Chapter 1569: Departure

Bought the hearing aid too early.

Ye Yaodong explained at length, saying his equipment was advanced, his experience was less than his father's, his father might not even be as familiar with the advanced instruments on the boat as he was, and he couldn't read.

After patiently explaining everything, the old lady was still somewhat unhappy.

"You could teach him, couldn't you? Didn't he spend some time learning to read? With three days fishing and two days drying nets, he doesn't know what he's doing every day, doesn't know to persist in learning a few more characters..."

"When he's needed, he doesn't know how to shine and contribute; now he doesn't help do more, and later he won't be able to do anything even if he wants to."

Forget it; his father would rather go straight home to enjoy life.

"Enough, we'll arrange these things ourselves; you just stay home and enjoy life. We won't lose contact when we go to sea; the fresh catch collection boat will still go out to collect goods as usual, and it will also transport supplies for us. I'll have my father call you back to report on our situation."

"Do you absolutely have to go?"

"Of course I have to go; if my father went, I'd still worry he wouldn't do well and couldn't manage so many boats. Enough, that's it; don't worry blindly. I won't be gone long, just one or two months, and I'll be back, no different from usual."

The old lady sighed, "When will this ever end? When will you be able to do nothing and just count money at home?"

"Soon. Once the children are a bit older, I'll leave them to the two of them."

"Alright, let your father help more in a few years."

Lin Lin Xiuqing took the phone again and said, "Don't forget to prepare and bring what needs to be prepared and brought; check everything again. At the beginning, have the fresh catch collection boat go every day; while collecting goods, they can also check on your situation, which will be safer."

The fresh catch collection boat takes about three days round trip; how can it go every day?

Ye Yaodong brushed it off casually; when he saw his father arrive, he handed the phone to him.

"Your mother is talking to you."

Ye's father was still dazed, taking the phone blankly, "Talking to me about what?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing heard Ye's father's voice and handed the phone to the old lady, "Father is taking the call."

The old lady raised her voice and shouted, "Dongzi is going to the deep sea; you, as a father, don't even know how to dissuade him. Making enough money is enough."

"Can he even listen to me? Besides, what he said isn't wrong; if he wants to go, let him go. If he doesn't work hard when he's young, does he wait until he's old to struggle hard?"

"You didn't see you struggling hard when you were old either; you've been enjoying great fortune up there."

"What great fortune am I enjoying?"

"Then what do you do up there all day? Didn't you say you were learning to read? Where did the learning go? All day long, you don't know how to be more ambitious."

"How much more ambitious should I be? Do I have to take the university entrance exam at my age?"

At this moment, Ye's father also understood that Ye Yaodong had deliberately called him to take the call and glared fiercely at him.

"Dream on, taking the university entrance exam?"

"Tch, even if I don't take the university entrance exam, people will still call me Ye Zong..."

"Zong your head, zong zong zong, what zong or not zong, just saying things people don't understand..."

After muttering a few more times, the old lady saw Ye's mother arrive and handed the phone directly to Ye's mother.

"You explain it to him; your man keeps saying things I don't understand, Ye Zong? Ah, my heavens, did Lao San say Night Club?"

Ye's mother widened her eyes, "What Night Club? At his age, he's going to a Night Club? The Night Club from the TV?"

Ye's father: "!!!"

Hearing the two women on the phone talking about Night Clubs, Ye's father immediately felt something was wrong.

"No, I said Ye Zong, not Night Club..."

"Damn it, I'm busy at home managing everything for you, and you're going to a Night Club outside? You've lost all face; at your age going to a Night Club, what, do you want to find someone younger than your daughter? Luckily we got the marriage certificate during the New Year..."

Ye's father felt his scalp go numb listening to her rant and quickly explained, "No, I said Ye Zong, not Night Club; Ye Zong is how people address me!"

He just wanted to show off in front of his family...

"What Ye Zong, zong or not zong..."

"People call me Ye Zong, do you understand? Don't talk nonsense, you're way off; where did the Night Club come from? Pure nonsense."

"What? People call you Ye Zong? You have that much face?"

Ye's father frowned, "If the workers don't call me Ye Zong, are they going to call me Ye Lao San every day?"

"If not that, how should they call you?"

"Your son is called Boss Ye by people; if they call me Boss Ye too, would that be appropriate? Isn't that a duplicate? So we have to change the way of addressing; someone calls me Ye Zong, and then everyone calls me Ye Zong after that."

"Ye~ Zong~ Look how happy you are, you've even become Ye~ Zong..."

Ye's mother called out to Ye's father in a teasing tone.

Hearing Ye's father's old face turn red, his ears turned red from embarrassment.

Ye Yaodong heard it from the side; his father's show-off was terribly awkward.

Showing off to a blind person, and still having to explain everything again.

Even he felt awkward listening to it.

"What, did someone call you wrong somewhere?"

Ye's mother brushed it off, "Alright, alright, alright, no one called you wrong, Ye Zong, Ye Zong, look how capable Ye Zong is."

"Enough, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up."

"Hang up what? You haven't even said two sentences and want to hang up; is Ye Zong very busy?"

Ye's father wore an expression like he had constipation, "I need to discuss things with Dongzi."

"Ye Zong is really busy; when will Dongzi be back? In previous years, he came back in May; with May Day just a few days away, when will he be back? Did you buy the train ticket?"

"He's not coming back this year; let him tell you."

Ye's father hurriedly tried to throw the phone to him to avoid hearing the words "Ye Zong" again.

Hearing others call him Ye Zong made him how happy, but hearing Ye's mother say "Ye Zong" now made him how irritated.

Ye Yaodong waved his hand, "I already told Aqing just now; let Aqing tell him. I'm very busy; I'm going out."

Seeing Ye Yaodong not take the call, Ye's father could only say, "He already told you just now; ask Aqing. Don't waste phone charges; we're very busy; hanging up."

Snap.

The phone was hung up.

Ye's mother's face immediately fell. "Unbelievable. After becoming President Ye, he's truly busy..."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and quickly explained to her that Ye Yaodong was going to the deep sea.

After Ye's father hung up the phone, he also immediately lengthened his face and turned to glare at Ye Yaodong.

Ye Yaodong still smiled and asked him, "What's wrong, President Ye? Did my mother make you unhappy?"

"Don't make noise. Have the supplies that need preparing been prepared?"

"About ready."

"When the fresh-fish boats return this afternoon, you must also tell them. When they go out to sea tomorrow to collect goods, remind them to notify those few boats that they need to return in a couple of days. It must be said in advance."

"I know this. Since the time is set, of course we must say it early so they can prepare early."

"In a moment, I'll go over there to catch a chicken, kill it, and give you some nourishment tonight. I'll kill one for you to eat every day going forward. Chickens raised in our own home are better than those bought outside. Take advantage of the time before departure to nourish you well."

"Fine. Don't kill them all. You can kill ducks; keep the chickens for the 29th to worship Goddess Mazu."

"I know this. You also tell me the things that need to be handed over in advance, so I don't have to scramble at the last moment."

"It doesn't matter. Baoxing is here. If you don't know something, ask him; he is very experienced now. If there is truly a difficult problem, when the fresh-fish boats go out to sea to collect goods, send a message to them, or if you fear the message won't be clear, write a letter and send it to me at sea."

"Hmm, alright then."

Father and son locked the door and walked out together, planning to go see the workshop production.

The employees saw them and immediately shouted "Boss Ye" and "President Ye."

Ye's father regained his confidence, his face full of smiles.

After they went out, they met Ye Ye Huimei, who was taking a stroll.

"Third Brother, Dad, I heard Third Brother is going to the deep sea? When are you departing?"

"May 1st, I suppose. Ten days left."

"Is it confirmed? A few days ago I asked Ah Guang, and Ah Guang still said he didn't know."

"I checked the calendar this morning; it was just decided."

"I was thinking that if you weren't leaving so soon, I would go to Shanghai with you again."

"If you want to go, go. When you arrive, find Chen Baoguo directly and let him accompany you to buy things. As for lodging, stay directly in the Western-style house; I'll give you the key in advance."

"If only I had known, I would have gone with you when you went to Shanghai a few days ago."

"Where is there so much 'if only I had known'? A few days ago when I asked you, you said Dongqing hadn't mentioned needing restock, that things were selling quite well. It hasn't even been a few days, and now you want me to send them back again?"

Ye Ye Huimei's face was full of smiles. "Yes, everything was booked in advance and money collected. Once the goods arrive, she just distributes them. Once distributed, some people think it's good and book again. When you told me, it was too last-minute; we hadn't tallied it in advance."

"You arrange it as you see fit; pay attention to safety."

"I know. If you aren't there, then I plan to send Ah Guang on a trip to buy them."

"Hmm, that's better. You, a female comrade, aren't as convenient outside without a man."

"You are going so far out to sea; you must also pay close attention to safety."

"I know."

Someone ran over to report matters to Ye Yaodong, so Ye Ye Huimei didn't chat idly with them and went to work busily.

Ye Yaodong asked the fresh-fish boats to help him notify several deep-sea fishing boats, telling them to return around the 23rd. Say they need to return to prepare for the deep-sea work, and also let them rest for a few days.

On the evening of the 23rd, several large ships gradually docked, while the Dongsheng Hao and others continued their normal operations at sea.

Actually, the captains of these few boats were also quite reluctant to return so quickly. After all, there was still a week left; the catch volume for a single day was huge, and it was linked to their commission.

However, since the boss had given the word, they could only discuss and return to dock in the evening.

The workers were all very happy. They could have several days of rest to relax and could also call their families.

Once they went to sea, it took at least a month to return; contact was inconvenient, and going forward they would have to go for even longer.

Ye Yaodong thought for a moment and decided that before he left, he would have Old You settle the wages for all the boat workers, without needing to drag it until the end of the year.

There are many places to spend money throughout the year. Now it is almost May. They came up in mid-February; I estimate the money each of them brought after the New Year has been spent almost entirely by now.

Settle two and a half months' worth first. This way, they will have some money on hand going forward. Some may have family needs and can send a sum back first, saving the trouble of having a huge pile of advances going forward, which would be hard to keep track of in the accounts later.

And these people also knew they were going to the deep sea next; not only is it more dangerous, but the duration is even longer. With money in their pockets, the first thing they thought of was to relax.

After settling the wages two days early, Ye Yaodong was almost nowhere to be seen at the headquarters.

If it hadn't been agreed in advance that everyone would worship Goddess Mazu together on the 29th, they might not have been able to find him.

After the time arrived, Ye's father also got up early in the morning to prepare the Offerings. Each boat must have one set; five boats meant five sets prepared. Even five chickens were killed, five pig heads and five pig tails were bought, along with other dried fruits and dishes.

Two large round tables were set up on the empty ground downstairs, covered completely with items.

A crowd of boat workers surrounded the area. They communicated with those veteran soldiers in broken Mandarin, telling them about their customs of worshipping Goddess Mazu.

These veteran soldiers were very curious and listened with great interest.

"Goddess Mazu is very famous. Everyone going to sea worships Goddess Mazu; we know that. But it seems people here all worship Guanyin."

"We worship everything: the Mountain God, the Earth God, the Kitchen God and Kitchen Goddess, the King of Hell—we worship them all!"

"Whenever you need a certain god, you worship that god. As long as it's useful!"

"Hahaha, yes. We also like to worship the God of Wealth..."

"I like that too, but it seems he doesn't bless me..."

"You guys are making quite a grand affair. Killing chickens is one thing, but you even got five pig heads."

Ye's father smiled and explained, "We arrange it according to the severity of the matter. Since this is the first time going to the deep sea, of course we must be more grand and show more respect, praying for Goddess Mazu to bless us with safety and wealth."

"Luckily it's not wasted. After the worship, we can take it back and eat it..."

"Then you got it wrong. We don't take it back. We take it onto the boat to worship. During the sacrifice, all these Offerings must be thrown into the sea as a sacrifice. If taken to the temple for offerings, after the offering they are taken home, but it's different on the boat."

"Ah? Like that..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's truly a grand gesture; all this to be thrown into the sea as Offerings..."

Everyone chatted and laughed, discussing endlessly.

After Ye Yaodong finished counting the Offerings and confirmed nothing was missing, he nodded, had people hold the baskets, packed them in one by one, and then lifted them onto the tractor.

Even a bag of Tianjin gold ingots was prepared and hoisted onto the vehicle together.

As for everyone else, they were told to board the large cart to be taken over in one load.

Their worship procedure was no different from before; except for the veterans, everyone was very familiar with it.

Ye Yaodong and Ye's father each took a boat, while the other three boats were left for the boat captains to arrange.

Those veterans also respected everyone's faith; they too believed it better to believe in its existence than to disbelieve, so they joined in burning incense to Goddess Mazu to pray for safety.

After worshipping Goddess Mazu, they bowed at both the bow and the stern of the boat, then circled the fishing vessel burning yellow paper, and only then cast the Offerings into the sea, completing the entire ritual.

They sailed the fishing boat out to sea to perform these rites in the middle of the ocean, so no other fishing boats paid attention; only incoming or outgoing vessels might stop curiously to watch for a few moments.

Once the entire ritual was finished, everyone returned, and Ye Yaodong had already booked ten tables at Fatty's restaurant to treat everyone to a meal.

Not only the workers on the deep-sea fishing vessels, but also those on the fresh-fish collection boats and the logistics staff—any of his workers who were at home were all invited.

During the New Year, he was too busy to host the Fendui banquet; these past two years he only found free time on the twenty-ninth or thirtieth of the twelfth lunar month, with absolutely no time to spare.

Today was considered a good opportunity to treat everyone to a meal, thank them for their hard work, and acknowledge that the future would still depend on them, with deep-sea voyages bringing even greater hardship.

Rarely getting a free big meal, everyone was very happy and repeatedly praised Ye Yaodong for his generosity.

Ye Yaodong also pulled Fatty over to join them as a guest and eat together.

"You're impressive now; you can't even be seen, and one must use money as a stepping stone just to catch a glimpse of Boss Fatty."

Fatty chuckled, "What are you talking about? Isn't it just because I'm busy? This is my first major restaurant, so of course I must pay extra attention to it."

"A broken little shop dares to call itself a major restaurant; when will you open a star-rated hotel, then you'll truly be impressive."

"What star rating or not? To build a two-story grand hotel where the Ye Ye Datang can hold over twenty tables and still have several private rooms is already impressive enough, okay? Laozi went all out, emptying my entire savings."

"Alright, alright, you're impressive."

The land for Fatty's restaurant was purchased last year when he came up to run the canteen; he looked around everywhere and bought it then.

However, he had to get the canteen running first, so he didn't tidy up this land, and besides, this land was a bit far from the city center, considered to be outside the city.

Later, the city's population grew too large and gradually shifted outward; even the outskirts became lively with various markets, and the government was planning development.

With the canteen now running smoothly and no major issues, he cleared this land and planned its construction.

Later, he sold some erotic novels for a while and earned quite a bit, investing that money into the renovation.

In the second half of last year, it opened just before his processing plant began operations.

During that period, everyone was so busy that no one could see anyone else.

Fatty still rotated shifts with his brothers over the New Year, stayed back for only a few days, and returned early, before they even departed together.

After the New Year, he was also busy to death, and everyone had no time to meet.

Fatty hooked his arm around his shoulder and said, "I heard your wife's eldest nephew introduced quite a few veterans to you?"

"Yes, that's right. What's up?"

"Can you introduce a few to me?"

"What for?"

"As security guards; people get drunk too easily and start quarrels or cause trouble, so I need to hire a few security guards, preferably those who know some martial arts."

"I'll ask for you; I just called A-Yuan two days ago and asked him to arrange for thirty or fifty people from his unit to come work in a few months."

"Then arrange four for me too!"

"I'll ask first."

"When do you plan to depart? When will you return?"

When Ye Yaodong came to book the tables a few days ago, they had already briefly discussed this.

"Unless something unusual happens, we'll depart right on May Day, the Labor Day holiday, and return early to rest whenever typhoons blow in July or August."

"If no typhoons blow, you won't come back?"

"Definitely not; why would I come back to rest when there's money to be made? Do you know how much money it costs me to support so many people in a single day?"

"How much money?"

"These people cost six yuan a day, some even more; with these ten tables, temporarily counting one hundred people, that's six hundred a day, eighteen thousand a month, and I have even more workers than this."

Don't look at how much he earns now; his expenses are also huge.

On the seven Dongsheng vessels, there are still dozens of people; the factory workers' monthly wages are also considerable, not to mention other costs.

Fatty, hearing this, clicked his tongue in amazement; he knew Ye Yaodong had many workers with high wages, but hearing these figures was still staggering to him, as the waiters he hired here earned only fifty or sixty yuan a month.

"Damn, just your monthly wages alone must cost you forty or fifty thousand yuan."

"So I must earn, must earn desperately, must lead them to deep-sea fishing; the large vessels of those fishing companies mostly go to the deep sea."

"Alright then, I wish you a smooth journey, a cargo hold full of catch, and safe prosperity."

"I also wish you booming business and a wide flow of wealth; cheers."

The two happily linked arms and shoulders, eating and chatting while others continuously toasted them.

After they finished drinking, everyone was stumbling drunk, but the drivers hadn't drunk, so they could still carry them onto the vehicles and haul them back to headquarters like pigs.

On May Day, the Labor Day holiday, Ye Yaodong also gave the processing plant a unified day off.

As for the workers on the Dongsheng vessels, the Labor Day holiday did not apply to them.

And the crew of the deep-sea vessels had no choice; they had enjoyed themselves these past few days, which counted as having taken a few days off in advance.

Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, everyone was already packed and ready, climbing onto the vehicles to set sail.

Ye's father, worried, also climbed onto the vehicle and accompanied them to the dock to see them off onto the boats.

"Be careful on the road; if anything happens, communicate more with the other uncles and elders; three cobblers equal one Zhuge Liang..."

"Listen to the radio and public channels whenever you can, whether there's an issue or not. It helps you stay informed about the outside world, and you can seek help if something comes up..."

Ye Yaodong's father wanted to say more, but Ye Yaodong cut him off.

"I know, Ye Zong. You've gone over this half a dozen times already."

Ye Yaodong's father choked on his words. "I'm just worried. After all, this is your first time going so far. If not DYD, then somewhere closer would do."

"Alright, alright. I'm setting off. Ye Zong, go back and get to work. If anything happens, have the fish collection boat notify me or send me a letter."

"Fine, then I'll head down."

Ye Yaodong's father, still uneasy, looked back three times for every step he took. He gave the boatmen a few more instructions before slowly making his way down.

While Ye Yaodong was speaking with his father, the workers had already taken their positions and completed all necessary checks.

"Set sail."

(End of this chapter)