Chapter 1616: Worry

Ye's father was actually quite depressed inside.

After all, he is the eldest nephew whom he watched grow up from childhood; if he once took a wrong path, hasn't he already been punished? He must be given a chance, otherwise people will say his uncle is too heartless.

But alas, the two women who run the household both disagreed; actually, what they said made sense too, and whether he has improved must be observed.

If he truly improves, then he must be given a hand; if not, then they must have less contact.

Seeing the atmosphere instantly quiet down and feeling it was unpleasant, Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and smoothed things over.

"We are not without human feelings; aren't Ah Hong's two daughters also arranged to help in the workshop? Together they earn over 100 yuan a month, and over a year that's one or two thousand, which is not little."

"Speaking of it, we are also helping; we are not ignoring them completely. The grievances of the adults belong to the adults and do not concern the children."

"We will have less contact with Ah Hong, but we can look after his children more; the children are good, and in the future, the children will take care of him and his wife in their old age."

Hearing this, Ye's father felt a bit comforted and thought that Ah Qing's words made sense too.

Adults are confused; at this age, they cannot be taught, but the children can be cared for more; the children are grown now, and in the future, his children can take care of Ah Hong and his wife, which counts as giving a hand.

The old lady's face also looked much better.

The palm is flesh, the back of the hand is also flesh; of course, she also wanted her son and grandson to be harmonious, with everyone working together.

But who made it so that someone took a wrong path? One cannot let one drag the other down. She has already put half a foot into the coffin, cannot manage too much, and can only rely on each person's conscience.

She is already hard of sight and hearing, does not know how many days she can live, and will not see her children and grandchildren in their old age.

As long as they do not end up without food to eat and do not starve to death, that is enough.

Ah Qing saying this and arranging it this way is also correct; the eldest grandson is not young anymore, the children are grown, and if they truly turn out badly in the future, the children will take care of them in their old age, so this is already good; just looking after the next generation more is fine.

Just now, when they were arguing, she could not say a word, could only listen, sigh silently, and say nothing.

Ye's father nodded, "Mm, everyone's eyes are bright, and we are also people with human feelings."

Ye's mother rolled her eyes at him, "Hurry up and eat your rice; later you still have to notify the workers one by one."

The atmosphere instantly relaxed quite a bit more.

This trip back of Ye's father, counting tomorrow, has been more than two days of rest, so it is actually about time to leave.

Without this matter, he would leave at the latest the day after tomorrow.

The last time was the same; he stayed for two or three days and then left.

This reason is not far-fetched after all, since before he also stayed only two or three days, so it would not seem intentional.

Moreover, he is different now; he is not the old Ye Lao San who had only a few coins in his pocket; he has three capable sons, one of whom is Ye Yaodong.

Now he can speak as loudly as he wants in the village; the village head and the new secretary both stop to greet him and chat a couple of sentences when they see him.

In the past, saying a word to his eldest brother could be called a direct notification; now, people dare not have even a shred of emotion and must accompany him with a smiling face.

Of course, Ye's father is still very simple and honest.

"Originally, I was thinking that since I happened to be at home, and since you asked me to go along to drive and pick someone up, I am idle anyway, so I can go together."

"But it is truly unfortunate; just while eating, Dongzi called and said he has to go to Magic City, and asked me to hurry up and go up to watch over him."

"Now I have no choice; he needs me, and every step must be watched by me, so I can only hurry to take his place."

Ye Ye Dabo's aged face also piled up a smile, "Since Dongzi needs you there, then there is no way, so you go attend to your business first."

"Mm, originally coming back meant staying only two or three days before leaving; this trip was specifically to send the children back, and I was thinking of leaving the day after tomorrow after they finished registering, but now Dongzi has urged me, so I must leave tomorrow night."

"Dongzi's matter is important; he is a person who does great things. It is a pity I am old; otherwise, I would definitely give a hand. Outsiders cannot compare to our own people; our own brothers are much more reliable than outsiders."

Ye's father politely chuckled.

No matter how fierce the quarrels were before, there is no feud between brothers that leads to never seeing each other again; since he flattered him in a good voice, Ye's father naturally had to wear a smiling face too.

"Then I will leave first; I still have to notify a group of workers to prepare to depart tomorrow."

Ye Ye Dabo had originally been skeptical, thinking it was an excuse, but seeing that he was going to notify the workers, he figured it was indeed true that he had to leave, which was a bit unfortunate.

With school starting soon, the children's leisurely and happy summer vacation is nearing its end, while Ye's father's short two-day holiday is over, and he must start his life as a beast of burden again, listening to people call him "General Manager Ye."

The reason Ye's father gave earlier was not without basis.

His brainwaves also connected with Ye Yaodong across the distance; although the father and son did not communicate, one made up a reason on the spot while the other truly had a plan, and the result was that he really had to go to Magic City.

Ye Yaodong has been busy like a wildfire these days; the factory's efficiency is getting better and better, the expanded factory building is nearly finished, so he was thinking that after his father returned, he could watch over things while he made another trip to Magic City.

Actually, he did not need his father to watch; he could leave now if he wanted to.

The factory's system has been perfected quite a bit, manpower has expanded, new people have been arranged everywhere, and the division of labor is clear.

Delivery matters are now basically fully arranged by the several nephews who drive; receiving goods is assigned to Wang Jiale, and matters of coordinating with other factories are all assigned to Chen Baoxing.

Maintaining clients and overall coordination are basically handed over to Chen Baoxing, so leaving for a few days for a short time is not a big problem for him now.

It is just that it is best if his father is still present; after all, he is his father, and his authority is definitely greater than these young men; if he leaves for several more days, his father must definitely be there.

After being busy for these two or three months, his gains are not small; if he maintains this, when he goes to the Deep Sea again after the New Year, he will not have to worry about having too much cargo and not enough manpower.

Now he also hands over most matters for them to arrange; he only coordinates, basically spending his time maintaining clients or collecting debts.

Work in the morning, collect debts in the afternoon, and socialize in the evening; the schedule is fully packed yet reasonable.

As soon as Ye's father returned, Ye Yaodong told him he was going to Magic City; he felt it was coincidental that the words spoken two days ago were truly fulfilled directly.

"Do you want to check the progress of the fishing boats and the machinery?"

"Yes, it has been a month or so; I have to go urge them. If I don't urge them, they will easily drag their feet. The factory building is now almost built and is in the finishing stages."

If they can be pulled back directly, that would be best; they could be put into use immediately. Now he has received so many orders his hands are soft, and he is even afraid he cannot ship the goods; the delivery dates have already been extended to one month later.

It was originally agreed that they would rush to complete his machinery and strive for delivery in September; now it is exactly September.

Ye's father knew this was a big matter, an urgent matter, and only told him to go with peace of mind.

After he finished packing his luggage, he did not rest but went directly to the factory to wander around, and also made a call to the family to report safe arrival.

However, before he could call back, Ye's mother called first.

"Eh? You have arrived?"

"Arrived..."

"You got here, why didn't you call home?"

"I just got here, luggage barely set down, haven't even sat on my ass yet, and I was already thinking of calling home—otherwise how could I have answered so fast?"

"That's true. I'll tell you, Ah Hong came back yesterday evening. He looked in great shape, even gained weight. Anyone who didn't know would think he'd gone somewhere to enjoy himself."

"Glad he's home. All these eight years, who knows how he survived inside? He must regret it terribly. No gold nest, no silver nest, is better than your own dog's den."

Ye's mother spoke with a gossip's edge; her desire to share was bursting.

"Yesterday I took a basket of eggs over, said a few words, and he seemed duller, more honest, smiling at everyone—I don't know if it's fake or real."

"But then more people started showing up, all telling him to reform, to start anew, to never again cheat his fellow villagers or break the law. I saw his face almost crack."

"Later he made an excuse and went straight back inside, leaving only your sister-in-law and his wife to entertain the guests."

"I didn't stay long either—stood for a bit and left. Everyone else did the same. They just came to see the spectacle, stood around a bit, then left."

"So guess what happened next?"

Ye's father frowned. "What happened? You're talking nonsense—how am I supposed to guess?"

"This morning he came to our house, brought a basket of chestnuts, said he was thanking us for taking care of his family while he was away. I thought the sun had risen in the west—ferrets paying respects to chickens, no good intentions."

Ye's father's frown eased, a smile appearing on his face. "Don't talk nonsense. This shows he's truly changed."

"Bullshit. Right after, he asked to borrow our motorcycle to go to town. Who knows what he planned? I told him it had no fuel, wouldn't run, and to take a bus by the roadside."

"Then after lunch, we heard he beat his wife badly. His daughter said he blamed her for the eight years he spent in prison."

"He blamed her for showing off back then, which drew attention and got him arrested, sentenced to eight years."

"And it wasn't just at noon—he said he beat her last night too, but didn't go as hard then because the kids were afraid to talk."

"At noon, we heard there was blood—his forehead had a huge gash, and they had to take her to the clinic for stitches. Otherwise, locked inside, no one would've known."

Ye's father frowned again. "Didn't anyone stop him?"

"He locked the door and beat her—no one could get in. You still think he'll change? What a joke—he's out and immediately vents his rage on his wife. Thank goodness we stopped you from getting involved."

"Sigh, he's already in his forties, but thank goodness the kids are all grown."

"Eight years in prison—when he came out, the world had changed. Of course he's angry. If not for his wife exposing him, he might never have been caught."

"What can we do now? It's already happened. He's finally out—why can't he just live peacefully?"

"I think his two daughters would've preferred he never got out. When they mentioned him this afternoon, their faces were full of resentment. Only his two sons are away—if they were home, they'd probably have beaten him by now."

"He's only just out, and he still doesn't know how to behave. He should live quietly. These past few years, his wife raised all those kids alone—life was hard. The eldest daughter's old enough to marry, but she's been held back."

Ye's mother snorted. "There's more trouble coming. Now that this guy's back in the village, everyone's worried he'll attract all kinds of shady people."

"Good thing Lin Xiuqing went back to her parents' place yesterday and brought back a bunch of people—some couples. The women will gut fish, the men will watch the workshop, and we'll patrol more at night."

Ye's father nodded vigorously. "Right. The village is full of old people, women, and kids—we need more young, strong men."

"All arranged through her relatives—cousins, cousins-in-law, some are couples. They're more reliable."

"We really need to be careful."

"But no need to worry too much—there are so many eyes in the village. Any stranger who enters, everyone will follow and watch him."

"Mm."

Ye's mother suddenly remembered something and added quickly: "This one's not so bad, but the other one we need to watch. Do you remember? Lin Lin Jianqiang, that gambling addict who extorted Yaodong—her cousin-in-law."

"That gambling addict is dangerous—he knows all kinds of shady people. When Lin Xiuqing was pregnant with Xiaojiu, he threatened Yaodong for money."

"Later he got caught gambling, and someone turned him in for stealing bicycles—he was sentenced to ten years."

"Ah Hong's been released. Won't this one be out soon too? Even without parole, he should be out after ten years, right?"

Ye's father immediately grew worried. "I'd forgotten about him entirely."

"I forgot too. Just now it hit me—he's still out there. These past few years, without him, Cousin Meiying raised the kids in peace. I'd almost forgotten him."

"I'll tell Yaodong right away—he's probably forgotten him too."

"Yes, you must tell him. Ah Hong has no grudge against Yaodong, and he still owes our eldest and second son money. But Lin Lin Jianqiang? He threatened Yaodong. What if he gets out? That kind of gambling addict will do anything for money."

"Right. Ah Hong's better—he's family. But Lin Lin Jianqiang? He's an outsider. That gambler, when he's desperate, will do anything for cash—we must be on guard."

"You must tell him right away—who knows if he got parole?"

"Alright, I'm hanging up—I'll tell him now."

Ye Yaodong hadn't even left the house when his father rushed over and told him what his mother had just said.

He calculated the time—it was only one year left until release.

"Later, tell Mom to ask her sister-in-law—she'll know for sure."

"Sigh, I'll call her back later."

"You're quite good at preparing for trouble."

"Of course—we've got a big family and property now. They're barefoot; they don't fear us in shoes. Better safe than sorry."

"Mm."

ps: A bit short on words, but together the two chapters total 8,000. I'll try to write more tomorrow—I'm too tired.