Chapter 1528: Teaching

While waiting for his father to return for lunch, Ye Yaodong explained to him why Ah Guang and his father had not yet arrived.

Ye's father sighed with emotion upon hearing this.

"It's not good for a girl to earn too much money; her standards get too high, she becomes so picky that she can't even get married, and she's dragged on to such an old age."

"It's not really that much about earning money, is it? Female workers in the factory still find male workers in the factory; it's mainly that having seen better things, her heart has risen, so she doesn't want to settle for worse."

"You're talking about her brother-in-law? Indeed, if the older sister married well, the younger sister wouldn't think of just marrying some fisherman from the village."

He was clearly talking about himself, but his father had thought of Captain Chen.

However, he went along with it, "Let Yingqiu introduce her to a soldier too; it would be perfect for the two sisters to marry soldiers, and they could keep each other company in the dependents' area later."

"How easy is it to marry? If there were any, they should have been introduced long ago; just look at how old she is..."

Ye's father shook his head as he spoke, "At this age, any introduction would mean becoming a stepmother to someone."

"It's not that bad... right..."

But thinking about it, it was indeed true; in the countryside, eighteen or nineteen-year-olds getting married were everywhere; those who hadn't married at such an old age were either from families too poor, or disabled, or had personality and character problems.

"Of course it is; among women who haven't married at this age, except for her, you can't find another one in the surrounding ten villages and eight townships; there are men, but just look at what misfits they are."

Ye Yaodong had nothing to say.

"Luckily Ye Huimei married early; otherwise, I'd be the one worrying until my hair fell out."

"Nonsense; if Ye Huimei hadn't married early, she could find anyone now who would be better than Ah Guang."

"That's hard to say; matchmakers would have worn out our doorstep, but with you three rich brothers, and her being able to work and earn money herself, how could she look at anyone nearby in our village? Wouldn't she be like Dongqing? With no suitable match, she just kept dragging it on."

"How could that be? If she hadn't married, I would have taken her straight to the city to be my right-hand man; then I'd just ask my godfather to introduce her to someone at a public institution; wouldn't that be better than with Ah Guang?"

Ye's father was stunned by his words, "What you say is also true... there's no leader introducing anyone on Ah Guang's side."

"Damn it, let's not talk about it; the more we talk, the angrier I get; I've earned money for him."

"Yeah, we can't talk about it; it's bad if others hear; the child is already three years old, what's the point of saying this? It's good like this now; just in the same village, right next door, you can get there in a step; if you really found someone at an institution in the city, you wouldn't even have time for yourself, maybe you wouldn't see each other once a year; no good, no good."

Ye's father shook his head as he spoke, thinking that it was indeed good like this now; at least she was nearby, could be looked after, and wouldn't be bullied.

Ah Guang has now separated from the family to live on his own, can earn money, life isn't bad, and the children are cute; it's quite enough.

"It's good like this now; it will definitely not be bad in the future."

"Yeah."

Ah Guang didn't return until June 7th; when he came back, he looked like a refugee, with a scruffy beard, sour, smelly, and haggard.

They happened to be sitting at the door enjoying the cool breeze, so he walked straight over to greet them and explained the family matters that had happened to his friends.

Others didn't know before, and Ye Yaodong hadn't been a big mouth to talk about it; now everyone was somewhat sighing at the impermanence of the world.

"Why do I feel that after you changed your name, you went smoothly, but your family hasn't?" Ye Yaodong suddenly thought of this and said it.

Ah Guang was stunned for a moment, "Really?"

"Yes; you gained a stepmother, inexplicably gained a younger brother, and the marriages of the two younger sisters weren't that smooth; I think you need to invite a Taoist priest to chant for a few days to dispel the bad luck; maybe things will go smoothly afterwards."

The others also chimed in agreement.

"Anyway, it's not much money; better to believe it exists than not."

"Just consider it spending money to avert disaster or buying peace of mind; trying it out isn't bad."

"Makes sense; I'll call my dad later to have him handle it; I just got back and haven't called to report my safety yet."

"Then hurry up and make the call; after that, go rest; taking a boat in this hot summer is harder to endure than in winter."

"Isn't it? A pile of sweaty smells, hot and stuffy, eating poorly and sleeping poorly; the whole person has gone sour; I'm leaving first."

Everyone waved at him.

Then they said, "Ah Guang's family really has a lot of broken matters."

"Every family has its own difficult scripture to read."

"Are you all done, Dongzi?"

"Can I ever be done? Do you think I'm very idle now? I'm just taking a break right after lunch to chat a few words with you; forget it, go back to take a nap; after waking up, I still have to go to the construction site to check the progress."

The five mu of land had its outer walls surrounded, the foundation was laid, and now the house was being built; for the past while, they had been discussing with him how to utilize the site and how to build the house.

He had a huge headache; how would he know? He only knew how to give orders; what plan was there?

So he simply hired an art teacher to help him, based on the site dimensions given by the masons, to simply draw a diagram according to requirements and design the positions.

Just discussing and drawing the blueprints back and forth wasted quite a few days; now it was just settled.

Such a large area definitely needs to be utilized reasonably; now not much is needed, so only a part that can be used will be built; the rest will naturally be left empty for now.

Otherwise, if built messily now, it will be hard to expand later; how would it be built?

And his current headquarters here didn't have so many requirements; anyway, it was just for living.

Ye Yaodong went to check the construction site every now and then, but he didn't forget to maintain relationships with clients; Tian Shang Ren Jian also hosted banquets from time to time.

He now knew too many people and had many cooperative factories in hand; he arranged banquets and entertainment in rotation, naturally having excellent relationships with each processing factory, and the fresh goods coming in on the boats every day could be arranged very well.

In this era, doing business was relatively straightforward; actually, entertainment venues were few, just starting to rise, and most people hadn't reacted yet; like him, someone who knew the ropes and was willing to spend big money treating people to massages, foot baths, and meals, was rare; naturally, he got along better.

When Ye Yaodong went himself, he didn't forget to take turns bringing along his two nephews, or Ah Qing's two nephews, taking them to see things in rotation.

It was still the same saying; young people have strong curiosity; with him leading them, it was better than them sneaking off or going with unsavory people.

After eating too much, one naturally gets tired of it; it's nothing strange; after understanding it, one is less likely to be deceived.

Especially less likely to be deceived by women, reducing the filter.

Anyway, he was always sober; if the bosses accompanying him wanted to indulge, that was always at the end; he would naturally restrain the younger ones and lead them away.

Ye's father felt very uncomfortable in places of entertainment, was not good at socializing, couldn't speak clearly, and could only accompany with a silly smile; when Ye Yaodong was present, he never went along; he still preferred simple and pure back massages to relieve fatigue.

"Third Uncle, they all took women away; have you never taken one even once?" Ye Ye Chengjiang followed Ye Yaodong out and asked curiously.

"Nonsense."

Ye Chenghe also asked, "Third Uncle, how did you hold back?"

"Think of your third aunt's hardships. If I were to make a mistake, it would surely be one after another; nothing could be kept completely hidden. If the truth came back, it would lead to wife leaving and children scattering, the good home would be lost. How could there be any other thoughts then?"

The two nodded together, "Right."

"Third Uncle, you are still the clear-headed one; those bosses are not clear-headed."

"Every time, there are a few people who directly take women away."

Ye Yaodong educated them, "You cannot learn from them, understand? You cannot betray the wives who accompanied you from nothing to something. Occasional social pretense is unavoidable, but even if you drink until the end, you must keep a portion of your sobriety. Do not drink until you are muddled at the end, which makes it easy to suffer losses. It is all kinds of losses, not necessarily involving women; what if you are deceived into reaching some agreement without even knowing it?"

After he finished speaking, he even let out a burp, "My alcohol tolerance has been trained."

"Understood."

"I count as half a father to you. What your real father didn't teach, I have taught; what your real father didn't take you to see, I have taken you to see."

Ye Ye Chengjiang said with a chuckle, "Third Uncle, in my heart, you are just like my father."

Ye Chenghe also nodded closely behind.

"Let's go back. In a few days, when there is another venue, let the other two boys come out."

"Third Uncle, do you really treat everyone equally?" Ye Chenghe asked.

"Naturally. If you go too frequently, it is not good. I was also worried you couldn't hold back. Rotating it, keeping the frequency a bit lower, is also good."

Ye Ye Chengjiang: "Third Uncle, won't you lose money treating guests like this every day? Just having someone come over casually costs over a hundred yuan. We work ourselves to death and have to earn for several days."

"Look further ahead. I am not just treating one person to a meal and fun. I invite several people together to build relationships; isn't this spreading the cost to each of them? Those who eat from others' mouths are soft, those who take from others' hands are short. As long as we maintain stable cooperation, I can easily earn it back from among them, and we can all eat our fill."

"Understood."

Ye Yaodong patted them, and then they walked back together.

Although Ye's father didn't go with them, he kept an eye on their return. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ye Yaodong, but he didn't trust him taking his grandsons out, fearing he might lead the two grandsons astray.

As soon as they returned, Ye's father hesitantly suggested, "You better not take them out anymore. They are still young. Is it good for them to not work properly and earn money now, but go with you to contact this? What if they learn bad habits? The money they earn won't even be enough for their troubles, and you might ruin the family."

"How are they young? One is seventeen and already engaged, the other is eighteen and is already an adult. People like them also need good guidance; otherwise, there are too many people from all walks of life they meet outside, making it easier to learn bad habits."

Teenagers are naturally curious about these things; the more you don't let them contact it, the more rebellious they will be in their hearts, and the more curious they will be.

It is better to take them openly, to go look every now and then, so they can know the tricks, which is also more beneficial for their growth.

"The one driving the tractor outside is fine; I was following along."

"Didn't I follow along today too?"

"You yourself are not reliable."

"How am I not reliable? At most, I take them to eat, drink, and play. I don't take women, and I certainly won't let them take women. Rest assured."

"Then you keep an eye on them, and tell your eldest and second brother too. Otherwise, if they know you take them to such places all day, they will probably be unhappy."

"Alright. Eldest and second brother are both at sea; where would they have time to manage those two? I can only manage them for them. Rest assured."

A family's prosperity relies on the money he earns to support it, but to keep the prosperity continuing endlessly, it depends on the descendants.

His nephews grew up under his watch; since childhood, they followed in his footsteps. Naturally, he also hoped for their good, treating them like his own children with care and love.

His own two children are still young; when they are a bit older, he will naturally take them with him too.

In his past life, he didn't teach his children well and didn't fulfill his responsibility. In this life, he is also improving and learning, so naturally, he also wants to teach his children well.

Ye's father muttered again, "I was thinking, should we take all the money they earn every day and save it for them first?"

"Worrying for no reason. The money they earn should naturally be in their own hands. Why should you meddle and help save it? If the money they worked hard for doesn't land in their own hands, what motivation is there left?"

"They earn quite a lot every month now. I'm just worried they have too much money on hand. Since they are used to being poor, I worry they will buy whatever they see and spend recklessly."

"They are not children anymore. You must let them learn to manage money. Don't always treat them as children. Go to sleep."

Ye Yaodong was dying of sleepiness, had drunk too much, yet still had to force himself to argue this with his father.

"By the way, A Yuan called this evening. He said he can take two hours off tomorrow afternoon and has a chance to come out. He asked me to tell you in advance so we don't end up with an empty trip."

"Ah? You're only telling me about this now? You've been back for so long, talking about this and that, but you didn't mention the serious matter."

Ye's father gave an awkward smile, "I forgot. I kept thinking about how you take the little ones out to play every day and wanted to remind you."

"Got it. I won't go out tomorrow afternoon. I'll just wait at home for Lin Lin Guangyuan. It's been over a year since we last met; I don't even know what he looks like now."

"How many years has he been in the army?"

"This is his third year. He should probably retire next year? Or will he stay on? If he comes tomorrow, we can ask then."

"Just right, Guangming and Lin Guangwen are both here. Let the three brothers meet up, so they can call home and tell the family."

"Mm."

Among the several nephews and nieces from A Qing's maiden family, he was most familiar with Lin Lin Guangyuan; he had contacted him the most before, but now there are two more.

He was also quite curious about Lin Lin Guangyuan's situation. If he retires next year and doesn't stay in the army, it would be perfect for him to help here.

Next year, his factory will also start operations. Hiring a few retired soldiers wouldn't be bad?

The more Ye Yaodong thought about it, the more sober he became, feeling this was actually a good thing, directly solving the employment problem for retired personnel for the unit.

Wouldn't the local government commend him? If he gave him some policy support to help as well?

The more he thought, the more he felt this was a good idea; Lin Lin Guangyuan coming tomorrow was quite timely.

(End of this chapter)