Chapter 1215: Settled

"She's a chubby little girl, lazy and greedy, and she hasn't even gotten out of bed yet," Lin Xiuqing said with a smile.

She led their group into the house and told the old lady to hurry and wake Ye Yaodong up.

She then poured them hot tea, busied herself with hospitality, and kept them company.

"You coming is enough, why bring things? You're too polite..."

"It's the New Year, it's only right. Who visits someone's home during the New Year empty-handed? It's nothing fancy, just some everyday things to sweeten the children's mouths."

"You're too kind. Have you had breakfast? Would you like to eat something? It's just simple farm food, nothing rare..."

"No, no, we've already eaten. We came specifically for serious business. Adong isn't up yet? We did come a bit early, it's just past seven..."

"He's being lazy. He played cards late last night and only just got back. You all sit and have some tea, rest for a bit, he should be up soon."

Ye Yaodong was shaken awake by the old lady in his sleep. He was still groggy, but the moment he heard the leader had arrived, he sobered up instantly, quickly sat up, and grabbed his clothes to put them on.

He didn't feel cold anymore, didn't dawdle, and didn't need willpower to get out of bed; he was exceptionally nimble.

He scratched the hair he'd washed on the 29th and felt regretful. If he'd known, he would have gotten it cut shorter, saving it from sticking up everywhere after waking up. Since Chen Ju had come so early, he didn't even have time to groom himself.

Fortunately, his overall appearance was the most presentable to begin with, so he didn't look too bad.

Compared to the people in the village, he considered himself a dragon among insects!

As soon as he opened the door and went out, he saw a pile of seven or eight men and women sitting around. Besides Chen Juzhang and his wife, the others were all very young, likely his children or daughters-in-law.

He immediately smiled and greeted them, "Morning, sorry for getting up late..."

"It's us who came early. We were thinking we still have to visit relatives this afternoon, so we came over a bit earlier."

Ye Yaodong was terrified that since he hadn't brushed his teeth, his breath would offend them, so he didn't dare get too close.

"You all sit and rest for a while, I'll go wash up first, sorry."

"You go tidy yourself up, no rush. We rode our bikes the whole way, so it's good to rest and have a drink of water."

"Alright."

He nimbly went to wash up, and while he was at it, he ordered his two sons who had suddenly run home to watch the excitement, whispering, "Go quickly and call your grandfather and grandmother over, tell them a leader has come to the house."

Yangyang was the youngest, so naturally, he was the one ordered. He didn't refuse, agreed immediately, and ran off.

Several nieces and nephews came over out of curiosity, standing in the courtyard and looking around.

Ye Chenghai asked curiously, "Third Uncle, why is the leader here during the New Year? We haven't seen him in a long time."

"You'll know later. Go out first, don't stand around getting in the way."

Ye Yaodong felt his pocket, took out 5 cents for each of them, and sent them off to play.

"Ye Chenghai, you stay. You can't go anywhere. Come inside with me to see the leader. Same for Yangyang, tell him when he gets back."

"Oh."

"Got it, Third Uncle."

Having received the money, they happily retreated, but they were also very curious about what was going on, so they didn't dare run off to play. They all pricked up their ears and stood at the corner of the wall, waiting to hear the commotion.

Ye Chenghai was a bit unhappy at first that he had to stay while the others could go play, but hearing the voices at the corner of the wall, he felt a bit smug; being able to listen directly was better.

After a simple tooth brushing and face wash, he casually dipped his hand in some water and smoothed his hair into place.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Chen Juzhang has brought so many new faces, haha, everyone looks so spirited and bright. As expected of city folk."

"These are my sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law." Chen Juzhang introduced everyone to him one by one and stated their positions.

Ye Yaodong looked down at Ye Chenghai and felt he was too unpresentable!

Look at other people's children, then look at his own...

It would have been better to bring Ye Xiaoxi.

At worst, Ye Chengyang would have been fine; at least he looks a bit sharper, unlike him, who looks silly and doesn't even know how to greet people.

But there was no help for it; who let this be his silly son.

He could only laugh, put his arm around Ye Chenghai's shoulder, introduce his stubborn eldest son, and mention that his youngest son had run off to call his parents.

As for his youngest daughter, she was still fast asleep and hadn't gotten up yet.

"If the child hasn't gotten up, let her sleep. No need to call her. Children are growing, they need to sleep more."

"A couple of days ago, I mentioned to them that I wanted to adopt a godson, and I introduced you to them."

"They all said that as long as I feel a connection and their moral character is fine, it's okay, but they wanted to come over and take a look first. If there are no issues, we'll have lunch together and settle this matter."

Ye Yaodong smiled brightly, "Everyone, rest assured. I am loyal to the people and the Party. I wouldn't dare say my character is noble, but being filial to parents, respecting the elderly, and abiding by the law is no problem."

They all nodded with a smile and exchanged a few polite words.

"You all are likely visiting our village for the first time. How about I take you around the village to walk and get to know it? We can chat as we walk and learn more, since sitting here you can't see anything. Once we're out, we can soak up the sun, take a walk, and learn about the local customs."

Chen Juzhang nodded in appreciation, "That's good. Let's go out for a walk and feel the New Year atmosphere in your village."

Ye Yaodong suddenly didn't want to take them out for a walk anymore...

The village is full of gambling tables everywhere...

Once the New Year period arrives, the whole village turns into gamblers. Their usual diligence and hard work have long since vanished.

Lin Xiuqing stood up as well and said with a smile, "You take the leader and the comrades out for a walk first. I'll go cook some snacks for everyone, remember to come back and eat later."

No matter when, when guests come to the house, you have to prepare snacks to show welcome, especially during the New Year.

"No need for such trouble, we just had breakfast..."

"It's no trouble, it's only right. Whose house doesn't cook a few bowls of snacks when guests come? Just leave it to my wife to busy herself. I'll take you out for a stroll. When you're tired from walking later, you can come back to rest and eat some snacks to pad your stomachs."

Ye Yaodong said this and led them outside, first introducing them to his house, which was built by the three brothers together, one room each.

Then he introduced his two brothers to them.

Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua, who had been eating breakfast, also hurried out to keep them company.

When distinguished guests arrive, most of the brothers in the house have to help host to make the hosts appear more enthusiastic.

Ye Fu and Ye Mu also happened to come running over just as they walked out the door to greet them.

Neighbors around, seeing such a large group gathered at the door, were all very curious and kept asking the Ye children trailing behind.

Ye Chengjiang and the others hurriedly spoke all at once, saying everything they knew.

They only knew a limited amount and weren't clear on why this group had come; Ye Yaodong and the others hadn't made it clear inside the house earlier.

As they walked, Ye Yaodong introduced his parents to them, mentioning that Ye Mu worked at the village committee and was a cadre for the Women's Federation.

Ye Mu smiled happily, her back straight as an arrow; this was her pride and joy.

Don't look at their village as not being particularly large, but it had several hundred households and was considered a large village in the vicinity, with several natural villages nearby under their jurisdiction.

He also mentioned that Ye Fu was currently taking turns driving the boat for the three brothers and had been an old helmsman in the production team before it disbanded.

Speaking of this, he also pointed to the large stretch of fishing boats on the beach.

"The three largest boats in the middle of the sea, the one in the middle is mine, the one on the left is a partnership between me and my brother-in-law, and the one on the right is a partnership between the three of us brothers."

"To ensure my parents have retirement security, the three of us only hold thirty percent of the shares each, and we specifically allocated ten percent as non-contributory shares for my parents' retirement. Of course, the wages for driving the boat are also paid separately."

They all nodded in appreciation and gave a thumbs up, praising the three brothers for being filial and not forgetting to share with the elderly after making money.

They weren't as surprised that he had a share in all three boats; Chen Juzhang had likely mentioned his current achievements at home.

Ye Fu was also beaming, knowing why the leader had come.

All three sons had brought him honor, and their filial piety gave him more confidence, allowing him to proudly straighten his back in front of the leader.

Since he had already pointed out the fishing boats for them to see, he naturally took them toward the pier first.

It wouldn't be too late to walk into the village after touring the pier.

A group of children followed behind them, along with a few curious adults, all wanting to hear what they were saying and chatting about.

Ye Yaodong led the group past two workshops first, taking the opportunity to lead everyone inside for a tour, showing them what they were for and adjusting his inventory for them.

He also emphasized that those goods were accumulated solely through the catch from his three boats and by collecting some goods here and there.

After touring the workshops, he led them to the outside of the pier, where the fishing boats were lined up neatly, row upon row.

Today was only the third day of the New Year, and no fishing boats had gone out to sea. After a year of hard work, everyone planned to have a good New Year.

As long as the fifteenth day of the first lunar month hadn't passed, for them, the New Year wasn't over. There were also some diligent families who would go out to sea after the seventh day.

Seeing the large and small fishing boats lined up in an orderly fashion on the sea, everyone realized that Ye Yaodong really couldn't be underestimated.

Ye Fu also did his best to speak well of Ye Yaodong.

"These large fishing boats here, regardless of size, more than half were originally Dongzi's. It's just that Dongzi felt the small boats weren't useful, so after buying them and using them only once, he sold them back to the villagers at half price."

"He also specifically donated two small wooden boats to the village committee for kelp farming. Now the kelp in the village has already grown, and everyone is hoping for a bumper harvest next year to bring hope to the whole village."

"Dongzi always says we must follow the Party's guidelines, that individual prosperity should drive collective prosperity. He feels that dried kelp is easy to store and transport, and if our village can succeed in farming it, we can have a farming industry, and the village won't be far from becoming wealthy."

Chen Juzhang looked at Ye Yaodong in surprise, "Why didn't you say you were also supporting the village in kelp farming? You're a smart one with a flexible mind. If everyone had as high a level of awareness as you, would collective economic growth be far off?"

"Haha, actually I just moved my lips. The fact that kelp can be farmed is everyone's credit, and it's inseparable from the support of the village committee. The village cadres have vision and believe in me, so they went to do it. Now it's just the early stage, what it will specifically be like will have to wait until next year's harvest. It's a bit early to say these things now..."

Ye Yaodong's attitude was humble, but he didn't forget to flatter the village cadres.

Chen Juzhang's children also looked at Ye Yaodong with new respect; it was rare that he could think of the collective after earning money himself.

He really was filial, had a sense of collective honor, and was humble in his conduct.

Ye Mu also followed up with showing off, "You look at those larger fishing boats, the blue and white ones with numbers on the hull, those are all Dongzi's boats. There are a full sixteen here, and there's one more that was supposed to be delivered before the New Year, but it wasn't. It will probably be sailed back in a couple of days."

"Seventeen?"

"Tsk tsk tsk... This is too many boats. It's the first time I've heard of someone having so many boats. Even the old fishing teams didn't have this many; they mostly had small boats," said Chen Guoping, Chen Juzhang's eldest son, who worked at the Power Bureau.

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "I didn't think much at the time, just thought that since I had money on hand, I'd buy boats. We coastal people rely on the sea to eat; boats are our lifeline. If you have a boat, you don't fear starving. My wife isn't at ease with me buying other things, but she's very at ease with me buying boats."

Ye Fu added, "Renting out these boats of Dongzi's has also improved the lives of many people in the village. Relatives rely on renting these boats of his to increase their income significantly. There isn't a single relative in the family or villager in the village who doesn't praise him."

"Didn't he catch some foreign JD equipment a while ago? Everyone on the boat benefited, and the whole village was envious. For those few days, people were coming to the door every day asking to work for him, hehehe..."

Ye Fu became happier the more he spoke, "He has other boats that the factory hasn't even delivered yet. Next year, he'll have even larger fresh-catch boats, what he calls a one-stop service."

"There are more boats?"

Ye Yaodong nodded with a smile, "Boats can create revenue, and they also need to recruit workers, which can also provide a few more jobs for the villagers."

Chen Juzhang exclaimed, "Looking at it this way, more than half of the people in this village have to rely on you for a living."

"That's not the case, everyone relies on their own efforts to support themselves."

Everyone was exceptionally satisfied after hearing this.

Ye Yaodong led them around the outside of the pier, letting them see his boats in person, and after knowing he wasn't some down-and-out person, he led them back.

As they walked, he also introduced the Mazu Temple by the pier to everyone.

Chen Juzhang also had a say in this Mazu Temple; he had also put in effort and had come to drink at the banquet when the Mazu Temple was completed.

He took the initiative to introduce it to his children, even saying he would come to eat the peace banquet next year.

When everyone returned to the intersection near the house, Ye Yaodong hurriedly invited them home to eat snacks first, and after eating, they could go for a walk in the village.

With many people, walking was slow, and plus they were chatting as they walked and had stayed outside the pier for a good while. By this time, Lin Xiuqing had already prepared the snacks, and fearing the soup would get cold, she specifically covered it with a basin.

It was the New Year, so she prepared longevity noodles cooked in wine for everyone, adding many dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, meat, pork liver, and rice wine to the seasoning soup, and also fried over a dozen poached eggs, setting them aside for later.

She was afraid that if she cooked them too early and served the noodles, people wouldn't return that quickly, and they would get mushy.

So she cooked the seasoning and the noodles separately, first cooking the seasoning soup and putting it into a large basin.

She had also been looking out the door, and after seeing people walking toward the house, she immediately started scalding the noodles in the pot.

As long as you scald the longevity noodles in boiling water, you can pick them out, put them in individual bowls, and pour the seasoning soup and ingredients over them. Just as people entered the house, they could eat immediately, and it wouldn't burn their mouths.

Ye Yaodong had gotten up early and hadn't eaten before accompanying them out for a stroll, so he was starving. It was just right to pad his stomach before taking them out into the village.

Just as they were eating snacks, the village head and several other cadres also received the news and hurriedly called one another, coming to his house together.

Lin Xiuqing hurriedly prepared to start the fire and continue busying herself, cooking snacks for the village cadres as well.

"No need to busy yourself for us, we all just had breakfast, and we aren't guests. We heard the leader came, so we specifically came to keep the leader company."

"Right, don't worry about us, just take good care of the leader."

Chen Juzhang shook hands with them one by one with a smile, introduced the children he had brought, and then chatted while eating.

By the time they finished their snacks and walked into the village, the procession appeared even larger.

Ye Yaodong, Ye Fu, and Ye Mu also had fewer opportunities to speak, letting the village cadres introduce the local customs and the appearance of the fishing village to them, while also taking the opportunity to flatter Ye Yaodong in various ways.

Who among them wasn't a clever person?

Knowing that the leader had brought his whole family to Ye Yaodong's house, they knew their relationship was far from shallow, so they had to flatter and praise him as much as they could.

Ye Yaodong was also happy to be relaxed.

What was heard from a third party was more credible than what was heard from his own mouth.

These old foxes were also better at speaking.

After Ye Yaodong entered the village, seeing red firecracker paper everywhere on the ground, he felt relieved that he didn't see any tables.

It made sense; who goes to gamble the moment they open their eyes in the morning?

Even if they did, they'd have to wait until eight or nine o'clock, when the sun was high, before there would be a few card tables. The big gambling tables for money basically wouldn't be set out until after lunch.

Although entertainment activities were scarce now, people were playing cards and gambling everywhere during the New Year, but having gambling tables everywhere in the village was not good if seen too blatantly by the leader.

He pondered as he walked. With the village cadres accompanying them to tour the whole village, everyone knew that unusual figures had come.

Today, the gamblers would likely be a bit more sensible and wouldn't be so blatant; they should also cover it up and move to their homes to play.

Ye Yaodong relaxed, putting his arm around Ye Chenghai's shoulder, listening from the side, and occasionally chiming in.

"Dad, why am I following along? Can I go now?"

"Go where? Others don't even have the chance to follow, they can only trail far behind. Cherish this well. You are my good eldest son, watch how your old man cultivates you from a young age."

Following people with status to observe and see more is also a kind of training; he might be able to improve a bit in the future.

Ye Chenghai didn't want to follow along. Was there anywhere in the whole village he hadn't run through? Following along so slowly was too boring; it would be better to chase and play with his little friends.

However, when Ye Yaodong pointed out the villagers surrounding their group, his brows immediately relaxed, his back straightened, and he felt he had a lot of face.

After the village cadres led their group to tour the whole village from beginning to end, they led everyone to the village committee to sit, talk, and rest.

Chen Juzhang said with a smile, "Coming here today is actually because I want to adopt a godson. I've known Adong for several years, and we've always been very compatible and have had frequent dealings. I had a master look at it, and he said his horoscope would boost mine, so I brought the children in the family for a trip to let them get to know him."

"It just so happens that you are all here, so you can all be witnesses, haha..."

After touring the whole way, he knew his children definitely had no objections, so he got straight to the point in front of everyone.

"Adopt a godson? The leader wants to take Adong as a foster son?"

"Good fellow, taken a fancy to by the leader?"

Everyone was surprised.

Originally, hearing that the leader had brought so many people to Ye Yaodong's house, they were very surprised. During the New Year, if anything, it should be Ye Yaodong visiting, how could the leader condescend to come see him?

Coming to the door to hold him accountable was even more impossible; who would go to someone else's house to bring bad luck during the New Year.

"During the New Year," these four words weren't just for show.

This was a famous four-character proverb; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the Chinese people's "get out of jail free" card.

Chen Juzhang said, "Haha, what do you mean by 'taken a fancy to'? It's just that we are compatible, and the children in the family don't see each other a few times a year. Adong is very attentive and often goes to see us. As for character, I trust him, and we've been dealing with each other for three years."

Chen Shuji echoed and praised, "Right, Adong's character is beyond reproach. He is loyal to friends, generous to employees, keeps the collective in his heart, and respects us old folks. He is a good young man."

The village head also said with a smile, "That's right, the villagers haven't earned less money or received fewer benefits following him these past few years."

"So everyone, be a witness later. Oh right, Old Brother and Old Sister-in-law, you have no objections, right?"

How could Ye Fu and Ye Mu have any objections?

Being called "Old Brother" and "Old Sister-in-law" by the leader, their mouths were about to split from smiling.

If Ye Yaodong were to be taken as a foster son by the leader, they would have honor on their faces.

There are many gods in Fujian Province, and it's popular to adopt various gods and spirits as foster parents.

It's fine for other people's children to adopt gods and Buddhas as foster parents; some even adopt big trees, and there are even those who adopt stones or rivers.

Dongzi is now being a foster son to the leader; how glorious it is to say it out loud. In the future, he will truly have someone backing him, and everything he does will be smoother.

Originally, everyone in the village had to give him some face and would greet him enthusiastically when they saw him, but going out, he didn't count for much. After adopting a god-relative, he would truly have someone backing him.

The shop in the city and the construction site that was completed, especially the construction site, could also start to be utilized. Otherwise, just a small fry like him with no background couldn't do anything.

As long as he did something, he'd just have to wait to be extorted; any sesame-sized official could torment him to death.

It's different now; anyone who wants to mess with him will have to give Chen Juzhang some face.

"We have no objections. Dongzi mentioned it to us before the New Year, and both his mother and I think it's quite good. In the past, Dongzi relied entirely on the leader's help and promotion to be so smooth-sailing..."

"That's not it, he relied entirely on himself. I didn't help at all, I just reported his achievements truthfully. On the contrary, he helped me quite a bit. Your son is promising."

Chen Shuji laughed, "Now half of it is divided to you."

Ye Yaodong also said happily, "The good tea I got from my father-in-law's house has finally come in handy. I'll serve you tea when we get home later."

"Alright, alright, then let's go, let's go to your house and drink the tea first."

"Alright."

A group of people had just warmed their seats and chatted for a while before standing up and heading toward Ye Yaodong's house.

Ye Chenghai asked in a low voice, "Dad, you're becoming someone's foster son? Does that mean I'm becoming someone's foster grandson?"

"That's how it's supposed to be, but if you're too unpromising and too useless, then you're nothing."

"Oh, that doesn't matter. I just wanted to ask, will there be red envelopes later? Should I say I don't want them? Should I let you adults push them back and forth for a bit?"

Ye Yaodong's mouth twitched. What kind of talk was this?

He cupped his hand and knocked on his head with his fingers curled.

"You silly boy, even if there are red envelopes, you can't want them. You have to be sensible and polite. Only when the adults say you can accept them can you accept them."

"I know, you all have always been like this, pushing them back and forth for a long time before accepting them. I just wanted to know if there would be red envelopes."

"Are you usually lacking in food or drink? Shut your mouth. If you mention red envelopes to me again, I'll beat you just the same during the New Year, and I'll confiscate your piggy bank while I'm at it."

"No."

"Shut up."

Ye Yaodong glared at his silly son, then turned his head and put on a smiling face again.

A large group of people chatted and laughed as they returned to Ye Yaodong's house.

Lin Xiuqing had already started preparing lunch. With over a dozen people, plus their own family and the village cadres, there were twenty or thirty people in total, which meant they would have to set up three tables.

There weren't enough pots, so she went to borrow a large pot from next door and set it up in the courtyard to cook.

Ye Dasao and Ye Ersao also came over to help her busy herself.

As soon as Ye Yaodong entered the courtyard, he called out to Lin Xiuqing, "Aqing, don't busy yourself for a moment, come into the house with me first."

"Ah, what's wrong? I have to prepare lunch, there are so many people."

"It's not that urgent, take off your apron first."

"Oh."

Lin Xiuqing didn't understand, so she took off her apron, put it on a stool, and followed him into the house.

Ye Yaodong whispered as he walked, "It's settled. We'll brew tea and serve it to our foster father and mother together."

"Oh, okay."

She wasn't too surprised, nor was she too happy. Whatever he said was fine; she just needed to keep a smile on her face.

Ye Mu was the first to go brew the tea.

The room was full of people, all standing and watching the excitement. The small space was packed with people, and everyone had a smile on their face, except for Chen Juzhang and Jin Yuzhi, who were sitting.

After Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing each took a bowl of tea, they knelt down.

"Foster father, foster mother, please drink tea!"

"Alright, here are the red envelopes prepared for you, haha..." ===== CHAPTER 1216 =====