Chapter 1226: Second Uncle Ye's Plan

"Why are you so sulky? Did you make him angry again?"

"No, I just spoke a few plain truths; he twisted them himself. It's fine, working for him will let him vent."

"You really are something. Why not say something nice? Father just came back from sea, and you go and anger him."

Ye Yaodong felt a hundred times wronged; he hadn't said anything. Clearly, his father had deliberately misinterpreted him.

"Then you, the filial daughter-in-law, hurry home and cook for him to let him calm down. I'll watch things here."

"Alright."

Ye's father, moving cargo back and forth, had overheard the couple's words, and his expression naturally relaxed.

After finishing moving this cargo, his anger had subsided, and he turned back to speak with Ye Yaodong.

"If you have class tonight, don't get this outfit dirty. Change into it later for the evening, or don't come in and out here; it'll all smell of fish by then, and it's not good for others to smell that if you go to class."

"Fine. With so many people working, you don't need to keep moving things back and forth there."

"I've already finished moving everything, and now you say that?"

Ye Yaodong immediately shut his mouth.

Ah Guang smiled and said, "Dongzi is just showing he cares about you, isn't he?"

"Showing he cares, yet he hasn't stopped making me carry manure."

Ah Guang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Although he didn't know why his father-in-law suddenly said that, the words were indeed very funny.

Ye Yaodong also laughed heartily. "Then I haven't stopped inviting you to eat either."

"So that means I have to carry manure for you?"

Hearing Ye's father's words full of grievance, the people around them also chuckled along.

Ye Yaodong changed the subject, looking at Pei Dongqing who was writing while pressing the calculator, "Are you done calculating? If you are, give them the cargo list. You should go home with your brother to eat too."

"Almost done."

"You lot, hurry home to eat. The cargo is all moved; why are you still crowding there? You're all stinky; don't make people sick from the smell."

"Oh, no rush. Let's stay a bit longer..."

Ah Guang walked over and waved the crowd away. "Go, go, go! Stay far away from me. The more I say it, the closer you crowd. Don't all surround my sister, or you'll get beaten."

"We are protecting Sister Dongqing; otherwise, all these toads would crowd right up."

"Get lost! All of you, get far away!"

Ye's father also stepped forward to help drive them off. "Aren't you all tired?"

The whole group shouted in unison, "Not tired."

Ye Yaodong helplessly shook his head; a little lamb in a wolf's den is always more popular.

Fortunately, there were many women working in the workshop usually, so Pei Dongqing working here wouldn't be too conspicuous.

After Pei Dongqing finished calculating the numbers, she handed the list to Ye Ye Yaopeng, Zhou Da, and Ah Guang, and then took her place behind Ah Guang.

"Adong, I'm going home to eat first."

Ye Yaodong nodded. "Go ahead. Come back after you eat."

Watching the brother and sister walk out, the men finally shouted, "Let's go, let's go! We're going home to eat too..."

While shouting, the whole group still followed the brother and sister, trailing them all the way, nearly driving Ah Guang crazy; he couldn't get them to leave no matter how he chased them.

Ye's father sighed, "Look at them, all like wolves. The young lady has a thin skin. Fortunately, your sister is married; otherwise, it would be me worrying."

Ye Yaodong deeply agreed.

If his little sister hadn't married yet and was still here, his father probably wouldn't be able to step out the door and would have to stay home guarding her.

"Let's go. We're going home to eat too. We just made it back in time for lunch."

Walking and talking, Ye's father said, "With so many people, each one is fit for work; picking any one at random would actually work. That girl isn't young anymore; in the village, many marry at eighteen or nineteen. It's just that they have no mother, so one drags the other along, dragging it out to this age. If she gets any older, it'll be hard to find a match. Now, saying 'a woman three years older brings a gold brick' is just something to say."

"Stop talking without feeling the pain. If it were you, how could you just pick anyone at random to be a son-in-law? Uncle Pei only has three children in total, unlike other families with seven or eight where it doesn't matter and 'good enough' works."

Thinking of that, if just anyone could become his son-in-law and carry Ye Ye Xiaoxi away, he would wish to kill them all.

Those misshapen melons and cracked dates, all mixed up like small fry; none were decent, so how could they be worthy?

A fresh flower stuck in cow dung; disgusting.

"It's not me who's worried. Anyway, my daughter is married, so I don't need to worry. Now there's a stepmother, and your sister-in-law can help look after things."

Ye's father felt slightly comforted; fortunately, his daughter was married, and the Pei family looked quite reliable.

Lin Lin Xiuqing had returned early and already set a table full of dishes; they started eating without waiting for Ye's mother to arrive.

Ye Chenghu climbed onto the table and stared at his father's outfit, momentarily stunned.

"Dad, did you get promoted again?"

"Where do you see that?"

"Just looking at you, I feel you got promoted. Why do you only have one pen clipped? Don't you have several? Clip them all on!"

"Crazy! Why clip so many on?"

"If you don't clip them all on, how will people know you have so many pens? When they ask later, you can say they were all rewards! Won't everyone admire you even more then?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing, with rice in her mouth, covered her mouth and laughed.

Ye Yaodong pretended to be serious and tapped the table. "Eat your food. Why so many words for a child? Do you need to worry? How many pens I clip has nothing to do with you! Do you think I'm like you, so fond of showing off?"

"It's just because I saw you dressed differently today, so I offered a suggestion."

"Even eating can't shut your mouth."

He actually felt a bit strange himself; having seen others dress this way so often, he wanted to try it too, but Ye Chenghu's fixed, curious gaze always made him feel he was just as bad.

So, after the meal, he took the pen clipped to his chest off, changed his clothes, and put away his briefcase.

Only then did he go over the fishing boat accounts for this month with the others, and then have Ah Qing distribute this month's wages.

In the evening, he took a notebook with a fountain pen clipped on top, put it in the basket at the front of his bicycle, and headed off to the Party school.

After entering the Party school, he felt considerably more at ease.

Carrying a briefcase in and out in the morning, he felt a bit awkward and strange about it himself.

Sure enough, a wild boar can't eat fine chaff.

Whatever his nature is, that's what it has to be; putting on airs doesn't suit him.

After Ye Fu collected the wages given by the two brothers in the evening, he told them that once Qingming was over, he would continue working on Dongzi's boat. He also explained the specifics to them.

Although the two brothers were somewhat unhappy, there was nothing they could do about their old man wanting to go back and work with Dongzi. Fortunately, all the boats were in one place, which did put them somewhat at ease.

Ye Ye Dasao and Ye Ye Ersao were more direct—the next morning, while hanging clothes at the door, they openly accused their father-in-law of playing favorites.

It's the same job of captaining a boat—he helped them for only two months and then stopped, it's not like they weren't paying him wages...

He's been working for A-Dong for several years and it's still not enough, and now he's rushing off to help him again. They're all sons, but the treatment is different...

It happened that Ye Fu, after finishing breakfast, was called by the old lady because the household's night-soil bucket was almost full and she wanted him to carry it to the cesspit to dump it—and this was witnessed by the two sisters-in-law.

In fact, Ye Fu also heard them grumbling discontentedly.

Ye Ye Dasao pinched her nose and greeted him, "Dad, A-Dong's night-soil bucket still has to wait for you to come back and dump it?"

Ye Ye Ersao chimed in, "It's been years, and we've never seen you dump ours even once."

"It's been years, and I've never seen you invite me over for a meal either, have I?"

After saying that, Ye Fu shouldered the bucket of feces and left.

The two sisters-in-law immediately had nothing to say.

Ye Ye Chenghai came out of the house with his satchel and also said, "If it were me, I wouldn't dump your night-soil for you either—I'd dump it for Third Uncle."

Ye Ye Dasao was hopping mad with rage, and he immediately ran off.

The other children also hurriedly ran off after him.

"What kind of kids are these—they only know how to upset people."

Ye Ye Yaopeng said, "What are you muttering about first thing in the morning? What grievance is so big?"

Ye Ye Yaohua also glared unhappily at Ye Ye Ersao, "I've never seen you carry night-soil for the household either, haven't you always waited for me to come back and carry it? Have I ever let you do it? Stop running your mouth."

"It's just that I see Dad always favoring A-Dong, playing favorites..."

"Right, he's never helped us with anything..."

Ye Ye Yaopeng said bluntly, "If you want to support him in his old age, he'll favor you and help you too."

"I want that too, but he'd have to be willing to live with us."

"Where were you earlier? Only saying this now."

Ye Yaodong fanned the stench at the tip of his nose. Don't think he couldn't hear them. He said loudly, "Two years ago when the old folks had no money, I never heard you say a word. Now that the two elders have money in their pockets, he's free to support his old age with whomever he wants, and free to work for whomever he wants."

"Who doesn't even have the freedom to work anymore?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing also said angrily, "Back at the old house, the old lady's little room was taken over by you to raise pigs—I said anything about it?"

"We did borrow the old house to ferment fish sauce before, but we've long since moved out of it. We haven't taken advantage of anything since."

"Even the small vegetable plot the old lady reclaimed by the village entrance road—wasn't that given to you to plant on too?"

"And you still say playing favorites? Haven't all the benefits been taken by you? What have we been favored with? What have they done for us? They're still being supported by me, and helping us with a bit of work counts as favoring us?"

The old lady also sighed over the wall, though in reality she was craning her neck to speak toward the other side.

"Brothers are connected by bone and sinew even when they fight, but wives are different—running their mouths affects the brothers' feelings..."

Ye Ye Yaopeng immediately started cursing at Ye Ye Dasao: "First thing in the morning and all I hear is you being a busybody. What are you so unbalanced about? Get inside and talk—are you not ashamed...? All you know how to do is be sour. What else can you do besides being sour? Get inside."

The two couples instantly started cursing each other.

Ye Ye Yaohua and his wife also started pushing and shoving, and began arguing.

With the weather warming recently, the neighbors around had all gotten up early to work first thing in the morning.

They hadn't known what was happening at first, but the dispute between the two households was loud enough to draw others' attention, and they were curious and wanted to come over to watch.

They also felt it was embarrassing, so they pushed and shoved their way inside, closed the door, and continued cursing and fighting.

Some of the onlookers didn't know what was going on, so they curiously asked Lin Lin Xiuqing.

Lin Lin Xiuqing said, "It's nothing. What couple doesn't have conflicts? They can fight over even the smallest thing—anyway, it's always the same: fight at the head of the bed, make up at the foot. Eldest Brother and Ye Erge aren't the type to mess around or beat their wives. When those two couples quarrel, a few curses and it's over."

"That's true. Looking at them usually, they seem to get along well—not like other families who fight every other day."

"When a couple lives together, they have to be considerate of each other. You put up with a bit, he shows a bit more consideration, and the conflicts will be fewer..."

The women each shared their own insights and experiences, standing at the door chatting away.

Lin Lin Xiuqing didn't continue chatting with them. Watching Ye Yaodong head out, she followed along to the workshop.

The large batch of small fish brought back yesterday still hadn't all been fermented yet—they were short on salt.

They had to wait until a cartload was hauled over this morning before they could continue fermenting, so she had to go check whether it had arrived.

The old lady muttered to the others, "They're just having too easy a life lately, feeling uncomfortable in their hearts, and have to grumble a couple of lines to annoy people. In a couple of days, it'll be fine."

Lin Lin Xiuqing also said to Ye Yaodong as they walked, "It's just that we didn't kill fish today, and yesterday we settled all the wages—otherwise, let's see if they'd have the nerve."

"They just feel that Dad only helped them captain a boat for two months and then stopped, and now wants to come captain for me, so they're feeling sour. Don't bother with it—it's just a few words of quarreling. They'll naturally be huffy for a few days and then it'll pass. After a while, they'll still come fawning over us as usual to kill fish and earn wages."

People don't resent scarcity; they resent unfairness.

When the two are compared side by side, most people won't think too much about it—they'll just think: one son helped captain a boat for two or three years, while the other two only helped for two months and then stopped. They'd feel somewhat unbalanced too.

But A-Qing just laid out all the advantages they'd taken earlier, so probably they have no leg to stand on now and their bluster has weakened, and they can't bring it up again to argue.

After living together for a long time, there are always some people who get forgetful—they only remember the advantages others have taken from them now, and don't remember the advantages they themselves took before.

There are too many people like that.

Living together always brings various frictions—even blood brothers are no exception. But it's still better than with outsiders; there won't be feuds lasting overnight.

The saying that it rains endlessly during Qingming is absolutely true, but at the same time, the temperature is also getting higher day by day.

The rain of Qingming came in fits and starts, and was over in just half a day.

Tomb-sweeping at Qingming was also customary, as was asking for tomb cakes.

This year was the first year after the tomb repair was finished; last Qingming it hadn't even been completed yet.

The tomb-sweeping crew was still the same old lineup, but Ye Ye Erbo kept thinking about the ancestral hall in the provincial capital and asked Ye Yaodong as they walked.

"Do you think we should go to the ancestral hall to burn incense and kowtow at Qingming? Has anyone from the provincial capital called you?"

"No, probably not necessary."

"Then do we have to wait for the ancestral hall's completion anniversary before everyone goes to kowtow and burn incense?"

"Don't know."

"Can't you just make a call and ask?"

"You seem to care about the ancestors more than your own father, Ye Erbo?" Ye Yaodong teased.

"Isn't that just wanting the ancestors to bless and protect us a bit more?"

"Why do I hear my dad say you've been asking around about illegal border-crossing these past two days?"

Ye Ye Erbo laughed, not embarrassed at all. "Ah-hehe, just wanted to ask. Overseas is so good, I hear there's work everywhere and the wages are high. This kid staying home either follows the sea or works around the house — what future is that? There's not that much work at home either, and idling around isn't good either."

"The head fee for going abroad is a hefty sum. Have you got it ready?"

"We're all from the same clan, so I wanted to ask if it could be cheaper. Heh, also wanted to ask them to keep an extra eye on him. Adong, when you're free, help me ask around too. We're all one family — that's your nephew too. When he makes something of himself, it'll reflect well on you."

Ye Yaodong's mouth twitched. His Ye Erbo was still as sharp as ever, his mind working faster than his own.

He'd only gone to the provincial ancestral hall once last year, just acknowledged his lineage, and already had ideas brewing.

"I don't have that kind of face. It was your first time going, and mine too. Whatever ideas you have, wait till the next time we go to the provincial capital and ask yourself. If I pass the message in between, I'm afraid it won't come across clearly."

"Aren't you close with that Old Hai? Old Hai was even asking you last year if you wanted to send your family's kids abroad. If you ask, it'll definitely work. Get him to calculate a cheaper price while you're at it."

"I'll give you the number and you ask? I can't vouch for it. How to get abroad, how things stand — I don't know. Passing messages in between, I'm afraid it won't come across clearly. Whatever it is, it's better you two chat yourselves, you'll get a clearer picture too."

"Is that Old Hai reliable?"

Ye Yaodong: I think you're the less reliable one.

"You already had the idea, and now you're asking if Old Hai is reliable? Just now when you wanted me to ask for you, you didn't even think about whether he was reliable."

"Heh, then give me the number later, I'll call him and ask, get a feel for it first."

"Looks like those Bojiadetang cousins have saved up quite a bit these past two years — enough to send kids abroad."

Ye Erbo's family's cousin Ye Yaoguo picked up the thread: "Isn't it just not wanting to miss the chance? The kids at home are grown, they can work too. What work is there around here? Thirty or fifty yuan a month at most. I hear overseas you can easily make a few thousand a month."

Another cousin chimed in: "Yeah, I hear overseas is really prosperous. Work's easy to find, a few thousand a pop. Working abroad for a year can equal a lifetime of working at home."

Ye Ye Erbo also said: "Send two out first. Once they've gained their footing, then one brings another, and the whole clan gets brought out, isn't that even better?"

"During the ancestor worship last time, didn't those overseas Chinese also say that's how they did it back then — after sneaking out, the folks from the same hometown abroad would help each other, stick together, one brings one, one helps one, and they grew strong."

"If they can safely go abroad to work, our family definitely won't do badly in the future. We'd have to pawn everything to send one of them out first."

This whole family was really bold and big-dreaming, actually thinking about getting rich abroad.

They'd probably been thinking about it for months — only now finally unable to hold back and coming to ask him.

"If you've already decided, then go ask yourselves. When the time comes, form a group and get them to give a discount."

"What do you mean form a group?"

"More people team up together, get a discount. You also need to understand the risks. Don't blame me for not warning you — visas aren't easy to get. Basically you'd have to go through illegal border-crossing. If you're crossing illegally, you know what that means."

Ye Yaoguo said: "Mm, give us the number later, we'll look into it first, confirm whether they arrange jobs. Or when are you going to the provincial city? We'll hitch a ride on your boat and ask in person — better that way, and you can put in a good word for us too."

"Then you'd have to come out to sea with me. I only might put in at the provincial city when I'm out at sea. If you come with me, I don't pay wages, and when I put in at the provincial city depends on the situation. Otherwise, you can go whenever you want."

"Th-then we'll call and look into it first."

"Figure it out yourselves. After we finish sweeping the tombs and get home, I'll write the number down for you."

In his past life, none of these nephews had ever gone abroad. In this life, really, everything was changing.

The idea was pretty good, and it fit the times.

Sneaking abroad to work was indeed pretty common — everywhere had cases. What might happen was unpredictable. First, they'd have to pray to Goddess Mazu for safe arrival at their destination.

His heartfelt blessings!

If by some chance going abroad to work led to a bright future, that'd be even better — bringing glory to the ancestors.

"Good, good, good… if they make something of themselves, they won't forget your help…"

"I didn't help with anything, no need to remember me. You all think it through carefully yourselves — risks definitely exist."

"Alright."

The others were all huddled together whispering about the benefits of going abroad.

Last year, going to the provincial capital to worship the ancestors and seeing those glamorous overseas Chinese — each and every one of them had long been green with envy.

Now they were all chatting away excitedly. As long as they could go abroad to work, no matter how they got out, when they came back they'd still be overseas Chinese, still glorious…

Ye Father quietly pulled Ye Yaodong aside and asked: "If you're caught sneaking out, you get sent back, right? If you're sent back, they don't refund the money, right? Wouldn't that just be wasting money?"

"This is betting on a future."

"Then better let them hash it out themselves. If you help put in a word and it fails, won't they ask you to pay up?"

"It's not my son going abroad — why would I get involved? Their whole family can figure it out themselves."

"This is a gamble. If they really go abroad and land a job, a few thousand a month, sending back a little at random is enough for the whole family to live on. Your Ye Erbo's idea isn't bad — the whole family benefits."

Ye Yaodong chuckled twice. "Then when everyone's worshipping the ancestors later, be more sincere — pray harder for the ancestors' blessing."

Ye Ye Erbo said happily: "Of course. We've prepared a big pile of Offerings. This year my dad finally has a proper place to stay — hope he blesses and protects me a lot too."

The two big families chatted animatedly.

A big group of kids had long since run off happily into the distance.

Only Ye Ye Dabo, taking Ye Ye Yaofan along, had been silent the whole time, not joining their conversation.

Nobody bothered to chat with them much either—everyone's talk was on sneaking abroad to work, and they were all looking forward to it.

Once they got up the mountain, some of the grass was already taller than a person, so they hacked a path with sickles, chatting nonstop the whole way until they reached the graveyard.

They only came up to the graveyard once a year, at Qingming, to pull weeds; the graves had long been swallowed by wild growth.

A big group of men each picked a spot and got to work weeding.

Ye Yaodong muttered as he weeded, "Another year, another Qingming; this year we worship the ancestors up the hill—our ancestors, please show yourselves soon…"

"Dongzi, what are you mumbling?" Ye Ye Yaosheng asked with a smile.

"Oh, just mumbling a bit before the worship, so the ancestors know we're here and get ready to come out. When we bow later, it'll be easier to make a wish and let them hear it."

"You've already gone from a small boat to a big one, a big one to an even bigger one, and then to even more boats."

"Who ever complains about having too much money?"

"Later I'll have to learn to mumble like you too—your mumbling the year before last was pretty effective."

Ye Yaodong laughed, "Then go ahead and mumble too."

Ye Ye Yaosheng said quietly, "My dad and my brother actually wanted to borrow money from you. I heard sneaking out takes a huge sum—several thousand yuan. They plan to send two people first so they have company, so that'll be about ten thousand yuan."

"Mm, got it."

From what they'd just been saying, he'd already caught on.

If they could sneak out successfully and work hard abroad, it really was better than working at home—they really were decades behind now.

He also hoped the next generation of nephews could do better, not be stuck in this little fishing village; of course there were more opportunities out there.

But since they hadn't brought it up, of course he was happy to play dumb.

"You agree with them sending the kids to sneak out too?"

"What's there for me to agree or disagree about? Their own kids, their own decision; the risk is theirs to bear. Does my agreeing or not matter? Besides, apart from your eldest and second brothers' first two daughters, those two nephews are sixteen or seventeen already—not kids anymore. If they want to have a go, how could an adult not support them?"

"That's true."

"So why are you worrying over nothing? Your daughter's only a few months old. Wait till they make something of themselves, then they can pull you up a bit."

Ye Ye Yaosheng chuckled, "You've got a point. Then let's pray they get abroad and make big money, so they can pull everyone up."

"Mm, when the time comes I'll ask them to pull me up too."

"Stop joking—everyone's asking you to pull them up. Haven't you noticed how polite they are to you now, afraid of upsetting you somewhere? My dad and my eldest and second brothers didn't dare ask to borrow money from you, afraid you'd get angry and it'd all be for nothing."

Ye Yaodong thought about it—seemed like that was true.

The year before last they could still barge into his house, hollering at him and putting on the airs of elders, demanding he pull them up.

Last year when they went to the provincial city on his boat, they were still complaining to him.

Now they've started smiling apologetically, not daring to offend him?

Is this the benefit of being an official?

Once you rise to a certain level, people automatically feel awe?

"You see things pretty clearly, don't you?"

"Your sister-in-law said it."

"Oh, my sister-in-law's really smart—you got a treasure there."

Ye Ye Yaosheng beamed with sweet happiness, "Yeah, lucky me."

Ye Yaodong felt a bit disgusted—he'd only said it off the cuff, did they have to feed him dog food?

"Go over there."

"What's wrong?"

"Can't you see it's all been cut here? You planning to cut a ten-li radius?"

"It's not that exaggerated—it's just a meter or two extra, right? Heh, then I'll go to the side."

Many hands make light work—after the group of strong laborers had been at it for over half an hour, the graveyard was already cleared, with the weeds within two or three meters around the edges all pulled clean.

Brooms had swept from the top of the graves down to the bottom, spotless.

The graves had only been rebuilt a year ago anyway; apart from the weeds around them, the graveyard wasn't dirty, hadn't been invaded by stubborn weeds.

And they had already weighed down yellow paper all around the graveyard with stones, then laid another ring on the outside, on the freshly cleared ground.

Finally, on the raised part at the top of the graveyard, they placed a big stone to hold down a sheet of yellow paper, and only then knelt and bowed below.

Ye Ye Erbo was especially eager—he snatched the job of lighting incense and handed out a stick to each person.

Ye Ye Dabo was annoyed, but said nothing.

The younger generation was also called back; everyone took their incense and obediently knelt down in turn.