Chapter 1470: Putting Yourself in Someone Else's Shoes

Ye Chenghe was not just happy-stupid, he was practically floating on cloud nine.

Ye Yaodong got up early in the morning and went to the door, only to see him crouching in a corner, grinning foolishly, touching his mouth every now and then, then smacking his lips a couple of times...

He walked over curiously, circled the silly kid once, but got no reaction.

When he squatted down and tilted his head to look, he got a huge fright and fell on his backside onto the ground.

"Oh my god, Third Uncle, what are you doing? Scaring people can scare them to death, you know. You suddenly leaned over without making a sound and startled me."

"Where did I not make a sound? I circled you several times and you didn't react at all, so I squatted down to see which silly kid was daydreaming about love over there!"

"I wasn't!"

Ye Chenghe argued with a red face, still crouching there, just shifting a little to the side, getting closer to the corner.

Making room, so Third Uncle could squat down too.

"Are you that happy? It's only been agreed on verbally, the wedding banquet hasn't been held yet, the marriage hasn't taken place, the bridal chamber hasn't been entered, and you're already like this? Can you show a little ambition?"

"How am I unambitious? I can earn 300 yuan a month now. How am I unambitious?"

"Is this a question of how much money you earn? Look at yourself—you've been laughed at by your younger brothers and sisters these past few days, haven't you?"

"What do they know."

Ye Yaodong squatted beside him and nudged him with his elbow. "Did you kiss her?"

Ye Chenghe instinctively bit his lower lip, then shyly bit his upper lip, pressing them back and forth, before saying unconvincingly, "No, don't talk nonsense."

"Not bad, you. A few days ago you were only saying you walked her home, barely holding her hand a few times, and now you're already kissing?"

Ye Chenghe quickly covered his mouth. "Shh, Third Uncle, keep your voice down, you can't talk about this."

"It's fine, you'll be legal soon enough."

"If people hear, I'll say you taught me."

"You unlucky kid, how can you talk nonsense? As an uncle, could I teach you this? It's clearly that you two couldn't help yourselves!"

"It was clearly you who reminded me to kiss!"

Ye Yaodong patted his head. "Nonsense. I was just asking out of curiosity. Where did I remind you? It's clearly you being improper, acting like a hooligan."

Ye Chenghe rubbed his head and resigned himself. "Keep your voice down, Third Uncle."

"You're about to be a man who's getting a wife now. Once you have a wife, you'll be a grown-up, no longer a child. You have to shoulder the family's responsibilities, not just think about playing all day."

Ye Chenghe proudly raised his head and thumped his chest. "Of course. I'll definitely work hard to earn money and support the family."

"A family can't rely on just one person. Both husband and wife have to work hard together and share the family's responsibilities."

"I know, I understand. She's coming to work here in a few days too."

"Working is working, I'm talking about sharing the family's responsibilities. It's not just about going to work and earning money, the household chores have to be shared too."

Ye Chenghe looked blank, half-understanding.

Ye Yaodong saw his silly look and didn't say any more. He'd understand eventually.

"Has your mother bought your sweetheart a bicycle yet?"

"It wasn't my mother who bought it, I bought it, with my own money! My mother took my 300 yuan, but it was all spent from me!"

"Did you buy it?"

"Just bought it yesterday. Then I rode the bicycle to take her home. She sat behind me, arms around my waist..."

Ye Chenghe's face beamed as he spoke, his eyes sparkling.

"Then on the side of the path? In the bushes? You kissed?"

He nodded before he knew it, then shook his head, eyes wide. "Third Uncle, stop making things up. Third Uncle, you're like this too, aren't you?"

"It's already the 27th today. We're leaving on the 30th, got it?"

"Then I have to kiss... ask her out a few more times!"

"Did you get your graduation certificate?"

"Going to get it today. Today's Monday. I went to school last Monday to take the final exam, and the teacher said to go get it at 9 today. It's still early, so I'm crouching here."

"Why crouch here? You're picking up your graduation certificate today, you could go early and openly look for your girlfriend at school. It's all settled anyway, no need to fear people gossiping."

"But it's only 7:30 now."

"Isn't that perfect for a one-and-a-half-hour date?"

Ye Chenghe thought about it and figured that did sound right?

They've confirmed their relationship, the parents have agreed, the horoscopes have been matched—why does he have to wait until the sun is high before sneaking off to find her?

He can go openly right now!

Once Ye Chenghe figured it out, he just ran off without even saying goodbye, only remembering after he'd already run out.

"Third Uncle, I'm off."

Ye Yaodong flicked the ash off his cigarette and was about to stand up, when unexpectedly another one squatted down beside him, and at the same time another one squatted down on the other side.

The two brothers had somehow appeared behind them without him knowing.

"Dad, did Brother Chenghe go find his sweetheart to kiss?"

"!!!"

Ye Yaodong's eyes went wide. How much had they heard?

"I heard everything, Dad. Brother Chenghe said you taught him to kiss!"

"Listen to his nonsense!"

"Dad, do you kiss Mom too?"

The two brothers fired off questions one after another like curious babies.

"Kids shouldn't ask so many questions. You'll understand when you grow up." Ye Yaodong knocked on their heads before standing up. "Also, don't talk so much outside."

Ye Ye Chengyang tilted his head up and asked, "Dad, you're leaving on the 30th?"

"Mm, you two behave at home and listen, help out with the chores, got it? Don't run off outside all day, it's terribly hot out there during summer break."

"Dad, Chenghe's going up with you—can we go up with you too?"

"What would you come up for?"

"To play! We're all on summer break, no school—can we?"

Ye Yaodong thought it over seriously, then still refused. "If you come up I won't have time to look after you either—sometimes I'm busy until the small hours of the night. Wait another two years, when you're a bit older, then I'll take you up to play."

They're still too small now, and with no one to watch over them he can't quite set his mind at ease, nor can he just dump them at the camp and leave them be.

"We don't need looking after…"

"We can cook for ourselves…"

"We definitely won't run off…"

"Dad…"

"Wait another two years. Once Yangyang's ten too, I'll take you both up to play for a month or two."

There's nothing fun up there right now anyway—just sitting in a different place. Everything's a mess, not as familiar as home, and not as fun as having your buddies along to scramble up mountains and plunge into the sea.

He figured after a few days up there they'd be begging to come home.

"Dad, take me and leave Yangyang behind…"

"No. I can't go, and you can't either."

Seeing the two brothers about to start squabbling again, Ye Yaodong simply walked off.

It's only three or four days before he sets off again on a long trip.

He always felt that the moment he came home, he busied about blindly and the time was gone—without spending much of it at home at all.

Ye Yaodong planned to grab a stool back home and sit under the osmanthus tree in the yard to cool off, and chat with the old lady while he was at it.

The morning sun was already fierce; apart from under the eaves by the door, only under the tree was cool.

The osmanthus tree and a green jujube tree in the yard had been planted for five years now; from saplings they'd grown into small trees, though neither had bloomed yet—just grown taller and sturdier.

He figured waiting for blooms was still a long way off—they weren't grafted saplings to begin with.

But once they bloomed, the fragrance would fill the whole yard, and the house would never smell of fish every single day again…

Lin Lin Xiuqing kept saying she'd pickled herself into a salted fish by now.

"Uncle~ Uncle~ Go quick…"

Pei Yu came tearing in with her hair a mess, sticking up everywhere, panting, her face flushed red. Ye Yaodong spread his hands and caught her.

"What's the rush first thing in the morning?"

Pei Yu grabbed his hand and tried to drag him outside. "They're fighting! My dad's going to hit my little aunt, and Mom won't let him…"

"Why's he hitting your little aunt first thing in the morning?"

"Dad wants Little Aunt to get married, but she doesn't seem willing."

"…"

Then he definitely couldn't go over.

"That's grown-ups' business, you little ones shouldn't worry about it. Go play with Little Nine—she's lazing about in her room. Go wake her up."

"Then I'll go find Sister?"

"Go on."

Pei Yu tossed her earlier troubles out of her mind and happily went off to find Ye Ye Xiaoxi.

Ye Yaodong sat with his legs crossed, thinking. When Lin Lin Xiuqing came back, he pulled her aside and told her about it.

"Over at A Guang's place first thing this morning the brother and sister had a fight—that's what Little Yu came over to say."

"What were they fighting about?"

"Little Yu said A Guang wants Dongqing to get married, and she doesn't want to. I was thinking—maybe next month we just stop having Dongqing work at the workshop."

"Huh?" Lin Lin Xiuqing was surprised. "That'd be awkward—she's family, and she's worked here for years. Suddenly not letting her work…"

"I was thinking of placing her at the canned fish factory. Our workshop is all women, and the men are all from the village—there aren't many, no real choice. The canned fish factory has over two hundred workers now; maybe she can find someone suitable. Otherwise she's already twenty-five—an old maid—and people gossiping about her every day isn't good either."

"That's true. From our village, she definitely wouldn't look twice at anyone, otherwise she wouldn't have dragged it out to this age. Putting her in town works too—if she takes a shine to someone, she can marry out sooner. Other girls her age already have several kids."

"Mm, while I'm here these two days, I'll drop by the factory and mention it. It's almost the end of the month anyway—let her finish these few days, with wages paid up to this month. Starting the first of next month, have her go straight to the canned fish factory."

"Alright, I'll have a proper talk with her later. Our place here is small after all—better for her to work at the factory in town."

"I'll mention it to Hong Hong Wenle while I'm at it, see if he has any relatives or friends in slightly decent circumstances to introduce."

"I've introduced several before—she shook her head without even looking. I can't be bothered anymore. Let her go work at the factory—she can find someone on her own."

"I'll have a word with A Guang too in a bit."

What a headache.

He never imagined the day he'd have to worry about this—having to switch careers and become a matchmaker.

"Then once you've spoken to A Guang first and there are no objections, I'll talk to Dongqing."

"Okay."

He didn't go find A Guang right away either. Instead he waited until A Guang was free and bored, came out from home, and passed by his gate—then he called him over.

Then the two of them sat down to chat.

He casually brought up how Pei Yu had come to find him that morning, asking him to go break up the fight.

He also casually mentioned whether to place Dongqing at the cannery, see if she could meet a few promising young men.

"That's not a bad idea. These past few years working here at your place, steady job, more money in her hands—her eyes have grown too lofty, she looks down on everyone."

"It's just that the family conditions are good, she doesn't need to hand over money to help out at home, every cent she earns stays in her own hands. Otherwise her standards wouldn't have gotten that high."

"It's really driving me to death now. Talk and she won't listen—finding an honest one in our village wouldn't be bad at all, it's infuriating. City folk aren't necessarily better off than us; the poor ones in the city still carry this annoying sense of superiority."

A Guang's face was full of worry too as he spoke, and he even half-regretted letting her save up so much money.

"That's not necessarily true either—people are different. There must be good ones in the city too."

"For now we can only try it out, get her a job in town and see. As long as we can marry her off, anything goes."

Ye Yaodong chuckled, "The Emperor isn't anxious, but the eunuch is dying of anxiety—that's you."

"How can I not be anxious? She's 25. Chenghe and his girlfriend are only 16 and already about to get engaged. At her age, in just a few more years she could be holding a grandchild."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration…"

"What's exaggerated about it? Get married at 18, have a baby at 19, the son also gets married and has a kid at 18—then being a grandparent in your thirties is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

The corner of Ye Yaodong's mouth twitched. A glamorous, still-attractive grandmother in her thirties…

"If she doesn't get married, the villagers' spit will drown her. I can't even bear to go out—when I step outside, people ask, 'When's your sister getting married?'"

"But you can't just grab anyone for the sake of marriage. She has to like the person."

"Like? The person she likes has to be suitable first. Get her out of here first—send her to town. Doesn't the factory have a dormitory? Just have her live in the dormitory. She doesn't want to live at the old home anyway."

"That's no problem. After lunch, will you come with me to the factory?"

"Sure. I'll go with you and get it arranged first. I'll talk to her when I get back."

"Okay."

It can only be blamed on him being too outstanding!

Growing up with A-Guang since childhood, people have been familiar with him from a young age, filling up her entire adolescence. What girl doesn't have her spring of love?

Later he became so outstanding and dazzling, earning big money, and handsome too—finding someone to match him is hard!

"Why is Chenghe getting engaged so early? Waiting another two years would still be in time, right? He only just graduated from junior high."

"He's worried that if he's not home, his girlfriend will run off with someone else. He clamored to get married the very second day after coming back."

"He's something, alright. He doesn't study properly, but he's plenty eager when it comes to puppy love and finding a girlfriend."

"That's a good thing, at least. The schooling wasn't for nothing, the tuition wasn't paid in vain—there's some payoff."

"Can it really be like this—paying tuition to find a wife at school?"

"You could call him a winner at life. Our ship departs on the 30th—probably morning, or at least before noon. Keep it in mind and get ready early. I'll confirm the departure time in a couple of days and let you all know."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong didn't have much contact with Pei Dongqing. A-Guang and Lin Lin Xiuqing could relay the message for him. Even though he was the one handling things, he didn't take the initiative to talk to her.

Once they had discussed it and agreed, he left it alone.

Anyway, by the end of the month on the 30th, he'd be off on another long trip.

Half a month at home—it really was short for him, but also fulfilling. He hadn't had many idle days.

When it was time for him to leave, all three children were teary-eyed. At least he hadn't doted on them for nothing.

Lin Lin Xiuqing said, "My dad called this morning. When he heard Chenghe is getting engaged, he got so anxious. He wants you to pass the word to A-Yuan if you run into him—tell him to find time to come home sometime and get married."

"What the hell—'find time to come home and get married'? Don't even need to see what the future wife looks like, just come home and tie the knot?"

"My dad just wants you to pass along the message, and to make him take it to heart. He's already 20."

"Tell your dad to write him a letter himself. I won't pass along the message. Just write a letter and mail it to me. If A-Yuan ever has someone send a letter my way, I'll pass the information along to him together."

"Fine."

How come every single one of the younger ones is reaching the age and needing to get married?

It makes him feel like he's getting old.

While he was talking here, Ye Chenghe over there was also teary-eyed.

The two young lovers' tears were pouring down—quite a sight that one couldn't help but smile at.

Still, it's sweet watching young people in love. A middle-aged couple kissing once—nightmares for a whole night.

Anyway, the ship hadn't arrived yet, so everyone stood on shore chatting.

The children had been reluctant at first, but seeing that no one seemed to be leaving, they happily ran off in twos and threes to play at the dock.

Ye Yaodong was bored while waiting for the ship and looked around—and sure enough, he saw Ye Chenghe pulling his girlfriend, sneaking off toward the side of the dock's buying station.

He nudged Lin Lin Xiuqing with his elbow and tilted his chin to signal her to look over.

Lin Lin Xiuqing couldn't help but laugh. "Going off to a corner to whisper sweet nothings…"

Ye Yaodong leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Going to act hooligan."

Lin Lin Xiuqing glared at him. "They're a proper engaged couple—how can you call that acting hooligan? They just got engaged and now have to part—of course they can't bear it."

"Sigh, how did they all grow up in the blink of an eye? How is everyone already about to take a wife?"

"In a few years it'll be your son and daughter's turn."

"Bullshit, how old is my daughter?"

"Time flies. Just a few years ago Chenghe was still being chased around the whole village by Ye Ye Dasao with a whip—and now look, he's already got a girlfriend."

"No way. If any son of a bitch dares to lure my daughter away like Chenghe did, I'll beat him to death. Only 16—what a beast, a shameless bastard."

Ye Yaodong put himself in that position and thought it through—his temper flared up instantly.

Where was the guy who, just the other day, was squatting next to Ye Chenghe, waggling his eyebrows and asking if he'd kissed her yet, looking so gossipy?

Now he wanted to beat him to death.

Ye Yaodong stared at Ye Chenghe's disappearing back, nearly glaring a hole through the wall.

Lin Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, "When someone else's daughter is engaged to your nephew at 16, that's fine—but when it's your daughter's turn, it's not?"

"Damn it, of course not. She's only 16. Ye Chenghe is really shameless. Wait till I get up there and teach him a lesson—what a beast."

?? Couldn't finish writing, will post another chapter later

? (End of chapter)