Chapter 1463: A Different Kind of Filial Piety

Ye Yaodong grinned at them. "Bring them, why wouldn't I? It's on the way. Chenghe can swing by and see his girl—if he's gone too long, she'll run off with someone else. What then?"

Ye Chenghe's face changed. "Nonsense. How could she possibly run off with someone else?"

"Hard to say."

"Then I'll go home once a month from now on!"

Ye Ye Chengjiang: "!!!"

Ye Yaodong looked at the two of them and laughed heartily.

"No way! That's not fair—if you go home every month, won't it all fall on me?" Ye Ye Chengjiang wasn't stupid.

"Didn't you just say we're blood brothers, grew up sharing the same pair of pants? What's the difference if one does a bit more and the other a bit less?"

"Is that a bit?"

"You said it!"

"I said a bit! Skipping out for half a month every month—definitely not okay!" Ye Ye Chengjiang protested, neck stiff.

"Then how about once you find a girl, I'll take on a bit more?"

"And what if I never find one?"

"Then serves you right—stay a bachelor and work yourself to the bone!"

"You f***ing Ye Chenghe—you're the one who'll stay a bachelor and work himself to the bone!"

"So you were just stringing me along! That's what Third Uncle always calls drawing a big pie..."

The boat of friendship capsizes at a word.

The two brothers craned their necks and shouted at each other, arguing back and forth, each trying to outdo the other in volume.

Ye Yaodong simply walked off, leaving them to their winner and loser—clearly neither could convince the other, so it'd come down to fists.

In heavy rain, everyone's miserable—everything's damp and soggy. Nobody's in the mood to admire any misty Jiangnan scenery. Only when living standards are high, when food and clothing are no longer worries, do people have the leisure to enjoy the view.

Luckily, the houses here were all newly built—no worry of leaks, especially the first floor, even less to worry about.

Everyone's gotten used to living here now; going back home would probably feel strange.

With nowhere to go and no entertainment, they inevitably gathered again to gamble and play cards.

Early in the morning, every few houses had a crowd gathered, and those with bad luck would hop between a few houses to change their fortune.

Ye Yaodong walked a round—everywhere was wreathed in smoke. After a few hands, he went back upstairs to lie down. This kind of weather was perfect for sleeping—not hot, not cold, with rain falling.

When his father came back, he told him to catch Lin Ji's cargo ship on the 16th of the month, and reminded his father to cover his shift then.

"Don't just look out for your own side money and ignore my work."

"I won't, definitely won't. Wasn't I pretty good last time?"

"Last time you just started, so of course your focus was on getting my affairs in order first. Now that you've tasted the sweetness, haven't you?"

"I definitely won't. I'll definitely get your things done first. When I have free time, I'll take the tractor out to earn."

"Don't need to be that diligent. Anyway, your mother knows roughly how much you earn in a day. Even if you earn, it's not yours—you have to hand it over. You won't keep much."

Ye Fu frowned, then said firmly: "How much I give is up to me, isn't it? When we get back, I'll give whatever I feel like giving."

"Fine, plenty of spine. But don't hold up my work. If you hold up my work, don't even think about hiding your private stash—I'll spill every cent you've got stashed in the bank."

"You little brat—is that how you threaten your father?"

"Because yesterday's performance made me not trust you at all. I keep feeling you're about the same as Ye Chenghe—not reliable."

"Nonsense."

Ye Yaodong said seriously: "Anyway, remember—don't hold up my cargo."

"Got it, so naggy. If you're that worried, then don't go back."

"I still have to go back and see my wife and kids. The workshop and the factory at home also need managing, need watching. Not every month, but at least every two or three months I should go back and check."

Ye Fu was already flipping through the calendar. Seeing the 18th was the Dragon Boat Festival, he too began itching to go home for the holiday.

Ye Yaodong saw it too. "When I come back, I'll have mom wrap more zongzi and bring them up for you."

"Good, bring plenty. They won't spoil in a few days anyway—just reheat and they can be a meal. When you're out driving the tractor, you won't have to make a special trip back to eat."

"You're really something, huh."

"Making money needs..."

"I bet you can work till you're ninety."

Ye Fu immediately shut his mouth.

Before, he always said he could work till eighty; now it's become ninety.

Scary—he was about to say making money needs enthusiasm.

"Take good care of your health, aim to work a few more years. Once Ajiang and Chenghe are trained up, there's still Chenghu and Yangyang, the two brothers—I'll hand them all over to you then too."

"Huh? Then... then how long would that take?"

"Soon. Wait ten years, work ten years, and it'll be about right. Counting it up, you still won't even be eighty by then? Letting you enjoy life."

Ye Fu glared, mustache bristling, cursing under his breath. "That's enjoying life? Not working till eighty is enjoying life?"

"Stop nagging, hurry up and shut the chickens and ducks in the coop. That whole bunch is crammed in the corner under the eaves—it's almost dark. Tally the chickens and ducks before we eat. Let's go."

Ye Fu followed behind him, cursing. "So much fuss over nothing—had to bring so many chickens and ducks up here to raise..."

"You don't say that when you're eating them."

"I haven't even gotten any meat either."

This time, it was Ye Yaodong who had no comeback.

Seems... that was indeed the case.

"Then once they're grown, I'll give you a big chicken leg."

"As if I care?"

"That's right, actually chicken feet, chicken heads, and chicken butts are the best. Chicken feet taste fragrant, eating chicken heads makes you wake up early, and eating chicken butts beautifies and nourishes the complexion."

"If they're so good, why don't you eat them?"

"Your mother loves you, so she gave them all to you."

If it weren't raining, Ye Fu would have wanted to take off his shoe sole and give him a beating—wasn't that a shameful thing to say?

Ye Fu went downstairs and saw the little chicks and ducklings shivering in the corner, so he quickly shut them into a cage and carried the cage to the warehouse.

Those two cages were still ones he'd carved out time to chop bamboo for and weave together. For the sake of a bite to eat, he really wore himself out as a father.

"You won't be back in half a month, and the newspaper still hasn't been mailed up. It won't arrive at your home only after you've already gotten there, will it?"

"That's what I was thinking too. It wouldn't be that much of a coincidence, would it?"

"No worries, if it arrives I'll open it."

"How many characters do you recognize now?"

Ye Fu looked a bit awkward. "These past two days I've been too busy. Starting tomorrow I'll make it up and keep learning characters."

"You see, if you can't recognize characters, you can't even read the newspaper, you don't even know how glorious your son is—what a pity."

"I'll keep learning characters starting tomorrow."

Ye Fu at this moment truly longed to become a cultured person, to be able to recognize characters and read the newspaper.

"Dad, just think—when you're old and retired, sitting in the reclining chair at the front door, wearing reading glasses, holding a newspaper, shaking it as you read, with a pot of hot tea beside you. How nice would that be?"

Ye Fu, persuaded by him, also nodded with a bit of longing.

"Everyone passing by would have to take a second look at you and exchange a few words of greeting."

"Hehe, hurry up and eat, you talk too much."

"This is also the life in my old age that I long for."

"Third Uncle, I'm full, I'm full, I'm stuffed, stop drawing." Ye Ye Chengjiang said with a grin.

"What the hell do you know? Did we win or not? Who won this afternoon?"

Ye Chenghe straightened his back. "Of course I won…"

"It was clearly a tie."

"We agreed—if anyone isn't there, then there's no money to split. We work together, so we split the money together!"

Ye Fu was curious. "What did you guys do? Get into a fight?"

Ye Yaodong told the story of what happened that afternoon.

Ye Chenghe also said: "Third Uncle, I'll go back with you when the time comes. During this period I've earned over 100 yuan. If I work another half month, I can earn another 100-plus. For the remaining half month when I'm not here, let Ajiang work alone and give it all to him. Fair."

"As long as you've discussed it yourselves, it's fine. After all, it's your own partnership."

Ye Ye Chengjiang snorted through his nose. "If it's not fair, then we split up!"

Ye Fu glared at the two of them. "You've only just started working and you're already thinking about splitting up. Just like Zhu Bajie, what could you two possibly accomplish?"

"Zhu Bajie also made it to the Western Heaven."

"Only that mouth of yours can argue."

After speaking, Ye Fu's heart stirred again. "Hey? Dongzi, your family has a color TV now. Bring that black-and-white TV from home and set it up in the room here, alright?"

"That way when we come back at night we can watch TV dramas too? We won't be bored. Anyway, that black-and-white TV just sits at home doing nothing. If a TV isn't turned on and watched, it breaks from sitting there."

"That's true. I originally told Fatty to let him set one up in the canteen. He said once he's worked for two months and earned some money, he'll just install a color TV directly."

"That's even better. One in the canteen to watch during the day, one in the room to lie down and watch before bed. How comfortable."

The two of them, Ye Ye Chengjiang and Ye Chenghe, kept nodding. "That's good, that's good. We'll go to your room to watch when the time comes."

Ye Yaodong glanced at them and ignored the two.

Not long after he set the date to go back, everyone at the camp also knew. The cargo ship route to Lin Ji had opened up, and on the 16th it could go directly to the town's dock. Ye Yaodong was also going back on that day.

Everyone suddenly became restless, all chatting with one another.

By the middle of the month it would be the Dragon Boat Festival. They had come out after the Lantern Festival, so it added up to about three and a half months.

To say they didn't want to go back would definitely be a lie, but they were working for someone, hired on a year-round fixed basis, so they definitely had to follow arrangements.

Whatever the boss arranged, that's what they did.

Ye Yaodong only planned to bring two back as usual. The rest would continue going out to sea as usual—one day not going meant a day's loss. He definitely couldn't support such a large group of people for free.

However, the workers had no freedom, but the boat captains did.

As soon as Ye Yaodong's friends heard he was going back in the middle of the month, they all came over one after another saying they wanted to go back with him too.

"The number of people on your boats is arranged just right, not one extra. If you leave, and the boat is short one person, what do we do? Aguang is fine, he has his father as a spare, and his father can take his shift."

Old Pei came up to collect the rent on his several boats, so he would occasionally fill in for Aguang. Father and son could also take turns resting.

Even though the others had brought their fathers and brothers along, the numbers were just right—there was no one extra called in.

A Zheng said: "I discussed it with my father. Everyone make do for half a month first. We might not even need to stay on the sea for half a month—who can say for sure about the weather."

"Let the others work a bit harder for now. I plan to go home and call one more worker up. When the time comes, everyone can take turns. Laozi doesn't have to work so hard on the sea every day. Like you, how nice—you don't even have to go out to sea now, with so many boats there are people helping you run them."

This was what Aguang said.

One after another they wanted to go back so badly. It seemed they'd worked more than enough, and they all wanted to learn from him—go back, find more people to take shifts, and have more leisure themselves.

They'd all earned money, and with his leisurely lifestyle as a foil, none of them much wanted to miserably stay on the sea anymore.

"I'm jealous. You earn so much money and can still be so leisurely, go home whenever you want, don't have to work. Damn, how can your life be so good?" Xiao Xiao cursed.

"When I was working myself to death, you guys didn't see it. You only saw me making money and lying around at home. What's called 'bitter first, sweet after'? That's exactly what I am."

"It's stopped raining. Treat us to a massage tonight. Damn, you got all the pleasure."

"Tired of living? Dare to ask Yang Yang Dajiu to take you for a massage?"

"If you don't treat me, I'll go home and tell sister-in-law."

"You son of a bitch…"

Hearing Xiao Xiao said, "You could even bring your dad, so why can't you bring us?"

Ye Father quickly denied it. "I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

A Zheng leaned close to Ye Father and sniffed him, then said with a giggle, "Uncle, every night when you come back, you're the one who smells the nicest."

"Hehe, we never smelled it on Dongzi, but we smelled it on you. Looks like you go even more often than Dongzi!"

Ye Father's face flushed the color of pork liver. Luckily he was dark-skinned to begin with, so it wasn't obvious unless one looked closely, but his expression made it clear he was extremely embarrassed.

"When have I gone recently? I've been busy taking my grandson around on the tractor. I only went a few times last month when he wasn't home, and that was just to cover for him at social events!"

"Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say!"

Hearing Xiao Xiao said, "Dongzi, stop dragging your dad out to social events. Let him rest. I'll go in his place…"

A Zheng, with no respect for elders, draped his arm over Ye Father's shoulder. "Uncle, say, Dongzi's making so much money now. Treating the brothers to a massage should be fine, right?"

Ye Father's embarrassment was dispelled by their teasing. He laughed and scolded, "If you want him to treat you, go ask him. Why drag me into it? Go on, go find him, don't bother me."

After saying that, Ye Father shrugged his shoulder, shook off A Zheng's hand, and quickly slipped away on his own.

A few more jokes and he wouldn't be able to take it.

The key was, if people overheard, his reputation in his later years would be ruined.

Ye Yaodong was still sitting with his legs crossed.

It's all his dad's fault for giving them a clue!

Look how cautious he usually is—when he comes back, he always draws water and washes up alone first.

"Only you father and son know how to enjoy yourselves, going together like partners in crime, and you won't take the brothers along!"

"What's this 'partners in crime'? Do you even know how to talk?" Ye Yaodong glared over.

"Then it's two good buddies, arm in arm going to enjoy themselves together—father and son become comrades in arms."

"We're working ourselves to death, struggling so hard, can you bear it?"

"It's just that we're stuck out at sea every day. Either we don't have time, or you're not around. Otherwise we'd have asked you to treat us ages ago."

The few of them chattered away, each throwing in their two cents.

Ye Yaodong waved his hand grandly. "Go, go, go. Tonight. Strike while the iron is hot!"

"Call Fatty too. Can't leave him out of something this good."

"That dead Fatty, who knows where he's disappeared to. Busier than you, even. You at least show your face every day, but him—we haven't even seen a ghost of him."

Ye Yaodong chimed in, "Right? Dead Fatty's busier than me. I don't see him all day. Damn, he's got it made. I still have to work, but he doesn't. He's really become the boss."

"What's he doing?"

"He can't be sneaking off there alone every day, can he? That dead Fatty…"

"Who knows? Forget him. One less person means I spend less money."

The four of them agreed instantly and left on the spot. They'd just finished dinner anyway.

After they enjoyed themselves for a round, they realized what kind of miserable life they'd been living before.

"Damn, something this good and you never once invited us. Are we still brothers or not?"

"No wonder those people at the camp always go out arm in arm at night. Turns out there's vegetarian stuff to eat too. I thought they were going out for meat."

"I thought so too. During breaks, my dad watched me every day, telling me not to learn from those people."

"Dongzi! You're the smart one, taking your dad straight there! That way no one can control you, right?"

"You're the clever one!"

"Next time I'll bring my dad too. Let's see if he still nags me and watches over me every day!"

"Your dad's already had the good stuff. There's no reason I shouldn't be filial to my dad too."

"That way when you go out, he won't nag you, and he can go with you, right? Hahahaha…"

Ye Yaodong listened to their talk and found it a bit funny. "Who the hell specifically brings their dad to a place like this? I was accompanying the boss to social events, that's why I got brought here. My dad last year was also running around with me everywhere, and then got dragged along by those bosses. He didn't go willingly either."

"Not willingly? I saw your dad come back humming a tune once, looking pretty pleased. I was thinking, at his age, that's quite something."

"I was thinking you were being so filial to your dad."

"Turns out it was just vegetarian food."

"He should be very willing now, right? Hahaha…"

"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry back and sleep. We're going out to sea tomorrow."

"Who said we're going out to sea tomorrow?"

"The wind and waves died down during the day, and it even stopped raining at night. Aren't you going to hurry out to sea? You've rested for several days already. Not making money anymore?"

During these days they hadn't gone out to sea, no one had been idle. Every day they went outside the dock to check the wind and waves.

They couldn't just rely on the weather forecast on the radio—that wasn't always accurate. They still had to go check in person.

Keeping a constant eye on it, from the afternoon onward, more and more people were heading out to sea, so of course they had to follow suit.

"Then we'll go out to sea tomorrow. When the time comes, we'll take your fresh-catch boat back a day early?"

"No problem with that. The rest, you guys figure it out yourselves."

"Help us talk to A Shang. Cover the boat fare for us first. We're not familiar with him. You know him better, and besides, day in and day out, we've never even run into each other."

"Okay."

It was all just a small favor, easy enough.

Ye Yaodong figured they were all planning to go back and hire one more person to come up and take over their work, so they'd have more free time.

He thought that once they came up from home, he'd tell them about the trip to Modu next month. More people would make it livelier, and they could look out for each other.

Everyone was positive and motivated now, improving together. That was good. When it came to going out to broaden their horizons, they still needed to get out and see more.

Anyway, looking at them, they'd probably just be idle anyway. If they knew he was going to Modu, they'd definitely be clamoring to come along. So he might as well bring it up himself.

He also had to call his eldest brother and Ye Ye Erge. Both were too honest, only knowing how to work hard with their heads down. Every day they felt they'd already made plenty, that making this much was enough. Both were content at heart.

He had to take them to go have a look.

Besides, if they could buy land, he'd have to urge them to buy a piece too, so they'd truly be free from worries about food and clothing in the future.

His strides were a bit too long now, and no one could keep up, but if he happened to bump into someone along the way, he'd bring them along too.

Whether they listened or not was up to them.

But even if they didn't buy anything, just going to see the Jiangnan Shipyard would be enough to broaden their horizons.

It was still early now, so there was no need to say it this early. Once Lin Ji came up from home and opened the route to Modu, it wouldn't be too late for him to bring it up then.

Otherwise they'd each keep it in mind and keep coming to ask him questions, and by then the news would have spread all over.

The moment Ye Yaodong got home, his father came over looking a little worried.

"Dongzi, even your friends know we go get massages every other day. The whole camp—could it be that everyone knows?"

"So what if they know? It's perfectly normal for them to know, what's the big deal? Don't other people go too? Anyway, people go every day, some for the real thing, some just for show. What are you afraid of?"

The real thing? Just for show?

Ye's father was dumbfounded, and it took him a moment to figure out roughly what it meant.

"I'm not worried it'll get back to your mother, am I?"

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes. "You didn't sneak off to do anything, what are you worried about? What are you scared of? Those who did the sneaking are the ones who need to worry and be afraid. None of them are clean—who'd gossip? Just relax, everyone will keep their mouths shut and look out for each other."

"That's true too. The ones who snuck off are the ones who should be scared. No one's any cleaner than anyone else."

"People will even envy you, having such a filial son who even takes you along."

"Nonsense, people will laugh at me, more like."

"How could that be? A'zheng even said he wants to take his dad along to enjoy it properly. He said his dad suffered half his life for him, and now that he's old, he has to be properly filial to his dad too—whatever's there to enjoy, he has to let his dad enjoy it too. He can't keep it all to himself."

The surprise on Ye's father's face couldn't be hidden no matter how hard he tried, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

This kind of filial piety... was just too unconventional...

"You lot... your brains are all wired differently from normal people's."

"Pfft—"

"When his mother finds out, she'll skin him alive."

"No worries, he's the only son—she won't beat him to death."

After Ye Yaodong finished taking off his clothes, he looked curiously at his father again. "You couldn't have been worrying in your room all night, could you?"

"No, I just saw you come back and asked in passing."

"All the lust, none of the guts. Don't worry, I'll cover for you—I'll just say you were helping me entertain clients, that you only went along to chat."

Ye's father quickly changed the subject. "There's only one week before you go back. Pack up everything you need to bring in advance, so nothing gets left behind."

"Also, there's a batch of goods piled up in the warehouse since New Year's. Bring them back with you while you're at it. It's hot now and it's not convenient to dry things at home, so it's better to bring back the ready stock."

"Whatever the fare works out to, we'll pay them that much. You can't keep taking advantage of them either—you'll still need to keep riding their boat in the future."

Ye Yaodong said irritably, "Do I even need you to tell me that?"

?? Today I'm in Singapore, a bunch of authors took leave! I didn't take leave! (Hands on hips!)

? Next chapter will update around one o'clock.

? (End of chapter)