Chapter 1566: Making Arrangements

Ye Yaodong was thinking he might as well tear down his parents' old house and build them a Western-style home for their retirement.

His father was already 58 and couldn't work much longer—he'd need to return to the countryside soon.

Building him a Western-style home would let him enjoy a bit of glory and live happily in his old age.

Over these past few years, his father had helped him a great deal; once he had enough staff in a few years, his father could finally enjoy peace.

He'd build it next year, and the year after that, hold a grand 60th birthday celebration for him, letting him retire happily.

"You'd be better off spending your money where it counts—building a Western house back home isn't urgent. Everyone's here now; if no one's there, it'll just sit empty and waste money."

"Yeah, I just thought of it suddenly, so I mentioned it—I'm really envious of your big house, I really want one, living inside is so comfortable."

Ye Yaodong put his hand on her shoulder. "Still want to live there? Why not bring the three kids to Shanghai for school this fall? The education here is better, and Ajiang can come intermittently to supervise the construction—you can keep an eye on things too."

Ye Ye Huimei's heart stirred, but she shook her head. "It's too hard to send kids somewhere so unfamiliar—they're so young, they'd definitely get bullied by locals. Besides, it's too far from Pudong."

"Then decide for yourself."

He'd only mentioned it casually—the choice was hers alone.

After finishing the matters here, Ye Yaodong took them back.

After the boat docked with Ye Ye Huimei's massive cargo, he took her and the goods to the Lin Ji office, but Lin Ji wasn't there—though the staff all recognized him.

He said he wanted to ship the goods, asked about the sailing schedule, had Ye Ye Huimei pay the freight fee in advance, then had the goods carried back as usual.

When the ship sailed, they'd just need to bring the goods over ahead of time—it was only one package, tiny compared to the ship's total capacity, and if not placed well, it'd be nearly impossible to find.

Only now did Ye Ye Huimei start to worry. "Will it get lost?"

"Usually not. When the goods are loaded, they'll write the destination port on the bag, and the manifest will list every item's port. Your single bag stands out clearly against their full cargo."

"Alright."

Ye Yaodong checked his watch—it was nearly time for the fresh catch boat to dock. He led them to the tractor parking spot and found Ajiang and Ye Chenghe.

Both looked at them in surprise.

"Uncle San, Little Aunt, you're back?"

"Drive the tractor and take your little aunt home first."

"Got it."

Ye Ye Huimei smiled and asked, "Will this delay your delivery? Isn't the fresh catch boat coming back soon?"

Ajiang quickly grabbed the crank and started the tractor. "No problem—we've got time. Even after the boat docks, they'll need time to weigh everything, and only then will they call us to haul the goods."

"Has the boat returned?"

"Yes, Grandpa already took people over. We're watching the vehicle here—we'll go after they finish weighing."

"Go ahead. Hurry back."

Ye Yaodong didn't return with them—he had Ye Chenghe take Ye Ye Huimei home while he, with his two bodyguards, headed toward the dock.

Sitting on the boat for a while meant nothing to him—he didn't need rest.

When his father saw him, he sighed in relief. "This time you didn't lie—was it smooth?"

"Smooth. In four or five months, the machines arrive, and the processing plant can expand."

"Four or five months? But aren't you planning to go to the deep sea in two months?"

"No conflict. You can't expect me to stay in the deep sea until New Year's after just one trip."

"Then how long will you stay out at sea?"

"First trip, about two months. Later trips can be longer… yes, longer. Go in May, return in July or August if there's a typhoon, then stay nearshore for a while, go again in October—this trip will probably last until New Year's? February? Roughly."

Ye's father did the math—it made sense.

Effectively, just two trips ahead—during typhoon-heavy months, stay nearshore to save fuel. If you only stay a few days before a typhoon forces you back, it's a net loss.

The fishery's catch is still decent—not yet exhausted. The big boats can still haul plenty. In a few more years, they'll truly only rest on shore.

Otherwise, even moving them costs more than the fuel.

"Don't wander off these next two months—prepare thoroughly here. The rear must be settled, or you won't leave in peace."

"Understood."

"In past years, you returned in May to harvest kelp. Not going back this year?"

"No. Leave it to Lin Lin Xiuqing—she can handle it. I just happened to be home at the right time before. Honestly, whether I'm there or not makes no difference."

Lin Lin Xiuqing had long been capable of managing everything alone. When he wasn't home, she handled all household matters—even better than he did.

As father and son talked, they processed the full cargo—people carried it to be weighed, counted, and when the amount met their delivery quota, they called the tractor in.

Ye's father supervised without interrupting his chat. "The two brothers earned a lot last year. Now that they're experienced, they talked about splitting up with their father a few days ago—they've already bought a tractor each. Now they can earn more."

"Fine. Last year, I worried they were too new and inexperienced—two sharing one vehicle was enough. Now if they want to split up and earn more, that's good."

"Yes. The day after you left, they ordered a tractor. In half a month, they can go pick it up."

"My workload alone guarantees them a minimum income. I'm a top-tier client—my money alone is enough to fill their pockets."

"Exactly. That's why we thought of it—when you go to the deep sea, your volume will increase. An extra vehicle will speed up deliveries."

Last year's volume wasn't much, but as his fleet grew, so did his cargo. Now, Ye Ye Chengjiang and Ye Chenghe deliver only his goods every afternoon—often until midnight.

Last year, they were summoned every other day to deliver until late, yet still picked up half-day jobs the next morning.

Now they don't even need morning jobs—his cargo keeps them working until deep into the night. They barely sleep before dawn, and often don't wake until noon.

After resting, they can start again—no need to seek outside jobs.

"Good thing I planned ahead—I arranged a big truck in advance and trained the driver ahead of time. Otherwise, renting alone would've been a headache."

Ye's father nodded. "Having your own vehicle is far more convenient—available on call. For small volumes, renting's fine. But for your scale, you absolutely need your own delivery truck."

"When I return for New Year's, I'll order another Da Da Jiefang—next year's transport will be smoother."

"Again?"

"Yes. Useful. Next year's volume will only grow—more vehicles mean faster deliveries, and we can train two more drivers."

"You handle your own affairs as you see fit; I can't interfere. In any case, I can only help you. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do."

"Nonsense. If I tell you to do something, you do it. I just asked you to stay here for a few days to help deliver some goods, and yet you've been grumbling and urging me on every single day."

"Isn't it because you've spread your operations too wide for me to handle? You can ask me to work, but next time, don't make me face those people. I can't even speak properly in front of them."

"Understood, understood. Let's just deal with this ship's cargo first..."

After finishing today's cargo, Ye Yaodong went straight to sleep upon returning. The next day, he asked Chen Baoxing about what had happened during his few days away, and also inquired about the accounts for Old You and Lin Lin Dongxue.

Ye's father handed over all the money earned during this period in one lump sum. Although they had only been away for five or six days, the amount was actually quite substantial, totaling several tens of thousands.

This was the cash accumulated from daily deliveries. Other expenses were recorded in the ledger, and a portion remained as outstanding accounts receivable.

Fortunately, after the trip to Shanghai, he had emptied his own pockets. This recent earnings could be used to pay wages at the end of the month, and he could also ease his own financial pressure.

With only a week left until the end of the month, the boat workers didn't mind; they were all from his hometown. Originally, wages were settled annually with advances allowed, to prevent them from staying here all year and spending everything, leaving nothing to take home.

However, the factory workers and the veterans must be paid precisely at the end of the month. Nowadays, there is no holding wages back for ten or half a month; it's one month's work for one month's pay. Many families are waiting for this end-of-month money for emergencies.

Last year, after the New Year, they only worked for half a month before the month ended, so they received only half a month's wages. This month, however, counts as a full month.

Now, the factory has eighty or ninety workers. Just wages and other miscellaneous expenses amount to at least ten thousand per month.

"What has that fatso been busy with lately? He's already built the shell of the canteen, so why hasn't he arranged for it to open yet?"

Before the New Year, he had asked the people staying here to arrange the construction of a canteen. With more workers after the New Year, it would be more convenient.

"He just arrived after the New Year. He's busy with his restaurant business, saying he can't distinguish the people he brought up. He has already asked his uncles and elders at home to arrange for people to wait for the next cargo ship."

"He's busier than me; I haven't even seen a shadow of him yet."

"He says it's coming soon. I heard he's now focusing entirely on his restaurant and has handed over the contracting of this small canteen to someone else, looking among relatives and friends to see who wants to take it on."

"Whatever. As long as he gets the canteen built so the workers can eat conveniently, that's all that matters."

This is a business with guaranteed profits and no losses. With so many people in the factory, everyone needs to eat every day. In a few months, once he gets his machinery, the number of people will only grow.

After learning about all the trivial matters, he picked up his pen and prepared to write a letter to Lin Lin Guangyuan.

Lin Lin Guangyuan hadn't called him; it wasn't easy for him to find that young man.

He had to write him a letter, asking him to report back to the military unit again and arrange for another thirty or fifty veterans to come over in a few months.

These veterans were indeed much more useful than ordinary people; they had discipline, organization, and strong obedience.

Too sleepy. I'll stop writing here. I've written about 7,000 characters today. The next chapter will head into the deep sea.

(End of this chapter)