Chapter 1718: Gossip

Ye Yaodong watched her dig here, dig there, for a while reaching up, for a while crawling under the bed...

"I hide separately, 500,000 is too much, I have to dig a few more places..."

He wanted to laugh when he saw it, "You are like a hamster, hide a little here, hide a little there, where exactly is the position?."

Lin Xiuqing also felt funny, "Isn't it? Who let too much cash, if all 100 yuan, it wouldn't be so space-consuming, 500,000 yuan is 50 bundles, now it's big unity, 500,000 has 500 bundles, I see you have to take a sack to pack."

Ye Yaodong opened the password box, first packed the 100 yuan in.

"Pack this full first, 100,000, this box is enough to pack, and can pack some big unity."

"Then you pack it neatly first, count it first, anyway 100 yuan bundle is 10,000, big unity bundle is 1,000, I count it neatly, take rubber band to bundle and store it."

"Fortunately there is 100 yuan denomination these few years, much more convenient."

"Isn't it? This denomination is too small, the quantity is too space-consuming, estimate the country also sees that the economy has improved and earned money these few years, so it came out with 100 yuan."

"Fart earned money, most people still have a monthly salary of two or three hundred, this is already very good, those who earned money are still a minority."

Lin Xiuqing didn't dare to refute.

The couple turned and counted in the room, after packing the password box, they could only take a sack to pack.

Ye Yaodong looked at the big mouth of the sack and pondered, "Might as well pack all in the sack, then carry it on the boat, carry it to pick up the car? Save the trouble of carrying the sack and carrying the suitcase, laborious, anyway, it has to be packed in the sack."

Lin Xiuqing thought about it and felt it was okay, "Then you put more in the sack, this way it's safer."

He took the money out of the suitcase again and packed it into the sack.

Picking it up, he felt the shape seemed very obvious?

"Or take a broken bed sheet quilt to pad inside and wrap it? The traces of banknotes here are very obvious."

Lin Xiuqing looked at it and felt it was right.

The couple poured the banknotes onto the bed again, and could take a broken bed sheet, first wrap the banknotes, and then use the sack to pack them.

Ye Yaodong thought about it and said: "Does the family have broken copper and iron, broken pots, etc.?"

"Ah? What are you taking this for?"

Lin Xiuqing had been unable to keep up with his brain circuit.

"There is still space, pack two pieces of broken copper and iron in."

"Why?"

"This way if there are thieves stealing things, touching these broken copper and iron, the sound of clanging can scare them, we can also be alert."

She gave him a thumbs up, "Still you are smart."

"That's natural, I also did this when I first started in Zhoushi, the money earned every day was collected, and stuffed into the pots and pans in the sack. People with guilty conscience hear the sound and must be afraid."

"Yes, it's like this, I'll go find it."

Ye Fu and Ye Mu were busy outside, watching Lin Xiuqing go in and out and hurriedly.

"What are you doing? It's almost noon, hurry up and give a hand? In broad daylight, what are the two whispering? In and out for a while, just looking for broken clothes and broken cloth, now looking for broken copper and iron."

She leaned close and whispered: "I am preparing money with Ah Dong, going to the city to pick up the car the day after tomorrow."

Ye Mu suddenly realized, lowered her voice, "Then you guys busy, there is me and your dad, tomorrow is the first day of the New Year, it's necessary to prepare in advance. I'll go find broken copper and iron for you, what are you looking for this for?"

She explained it, Ye Mu praised Ye Yaodong for having brains.

While flipping and searching, she said: "Just his brain moves fast, no one can compare to his brain."

After the couple packed the money, confirmed there was no problem, Ye Yaodong tied the sack mouth with hemp rope, and stuffed it under the bed.

Ye Xiaoxi played at the door, didn't leave no matter who called, the peddler came, she had to stare at the door even when buying things.

Until Ye Yaodong came out of the room, she ran up impatiently again.

"Boss, your snail shell is here~"

"Where did so many tricks come from? Go, your mom called you to hit a bottle of soy sauce back."

Ye Yaodong handed the bottle and 2 yuan to her, "You earn the extra."

Ye Xiaoxi took the bottle and two yuan, turned around and shouted: "Twins come over."

The twins just bought malt sugar, were licking it with relish, heard her calling, immediately ran over happily.

"What's wrong, cousin?"

"Na, go hit a bottle of soy sauce for my mom, this is two yuan, buy sugar with the extra."

"Good." The two happily took the bottle, one took the money, and hurriedly went to hit soy sauce.

Ye Xiaoxi looked at Ye Yaodong with a smile.

Ye Yaodong said helplessly: "I ordered you, you ordered the cousins?"

"Of course, you guys used to say the smallest runs errands, I am not the smallest now, besides, I want to watch you, wait until they hit the soy sauce back."

"Little ghost big."

Ye Yaodong flicked her forehead, went in to say a word, and was going out to play cards.

Anyway, there were so many people busy at home, he didn't need to follow as a big man, it was rare to return on holiday, naturally looking for friends to relax.

By the way, had to tell them, go to the city together on the second day of the New Year, if the transaction could be done on the day, trade the money on the day, drive the car back to the factory, and drive back early on the third day.

After all, 500,000 is troublesome to count, and there is a pile of big unity inside...

Ye Xiaoxi flew over, as usual following behind his butt.

Her dad went to play cards, that was even better, she could play while drawing commission on the side...

Earned money, could draw two for her, draw two for every transaction...

Great!

His friends had long gathered at Ah Guang's door to play cards, just Ah Guang's house had no elders, free, just build it.

Ye Xiaoxi saw it was Aunt's house, even happier, close, and had money to take and had fun.

Ye Yaodong went over and there was no position, Ah Guang, Fatty, Ah Zheng, Xiao Xiao, 4 people had long gathered a table.

"I rely, you guys play cards and didn't call me."

Fatty didn't lift his head, "Who didn't call you, it's you who didn't return home, we all ran towards here as soon as we woke up."

Ah Zheng: "That is, who knows where you died."

Ye Yaodong: "Who won, stand up and give it to me, let me win a little New Year."

Ah Zheng: "Stand up and change someone, change the luck, it's almost the same, if you lose, you have to win back from you."

"Listen to you saying this, know it's that one."

"I grass..."

"New Year, be civilized. This look knows it's Xiao Xiao who won, consciously stand up and let me play for a while."

Xiao Xiao surprised, "How do you know it's me who won? Clearly the banknotes on everyone's table are about the same!"

"The dog that bites doesn't bark, the person who wins money won't make a sound."

"Grass, your grandfather's."

"My grandfather gives you grass, give it to me."

Just happened that the cards in his hand were finished, Ye Yaodong hurriedly dragged him up, sat down himself.

Ye Xiaoxi added on the side: "Grandfather is very old."

Ye Yaodong hurriedly touched his pocket, took out two coins for her, sent her to play on the side, don't be in the way beside him.

She happily took it, knew that following her dad had money to take.

Come over to look in a while!

Ye Yaodong played cards for an afternoon, felt his luck was quite good, won money from time to time, but when cleaning up in the evening, felt he didn't earn money.

"I earned this money in vain, all worked for that stinky girl, ran over once in a while."

Ah Guang also said: "You just didn't earn money, I also lost money, clearly didn't lose money, the money in the pocket was gone 30 yuan, Xiao Yu was broken by your daughter."

Ye Yaodong took the used cards, tied them with rubber bands and handed them to Ah Guang to collect.

"Come again after eating New Year's Eve dinner."

Ye Xiaoxi saw they were off work, also jumped and ran over to pull Ye Yaodong.

"Dad, Mom called to eat New Year's Eve dinner."

"Go, go home."

She ran happily, didn't walk normally.

"Let me touch your pocket, how much money did you earn from me all afternoon?"

"This is my New Year money!" She hehehe laughed and ran home first.

The whole family had returned, all sat at the table, just missing the father and daughter.

Ye Fu said: "Ah Guang said at noon, wait until our car is driven back, borrow the Santana to him as a wedding car, and marry his sister." 【1

However, the success Ye Yaodong achieved step by step was something they had all witnessed with their own eyes; in fact, they were all influenced by him to reach where they are today.

"Although this Mercedes-Benz thing is quite expensive, you are the only one suited to drive something so pricey."

"400,000 is like a death sentence to us, but for Dongzi, it's easy-peasy. Why the hell are we so surprised?"

"That's true, too."

Ye Yaodong said calmly, "Once you earn a bit more, buying a Mercedes-Benz in a few years will be as simple as drinking water."

"Really? If I can't afford to buy one in a few years, will you make up the difference for me?"

Ye Yaodong kicked him, "You damn fatso, you've already made a fortune and are dripping with wealth, yet you have the nerve to ask me to make up the difference? Go buy one yourself another day."

Fatty shook his head like a rattle-drum, "That won't work. My wife definitely won't agree. 400,000, just to buy a useless little car? She could slap me to death with one hand."

"Gotten timid since going home?"

"Shh."

Xiao Xiao helped change the subject, "Chen Wei and Haozi are back. Did you guys know?"

A Zheng said, "Heard about it this morning. Heard someone was bored out of their mind and followed them right to their doorstep. Their wives at home looked like they were seeing their ancestors when they saw them, welcoming them into the house."

A Guang said, "It's the New Year, they're all back, so they should at least have a peaceful holiday."

Xiao Xiao: "That's what they say."

Fatty asked suspiciously, "When I was walking over just now, how come I heard Haozi's wife wanted him to go re-register their marriage this afternoon, but he refused, and they started arguing again? She cursed him for keeping a vixen outside and abandoning his wife at home."

"Maybe you arrived late. Is there more?" Xiao Xiao asked immediately after.

"Haozi cursed her, saying they're divorced and she's no longer his wife. If she wants to stay, she can stay, but re-registering is out of the question. If she doesn't like it, she can pack her bags and get out."

"His wife just cried and made a scene, telling him to just not come back at all. That way, she wouldn't have to see him, as long as he just sends money."

"Then, before Haozi could even speak, his old mother slapped her, cursing her for being a jinx, wailing like it's a funeral during the New Year. Her son hadn't been back for several years, and now that he finally came back for the New Year, she's telling him not to come back."

"She also told her that if she wants to leave, she can leave. If she doesn't, she should honestly raise the children at home and not meddle in a man's affairs outside. If she keeps nagging, she'll be kicked back to her maiden home and won't be allowed to stay here."

Everyone was quite surprised to hear this.

Ye Yaodong asked suspiciously, "It's already caused such a scene, how come it hasn't spread? No one ran over to watch the fun? My mother is still busy organizing things at home."

"That's because his wife immediately gave in. She didn't dare to make a sound, fearing being kicked back to her maiden home. At thirty or forty years old, who could she marry if she were kicked back? It's better to just stay here and look after her son. Don't they say common-law marriages count too?"

"A few years ago, none of us had marriage certificates, and didn't we all live just fine? I guess everyone saw their family suddenly quiet down and stop moving, so they didn't crowd around; only the neighbors were watching."

"I also happened to pass by the small shop on the way here and ran into everyone talking about it vividly."

It's the New Year, and several tables were set up at the entrance of the small shop. People were playing cards and mahjong; it was very lively and could be considered the village center.

His small workshop is closed for the New Year, so the village's intelligence center has shifted.

"It's the New Year, everyone in the village is back, and it's much livelier."

"You're telling me. If they had come back a few days earlier, we'd probably be watching a big show every day."

Just as they finished chatting about this, Pei Dongqing came over, greeted them with a very natural smile, and then went to help Ye Huimei prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

Fatty winked at Ye Yaodong and said, "Dongqing is getting married. Did you know?"

Ye Yaodong was surprised for a moment and then said calmly, "If she's getting married, she's getting married. She's at that age; if she doesn't get married now, she'll be 30 in two years and become an old maid. We might even be grandfathers in two years."

A Guang couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, "A thirty-something-year-old grandfather, I can't believe you'd say that."

"How is it impossible? My eldest brother will be 40 after the New Year, but he's only 39 by actual age. Why wouldn't he be a thirty-something-year-old grandfather?"

"Hey, aren't you curious about who Dongqing is marrying?"

Ye Yaodong kicked him, "Damn fatso, watch yourself. Who she marries is none of my business. Her brother is right here."

However, he really didn't know, and he was actually a bit curious about who she was marrying.

Yesterday, he was pestered by Ye Xiaoxi when he got back and went straight to sleep. He didn't have a chance to talk much with A Qing at night, except for chatting about some recent events during dinner.

He had been busy since getting up this morning and only just found time to play cards.

A Guang also coughed and said, "Dongqing is marrying Liu Zhigang, the one she got engaged to a few years ago. He was released before the New Year. Knowing Dongqing hadn't married for so many years, he thought she was waiting... pfft, he thought she was waiting for him. Then he started pursuing Dongqing again, even chasing her all the way to the city. Dongqing went with the flow and agreed."

"I only found out after I came back and heard Huimei say it. Also, because my father and I weren't home, the two of them just started dating. Once we returned, the two families re-confirmed the marriage."

"Because both of them are relatively old, it was scheduled quite urgently for the tenth day after the New Year. They'll hold the engagement and wedding together, and we'll host another round of wedding banquets then."

Ye Yaodong felt he had to say something.

"It's good that she's getting married. Finally getting married, the big stone in your father's heart can be put down. Otherwise, he'd be cursing about it even during the New Year."

"Yeah, it's just that we can't have arranged marriages now. Otherwise, my father would have made her marry long ago. With her stubborn temper, she held out until now, and now she's finally unable to hold on anymore and is willing to marry someone."

A Zheng said, "It's a good thing, too. Anyway, the family's conditions are good; he just spent time in prison, it's no big deal. But wasn't it said he would be sentenced to over ten years?"

A Guang said, "They said the family put in a lot of effort and spent a lot of money, and he behaved well inside, so his sentence was reduced significantly. That's why he came out after just over three years."

Ye Yaodong: "That's not bad, just staying for three years. It's just that the children won't be able to take civil service exams or join the military in the future."

A Guang: "What civil service exams, what military? There isn't even a shadow of a child yet, and you're already considering civil service exams and the military? If the family has money, isn't it comfortable to just stay home and be a boss?"

"That's the logic."

"It's good that she's marrying. At such an age, she should hurry up and marry. She'll save herself the trouble and go straight to being a boss's wife."

"Yeah, it's also because we didn't distance ourselves after he was imprisoned and still ran around helping. Dongqing remained single, and when he heard about it after getting out, he went straight to the city to find her. It can be considered a settled matter. I just hope the tenth day comes quickly now."

A Guang thought of something else and turned to look at Ye Yaodong: "By the way, Dongzi, you're driving the car back on the third day, isn't that just perfect? Can you lend me your car as a wedding car for my sister? It doesn't have to be the Mercedes-Benz; a Santana will do."

"Using it as a wedding car is fine, as long as you can trust my father's skills. You can go talk to my father in advance later and see if he dares to take the job."

"I'll go talk to our father later. Marrying her off in style will also put my mind at ease."

"Yeah, if my father dares to drive it, he should be very happy to do so."

This is a big deal to show off. In the countryside, the only ones who rode in small cars for their weddings at the beginning of the year were Ahai and Chenghe. The nearby villages talked about it for more than half a year.

"I'll give our father a big red envelope then, and I'll give you one too, to share in the joy."

"Let's talk to Dad first."

The five men sat together playing cards and continued gossiping.

Fatty asked, "Is your father eating at your place for the New Year? Or is he spending it with Auntie Ma's family?"

"Since they've already separated the family, let him spend it over there. My sister is staying with me. When it's time to get married, she'll move back a day in advance and get married from the old home the next day."

"Your father finally managed to bring Auntie Ma back during the New Year. Will he bring her back up again after the New Year?"

A Guang said bluntly, "He's not that full, is he? He finally managed to bring her back, and he's going to bring her back up again?"

"That's hard to say. What if she cries and makes a scene, insisting on following?"

Ye Yaodong said, "Fatty, I've discovered you have the potential to be a gossip!"

"Fuck, I don't believe you guys aren't curious? I'm just asking what's on your minds for you."

"I thank you, oh. You're the one digging for gossip, yet you have to drag us into it."

"You're welcome. I asked, and I'll share it with you."

Ye Yaodong said irritably, "Crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang oneself happens because the money wasn't given properly. If your father gives the child support properly, she probably won't do that."

"Right, Dongzi is right. It must be that the child support wasn't negotiated properly. It still needs to be negotiated well. Otherwise, if she's not allowed to follow here, she'll follow on the cargo ship herself later. Once there's a first time, there's a second. By then, you won't be able to shake her off, and you won't have time to send her back," Xiao Xiao said.

"What you say is also correct, but it also depends on my father. If my father is so annoyed by her that he thinks he might as well bring them up, then I have nothing to say."

"The old man must be regretting it terribly," A Zheng said with a laugh, "If he hadn't married and hadn't registered, he wouldn't even know how carefree his life could be."

"Now that he's registered and married, it's like being tied up with a rope. Even if he runs away, the rope can still drag him back."

"Alright, stop talking. Don't drag my family into this again," A Guang said unhappily.

"Who told your family to have so many topics? One after another, they're all the center of attention."

A Guang glared at Fatty, the culprit.

Fatty also stopped, knowing when to quit. He couldn't just finish gossiping about his sister and then continue gossiping about his father; it would be endless.

At this moment, Pei Dongqing also brought out a plate of freshly fried vegetable meatballs, "They're fragrant and crispy. You guys should eat them while they're hot."

A Zheng smiled and joined the conversation, "Congratulations, heard you're getting married."

"Yeah, I'll treat you all to wedding candy then."

"When I just came back, I heard that your friend Haozi from before got into a fight with his own son. Do you guys know?"

"Ah?" Fatty was surprised, "I hadn't heard that when I came over earlier. I only heard his ex-wife gave in."

The two compared information and discovered that the fight with his son had just happened.

"Heard Haozi's mother didn't look at his wife with a kind eye. When they were preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, she kept nagging. His eldest son defended his mother and gave her a push. Haozi slapped him, and then the father and son started fighting."

"Then he was pushed by his son and fell onto the stove, his hand touching the oil pan. His scream was so miserable, heard it was enough to blow the roof off. A layer of skin on the surface was red, swollen, and cooked, and could be peeled off."

"They've already asked for Uncle Zhou's tractor to rush him to the hospital just now. They won't be able to spend this New Year either."

"I just came from the old home and passed through the village. I was listening there, and only came over after I'd heard enough. It would have been better if he hadn't come back at all. As soon as he came back, it was all chaos, and he ended up in the hospital during the New Year."

Everyone sighed upon hearing this. It had been a few years since they'd heard such a commotion.

Although they no longer associated with each other, they wouldn't specifically wish for others to have a bad life or a chaotic one.

They'd listen if there was gossip, but hearing about a hand in an oil pan still made them feel it was miserable.

"If he hadn't come back and just sent money, the family would have had a peaceful life. Now that he's back, he's crippled himself."

"Was it his hand that got burned, or his fingers?"

"Heard his palm touched the side of the pot directly, and then his arm grazed the oil pan a little."

"Hiss..."

Everyone gasped.

"What a sin."

"Just hearing it makes me feel the pain."

"If you ask me, those two shouldn't have come back. Just give the family money. Coming back just causes chaos."

"Really... don't even know what to say..."

Ye Yaodong said, "Hurting others and hurting oneself. His own son is already so big; he should have given his son's mother some face in front of the child."

"Yeah, can't even manage a family. Now it's completely ruined."

"During the New Year..."

"Forget it, let's not talk about them. Let's play our game."

Ps: I made a modification, changing Haozi's son's burn to Haozi's burn. I wasn't thoughtful enough last night, please forgive the timely correction.