Chapter 1179: Spending Money to Find Unhappiness

Calculating it, they had been away from home for only four days in total, with two days spent traveling at sea, yet Lin Lin Xiuqing felt as though she had been away for a very long time.

Looking at the seaside just within reach, she stood on the helm deck, happily asking him repeatedly, "How much longer?"

Ye Yaodong was about to get impatient from her constant questioning.

"How about you drive then, since you keep asking?"

"Where would I know how? It's already dark. Why is this trip taking so long?"

"Can the wind direction going out be the same as the wind direction coming back? Taking a bit more time is normal."

Moreover, returning from the city was a bit farther than returning from the town before, so naturally the time spent was also a bit longer.

"Then how much longer?"

"Stop nagging. At most twenty-something minutes. Do you know that looking at a mountain while running breaks your legs? It looks close, but it still takes time to sail. If you keep nagging, I'll just drive straight into the city."

Lin Lin Xiuqing shut her mouth.

It was just that when the fishing boat was about to approach the dock, she happily shouted again, "We're here, we're here..."

It was already pitch black, and there was not a single person in sight at the dock. Only when they stopped in the middle of the sea did a flashlight beam shine out from the workshop, and then the flashlight beam kept shining towards the dock.

"Is it that Ah Liang and the others on duty at the workshop know we're back, so they came out from the dock to pick us up?"

"Isn't that nonsense? The lights are still on in the boat. With such a big boat coming in, if they just glanced towards the seaside, they would know we're back. If they don't come over to pick us up, I'll deduct their wages later."

"Are we stopped? If we're stopped, can we get off?"

"Let's go."

Ye Yaodong came out of the cockpit, picked up his briefcase, and the couple went down together. The boatmen had already dropped the anchor into the sea while stopping the boat, and at this moment, they were each holding their luggage on the deck, waiting for the fishing boat to come and pick them up.

"Do we need to move the lighters down?"

"No need, just lock them in the cabin. I still need to deliver them to the city early tomorrow morning, so no need to move them back and forth."

"That's good then, that saves the trouble of moving them."

This trip required no work at all; they just had to follow the boat back and forth. Moreover, after making lighters there for two days, each of them had earned several yuan.

Now back, they could rest again. Everyone wore smiles on their faces, especially the two who had just switched in; they hadn't done much work, but when calculating the wages, they had received double pay.

After waiting for the fishing boat on the opposite shore to come over and take them ashore, Ye Yaodong instructed them, "Go back and rest for two days. If nothing unexpected happens, set sail the night after tomorrow."

"Okay, okay."

After saying that, he mounted his bicycle, let Ah Qing sit on it, and told his father to walk back by himself.

Lin Lin Xiuqing held two baskets with both hands, filled to the brim with the things she had bought.

Just as they reached the doorstep, the children shouted excitedly.

"Dad is back?"

"What about Mom? Dad, where is my mom?"

"Mom is behind..."

Ye Yaodong's bicycle was forced to stop at the door, and Lin Lin Xiuqing smoothly got off the back of the bicycle.

"Mom, why did you come back on a bicycle?"

"Yeah, did you and Dad ride the bicycle there?"

"Mom, what are all those things in your basket?"

The two brothers, one sentence each, chattered endlessly, surrounding Lin Lin Xiuqing. Ye Yaodong, having gotten off the bicycle, could only stand aside; no one asked him a single question, as if he hadn't just returned.

They had only shouted "Dad" once when they first met face-to-face, and even that was to ask about their mother. Afterwards, he didn't hear anyone call him at all. Even the several nephews all followed the two brothers, surrounding Lin Lin Xiuqing.

So ungrateful!

It was truly heart-chilling!

No one cared about him even once!

They were all surrounding Lin Lin Xiuqing, asking this and that.

She didn't even have time to answer, yet no one came over to ask him.

No, wait, someone did come over to ask about his well-being, but their legs were a bit slow, unable to keep up with those bratty children.

"You're back? It's good you're back. This trip came back quite quickly, no need to worry. You came back by yourself. What do you want to eat? I'll go make it for you," the old lady said cheerfully.

"Anything is fine. Let's go in first."

He pushed his luggage and the bicycle in together. The people at the door hadn't entered yet, and Lin Lin Xiuqing was still being entangled.

"These bratty children. Didn't I come back too? No one came over to me. Usually they call so affectionately, but today they're like they're blind."

"Hehe, they asked eight times a day, 'Why haven't you come back yet?'"

"They were asking about their mother, right? When I wasn't home, I didn't see them ask like that."

"You're not home every three days and two days; they've gotten used to it."

"I knew they didn't ask about me."

"Hehe, go take a bath first? You'll be able to eat after you come out."

Ye Yaodong thought for a moment, feeling he shouldn't be that much of a failure; he still had his daughter. If his daughter were here, she would definitely be hugging his leg.

"Where is Xiao Jiu? Hasn't she come back these past few days?"

"No, she's all at Ye Ye Huimei's. She did come over to play yesterday, but she didn't come over tonight. We'll go pick her up after dinner."

He nodded and said nothing. Just right, he could organize the things later, pick a few items to send to their family, and pick the child up on the way.

It wasn't until the water in the pot started bubbling that Lin Lin Xiuqing entered the house, surrounded by the children.

"Alright, you all go play. I've divided the things for you to eat; no need to follow me anymore."

Ye Ye Chengyang held a pastry in his hand and asked hopefully, "Mom, you won't go out again, right?"

Ye Chenghu also guarded her uneasily, "Mom, next time just let Dad go out; don't go on long trips."

Ye Yaodong could no longer bear it. "You brat, Mom is your real mother, but Dad isn't your real father anymore, is he?"

"Hehe, Dad, you're out running around every day, aren't you used to it? Next time, don't take Mom with you," Ye Chenghu said with righteous indignation.

Ye Yaodong raised his hand, pretending to want to hit him, but the boy cleverly dodged from Lin Lin Xiuqing's left to her right, stuck his head out again to make a funny face, and then ran outside.

Seeing him run, Ye Ye Chengyang immediately followed behind, shouting as he ran, "Wait for me, brother! We'll guard the gate so Mom doesn't run away again."

"Alright..."

"How old are those two? They still cling to you and won't even let you go out?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled, "We've never been apart from them. If we're separated for even a few days, they can't bear it."

"Sort out the things you brought back. Pack a portion for me to take to Ye Ye Huimei's house, and I'll pick up the little one on the way."

"Okay."

To regain some fatherly confidence from the little one, Ye Yaodong wolfed down a big bowl of noodles in a few large bites, then took the things to pick up Ye Ye Xiaoxi.

Who knew that Ye Ye Xiaoxi, who had been playing happily and laughing out loud, changed her expression the moment she saw him and immediately burst into tears.

"Wuwuwu... They all said no one wants me, that you all don't want me anymore..."

"Bad Dad, you only came to pick me up now... I want Mom... I want Mom..."

Ye Yaodong was immediately at a loss from her crying, quickly picked her up to wipe her tears and coax her.

"Didn't I come back? It hasn't been that many days. Usually, I'm gone longer than this."

"I want Mom, I want Mom..."

The adults inside heard the crying outside and hurriedly ran out, only to realize upon seeing him that Ye Yaodong had returned.

Ah Guang asked with a smile, "Just back?"

"Yes, I came to pick up the child as soon as I got home."

"She's been staying here for a few days. The nearby neighbors teased her, saying no one wanted her and that she was abandoned here. She believed it and cried for quite a while yesterday, asking for Third Sister-in-law. We took her over to play yesterday and only brought her back after she fell asleep."

Ye Yaodong coaxed her, saying, "Everyone was just joking with you. What's there to cry about?"

"De-de wasn't abandoned, I was abandoned!"

"De-de was originally picked up. We didn't abandon you; it's just that you like playing with Xiao Yu, so we let you stay with Xiao Yu. Didn't I come to pick you up right away?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi stopped crying with tear-filled eyes. "De-de was picked up?"

"Mm, picked up by brother. Don't cry. Your mom bought lots of delicious food. Let's go home and eat the good stuff."

She nodded, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, hugged his neck, rested her small head on his shoulder, didn't even greet Pei Yu, and hurriedly urged him to go home.

Ye Yaodong greeted them, pointed to the things he had just put down on the stool, and left first.

All the way back, he kept coaxing the child and asked if she missed him.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi only said straight out, "I want Mom!"

"Don't you want Dad?"

She hesitated for a moment. "I want Dad, but I want Mom to accompany me every day."

Ye Yaodong patted her little bottom; he stopped seeking abuse.

They were all mother-obsessed.

As soon as they stepped through the door, she lunged to get down, so he had to put her down.

However, she didn't rush straight for Lin Lin Xiuqing; instead, she looked up and burst into loud crying, secretly glancing with her eyes at Lin Lin Xiuqing, who was sitting by the table talking with the two sisters-in-law.

He shook his head speechlessly; this was intentional crying for Ah Qing to hear, wanting her to feel heartache and run over to hug her voluntarily.

Children have quite a few tricks up their sleeves.

Ye Yaodong ignored her, took the washbasin to get water for a bath; anyway, Ah Qing was already feeling heartache, coming over to coax her while asking questions.

"Ah Dong's business has grown so big now; he goes across provinces every other day. It's hard for us to see each other even once now..."

"Hehe, you must have made quite a lot of money on this trip? I say, you don't need to go out to sea with the trawler anymore; that's such hard work."

"Does sister-in-law mean I should stay home collecting money while my dad goes out to earn it for me?"

"Hehe... Don't say that..."

Ye Yaodong didn't talk much with them; after asking two questions about his two older brothers' recent catch from the sea, he took the water to bathe.

After his bath, he sat at the door to chat idly with his two older brothers and the neighbors.

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, he felt again that driving a boat was not as convenient as driving a tractor.

When the boat docked at the pier, one had to call people to move the cargo and hire a tractor to deliver it to the destination; it was better to drive his own tractor to the city, delivering directly to the destination.

It also saved him from carrying a bag full of money and taking someone else's vehicle to the pier; driving his own vehicle was more convenient.

Lin Fu was waiting for his cargo; just as he arrived, someone in the shop happened to ask about it.

Ye Yaodong kept a sharp eye and only said that for this batch of newly arrived goods, due to rising raw material costs, the wholesale price would also increase; even for a wholesale of 20 units, it would be 10 yuan each, and for retail, he would sell them for 13 yuan.

He also lied right off the bat, saying that reselling them for 15 yuan would be easy to sell.

The peddler haggled for a long time, but in the end, had no choice but to wholesale 20 units at 10 yuan each.

"I've been saying the same thing to people these past two days, saying these goods are too popular and hard to order, and that raw materials have gone up. I said it might take three or four days, but we don't even know if we can get the stock. If we can get the stock, it definitely won't be cheap."

"These past two days, as the time passed, peddlers came over to ask one after another; some even came to ask twice a day."

"They must have already sold the one they casually bought before, and must have made several yuan in profit on the resale, which is why they come running to ask every day."

Ye Yaodong gave him a thumbs-up. "Dad is material for doing business."

"Hehe, I've just been here for a long time and gained a little experience selling things. Since we happen to be free now, let's calculate the accounts. I'll give you the money from the last batch of goods sold, and we'll settle the shop's accounts at the same time; you can take it all back together."

"Okay."

The previous batch of over 1,900 units sold for just under 20,000 yuan, but adding the shop's revenue from this past week and a bit, the total came to over 22,000 yuan.

His cloth bag was stuffed full and not suitable for running around everywhere.

He only went to the construction site to check the progress, greeted his brother-in-law, and immediately drove the tractor back, following behind several trucks.

The capital for this investment was considered earned back; if all 5,000 units of goods were sold, his capital would naturally be recovered.

Wait until later to sail over, buy a whole bunch back, and sell them—that's all pure profit.

Calculating it, this money is easy to earn; no wonder the big shots of the future started building their fortunes and laying their foundations in this very era.

Quick money has its benefits, but only money earned steadily brings true peace of mind, without needing to live in constant fear.

By the time he drove the tractor back home, it was evening again.

Another day had passed.

The moment Ye Yaodong returned home, he tossed the money bag to Lin Lin Xiuqing and collapsed directly onto the recliner.

"Making money is hard, life is bitter; there's simply no time to stop."

Ye Ye Yaohua, standing at the neighbor's doorway, heard this and chuckled, "Making money is hard for you? Life is bitter? Who in the village doesn't envy your quick earnings and easy life? You're number one in the entire region; people are even running to our village to ask if you're hiring."

"I'm exhausted. Every single day is spent rushing; either on the road to making money or heading out to make money."

"Others want to make money but have no way in; they can't do it. Everyone is so envious their eyes have turned red."

Ye Yaodong sighed, sat up, and said, "I haven't even had dinner yet. I'll go eat first."

After he went inside, Lin Lin Xiuqing coaxed him, "You can rest tomorrow; no need to run around everywhere."

"But won't we have to go out to sea tomorrow night anyway? We'll still only rest for one day, then have to work non-stop again."

"There's no choice. The boat is there; we can't just leave it idle when we need to earn money. So many people want to make this money but can't."

"Sigh, I finally understand why big bosses still have to go to work every day."

Lin Lin Xiuqing placed the cooked noodles in front of him, then stood behind him to knead his shoulders.

"You should think of it this way: after going out to sea for a few days tomorrow night, you'll rest immediately upon return. Plus, going to the provincial city to honor ancestors means a few days there equals a few days of rest."

"How can that be called rest? That's even more tiring than being on the road. Oh, right, I wasn't home all day today, and when I came back yesterday, I didn't see my mother. Did you ask her if she received the invitation?"

"No. Today is Saturday again; we'll probably have to wait until Monday to see if it arrives."

"The mail delivery is really slow."

"How could mail from the provincial city be that fast? It should arrive in the next day or two."

Ye Yaodong said nothing more, lowered his head, and started eating the noodles.

Lin Lin Xiuqing had specially fried two poached eggs for him and torn some dried balang fish meat into the bowl, making his appetite soar.

These past few days in Wenzhou, they hadn't eaten much seafood; they only ate the dried goods they brought from home. Except for buying meat, no one had the habit of buying seafood outside.

After all, they had their own boat. Even though their boat wasn't out fishing, they felt buying seafood outside was too wasteful. To them, seafood was too easy to get; why spend money buying it when they'd have a steady supply once they returned home?

Ye Yaodong thought not only of the invitation but also of his filling machine and the fish sauce bags. However, there was no rush for that either; whenever they went to the provincial city in a few days, he could ask Ye Yaohai face-to-face.

There was no need to call now; asking would be pointless since the goods definitely wouldn't arrive that fast. Asking in person was better. On the next trip to the provincial city, besides honoring ancestors, they could also solve the packaging bag issue; the provincial city surely had factories producing such bags.

"Don't just knead my shoulders; pound my back and rub my waist too. I've been sitting on the tractor all day; my back and waist feel like they're falling apart, and my butt hurts."

Who knows how many years it will take to build the roads.

"Use a bit more strength..."

"My hands are sore from kneading. You might as well take a shower later, lie on the bed, and let your daughter stomp on you."

"That works. Call those two boys back too; let them knead my shoulders and pound my legs."

"See later if you can even get them to come."

"Those brats; the older they get, the harder they are to call."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled, saw he was almost finished, and picked up the money bag from the table to go inside and count it first.

After finishing his meal, Ye Yaodong hurried to take a shower, then went outside to call back the three children who were running wildly.

But it was indeed hard to call them. Ye Ye Xiaoxi was easier to call; one shout and she'd immediately run over and hug his leg, but those two simply didn't have ears.

He called their names there, and their mouths answered, but they didn't even turn their heads to look once.

"I'll pay you ten cents; do you want to earn it?"

At the mention of money, their ears became sharper than anything else, and they immediately ran out from the crowd.

"Dad, what ten cents? What do you want us to do? Speak!"

"Ten cents for writing ten pages of large characters; will you write them?"

"No!" Ye Chenghu decisively turned and ran.

"Get back here!"

Called out by that shout, Ye Chenghu stopped at the courtyard gate, looking unwilling and resentful, having no desire whatsoever to go in and earn that ten cents for ten pages of large characters.

It would be better to kill him; writing just one page every day was already painful enough.

Now they wanted him to write ten pages; even one yuan wouldn't make him consider it.

Ye Ye Chengyang flatteringly said, "Dad, can I write for you?"

Ye Yaodong flicked his forehead and said, "No rush; there will be plenty of chances for you to write next year. Go inside now and pound my back. I'll pay you ten cents; if your brother won't earn it, that's fine."

"I'll earn it, I'll earn it."

Ye Chenghu's eyes lit up. Earning ten cents just for massaging was much easier than writing; why wouldn't he agree?

If he didn't earn this money, he'd be beating his chest and stamping his feet, unable to sleep well at night, and unable to eat tomorrow.

He immediately ran back and said, "Dad, I'll massage you too. I'm older and stronger; I'll definitely give a more comfortable massage than Yangyang."

While speaking, he grabbed Ye Yaodong's hand without waiting for a reply, trying to drag him inside.

"Dad, I'll definitely massage you so comfortably that after one session, you'll want me to do it again."

Ye Yaodong laughed and cursed, "You like earning money through physical labor so much; there's no hope for you. You won't even do your homework even if I pay you."

"I'm doing homework every day; having to write an extra page of large characters is already too much. I don't want to write. I'll massage you and wash your feet."

"Look at your pathetic ambition..."

Ye Chenghu flatteringly escorted him to the bedside, then squatted down to take off his shoes and lifted his feet onto the bed.

"Dad, lie down quickly."

Lin Lin Xiuqing looked at the boy in surprise. "Did the sun rise in the west? So proactive? Usually, if a broom falls over, you won't even move to pick it up; you just turn and run."

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "There is nothing money cannot solve."

"Sooner or later, you'll spoil them rotten. They're so young, yet you have to pay them to work. If they don't listen, just beat them once, and that's it."

"Mother, people say you can't just beat other people's children."

Lin Lin Xiuqing was stunned for a moment.

"Both I and Yangyang were picked up; we are other people's children. You can't just beat us."

Lin Lin Xiuqing looked at him with an expression of utter exasperation, staring at him as if he were an idiot. She turned her head away and continued counting her money, finding no peace.

"So stupid; indeed, you couldn't possibly be my son."

Ye Yaodong looked at Ye Chenghu with disgust. "So stupid; you couldn't possibly be my son either. You were definitely picked up."

Ye Ye Chengyang went ahead and lifted his own shirt. "Dad, I'll help you take off your clothes."

"Dad, I'll help you take off your pants." Ye Chenghu also hurriedly tugged at his pants, striving to perform well.

Ye Ye Chengyang pulled Ye Yaodong's shirt up over his head, and his hands were pulled up as well.

He could handle the top part but not the bottom, so he could only shout, "I'll do it myself! You don't need to help!"

Was the service from these two children too thorough?

They even wanted to help him take off his clothes and pants.

"Dad, there's hair on your belly..." Ye Ye Xiaoxi, lying on his belly, said in a milky voice.

His belly was attacked, and he immediately curled up like a giant shrimp. "What are you doing!"

Fortunately, she suddenly lay on his belly, so Ye Chenghu instantly couldn't take off his pants; otherwise, his underwear would have been stripped off by an unfilial son.

Lin Lin Xiuqing turned to look at the three father and sons and couldn't help but laugh loudly.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi held a hair in her hand, showing it to Ye Yaodong. "There's hair. There's so much hair on Dad's belly."

Ye Yaodong looked at the curly hair in her hand, his face full of embarrassment. Suddenly, he said, "Throw it away."

"Dad, why is there hair on your belly?"

"There's hair on my feet too."

He quickly changed the subject. Children had too many questions, and the questions were too embarrassing.

"There's hair on your neinei too."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi even stretched out her finger, wanting to poke his chest. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, covering his chest with both hands, then quickly moved them up a bit and lay down.

He let out a long breath; his old face was saved.

Lin Lin Xiuqing sat by the table, laughing until she shook like a flower in the wind.

Coincidentally, the three children didn't know why she was laughing.

Ye Chenghu and Ye Ye Chengyang also lifted their own clothes and pants, looked at each other, and asked in confusion, "Why don't we have hair growing?"

Ye Yaodong suddenly regretted calling them over to give him a massage.

"When you grow up, you'll have it. Hurry over and give me a massage. Ye Xiaojiu, step on my back. You two, one knock on my back, the other knock on my legs."

After speaking, he also took off his pants, wearing only shorts, bare-chested, and lay there.

Lying down still felt safer.

"Okay."

"Dad, is this comfortable?"

"Dad, is it like this?"

"Dad, can I step on your back..."

The three children chattered nonstop, taking turns speaking. The room was unusually warm and lively.

Ye Yaodong lay there comfortably, letting the three children step and knock on his body, his face full of contentment and ease.

"This is the meaning of having children!"

Lin Lin Xiuqing broke his pride. "It costs money."

"Don't say it out loud? This is also their filial piety."

"If you don't give them money, do you think they would still serve you so thoroughly?"

"Oh, spending a little money to make sons and grandsons filial is worth it."

Ye Yaodong was quite open-minded about this; he had seen too much in his previous life.

There were plenty of people who despised the elderly for being useless, with several sons kicking the responsibility back and forth, unwilling to support their parents in old age. Raising sons like this was a complete failure.

Anyway, he didn't expect his sons to support him in old age. He would earn more money and rely on himself. If conditions allowed, he would help them; if not, they would have to figure it out themselves.

Just like his own parents; they had saved quite a bit of money. If any of the three brothers needed it, his parents would definitely take some money out to help, but most of it they would surely keep first for their own old age.

In the future, no matter what, he wouldn't end up so destitute that he had to rely on his sons for relief.

In his previous life, even towards the end, he still went out to work and earn money, not relying on his sons.

When he died back then, he might have even left them a fortune.

Lin Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, "Then you must earn more money. If you have plenty of money in hand, you won't fear them being unfilial."

"That makes sense. I still have to work hard; I can't test human hearts."

"Dad, when you get old, you massage me, and I'll give you money too!"

Ye Yaodong turned his head in disbelief and glared at Ye Chenghu.

"Say that again! See if Laozi doesn't beat you to death!"

Ye Chenghu looked completely confused, not knowing where he had gone wrong.

Right now, he earned one dime from his dad for giving him a massage. When he got old, his dad would give him a massage, and he would give his dad money too. What was wrong with that?

Lin Lin Xiuqing laughed herself to death, laughing until tears came to her eyes.

"Did I... say something wrong?"

He was just paying money to make himself miserable.

"How did I give birth to such a stupid son!"

"You're male, you can't give birth; I was born of my mother... no, wait, I was adopted!"

"I'm going to die of anger from you; I might as well beat you to death first."

Ye Chenghu hurriedly stepped back and quickly slid off the bed. "No, I don't want to give you a massage anymore."

After speaking, he turned and ran out.

Ye Yaodong stared at his retreating back, then looked at Lin Lin Xiuqing, who was laughing uncontrollably.

"Look at the fine son you gave birth to; I don't know who he takes after with that stupid look."

Lin Lin Xiuqing's eyes curved with laughter. "Who do you say he takes after? He's just like Chenghe next door."

"He takes after my father!"

Lin Lin Xiuqing laughed even louder.

"You are also your father's good son."