Chapter 1529: Lin Lin Guangyuan

Thinking Lin Lin Guangyuan would come in the afternoon, Ye Yaodong went out in the morning and didn't leave again after lunch.

It was his father who passed on the message, but he didn't know the exact time; his father himself was vague and hadn't bothered to clarify, so Ye Yaodong could only stay home to nap and wait.

Lin Guangming and Lin Lin Guangwen knew Lin Lin Guangyuan was coming in the afternoon and had been eagerly waiting since morning.

Since they drove large trucks, they were usually idle—so long as they went out to pick up cargo when the fresh fish boats returned in the afternoon, the entire morning was free.

It was essentially working only in the afternoon and evening, with mornings off.

Recently, since they'd just arrived, they'd been getting along very well with Ye Ye Chengjiang and Ye Chenghe; after getting Ye Yaodong's permission, they now also drove a tractor out every morning, tagging along with them on their rounds to earn some extra cash.

Ye Yaodong agreed because he wanted them to run around with Ye Ye Chengjiang and Ye Chenghe so they'd get more familiar with the map.

When arriving in a new place, of course you must learn the city's roads; earning extra cash was secondary.

After all, they only ran for half a day—afternoon duties had to be reserved, no need to reverse priorities—and he happened to have another tractor sitting idle.

After the two brothers returned at noon, they didn't go out again with Ye's father; they stayed home to wait.

Ye Ye Chengjiang and Ye Chenghe naturally went out as usual with Ye's father—the lure of money was greater—and they had little connection with Lin Lin Guangyuan due to the age gap; Ye Ye Chenghai got along better with Lin Lin Guangyuan, but he wasn't around.

The two brothers, bored, squatted one on each side of Ye Yaodong, chattering incessantly until he grew thoroughly annoyed.

"He's definitely not coming that soon—can you two stop hovering around me? It's sweltering, and you're pressed right up against me—don't you two feel like furnaces?"

They raised their arms and pressed them against their faces, genuinely feeling their bodies were hot, then both shifted a step sideways in silent understanding.

"Is this better?" Lin Guangming asked.

Ye Yaodong stood up straight, stepped toward the stairs, "I'm going to nap. I'm not dealing with you two—just wait here. When he arrives, come upstairs and call me."

"Oh, alright."

He just wanted to sit quietly after lunch, smoke a cigarette, and catch some cool air—but no quiet space was granted him. They had zero sense.

A cigarette after lunch—better than being a god.

These two were still fairly honest and hadn't learned to smoke yet, but he figured they'd become smokers soon enough—after all, they hung around Ajiang and Chenghe every day; close to ink, you turn black.

After training under a master for a year, they still hadn't learned to smoke—he found that surprising.

Ye Yaodong stuck a cigarette between his lips and climbed upstairs; the midday sun was scorching—just climbing three floors left him drenched in sweat. He felt he'd made a mistake: shouldn't have lived so high up; every day he'd be soaked climbing up and down.

Lin Lin Guangyuan arrived around 2 p. m. and, upon entering, excitedly greeted Lin Guangming and Lin Lin Guangwen; all three tilted their heads upward and shouted toward the upper floor.

"Little Uncle-in-Law~"

Their loud voices jolted Ye Yaodong awake from sleep—he sat up abruptly, and the shouting below continued.

"You little brat…"

Wearing only his shorts, he flung his vest over his back and stepped out the door, leaning over the balcony railing to look down at the three boys standing in a row, hands cupped around their mouths like megaphones.

"Shut up. I heard you."

"Little Uncle-in-Law, do you come down or do we come up?"

"You come up—I'd rather not climb up and down in this heat."

"Got it."

The three boys immediately came upstairs.

Outside was much cooler than inside; Ye Yaodong leaned against the corridor, letting the breeze blow.

"Little Uncle-in-Law~" As soon as the three appeared around the corner, they broke into a run, shouting as they came.

"No chairs to sit on—so you'll just stand and talk?"

"Fine, standing's fine—I'm used to standing."

Lin Lin Guangyuan smiled, revealing his off-white teeth, which looked several shades whiter against his dark skin.

Ye Yaodong looked at his straight, upright posture and chuckled, "The military really shapes people—used to walk hunched over, now you're standing perfectly straight."

"Haha, trained like steel every day—of course you get straightened out."

"It's been over two years since we last met—you've grown a lot, almost up to my height."

Lin Guangming chimed in, "He's almost a head taller than me."

Lin Lin Guangwen grinned teasingly, "That's just because you're short—Big Brother Yuan's only half a head taller than me."

"It's the military diet—daily seafood, plus meat twice a week and eggs three times a week—suddenly I grew."

Lin Guangming countered, "But our family's condition's improved these past few years—we eat meat every day—and we didn't grow."

"Then it's genetics—eating meat won't save you."

Ye Yaodong cut through their banter, "You enlisted in autumn 1986, right? You'll be discharged next year?"

"Yes, technically I'll be discharged next year—but after completing service, you can extend for another year based on military needs and personal choice."

"Are you planning to extend for another year?"

The other two brothers stared at Lin Lin Guangyuan in surprise; Lin Guangming couldn't help saying, "You'll be twenty-two next year when you're discharged—extend another year and you'll be twenty-three? The family will go crazy."

Lin Lin Guangyuan glared at him, "How do you talk? What do you mean 'released'?"

Lin Guangming chuckled and scratched his head, "Isn't it the same thing?"

Lin Lin Guangwen added, "And still a bald head."

"Are you blind? I've got a crew cut—not a bald head."

Ye Yaodong ended their pointless exchange, "So are you planning to extend for another year? Have you called home to tell them?"

"Not yet—if I did, they'd chatter nonstop over the phone."

"Mom's already lined up over a dozen girls, waiting for you to pick one when you come home next year—she's sure you'll be married by New Year's."

Lin Lin Guangyuan's face darkened as he glared at Lin Guangming.

"Why glare at me? I didn't pick them for you. Before I came, Mom specifically told me—if I saw you, remind you to call or write home more often, and if you can get leave, come home and get married."

"Noisy."

"I'm just passing on Mom's words—I didn't volunteer to annoy you."

"Go back and tell her I'm not leaving the service—I'm staying on as a volunteer soldier."

"Huh?"

Ye Yaodong was also surprised. "You plan to stay in the military long-term?"

"That's the idea. My father doesn't have just me as a son—Ah Ming learned to drive trucks too, and he's doing well. I don't have to be around to take care of them."

"Then I dare not say it—you call them yourself."

Lin Guang shook his head violently in refusal; he could already picture how his parents would beat him senseless for saying this.

Now that family conditions had improved, his parents earned plenty just from their breakfast stall—they'd bought two shops and planned to give one to each of his brothers, waiting only for his older brother to finish his service and inherit the business.

If they now heard the eldest son wouldn't return, how disappointed they'd be. Though military service is honorable, when the family is wealthy, they naturally hope their child stays close.

"Then I'll tell them later—next year. Talking now is too early."

Ye Yaodong said: "I suggest you tell them now. If you wait until next year, they'll start waiting for you from the beginning of the year. When you suddenly change your mind then, their disappointment will be worse. Better to tell them now, prepare them, so they won't build hopes only to have them shattered."

"Alright, then I'll call them when I get a chance."

Lin Guang added, "But what about your marriage? Mom's always worrying about you getting married."

"I think you care more than Mom does."

"I—I just happened to run into you! I can only worry for Mom and pass on her message."

"The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are frantic—no, it's the little eunuchs around the grand eunuch who are frantic."

"Fuck you, is that how you talk to your own younger brother?" Lin Guang protested angrily.

"Who told you to nag so much about marriage? If you want to get married so badly, go marry yourself."

"It's not me who wants to marry—it's Mom constantly nagging me to tell you whenever I see you."

"Shut up, you're annoying."

Lin Lin Guangyuan slapped his palm over his face and shoved his head sideways—out of sight, out of mind.

"I only have two hours out. I don't want to hear your nonsense—I've heard it all on the phone already. Don't turn into Xiang Lingsao."

"I'm just trying to help someone in need."

Lin Lin Guangyuan turned his back, refusing to even look at him.

"Uncle Guang, I want to ask—how many boats do you have now? Grandpa says you've got dozens."

"About right—add up the big and small ones, maybe thirty or so."

"Damn, really that many?"

"Of course. I didn't get here by doing nothing."

"Do you need workers?"

"What? You gonna hook me up with your ex-comrades as crew?"

Lin Lin Guangyuan nodded. "Yeah, yeah—I've got several close comrades who aren't from the city. When their service ends, they just go back where they came from. If they were farmers, they have to go back to farming."

"Some try to perform well enough to extend their service by a year, then after five years, they might qualify as volunteer soldiers."

"Some come from poor families with lots of younger siblings to support—they rely on the military stipend they send home."

"You wouldn't believe how poor some are—some families earn barely a few yuan a year from the land, barely enough to fill their stomachs, let alone afford school fees."

"When they chat about their families, they're all uncertain, worried about how they'll feed their families after discharge."

The spring breeze of reform and opening-up swept first through coastal areas, but inland regions, especially mountainous ones, remained just as poor—farmers still ended the year with barely a few yuan left.

"Whenever I call home, Hui always tells me you bought another boat, so I thought—since you've got so many boats, maybe you need more hands."

"Forget other things—they're good swimmers, hardworking, and their character is solid. And if you take them on, the military will vouch for them and even reward you."

Lin Lin Guangyuan looked at Ye Yaodong with hopeful eyes.

Ye Yaodong hadn't expected he'd come for his comrades—they'd thought of the same thing.

But he hadn't planned to hire them for the fishing boats—he needed hands for the small factory he'd eventually build.

Still, the factory didn't even exist yet—he wasn't sure what shape it'd take, or how many he could take on. But for the fishing boats, locking in a few people now wouldn't hurt.

There'd be plenty of discharged soldiers, but his little operation couldn't absorb too many. Still, taking on more would definitely help.

If he eventually built a factory staffed mostly by discharged soldiers, the local authorities would surely give him preferential treatment. His half-formed factory already felt half-successful…

"Have you considered that I've had my fishing boats for a long time—I can't leave them idle. I've already fully staffed them."

Lin Lin Guangyuan's eyes dimmed with disappointment; he realized how naive he'd been—how could he expect boats to sit idle just to wait for next year's discharged soldiers?

"Alright…"

"But I've got four more big boats—over forty meters each—still under construction, plus one 60-meter, thousand-ton fishing vessel. These will be delivered gradually from the end of this year to the end of next year."

Lin Lin Guangyuan's eyes lit up with hope; his mouth dropped open in shock. "That many? Those boats must cost millions!"

The two boys beside him, who'd only been counting numbers and hadn't grasped the value, now widened their eyes too.

"What?"

"A million?"

"Holy shit…"

"My god, even the boats my uncle hasn't gotten yet are worth millions?"

"Then the twenty-odd boats he already has—how much more?"

"Holy shit…"

"I'd have to work for generations to earn that…"

The two boys kept exclaiming, their speech incoherent.

Ye Yaodong sidestepped their amazement, avoiding explaining the value, and turned directly to Lin Lin Guangyuan: "I can take on some of them—but I can't yet say how many."

"I don't know exactly when my ships will be delivered—whether it'll match your discharge schedule."

"If you get discharged early, you could stay here and wait. But if my ships are delivered sooner, I can't leave them idle and lose money—I'll arrange crew ahead of time, and won't need so many."

"Anyway, we'll see when the time comes—I can definitely arrange for you to take in some people, just not sure how many. Those close to you, I'll make sure to set up a few for you."

Lin Guang chimed in, "What about the factory? Uncle, aren't you building a factory? You've been running over there every day lately."

Lin Lin Guangyuan was already delighted—just getting a few close comrades was enough; he didn't dare hope for more. But hearing there was a factory under construction, he became even happier.

"Uncle, you're still building a factory? Then won't you be able to take in even more people?"

"It's still under construction, hasn't started production yet. I'm not even sure how it'll turn out. At first, we'll go slow—small scale, low-key. We need to prove ourselves before expanding, hiring more people. Right now it's still being built—anything said now is just empty talk..."

"Then just build it, get it going. Anyway, they won't be discharged until next year's second half. May the Bodhisattva bless your business—may your factory open with a bang, grow bigger and bigger."

"Hahaha, thanks for the good wishes."

"Uncle, you succeed at everything you do—this time won't be any different. It'll go smoothly, flourish, thrive."

"You called me yesterday just to make me wait at home for this, right?"

"Exactly. Taking leave isn't easy—I didn't want to come all this way for nothing. I called ahead so if you're available, great; if not, I'll reschedule."

"Couldn't you have just called?"

"Phone calls are hard to explain clearly. Better to say it face to face."

Ye Yaodong nodded. "We've been talking so much, I didn't even ask if you're hungry. This time of day is perfect for a snack. Let's go down—have the kitchen cook a few bowls of noodles, and see if there's any mung bean soup to go with it."

"Sounds good."

"Brother, you're so busy worrying about other people finding jobs—why don't you worry about your own marriage?" Lin Guangming finally seized another chance to speak.

Lin Lin Guangyuan turned and shot him a deadly glare. "Are you never done?"

"If Mom found out, she'd say exactly that."

"Then save it for her. Don't tell me now—do I have to suffer hearing it twice?"

"Ah, I was just giving you a heads-up..."

"Don't meddle. Shut your mouth. Don't ruin the mood."

Ye Yaodong couldn't help laughing—he never expected such a young kid like Lin Guangming would be so eager to push marriage, mirroring his mother's urgency.

He teased, "Ah Ming, how old do you plan to get married? Ah Yuan's 21—you're 18 already, right?"

Lin Guangming blushed, scratched his head. "I can't get married until my brother does. Mom says to take care of him first. Once she's done arranging for him by the end of next year, I'll be 19 or 20—then she can start arranging for me right after the New Year."

"You fucking asshole—you're the one who wants to get married, that's why you've been pushing me all along—you fucking..."

Lin Lin Guangyuan finally understood why he'd turned into a nagging old woman—he wanted to get married himself.

"No no, I don't want to get married—I'm not in a hurry. You're the one in a hurry, so I'm just helping Mom remind you. That's what she told me—to keep reminding you."

Ye Yaodong patted his shoulder. "Stop saying 'Mom this, Mom that'—if you keep it up like that, you'll become a mama's boy. Don't listen to her about everything. Your brother will marry when he finds the right person—no need to push. He's only 21 anyway. What's the rush?"

"But he'll be 22 next year. If he comes back next second half, he'll turn 23 before the New Year. No—if he doesn't come back until the year after, he'll be 24! I'll get scolded by Mom—I know I will. I won't even know what to say when I see him."

"I'll call home tomorrow and tell them—then have Mom arrange your marriage first, so you stop nagging."

Lin Guangming flushed red and shook his head furiously, only muttering, "No, no."

Ye Yaodong thought it wasn't just women who were hypocritical—boys could be too. Thin-skinned, innocent young lads were easy to fool.

"If Ah Ming's fate brings him someone, he can marry early too—no need to wait for his brother. Like Ye Chenghe—he's only 17, yet rushed to get engaged during the New Year. But Brother Brother Ahai's 19 and still not in a hurry."

Lin Lin Guangyuan was stunned. "Huh? Isn't Chenghe still a kid? Already engaged?"

He still remembered leaving Uncle's house before joining the military—Chenghe used to spend all day playing marbles on the ground.

"I remember—he used to follow a girl classmate everywhere, couldn't shake her off?"

"Hahaha, yes yes—that girl's his fiancée. A good girl can't resist a persistent guy."

Lin Lin Guangyuan couldn't help twitching his lips. "That was fast—just like that, he brought her home."

"Exactly."

Lin Guangming recovered from his embarrassment and continued: "I haven't earned any money yet—I don't want to get married so soon. I need to earn first. I just started learning to drive a truck—I need to save up."

"I thought you were in a hurry, which is why you kept pushing me."

"I'm not..."

As they walked and chatted, they descended to the canteen, where they continued talking while waiting.

After standing so long, at least now they had somewhere to sit—but it wasn't as cool as outside.

Ye Yaodong also asked Lin Lin Guangyuan about his daily training, whether it was exhausting.

"What time do you have to get back?"

"Before five."

"Then after we eat and rest a bit, I'll ride you there on my motorcycle—it'll be faster."

"Huh? You bought a motorcycle here?"

Ye Yaodong said casually, "What's hard about it? A motorcycle costs only two or three thousand yuan. I can't walk everywhere, and bicycles are too slow—motorcycles are just convenient."

"Uncle, your legs are too precious. We hike ten kilometers as routine."

"I didn't come here to suffer—I came to earn money. Why should I compare myself to you?"

That stung.

"Comparing people drives you crazy."

"Just eat faster."

This time of day was perfect for a snack before leaving—better to eat and talk at once.

Before he left, Ye Yaodong reminded him again.

"When you go back, tell your superior this: you felt sympathy for your comrade's family circumstances, and specifically came here requesting I take in a few close comrades."

"You must inform your superior—don't make decisions on your own. This is about demobilized soldiers' placement."

"You can also mention that I'm starting a factory—if it succeeds, we might be able to take on more people later."

Lin Lin Guangyuan nodded. "Understood. I'll bring it up with my superior when I return."

Ye Yaodong took out another 100 yuan and handed it to him, "Take it; you'll have expenses in the army too."

"No need, no need. I have an allowance, and I still have money on hand. I hardly spend anything in there."

"That only covers basic living costs. Take it. Phone bills are very expensive; keep it for making calls."

Lin Guang looked on enviously and said, "Brother, Little Uncle is so rich... I only get 150 yuan for a month of working for Little Uncle. You just gave me away more than half a month's wages in one go. That's awesome."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Lin Lin Guangyuan took it decisively. Little Uncle already owned fishing boats worth several million yuan; 100 yuan was truly just a casual gift. He wouldn't pretend to be polite; he was short on money anyway.

"Take it. If you can find a female soldier from the troupe in the army, your mother won't keep urging you. If you can marry the leader's daughter, your mother will wake up laughing in her dreams."

"Ahem, I'll take your good wishes."

Ye Yaodong smiled and poked him twice with his index finger, "Good lad. I understand you better than your mother does."

"Hehe, let's go quickly. If we don't leave now, we won't make it."

"I'll drive you there on my motorcycle."

He certainly couldn't take him all the way to the destination; he could only drop him off at the wharf and let him take a boat back himself, as the garrison was on a nearby island.

The two left directly, while the two lads behind them looked at each other in silence.

"So my big brother wants a female soldier! I must tell my mother right away."

Book Title: "Back to 1980: Starting a Family as a Peddler"

Synopsis: Chen Guangming returns to a small village in 1980.

Back then, carriages and horses were slow, life was hard, but one lifetime was only enough to love one person.

He hoisted a carrying pole and traveled north and south, exchanging goods to save up for a bride price, building wealth, making up for regrets, and marrying the wife he hadn't had time to enjoy in his past life.

From a peddler to building a workshop and becoming a small boss, he truly had no lofty ideals; he only wanted the people around him to live better, without regrets, in peace and joy.

【Era Fiction, Slice of Life, Entrepreneurship, Farming, Family Matters, Loving Elders

and Children, Warm, Cheerful, Comfortable】

(End of Chapter)