Chapter 1188: Returning Home in Glory

As soon as Ye Yaodong got home, he put the things on the table and sat paralyzed like a master. Lin Xiuqing had no choice but to fetch water for him to wash up, and then went to light the fire, intending to cook some midnight snacks for him.

"What delayed you? Didn't you say the flowing banquet was for three days? Then you should have sailed back early this morning, how could you arrive in the middle of the night?"

"We came back to the provincial capital in the morning, but everyone hadn't been to the provincial capital, so we stayed in the provincial capital for a morning to stroll and buy things. In the afternoon, I had something to do, so I asked someone to take me to visit a plastic factory."

"Plastic factory?"

"It's the bag factory for ice bags. It's plastic material. I asked Lao Hai to take me to visit the factory, recognize the door, and wait until the machine arrives, then go talk about it."

"How does it look?"

"Understood roughly, anyway, when I go to move the machine in a month or two, I'll go chat again and get a few samples back."

"Oh."

Ye Yaodong remembered and said: "There are papers in my suitcase, remember to help me put them away, put them in the drawer, this is very important, don't lose it."

"What's written?" Lin Xiuqing turned her head and asked while cutting vegetables.

"Phone numbers, very important phone numbers."

He told her who these phone numbers belonged to and his plans.

Then he urged Lin Xiuqing to order more large water vats and extra-large wooden barrels in a few days. Next year, they will definitely start to increase fermentation production, so they must be prepared in advance.

As for the boats, they are being delivered one after another anyway. These things need time to be customized.

Everything has a time cycle, and it has to wait. He is not in a hurry, and he has to wait until his raw materials increase.

These numbers can be kept first. If they really can't be used, there is no loss.

Grandma heard the movement outside and knew he was back. She put on her coat and came out to take a look, said two words of concern, and seeing the couple talking, she went back to the room first.

After Ye Yaodong finished his midnight snack, he also returned to the room. Lin Xiuqing had already tidied up the things he brought back.

Early the next morning, he picked out the copybooks from the books he bought yesterday.

Ye Chenghu was eating breakfast, and when he saw the familiar copybooks, his eyes widened, and he immediately jumped up.

"I don't want it!"

Ye Yaodong glanced at him, "Don't be self-indulgent, who wants to give it to you? It's useless. If you don't write a few more words every day, it's like taking your old life. You have to honestly complete the copybooks I gave you before."

Ye Chenghu breathed a sigh of relief. It's good that it's not for him.

He wants everything, just doesn't want copybooks.

"Dad, why are you buying more and more? This is not for me, then who is it for?"

"You really want it?"

He immediately shook his head like a rattle, "Don't want it."

"Then why are you asking?"

"Curious, is it for other brothers and sisters, give them more."

Ye Yaodong picked up the copybooks he picked out, rolled them up, and knocked on his head, "No ambition, this is for your father to practice writing."

Ye Chenghu stared in surprise, "Adults still need to practice writing."

"Of course. Your father is now a person with a face and a face in the area. How can I not write? It just happens that our level is the same. When the time comes, let's compare. If you are worse than me, you are dead."

Ye Chenghu shrank his neck and didn't dare to speak, and hurriedly lowered his head to eat his meal.

Lin Xiuqing was also a bit surprised, "Are you keeping these for yourself? I thought you were giving them all to my eldest niece."

"Half for her, half for me. Anyway, there is no one in the family who can read. Giving it to them is a waste."

"Why are you practicing this?"

"Didn't I say it? Your old man is now famous in the area. If I say I can't write, wouldn't people laugh at me? I'll practice this first, write smoothly, and then practice my own signature well in the future."

Lin Xiuqing was speechless, actually thinking so far.

"Can't you carve a private seal, why practice signature?"

"That's different, you don't understand."

If she doesn't understand, she doesn't understand. Anyway, she didn't want to understand.

"Did Dad call to ask how the lighters are selling these two days?"

"No, you go and call him later."

"Good."

By the way, he also had to call Fang Jingfu and tell him not to always produce single varieties. It's best to try some patterns. Besides color, patterns and shapes can also be tried more. Try to make them exquisite, so that there can be more varieties.

However, the small workshop has just started. You can ask people to draw patterns and research, but you still have to take quantity as the winner first.

You can't eat a fat man in one bite, but you can put it forward first, and there is this direction to develop.

After Ye Yaodong finished breakfast, he went to make a phone call without stopping, and also understood the situation of the lighter with his father-in-law. The sales situation was good. Some peddlers wholesaled a few, and the person who came before wholesaled 2,000 again, and sold one all of a sudden.

Lin father also wanted to promote it when Boss Zhou wanted fish dried goods next time. It is estimated that it will be sold in less than a month.

He asked Ye Yaodong to order another batch of goods, preferably by the beginning of next month, so that it could be connected and not out of stock.

Ye Yaodong calculated that today is the 7th of the lunar calendar, the 18th of the solar calendar, and there are 12 days left until the beginning of next month. He tried to contact Fang Jingfu first.

However, Fang Jingfu refused in one bite, saying that it couldn't be done, just because he wanted 10,000.

So after talking, he could only reluctantly give 5,000 by the 5th of next month, and he had to agree.

After the phone call, he sat with the old men of the village committee and chatted for a while.

Only then did he know that in the few days he was away, taking advantage of the typhoon passing, the seedlings had already been planted, and they were just waiting to grow a bit longer before separating and clipping the seedlings.

Everything is developing in a good direction.

However, when he went home, he unexpectedly saw two familiar figures.

Chen Wei and Haozi each carried a briefcase, one in a suit and tie, one in overalls with sunglasses, and their feet were polished leather shoes, walking with their heads held high.

Seeing the villagers, they took the initiative to greet them with a smile.

"Uncle Lin, carrying a hoe, where are you coming from... Hehe... Just got back..."

"Auntie Chunhua, peeling potatoes? Making lunch?"

"Why didn't A-Ming go out to sea to work..."

"Oh my, look at that outfit you're wearing, did you strike it rich?"

"You went out and came back with a fortune? How much money did you make?"

"Oh my, that suit you're wearing can't be cheap, you look really sharp. How much did you earn?"

Ye Yaodong walked out from the small path and happened to see the two men seven or eight meters away, standing there talking to the people around them.

He listened curiously for a moment, then looked at the small shop in the center of the village not far away and headed in that direction.

This was the village's intelligence center; standing here, you could learn any piece of gossip in the village.

As he walked, he turned his head to look back from time to time, pricking up his ears to listen. Just as he reached the entrance of the shop, he saw others pointing at the two men ahead, who were dressed to the nines, and whispering to each other.

He asked curiously, "When did those two get back?"

An auntie beside him was cracking melon seeds and replied, "Don't know, just got back, right? Didn't they just enter the village?"

There were quite a few busybodies around; ordinary people, when idle, liked to sit at the shop entrance to chat. Some old men would even buy two taels of liquor and sit in the shop with peanuts, chatting with others.

Or they would set up a game of cards at the shop entrance. Since the weather had recently cooled down but wasn't too cold or too hot, it was very comfortable to sit at the entrance and play cards.

Everyone was also looking ahead with great curiosity.

This shop was located in the center of the village and was also the only way to enter the village.

"Struck it rich? Dressed all fancy. Look at that slicked-back hair, he looks really sharp. One look and you know he's become a boss."

"They've returned home in glory. Look at that appearance, and they're even carrying briefcases. They've got real style."

"Tsk tsk tsk... I wonder how much money they made, dressed like that."

The auntie cracking melon seeds said, "Look at how they're dressed. Adong, why don't you dress like that? You're a famous figure in our ten miles and eight villages, after all. Look at what you're wearing, and then look at what they're wearing. You tell me, how does this outfit of yours match up to you?"

"They've only been out for how long, and they came back in an outfit like that. You need to dress better too. Look, you've been outdone."

Ye Yaodong was stunned and looked down at his own gear.

It was what he wore for work—dusty and gray. Because he often worked at sea, the diesel stains on his clothes were black and couldn't be washed out, here and there. The elbows were sewn up with a few stitches because they had split, and he was wearing Liberation shoes on his feet.

"If you earn money, you have to spend it. Hurry up and have your wife fix you up. Look at how they look. You were already much more handsome than them to begin with. If you dressed like that... oh my, all the young ladies and young wives nearby would be infatuated with you..." The auntie clapped her hands when she got to the exciting part.

"No, Auntie Chunhua, they wear what they wear, and I wear what I wear. Aren't I about the same as everyone else? Why do I have to dress like that?"

"How can it be the same? You're the living signboard of our village. Look at how long they've been out, and they came back looking all fancy, afraid people wouldn't know they made a fortune. Look at you again, earning so much money and still dressing like the rest of us."

Auntie Chunhua looked as if she were disappointed that he didn't live up to expectations, as if her own son had been outdone by someone else's.

"Hehe, Adong is being low-key. He hasn't forgotten his roots and is just like everyone else."

"Yeah, who's more noble than whom? Aren't we all the same? What's the difference in what we wear?" He looked down at his own outfit again and felt there was nothing wrong with what he was wearing.

He was at home and had nothing to do, so why would he wear such nice clothes?

Furthermore, he had just returned yesterday, and his good clothes had already been taken by A-Qing to be washed. Every piece of clothing in the house was stained with diesel.

To him, it made no difference what he wore. Anyway, he was just in the village, and everyone knew everyone. Some people were still wearing patches, and some were dirty. They went back and forth to the fields all day; there was no need to change clothes back and forth. It was perfectly normal.

People in the shop still had mud on their pant legs. In the village, who was that particular?

Others chimed in as well.

"Yeah, why dress so well in the village?"

"Adong, when did you get back? I heard you went to the provincial capital to pay respects to your ancestors and even recognized your ancestry."

"Right, right, right. I heard that this morning. They say your ancestors showed their spirit, and your descendants are very successful—a bunch of wealthy relatives, all overseas Chinese."

"I heard your ancestral hall is built as big as our Mazu Temple, very grand. And there was a three-day flowing banquet. What did you eat? Was it all big fish and meat?"

"I heard that too. There were dragon and lion dances, and they performed operas for seven days. And the flowing banquet—they say it was all chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Your second uncle and the others all gained a circle of fat. Are your relatives really that rich?"

The two men, dressed to the nines, had walked a short distance for a full ten minutes. He also stood there curiously without moving, chatting with the fellow villagers.

"The rich ones are those overseas Chinese who came back; they sponsored it all. We just tagged along and ate for three days. It was indeed quite satisfying, haha..."

"It's so good to be rich. Why hasn't our village produced a few overseas Chinese to host a flowing banquet?"

"Forget it. Our village has people of all surnames. That place is a concentrated area for a single clan, and I don't know how many years it's been going on. Those overseas Chinese need the help of the clan to invest in the country, otherwise, they'd surely be eaten down to the bone. You'd be better off hoping that a rich person believes in Mazu and spends money to host a flowing banquet."

"That's true. I heard that when those guys from Wanwan came here, they were eaten poor and had to leave..."

"Then we have to count on you becoming even richer, so the fellow villagers can eat at a flowing banquet, haha..."

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "Hehe, counting on me—who knows when that will be. You'd be better off counting on those two bosses over there. Look at what they're wearing, and then look at what I'm wearing. One look and you know I'm poor."

"Haha, who believes you're poor?"

Just as they were talking animatedly and laughter was ringing out, the two men dressed to the nines walked over, looking at them with smiles.

"Ah, Dongzi is here? Didn't go out to sea today?"

Chen Wei smiled, put his sunglasses into his pocket, took out a pack of Chengfeng cigarettes, handed one to Ye Yaodong, and then handed them out to the other men.

Ye Yaodong naturally took it, but he didn't smoke it; he just held it in his hand.

"Didn't go out to sea. Resting for two days before going again."

"A-Wei and A-Hao really made a fortune? Tsk tsk tsk, smoking Chengfeng now? And handing them out to everyone."

"Isn't it obvious? Look at how they're dressed; you know they made a fortune."

"How much money did you make? Could it be that the briefcases are full of money?"

Everyone's eyes shone with greed as they looked at the briefcases the two men were carrying.

"Where? We didn't earn that much, just earned a little bit."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you must have made a fortune. Now that you're big bosses, don't forget your fellow villagers in the future. When the time comes for the villagers to come to you for help, you must help out."

Auntie Chunhua said with a face full of smiles, and even reached out to touch their suits.

"These clothes of yours can't be cheap, right? How much does a suit like this cost? I've never seen anyone dressed so well. Even the leaders who come to the countryside don't dress as well as you."

"Yeah, you took Haozi out to get rich. When the time comes for the villagers to come to you for help, you must lend a hand."

The smiles on the two men's faces froze.

Haozi's face darkened. "Dongzi hasn't earned any less, how come I haven't seen him take the villagers out to get rich?"

Ye Yaodong's originally smiling face also dropped. He had originally intended not to say anything, seeing Chen Wei's polite attitude. They had all grown up playing together and had known each other for decades, so he had intended to let the past be the past and let everyone go their own way.

Anyway, they weren't in the village anymore; the road is wide, and everyone goes their own way.

However, before he could speak, Auntie Chunhua beside him said, "How come he hasn't? His workshop often hires us to work."

"Forget it. Those lackeys who watch the shop for him are all from other villages. How come I haven't seen him hire anyone from our village? He's biased toward outsiders and gives all the benefits to them. What has he done to help our village?"

Was this because they thought it had already been exposed, so there was no need to be hypocritical anymore?

Ye Yaodong sneered, "Indeed, I'm just a small shrimp. How could I help the whole village? I'm just an ordinary fisherman. It's already good enough that I can hire a few people to help kill fish and work."

"Those few are boys who have helped me, so I gave them a job. One must not forget their roots, nor be ungrateful."

He looked at him with a meaningful gaze, and Haozi's face turned black instantly.

Other villagers also helped speak up.

"Those few boys are from nearby villages. His boats are all hired with people from our village to work; he hasn't favored outsiders."

"Yeah, his boats are all rented by people from this village. Because we work for him, many people's standard of living has risen, and we have meat at every meal."

"Adong has a clear conscience. He pays high wages. As long as you work for him, you'll make money."

"He even took the village's fishing boats to other provinces and made a fortune. This is all his contribution."

"That's right. He even sold the small wooden boats he didn't want to everyone at a cheap price. Look at our village's pier; except for being a little small, there are quite a few boats. Which nearby village's pier can compare to ours?"

"The fellow villagers have also benefited quite a bit from him."

Everyone said one thing after another, and without him needing to open his mouth, they directly retorted Haozi's words.

Ye Yaodong also felt very gratified in his heart.

It's impossible for a village to have only bad people with ulterior motives; the majority are still simple and honest good people.

Chen Wei saw that everyone was defending Ye Yaodong, so he pulled Haozi, who was about to speak again, and said with a smile.

"Haozi is just very concerned about our village, thinking that the benefits should stay within the village and that the fellow villagers should be the first to earn money."

Ye Yaodong said with a smile, "Don't talk about me. Looking at you guys, you must have become big bosses. Look at how rustic I'm dressed, while you guys are wearing suits and leather shoes, just like big bosses. You must have earned much more than me."

"That's right. The big bosses outside all dress like you. Looking at you guys, you must have earned much more than Adong."

"Adong has already taken the fellow villagers to earn a lot of money. You guys look even richer than him; shouldn't you also contribute some effort?"

"I heard that when bosses outside earn money, they all return to their hometowns to set up factories to benefit the hometown. Are you guys back to set up a factory?"

"What kind of factory are you setting up? How many people do you plan to recruit? You can't favor outsiders..."

"Right, right, right. We are all from the same village. You must prioritize our fellow villagers when recruiting; the benefits should stay within the village..."

He only said one sentence, and the fellow villagers very sensibly took it over. The two men were left with faces turning red and white, not knowing how to respond.

Could they say they weren't here to set up a factory? That they just dressed nicely to return to the village to show off?

Wouldn't that be slapping their own faces?

The fellow villagers had already asked when they were going to set up the factory and planned to accompany them to the village committee right now.

Chen Wei couldn't handle it anymore. Everyone was crowding around them, wanting to go to the village committee, so he hurriedly explained.

"No, no, everyone misunderstood. We only earned a little bit of money. It's been a long time since we came back, so we came back to see our wives and children."

"Really? I thought you guys had become bosses?"

"No, no..."

"Didn't Haozi just compare himself to Adong? I thought you guys also came back after making a fortune and wanted to help the fellow villagers get out of poverty..."

"No, he was just joking."

Auntie Chunhua whispered, "I heard he even reported Adong before..."

Although she said it quietly, the surrounding villagers all had sharp ears and remembered it. The way they looked at Haozi instantly changed.

Ye Yaodong wanted to give her a thumbs up; she was really good at assisting.

They say time is the best medicine; it makes people forget what should be forgotten.

It had already been several months, and everyone had been washed over by all kinds of gossip and had long since thrown it to the back of their minds, but now they remembered it again.

"And to think you were friends before..."

"Yeah, were you two both friends with Adong before?"

"A bit petty. You came back so gloriously after making money, yet you're hiding it and saying you only made a little bit."

The smile on Chen Wei's face couldn't be maintained, and he turned his head to glare fiercely at Haozi.

Haozi was also very depressed. He felt he hadn't said anything, so why were the fellow villagers defending Ye Yaodong so much?

In fact, there were constant legends about Ye Yaodong in the village. Every period of time, there would be new legends, constantly refreshing everyone's upper limits.

Moreover, many people had truly received his benefits, and he had been developing in the village all along without leaving. Everyone saw it, and comparing closeness, they certainly included him in their own circle.

Added to that, compared to what they were wearing, everyone naturally felt that Ye Yaodong's attire was more pleasing to the eye, resonated more with them, and made them feel that he was the one on their side.

And the two who had just returned were from outside and dressed in a way that made people jealous.

Originally, everyone was just envious, but just now they kept denying they had made a fortune and were unwilling to give back to the hometown, and even used Ye Yaodong as a topic, so everyone was a bit unhappy.

With this big boss style, who would believe they hadn't made money?

They were just unwilling to help the hometown.

The higher-ups had said: let those who get rich first lead those who get rich later, and individual wealth should lead to collective wealth.

They had forgotten their roots!

"Forget it. They came back gloriously, so everyone should say something nice. Whether they set up a factory to benefit the hometown is something for our village cadres to worry about."

"That's true. What do you guys do outside? Is money outside very easy to earn?"

"Hehe, average..."

"What do you mean by average? We're asking what you do outside..."

"Didn't do anything. I'm going back first."

Both of them were a bit dejected and couldn't handle the villagers' persistent questioning anymore. They no longer had the grand appearance they had when they first entered the village.

Auntie Chunhua said with disdain, "Why are they leaving already? They won't even say what they do outside. Really, are they afraid everyone will steal their jobs?"

"Yeah, they don't even dare to say what kind of money they earned."

"I think the briefcases they're carrying must be full of money. I heard that rich people's money is all kept in there."

"Really?"

"Ask Adong. Adong seems to have a briefcase like that too."

Everyone turned their heads to look at Ye Yaodong.

Ye Yaodong said with a smile, "I don't know what they have in theirs. I just keep clothes in mine. Aren't I Chairman Ye? I can't carry a bundle when I go out to meetings, right?"

The mouth was on him, so naturally, he was the one to say the words.

"Right, right, right. You're an official, after all. How can you carry a bundle when you go out to see people? You must use a briefcase to hold your clothes."

"Hey, Adong is still the simple one. Look, he's an official now, yet he still dresses like the rest of us."

"Acting all fancy, but the moment you ask them to spend money, it's like you're taking their lives. Their faces change instantly."

"That Haozi doesn't look like a good person at all. Didn't he report Adong before? Our village has never had such a trend; it all comes from their family."

"Hey? Didn't he divorce his wife? Isn't his wife still living in his house now..."

Ye Yaodong stood where he was, listening to these idle old men, old women, and aunties gossip for a good while before heading home.

Anyway, he was idle, and there was nothing else to do today, so he listened for a while longer.

He was actually a bit curious. Now that Haozi had come back with money, his ex-wife must regret divorcing him.

She had moved back a long time ago, under the guise of taking care of the children, and had been clinging to his house for several months already.

Now that the main person had returned, who knew what kind of trouble would break out.

He thought secretly in his heart, wondering if he had a mistress outside. If he had found a mistress, then there would be even more drama to watch.

When he left the shop just now, some busybody women had already gone to Haozi's house, wanting to see if he would cause any trouble when he returned and found his ex-wife at home.

He thought it probably wouldn't take long—at most by lunch—for it to spread throughout the village.

He was also quite curious to know what the result would be. After all, the two families had already fallen out before, and Haozi had been beaten so badly he was bedridden for a whole month.

Lin Xiuqing was sitting at the entrance picking vegetables. Seeing him return slowly with a smile on his face, she thought something good had happened.

"Did you pick up money, so happy? Or did you sell all the lighters?"

He touched his face. "Is it that obvious?"

"You usually walk around with a straight face."

"Saw someone returning home in glory, wanting to take care of the hometown, so I'm happy for the fellow villagers."

The eldest sister-in-law next door heard this and asked, "Who returned home in glory, made a fortune?"

"Chen Wei and Haozi. The two of them entered the village wearing suits and leather shoes and slicked-back hair, carrying briefcases. They were very glorious. The fellow villagers all guessed they had made a fortune and returned as big bosses."

"Really? Oh my, they went out for a trip and came back as big bosses? And dressed so well?"

The second sister-in-law said with disdain, "Who knows if it's like A-Hong, doing crooked things, intentionally returning in a high-profile way to swindle money."

The eldest sister-in-law was choked up and said timidly, "That's true. Money isn't that easy to earn, and they aren't overseas Chinese."

Lin Xiuqing, however, thought that these two seemed to have already gone in the opposite direction from him, so what did he have to be happy about?