Chapter 1199: Receiving the Award

Ye Ye Xiaoxi puffed up her face and tilted her head back, glaring at him.

Ye Yaodong bent down, rubbing the bubbles in his hair while glaring back at her, finding her angry expression quite amusing.

"Your eyes are so big, so beautiful."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi was instantly satisfied; she snorted, turned her head with a tsundere air, and walked out, shaking her head and swaying.

"It's dark; where are you going?"

"I'm going to find my sister. I won't sleep with you guys; I'm going to sleep with my sister."

"A-Qing, A-Qing, your daughter is running away from home."

Lin Lin Xiuqing's voice immediately came from inside, "Day after day, nothing but trouble; not a single moment of peace for me."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi took off running, but how could she outrun an adult? She was immediately caught and dragged backward.

"It's pitch black; you still want to run to your sister's house? What if a kidnapper catches you, chops off your hands and feet, gouges out your eyes, and cuts out your tongue? Are you afraid?"

She hurriedly tried to hide her hands behind her back, stumbled, and fell to the ground, grabbing a handful of chicken droppings.

Lin Lin Xiuqing let her go and casually picked up a pile of firewood from the corner to hit Ye Yaodong.

"Day after day, you just cause me trouble; you have so many issues. Everything was fine, all three of them sitting there quietly watching TV. Look at you; you're the one who started it all."

Ye Yaodong cursed, "What does that have to do with me?"

"It's your butt that caused the trouble."

"You never teach them anything good, only bad things, and they learn it all."

"I just asked them if I was handsome. What else did I do?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing, seeing he couldn't use his hands, deliberately hit him twice more. "Don't go provoking them; could it be so chaotic if you didn't?"

"You're still at it? Addicted to hitting, are you? Just wait until I free my hands to deal with you."

Lin Lin Xiuqing gave him a dirty look and hurried to catch Ye Ye Xiaoxi, who was trying to sneak away again.

"You're getting more and more mischievous and unruly. Daring to go out at night to find your sister? You need a good beating for being so disobedient."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi knew she couldn't sneak away and needed to show weakness, so she spread both palms upward and held them out for Lin Lin Xiuqing to see.

"Need to wash hands... have chicken droppings..."

"Eat it!"

"Give it to big brother to eat."

"You never think of the good things for them; you only think of the bad things for them."

"Just give it to big brother to eat."

Lin Lin Xiuqing laughed in anger, reached out, and poked her forehead hard. "You certainly know how to distinguish between gratitude and resentment."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi nodded seriously.

Ye Yaodong was also very amused.

After washing their hair, they sat quietly in front of the TV again, except for Ye Chenghu, who sat alone on the stairs watching with great interest.

Ye Yaodong also stood aside to watch TV with them.

However, he only watched for a while before going back to his room to sleep.

He had only slept three or four hours in the afternoon before waking up for dinner; with insufficient sleep, he was already feeling sleepy again.

Although the award ceremony is scheduled for the afternoon tomorrow, the boat won't arrive that fast, so they must still set out early in the morning as usual; better to arrive early than late.

Sleep early, and you'll be refreshed the next day.

After fermenting all day, the whole village and even nearby villages knew they had caught something extraordinary, and the entire crew was to be rewarded.

Early in the morning, as he led the assembled crewmen toward the dock, passing the workshop, everyone greeted them with smiles.

"A-Dong, going to the city to collect the reward?"

"Come back and tell us what the reward is; don't forget to set off firecrackers then."

"You all look so spirited today; going to receive an award really makes a difference."

"I'm wearing my New Year's new clothes, of course I look spirited, haha..."

After everyone laughed and exchanged greetings, they continued toward the dock. Ye Yaodong also took Wang Wang Guangliang and a few others along; they were going to collect goods too, and there was no harm in going early. Taking them along saved the fuel cost of another boat.

At Wang Wang Guangliang's suggestion, he drove the Dongsheng Hao.

His exact words were: "Adong, you're going to the city to proudly receive an award; you can't possibly go in a broken boat. You definitely need to take a big boat to look impressive and not be underestimated."

Since the Dongsheng Hao had caught the goods, this trip naturally had to be made on the Dongsheng Hao to receive the award. Moreover, taking a big boat might even allow them to collect a bit more cargo today.

Recently, various big boats had heard they were collecting goods by the shore; some even carrying miscellaneous goods returned a bit earlier just to catch up with their collection.

Yesterday, Wang Wang Guangliang and the others still had to pool their own money, adding twenty or thirty yuan, otherwise, if the big boats caught up and the goods were left behind, it wouldn't be right to not collect them.

So they could only each contribute a little money to collect the others' goods first, then quickly load the cargo onto the boat and leave; otherwise, if they stayed any later, night would be the peak time for big boats docking.

Of course, the money they advanced was reimbursed by Lin Lin Xiuqing early this morning after verifying the weight of the collected goods.

Ye Yaodong also thought it was better to go in the Dongsheng Hao; sitting in the cabin wasn't cold.

If they went in a small boat, everyone would have their eyes, noses, and mouths blown red by the cold wind.

Today, he saw they had all applied clam oil; getting close, one could even smell the fragrance, which was rare.

In the past, there was only the smell of sweat and fish.

But now, with a cabin for them to stay in, they were reluctant to stay inside.

Because the space inside was too cramped to accommodate so many people, unless everyone lay on their own bunks.

To be honest, their bunks were no different from dog kennels; they smelled sour and carried a fishy odor, which would surely stink up their new clothes.

Plus, with so many people, it was livelier to talk together on the deck.

Ye Yaodong had originally planned to take all the beds and quilts off the boat after this trip to wash and dry them; in the dead of winter, finding a sunny day was rare.

Yesterday, everyone was too happy; although they would be even happier today, today they could have those cargo-collecting workers move everything.

A crowd on the deck was excitedly discussing and eagerly anticipating, while Ye Yaodong remained much calmer.

No help for it; he had received awards too many times to feel much excitement, though he was certainly happy.

They had set out quite early and arrived in the city early, reaching the dock around 12 o'clock.

Today was also a happy day, and since it was now lunchtime, Ye Yaodong waved his hand generously and treated everyone to lunch.

After lunch, Ye Yaodong told the others to go about their business; if it was still early, he had no objection to them strolling around the city.

After all, every visit was for work, and it was rare to arrive early today with time to explore.

He knew there was no cargo at the dock at this hour, so standing around was pointless, and he was very considerate of his employees.

Knowing they had all advanced quite a bit of money yesterday, he could guess they carried cash hoping to find a chance to stroll the city and buy things to take home.

Since Ah Qing had just reimbursed them that morning, they had some money on hand, so he let them go stroll openly.

However, when letting them go, Ye Yaodong also instructed them not to delay receiving cargo, or else wages would be deducted.

Everyone was very happy, and not a single one failed to agree.

Those following him to the Haiyang Bureau were also very happy, thinking that after receiving the award, they might still have time to go for a stroll.

Each carried money, thinking it was rare to come to the city today without working; receiving the award was a great joy, and they all wanted to buy things to take home to make the whole family happy.

All the way to the Haiyang Bureau, everyone talked particularly loudly, full of anticipation.

"Oh, I forgot to ask Adong to bring a camera; I wonder if they'll take photos when we receive the award and give us the pictures?"

"Yes, such an honor deserves a photo to keep as a souvenir; I wonder if they'll give us the pictures?"

"Is it too late to go back to the boat to get one now?"

Ye Yaodong smiled at the few who had already reached the door. "Rest assured; since they are taking photos, they will surely give us the pictures. There's no reason not to give one as a souvenir. I'll mention it then."

"That's good."

"Then I'm relieved. With photos as proof, hehe, I'll show them off later to make others envious."

"Haha, we're at the door already; hurry inside."

Ye Yaodong checked his watch and knew it was already time for work to begin.

After the group told the guard their purpose, the guard smiled and invited them in.

Director Chen smiled and shook hands with each of them, then introduced Director Li, who was standing there; everyone shook hands one by one before being invited to the conference room for some pleasantries.

"It's still early; not everyone has arrived yet, so please wait a moment. Everyone looks very spirited today, quite different from when we met a few days ago; your demeanor is excellent, hehe."

"However, after the photos and the award ceremony, you cannot leave yet. Reporters will interview you then; you must recount the salvage process, as you will appear in the newspaper, and the content will be printed."

Everyone was surprised and then overjoyed, asking questions all at once.

"Appear in the newspaper!!!"

"In the newspaper? Really?"

Director Li smiled and said, "It is true. The items you handed over are extraordinary, and the authorities pay particularly heavy attention to them. We also hope that other fishermen who discover such things will report them to superiors with the same awareness as you have shown."

"You are role models for fishermen and must be properly commended. We will hold a commendation ceremony shortly. Please be patient and have some tea; the meeting will start at 2:30, as personnel from the various subordinate departments have not yet fully arrived."

Everyone was stunned. They had thought they would just come to take photos, receive an award, and leave immediately, but they never expected a commendation ceremony.

Just taking photos had already exceeded their expectations and made them overjoyed; now there was even a commendation ceremony and reporter interviews, truly bringing honor to their faces.

Director Chen saw that everyone was so happy they didn't know what to say, some even incoherent.

He smiled and patted Ye Yaodong's surprised shoulder. "You have indeed made a great contribution this time. The unmanned underwater vehicle is extremely important to the authorities, and everyone pays particularly heavy attention to it. You have contributed to our nation's national defense security, so holding a commendation ceremony is only right."

"After it is published in the newspaper, more people will see it, which can also stimulate the enthusiasm of fishermen. If they happen to salvage any strange, unrecognizable objects, they can report them in time."

Director Li added, "That's right. Although we have a maritime patrol team, they only patrol the safety of the sea areas; these things can only be salvaged by you fishermen."

"That object is an extremely dangerous weapon system for our navy. Although this weapon system cannot directly harm our navy, it can transmit specific details of our navy to 'enemy nations,' which is far more terrifying than direct harm."

Seeing him speak seriously, everyone put away their excited expressions and nodded as if understanding.

Ye Yaodong also chimed in, "Protecting our home and defending our country is everyone's responsibility. Being able to contribute to our nation is what we should do. As fishermen, we can't do much else; we can only report any strange objects we salvage."

"Hehe, Deputy Director Chen has always told me that you love the Party and are dedicated, with particularly high awareness, and are a role model for fishermen. He was not wrong; you are a fine young man. I didn't expect you to be a boat captain at such a young age."

"My father taught me well. Without his help beside me, what would I know? Hehe."

"Eh? No wonder something seemed off earlier; why haven't I seen your father? Doesn't your father always follow you?" Director Chen glanced over the group and said.

"My eldest brother and Ye Ye Erge partnered to buy a large boat like mine. This trip, my father happened to go to their boat to help them captain it. Wherever any of us three brothers needs help, he goes there."

"You three brothers are impressive. Your father is capable enough to raise three such outstanding sons; you can enjoy your old age in the future."

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "Hehe, my father said the same. The villagers urged my father to come and receive the award with us yesterday, but my father said one must be realistic and not engage in deception."

"Although he also envied us and felt depressed that he wasn't on the boat this trip and missed it, he said my glory is also his glory; receiving the award brings honor to his face, so there is no need to commit such a deceptive act."

"If he really did it, he wouldn't be able to hold his head high, and he wouldn't be able to speak loudly in the future. One cannot be shameless."

Of course, he was adding more luster to his father's face; this was also indirectly praising himself. If his father was so upright, how could the son he raised be any less?

Building up more goodwill benefits both his father and himself.

Sure enough, after he spoke these words, everyone present praised him.

Even the boatmen admired Ye's father and followed with a few words of praise.

"Your father is a good father, with excellent character; no wonder he could raise such good sons."

Ye Yaodong gave an awkward smile.

Everyone chatted idly in the conference room again, the atmosphere harmonious. Only after people arrived one after another and the time came did the commendation ceremony begin.

However, although it was a commendation ceremony, they did not need to speak up there. They only had to sit there, listen to the leaders introduce them, recount their deeds, discuss how much the nation valued them, and urge local departments to attach high importance to it...

After speaking at length for an hour, they were finally called up to receive everyone's applause.

Director Chen personally pinned large red flowers on each of them; everyone received one.

Director Li also presented each of them with a certificate stamped with an official seal, along with extra red envelope bonuses.

Everyone's mouths were so wide with smiles they couldn't close them. Clutching the thick red envelopes in their hands, they were extremely excited; feeling the weight, they could tell there was a lot of money inside.

But at this moment, no one was whispering; seeing so many officials below, some were so nervous their hands were trembling.

After these awards were presented, Director Li said some encouraging words, and after everyone applauded together, the ceremony officially ended.

However, everyone else stood up, while they remained standing in place, because reporters were still interviewing them.

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "This has never been such a high-light moment. Can you print a few more photos and send them to us? Let us keep them as a souvenir, feel the glory, and show them to our families."

Director Li, easy to talk to, said, "That is certainly included; we will send them to you. You can also take a solo photo, and we will send them all together a bit later. Remember to leave your address."

"That's great. The leaders thought of everything. Thank you."

"Of course. You are heroes who have made meritorious contributions; taking a few photos is only right."

Everyone was overjoyed; one by one, they held out their certificates, held red envelopes in one hand, and beamed as they took turns posing for photos.

After the photos were taken, they unusually bowed politely to express their thanks.

Only after everyone had finished taking photos did they sit down to accept the reporters' interviews.

Of course, this was Ye Yaodong's personal show; as the boat captain, naturally, he did most of the talking, and the others didn't speak Mandarin very well anyway.

Ye Yaodong smiled and recounted the fishing process to them; in between, everyone chimed in with a few words, naturally exaggerating a little and adding spice to the story.

For instance, how heavy the rope felt when they pulled it up, making them think they had caught a huge haul...

Ye Yaodong also translated the local dialect the others spoke for the reporters.

By the time the entire interview concluded, it was already 4:30 when they came out of the Haiyang Bureau.

After everyone turned to glance at the Haiyang Bureau's main gate, they hurried a few steps to a corner; they had long been unable to wait to open the red envelopes in their hands.

Inside, with someone watching, they hadn't dared to open the red envelopes; only during the reporters' interviews, sitting in a corner, did they furtively lower their heads to open the envelope shells and peek inside a few times.

But with just those few peeks, they were already wildly excited; it turned out to be all "Great Unions"! And a thick packet at that.

The joy had long overwhelmed them, but everyone could only hold back for now, communicating first with their eyes.

Now that they were out the door, they couldn't wait; it wasn't that they wanted to flee the Haiyang Bureau, but their eager hearts made them unable to wait to open the red envelopes.

"It's all Great Unions..."

"When I felt how thick it was, I thought it was a letter of commendation inside; I never expected it to be all money."

"When I peeked inside just now, I was stunned too!"

"Oh my, so generous! Quick, count how much money there is. Is it the same for everyone?"

Everyone was overjoyed; one by one, they ducked into an alley, gathered together, opened their respective red envelopes, and before two sentences were spoken, they were already impatiently counting the money with saliva on their fingers.

Ye Yaodong was the same, but looking at the thickness of the bills in his hand, it seemed a bit thicker than the others.

Everyone had finished counting, but he still hadn't finished.

"500!"

"I have 500 too!"

"So much..."

"So generous! Why so generous this time? I thought yesterday it would only be 50 yuan; I even thought having a certificate was already good enough."

Everyone was extremely surprised, exclaiming in a cacophony of voices.

"How much does Adong have? Adong must have more than us; he's the boat captain!"

"Right, right, right. His money looks thicker than ours."

"How much?"

Everyone looked at Ye Yaodong.

Ye Yaodong finished counting the money, happily raised it up, then placed it in his palm. "I have 1000."

"So much, haha, you're the boat captain."

"Yes, you're the boat captain; you definitely have to have more than us."

"According to our country's distribution according to labor, Adong is our boss; it's normal for him to have more."

"So generous! Why do I feel like I'm dreaming? Everyone was rewarded 500?"

"I feel like I'm dreaming too; this is way too much!"

Ye Yaodong, face full of smiles, said, "Didn't they always say? We made a great contribution. Catching our own stuff versus catching enemy stuff—can the rewards be the same?"

"And this stuff is heavyweight, not useless. They specially held a commendation meeting for us. Since it's so glorious, the reward must match."

"Besides, we were even featured in the newspaper and set up as a model; there must be a heavy reward, so other fishermen can also feel proud by association."

Everyone nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

"Everything you say is right..."

"Alright, hurry and hide the money. Aren't you going to buy things? While the Department Store hasn't closed yet, hurry to the dock to hire a tractor to take you over; you might even get half an hour to look around."

"Right, right, right. It's rare to come here..."

Everyone hurriedly fumbled to hide the money on their bodies; some hid it in their shoes, some in their crotches, and some deep inside their clothes.

Every place they could think of to hide things, everyone hid it in; moreover, they split the money they held and hid it separately, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows.

They only kept two or three Great Unions in their pockets, enough for them to buy things.

Ye Yaodong didn't go with them to buy things; he had been to the city too many times and had nothing he wanted to take back; he had other matters to attend to.

When they parted, he only told them to gather at the dock after buying things, while he headed toward the wholesale market.

Yesterday he had told Lin Fu that if Wang Jianxin came over this morning, he should go to the shop to wait for him this afternoon; at this time, he was probably already waiting anxiously.

He didn't know today would be delayed so long, and he couldn't let the person wait in vain; he had to hurry over first.

He wasn't worried that Wang Jianxin wouldn't go to the shop today; after all, the ground over there had just been leveled, and he still had to watch over it.

When Ye Yaodong hurriedly arrived at the shop, it was already past 5 o'clock; the area around the wholesale market was desolate, with hardly any shops open.

After all, it wasn't yet time for the wholesale market to open at this hour, and in winter, it gets dark early and the weather is cold; usually, they close early.

Only the light in his family's shop was still on there, and a figure could be seen.

As he walked over, the person sitting on the steps stood up.

"Boss, you've finally arrived; it's almost dark."

"Sorry, I went to the Haiyang Bureau this afternoon; the delay was too long, and I rushed over as soon as I came out."

"What did you go to the Haiyang Bureau for?"

Ye Yaodong smiled and waved the certificate book in his hand. "I went to receive an award for a great contribution."

Wang Jianxin was surprised. "What great contribution?"

"Hehe, why are you in such a hurry to see me? Is the construction site finished, and are you worried about having no work?"

Wang Jianxin nodded somewhat embarrassedly. "Yes, you said back then to work hard and that you'd keep me on after the project was done. Now that the construction site over there is finished, what business are you planning to do? I just wanted to ask what I should do next."

He was a bit worried about losing his job; after all, the work had been easy for these few months, and the pay was always on time. He was reluctant to give up this job, as finding work these days wasn't easy, especially easy and stable work.

"Next, help me order some large wooden barrels. They need to be very big, with a capacity of 10 tons. Also order some large water jars; make them as big as possible."

"When the wooden barrels are ordered, move them into the row of warehouses that have been built. Place those large jars on the open ground, stacking them neatly, and leave a path for people to walk back and forth."

Wang Jianxin scratched his head. "Can there be such large wooden barrels? They'd probably be taller than a person."

"Yes, taller than a person. The barrels ordered for my family's workshop are all this big. You're a local, so you should know where to order them. If you don't know, ask around yourself."

"I'm leaving this task to you; the sooner, the better. As for the money, go ask my father-in-law for an advance; he'll keep the accounts and report them to me."

"Remember not to play any clever tricks or take kickbacks. I know exactly how much the wooden barrels and large water jars cost. My family has plenty of experience with this kind of workshop; we're just utilizing this site now as well."

"If I find out you're playing clever tricks, you won't need to work anymore. I've cleared such a large open space over there; the scale won't be small in the future. Don't lose the big picture for the sake of small gains."

Wang Jianxin immediately became serious. "Boss, rest assured. I will definitely get this done for you and won't have any ulterior motives."

"After finding a factory and placing the order, bring the receipt to my father-in-law. All of this must be recorded, and the down payment and final payment will be collected based on the receipt. You don't need to order so many at once, since making such large barrels takes time. Order ten at a time; place a new order after each batch is delivered."

"Okay, understood. When I find a suitable place, I'll also take Grandpa Lin to have a look."

"Mm."

"Once this is settled, what else is there... what other work is there..."

He asked somewhat anxiously; after all, running these errands wouldn't take more than a few days. What should he do with the rest of the time?

"There's also that you'll come to work at the shop and help sell goods."

Wang Jianxin's eyes lit up. "Here? Selling goods right here at the shop?"

"Yes, I don't support idle people. Just as my father-in-law and mother-in-law are busy, once you've handled this ordering matter properly, come here to work during the rest of the time and help sell goods. Your salary remains the same."

"This works; no problem with this."

Lin Fu also said, "I originally thought about keeping him to help at the shop. After all, sometimes when things get busy, two people can't handle it all; having an extra person to help is just right."

"After the items you ordered are delivered and moved in, he can help here while keeping an eye on that place, saving us from thieves."

Ye Yaodong nodded; this was something he had also considered. He certainly couldn't just have someone sit at the door sunbathing and watching the gate, especially since there wasn't anything important inside right now.

Throwing the person away and not wanting him anymore wouldn't work either; the agreement had been made properly in the first place. It was just right to keep him at the shop to help Lin Fu.

This Wang Jianxin was a local who could speak the city's dialect. Having him work as a salesman in the shop wasn't bad; he could even speak a few words with the locals.

"Then it's settled. I've assigned you your work; just work hard. Once the factory over there starts operations, you'll be a founding member."

"No problem; I will definitely work hard."