Chapter 1678: Persuasion

"Mother, look, sister caught two snakes, she's so amazing..."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi excitedly grabbed Lin Lin Xiuqing's arm tightly.

Lin Lin Xiuqing felt her heart race just looking, "How could you two do such a dangerous thing? These are snakes..."

Xiao Yu lagged a step, then ran up, frightening the couple to step back.

"Uncle, Auntie..."

"Ye Tingting, don't come over..."

Lin Lin Xiuqing's face turned nearly white; the last time she saw a snake was several years ago, and it had already been put in the pot.

Ye Yaodong liked to eat, but he couldn't handle live ones...

The writhing body, the flickering snake tongue, and the cold-blooded black eyes made his hair stand on end.

"My ancestors, what could you two possibly be playing at, going to catch snakes?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi slapped her thigh and laughed heartily, "You two cowards, hahaha..."

Pei Yu also smiled brightly to comfort them, "Don't be afraid, I held their heads; they can't bite anyone."

The old lady arrived a step late, nearly fainting at the sight, her voice trembling as she spoke, "You, you, you child, how could you catch old snakes? It's so dangerous; what if they're poisonous and you get bitten? That would be terrible."

Ye Yaodong glared at the two dead girls, then turned to Lin Lin Xiuqing and said, "Go get the scissors."

"Right, right, hurry and get the scissors to cut off the snake heads; otherwise, if you just release them like this and they run into someone else's house, that won't be good."

Lin Lin Xiuqing immediately ran to get them.

Pei Yu said crisply, "I originally caught one and wanted to smash its head with a stone; I didn't expect there to be another. Uncle, don't you like to eat them? Here, have some to nourish yourself."

"Where did you catch them? You're not allowed to catch them again; it's too dangerous. What if you encounter a venomous snake? How would I explain this to your parents? You can't touch snakes anymore. If you don't promise me, I'll have you sent away immediately and let your parents give you a good beating."

Pei Yu lowered her head and said dejectedly, "I was wrong; I won't dare do it again..."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi couldn't bear to see her like that and quickly stepped in front of her to protect her.

"Dad, it has nothing to do with sister; we went to her hometown to play, wanted to pick plantains, and then accidentally met the snakes. Sister was afraid we'd get bitten, so she caught them!"

The children nearby who hadn't left yet chimed in agreement.

"Yeah, we were scared to death; luckily there was Xiao Yu."

"Dou Dou was so scared he peed himself; luckily Xiao Yu caught them. Uncle Dong, don't blame her."

"Xiao Yu is so amazing; she reached out and caught them immediately. Everyone was terrified."

One after another, the little brats spoke up for Pei Yu in a cacophony.

Lin Lin Xiuqing came out with the scissors and said with a smile, "Your relationship is quite good, isn't it? We aren't scolding or beating her; we just want her to be safe. Catching snakes is too dangerous; what if they're venomous? You can't do this anymore."

"Alright, hurry home to eat; your families just called for dinner. If you don't go back now, you'll get beaten."

The moment Ye Yaodong finished speaking, these children ran home like their backsides were on fire, screaming and ignoring everything else.

He took the large scissors and walked toward the snake Pei Yu was holding; with two snips, he severed the snake's head.

While cutting, he controlled the direction, flinging the head toward a corner to prevent the severed head from springing up and injuring someone upon landing.

The headless snake body fell to the ground, splattering blood all over Pei Yu's wrists.

Blood splattered onto Ye Yaodong's clothes too; he still lacked experience.

"Dad, Dad, it can still move; its head and body can still move..."

"Yes, even after the head is cut off, it can still move and jump up to bite people."

Lin Lin Xiuqing slapped her head, "Get inside and eat right now; you'll get beaten after eating. You just came back and ran around; we couldn't find you anywhere."

"Xiao Yu too, go wash up and eat immediately; you can't catch snakes next time."

The two ran into the house together; the moment they left their sight, they started laughing and playing around.

Ye Yaodong took a bucket to pack the snake body.

Lin Lin Xiuqing also went to gather some wood ash, sprinkled it on the bloodstains on the ground, and swept the ash and the snake head into the trash bin.

"Wait until the tide rises, then pour it back into the sea. You haven't finished your meal yet; go eat first, and deal with it after you're done."

"Mm, after we finish eating, there will be plenty to do. These sea intestines need to be killed and cleaned; it'll take half a day. Take them to the workshop and let those aunts handle them; you save yourself the trouble."

"Good, the weather is nice now; dry them for a day, and we can collect them tomorrow. We can even stir-fry a bowl tonight. I'll go check the seaside; you watch the two of them eat."

Lin Lin Xiuqing put away the broom and dustpan, picked up the bucket, and ran eagerly toward the seaside.

Ye Yaodong wanted her to wear a hat and be careful not to get sunburned, but he couldn't call her back.

Seeing her father come in, Ye Ye Xiaoxi immediately asked eagerly, "Dad, how are we going to eat those two old snakes?"

Hearing the old lady muttering her instructions, their heads were spinning; luckily her father had come in.

"You aren't afraid? You want to eat old snakes?"

"Hehe, I was scared when I first saw them, but after sister caught them, both snakes coiled up obediently, so I'm not afraid anymore."

"In a while, kill a chicken and stew a pot of Dragon and Phoenix Soup for us adults to eat; you're not allowed to eat it!"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi's smiling face froze; she protested, "Why? I want to eat! Why shouldn't I eat! We were the ones who caught them!"

"It was clearly Xiao Yu who caught them; what does that have to do with you? 'We' caught them..."

Pei Yu quickly said, "What I caught counts as what sister caught!"

"Did you hear that!"

Ye Yaodong said grumpily, "One stewed with chicken, one stewed in clear soup. You two eat the clear soup; don't take the tonic. Children are too young to over-nourish, and you're so fat..."

"Who's fat? I'm not fat! Your whole family is fat! Where am I fat!" Ye Ye Xiaoxi's voice rose higher and higher; she was furious!

"Alright, alright, alright, you're not fat, you're not fat, I'm fat, my whole family is fat."

Ye Yaodong quickly soothed her, and after soothing her, changed the subject.

"You two just eat the clear soup; it clears heat and detoxifies. Stewing with chicken actually doesn't detoxify."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi remained angry, saying nothing, her face sour, still holding a grudge, because she had lost weight over these two months.

When she first returned, the old lady said she had lost weight, Grandma said she had lost weight, her mother said she had lost weight, and even all the old aunts and grandmas said she had lost weight.

Angry.

Pei Yu looked at this one, then at that one, and then asked in a small voice, "Where are the brothers? Why haven't I seen them?"

"They went to the seaside to catch sea intestines; they ran off without even eating."

Hearing this, Pei Yu's eyes sparkled. "Ah, then I want to go too."

Her rice-eating speed instantly increased.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi said nothing, but she also sped up her eating.

They hadn't gone to the seaside to play in two months; with the morning high tide, they couldn't go to the beach anyway. Now that they heard there were sea intestines to catch, they immediately felt an itching in their hearts.

Ye Yaodong knew at a glance that the two were rushing off to play.

He smiled and asked Pei Yu, "Where is fun? Is home better, or is the boat city above more fun?"

"Of course home is better. There's so much fun to do, you can play with everything, and there are lots of friends too."

"I have to leave the night after tomorrow to go up to your father and mother's place. Do you want to come with me?"

She shook her head like a rattle drum and said firmly, "No."

"I just want to stay home; home is fun."

"Alright, then in a few days I'll have your grandmother take you to sign up."

She nodded.

After the meal, Ye Yaodong still had to deal with the snake and kill a chicken, so he didn't go with them to the seaside to catch sea intestines.

The old lady assisted him on the side. "Just right; I actually planned to kill a chicken today anyway. Take it to the grave this afternoon for an offering. Early this morning, the chicken was already caught and placed in the corner."

"Kill it now. Later, you take it up the mountain to worship, then bring it back and stew it with the snake for you to eat and replenish your strength. Adding a snake is fine too; as long as you like to eat it."

"Mm."

"Must you rush so much? Leaving the night after tomorrow?"

"Yes, it's too busy. There's a series of schedules to rush through afterward. I must leave by the night after tomorrow at the latest."

"Sigh, the more money you earn, the busier you get, and the fewer people you see."

"Then how about you come with me? Anyway, taking the boat should be fine, better than taking a car. I'll take you to tour the Magic Capital then."

The old lady waved her hands. "What would I do there? I'm not going. I'm an old skeleton; why would I go here and there?"

"Go while you can still walk. It's just a boat ride; you won't get seasick. Go out for a walk, see what a big city looks like. Otherwise, the farthest place you've ever been in your life is only the county town, and even that only twice, and one of those times was a few years ago when I took you."

"No, no. I'm at this age. If something goes wrong, I'll burden you and delay your important matters. It's too troublesome."

"Before we set out, take some soil from the courtyard and some water so you won't suffer from acclimatization. Also prepare some daily medicine; there should be no big problem. Or I can call a doctor to come to your door to check your blood pressure and such, prescribe some health supplements and emergency medicine? Then there will be no problem."

The old lady hesitated for a moment. "Better not. It's too troublesome. I'll just stay home and go nowhere. I'll just look at the photos you bring back."

Ye Yaodong could see that the old lady was indeed very tempted, so he continued to persuade her with renewed effort.

When we go up then, you can stay in the Magic Capital for a while. After my father gets his driver's license, we can also stay at the factory for a while; coming and going in a small car won't be bumpy.

Perfect.

"Go. Go up to see the scenery, see the changes in the big city, and most importantly, see my factory, the land I bought, and see how amazing your grandson is now."

The old lady was coaxed into endless joy by him. "Then you should find a doctor to examine me. If the doctor says I can go, then I'll go, so I won't add trouble for you on the road, and the whole family won't have to suffer difficulties together."

"Alright. When I'm done with the busy work, I'll call a doctor to come to your door to check you."

If she could travel far, then for the second half of the year, she could stay up there. He wouldn't go to sea in the second half of the year either; he would probably be busy with factory work on land.

After the trade fair ends, the second half of the year will definitely be very busy.

"Call the doctor tomorrow. It's very busy this afternoon, and you still have to go up the mountain later."

"Mm."

"Dad, why are you going up the mountain?" Ye Ye Xiaoxi had finished eating, had recovered her strength, and was willing to talk to him again.

"To worship the ancestors and kowtow to the ancestors."

"Why worship the ancestors and kowtow to the ancestors?"

"Because we must thank the ancestors for their protection."

She said in a small voice, "You call me 'ancestor' every day..."

Ye Yaodong: "..."

This, this brat.

"Dad..."

"Shut up and eat. Don't talk so much, little child."

"Oh."

The old lady served her food while saying, "Eat your fill before going out to play. Don't go out under the sun again. It's rare that you're still fair and tender this summer vacation, not tanned."

"Hehe..."

PS: I wrote this while walking... Walking with a few friends, they chatted and gossiped. I walked to the farthest corner, took out my phone, and typed away... Missed hearing a lot of gossip...