Chapter 1680

Lin Xiuqing smiled and patted him. "What are you talking about? It's just on the way."

Ye Chenghu chuckled and didn't respond. If he said too much, he'd make more mistakes.

Ye Dasao also said with a smile, "That's right, what Chenghu said is also correct. It's a good thing we don't need travel expenses. We're basking in your glory."

Ye Ersao didn't feel like she was losing face either and generously admitted, "Hehe, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't even know where Zhoushan is, let alone go there, and even less so to the Magic City."

Ye Dasao continued, "Chenghu, you must study hard in the Magic City. Your father has such a large industry now; you need to read more books so you can help out in the future."

"I can help out now, too. I can go out to sea with the fresh-catch boat to help..."

"That's different. The work you do now, any worker can do. When you finish your studies, you'll be able to do work that workers can't, and then you'll be able to help out a lot!"

Ye Ersao also chimed in, "That's right. You and Yangyang, you two brothers, must study hard. There aren't many in our whole family who can study. It's rare that your father can send you to the Magic City to study. You must be cultivated well. You can't let your parents down. If you can get into a university in a few years, that would really be bringing honor to your ancestors."

Ye Chenghu responded with an awkward chuckle.

With such a big expectation placed on him, how could he respond? He didn't even dare to take it.

Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, "I don't dare to have such high expectations. As long as he is motivated, doesn't cause trouble, finishes high school safely, and gets into a university, it's all up to fate. If he gets in, that's best. If he doesn't, he can help out at home and be his father's assistant. His father is too busy to manage things right now."

"That's true. If he doesn't get in, there's no worry about not having work for him at home. There are so many people in the factory he can manage."

"You can't say that. If he hears it, he won't care about studying."

After Lin Xiuqing finished speaking, she glared at Ye Chenghu. "You can't think about just getting by. You must work hard. Your father didn't study, so there are many things he doesn't know. If you read more, you can answer him when he doesn't know something."

Ye Chenghu's eyes lit up when he heard this. He had already started fantasizing about his father asking him for advice, listening to his arrangements, doing whatever he said, and going wherever he pointed.

"Hey, I will definitely study hard and strive to get into a university!"

Everyone in the car laughed, and the old lady also laughed from ear to ear, constantly saying he had a future and ambition.

The other workers were all men. They didn't sit next to the group of women and sat near the exit. The tractor was loud, so they didn't hear their conversation.

Ye Yaodong slowed down the tractor, but it only took 5 minutes longer than usual to reach the town. It usually took ten minutes or so to drive the tractor. After arriving in town, the road wasn't bumpy anymore.

When they arrived, the cargo ship was still loading. While waiting, he bought some hot snacks in town to eat on the boat.

After the cargo ship finished loading, he moved the luggage up. They all had bunks to lie down and rest, which had been arranged before they returned.

It was just that there was one more old lady. Except for the cargo and sailors, the whole ship only had their group. They had promised him before departure that they would only load at the town and wouldn't stop at any other ports.

The old lady was old. Although she didn't get seasick when she was young, just in case, they had applied seasickness patches in advance and prepared some snacks she usually liked.

"I haven't been on a boat for decades. I didn't expect there to be so many boats now, and they're so big? They're beautiful and new, and the whole wharf is full of boats. They used to be small awning boats, but now the boats are getting bigger and bigger."

Ye Yaodong said with a smile, "Only then can we earn more and more."

"Hey, big boats are good. Big boats look safe, too."

"When you get to Zhoushan, you'll be able to see even more boats."

Currently, the fishing boats at their port had gone out to catch fish, so it wasn't the most crowded time. After arriving in Zhoushan, the boats they saw would truly be dense as far as the eye could see.

After all, it was a fishing ground, and September was the fishing season for shrimp skin and hairtail fish. These two types of goods were among the most productive and representative economic fish, enduring for a long time.

Now that it was the season, fishing boats from surrounding coastal cities flocked there, naturally catching more than in other months.

However, he also thought that after a few years when the new policy came out, fishing boats from other provinces wouldn't be able to cross borders to fish.

And the management of fishing boats at the port would become more standardized and strict.

Like now, fishing boats from all provinces had to be marked with their respective provincial marks for easy management and statistics.

It was estimated that within two or three years, restrictions on cross-border fishing would begin to be implemented to avoid overfishing the fishing grounds and reduce some conflicts and contradictions at sea.

However, this was only aimed at the near sea. Their deep-sea fishing wouldn't be affected. Docking was also for replenishment and sales, promoting local economic development.

The old lady also smiled when looking at the vast ocean. She was reluctant to enter the cabin. Fortunately, it was still very hot at the end of August. The sea breeze was cool, and she wasn't afraid of catching a cold from the sea breeze. After all, the cabin was stuffy.

Not only the old lady, but the others also stood on the deck chatting and playing cards until nightfall, when they returned to the cabin one after another.

Because the ship was heavily loaded, the cargo ship didn't move fast. It took them about three days to reach the port.

Except for looking a bit tired, the old lady seemed to be in good condition. She didn't get sick on the way, but her legs were shaky when she got off the boat, and Ye Yaodong picked her up.

"Oh my, no need to carry me, no need to carry me. Let me land and relax. Floating on the sea for a few days, I feel like my feet are a bit floaty. I need to step on the ground."

Ye Yaodong put her down and supported her while she stood in place to relax.

"There are so many boats here? We had to queue just to enter the port. The unloading area here is so big. Don't small boats stop here?"

"Oh my, the management here is really good. Big boats and small boats are parked separately, cargo ships are also parked separately, and there are special unloading points."

"This is the first time in my life I've seen so many boats. There are as many people around as ants. I've never seen so many people in my life. Some of these boats are really big..."

As soon as the old lady's feet touched the ground, she kept looking around, muttering to herself, her eyes almost not enough to see everything.

Ye Yaodong said proudly, "Before, the biggest boat in the whole port was mine! But last month, I saw the fishery company add three new boats. I heard they were a bit bigger than mine."

"Hehe, our Dongzi is capable. One person is more amazing than their whole company."

"Wait until the second half of the year, when my fresh-catch boat is delivered, then my boat will be the biggest again!"

Worried about the tractor's bumps and vibrations, he found a human-powered rickshaw and let Ye Chenghu accompany the old lady to sit on it and go to the factory first.

And he found a tractor, paid the price for a load of goods, and had them sent to the factory.

They returned in the late afternoon. The factory's vehicles must have been out transporting goods, so it was more convenient to find a vehicle to go back by himself.

When the tractor arrived at the factory gate, the rickshaw had just arrived. When the old lady saw such a large factory, her eyes turned red as soon as she got out of the car.

"Is this all Dongzi's? Such a big factory? Oh my, this is incredible..."

Ye Chenghu supported the old lady and said proudly, "It's not just this place. There's also a piece of land where a dormitory area was built, specially rented to workers from our village. There are dozens of rooms there."

"I heard he's applying for land again. My father wants to build a family compound and rent it to workers in the factory here, so they can settle their families, instead of going out to rent houses that aren't good."

"The old dormitory area is full of people from our village. Four or five hundred people live there, and no one dares to bully them. Others call us the White Sand Gang. It's very powerful."

"There are also more than 300 workers here. My father is very amazing. You can go in and take a look later..."

The old lady secretly wiped her tears, her mouth smiling from ear to ear.

Ye Yaodong got out of the car and walked over. "Do you want me to take a picture of you?"

"Take a picture of what? I'm so dirty from the road. I won't take one. I'm so old, what's there to take a picture of?"

"Then wait until you're cleaned up and rested enough before taking one. Anyway, there's plenty of time. After the photos are taken and developed, you can take them back and brag to the old men and women at home."

"Hey, alright, alright, that's fine. After I'm cleaned up, we'll take pictures."

"Go inside and rest first. You're exhausted."

When Ye Fu heard the guard run over and say Dongzi and the others were back, he immediately came over from the factory gate.

When he saw the old lady, his eyes went straight.

"Why are you here?"

"Can't I come?"

Ye Fu glared at Ye Yaodong, furious. "Nonsense, reckless. She's so old, and you brought her over. What if something goes wrong on the road? It's simply reckless. At this age, you dare to bring her so far. You have no sense of proportion..."

"Don't scold him. I wanted to come. I've only heard everyone talk about how capable and talented Dongzi is, but I haven't come to see it with my own eyes. I have to make this trip before I can close my eyes. You won't let me come?"

Ye Fu was very angry and scolded the old lady, too. "Are you too full? At this age, why come? Just stay at home and enjoy your blessings. Running so far, is your life too long?"

The old lady tapped his leg lightly with her cane. "You coffin-born, you're cursing me again. Aren't I fine?"

"You look fine now, but what if? It's so comfortable at home. Not enjoying your blessings, but running so far. I want to go back so badly, and you're running here."

"Stop cursing me. Move aside. Hurry up and help me get my luggage and find me a room. After I've rested enough, I have to take a good look at Dongzi's factory."

"There's a fish cannery at home, why don't you go see that? Running so far to see this."

"That's not Dongzi's alone. This is his alone."

As the old lady spoke, she tapped him a few times with her cane, telling him to make way and not block her from moving forward.

Ye Fu glared at Ye Yaodong.

Ye Yaodong explained to his father, "I had a doctor check the old lady's body and measure her blood pressure. He said if she doesn't get seasick, it's fine to go, and he also prescribed some backup medicine."

Lin Xiuqing also explained, "We also packed a bag of soil from home for the old lady to carry, and brought a bucket of water from home. She drank water from home on the way."

Ye Dasao also helped say, "The old lady was fine all the way. She was even looking at the scenery on the deck. She didn't get seasick at all."

The old lady had already walked several steps away. Seeing them still standing in place, she immediately shouted.

"What are you still doing? Hurry up and go. Where am I staying? Lead the way quickly. Do you want to tire me to death?"

Ye Fu hurried forward to support her. "Are you staying in a room with me? Or with the eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law?"

"Of course I'm staying in a room with you. If the eldest and second come back, what then? You are the son, it's your duty to be filial and serve me. With you here, where would it be the turn of the granddaughters-in-law? I have hands and feet, and there's nothing inconvenient. I don't need you to do anything."

"Hey, alright. Then I'll find you a room on the first floor, and I'll move down from upstairs to stay in a room with you."

"Good, the first floor is convenient, no need to climb stairs."

Ye Fu complained again, "You didn't even say a word before coming. You only said it when you arrived. You didn't give me any preparation. Such a big thing, you want to piss me off."

"Oh my, what's the difference if you know or not? It's just finding me a room to stay in. Stop nagging."

"So many days, and no one said a word. Dongzi made so many calls, knowing to ask about Old Pei's affairs, but didn't know to tell me about your affairs?"

Ye Yaodong knew he was in the wrong.

Because he knew that if he told his father, his father would definitely not agree to the old lady coming over.

But he felt that the old lady was quite eager to go out and see things. After all, things were indeed different these past few years, changing with each passing day everywhere.

The old lady probably didn't have many years left to live. If she didn't take advantage of being able to walk now to see the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, how could she walk in a few years? Since last year, her eyes had been blurry and her ears deaf.

He estimated that in a few years, she might even have dementia, might not even recognize people, let alone go out.

Although there were risks, he had at least asked a doctor to check her, and the doctor said it would be fine if she didn't get seasick.

To satisfy the old lady's wish, he had to take some risks.

If she was in a pleasant mood, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

Looking at her being able to scold his father and tap him a few times now, it was fine.

Ps: This chapter is not long enough, I'll add another one later.