Chapter 176: Distant relatives are found when one is rich in the deep mountains

As he moved the cargo, he listened to Lin Shu praising him. Once all the goods from the boat were unloaded, Ye Yaodong smiled and pulled out two cigarettes for him, asking, "How was your harvest today, Lin Shu?"

Lin Shu smiled as he took the cigarettes, tucking both behind his ears.

"Don't even mention it. The boat hadn't even dragged two nets before the machine gave out, so I had to hurry back. I only sold about ten yuan's worth in total. How could I compare to you? That one devil ray alone is worth three or four times my entire catch."

It was unclear when it started, but the gill rakers of the devil ray had suddenly become valuable.

The gill rakers are the two rows of parallel bony projections on the inner edge of each gill arch in bony fish, also known as gill rakers.

This item, called "devil ray gill rakers," was, for some unknown reason, considered by many to be a panacea that could cure all diseases. It is said that in recent years, many devil rays caught have been sent to Qingping City in Guangdong Province.

The price is not cheap either; it is said that the wholesale price for devil ray gill rakers is three cents per gram, and 15 yuan per jin...

But in reality, as far as he knew, devil ray gill rakers were no different from the gills of ordinary sea fish...

However, the price of this one devil ray was truly not cheap. After weighing, it was 43 jin at 70 cents per jin, so this one fish alone sold for 30 yuan. There were also Spanish mackerel, barracuda, and sea bass, which together sold for 15 yuan. The other smaller fish were not light in weight either; after being weighed and categorized, they sold for over 20 yuan.

The first attempt at longline fishing was a great success. On the first day, he sold over 60 yuan worth, and the catch from the ground cages also sold for nearly 20 yuan.

Ye Yaodong smiled, "Just good luck. If Lin Shu hadn't come back early, you could have dragged in several dozen yuan's worth with the trawler in a day."

"It's all about luck. Since I happened to come back early today, I'll go find some friends who own fishing boats in a while and see if I can ask around for a second-hand boat for you."

He thanked him happily, "Many thanks, Lin Shu. Sorry for the trouble."

"You're welcome, it's no trouble at all. It's just opening my mouth to ask. It's rare for a kid like you to be so motivated; your father is thrilled to death. In the past, whenever we drank, he would just curse you and complain. It's rare that you've brought him such honor now. Keep working hard in the future."

"Hehe, alright, alright."

"Go back early, it's going to rain heavily in a while."

Ye Yaodong looked at the sky, which had suddenly turned dark and oppressive. These were storm clouds drifting over from the sea. Clearly, when he had just entered the collection point, the sky was still very bright. It really might rain heavily in a moment.

"Alright, then you should head back too. Once it rains, everything will be muddy and wet, which isn't convenient. Don't worry about the fishing boat; just help me ask whenever you have time."

"Mm."

Ye Yaodong, who had originally intended to rush home, saw Xiao Xiao and A Zheng coming ashore. He went over to help them move two loads of fish before carrying his bucket and heading home.

Just as he reached his doorstep, the rain began to fall. He dashed under the eaves. In truth, it didn't matter whether he ran or not, as he was already soaked through.

Lin Xiuqing saw him return from inside the house and hurriedly came out with a towel to help him wipe his face and neck, "Didn't it just start raining? Why are you all wet?"

"I bumped into a big fish and got splashed all over with water."

He felt it was a unique experience, quite novel, and vividly described to her how the devil ray flew into the air and how the boat was dragged along by the devil ray.

Lin Xiuqing was stunned as she listened, but she regained her senses immediately and hurriedly asked if he was alright.

"I'm fine, what could happen? It wasn't in the deep sea, just around here; even if I fell in, I could swim back."

"Be careful next time. Life is unpredictable, and the risks at sea are great."

"Mm."

"I'll go boil some water for you to take a hot bath, don't catch a cold. I didn't know you'd be back early because of the rain today, so the water hasn't even been boiled yet."

"It's fine, no rush. You cook me a bowl of noodles first! Keep the receipt for now." He walked while taking off his clothes, wearing only a pair of shorts, and sat there waiting.

Lin Xiuqing was pleasantly surprised when she saw the receipt; she knew he was going to set longlines today.

"Did you ask someone to make the gang hooks today?"

"Yes, I plan to make 1,000 first, then wait until I change to a bigger boat to try in a more distant sea area."

"I don't know when you'll be able to buy one? It's quite hard to buy; who would be willing to sell their boat?"

"Wait a few days and see."

He also knew about this matter; it could only be done slowly, and it might not happen so coincidentally.

In fact, he had been very tempted by A Guang's boat at the time, but he lacked the capital. Otherwise, that boat would have been quite suitable. Now he could only keep an eye out slowly and try his luck.

There was no need to buy a new boat; the main thing was that he didn't have that much money and had to be frugal. If he couldn't buy one for a long time, he would have to wait until he had saved enough money to consider it.

On a rainy day, nothing could be done. After eating and bathing, Ye Yaodong went straight to bed, intending to hold his wife for a nap.

He had chased both sons out to the doorway to play with ants.

When Ye Mu came over after the rain stopped, she saw the two brothers squatting in the corner of the doorway, holding a bamboo stick and playing there. She didn't know what they were playing.

"What are you doing here? Why don't you go inside on a rainy day?"

"Dad said he wanted to sleep with Mom, and told us not to go in and disturb him. He gave Yang Yang and me two branches and told us to play with ants and not run around, or he'd break our dog legs."

Ye Mu: "..."

"Go inside first, don't blow in the cold wind outside."

"It's so boring. My older brothers and sisters have all gone to school, so I can only stay at home and play with Yang Yang."

"Mm, they'll be back from school in a while. You can go to school in the second half of next year."

"I don't want to. Didn't we agree? I'm going to herd sheep."

Ye Mu looked at him with an indescribable expression. How come not one of them wanted to study?

She said irritably, "Go inside. Don't say such things so loudly in the future, people will laugh at you."

"Oh." Ye Chenghu scratched his head and took Ye Chengyang inside.

Ye Mu took down the basket she was carrying and took out a painted washbasin with the character for "happiness" from it and placed it on the table.

"Grandma, did you bring something good to eat again? What is it?"

"You only think about eating. Climb up and see if you dare to eat it?"

After Ye Mu finished speaking, she searched around the room, then took a washbasin of the same style from the top of the corner shelf, picked up the basin on the table, and poured it inside.

The two children looked at it with disgust, "So disgusting... Why is it this again? Dad brought it back before too."

"What's disgusting? It's not like you haven't eaten it before?" Ye Mu said, reaching into the basin, grabbing a handful, and handing it to the two brothers, scaring them into taking several steps back.

"Yue~ Too scary~"

"Scary~"

After Ye Mu finished grabbing, she carried the basin to the eldest and second eldest's houses, distributed some to each family, and then turned back to help kill them first.

At this time, Lin Xiuqing also woke up hearing the voices outside the house, and climbed out of bed on tiptoe.

"Mom, you're here? Has the rain stopped outside?"

"It stopped. Your Lin Shu just sent a basin of sea centipedes over. I brought it over to distribute to you, and help you kill them by the way."

"Ah, oh! Leave it to me."

"No need, you do less work. This thing is too ugly, look at it less, don't be affected."

Lin Xiuqing, who was still a bit groggy from sleep, glanced at the basin and instantly woke up.

She saw Ye Mu grab a sea centipede about 30 centimeters long in her hand, hold scissors in the other, insert them directly from its mouth, strip it to the end in one go, and then throw it into the soup bowl beside her.

Crisp and neat, professionally skilled, without any hesitation.

Thinking about it, she decided she'd better not reach out.

"Your Lin Shu said that a friend seems to want to change to a big boat of more than 30 meters recently. After he changes to a new boat, he might not want that 10-plus-meter iron boat of his anymore and wants to transfer it. He has already revealed Dong Zi's intention. If he sells it, he should come to your dad."

Lin Xiuqing nodded happily, "That's fine, I'll tell Adong about it in a while."

"I heard it."

Ye Yaodong came out of the room and stretched. He woke up when his wife got out of bed, and hearing the voices outside, he relaxed and got up too.

"Where did these sea centipedes come from? Mom, don't kill them all, leave a few alive for me."

This thing is quite useful as bait. He went to get a bowl, grabbed a handful, and put them aside separately.

"What are you doing with these?"

"Useful, as bait."

"Don't neglect your proper work and just think about fishing. After changing the boat, you have to be more diligent. The boat isn't cheap, earn the money back early."

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes. Everything he did was proper work, okay?

"Got it."

Seeing that he did not talk back, Ye Mu stopped nagging, killed all the sea centipedes in the basin, and went back first.

Ye Yaodong didn't let Lin Xiuqing touch these ugly things and carried them to the back door to wash them himself.

After cleaning them, he put them in a basket in the basin to stir-fry with celery and garlic leaves in the evening.

Don't look at how ugly this thing is; it looks a bit disgusting when alive, but it is truly fragrant and delicious when eaten.

Before it was even mealtime, as soon as the sea centipedes were on the table, Ye Yaodong poured two taels of rice wine and tasted them as a side dish.

It's just that he didn't know who spread the reputation that they were rich, but at this time, someone actually came to their door to borrow money.

Ye Yaodong looked inexplicably at a cousin from his uncle's side whom he didn't interact with much, "Cousin Meiying, where did you see that my family is rich? We have no money. We just moved into a new house, don't we need to add things to the house? Where would there be money to lend out."

"I'll calculate the interest, I won't borrow it for nothing. The family is really in difficulty, and the children are small..."

"But I really have no money. My family also has two children to raise. Before, we relied entirely on A Qing weaving nets to live. We only put down ground cages for two or three months recently, barely improving the family's food. Where did you hear that my family is rich?"

Ye Yaodong was speechless. They weren't even close, yet she had the nerve to come to the door to borrow money?

Was he that rich?

She had a husband and children to raise, didn't he have a wife and children to raise?

Her husband was a loser and a gambler, who was to blame? Did she think he didn't know her background? It just hadn't exploded in the village yet.

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"Adong, we are relatives. If the family wasn't in difficulty, I wouldn't open my mouth to you. Recently, with the change of seasons, the children are always sick, and there was a huge fine for having an extra child at the beginning of the year. We are really in difficulty..."

He was in difficulty too. His wife was pregnant with another one, and he was worried himself!

"Sigh, every family has its own troubles. I understand you, but my family really doesn't have any. You should know what I was like before. My family is in difficulty too."

"Adong, A Qing, we are relatives. Please help us, don't push us away. It's spread all over the village that you dug up dozens of oyster pearls a few days ago and sold them for thousands of yuan."

Ye Yaodong stared. How did he not know he dug up dozens? Sold for thousands?

They really can spread rumors!

It really is true that distant relatives are found when one is rich in the deep mountains.

Lin Xiuqing also frowned and spoke up, "I've heard the rumors in the village too. They are all blind rumors, how can you believe them? Those things spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and in the end, they say we've become ten-thousand-yuan households. Where would our family get money? Did it blow in from the wind? Which family in the village got rich after putting down ground cages for two or three months?"

"Yes, you've been misled. How can you believe the nonsense spread outside? Why don't you go ask other families? Our family just finished building the house, and money is tight."

As the saying goes, save the emergency, not the poor. They didn't even count as poor; it was purely their own fault. With hands and feet, doing some work, how could they not support the family?

When he was a loser, his wife could do work to support a family.

Gambling is a bottomless pit. Borrowing is like throwing money into the water. What a rotten person.

Wang Meiying was worried and bitter, "It's not as much as the rumors, but there should be some, right? Can you help us by borrowing a little?"

"Is it that your husband forced you to come out to borrow money again? Just ignore him. As long as there is something to eat and you won't starve, are you still going to indulge him in gambling?"

"Ah?"

"Do you think no one knows he gambles? Who among the surrounding villages doesn't have some relatives? It's just that everyone talks about it privately. Gambling kills people, don't touch it. You'd better persuade him properly. Just find any job to do, and you won't have to go everywhere borrowing money with your head bowed."

Wang Meiying's face turned red, and she couldn't speak while opening her mouth. After a long time, she whispered, "He hasn't done anything, doesn't know how to do anything, and I don't know what he can do. I just thought about borrowing some money, and if I could win back the capital..."

What kind of brain is this? She could actually say such things?

She was actually thinking about winning back the capital?

Ye Yaodong was speechless when he heard this. With such a wife indulging him, it would be hard for a man to turn over a new leaf!

Pitiful people must have hateful aspects. No wonder he owed a pile of money in his previous life, was shouted at by everyone, and ran away, leaving his children to the old people at home.

He was also drunk.

"You'd better stop thinking about it. Winning back the capital is impossible. Once gambling starts, it will only be a bottomless pit. The more you gamble, the harder it is to stop. In the end, the more you owe, the more you owe. If you owe usury, the whole family will be finished."

"A big man with hands and feet, if he can't do heavy work, weaving a net isn't shameful, right? My eldest brother and second brother help weave nets when they have nothing to do at home. Be diligent, even if you can't live a wealthy life, basic food and clothing shouldn't be a problem."

As relatives, this could be considered good advice. If it were someone else, he wouldn't bother talking nonsense. She could actually say things about winning back the capital; her brain was really covered in shit.

Wang Meiying looked at the indifferent couple, worried. Seeing that they were unmoved no matter how she begged, and only told her to go home and persuade her man to work hard to support the family—if persuasion was useful, she wouldn't have come out to borrow money, nor would she have thought about letting him win back the capital—she had to return empty-handed.

Seeing the person leave, the couple looked at each other speechlessly.

"One is willing to hit, the other is willing to suffer. It's probably useless to say anything."

"Fortunately, I don't gamble, I only play a little cards occasionally, and I haven't played for a long time recently."

Lin Xiuqing rolled her eyes at him, "If you gamble, I won't live with you either."

Ye Yaodong smirked. Fortunately, he had some self-knowledge when he was a loser in his previous life. He didn't touch what he shouldn't touch, and honestly acted as a loser...

These were all things of the past. He hurriedly changed the subject, "Is it true that the village is spreading that our family dug up dozens of oyster pearls and sold them for thousands of yuan?"

"Isn't it? In the morning, a big truck came to our village to sell textiles and fabrics. I bought a few pairs of insoles, and a bunch of people asked me why I didn't buy anything else? Saying our family got rich, why are we still so frugal?"

"I felt inexplicable. I listened for a while before I understood. Later, I actually heard that our family had become ten-thousand-yuan households. They asked me when I would go buy home appliances? They wanted to come to our house to watch TV. I was stunned."

The ability of people in the countryside to spread words is truly terrifying.

Ye Yaodong was between laughter and tears, "It was just a few oyster pearls, I didn't expect it to spread so widely. Mom is really something, she can't hide anything."

"It's good that we took it to buy a boat, so that people won't keep thinking about it. If people come to the door to borrow money every three days, I won't be able to handle it. It's good to have an excuse to refuse. And in a few months, my belly will get big, and it will be even harder to hide if people come to the door every day."

"Mm, indeed. Be low-key. In the future, don't tell Mom everything. These women in the village love to show off when they are chatting."

"Isn't this what Mom saw herself?"

"I know, I know. Let's eat first. The boat matter should be soon."

"Mm. I don't know where the two little rabbits ran off to. It just rained, and everything is wet. If they get covered in sand in a while, I'm going to beat them..."

Lin Xiuqing muttered while running to the doorway, shouting at the top of her lungs. The louder she shouted, the louder she got. In a while, seven or eight children ran up from the beach.

She patted the sand off them while scolding. The two children weren't afraid either. They giggled, made a face, and hurriedly ran into the house to sit at the table and eat.

As a result, Ye Yaodong patted each of them on the back of the hand, "Go wash your hands first. Can you eat with these hands? I don't even dare to eat with you."

"Lue lue lue~"