Chapter 1524: Misunderstandings

There was a lot of hardship in the past, but you can't compare the present with the past. People should look forward and talk about things in a positive light; you shouldn't keep comparing things to the worse.

After he finished eating, Lin Xiuqing cleared away the bowls and chopsticks and, urged by him, went to invite the doctor first.

Hearing the doctor say the old lady was almost better, he finally felt relieved.

It's just that at her age, after a bout of illness, her spirit definitely wouldn't be as good. It's normal for her to look low-spirited now, and it's impossible for her to recover to how she was before.

After all, when people get old, their bodily functions are poor and will only gradually decline until they die of old age.

Now she can only be well-cared for, eat some gentle supplements, and eat whatever she wants. After all, at this age, you can't be too demanding; maintaining a good mindset is what's important.

The old lady can be considered long-lived. After the blow of her eldest grandson's imprisonment, her body being able to remain this strong is already considered good. She had been well-cared for these past few years anyway.

"Did you hear that? The doctor said you have to be happy every day so you can live to be a hundred, until I celebrate your 100th birthday for you."

The old lady nodded repeatedly with a smile. "I heard it. I'm very well. I'm happy in my heart that you're back, and I can even eat two bowls for dinner."

When Lin Xiuqing called the doctor just now, Ye Mu also knew Ye Yaodong had arrived home, so she hurried back.

At this moment, she retorted, annoyed, "Oh really? You can eat two bowls? It'd be a miracle if you could eat half a bowl."

"Amitabha, I'm happy today, so I'll definitely be able to eat more. Don't be so fierce when you talk."

"I told you not to go worship, but you wouldn't listen. Now you think I'm fierce?"

"Hehe, I'm better now, so stop nagging. You're so long-winded."

Ye Mu rolled her eyes at her.

Ye Yaodong said, "Sitting for a while is about enough. Now that Qingming has just passed and it's rained, the temperature is low. Go back to your room and rest. The doctor said you still need to rest more and avoid the wind during the change of seasons."

"Good, good. I'll go back to my room to worship the Bodhisattva and then rest. You go rest too; you're exhausted from coming back from so far away."

"Hmm."

He sent the old lady back to her room. Before he could catch his breath after sitting down, his two sisters-in-law and the neighbors on both sides also came to the door, one after another, asking him how their men were doing up there and whether the earnings were good during this period.

The room was full of women, which made him feel mentally exhausted. After saying what needed to be said, the rest was their home turf, so he went straight back to his room to lie down for a while.

The group of women in the main room heard him say he was going back to his room to rest, so they very consciously went outside to the door to talk. He arrived home just after lunch, so a nap was just right.

Although it was still noisy as usual, it wasn't right by his ears, and he was exhausted, so he fell asleep quite easily.

Ye Mu originally wanted to talk to him, but couldn't, so she could only chat with the surrounding women and didn't have time to talk to him until dinner time.

"Since you're back this time, go back up a bit later. In a few days, we'll be harvesting kelp again. It seems they said the county is coming to film a documentary."

"I know."

"They say the quantity this year is more than three times last year's..."

"It's fine."

"Can it all be sold?"

"Hmm, the pressure isn't high."

Wang Guangliang has also been driving the tractor to the border of the neighboring province for over a year, and he heard he's earned quite a bit. He had already agreed with A-Qing that when the village kelp is harvested, he'll come back to haul a truckload.

As long as there are people willing to haul goods to sell, it can be sold intermittently. After all, it's durable for storage.

His father-in-law has been doing this for several years and has long had a batch of stable regular customers. Now, food is easier to sell than anything else.

Ye Mu felt a bit more at ease. She was just afraid that the pressure of the whole village would be on him, and if he couldn't digest it, that would be troublesome.

"How is your father doing up there?"

"He's doing quite well, just a bit busy. I've been busy with things in the magic city for a while, and he's been the one delivering the goods in Zhoushan. He almost scolded me to death."

"Scolded you for what? Shouldn't he help when he's supposed to? Otherwise, he earned that money for nothing."

"Besides his salary, he doesn't earn much else. Didn't he give his salary to you? He's been busy lately and only drove the tractor for two days."

Ye Mu snorted, then glanced up and down at him. "You father and son only know how to team up to fool me. Do you think I don't know? Chenghe called back and said it all. Your father is so busy he can't even touch the ground, yet he still finds time to drive the tractor for two trips early in the morning when there's nothing to do. He's reluctant to miss even a single day."

Ye Yaodong: "..."

A miscalculation. He forgot there was a Ye Chenghe who only knew how to ruin things.

They didn't even get their stories straight.

It's a good thing he didn't take Ye Chenghe for a massage; otherwise, the house would have been turned upside down.

His father won't be able to go home in the future.

"You've all grown heart and know how to team up. None of you are good things. I raised you for nothing, all siding with your father. He told you to lie to me, and you followed him to lie to me..."

Ye Mu scolded him at length without using any dirty words.

"Cough, I didn't know. Dad told me all this. I was in the magic city for over twenty days, so how could I know so clearly? Didn't he tell me all of it?"

"Old thing, he turns bad once he has money. He used to be so honest, but once he went out, he stopped acting like a human. Who knows if he's followed others to get foot massages and body massages. If he had more money in his hands, would that be the end of it? Tell me, can I not keep a closer eye on him?"

"Hmm, yes, you have to keep a closer eye on him. When I'm there, I'm keeping an eye on Dad for you."

Ye Yaodong's white lies came easily, and he said them without a guilty conscience.

Life is so bitter, and work is so tiring, so it's nothing to let his father relax occasionally.

If he doesn't let his father be happy, how can his father help him work better?

"It's good enough if you don't help him fool me."

"How could that be? I'll definitely keep an eye on Dad and not let him make mistakes. Otherwise, you wouldn't be the only one who wouldn't forgive him; the three of us brothers wouldn't forgive him first."

"I believe you, my foot. Chenghe is the most honest."

"He's honest? Isn't he just stupid?"

"You're the ones with the most devious minds."

"If you're going to talk like that, we have nothing to talk about."

Ye Mu glared at him.

Ye Yaodong ate his meal on his own, ignoring her.

The children at home looked at this one, then at that one, still chewing their food.

After about a minute, Ye Mu asked again, "Your father didn't go for foot massages and body massages like the others, did he?"

Ye Yaodong chewed his food, masking the lack of conviction in his mouth. "How could he? When would he have the time? He's so busy he can't even finish his work, so how could he go for foot massages and body massages? Besides, could I give him money to go for foot massages and body massages?"

"Then who went for foot massages and body massages over there?"

"How would I know? I didn't go, so how would I know who went? Besides, I'm so busy I can't even touch the ground. Every night I'm delivering goods, settling accounts, and collecting money. Do I have that kind of time? There are several more ships this year, and I don't get enough sleep every night. I don't have that kind of leisure."

This wasn't a lie. He really didn't go this year. He hadn't had a proper day of rest, and only felt relaxed after coming back.

"Really?"

"If you don't believe me, ask Chenghe, that big mouth. He didn't say anything, so he definitely didn't go."

"That's hard to say."

"If you don't believe me, forget it. Go up and keep an eye on him yourself."

Ye Mu pursed her lips, didn't speak, and started shoveling food.

Lin Xiuqing waited until the mother and son finished their confrontation before saying, "Your friend hasn't called at all, and he didn't say exactly when he's leaving?"

"Then we'll just wait. Anyway, the family is harvesting kelp now, and I have to wait until the kelp harvest is finished before I can leave."

"That's good too, stay for a few more days."

"It's fine for me to stay for a few more days, but I'm afraid Dad won't be able to handle it alone. By then, he'll have to call and urge me to go up, complaining bitterly."

"Then it'll be after May 1st when the kelp harvest is finished."

"We'll see. Once the county people come and finish filming the documentary, and the friend comes over to haul a few truckloads of goods and says he's ready to leave, then I'll definitely go with him. How can I be sure whether it's before or after May 1st now?"

Ye Mu took over the conversation. "I heard in the village this afternoon that they plan to start harvesting kelp at night, and the labor has been arranged in batches."

"Then in less than a week, the kelp can be dried one after another."

Ye Yaodong thought for a moment. "If the friend calls in these two days and I don't answer or am not here, remember to tell him how long it will take for the first batch of kelp to come out, so he can come over early to haul it."

The friend doesn't just make one trip up to Zhoushan. If there's enough time, he'll definitely want to make several trips back and forth to earn money, and only leave when he's earned enough.

"Got it."

"Oh, right, have your two nephews pack their luggage in two days and move to our place first."

"They are helping out in the city now. Do you need to call them over now?"

"In a few days, the kelp will be dried in large quantities. The large truck is just sitting idle at home anyway. It's just right to have them drive the large truck to transport it to the city. Running back and forth a few times will also help them get more familiar with it. If they want to accumulate experience, naturally, they have to drive more."

"That's fine too. The large truck can load more. Then you have to go buy a tarp in these two days. The back of the large truck also needs to be covered. Get it ready in advance."

"Got it, I'll go tomorrow."

While at it, he'll go buy some gentle supplements for the old lady.

During dinner, Ye Mu kept questioning him about whether his father went for foot massages and body massages. She didn't know where she heard the rumors.

Lin Xiuqing didn't ask anything when she looked, but at night when they went to bed, she was waiting for him there.

Ye Yaodong washed up and saw her specially lift the quilt for him to lie down. He originally thought she was feeling amorous, so he excitedly stripped naked and climbed onto the bed.

"Wife, I'm here~"

Lin Xiuqing stretched out her arm, blocking the space between the two of them, not letting him get close.

Ye Yaodong laughed and joked, first pulling at her pants. "I slept enough this afternoon, I'm not tired at all..."

Lin Xiuqing continued to push him away with her feet. "I heard that many men in the village went for foot massages and body massages. You probably didn't go any less."

"Which bastard said that? I'm so busy I don't even have time to sleep, so how would I go to that kind of place? You're not unaware that I have to start receiving and delivering goods from the afternoon."

"You have so many social engagements and know so many bosses, didn't you go together?"

"How could that be? I always invite them to eat, send cigarettes, and send alcohol. I'm busy, so when would I have the time?"

Lin Xiuqing pressed her index finger against his chest. "It's good that you didn't."

"It's late at night, don't talk about these topics that aren't conducive to unity."

"How is this not conducive to unity? I even think this is more conducive to unity, reducing misunderstandings."

"If you suspect me and I suspect you, isn't that not conducive to unity? You have to believe me. I'm upright and honest. If anything is bad, it's because others are jealous and smearing me."

Lin Xiuqing laughed. "You're the most shameless and thick-skinned."

"Cut it out, your questioning just now hurt my fragile heart. Hurry up and make up for it, do something conducive to unity."

"How can you say this kind of thing so seriously..."

"What kind? What we're doing is also a serious matter, conforming to the natural laws of yin and yang harmony. Whether we can be united depends on your performance."

Lin Xiuqing was speechless at him.

Looking at his impatient appearance, he probably didn't cheat.

The next day, before dawn, there was a burst of noise around them, which continued until dawn without stopping, and became even more clamorous.

The air was also filled with a rich kelp smell.

Ye Yaodong was woken up half-asleep and half-awake. Smelling the kelp smell circulating in the air, he knew the village had started harvesting kelp.

He got up, put on a shirt, and went to the door to take a look. Everyone was carrying flashlights or wearing headlamps, pushing carts to transport kelp. They were shouting while working, and he could even hear excited laughter.

Lin Xiuqing saw him get up and also sat up. "Is it too noisy outside?"

"Hmm, it is a bit noisy, but it's fine. I slept at noon, and my sleep is light at night, so I woke up at the slightest movement."

"Sleep for a while longer. There's still an hour until dawn. Go see it after you wake up, and then go chat with the village cadres. Don't you have a pile of things to do tomorrow?"

"Hmm."

"It'll have to be harvested for a month, so it'll still be noisy."

"It's actually fine once you're asleep. Go back and sleep for a while."

Even if he lay down, he wouldn't be able to sleep, so he could only close his eyes.

However, it was a good thing he didn't sleep. It was only 6 o'clock in the early morning, and the phone at home rang. Afraid of waking up the family, he hurried to get out of bed to answer it.

He was still talking about the friend with A-Qing yesterday, and the phone call came in early this morning. He was surprised when he picked it up.

It should be said that both ends of the phone were surprised.

"Isn't this too damn early? Don't you need to sleep?"

"Why is it you? I only have time at this hour. Otherwise, I'll be driving out later, and I'll be busy outside all day, so when would I have time to call? Calling at night is afraid it'll be too late. It's also possible I'll sleep in the car. Anyway, this is your home phone, so someone will answer whenever I call. When did you get back? I thought your wife would answer the phone."

"I just happened to get home yesterday. The village has already started harvesting kelp this morning. In about four or five days, there will be fresh kelp. Remember to calculate the time well and come over to haul it."

"I called after calculating the time, thinking it should be about time to harvest. It's best if you're home."

"Hmm, I brought a few people back. They'll go up with you when the time comes, just to escort you."

Ye Yaodong confirmed with the friend again. Just as he thought, he would leave around the end of the month. This way, he had a number in his heart, enough for him to finish all the things at home and leave.

Counting from beginning to end, there were still 20 days left. He could also find time to follow the large Liberation truck to transport goods to the city and keep an eye on things.

However, the friend wanted a large quantity, saying he wanted three truckloads of goods, with the first batch being about 20 tons. He asked him to arrange it in advance and would call in advance before coming over in two days.

?? Sleep early tonight. Tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock, I have to go to the hospital to accompany my mother for her leg varicose vein surgery.

? (End of chapter)