Chapter 1132: Bagged Ice Water

They were whispering and chatting at the entrance. Ye Yaodong was in no rush to leave, and the others weren't in a hurry to get off work either; they all wanted to wait for the woman inside to finish her call to see if there was any other news.

After Brother Brother Asheng's wife finished the call and came out, she still pulled Ye Yaodong aside to ask this and that, mostly about the IOU Ye Yaosheng had written.

"It wasn't clear on the phone. I saw you were very busy yesterday, so I didn't want to bother you by coming over. Since I happened to run into you here, tell your sister-in-law, what's going on with that IOU? After I found out the day before yesterday, I really couldn't eat or sleep at home. Brother Brother Asheng is out there working himself to the bone to earn money, and it all ended up being spent on someone else..."

She rambled on for a while. Only after she finished venting did Ye Yaodong politely explain the ins and outs of Ye Yaosheng's IOU to her.

"... After I bought the boat at that time, I didn't have enough money on hand to pay the wages, so I didn't borrow from Brother Brother Asheng and let him borrow from Ah Guang instead. However, Brother Brother Asheng did write a few IOUs in advance and had Ah Guo and the others sign and press their thumbprints, so there's no need to worry about not getting the money back. They are all out there earning money now; when they come back, they should have the money to pay it off. Set your mind at ease."

"Sigh... Everyone else has come back, but they are still out there struggling. I don't know when they'll be back. Whenever I ask, they just say to wait a few days and see."

"It shouldn't take too long. Sister-in-law, just wait patiently at home."

Ye Yaosheng's wife looked at him, wanting to say something but hesitating. After a moment, she asked, "Are you still going?"

So many people had asked this question over the past two days that Ye Yaodong told the truth.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I should be making another trip. However, I definitely won't be going over in the next few days. I have to see how the situation develops before deciding."

She nodded.

Seeing that there was nothing else and that he had learned what he needed to know, Ye Yaodong took the first step and headed straight home to eat.

While eating, he mentioned the phone call Ye Yaosheng had just made to his father, and the father and son had a good discussion about it.

Lin Xiuqing also told him that during the time he went to the village committee that morning, more people had come to buy small wooden boats. There weren't enough to sell; there were only three left, but four people had come, so she told them to figure it out among themselves.

People would come again in the afternoon. When the time came, he could see who wanted them and take them to the pier to complete the transactions.

Ye Yaodong nodded without saying anything. He didn't care much about who bought the few small boats; whoever came first got them. It was better to clear out the small boats sooner; they were of no use staying in his hands anyway.

He had also heard that their family had bought several more boats, but they hadn't been sailed back yet. There were also people coming to ask about renting boats, but Lin Xiuqing hadn't agreed, only saying to wait until the boats returned.

She was handling everything according to what Ye Yaodong had instructed in advance.

It had only been two days since he returned, and the small boats were basically all cleared out.

The bamboo baskets, bedding, and other miscellaneous items that had been drying in the workshop the night before were all dried and put away by evening. The father and son had also finished most of the odd jobs over these two days.

Early on the third morning, Ye Yaodong rode his motorcycle to the city without stopping.

There was basically no stock of dried fish at home, as none had been dried for the whole month. The remainder had long since been taken to the idle shop in the city for storage, so he didn't drive the tractor with a load of goods, but rode the more convenient motorcycle instead.

It was just that there were a few jin of jellyfish blood in the sidecar, along with a bucket of jellyfish heads and a bucket of jellyfish skin. These were local specialties he had prepared to take to Director Chen.

Riding the motorcycle was faster. He set off just as the sky was brightening and arrived by 8 o'clock.

He went to the shop first, but only took a glance from the roadside before heading to the village. He just took a look at the empty plot he had bought and the plot Lin Xiang Hui had bought, then circled back to the shop.

Lin Fu and Lin Mu were inside using a large scale to weigh a sack of goods. They were surprised to see him arrive but couldn't spare the time to talk much. He rolled up his sleeves to help with the shop's business first, taking advantage of the spare moments to ask a few questions and answer theirs.

Business at the shop was still quite good early in the morning.

"Ever since we put up the sign for our shop, more people have recognized us, and business has been better each month. Many shops nearby have learned from us and put up signs too," Lin Fu said, his face full of smiles.

"Have any hoodlums or idlers come to cause trouble?"

"Not at all. After all, the market is maintained by people, and we pay the management fees on time every year. At most, some people come because of issues with the goods, and I handle it well—exchanging what needs to be exchanged and giving away what needs to be given."

Ye Yaodong nodded, telling him to handle it as he saw fit and make his own arrangements. He then changed the subject, "Has Big Brother's household registration been moved? I saw that the plot of land he bought has already been leveled."

"It has. Half a month ago, he took some time to go home and move his whole family's registration here, settling it in the village. He said he also picked an auspicious date and will start building in October."

"Then I'll go register mine later too, and I'll have people level the land over these two months. I'll have to trouble Father and Big Brother to keep an eye on it then."

"Alright, we're close by, right next door, so it's convenient to watch. But how are you planning to build it?"

He told Lin Fu about the plan he had discussed with Aqing. Lin Fu only sighed that he had bought too much land.

However, since he had earned so much money in the past two years, spending 10,000 yuan to buy a plot of land wasn't much. In the end, he didn't say anything else, only telling him to handle it as he saw fit and to just say the word if they needed anything from the two of them.

Ye Yaodong stayed in the shop for a while, telling Lin Fu not to rush with the accounts as he had to go handle some business first.

Then, he first moved the items from the tricycle bucket down and left them at the shop for safekeeping. He also took two soup basins from his brother-in-law and filled them with some jellyfish heads and jellyfish skin for them, and grabbed a big handful of jellyfish blood as well.

Next, he packed a separate portion into the sidecar and rode slowly into the village to find the village chief. This separate portion was a gift for the village chief; one can never go wrong with being polite, and he wanted him to help get A-Qing and the children registered as residents first.

After finishing the residency registration, he returned to the shop to move the remaining items into the sidecar, then headed straight for Bureau Chief Chen's house.

When he arrived, the bucket was still full; even after scooping out two large bowls, it still looked about 60% full, which was still a decent amount to give as a gift. The most expensive part was the jellyfish blood anyway.

It was almost noon when he arrived. Bureau Chief Chen happened to be home after work, and he was pleasantly surprised to see him.

"Didn't you say you were going to Zhejiang Province to salvage jellyfish and that it would take two months? How come you're back so soon? It's only been a month, right?"

"Hehe, we ran into some trouble, so we came back early."

He went inside, put the things down, and told Bureau Chief Chen about what happened on this trip. Even Bureau Chief Chen felt it was dangerous just listening to it.

"That's how it is when you go to someone else's territory. Most places are quite xenophobic. To the locals, you are invaders. If emotions are stirred up even a little, conflicts are inevitable. It's fortunate you came back early; that was a wise decision."

Ye Yaodong nodded, followed up with a few words, and also recounted what happened upon his return.

"You did the right thing. You shouldn't just take on such matters casually. It's your own good fortune to meet a benefactor. Other people's business should have been left for the local Public Security Bureau to handle. Those people were just grasping at straws in their desperation, believing whatever they heard."

"I'll just listen for news now."

"That's right. However, if the locals set up any jellyfish association or fishing association, if they offer you a position, you should take it. There's always some benefit to it. After all, you are the leader of a group. If you go next year, having a position will allow you to get first-hand information, provide some convenience, and help you build some connections."

"Okay, I'll think about it when I go again."

Ye Yaodong changed the subject to something more relaxed and took the opportunity to explain how to cook the jellyfish skin, jellyfish heads, and jellyfish blood.

In this day and age, transportation is inconvenient. Aside from small appliances and some mass-market goods, the circulation of other local specialties is relatively slow, and one has to go to the local area to buy them. That's how the profession of 'resellers' came to be, so he had to explain the cooking methods, especially for jellyfish blood, as most people don't know how to eat it.

He also took the opportunity to brag about how nourishing the jellyfish blood is, calling it a great ingredient for replenishing Qi and blood. Local women in confinement eat this in addition to fish maw, and it is very popular among the locals.

By the time he left Bureau Chief Chen's house, it was already past 1:00 PM. He had tagged along for lunch there, chatted for a while, and only left with Bureau Chief Chen when it was time for him to go back to work.

Watching the man ride away on his bicycle, he walked toward his motorcycle under the scorching sun. "It's hot as hell. Damn it, it's like a furnace. I'm almost roasted just by coming out."

"Popsicles for sale~ Popsicles for sale~"

"Buying popsicles..."

Hearing the sound of someone selling popsicles, he shouted at the person riding the bicycle in that direction. The vendor immediately pedaled his bicycle over upon hearing him.

Seeing him get off the motorcycle, the vendor's eyes lit up, and he asked obsequiously, "Boss, what kind of popsicles do you want? We have red bean, mung bean, sugar water, milk, watermelon..."

Ye Yaodong craned his neck to take a look. He originally intended to just grab one, but then he saw that there were actually bagged ones.

"What is this?"

"This is ice water. We have peach flavor, orange flavor, pear flavor..."

Each bag had a different color, corresponding to the color of the flavor. He picked up a bag at random to look at it; the ingredients were just water, saccharin, and fruit powder.

"This small bag is ten cents, the big one is twenty cents. They just came out of the factory; we didn't have them before..."

"Is the manufacturer's address on it correct?"

"Huh?" The vendor was dumbfounded. You have to check the factory just to buy ice water?

"Boss... what... what are you doing?"

"I'll take one of these. Is the address where you get your stock the same as the manufacturer's address on here? Is it in the city?"

"Uh, yes..."

Ye Yaodong handed him twenty cents, then walked to a shady spot to squat down and study it, ignoring the vendor's confused expression.

The manufacturer's address on it was in a village in a town within the city. He didn't know where that was. He looked up at the vendor, who was preparing to leave, and called him back.

Ordinary people are exceptionally patient with wealthy people. Hearing his call, the vendor immediately smiled and hurriedly pushed his bicycle over.

"Do you need anything else, Boss?"

Ye Yaodong pointed to the manufacturer's address on the bag and asked, "Is this address close to here?"

"Huh? Do you want to sell popsicles too?"

"Do I look like someone who sells popsicles?"

"No, you look like a big boss. Being able to ride a motorcycle definitely makes you a big boss."

In the scorching summer, under the blazing noon sun, when out and about, he couldn't wrap his head up like he did at sea, leaving only his eyes exposed. Recently, he had just been wearing a straw hat.

Although his attire didn't look like a boss but rather a migrant worker, who told him to have a motorcycle? That made him a big boss.

Ye Yaodong looked at him with appreciation. "You're smart. I have other business and want to go to this factory to take a look. Can you point the way for me? Is this factory far from here? How long does it take you to ride your bicycle?"

"It's not far, but it's not close either. It takes about an hour by bicycle, which is fine. I take the popsicles and sell them as I go, riding all the way back."

He thought to himself, it only takes an hour by bicycle, and he could go faster on his motorcycle, so that was fine.

"I'll buy all your remaining popsicles. Can you take me there?"

The vendor nodded happily and busily. "Sure! Then I can go restock while I'm at it."

"Sit on my motorcycle, it'll be faster."

He stood up and took the opportunity to put the bag of ice water in his mouth, bit a hole in it, and drank the ice water. It was quite delicious, sweet and refreshing.

The weather was too hot. In the short time he held it in his hand, it wasn't as hard as before, and some of it had already melted into water. He took a slurp and sucked up the melted part. His whole body felt instantly cool from the inside out, and he felt refreshed.

"Then what about my bicycle? My home isn't around here, I... I'd better ride my bike and lead the way in front."

Although he wanted to ride the motorcycle, he was even more reluctant to leave his bicycle on the side of the road for fear it would be stolen, so he had no choice but to ride his bicycle and lead the way in front.

Ye Yaodong had no choice but to follow slowly on his motorcycle behind him.

He held the bag of ice water in his mouth, taking a sip from time to time. In a few gulps, it was empty, and the feeling of heat had subsided a lot.

The two vehicles rode side by side, from the city area to the outskirts, and then onto the main road. The vendor wanted to chat with him, but the motorcycle was too loud, and Ye Yaodong didn't hear him clearly, nor did he have the patience to chat with a stranger.

After riding for nearly an hour, the vendor pedaled his bicycle even harder and shouted that they were almost there.

Ten minutes later, the bicycle slowed down and stopped in front of a low, flat-roofed house. The motorcycle stopped behind it. There were several other bicycles at the entrance.

"This is it."

Ye Yaodong looked at the courtyard entrance, which looked just like his own house. Inside, someone was carrying a wooden box out and fixing it to the back seat of a bicycle.

"A small workshop?"

Looking at it, it didn't even look as good as his own house—no, it was much worse. This house looked like a private residence, only about a hundred square meters, with a small courtyard at the entrance.

"Yeah, it's always been a small workshop. Boss, look, I've brought you to the place..."

"Okay, count up the popsicles and ice water you have inside, how much it costs, and get your things ready. Give them to me when you come out in a moment."

"Okay, okay."

The vendor was beaming with joy and immediately went to count the stock. Ye Yaodong had cleared out his stock in one go, which only took an hour—much faster than wandering around the city selling them. Plus, he could go restock while he was at it. It was only past two o'clock, and there were still four hours until sunset; he could still sell them at night.

Ye Yaodong didn't pay attention to the vendor counting the stock. In the time it took them to talk, someone else had come out carrying a wooden box, and he walked straight inside.

He didn't expect that there was more to it inside. In the main room, there was actually a large freezer, and two people were picking out popsicles and ice water from boxes. In the back room, he could only hear the sound of quite a few people talking, but nothing else. Standing in the main room, he couldn't see anything.

"What are you looking at? Buying popsicles?" A middle-aged man looked at him suspiciously.

Ye Yaodong immediately came back to his senses, felt his pocket, smiled, and pulled out two cigarettes, saying in Mandarin: "It's like this, Uncle. I'm not here to buy popsicles. I'm more interested in that liquid packaging machine."

The middle-aged man was bewildered for a moment. "What thing?"

"I mean the filling and sealing machine for your ice water bags. I'm quite curious about this machine. Can I take a look?"

"That won't do. How can you just look at it? Who knows if you're a competitor here to cause trouble."

"I'm not a competitor, don't worry. I'm in a different business, and I'm not a local, you can tell by my accent. I just want to know where that machine was bought. I've been wanting to buy one to fill other liquids for a long time. I happened to be in the city today and saw the bagged ice water, so I came to ask."

The middle-aged man looked at him vigilantly. "That still won't do. Who knows if what you're saying is true or false."

After saying that, he shouted inside twice. Several men ran out, and they immediately drove him outside.

Ye Yaodong was pushed outside by them while cursing in his own dialect. Just then, the vendor had finished counting and was about to come in to ask him to settle the bill. Seeing this scene, he was so surprised he didn't know what to say.

"Boss..."

"Damn it, I couldn't even take a look. I just wanted to know where it was bought..."

"What's wrong? Why were you kicked out?"

"I just wanted to ask them where they bought the machine! I want to buy a machine too, I'm not in the popsicle business. Do I look like someone who sells popsicles? Damn, I've never been kicked out before, grass..."

"What machine?"

"That filling machine for the ice water bags. They wouldn't even let me take a look."

"You asked me to bring you here just to ask about that ice water bag filling machine?"

"Isn't that obvious? Otherwise, why would I run all the way here? Do you think I did it for those few popsicles? I'm not that bored, in this heat."

The vendor hesitated and said, "How about I help you ask around?"

Ye Yaodong looked at him in surprise. "Eh? You have connections?"

"I live in a village near here. I can ask my family to help ask their relatives. Everyone around here is related in some way, but I can't guarantee if I'll be able to find out..."

"Sure. If you can find out, I'll give you a red envelope." He said casually.

He could actually ask Lin Ji if he knew about such things, or slowly ask around in the city, but that person was often elusive, and he might not run into him for a month or two. Now, he was a bit eager to know.

This way, he could bag his fish sauce once it finished fermenting, instead of sending the whole vat to the city, which took up space and was fragile.

If he could bag it, he could distribute it across the country better, and make the business bigger and stronger!

Thinking about it made him a bit excited, but he had just been kicked out, so he had no choice but to ask elsewhere.

The vendor said happily, "Okay, how can I contact you?"

Ye Yaodong gave him a village committee phone number. "Call and say you're looking for Ye Yaodong. Did you remember it? Or should you go inside and borrow a pen?"

"Then I'll go borrow a pen."

Ye Yaodong waited a while longer. After the person came out and wrote down the number, he settled the bill for the popsicles. He also gave him an extra ten cents for the cotton quilt he used to pad the wooden box and bought it directly. He wasn't afraid of being laughed at for being a fool with too much money, and he put the whole package into the sidecar.

Anyway, he lived nearby and could go home and get some old clothes or an old quilt to use as padding.

"I'm leaving. If there's any news, call this number. If not, forget it, I'll think of another way."

"Okay."

Although he had made a wasted trip and spent several yuan, he felt it was worth it. At least he knew that such small filling and plastic sealing machines already existed.

A small plastic bag for ice water like this was only 100-200 milliliters. If they could have this size, they could definitely have 500-milliliter ones too.

However, it probably wasn't widely used yet, as everyone was still accustomed to using bottles.

After calming down, he suddenly wasn't that anxious anymore, because his fish sauce production this year really wasn't that high—just the catch from two boats. Moreover, it took several days to bring back ten or twenty thousand jin, or twenty or thirty thousand jin, and sometimes it took half a month. This month, there was nothing for the whole month.

Twenty or thirty thousand jin could only produce a few thousand jin of fish sauce. Once it fermented, it had to be filtered at intervals. If he got a filling machine now, he estimated that with the fermentation speed at home, it wouldn't be enough to fill, and it would often be left idle.

Moreover, if the quantity was small, he couldn't make it big and strong. Ultimately, he still needed large-scale fermentation, and this kind of thing took a particularly long time to ferment—half a year or a year.

So, thinking about it, he really didn't need to be that anxious. He should first increase the quantity, then think about getting a machine.

To increase the quantity, he had to prepare the fermentation containers in advance. It was also very simple to collect those miscellaneous goods; he didn't necessarily have to catch them himself, although catching them himself was the most convenient and cost-effective way.

Ye Yaodong rode his motorcycle toward the market while thinking about things. However, the market was closed at this time, but Lin Fu and Lin Mu hadn't returned to the village. Instead, they were at Lin Xiang Hui's shop, bringing several children to help chop vegetables and prepare fillings, doing some preparatory work in advance.

Hearing the sound of a motorcycle at the entrance, several children turned their heads and immediately rushed out excitedly.

"Little Uncle-in-law..."

"Little Uncle-in-law... you're back again..."

"Little Uncle-in-law, have you finished your business?"

Ye Yaodong looked at these half-grown children who were exceptionally excited to see him, and smiled as he lifted the small, tattered cotton quilt from the sidecar. "Come in, I brought you popsicles and ice water."

"Wow..."

"Great, I was just thirsty..."

"So many? Little Uncle-in-law, why did you buy so many?"

As soon as he put the tattered cotton quilt on the table and opened it, the children became even more excited. They each picked a flavor they wanted to eat; no child could resist the temptation of a popsicle.

"Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister-in-law, eat one too, otherwise they'll melt if left sitting there."

"Why did you buy so many? How can we finish all these?" Lin Dasao said with a smile. "Wrap them up quickly, they'll melt if left outside."

"I believe they can eat two or three each."

"That's right!" Lin Guangyuan happily grabbed another one and licked them with both hands simultaneously.

The other two also nodded hurriedly and followed suit, each grabbing another one.

Lin Mu hurriedly wrapped up the tattered cotton quilt. "Are you eating them as a meal? None of you think it's too much. Eating too much is bad for your stomach and will give you diarrhea. Wrap them up first. Take them back for the children at home later. There look to be twenty or thirty here."

Ye Yaodong let them eat and said to his father-in-law, "Let's settle the accounts. I have to go back quickly. I've delayed too long, it's already 3 o'clock."

"Alright, alright. I thought you would definitely come by once you finished your business. Let's go to the shop to settle it."

"Mm."

The father-in-law and son-in-law walked outside again. Laughter continued inside the house, but Lin Guangyuan followed them out.

Ye Yaodong looked at Lin Guangyuan, who had already reached his ears, and sighed that he was growing really fast. A few years ago, he only reached his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Hehe, Little Uncle-in-law, can I go home with you and play for two days?"

"Your family's shop is so busy, can you still go home with me to play?"

"My dad said that when school starts in the second half of the year, they'll put us here to study, and we won't have to go back to the village. I'm a bit reluctant. If I don't go back with you to play for a few days now, I might have to wait until the New Year. That's a long time."

"I'm fine with it, but can your dad and mom?"

"Hehe, if you tell them, they'll definitely be fine with it."

"Then what about your younger brother and sister?"

"Don't worry about them."

Lin Fu glanced at him. "You have a new idea every minute. Usually, the eldest stays to work, but you're the opposite—you leave your younger brother and sister to work while you go back to play."

"I'm going to follow Little Uncle-in-law to learn, not to play! Little Uncle-in-law is so capable, there's a future in following him. It's rare for him to come back, and I haven't seen him in a long time."

Ye Yaodong happily put his arm around his shoulder. "Sure, I'll take you back with me in a while. Let me tell you, Captain Chen, who gave you the sailor shirt before, is now building a lighthouse in our town. If you go back with me, you might even get to see him."

Lin Guangyuan's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, yes, Little Aunt, let me go back with you, I definitely want to go back with you."

"No problem, I'll go talk to your dad and mom."

Lin Guangyuan happily clenched his fists and waved them several times.

While they were settling the accounts, he immediately ran home to pack his clothes, then waited at the front door, not thinking about telling his dad and mom at the shop first.

Because he knew that if he went to tell them, they might not agree, but if Little Uncle-in-law went to tell them, there would definitely be no problem.

Ye Yaodong just glanced at the messy account book, pricked up his ears to listen to Lin Fu telling him how much was entered on which date, read it once, and then took the money he gave him. In his heart, he only remembered the total amount at the end, and then he went out.

Anyway, when he got back, A-Qing would count it again, as long as the total was roughly correct.

"Let's go. Go tell your dad and mom, and I'll take you back."

"Alright."

Lin Xiang Hui and Lin Dasao didn't say anything when they heard Ye Yaodong say he was taking Lin Guangyuan back with him. They nodded and agreed, but the other two children below rebelled.

"We want to go too..."

"Why take Big Brother and not us..."

"Because I'm taking him to work for me, you guys are too young."

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he took the tattered cotton quilt and went out. Lin Guangyuan had long been excitedly sitting in the sidecar waiting. The two children behind were being held back by the adults, crying with long faces and still shouting there.

"We can help you work too, Little Uncle-in-law..."

"You don't do your own work, but you're so eager to work for others... Stop making a scene, I'll take you next time."

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he drove away, leaving only Lin Guangyuan's excited shouting in his ears.

"So cool, so cool... Wow... the motorcycle is much cooler than a tractor."

"Little Uncle-in-law, this motorcycle is really too cool. Can you teach me when we get back?"

"Sure."

"Great, Little Uncle-in-law, oh my god, am I going to learn to ride a motorcycle? Hahahahaha... cough cough..."

"Shut your mouth, or you'll get a mouthful of dust."

The ears were instantly quiet.