Chapter 1658: Urging

Ye Ye Xiaoxi eagerly asked, "Dad, what about me? What do I do? Big Brother goes to sea, Second Brother works in the factory, so what do I do?"

"You just sit at home and play with your sister."

"Great, great! Do I get a wage too?"

Ye Yaodong was speechless, while Director Chen burst out laughing.

"You're just playing, and you still want a wage?"

"But Big Brother goes to sea to play too, why does he get a wage?"

"He's helping with the sea voyage!"

"Then I want to help too! Assign me a task. You said yourself I should just play with my sister, so there must be a wage. It's not that I don't want to work; it's that you won't let me."

He sounded so reasonable that Ye Yaodong couldn't refute him.

Ye Chenghu protested, "You're just playing, and you still want a wage? We all work hard, and you're enjoying yourself while demanding a wage! Dream on!"

"Your word doesn't count; Dad's word does."

Ye Yaodong had nothing to say and changed the subject to talk about something else.

That brat really knows how to think.

Today was Sunday, a day off. Director Chen and his wife were also resting at home with nothing to do, so he stayed a little longer with the three younger ones and helped carry the bluefin tuna away for processing.

Meanwhile, the three children played in the yard with other kids, and after the meal, more children from the staff compound gathered.

Ye Ye Chengyang found his old playmates, then dumped out the huge bag of toys he'd brought, showing them his strength, and earned a chorus of "Wow!"s, feeling extremely satisfied.

This was only part of it; it was inconvenient to bring more, but there were even more and better toys at home. Saying this made the playmates extremely envious.

Ye Chenghu and Ye Ye Xiaoxi added what other things they had to play with at home, and mentioned they could go beachcombing too; the beach was right at the door, where they could dig up lots of edible seafood. It was super fun.

They also had dozens of dogs at home, and they even took a big pack of dogs beachcombing; the dogs could catch lots of seafood too.

The children in this compound heard this and their eyes sparkled; they wished they could go home with them.

So by afternoon, when Ye Yaodong was about to take them away, the three children weren't reluctant; instead, the children in the compound were unhappy about them leaving.

Finally, they agreed to come again next time before reluctantly letting them go.

Ye Ye Chengyang: "Dad, when can we come again?"

"I don't know. When I'm free and come back, I'll take you then."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi looked at Ye Yaodong hesitantly: "Dad, are we going to the Department Store now?"

"The sun is already setting; they close at 4:30. I'll take a day off tomorrow and take you in the morning; we'll go and return home in the afternoon."

Ye Chenghu cheered happily: "Great! Taking a day off means no school."

"Look at your ambition; will you ever get into university?"

"I didn't say I want to take the university entrance exam."

Ye Yaodong lifted his foot to kick him; he nimbly ran a few steps forward to dodge it, then cheerfully said, "So are we going back to the factory now?"

"Mm."

"Dad, how about you teach me to drive a tractor? My arms and legs are long enough now; I can reach."

"That works too. If you want to learn, learn. There are more people on this road, so sit beside me first and watch how to drive; I'll explain it to you. When we get around the factory, where the roadside is more open, I'll let you take the wheel then."

"Great, great!"

Ye Ye Chengyang was envious; he wanted to learn too, but he looked at his short little legs and decided he needed to eat more and grow taller first.

Ye Chenghu continued to push his luck: "Dad, then when we get home, will you teach me to ride a motorcycle too?"

"Where would I find time to stay that many days? When we come back for New Year, I'll let Grandpa teach you. You want to learn everything at once; why don't you just fly to the sky?"

"Hehe, first learn to drive a tractor, then learn to ride a motorcycle, then have my cousin teach me to drive a big truck!"

"You're dreaming big."

Ye Ye Chengyang felt envious and jealous: "Brother, it's enough that you have a bicycle to ride."

"When I learn, I'll teach you."

"That works."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi asked: "Dad, when will you leave again? Can you wait until we're on holiday to leave together?"

"I can't stay that long; at most a week. When I finish my business, I'll leave. Then I'll have Grandpa come back and stay a few days; just wait until summer break, and he'll take you."

"Okay then."

Back at the factory, Ye Yaodong also checked the accounts; after finishing everything, he met Ah Cai again the next day, had a meal, and then returned.

Once home, he wasn't idle either; he checked the progress of the house construction, chatted with the village head and party secretary from the village committee, drank some wine, and reminisced about the past.

Next, he rushed nonstop to Wenzhou City to handle the share transfer.

Fang Jingfu offered 6 million to buy out his 20% stake; this price was within his acceptable range, so he signed on the spot, and the two went to get it notarized.

Ye Yaodong went to the bank to open an account, and the 6 million was directly transferred into his account.

This could be called parting on good terms; they settled everything without turning red or turning blue, and both found it incredibly surprising.

Fang Jingfu was somewhat emotional: "To be honest, I used to think that if I kicked you out and we fought to the end, we probably wouldn't even be friends anymore, or we'd try to destroy each other."

"I imagined many possibilities, just never thought it could end so peacefully, spending money happily to..."

Ye Yaodong smiled and finished his sentence: "Spend money happily to send me away, right?"

"Hehe, they say inviting gods is easy but sending them off is hard. I never expected that after years of not even looking or caring, you'd now take the money and leave so decisively. I thought the best outcome would involve dragging things out; half a year would be short; I was already prepared to drag it out for a year or two."

"Thank me; it's good you met me. Others wouldn't let go of a golden-egg-laying hen so easily."

"Yes, thank you. It's good you made a fortune elsewhere; you must have made a huge fortune and don't care much about this little bit here, so you could take the money and leave so decisively."

Ye Yaodong nodded and admitted directly, "That's true; I did make a fortune elsewhere. As for here, I originally just did it on the side; I never thought I'd hold it for a lifetime, after all, I'm an outsider."

"Of course, if I'd stayed poor, I'd definitely have clung on; even if you wanted to kick me out, I'd have to bite off a huge chunk."

Fang Jingfu smiled, refilled his tea cup, and said, "Then I should thank you for making a fortune; you look down on this little mosquito leg of mine."

"That's still respectable. Even though we made money elsewhere, this place still yields a decent share annually. Honestly, I mainly wanted to part on good terms; money is good, but friends matter just as much. Most importantly, I don't have the energy to branch into other industries. Better to take a lump sum and leave, then work on related products I already know—probably no worse than clinging stubbornly to this."

Fang Jingfu was moved by his words. "Rest assured, you'll always be my brother. If you ever face difficulties in the future, just speak up. If I can do it, I'll make sure it gets done."

"Same here."

That night, the two enjoyed a proper farewell meal. The next day, Ye Yaodong took a boat back, entrusting the house to Fang Jingfu to rent out.

The twins had been working there for several years, had found local wives, and had no intention of moving. So Ye Yaodong asked Fang Jingfu to look after them.

When he returned home and handed the passbook showing a dazzling six million to Lin Lin Xiuqing, she gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

"So much?"

"Yeah. His price was fair, actually. Not bad at all. A straight buyout; after all, it's his profit."

"Then we've made a fortune too. We didn't invest much to begin with; we'd already recouped dozens of times over. Now with this huge sum added, it's hundreds of times the return."

"Hmm. Let me think about it once I get back. What's the best use for this money?"

"Get back?" Lin Lin Xiuqing frowned. "You call going to Zhou City 'getting back'? Does that mean home is considered 'outside'?"

"Ah, what? No such thing. I just meant the boat and the factory are up there, so the focus is up there. It just slipped out that way."

"Heh..."

Lin Lin Xiuqing was a bit angry that he couldn't distinguish between inside and outside. Calling a trip elsewhere 'coming back'—what did that make home to him?

"Don't tell me you've set up another home out there. Don't think I don't know. Many people have one home in the village and another outside. There are even a few among your cousins and relatives. Don't think I know nothing."

"No, how do you know? I didn't even know, yet you know everything?"

Ye Yaodong really wasn't clear on such matters. After all, he hadn't been staying at the main base dorms lately; he'd been living in the processing factory.

For these past few months, he'd been busy at sea. Before that, he hadn't been idle either; he'd been extremely busy.

"You don't know?"

"What could I possibly know? I've been so busy my feet barely touch the ground. I'm either drifting at sea, chasing debts outside, or rushing the shipyard. I'm so busy I don't even have time to sleep. How could I have the energy to keep tabs on who's doing what? How did you find out?"

"How else could I know? Of course, it came out when couples quarreled. Everyone found out then."

"I think that's unlikely. You women must be overthinking it. If the man hasn't even been up there, how could you know everything?"

Even if it were true, everyone would keep their mouths shut and look out for one another. There were no phones to check up on anyone back then. Given the distance, he really didn't believe these women had such supernatural reach that they knew everything.

Lin Lin Xiuqing sneered. "Heh. When being intimate, he'd hold his wife and call out 'Cuihong.' Or in the middle of the night, half-asleep, he'd call for 'Yingzi' to bring water..."

"Damn, that's truly despicable. One rotten apple spoils the whole pot. Shouldn't we beat him to death? Lying next to his wife yet calling another woman's name—truly despicable. Working himself to death at sea every day, yet still having the energy? That just means he wasn't tired enough. Damn, I've never heard of such a thing."

Truly despicable. He'd been saying it all along: how could one of their own betray their own? The slip-up would only come from the person himself. Otherwise, with the Emperor far away and the sky high, how would the women at home know?

Damn, it even dragged him into it. He was completely innocent. Every day, exhausted, he'd close his eyes with no thoughts at all, wanting only to sleep.

Seeing she still wanted to say something, Ye Yaodong immediately cut her off. "If you're worried, just hand the household chores over to Mother. Will you come up with me?"

"I'd be delighted if you came up with me. Saves me from playing the Monk every day. I'm only in my thirties, yet people say I'm detached and ascetic."

"Besides, your two sons are already eager to go with me. No, wait, my daughter wants to go up too to keep Pei Yu company. The whole family wants to go, so let's all go together?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing rolled her eyes dramatically. "You don't sound like you want the whole family to go with you. You sound like you're talking about a divorce: sons to me, daughter to you."

"Nonsense. All three are mine. Don't even think about it."

Lin Lin Xiuqing pinched his soft flesh and twisted it hard at a ninety-degree angle.

Ye Yaodong's face crumpled into a knot. He hissed, "Stop! It's turning blue!"

"Not a single one left for me!"

"Damn it, do you really want to divorce me? If you divorce me, I won't give you a single one!"

Lin Lin Xiuqing twisted even harder. "Don't even think about it! I'd rather die in your family than leave."

Ye Yaodong slapped her hand away, pulled her down to lie, and flipped over to press on top of her.

"What's dying in your family? Just die on my bed instead."

Lin Lin Xiuqing punched him a few times. "If anyone dies, let it be you. I don't want to die. I want to be a wealthy widow."

"Don't even think about it. If we die, we die together."

A moment later, the springs on the bed creaked softly, while Ye Yaodong kept cursing.

"Want to die or not? Want to die anymore? Here, die! Is dying like this okay?"

Suddenly, with a sharp crack, Ye Yaodong's knee sank heavily, plunging into a small hole...

The Simmons mattress springs had collapsed under his weight.

"Damn it, what kind of quality is this? Junk! It's collapsed."

Lin Lin Xiuqing propped herself up to look, running her hand over the spot.

"It collapsed? All your fault. Why did you use so much force? You broke a perfectly good bed. How can we sleep with a hole like that?"

"I was just trying to make you die of pleasure. See? You're not dying. Move over to the side; let's ignore it for now."

Before she could move, Ye Yaodong lifted her hips and shifted her to the side.

Only after they finished did he check the small collapsed hole again.

"Laozi is awesome! I even broke the bed!"

Lin Lin Xiuqing glared at him. "How can you even say that? What do we do now?"

"Tomorrow I'll go to the city and buy a new one."

"Forget it. Later, I'll patch it with a small piece of cloth. Once it gets warmer, we'll lay down mats anyway, so it won't be so obvious then."

"Then let's wait until the small Western-style house over at the old house is finished. When we need to buy furniture, we'll buy this one then too and ship everything back together. Saves trouble."

"Right. Buying it together then will be fine. This won't affect sleeping anyway."

"A perfectly good bed just collapsed. The three younger ones jumped on it before and it didn't break. Am I really that powerful?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing gave him a reproachful glare. "Stop flattering yourself. Get out quickly while it's still daytime. We were talking nicely, and suddenly you've lost all shame."

"I'm just showing my unwavering loyalty, unlike others. Help me pack my luggage. I should leave tomorrow. I've been back for a week; if I don't head up soon, Father will be dying of impatience."

"You've been away two days, and Dad has already called twice. Grandma answered both times and scolded him twice; he only said to tell you to come back and call him."

"Got it, I'll call him right now."

Fights happen at the head of the bed, peace at the foot; see, after a squabble, everything is settled.

Ye Yaodong put on his shirt and pants, feeling refreshed, and came out of the room to call his father.

Before his father could speak, he said directly, "Don't nag. I'll leave home tomorrow and head up. I only just finished my urgent matters today. Once I arrive up there, it'll be your turn to come back; you can stay home for ten days or half a month."

All the words his father had intended to say went straight back down his throat, and he spoke in a gentler tone, "Alright, once you're up there, I'll head back. I'll stay home a few more days. It's been so long; the main structure of the house should be nearly done."

"It is nearly done. Next comes laying out the rooms. It's good for you to come back and take a look; if you have any requirements, you can tell the master directly."

"Good." Ye's father was thoroughly satisfied.

In old age, people just hope to live out their days peacefully and comfortably; the house is simply his top priority.

All Ye's father could think about now was his beautiful large western-style house; he just wanted to go home early and take a few looks.

The old mansion's western-style frame was already up, and it looked quite imposing, especially compared to the surrounding pile of short, dilapidated tiled houses; it truly stood out like a crane among chickens.

Naturally, the residential plots for every household in their family weren't small; they were sized according to the area allocated for single-story houses. Not counting the courtyard or the previously reserved private plots, it was at least over 100 square meters.

People in the village came to their doorstep every day to check on the progress, say a few words, and paid more attention to the house's progress than their own family did.

If they ran into Ye's mother, they'd discuss it with her for a bit, saying that when they had money later, they'd build one just like hers, and asked her to be sure to keep the blueprints so everyone could use them as a reference.

Whenever Ye's mother encountered such requests, her mouth would stretch into a smile that wouldn't close; she'd pat her chest and promise that when the time came, she'd let them copy the blueprints so every household could build a large western-style house.

Everyone hearing this was happy; it was all a beautiful hope.

When Ye's father returned, it was even more extraordinary; from the moment he opened his eyes until he closed them to sleep, he stayed in the house. During the day, he assisted the master, and at night, he would occasionally sleep on a mat on the floor there.

His every word was praising his three sons for being filial, earning money to build him a western-style house, with the third son paying for construction while the eldest and second sons handled the decoration.

Hearing others praise his three sons, he smiled sweeter than if he'd drunk honey.

Coming home once made him feel five years younger.

If the house weren't so far from completion, and if there weren't a whole bunch of people in Zhou City calling him "President Ye," he wouldn't have been willing to leave.

The three obsessions of Minnan men: make big money, build a big house, and take a concubine.

He had no ability to take a concubine, but the first two had already been realized thanks to his sons.

He himself couldn't bear to leave, yet the whole family was urging him to go quickly.

From the old to the young, they urged him day after day, asking him every day when he would leave.

Ye's father, having no choice but to be urged, felt he was superfluous; his only function was to work for them, moving wherever they needed him.

Grandma felt sorry that Dongzi was up there alone and couldn't handle everything; Ye's mother, seeing him snoring and farting at home every day, acting like a grandpa, found it grating to the eyes.

Lin Lin Xiuqing didn't dare urge him; she stayed silent, only occasionally asking him for small favors.

The three little ones urged him the hardest, starting from the very first day of their vacation after the exams.

"Grandpa, when do we set off?"

"You've been home for so long; when exactly are we going to find Dad?"

"Can we go a bit earlier? Let's leave tomorrow!"

Ye's father glared at the three who bothered him all day asking, "What's the rush? I've only been back a week; how is that 'so long'? Your dad said I could stay home for ten days or half a month; it's still early. You just wait. Why keep urging? Urge again, and I won't take you."

Ye Chenghu: "My dad was just talking; don't take it seriously. If you don't leave soon, my dad will call back and scold you."

Ye Ye Chengyang: "Grandpa, let's go early. Great-grandma is urging you to leave every day; why aren't you going?"

Ye's father: "Stop nagging, or I'll sneak away in the middle of the night without you knowing!"

Ye Chenghu: "If you sneak away in the middle of the night, I'll tell Grandma you hid a gold ingot in my house!"

Ye's father: "!!!"

Ye's father widened his eyes in disbelief, "How did you know?"

"You dug a hole under my doghouse the night before the New Year and buried it there; I saw it!"

Ye Ye Chengyang added, "I also saw Gongxi Facai dig it out, so we specifically went downstairs in the middle of the night to help you bury it back!"

"You saw it from upstairs?"

Ye Chenghu nodded, "Yeah, I got up in the middle of the night to pee, saw the window wasn't closed tight and the wind was coming in, so I got up to close the window and saw it!"

"My brother thought it was a thief and was so scared he immediately called me up. Later, I noticed the dogs weren't barking and were circling around you, so I realized it was you. We even discussed kindly burying it back for you and told them not to dig it out again."

"You two rascals know quite a lot and can hold your tongues well, only speaking up now!"

The two brothers exchanged a glance; Ye Chenghu scratched his head and said somewhat embarrassedly, "We woke up from a nap and kind of forgot; we didn't think about it later, so we only just remembered."

"Don't say anything. That was originally your dad's; thinking the old house was going to be rebuilt, I had to take it out and hide it here."

Ye's father, seeing it hadn't been exposed in half a year, trusted the two boys quite a bit, but he stared at Ye Ye Xiaoxi, "You aren't allowed to say anything either, understand?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi nodded, "Then you have to take us up tomorrow!"

"Three days; three days from now, I'll take you, alright? Your dad gave me half a month off; for your sake, leaving four days early should be fine, right?"

The three whispered together to discuss it, then sent Ye Chenghu to speak.

"Alright then, we'll leave in three days. You'd better ask about the boat in advance, or they'll say there's no boat available at the last minute again."

"You don't need to worry about that."

Ye's father pondered that he needed to dig the gold ingot out and hide it somewhere else; if the dogs dug it out, it was far too unsafe.

It must be that those dogs saw him burying it at night, so the moment he left, they dug it out immediately; luckily, the two brothers buried it back again.

Those damn dogs.

Seeing the departure date settled, Ye Ye Xiaoxi was happy and immediately went to find his little friends to tell them.

Ye's father pulled the two brothers aside to whisper again, "You're sure you helped me bury it back, right?"

"Definitely. Otherwise, if it were left exposed, Mom would have found out long ago and confiscated it."

Ye's father felt a bit uneasy; that was hard to say. If Lin Lin Xiuqing found it, she would quietly take it away without making a sound.

After much deliberation, he decided: once he went to sleep at night, he would dig it out, then secretly return it to Lin Lin Xiuqing the next day so she could keep it.

Dongzi had originally given it to him to play with; he had played with it enough, and now had nowhere to hide it, so he might as well return it to its original owner.

They had built a large Western-style house, and the couple had spent quite a bit of money on it; this item should be returned to them.

Otherwise, if it stayed in his hands and the two sisters-in-law next door saw it, should he ever pass away, they would have to bring it out to divide it.