Chapter 1339: Preparing to Go Out to Sea

The two brothers dawdled, the cold wind blowing their noses and cheeks bright red, but they stood on the boat craning their necks to look and pricking up their ears to listen.

Only the sound of drums and music grew farther and farther away, and all they could hear by their ears was the wind.

"Hurry back inside the cabin and stay there, it's very cold outside." Lin Lin Xiuqing urged them, but they were still reluctant to go.

"We can still hear the sounds..."

Ye Yaodong said, "If you catch a cold and can't go to school tomorrow, you won't be able to tell your classmates about it—about how you came to town today to see the Lantern Festival."

"We'll go back inside the cabin right now."

Lin Lin Xiuqing glanced at him with a smile. "You've got them right where it counts."

"Those two little rascals—how could I not know what's on their minds? I'm going to go drive the boat."

By the time they dawdled onto the boat it was already past nine, and by the time they got home it was nearly ten, with darkness everywhere.

The two brothers had originally been all fired up, wanting to share the evening's excitement with their other little friends, but finding darkness everywhere was like a basin of cold water poured on their hearts—their burning enthusiasm chilled.

"How come everyone's already asleep..."

"Do you even know what time it is? You were so reluctant to come back when we called you. Walk faster, hurry home."

"What time is it, Dad..."

"It's almost ten. Get home and go to sleep right away, or you won't be able to get up tomorrow..."

Lin Lin Xiuqing cut him off. "They'll definitely be able to get up. Not having shared it with anyone else tonight, they probably won't sleep soundly. Tomorrow they'll definitely wake up early to find the others and tell them."

Ye Yaodong laughed and gestured at her a few times in the air. "You've grasped the essence of it."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled.

The two brothers, laughed into grins by their mother's words, were no longer glum, and took the lead, jogging toward home.

"Walk slower—you don't even have a flashlight and you dare to run? It's pitch black, don't fall into a ditch..."

"There's moonlight..."

The dogs at home also noticed them coming back, and went bounding toward them with barks barks barks, then ran along with the two brothers, leading the way in front.

When they got home and found there really wasn't a single sound around, everyone asleep, the two brothers finally gave up hope.

The courtyard gate was locked, so they sat on the doorstep, each hugging a dog, waiting for their parents and chatting along the way.

The dogs also licked their faces.

Not all the dogs at home were shut in the courtyard—a few lived at the workshop too, with dog houses both inside and out—who could blame them, their dogs were just too many...

However, the two didn't have to wait for their parents before the courtyard gate opened from inside, and the old lady, draped in a cotton-padded jacket, came out with a kindly smile.

"You're back, back so late. Were the lanterns pretty?"

"Pretty, so pretty, so lively. Great-grandma, you have no idea how many people there were—nothing but people, the streets were full..."

Finally having someone to brag to, Ye Chenghu happily held onto the old lady and kept talking.

Ye Ye Chengyang also stood to one side, and the two of them, one on each side, supported the old lady, chattering away as they shared everything they'd seen and heard that evening.

"Great-grandma, ask Dad to take you next year, it's really pretty, you'll know once you see it."

The old lady's face was full of smiles as she listened patiently to the two brothers talk. "I'm not going. I'm nothing but a pile of old bones, I can't walk anymore, what's the point of going? A little jostle and I'd be off to meet the Buddha. As long as you two had fun, that's enough."

"You don't have to walk, we watched from upstairs, that restaurant was so pretty..."

"Yeah, yeah, you've definitely never seen such a lively Lantern Festival..."

"We haven't either, it was even livelier than market day at night, so pretty... you really have to go see it..."

"I told Dad, take you next year, it's even livelier and prettier than an opera performance..."

Ye Yaodong and Lin Lin Xiuqing, the husband and wife, also closed the courtyard gate and came in.

Hearing this, Ye Yaodong laughed and said, "Sure, we can all go together next year to see the fun. At your age, you definitely haven't seen it either. Anyway, taking the boat over won't be bumpy, and you won't have to walk much."

Lin Lin Xiuqing also said, "Upstairs you don't have to squeeze in with the crowds, it's not bad. Go a bit earlier, and the road won't be crowded either."

"Sigh, at my age, what kind of fun would I be joining in with you young folks? If anything happened, I'd just be a burden. No, no, I'll just stay home and watch the house."

"Then we'll talk about it next year."

Talking too much about it now is useless, it's still early.

"Are you hungry? I'll boil a few soft-boiled eggs for you—coming back at this hour, you must be starving."

"Yes, yes..."

"Eat what? Their mouths haven't stopped the whole way here, how could they possibly be hungry? No matter how much there is, it's not enough for them to eat—is there anything they won't eat?"

Ye Yaodong gave each of them a pat on the head, and the two, taking the hint, hurried upstairs to sleep.

The old lady chuckled. "Well if they're not hungry, you two must be. I'll boil a few for you."

"All right."

Ye Yaodong agreed very readily.

Lin Lin Xiuqing couldn't help laughing. "So you just wanted to eat it all yourself."

"I was worried they'd eaten too much and wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Eating eggs so late at night also easily causes indigestion—they didn't eat little tonight either. I'm the one who's really hungry, just watching them eat."

She stopped teasing him and turned to ask the old lady, "Where's Little Nine?"

"She was taken to the old house to sleep. She played happily with Little Jade tonight, and the two of them both went to the old house with your mother to sleep."

"That's pretty good, both of them actually agreed, and they didn't even look for their mother."

"One has company, the other is used to sleeping here and there, doesn't need to sleep with her own mother and still agrees."

Ye Yaodong said, "Ye Ye Huimei can't look after her anyway, so it's just right for my mother to take her. She's idle anyway."

"She's a good one, goes with anyone."

They chatted and laughed idly, and after the old lady finished boiling the eggs and they ate, the husband and wife went back to their room to sleep.

Early the next morning, it was also time for school. Early in the morning, just as the sky was getting light, the doorway was filled with chattering voices.

Lin Lin Xiuqing also got up early to bustle about getting the two children their new clothes worn during New Year, and got them new schoolbags and new stationery.

Before school started, some things couldn't be given to them, because once given, they'd take them out and come back filthy.

But today the two of them weren't that interested in their new schoolbags and stationery — they took one look and immediately ran off to chat with the others.

They'd been holding it in all night — the urge to share was just too strong.

Even when called in for breakfast, they had to carry their bowls outside to eat.

Luckily Lin Lin Xiuqing noticed and forbade them from eating without manners.

"Dad eats with his bowl at the door every day…"

"My grandpa does too…"

"They are them, you are you. Which child behaves so poorly, carrying a bowl to eat at the door?"

Ye Chenghu muttered, "Adults can do it, but kids can't… you adults aren't exactly proper yourselves…"

"Do you want a whipping on your first day of school?"

"Always threatening me…"

The moment Ye Chenghu caught his mother's gaze, he fell silent at once, shrank his neck, ate obediently, and dared not talk back anymore.

After gobbling down their food, they grabbed their schoolbags and immediately ran outside — eating was like going into battle.

Outside, a whole bunch of little kids were already waiting to hear their stories. In this village, each of them already had their own fixed group of little fans.

Ye Yaodong slept until he woke naturally before getting up. He'd set the seventeenth of the lunar calendar for going out to sea — that's tomorrow morning — so today he had to prepare all the things for the trip.

Their home was fully stocked with everything — food, drinks, supplies — they just needed to pack it up. They'd already done a rough packing a few days ago; now they only needed to prepare the food.

This trip, they'd come back early by month's end or the beginning of next month, so they didn't need to prepare too much.

He started bustling about right after breakfast, piling everything in the yard first — one pile for what to take onto Dongsheng, another pile for Ocean-Going No. 1.

As for the fresh-fish collection boat, there wasn't much to prepare. That boat collected goods on a same-day round trip; other things couldn't be short, but food and drinks didn't need much preparation.

He'd already decided: this trip, he'd let his dad run the fresh-fish collection boat, just shuttling goods back and forth for A-Cai to collect. A-Cai had already gone to the city ahead of time to busy himself with preparations.

As for Ocean-Going No. 1, he'd take a few old sailors himself — they wouldn't be gone long anyway.

Father Ye now went along with all his arrangements.

In the morning he got everything arranged; in the afternoon he, his dad, and Old Chen Qi each drove a boat to refuel and load up on ice. After coming back, he had the workers help carry the supplies for all the boats onto the vessels.

It wasn't just them — the workers on the other boats were all in motion today too.

The village, which had been leisurely and quiet, instantly became busy.

Young and middle-aged men were bustling back and forth in the village doing prep work, and cart after cart rolled by — either common tools or fishing nets — all of which had to be transported onto the boats.

The village elders sat at the door sunning themselves, and seeing all the bustle couldn't help but mutter a "Amitabha."

The old lady too, prayer beads in hand, kept rolling them as she chanted sutras, then followed Ye Yaodong in and out.

Ye Yaodong was currently arranging for the workers to move the baskets, hand nets, and some common tools in batches, having them hauled to the dock and then loaded onto the boats.

Fortunately, they still had two workshops, both quite sizable. The supplies for several boats were no small amount, and they needed a place for them — just the fishing nets alone were several hundred meters long, one huge sheet.

"Dongzi… going out to sea you have to be careful. Before setting off, you must go pay respects to Goddess Mazu."

"I know. Before setting off I'll go to Tianhou Temple to pay respects and burn incense. A few days ago I also invited a small statue of Goddess Mazu onto the boat — we'll burn incense and pay respects to her every day."

"Come back early, don't stay out too long."

"I know. Stop following me around — we're moving cargo. If you keep tagging along, someone's going to bump into you in a bit."

While Ye Yaodong was directing the moving, he didn't forget to answer her distractedly.

Seeing her trailing along, he found her in the way — one careless moment and she'd get bumped. He simply helped her to the side, found her a stool, pressed her down to sit, and told her not to move anymore.

"Just sit here and listen, don't follow me anymore."

"Oh, alright. Amitabha…"

Ye Yaodong's head swelled when he heard that Buddha's name — not because he was reading it the wrong way, because in their dialect "Amitabha" really does carry the meaning of "serves you right."

He simply turned his head away — out of sight, out of mind.

At this moment Aguang finished his work and came over. "Still not done moving?"

"There are quite a few boats — the quantity for each one has to be distributed properly. Once the last bit is loaded onto the boats, it'll be done. You finished your work?"

"Yeah, all done. We can leave at dawn."

"Then I'll still need you all to help keep an eye on Dongsheng."

"What's the big deal? All the boats are our own people. This year there are two more boats — when the time comes, they'll definitely all help you keep an eye on things."

A-Zheng's Zhengxing, that little Shengli, Ye Ye Yaopeng and Ye Ye Yaohua's Shunfeng, Zhou Da's Man Cang, then Fengshou, plus his Dongsheng.

Tomorrow six boats go out together. When the time comes, the fresh-fish collection boat will dock directly with these six boats — that'll be awesome.

Go and come back the same day, haul in a big haul — the valuable and the not-so-valuable, bring it all back.

He'd also arranged it: Wang Wang Guangliang and the others in the city didn't need to collect goods anymore. Once their own fresh-fish collection boat docked, he'd bring people over to unload and deliver to the factory in the city.

This was already half a complete chain — they didn't need to advance money to collect goods anymore, saving a lot of trouble and money.

Other goods could also be sold directly to A-Cai, letting A-Cai arrange people to sell them. He saved the trouble of staying in the city to sell goods himself, and could also do A-Cai a favor by letting him earn the price difference.

Once the fish-canning factory with Hong Hong Wenle got up and running, some of the miscellaneous catches could also be sent to the fish-canning factory.

Of these six boats, only the Zhou brothers' boat didn't have his share — the other five all had his stake, which was equivalent to them all earning money for him…

Just thinking about it felt pretty great.

"Isn't your homestead plot starting construction tomorrow? You're leaving early tomorrow morning — are you letting Ye Ye Huimei handle it?"

"Yeah, everyone's setting off tomorrow, so I can only go along too. Luckily I've already arranged everything in advance, and the workers are all lined up. I've also asked our mom to help look after the kids, so Ye Ye Huimei can free up some time."

"Mm, that works. Anyway, the workers are doing the job — you tell your dad to check in on it more often."

"Got it. Just right that my dad doesn't need to go out to sea anymore — he can stay home and enjoy life, collect goods, hold the baby. I've also handed the construction-site supervision to him."

Aguang thought for a moment, then said quietly: "My dad asked me to go with him to town a couple days ago. He deposited a small portion of the money at the bank — I don't know who told him about it. Is putting money in the bank reliable?"

Ye Yaodong was surprised for a moment — that was pretty efficient?

"Your father-in-law arranged it for him."

"Your dad?"

"Our dad. My mother is worried that if you and your dad both go far away in the second half of the year, it will definitely be inconvenient to carry the money, and by then it will all end up in the widow's hands..."

Ye Yaodong explained a bit.

Ah Guang raised his thumb. "The main thing is that the bank must be reliable; the money must be withdrawable, otherwise it will be lost."

"You shouldn't deposit for too long either. You can have your dad withdraw it when he returns from his trip, then deposit it again when he leaves. Short-term deposits and withdrawals are safer and can still earn some interest."

"That's true, but he already went to deposit it a couple of days ago. Let it be then. Anyway, he only deposited a small portion at first, saying he'd test if it's reliable. If it is, he'll deposit the rest before leaving."

"That's how it should be."

"Anyway, I also applied for a loan of twenty thousand. If I can't withdraw it, just consider it offset."

That can't be offset, brother...

Bank deposits and withdrawals must have transaction records, and one is at the post and telegraph bureau in the town, while the other is a loan from a state-owned bank in the city...

But he didn't explain; anyway, Ah Guang was just speaking casually.

"I heard your loan hasn't been approved yet?"

"Yes, today is only the sixteenth. With the New Year holidays lasting so many days, it would be good enough if there's a result by the end of the month."

"Then just wait patiently. Anyway, there's no rush for the money. Your top priority now is waiting for your house to be built in two months. Once the whole family of five moves in, it will be considered a formal division of the household. Then you can close your doors and live your own small life. How comfortable."

"That's what I think too. Once we move, it will naturally count as a division of the household. Anyway, there's nothing much to divide. As for the rest, my dad can handle the division later."

"On the day you move, I'll give Miss Ye Huimei three-tenths of the shares in the Fengshou Hao."

"Let's talk about it later. No rush."

Of course, their new home's location was also chosen nearby. Now, this whole area by their beach is called a feng shui treasure land. Anyone wanting to build a house chooses this area first.

And in these past two years, as more and more households settled around them, it became lively, feeling a bit like a new village.

Although there's no rush, he still had to mention it.

Otherwise, he only mentioned it once before the New Year, and said nothing since then, which wouldn't be good. It was planned anyway; saying it again would let them know for sure.

If he didn't mention it at all, people might think he changed his mind again.

After everyone loaded everything onto the tractor, Ye Yaodong stopped chatting with him, climbed onto the tractor, went to the pier to board the ship, and then directed people on where to move each item.

After working hard all afternoon, he finally sighed in relief only after checking that all the ships were fine.

The workshop was currently weighing fresh fish. Ah Cai had been promoted and gone to the city, so he had given the job of receiving goods to Ah Gui in advance.

Receiving goods in the city couldn't be done by him alone, so he called a few brothers and nephews to help. He wasn't greedy for the work in this village anymore; he had earned quite a bit over the past two years, and now it was time for others to earn.

After finishing his work, Ye Yaodong returned to the workshop to stroll around and watch them weigh the fish.

Lin Lin Xiuqing brewed a cup of tea in an enamel mug for him, brought it over, and handed it to him.

"You've been busy all afternoon. Have some tea and rest."

"It's my wife who's so considerate, knowing I've been coming and going all afternoon, tired and thirsty."

Lin Lin Xiuqing glanced around shyly, then gave him a reproachful look.

The couple's exchanging of glances was seen by others, and some workers teased.

"Oh my, if I could talk as well as Brother Dong, how could I fail to find a wife..."

"Exactly..."

"Dongqing is right here, a living person. Don't you know to show more attentiveness and seize the opportunity?"

Pei Dongqing smiled with an awkward expression.

"Sigh, it would be better if Sister-in-law found a few more Misses to work here. I heard that young Ah Liang has already started dating that Huang Mei."

Ye Yaodong's eyes widened!

That Huang Mei? After the New Year... oh, she's eighteen too. That's fine then.

He had been thinking she was a minor; last year she was a minor, looking very immature.

Who knew that in just half a year, Wang Wang Guangliang had won her over. That beast.

"Not bad. Internal consumption of resources. Fat water doesn't flow into outsiders' fields. Good. When will you hold the wedding banquet? I just heard about it."

"Haha, I heard they just started dating. It's still too early."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and said, "Then I guess I did a good deed and played matchmaker once? Did they take a liking to each other?"

"Isn't that right? Sister-in-law has performed a meritorious deed. Do you think you should recruit a few more young Misses?"

"Can young Misses carry and lift things all day like you? If it's for cleaning fish, the aunties and big sisters next door have much better knife skills than young Misses."

"Hehe, just recruit a few to replace them..."

"You could speak a bit louder. In a moment, the big sisters will come over with their knives."

"Ah, pretend I didn't say anything."

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "Have you heard the saying, 'The mother-in-law likes her son-in-law more and more the more she sees him'? You can just go show attentiveness to the aunties and big sisters. If they don't have suitable daughters, there will be nieces, relatives, or neighbors."

"Then let's forget it. We can't show attentiveness. When we walk up to the aunties and big sisters, we feel like little chicks, completely naked, which is strange."

He laughed heartily. Indeed, the aunties and big sisters do look at these young men quite nakedly.

When people gather in front of them, they can be looked at from head to toe, then discussed a bit. Which young girl is easier to deal with?

He smiled and said to Lin Lin Xiuqing, "Isn't there still work for cleaning or drying? See if you can recruit two young ones. You won't have to do it yourself; just move your lips. Don't tire yourself out. Just come over for a patrol every day."

"Two isn't enough..."

"I'm recruiting workers. Do you think I'm finding wives for you?"

"Hehe..."

"Then I need to calculate. You've already recruited more than ten boatmen for the big ships this year. There isn't work here every day. Plus, with them helping to carry and lift, we actually don't need many people."

"Then take a look. Having a few more young and pretty ones will make them work harder and compete to show off."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and nodded. "Makes sense."

Ye Yaodong laughed again and said to them, "I thought you were already legends in your own village—how come you still can't find wives?"

An older one said with a smile, "We just want to find someone better. The ones in the village don't catch our eye."

"Oh, Brother Dong, you're the real legend of the village. The only legend around these parts is you."

"Cut the flattery and get back to work."

"Alright…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and felt the enamel cup in Ye Yaodong's hand, testing the temperature. "Finished drinking? Want me to add some more hot water?"

"Then add a little more. Tea still quenches the thirst best."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong sat with his legs crossed, resting while watching the workers carry goods and weigh them.

Actually, he had also noticed Ye Dongqing sneaking glances at him from time to time, but he just pretended not to see.

This Miss's marriage was now a tricky problem.

He knew he was outstanding.

Tall and proper-looking, good with words, able to make people happy, and most importantly, great at making money—and her boss to boot.

Money is a man's greatest charm.

Besides, everyone could see how good he was to his wife; everyone knew he doted on her.

Not to mention unmarried young girls—even married women had to steal a few extra glances at him, envying Lin Lin Xiuqing, wishing they had met him before they were married.

He wasn't stupid either; he could roughly sense it. But he just acted like he didn't know and chatted normally.

Originally, he wasn't home much, nor did he hang around the workshop much. When he came over, he basically just made a round and then went to find his wife.

Every young girl has a heart that admires the strong—especially one who is capable, earns money, and has some breadth of experience, like Dongqing. Her family isn't poor either, so if she's looking, she'd definitely lean toward finding someone stronger than herself.

Or at least someone who has to be stronger than the average person in some way—either good-looking, good family background, good at making money, or good character. Otherwise, why would she pick him?

So that was probably why, after all this time, Dongqing still hadn't taken a liking to any of the young men in the workshop.

And he had every one of those qualities. Out of that admiration-for-the-strong psychology, it was perfectly normal for her to develop a little crush or secret admiration.

Anyway, it didn't bother him. Let her have her secret crush. When she met someone a bit outstanding, she'd naturally shift her target and get married in due course.

After all, he himself had married early, and she never used to sneak peeks at him before.

Sigh, he could only blame himself for being too outstanding now…

Those older girls and young wives all liked sneaking peeks at him. Even the aunties next door had to steal a few extra glances, smiling sweetly—but that was the look of gazing at the God of Wealth.

When Lin Lin Xiuqing came back with freshly brewed tea, he smiled again and pulled her into conversation.

Letting everyone know they were a harmonious and loving couple could also give Lin Lin Xiuqing a greater sense of security and happiness.

He figured women should all like to show off a little.

He also mentioned in passing, "You really do need to find two more people to help share the workload. It'd be best if Dongqing gets married and can keep working here. But if she marries far away like her sister Yingqiu, into the city, that's hard to say."

"Anyway, find two more people to help share the load. Don't sun-dry and receive goods yourself anymore. You just need to come over, inspect, handle the accounts, and make decisions when there are questions."

"It's only a few dozen extra yuan in wages a month, but getting tanned isn't worth it. My wife is already pretty—nurture her a bit and she'll be even better-looking."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and swatted him, glancing around a little embarrassed.

"Save the compliments for home. Don't say that stuff outside—it's so embarrassing if people overhear. We're an old married couple already."

"What's there to be embarrassed about? I'm praising you. Besides, you have to raise three kids. Ye Chenghu is always getting on people's nerves, and Ye Xiaojiu is so mischievous—how hard that is! Hire people when you can. I make money so that you can live a good life."

"Besides, I'll think about it later. Just because those workers say something doesn't mean we actually recruit young, pretty ones. This place is for working."

"Of course it's for working. We definitely can't listen to them. I was thinking of getting someone to share your load—how old to recruit is up to you. I never told you to find young ones."

"Mm, I'll take a look later. Hiring young ones, I'd worry their minds would be restless."

"Then I'll head home. I'll leave this place to you."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong walked along sipping tea from his enamel mug, one hand clasped behind his back, just like an old cadre.

He didn't go straight home either, but took a stroll around, watching the aunties gutting fish, listening to them greet him, and only then nodding with a smile.

Meanwhile, Ye Ye Xiaoxi was weaving through those aunties.

"Granny, you've worked so hard…"

"Not at all, not at all…"

"Granny, let me treat you to some candy…"

"Granny, are you tired…"

"Granny, you're amazing…"

Ye Yaodong watched her flit through those old aunties like a butterfly, capturing their hearts.

Every one of them was grinning from ear to ear.

"This child is really a darling, really knows how to talk…"

"Isn't she though? Every day she comes over calling you Granny, Granny, saying you've worked hard—such sweet words, just listening to it makes you love her…"

"Ah Qing is really blessed—three kids, each one more lovable than the last."

"This child is raised like a little boy attendant at Guanyin's feet, that chubby little face—just so lovable…"