Chapter 151: Making Trouble at the Door

Because he lived by the beach, with few neighbors around and some distance from the village center, he knew nothing about what the village had been discussing that morning.

It wasn't until he walked to the dock with his bucket that he heard the villagers there talking about catching the thief who'd been stealing fishing nets and goods lately — it was the youngest son of the Xu Laisan family — with several curses thrown in between.

He glanced up at the loudspeaker on the roof of the purchasing station. Not a sound. Curious, he asked the villager beside him, "Then what? How was it handled?"

"How else? I heard he was caught red-handed last night, and then Chen Shuji went to their door to give them a scolding. He also said he'd broadcast it on the loudspeaker today as a warning punishment. Their family panicked and kept begging for mercy — even the old lady of the house got on her knees to beg Chen Shuji not to play it on the loudspeaker, saying the boy still needs to find a wife and his reputation can't be ruined. She begged him not to broadcast it — too embarrassing."

The person beside him added, "They know it's embarrassing, yet they still steal little things day in and day out? Who in the whole village doesn't know his hands aren't clean? What reputation is even left?"

"If it just spreads by word of mouth, it'll probably blow over soon. But if the loudspeaker keeps looping it, then the whole family really loses face."

"Exactly, but that's letting him off too easy. Once or twice, fine, but he's a repeat offender — he's been pilfering every couple of days. This time I heard he even stole nets for quite a while. Good thing he got caught, or who knows how much everyone else would've lost."

"What can you do? They're all fellow villagers, and that old lady is using her age as a shield. Chen Shuji is probably in a tough spot too. That's why the loudspeaker at the dock only played it twice this morning before stopping."

"I heard even so, that family's old lady still stormed over to Chen Shuji's house to make a scene, sat at his door wailing like a funeral. Chen Shuji threatened that if she kept it up, he'd broadcast it on the loudspeaker for three days and nights straight — only then did she calm down."

"Tsk tsk tsk~ People always say an old person at home is a treasure. That family's old lady… no wonder their reputation has always been bad…"

"That kid really got off easy…"

"Easy? The boy from Jin Lin Jianqiang's family and the boy from Chen Yonggui's family both said they're going to corner him. And those two brothers from whoever's house also said they'd beat him up…"

"He deserves a beating… Yesterday he got caught by someone, and he was already beaten up pretty badly…"

"He probably won't dare leave the house for ten days to half a month…"

"They're all from the same village — want to beat him up and worry about not running into him? He can't just never come out to use the latrine, can he?"

After listening to the whole show, Ye Yaodong was speechless. This Chen Shuji really was too soft — he wondered if that family's old lady had just been too much of a handful.

Some old people are truly disgusting — using their age to act entitled, relying on being old so no one dares touch them. His family's old lady was much better.

Honestly, the burlap sack has yet another use now. His good habit of carrying a burlap sack when going out still needs to be kept up — it'll come in handy anytime from now on.

He wondered if that guy would regret it later. A direct public reprimand would've saved him from getting beaten up every day.

Having made up his mind to always carry a burlap sack on him from now on, he continued carrying his bucket toward his little boat. He didn't expect that, in his absence, that family's old lady and Xu's Mother had shamelessly gone to their door to curse, and even tried to extort medical expenses. In the end, they were chased off by his mother and his aunts, who came over and cursed them out.

It wasn't until he got back at noon that he found out, when his older brother told him.

Ye Yaodong's anger flared up instantly. Damn it — Laozi didn't go to your house to settle the score, and yet you actually came to mine to curse.

His face dropped instantly. He'd been quite happy earlier that yesterday's goods hadn't been stolen and the haul was decent, but now his face went black. He put down the bucket and headed straight out.

Lin Lin Xiuqing quickly grabbed him. "Ah Dong? What are you doing? Ah, forget it, it's nothing. When Mom and the aunts came over, they just cursed them out and drove them off. They didn't get the better of us."

Ye Yaodong was afraid that struggling would make her fall, so he didn't dare pull free. "So you just took the cursing for nothing? So shameless — no wonder the whole family's no good."

"Mom already gave them a good tongue-lashing. Those mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair slunk off. Forget it, they won't dare come back. Let's go inside and eat first."

"Right, Dongzi, it's nothing major. Mom's got a sharp tongue. You can't exactly storm over to their house to curse them out right now — don't let them latch onto you. They're just looking for an excuse," Ye Yaopeng said, pulling him toward the house as he spoke. "Eat first, go home and eat first. You've been busy all morning — you must be tired and hungry."

Lin Lin Xiuqing and Ye Ye Yaopeng pulled him into the house from either side. He had no choice but to swallow his anger, curse a few times, and let them lead him inside. He'd just have to settle the score later.

At this point, he also got a taste of what Aguang had felt back then. Damn — running into the absolute worst, a whole family of ghosts!

Ye Ye Yaopeng pulled him back into the house and sat him down before going out with relief, closing the door behind him.

Lin Lin Xiuqing patted him soothingly. "I'm not even angry — what are you angry about?"

"If you could stand with your hands on your hips, spit flying, point at their noses and curse them out properly, then chase them out with a broom — maybe I wouldn't be angry."

She laughed. "If I had that kind of skill, I wouldn't have been unable to keep you in line. These past few years I'd have cursed you every day till you were drenched in dog blood, too scared to even step out the door."

Uh… what she said was actually true. If she were that fierce and sharp-tongued, she probably wouldn't be the wife in his heart.

Soothed by her like this, his anger dropped quite a bit too.

"Next time something happens, just avoid it, or go straight back to the old house and find Mom. You married in from outside — you can't stand up to these local women."

"I'm fine. Ye Ye Dasao and Ye Ye Ersao also helped curse them out just now. Hearing Xiao Xiao, eat first. I'll go get your rice — the kids are hungry too."

Ye Yaodong looked at the two children, who were unusually well-behaved, sitting there quietly, cautious and silent, watching them talk. He pushed the bit of frustration in his heart to the back of his mind — he mustn't scare them.

He said to Lin Lin Xiuqing, "Later, go to the pharmacy and buy some pearl powder for them to eat. Don't let them get scared."

"I know, but it shouldn't come to that. The two of them are usually pretty bold."

"Just in case."

"Okay."

Children are actually the best at reading people's faces. Usually at mealtimes, the two would fight over the same bowl of dishes, bickering noisily about the unfair split. The older one would yell "Mine, mine!" and the younger one would parrot him back, neither willing to give in.

Now the two were unusually quiet, just eating the dishes Lin Lin Xiuqing picked for them from the bowl, obedient as a pair of quails.

He soothingly rubbed the head of his older son beside him and asked, "Someone came to make trouble at the door this morning — were you scared?"

"Not scared! Grandma cursed them as old hags, saying they should stop causing trouble if they want to live long and not bring disaster on their descendants. She cursed them so hard — it was amazing…"

The older boy got more and more excited as he spoke, nowhere near the obedient look from just now. Ye Yaodong was completely dumbfounded.