Chapter 1369: Setting Off

The departure time was finally set.

After he hung up the phone, he told Lin Lin Xiuqing about it, and at dinner he also mentioned it to the whole family.

"On the 16th, come pick me up in the city early in the morning. I'll take the boat to the city in the wee hours."

"Did you ask him for an exact time when he'll come out again?" Father Ye asked.

"I asked. He said he'll go back and rest for about a week to ten days, then haul another truckload of goods out, taking the same route. He'll be stopping along the way to deliver goods, so it'll take two or three days."

When he finished the call, he had already done the math in his head.

On the way up now, if the worldly merchant also stops here and there to sell goods, it'll be about two or three days too.

So the round trip on the road will eat up about five or six days, plus staying up there for ten days—that means this trip to Zhou City will be about half a month in total.

Not too long, and if nothing unexpected happens, the time spent there will be enough.

Everyone figured it out at once.

"So you'll be back in about half a month."

Ye Yaodong nodded. "About that."

"That also lines up nicely with the big ship's next trip back."

"Mm, just do as you see fit. Arrange it whenever you want to head out."

The old lady asked with deep concern: "Is it safe going out with someone else? How long have you known this friend? Is he reliable? How about inviting him over for a meal first?"

"He said he's leaving from the city, so he definitely won't make a special detour to our little county town, little fishing village. If he arrives the morning after tomorrow, I'll treat them to a meal at Fatty's little restaurant."

"Do we have anything to give him as a gift? We still need to trouble him to look after you on the road."

"Whatever we have, he has too. He's surely already bought any local specialties from around here. Feels like we don't really have anything rare or special."

Lin Lin Xiuqing said: "How about I make a basket of mackerel fish balls tomorrow? You give half to him, and bring some for yourself to eat on the way? If you hit a mealtime halfway, with no village ahead and no shop behind, you won't have to eat dry rations—fish balls are better."

"That works. Homemade stuff tastes good, and on the road it can serve as dry rations to stave off hunger. Make a bit more, keep some fresh with ice, and you can keep eating them once you're up there."

The others agreed it was good, and Mother Ye said she'd free her hands tomorrow to help out and make more.

The three kids knew their dad was going out again, but they didn't feel much about it. After all, their dad was rarely home, so they were used to it.

As long as their mom was home, it was fine—dad being home or not didn't matter.

On the contrary, they looked forward even more to their dad going on a long trip, because every time he went far away, he came back with gifts for sure.

Ye Chenghu really wanted his dad to go on a long trip, but right now he didn't dare say a word, nor dared ask for gifts in advance—he'd already gotten chewed out once last time.

Still, his eyes darted around, and he and Ye Ye Chengyang had already synced up, starting to look forward to it.

At night, when the couple lay in bed chatting, Lin Lin Xiuqing was full of worry.

"You've been saying it for so long, I thought it would just fizzle out as you talked. I didn't think it'd be that convenient. When the time comes, you'd definitely have to wait until August or September, then go with the villagers."

"You think I was joking?"

"It's just that I figured it wouldn't be that much of a coincidence."

"Don't worry. I've known the worldly merchant for half a year, I even know where his home is. He's reliable. Going with him might actually feel safer—he drives a big truck back and forth, he's experienced on the road."

"It's only because I know he's in a legitimate business, and you told me his family's well-off, and he has an overseas Chinese uncle, that I can feel at ease letting you go with an outsider. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be comfortable."

"Sincerity for sincerity, don't worry. I only have 5,000 yuan on me, all told. He's been out doing business for so long, his net worth is definitely much fatter than mine. Plus he doesn't know I'm bringing 5,000, doesn't know what I'm going up there to do, doesn't know I'm bringing four people and a gun—he only has two people. If he doesn't think I'm the dangerous one, that's already something."

Lin Lin Xiuqing was amused by him. "The way you put it, he'd kick you off the truck halfway."

"I'm just telling you—you're doubting whether he's reliable, but actually, I might be more dangerous than him. If he flat-out refused to take me along, he'd be even safer."

"Fine, I was worrying for nothing."

"Hurry up and sleep. Tomorrow there's still a whole basket of fish balls waiting for you. If you really can't sleep, then let's tire ourselves out a bit—once you're worn out, you'll sleep just fine."

By the time Ye Yaodong said this, he had already rolled over and pinned her down.

While they were chatting, his hands hadn't been idle either.

The two of them shared one quilt, and his hands could never stay still. Plus, now that Ye Ye Xiaoxi had run off to sleep with the old lady, the two of them had even more freedom—they could do whatever they wanted the moment they agreed, with no hesitation.

Lin Lin Xiuqing gave him a light punch, then half-pushed, half-yielded, and went along with it.

The next morning when she got up, she had Ye Yaodong go buy some mackerel.

This fish wasn't specially kept—they usually sold it early, since it was worth more. The ones kept at home were the cheaper ones.

Since it was meant to be given as a gift, they had to buy better fish.

But besides the mackerel, Ye Yaodong also bought a cheap shark, planning to have her make some shark fish balls too. Shark meat didn't taste great on its own, but ground into fish balls it was still fine.

Sharks were big and had lots of meat—one of forty or fifty jin could make a whole basket. The value was excellent, and having an extra variety to switch things up was good too.

He also asked Aq-ing to make some fish slice soup and fish noodles with the shark meat.

Lin Lin Xiuqing couldn't help but glare at him. "Only you know how to eat—every fancy thing under the sun. Just the fish balls alone are enough to keep me busy."

"Get Mother to help you... actually, no need. Just haul it over to the workshop. There's plenty of manpower there, and a ready-made big pot. Just grab someone to help you stir with muscle, you just season it, and when it's time to bring the pot to a boil, hand-form the balls."

"You want everything done just right, and you've already said it all."

"I'll carry it over for you first, get those aunties to help kill and process it, cut out all the meat, then get someone to mince it into paste. You don't have to lift a finger—just wag your tongue. At the very end, you just step in and form them."

Lin Lin Xiuqing laughed. With his arrangement, it really wasn't tiring—ready-made people to do all the prep work.

She only had to handle the key part, or even less—just season it, wag her tongue, and give orders.

"Only you know how to arrange things."

"This is me loving my wife, can't bear to see you too tired. Hand off the work to others—otherwise, what's the point of keeping so many people around? Use them when you should."

"Mm, check your luggage again in a bit, see if anything's been left behind."

"Besides money, nothing else is essential. With money you can buy anything. If something's left behind, so be it—doesn't matter."

He said it so carefree, so easy. Lin Lin Xiuqing stared at his back and rolled her eyes. If it weren't for the fact that tickets weren't needed these past few years and everything was easy to buy, just imagine how frantic he'd be with money but nothing to buy.

Ye Yaodong carried the fish over and called on a few aunties at the workshop to process the basket first, then separate out the boneless fish meat.

Lin Lin Xiuqing, as usual, only had to do a quick inspection. Once the others had washed and processed all the fish meat clean, he ordered someone to mince it into fish paste.

With someone else even handling the fire-starting, she had a relaxed morning and easily turned out two big baskets of fish balls and fish slice soup — she'd just make some fish noodles in the afternoon.

The kids at home were running in and out all morning, sneaking bites, so by lunchtime they couldn't eat anymore.

Lin Lin Xiuqing saved herself the trouble of cooking — she had no time either. After finishing the fish balls, she still had to immediately move on to making fish noodles.

Lunch was still the old lady's fish ball soup served as a meal. They'd all pretty much eaten their fill anyway; even if she'd cooked rice, they definitely wouldn't have been able to eat it.

Fish noodles for dinner were very popular though — this was the kind of treatment reserved for New Year and festivals, usually only made with that much effort during New Year and festivals.

The old lady cooked a huge pot, and in the end even the soup was gone. She was over the moon — the whole family liked what she cooked, and she was bursting with a sense of accomplishment.

But then she thought about Ye Yaodong leaving on a long trip tomorrow, and her heart felt a little empty. Her happy mood was somewhat dampened while washing the dishes.

"Yaodong, should I hoe up a few more vegetables for you to take along? Out there isn't like home…"

"No need. It's not like I'm driving my own car or boat — I'm hitching a ride on someone else's. How could I make it that much trouble? I'm already bringing plenty of stuff, and I'll have to have them make space for me as it is. Leave the vegetables. If there's any extra room, they can just toss in whatever and sell it along the way."

"Fine, I'm just worried you won't be used to the food out there."

"Well, you can't cook it all and pack it for me to take either."

The old lady sighed and said nothing more.

Ye Yaodong didn't bother with her and went out first.

He had to go remind the hired workers again to make sure they got up at 2 a. m. to head to the dock and take the boat with him. They'd need to get to bed early tonight.

There wasn't much to arrange at home — over meals, everything that needed saying had already been said. His father was still home, and tonight his father would have to drive the boat to take them to the city dock.

So, when 2 a. m. came, he got up briskly, pushed the luggage he'd stacked on the handcart ahead of time down to the dock, and had the workers carry it straight onto the boat.

Lin Lin Xiuqing wanted to get up and see him off, but he wouldn't let her. It wasn't as if he was going for long, and it wasn't his first time traveling — there was no need.

After boarding, Ye Yaodong briefed the workers again — this trip they were going up with a friend from the city.

Su Ren — they'd all met him before anyway.

Taking advantage of the idle time on the boat, he also told everyone the arrangements once they arrived, and gave them a reassurance: by September at the latest, the main group would all be going up too.

It was already mid-May now — just a little over three months until September.

Taking turns supervising the worksite, eating, drinking, having a bit of fun — the time would pass quickly.

He figured that in three months or so, with enough workers, they should be just about done. By the time the main group went up, they could move right in.

The workers all agreed readily. They were all familiar with the place up there by now — going up this time would be a breeze, no challenge at all.

The fishing boat traveled all the way to the city, and by then it was already broad daylight.

He had called the city the night before to arrange for a tractor to come pick them up that morning.

The moment they stepped ashore, their own tractor was already waiting there — couldn't have been more convenient.

Ye Yaodong was mulling over when to buy another truck. Every time he arranged shipping, one tractor simply couldn't fit everything, and he still had to hire an extra truck on top of that. The current business volume was fairly steady.

"Yaodong, I'll go with you too."

"Huh?" He was standing off to the side thinking, watching the workers unload. "Suit yourself, then. Let's go wait at the market together."

"Once you're in the car, I'll come back and drive the boat home."

The old father couldn't rest easy.

"Alright."

Su Ren came to pick them up at the market a little past 8 — it had been set for 8 anyway, right on time.

When Ye Yaodong heard the workers come over to report, he went out immediately.

"Everything ready?" Su Ren asked.

"Been ready for days now. Just been waiting for you to come pick us up."

"Good. Let me see how much stuff there is — I still need to haul another load of kelp. Space will be tight, so you and your workers will have to squeeze in."

"No problem."

He's even bringing kelp — that means he won't have much stock left over either.

Next year will be even more promising!

Ye Yaodong waved the workers over and told them to open both iron gates so the big truck could drive in and load the kelp.

He asked, "Are you planning to sell it on the way back as you go?"

"Yeah, can't waste a chance to make money. On the way back, every time we pass through a town I'll unload a batch. The travel costs are reimbursed anyway — whatever I sell is pure profit."

"That's pretty sweet for you."

"It's alright. Always have to find ways to earn a bit more."

In the time the two were talking, they had already started weighing, and someone had begun keeping count.

"Do you want to move your luggage up front and put it in the back? I'll be selling kelp along the way, so it's easier to load and unload if the kelp is by the door."

"Doesn't matter. Leave a spot by the door outside for stacking — our people can just sit on top of the luggage. Saves a bit of space too."

"That works too."

Ye Yaodong casually pulled him over to look at the basket of fish balls he'd prepared for him, and handed him one to try.

"My wife made these, for you to eat on the road. The bottom half is wrapped in nylon bags with ice inside — it'll keep for several days without spoiling."

"Not bad, pretty tasty. Your wife's got good skills."

"Last-minute notice, no time to prepare more. I was also worried that if I made too much it wouldn't get eaten, and it'd spoil on the road. Next time I go up, I'll bring more — I'll take the boat straight there, no delays on the way."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony — thanks a lot."

"No need to thank me. I'm the one who should be thanking you — riding up with you has saved me a lot of hassle."

"It's on the way anyway, just a small favor."

Ye Yaodong smiled and pulled out two more cigarettes for him. The two of them huddled together, chatting amid the smoke, watching the workers weigh and load.

After most of the kelp was loaded, Ye Yaodong had them leave a small opening near the door for the luggage.

Su Ren settled the bill right away. He told Lin Fu to keep the money and had Huang Mei record it in the accounts.

He had 5,000 on hand, which was enough. Ten tons of cargo was 20,000 jin, and after settling the accounts he still had 3,600. There was no need to carry that much money on him.

There was no need to test people's hearts with money.

After everything was sorted out, he asked the layman again, "All done? Anything else?"

"I asked you, do you have anything else? Everything's good on my end."

"I'm good here too. Everything that needed to be moved has been loaded up. Nothing else to bring."

"Then get on the truck, we're leaving right away."

"Let's eat first, it's already past ten. We can head out after we eat. That little bit of time won't make a difference, and it'll save us from being stuck between villages later with nowhere to eat."

"Sure."

Ye Yaodong led the group to Fatty's restaurant to eat.

After finishing the meal, they returned to the factory.

With nothing left to do and nothing forgotten, Ye Yaodong waved to call the workers onto the truck, then climbed up himself.

The layman did a quick check of the whole truck, and once there were no issues, he got into the passenger seat.

Ye Yaodong waved to his father, and the truck began to reverse.

After backing out of the factory gate, he adjusted direction and got onto the main road.

The five of them sat against the truck wall on a small patch of kelp, with bedding stuffed in burlap sacks beneath them. The whole truck was filled with a strong smell of kelp, though it wasn't unpleasant.

The space wasn't sealed either—only the top had a canvas awning, while the back was half-open, letting them see the wide road outside and the fields and villages along the way.

"Brother Dong, how long will this trip take?"

"Two or three days, probably. We'll stop at towns along the way—we won't be rushing the whole time."

"That's still pretty long."

"Yeah, anyway we're hitching a ride. Just go along with how they drive and do whatever they say. As long as they get us to our destination safely, that's already great."

"Brother Dong, when are you gonna buy a truck like this too? So cool. This thing can haul a lot of cargo."

"Why would I buy such a big truck? It costs tens of thousands. With that kind of money, I'd rather buy a boat. Those guys make their living from road transport, so they need big trucks. I make my money from salvaging at sea—what would I do with a truck like this? Wrong line of work."

"Right, that's true. It just looks cool, that's all."

"That's because you've seen too little. Brother Dong should buy a car instead. Driving a car is the real style these days. I heard the rich folks in the big cities all ride around in cars."

"Well, I still think Brother Dong's motorcycle is pretty stylish and cool too."

"I think the coolest thing was last year, when Brother Dong drove that brand-new boat he bought back—the one that cost over a hundred thousand…"

"Right, right, right! I said it on the boat at the time—way too cool. Our boat was leading the way, with over forty boats following behind. Sailing past like that, it was badass."

Ye Yaodong laughed too. "Hahaha, too bad I couldn't drive it all the way into the village. Most people didn't get to see it, so a lot of the impact was lost. Luckily I took photos at the time—and they were in color."

"We all saw it…"

"We went home and bragged about it…"

"Brother Dong, you could get some extra prints of your photos and stick them up on the village committee's bulletin board!"

"Forget it for now. If I put them up, the wind and rain would ruin them in a few days. When the village committee has the money someday and fixes up the bulletin board properly with glass, I'll pick a corner and contribute some of my photo collection to put up there."

He still had the negatives on hand—whenever he had free time, he could get more prints made.

Everyone chatted and laughed along the way, so it wasn't boring.

But that was only because they'd just set off and still had the mood to chat. After sitting in the truck for a few hours, no one felt like talking anymore and they all started getting drowsy.