Chapter 1720: Infinite Glory

Ye Fu cherished the new clothes he wore for the New Year very much. Every time he changed out of them, he would fold them neatly or hang them up.

He was afraid they would wrinkle, and it wouldn't look good when he wore them to the city. He still had to drive the small car back on the third day of the Lunar New Year.

Before going out on the second day, he still had to tug at his clothes a few times and pat them, smoothing out every little crease to make them look crisp. Ye Mu had already polished his leather shoes until they shone, but he still had to take a cloth and wipe them twice more.

The whole family was already at the door, ready to leave, but Ye Fu was still leaning against the wall with one hand, lifting his foot to wipe his leather shoes with a cloth, terrified of even a speck of dust.

Ye Yaodong watched, speechless and impatient. "What are you wiping? On this broken road, do you want me to carry you?"

"We're going out to visit, I need to look clean."

"Hurry up, we're taking the tractor. You're fussing over this and that, and in a while, you'll be covered in dust anyway."

Ye Fu looked up and realized, no wonder the whole family was wearing their old daily clothes at this moment...

He looked at himself. "Should I change? Did you bring another set of clothes?"

"We did. We'll change when we get to the factory in the city. Of course, we should wear new clothes when visiting, but for now, wear the daily ones to avoid getting covered in dust on the road. Anyway, we'll be in a car or on a boat the whole way, no one will notice."

Although they weren't New Year's new clothes, they had all been made this year, so they were still decent enough to wear out.

"Then I'll hurry and change. You go get on the vehicle first and start the tractor, I'll be right there." Ye Fu hurried back into the house. "It's all your mother's fault, she told me to dress up nicely first thing in the morning."

Ye Mu said innocently, "Wasn't this what Dongzi instructed yesterday?"

Ye Yaodong took the family to start the tractor, leaving his father to dawdle.

Lin Ji had already arrived and was waiting there.

He was going with them, as they were all going to pick up the vehicles at the same time, and he had to lead the way.

With Ye Yaodong's boat, he didn't have to go through the trouble. Going together meant they could hoist the vehicles onto the boat and transport them back at the same time, which saved a lot of effort.

As for the *Vanguard*, its deck had more than enough space to park three vehicles side-by-side.

Ye Yaodong also brought ten workers; after all, for such a large ship, workers were needed to assist whether leaving the port or docking.

He took the opportunity to bring Ye Chengjiang and Ye Chenghe along. Both of them had passed their heavy vehicle license tests and had been driving for a while. They could drive large trucks, so small cars were a piece of cake—they were all manual transmissions anyway, much better than his father.

If it weren't for wanting to let his father show off a bit, and the fact that his father needed more practice, he wouldn't have needed to bring him at all.

Although the fish sauce factory was near the market, where there were many people and vehicles, the surrounding area still had undeveloped, open spaces, which were suitable for his father to practice.

Besides, since he had passed the driving test, he had to face crowded places eventually. Practicing in low gears in a small area nearby would allow him to get the hang of it directly when they went to Zhoushan later. Their village didn't have anywhere to drive, and the roads were broken.

By the time the family got on the tractor and it pulled out of the small workshop, Ye Fu had grabbed a bag of clothes and came running over to get on.

He complained, panting, "It's all your mother's fault, and you guys didn't tell me in advance."

"Dad, hurry and sit down, or you'll fall when the vehicle starts moving."

Lin Xiuqing had her hair wrapped up nicely with a silk scarf.

The others also grabbed pieces of cloth to cover their heads, to avoid being covered in dust when they got off.

Ye Yaodong sat in the front and found a worker to drive. He shouted, and only after confirming everyone was seated did they set off.

After dropping them off at the pier later, the worker could just drive the tractor back to the workshop.

After arriving at the town pier, they still had to take a ferry to the shelter harbor.

Ye Yaodong had returned quite late before the New Year, and he had come back on the *Vanguard*.

The 71.8-meter super-large ship, blue and white, looked like a behemoth from afar, set against the surrounding fishing boats.

The fishing boats parked around were also large vessels of thirty or forty meters. With the New Year, many fishing boats had returned to port and were parked in the shelter harbor.

There was no shock without comparison.

The night he brought the fishing boat back, it was dark, so not many people saw it. Plus, it was already parked in the shelter harbor, and during the New Year, no one went to the shelter harbor to sail.

Now, sailing out from the shelter harbor to the pier for supplies and refueling shocked everyone near the pier.

Everyone was completely unaware of when such a massive fishing boat had appeared in town.

The refueling staff were shocked from afar. When it docked, they immediately rushed over eagerly, speaking in the local dialect.

"Boss, refueling? Is this ship newly built? This is too awesome, right? Such a big ship has never appeared in town before. Did you just return, or are you just passing through our port?"

Ye Yaodong responded in the local dialect, "I'm a local, from Bai Sha Village. I went out for a trip, hurry and help me fill up the tank."

"Ah! You're the 'Ship King' boss from Bai Sha Village? Coming right up..."

The staff member was shocked for a moment and hurried to get to work. But during the refueling process, he didn't forget to lean in to flatter and inquire.

"Boss, I heard you have dozens of ships, and you're the 'Ship King' in our town area? This ship must cost millions, right? That's amazing..."

"Boss, how many ships do you actually have? Is it convenient to reveal?"

"There have been many more large ships in town these past few years, but I've never seen one as big as yours. It's too powerful, and it looks so new..."

"I heard the boss is very young, I didn't expect you to be this young. That's truly amazing."

"Is it true you have twenty or thirty large ships? I thought it was just a rumor. That's too powerful, you really are the true 'Ship King'. I thought someone was just bragging, it spread so widely..."

Ye Yaodong responded appropriately, while the worker kept chattering around him.

It wasn't until after refueling and he paid the money that the worker watched him sail away with reluctance.

Then he turned his head to continue chattering excitedly with his colleague on duty...

Ye Yaodong feigned composure, expressionless, but in his heart, he was secretly proud.

Who doesn't hope to be successful, admired, and respected?

Of course, he enjoyed this feeling, especially with the comparison to his previous life.

This feeling of going from the bottom to the peak was too intoxicating.

So he also understood why his father loved face, loved glory, and loved to show off, especially in the village. Everyone wanted to stand high and be looked up to.

His three children had been with him the whole time, and they also looked proud.

When sailing, they crowded into the cockpit, looking at him with admiration.

"Dad, you're too amazing, you're my idol." Ye Chenghu said with a look of reverence.

Ye Chengyang also echoed and nodded, "Dad has always been our idol, from childhood to now, you're our star."

Ye Xiaoxi's eyes were also sparkling, "Dad, I always write about my father in my essays. In my winter break diary, I'm going to write about my 'Ship King' father!"

Ye Yaodong smiled and touched her head, "Keep a low profile."

She raised her head proudly, "No need to keep a low profile, all the teachers in school know my dad is Ye Yaodong, and the whole school knows I have two big brothers!"

"Then have you bullied anyone?"

"How could that be! I'm the one protecting others! Upholding justice!"

She clenched her little fists, "There are so many bad kids in the upper grades at school who collect protection money. Every time they block other classmates at the school gate, I chase them away."

Ye Chengyang said, "Two wolfhounds follow us to school every day. Who wouldn't be afraid when they see her? Isn't she famous in school?"

"Wolfhounds are too dangerous. You have to watch the two dogs, don't let them bite anyone. From now on, you're not allowed to take the wolfhounds to school."

"It's not that I want to take them, they insist on following us. I can't chase them away. As for the other dogs, I can chase them home with two shouts, but 'Gongxi' and 'Facai' won't leave, they just have to follow."

"Then you must manage them even better."

"They are also very well-behaved. If no one provokes them, they won't bite people randomly."

"Next time, let your mother watch them, don't let them follow."

"Mm-hmm, anyway, the whole school knows I have two big bodyguards!"

"Dad, she also wrote about my two big bodyguards in her essay!" Ye Chengyang said.

Ye Yaodong teased, "Yo, that treatment is quite high, the same as mine, you can even be written into an essay."

Ye Xiaoxi raised her head proudly and said, "Dad isn't home, so naturally, they protect us."

Ye Chenghu watched Ye Yaodong operating the fishing boat, feeling a bit envious. It was too cool, it felt like having the domineering air of someone in control.

"Dad, can you teach me how to sail too?"

"Sail what? Now is not the time for you to learn to sail. You'll naturally have plenty to learn later. When the time comes, neither you nor Yangyang will be able to run away."

Ye Xiaoxi protested, "What about me? Do I have to learn too?"

"You can't. Girls can't go on the boat, you can only stay on shore and drive."

Ye Xiaoxi was originally unhappy that she couldn't learn to sail, but as soon as she heard she could learn to drive, she was immediately happy.

"Okay, big brothers sail, I drive!"

"We want to drive too!"

Ye Xiaoxi ignored them, "Dad, then when will you teach me to drive?"

"Then you wait until I learn first. After I learn, I can teach you, and you have to wait until you're 18, otherwise your feet won't reach the brake and gas pedals." Ye Yaodong replied casually.

"Okay, okay."

Along the way, the three siblings stayed in the cockpit, chattering around him.

Ye Yaodong hadn't been home for a long time, and the time they spent with him was too little. Now that they had the chance, the three of them wanted to stick to him.

In his previous life, the two sons weren't close to him, and they also harbored resentment that he didn't work, putting the burden of supporting the family on their mother, causing her to pass away early.

Now everything had changed, and with the addition of a daughter, the three children held respect, love, and admiration for him.

Ye Yaodong looked at them, feeling his heart filled to the brim. Success in his career was important, but the warmth of his family could relax his tired mood and make him spiritually fulfilled as well.

Along the way, the corners of his mouth were always turned up.

After docking, the three of them couldn't wait to go out and stand on the deck, jumping and hopping happily, unable to wait to pick up the vehicles.

"Mom, are we going to pick up the vehicles now?"

"No, we'll go to the fish sauce factory first, then change clothes and wash our faces clean to pay New Year's greetings to your godfather. After that, we'll go back to the factory and wait for your dad and grandfather to drive the vehicles back."

"Okay, then can we see the small cars tonight?"

"Yes."

After Ye Yaodong parked the boat, he asked clearly about Lin Ji's lodging, agreeing that after he finished paying his New Year's greetings and handling his business, he would go find him, and then they would go handle the vehicle pickup procedures.

Lin Ji had no objections; he himself also had to go ahead to make arrangements and contact people first.

After getting ashore, they parted ways.

Ye Yaodong found a tractor to send their group to the fish sauce factory first.

The factory was naturally closed for the New Year, with only two people left on duty.

His father-in-law and brothers-in-law had also returned to their hometown for the New Year before the holiday, so they weren't in the city, and there was no need to visit their home.

Ye Chenghu looked at the locked courtyard gate not far away and said, "Dad, after we pick up the new vehicles, should we drive to Grandpa and Grandma's house to pay New Year's greetings?"

"Naturally, we should."

"That's great, just in time to show the cousins our family's new vehicles."

Ye Xiaoxi also said happily, "Let them sit in it, and let Grandpa and Grandma sit in it too! Take them for a ride!"

Lin Xiuqing smiled and said, "Let's pick up the vehicles first before talking about that. Go change your clothes quickly. Adong, go make a phone call to Godfather, tell him we've arrived in the city and will go to his house to pay New Year's greetings in a while, let him know in advance."

"Okay."

They had already agreed before the New Year when they would come to pay New Year's greetings, and they had also called the night before.

This year they didn't return to the county to spend the New Year because Director Chen had scheduled New Year's duty, so they spent the New Year in the city.

It was just mealtime now, and he called in advance to let them know, so their family could be prepared.

He had also prepared the New Year's gifts long ago and brought them over. In a while, he could drive the tractor here over there.

The roads in the city were much better than a few years ago, and many places had been paved, so there was no need to worry about dust filling the sky.

If you want to be rich, build roads first. In recent years, the country had been crazily engaged in infrastructure construction, and many cities had changed drastically.

When he got off the boat, he felt that the city had changed quite a bit and was more prosperous. During the New Year, the streets were decorated with lanterns, and everywhere there were people visiting relatives.

The aquatic wholesale market at their doorstep had become increasingly lively in recent years, with the stalls basically fully occupied, and many shops and markets had sprung up around it.

Ye Fu didn't go with them to pay New Year's greetings, but instead wandered around the area first. His three sons all had shops here and collected rent every year, so he came to take a look on their behalf.

He also let the others move freely.

During the New Year, the surroundings looked quieter than usual, but there were still people coming and going. During the New Year, the market still had transactions, and some individual stalls were diligently open to make money, but there were many fewer.

Ye Yaodong took his family to Director Chen's house to pay New Year's greetings. Director Chen's whole family was there, sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters had all returned, and two tables were set for lunch.

They had known each other for several years, and Ye Yaodong had intermittent contact with them every year. He hadn't harmed their interests, and everyone got along like relatives, all very polite.

After a lively meal together, the adults sat together to chat, and the children played together.

Ye Chengyang and his two siblings brought some toys over. They automatically divided themselves: the big ones played with the big ones, the small ones with the small ones, the boys with the boys, and the girls with the girls.

During the conversation with them, Ye Yaodong also mentioned that he came today to pick up vehicles. He opened his mouth and said he bought two vehicles, which shocked the whole house again.

But thinking about it, they felt it was very reasonable. Everyone knew he was developing very well and earning more and more every year. Every time he visited, he was very generous, and they had all heard about it, which was why they were increasingly polite to him.

Who doesn't hope to have a few capable relatives?

Everyone couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

Director Chen smiled and congratulated him, "You've really become more and more amazing these past few years, reaching a higher level. You called before the New Year saying you just bought a fishing boat of over 1000 tons, and now you've picked up two vehicles."

"If there's a need, then it must be arranged. It's not convenient to pick up clients without a vehicle, and the face that should be given to clients must be given."

"That's right, then if you're busy, go ahead and get busy."

"It's okay, I'm not in a hurry, it's the same to go trade and pick up the vehicles in the evening."

"It'll be dark in the evening, that's not good. If you want to go, go early, don't worry about us here."

Ye Yaodong looked at his watch. They had eaten until 2 o'clock, but it was still early.

"No hurry, it's only 2 o'clock, it's fine to be a little late. Let's drink a few more cups of tea and chat more with everyone."

Director Chen naturally wouldn't chase people away, just smiled and nodded, "Then arrange your time well, go early when the time comes, don't keep people waiting."

Jin Yuzhi also smiled and said, "It's fine for the wife and children to stay here and play with us. Look, the children are all playing quite well. They have already made friends in the courtyard, and you can drive the new vehicles over to pick them up later, and have dinner together."

Ye Yaodong thought this was also fine.

"This works too. When the time comes, I'll go first, leave them here to play for a while longer, and then drive the vehicles over to pick them up."

"How much did you spend on the two vehicles? Cars aren't cheap. I heard a Santana costs nearly 200,000, and a Charade costs 70,000 or 80,000. The most critical thing is that they are hard to get and hard to buy."

"I was introduced by a friend, he has channels, and he didn't charge me much."

Once Ye Yaodong said this, everyone understood. It wasn't bought through regular channels.

Most of the cars running on the streets now were bought through channels; regular channels were too difficult. In this coastal area, naturally, they did whatever was convenient.

Everyone was a bit unfazed.

He stayed until about 3:30, gave instructions to Aqing and the children, told them to play here first, and that he would go handle the vehicle pickup procedures and come back to pick them up later.

It wasn't suitable to take them to pick up the vehicles anyway. If he had to, he could only leave them at the factory to wait, so leaving them here was no different.

It was just that Lin Xiuqing felt a bit uncomfortable. She naturally wasn't familiar with everyone, but after Ye Yaodong left, she also made an excuse to check on the children and went out to wander around the area.

By the time it was almost mealtime, she went to help prepare dinner together.

Ye Yaodong came over at dusk with Ye Fu, Ye Chengjiang, and Ye Chenghe.

Because they needed them to drive, they just came over together.

As soon as the vehicles stopped at the courtyard gate, the children playing nearby rushed over in surprise.

"Cars..."

"Small cars, there are two small cars..."

"There are two small cars parked at our courtyard gate..."

"This is a Santana, this is a Mercedes-Benz."

"I know, this is a Mercedes-Benz, super expensive..."

A group of boys surrounded the vehicles excitedly like they were crazy. Some couldn't help but reach out and touch them, while others stood properly and didn't dare to touch, but everyone had fiery eyes.

Ye Chenghu and his two siblings also flew over, "Dad..."

The children in the courtyard were all shocked.

"Ah! These are your family's cars!"

"Ah!! Your family actually has two small cars!"

"Oh my god, Ye Chenghu, Ye Chengyang, your family is too rich, you actually have two small cars."

"And it's a Mercedes-Benz! This is so expensive! My little uncle is very rich in business, he said he couldn't afford it, so he bought a Charade!"

"Ah, Ye Chenghu, your dad is even more amazing than Aheng's little uncle..."

"Ye Chenghu, can we look inside the car?"

"We'll just look, we won't touch... if we break it, we can't afford to pay... we'll just look..."

The boys and girls in the courtyard looked at the three siblings as if they were precious treasures.

Originally, some looked down on the three siblings for being from the countryside, but now they had nothing to say and all surrounded them.

The three siblings showed off fiercely in the courtyard.

Director Chen's family heard the commotion and came out, and the people in the surrounding courtyard were also woken up by the children's shocked voices and came out to watch the fun.

"Oh my, whose family bought a small car?"

"It's Old Chen's godson, the one whose dried fish and fish sauce everyone eats so much of."

"Ah, they bought a small car, and two of them?"

"That young man is becoming more and more amazing. He bought a small car, truly the waves behind the Yangtze River pushing the waves in front."

"Oh my, this is a Mercedes-Benz, this must cost several hundred thousand, right? The young man made a big fortune again."

"This young man is incredible, congratulations..."

"Congratulations, Old Chen has good fate, his sons and daughters are filial, and the godson he found is also amazing."

After the adults came out to watch the fun, they were also very envious, and one good word after another came out.

People who eat others' food have soft mouths, and everyone smiled and congratulated Ye Yaodong.

When Ye Fu got off the vehicle, his steps were a bit floating. He straightened his back, holding two bottles of Moutai in his hands, his face full of spring breeze.

It was too face-saving, he, a rural fisherman, was being congratulated by a group of unit leaders with smiles.

Oh my god, he could brag to the old woman when he went back.

If he wasn't afraid of making a fool of himself, he would have bragged to everyone. Now he had to hold it in and say a few polite words.

These past few years, being called "President Ye," he could handle the scene, and wouldn't be like before, standing there woodenly and foolishly smiling at decent people with high status, not knowing what to say.

Director Chen greeted Ye Fu with a smiling face, "Old brother, you've come to the city, why didn't you come over at noon?"

"Hehe, I had to settle others for Dongzi, I didn't have time for a moment. I just finished and came to disturb you."

"No disturbance, how could it be a disturbance? We couldn't welcome you enough. Old brother, you've also become amazing these past few years, you've even learned to drive, haha."

Ye Fu also couldn't help but laugh, "Before the New Year, Dongzi said he wanted to buy a car and asked me to learn to drive and get a license. I learned for two months and passed it, and he arranged it for me immediately."

Ye Fu was both happy and wanted to show off. Life had reached its peak at this moment.

"Old brother gave birth to a good son, Dongzi is truly filial."

"They are all filial, all the sons and daughters are filial, you are the same, you are also enjoying blessings."

"It's okay, let's go, let's go inside and talk, leave the vehicles for the children to watch."

After speaking, Director Chen turned his head and exhorted his own children, "You guys watch the vehicles well, don't let anyone scratch them or bump them. If you don't watch them well during the New Year, you'll get a whipping."

"Got it."

The children seemed to have received a precious sword, spreading their hands and standing in front of the vehicles, not letting anyone touch them.

In their hearts, they also felt honored and extremely proud.

This damn collective sense of honor.

Director Chen sighed as he walked, "I didn't expect one of them to be a Mercedes-Benz. I thought it was a Charade or a Santana, or perhaps a Crown. A Mercedes-Benz, this one can be worth several of the others, it's expensive, truly amazing."

Ye Fu said proudly, "I specifically told him not to buy the little Japanese's cars, so he bought a Santana. I didn't even know when Dongzi quietly ordered a Mercedes-Benz, this wasteful child."

Ye Yaodong just smiled and let his father scold him. Anyway, it was insincere, and he didn't know how proud and happy he was in his heart.

Ye Fu scolded him on the surface, but he was extremely happy in his heart.

Indeed, there was a reason for expensive cars to be expensive. The vanity and satisfaction brought by expensive cars were really different.

The "pretending" was also different.

He didn't expect to "pretend" in a big way in the city again.

He couldn't wait to return to the village tomorrow, but the people in the village probably wouldn't recognize a Mercedes-Benz, so he would have to popularize it for everyone then. ===== CHAPTER 1721 =====