this month's accounts in the city yet, right?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing watched him talk about serious matters in such a solemn tone and felt she had misunderstood him. She had assumed when he patted the bedboard and told her to lie down, he meant something else.

"The accounts haven't been collected. My dad doesn't trust handing over a large sum of money to those few boys at the workshop. He said either wait until you come back, or wait until whenever he goes back and brings it over himself. It'll work out perfectly if you go collect it tomorrow."

She sat down beside him as she spoke. "Yesterday I did a rough calculation. You brought back over 50,000 yuan. We originally had over 130,000 at home. Before you left, you spent another 10,000 in the city to buy land. So we should have over 170,000 in total now. Once you go collect the accounts in the city tomorrow, we'll have close to 190,000 on hand."

"No need to wait until tomorrow. Once we settle accounts tonight, we'll already have over 180,000. Collect the accounts tomorrow and we'll have over 190,000."

"How much did those fishing boats earn on this trip, roughly?"

Yesterday she hadn't even had a chance to ask. She'd been busy sorting things, and by the time she turned around, he was gone again. By the time she finished her work and came back, he was already asleep.

"Around four or five thousand. This trip was short, we came back early."

"That's not bad either. Only gone for a month, what kind of work earns that much money? Only during Fishing season. At least you came back safe and made big money. Not as good as last year, but way better than staying home."

"Mm."

Ye Yaodong pulled her toward him, then flipped himself on top, pinning her beneath him.

"What are you doing? It's broad daylight, we were just talking nicely and you start getting handsy…"

"I fell asleep yesterday. The mission still hasn't been completed."

"Complete what…"

"Complete you…"

"I haven't even finished talking…"

"You keep talking, I'll answer when I get a chance."

"The door isn't locked…"

Ye Yaodong quickly scrambled up to lock the door, closed the windows while he was at it, then stripped himself bare.

"Make some curtains tomorrow. Stop using newspaper to paste over the windows all the time—it's ugly and doesn't block the light. Make some curtains and you can just pull them shut during the day."

"No need for fabric. Every household pastes newspaper over their windows. You'd actually use fabric? Enough fabric for curtains could make two whole outfits."

"Why save that money?"

"I just don't think it's necessary."

"I think it is necessary. We can sleep more comfortably." He immediately climbed back onto the bed to undress the person beside him.

"Comfort, my ass. Curtains can't block out sound anyway."

"I never said the curtains were for doing this. Didn't I say they were for blocking light? Where's your mind at? Acting all prim and proper when you're not. You could just keep your voice down a little…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing pinched him hard.

"Did you find a mistress out there?"

Ye Yaodong grabbed her hand, sat up straight, and shamelessly let her take a look.

"You're crazy. Look, I'm this desperate and you're still asking that. If I'd had my fill out there, would I be this desperate coming back?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing blushed and turned her head away. "Hard to say…"

"I get it. You're blaming me for falling asleep last night. I was just too tired. Trying to soothe the kid put me to sleep myself. Now I've slept a whole night, my condition today is definitely great…"

"Fooling around in broad daylight…"

"This is to make up for yesterday's regret. Everyone else who came back yesterday must have gone at it three hundred rounds, but I fell asleep…"

"As if you know everything…"

"After being a Monk for a month, coming back I'd definitely be dying to break my fast. That goes without asking. If you ate vegetarian for a month, wouldn't you crave meat?"

"I wouldn't."

"Stubborn. You women don't have this thing, no wonder your mouth is the hardest part from head to toe…"

……

After finishing his meat, Ye Yaodong felt his soul had been elevated. He lay there savoring it for a while, then fell asleep in an instant. Sure enough, this kind of thing helps you sleep.

Lin Lin Xiuqing, however, felt a bit guilty, like a thief. A married couple hiding in the room for so long in broad daylight.

She quietly slid open the iron plate lock behind the door, leaving it slightly ajar, then went back to lie on the bed, planning to nap a while too. They'd already been in here so long anyway, no point caring about staying a bit longer. The kids had the old lady watching them.

Until she got tired from playing and fussy, calling for Lin Lin Xiuqing. The old lady coaxed her for a long time before finally getting the child to sleep in her own room.

Ye Yaodong slept straight through until past three, then sat at the door enjoying the cool air until four. Seeing it wasn't so hot anymore, he got up to find his dad, and on the way called the boatmen to come work on the boat together. Having his own boat made it convenient for them to haul things back and forth.

Coincidentally, while they were hauling things over there, after a while Aguang and his dad showed up with a group of people too, looking like they also planned to sort out the miscellaneous items on the boat.

They exchanged greetings, then each went back to their own work. But they also agreed that once they finished hauling the stuff off the boat and had dinner, they'd go to his house to settle accounts.

Ye Yaodong hauled down baskets, bamboo flats, a huge pile of stuff—everything, including the grain.

The food was sent straight back to his own home. The miscellaneous items were all moved to the workshop, where the boatmen washed them once, then set them against the wall corner to dry. In a few days, when they probably went to sea again, these things would come in handy.

"These longlines were only used three times, and now they're a tangled mess over there, not sorted out. Have someone sort them and put them in the corner. Next time they come in handy, we'll take them out to sea again."

Ye Yaodong looked at the pile of messy lines and baskets in the corner his dad was pointing at, and didn't really care. The cost had been earned back anyway.

"Then let's have everyone wash these things and help sort them out while they're at it. Washing them is quick anyway."

"Adong, if those few new boats you bought have been brought back from the factory, can you rent me one? Don't worry, I'll still work hard for you. I just want to rent one for my sons to work, give them something proper to do."

One boatman spoke up, and the others chimed in too, all assuring him they'd work under him, just rent one to their own sons.

Ye Yaodong thought it over and figured it could work. If the boats were rented to their sons, they'd only work harder, afraid he'd change his mind. After all, the whole family depended on him for income.

As for those underlings, except for Chen Shi, none of them brought it up. After all, they were all from other nearby villages, might not know how to swim, might not know how to drive a boat. Maybe it was also because he'd just gotten back and they weren't sure of the situation.

"That's fine too, but wait until my boats are repainted and brought back, then we'll talk. I'll note it down first. I won't agree to anyone else for now."

When he was sitting at the door enjoying the cool at noon, two people had already come by wanting to buy his small wooden boat. Both had gone to Zhejiang Province to work for him. Hearing that he gave others a 10% discount but was offering them 20% off, they rushed right over, both thinking they'd picked up a great bargain.

Those who followed him on the boat runs were a little more ambitious.

Still, he also remembered that Wang Wang Guangliang had asked about this before, and since the man wasn't around now, he planned to ask again later. Might as well call it winning people's loyalty — but where a knock on the head was due, a knock on the head was due.

After handing the work off to someone and having someone keep an eye on things over there, he went straight home again.

"Get down, all of you get down…"

The moment he stepped inside, his eyes went wide. Ye Ye Xiaoxi was standing in the yard, with several little puppies clinging all over her — three hanging off her legs, one gnawing on the hem of her clothes, and one more in her hands that she was tugging at the scruff of, about to drop it on the ground. Her little face was puffed up with indignation.

"Get down, you're all so annoying…"

"Daddy, come help me quick… look…"

"Great-grandma won't help me either, she just stands there laughing…"

"So annoying, I'm going to herd the duckies now…"

Ye Yaodong watched her scrambling to peel the puppies off herself, his own face full of smiles. "How did they climb all over you? Why just these few? Isn't there two litters of puppies?"

"I gave them to little sister… they all want to hang on me… so annoying… help me quick…"

The moment she pulled one off, that one immediately ran over again to gnaw at her trouser leg.

Even though it was summer, afraid she'd be bitten by mosquitoes and bugs, and afraid she'd run around and fall, Lin Lin Xiuqing always dressed her in long pants.

But even so, Ye Yaodong had noticed last night that there wasn't a single patch of good skin on her legs — especially her knees. They were either black and blue, or purple, or red, or scraped raw, or already scarred over.

He stepped forward and lifted the puppies off her one by one, tossing them over beside the others. Only then did the little puppies stop immediately going to gnaw at her trouser legs.

"You look very busy, huh? Off to herd the ducks again now?"

"Yep, the sun granddad went home, the duckies have to go home too to eat and sleep, and the chickies too…"

A little kid's way of talking, this…

"That does sound pretty busy. What about little Bai Bai?"

"No, yuck, it's not little Bai Bai, it's big Bai Bai."

"Then how about we slaughter it for meat tomorrow? Just right to nourish your dad?"

"No!" Ye Ye Xiaoxi's eyes went wide at once, hands spread out, as if the big goose were right behind him.

"But you said you hate it? I'll eat it for you."

"No, even if I hate it, you can't eat it."

The old lady chuckled and said, "Wait a bit, wait till she's herded the chickens and ducks back into the coop, then you carry her off. I'll sneakily catch you two — just right to stew tonight and nourish you."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi shouted even louder, "No!"

"Alright, alright, no, no."

"Daddy go eat at big brother's house!"

"Haha, so big brother's house is fair game?"

"Mm, I'll take you there."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi stopped herding the ducks too, and eagerly tugged Ye Yaodong along, ready to lead him next door to scrounge a meal.

But it so happened that next door, Ye Ye Dasao and Ye Ye Ersao had also stewed chicken and duck that evening. They'd herded their chickens and ducks back into the coop early on, then grabbed some to stew. Only at their own house was Ye Ye Xiaoxi watched so closely that the old lady couldn't find a chance to make a move.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi tugged Ye Yaodong straight toward Ye Ye Yaohua's house, because she'd just happened to see Ye Ye Yaohua sitting at the doorway smoking a water pipe.

"Daddy, can I have a chickie for my daddy to eat…"

Ye Yaodong instantly turned to stone…

Ye Ye Yaohua also got choked by a mouthful of smoke, coughing violently, his face flushed red from the choking, his eyes bulging wide.

"Daddy, you stingy thing, I'll go ask Mommy for it…"

"Come back!!"

Ye Yaodong picked her up, his face full of awkwardness, and said to his second brother, "She guards the chickens and ducks she raised herself, smelled you guys stewing some, and wanted to drag me over to scrounge a bowl. Little kids just talk like this, no rhyme or reason."

Ye Ye Yaohua was still coughing violently over there, just nodding nonstop. He'd heard everything sitting at the doorway — no need for explanations — he just couldn't talk right now.

Ye Yaodong quickly carried the little girl back home.

Only once home did he say righteously, "Chick is chick, you can't call it chickie."

"Why??"

"Because they're not the same."

"Why aren't they the same?"

"Because chick means the chicks you raised. When big brother was bathing, didn't you also see big brother's chickie?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi blinked her big eyes and nodded.

Lin Lin Xiuqing was inside cooking, listening to the father-daughter exchange with some bewilderment, and some helpless amusement, perking up her ears with a laugh.

"Right, so you can't just say it carelessly or people will get the wrong idea."

"Why get the wrong idea?"

"One more word, one less word — they're not the same. And anyway, you've grown up now, don't keep using baby talk all the time. Chick is chick, duck is duckling."

"Why?"

Ye Yaodong looked at those innocent, unsuspecting eyes, and took a deep breath. "Because grown-ups don't use baby words…"

"Why? Why do grown-ups… not use baby words?"

"There aren't that many whys!"

"But Mommy always says beat-beat-dead…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing couldn't hold it in any longer, bursting out laughing, "Hahaha…"

Ye Yaodong's defenses crumbled too, laughing until he was twitching, cursing between laughs: "Damn… why so many whys…"

"Saying dirty words gets you beat-beat-dead!"

The couple laughed even louder.

"Hmph, I'm going to chase the ducks…"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi saw the two of them watching her and laughing, so she ignored them, planted her hands on her hips, and immediately ran toward the door again.

Ye Yaodong smiled as he watched her back. "No wonder she's so tanned now—she's got a lot of work to do."

"The kids all ran off out of sight, she can't keep up, so she can only stay home alone. Sometimes she runs off to the neighbors' houses to play. Now that it's time, she likes to go chase the ducks back. Keep an eye on her—the tide is coming in."

"Alright."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi, a tree branch in hand, charged at the flock of ducks by the sea. The ducks, scared by her, ran as fast as they could, while she ran and called out, "Don't run, time to go home…"

The old lady had to quicken her pace for several steps before catching her, grabbing her by the collar at the side, only then stopping her from charging out again and scattering the flock.

"Slow down, you can't do it like that…"

"They ran off…"

"Go chase them back…"

One old and one young, hand in hand—no one knew who was leading whom. Each holding a tree branch, their smiles especially bright, they slowly drove that small flock of ducks along.

"Great-grandma, walk faster…"

"Walk slowly, or you'll fall…"

Ye Yaodong leaned against the courtyard gate, watching a flock of ducks waddling, then panicking as they ran past him into the yard.

The moment Ye Ye Xiaoxi came in, she tossed away the branch in her hand, then plopped right down on his foot. "Sigh, I'm exhausted."

"Children aren't allowed to sigh."

The old lady laughed as she picked up the branch Ye Ye Xiaoxi had tossed on the ground and put it by the wall corner, then closed up the duck coops first, to keep them from running out again.

Ye Yaodong lifted her up. "Your work isn't done yet—there are still chickens that haven't been herded back."

"Okay!"

She immediately stood back up at full strength and was about to charge out again.

The old lady hurriedly called out: "Tap on a broken bowl, toss a handful of rice bran, and they'll come back on their own."

"Let her run around and get some exercise—she's too fat."

"Nonsense. This is what being sturdy looks like. Kids should grow like this. Being like Xiaoyu, like a bean sprout, isn't good—they get sick easily."

Ye Yaodong shrugged, didn't argue, and kept leaning there watching her gleefully running around the open ground by the door.

But once she saw the other kids nearby, she just ran off with them, forgetting all about herding the chickens back into the coop.

"Hey, hey, hey, where are you going? Time to eat, and you're still running?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi didn't even look back before running off with the other kids. Ye Yaodong had no choice but to go catch her and bring her back.

The old lady hurriedly shouted from behind: "Don't come back, don't come back—let me catch a chicken first…"

He had no choice but to helplessly follow behind Ye Ye Xiaoxi, to see what she was playing with those kids.

When Lin Lin Xiuqing shouted at the door that it was time to eat, he carried the child home. But on the way back, his body was adorned with quite a few pieces of jewelry made from sweet potato leaves.

Two strings of earrings hung from his ears, around his neck was a limited-edition sweet potato leaf necklace Ye Ye Xiaoxi had made for him, and there was even a headband on his forehead.

But it kept slipping down, so Ye Ye Xiaoxi held her hands up high to fix it in place on his forehead.

"Don't fall off… Daddy, don't move…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing looked over and couldn't help laughing. "What on earth is that?"

"My daughter made them for me—she insisted on putting them on me."

Ye Yaodong, looking utterly helpless, shook the sectioned sweet potato vines hanging from both ears.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi giggled nonstop. "Pretty."

The old lady was also beaming. "Girls just love playing with these things."