Chapter 1762: A Headache

As soon as Ye Ye Chenghai stepped out the door, the boys crowded around discussing pagers—every one of them quite wanted to buy one, but they never talked business, so to them it was pretty useless.

They wanted to egg Ye Yaodong into buying one, but Ye Yaodong had just said it himself: a pager was useless to him.

The girls, meanwhile, gathered around the baby to chat.

The men like Ye Yaodong weren't suited to staying in the confinement room, so they all sat in the living room talking.

They didn't stay long either—tomorrow was the day she came out of confinement, and they felt bad about disturbing her rest here. They stayed less than an hour and then all left. The gifts had been delivered anyway; they could just wait and go eat the banquet tomorrow at noon.

Ye Ye Chenghai arranged to hold the banquet at a restaurant—the family quarters he'd bought weren't suitable for hosting one, and a restaurant was the easiest option.

Apart from Ye Yaodong, the rest of their family didn't often eat at restaurants; most of them had never been. When they went, they were all a bit stiff and ill at ease.

But they were also a little thrilled, feeling they'd made it to eating at a restaurant too—seeing a bit more of the world.

A few of the girls whispered among themselves, "After the banquet, can we wander around a bit? I've never been to the provincial capital."

"Let's ask my mom and the others? The farthest place I've ever been is the city, and I only went once."

"Same here—we all went together that one year, just the once. This is my first time in the provincial capital! My friend's farthest trip in her whole life has only been to the town."

"Let's ask Third Aunt and see?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing overheard their whispering and replied, "The banquet won't be over until one or two in the afternoon. We're not leaving today, so we can wander around the provincial capital, and take the bus home early tomorrow morning."

Everyone immediately perked up.

"Great! I even brought money on purpose, just so I could wander around."

"Me too…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, "You girls wandering around on your own isn't safe, and you don't know the way. Let Brother Brother Ahai take you, or have him call a few friends to go with you."

"Great, thanks Third Aunt."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi hurriedly said, "I want to go too!"

"You're so little, don't tag along with your sisters and make a fuss. Later I'll take you."

"Okay!"

As long as she got to go, that was fine.

Ye Yaodong was mulling it over—since they were already in the provincial capital, he could go look up Ye Yaohai and have a few drinks and a chat that evening. After all, it had been quite a while since they'd been in touch, and they used to talk often.

Last night after dinner he went to sit at Brother Brother Ahai's place for a bit, and by the time he got back it was almost nine, so it wasn't proper to go out looking for people. Today was just right.

Ye Ye Erbo and the others who were home had also come over for the wedding banquet; their sons, who weren't home, hadn't come. Only the two old fellows, plus any of the grandchildren's generation who were home, came as representatives.

He and Ye Father put their heads together and whispered for a while.

Ye Father turned and said to Ye Yaodong, "Your Ye Erbo wants to go find Ye Yaohai later, to ask about Ah Xing and Ah Song's situation in Japan."

"Then let's all go together later. I was planning to look him up for a chat too."

"That's perfect, then."

The two grandsons Ye Ye Erbo had smuggled over to Japan a few years earlier—because communications were so poor, they basically had no contact. They could only rely on others to pass word of mouth; it might be half a year before a single sentence got back home.

The family only knew the two were still fine and earning money in Japan; the specifics they had no idea about. Now they actually quite regretted it—if they'd stayed home, things certainly wouldn't have been bad.

These past two years, reading the newspapers, they'd heard all sorts about Japan's economy not looking good, and they were worried. They wanted to call them back but couldn't reach them, and when passing messages they didn't even know if they got through.

This rare trip to the provincial capital—Ye Ye Erbo wanted to ask in person.

With this matter weighing on his mind, Ye Ye Erbo, as soon as the meal was over, immediately sidled up next to Ye Yaodong and said with an ingratiating smile, "Dongzi, when are you free? Let's go sit at Yaohai's place?"

"In a bit. Once Brother Brother Ahai sees the guests off, we'll say hello and then head out."

"Alright, alright, then we'll wait a bit."

Lin Lin Xiuqing said to Ye Yaodong, "Then you go do your thing, and I'll take them around."

"Let my mom and Ye Ye Erge and Ye Ye Ersao go with you. The older kids can wander on their own, that's fine—just keep a close eye on our two little ones."

"I know."

Ye Yaodong waited until Brother Brother Ahai had seen the guests off, and watched him arrange a few friends to take the bigger group out sightseeing. Only then did he feel at ease taking his dad and his Ye Erbo out to find Ye Yaohai.

Ye Yaohai wasn't at the dock watching the stall now—he'd handed it off to his people and was sitting at the office downtown, seemingly overseeing a pile of cargo. He was surprised to see him show up.

"How'd you know I was here? A rare guest—hasn't been a few years since we met."

"Came to the provincial capital for a wedding banquet, so the first thing I thought of was coming to find you."

"Not bad, sit sit sit, have some tea. Uncle, you sit too."

"Your office here is really nice. I still went to the dock to ask, and the guys said you were here—only then did I find my way over."

"Let me leave you a phone number, so it's easier to call if anything comes up later. If you come by, give me a heads-up in advance so I can be ready. Look at this place—I've got nothing but tea."

"Tea is fine—we just came over after eating our fill."

Ye Yaodong took out the paper and pen he carried, jotted down his current phone number, and also left him a few of his own contact details.

Ye Ye Erbo, the moment he sat down, could hardly wait to ask, "Yaohai, do you still remember the two grandsons I asked you to help send over to Japan? I want to know how my two grandsons are doing."

"Doing great—they earn plenty every month."

"I heard Japan's economy hasn't been good these past two years…"

"The economy being bad doesn't affect the dead over there. Didn't I tell you a couple years back? The two brothers thought washing dishes paid too little, got to know some brothers over there, and went into the funeral business—that pays well."

Ye Ye Erbo's expression turned a little unnatural, a bit awkward. "How did they end up in the funeral business? I wanted to ask these past two years…"

"The money's good. You said the economy's bad—washing dishes is cutthroat competition now. Don't think the funeral business is unlucky; the ones dying are Japanese anyway. Let me tell you, everyone doing funerals over there is our own countrymen. Business is booming—they've got the whole one-stop service locked down."

"Ahem, the letters the family wrote—would it be convenient to pass them along?" Ye Ye Erbo pulled out the letters he carried on him. "If possible, I'd also like to pass along a message: the family wants them to come home soon."

"I can't promise that. I can only agree to try. As for whether it actually reaches their hands, or whether the message gets through properly, I have no idea—after all, I'm not over there myself."

Ye Ye Erbo nodded repeatedly. "I know that, I understand. Just do your best, sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all—just passing something along."

"How much for delivering the letters? Let me pay—I can't let people work for nothing."

"Let's skip that. For the sake of family, helping pass along a letter is fine."

"Then thank you so much. Let's have dinner together tonight, my treat."

"No need for that. You've come all this way, I should be the one treating you to dinner and hosting you."

"How could I possibly accept that…"

"Don't be shy about it. I'm an old friend of Ah Dong's anyway…"

Ye Yaodong chatted with him all afternoon, catching up on what had happened in their lives over the past two years or so, and they went out for dinner together in the evening.

He had secretly paid the bill in advance, which made Ye Ye Chenghai glare at him, and he was made to drink a whole round of wine as punishment before they were allowed to leave.

Ye Yaodong felt that he was not only strong in maritime shipping, but also had great people skills—blessed with helpful connections. Every friend he knew was reliable, all worth deepening ties with. That was a great fortune in itself.

Even if they didn't keep in touch for a long time, when they met again they were still friends.

Of course, he felt he himself had done a good job of it too.

Ye's father and Ye Ye Erbo were naturally both unsteady on their feet. Seeing they had both drunk too much, Ye Ye Chenghai specially had someone send them to the guesthouse.

They left the next morning at dawn. Ye Ye Chenghai came over to see them off before it was even light.

Ye Ye Dasao went back with them on this trip too. After all, she was already out of her month of confinement, though she was quite reluctant to part.

Ye Chenghe being in Zhoushi didn't matter much—the child was at home, and she could see him every day. But Ye Ye Chenghai she wouldn't be able to see.

The key was that she couldn't see her son every day, nor her grandson every day, yet her in-laws' family could!!

It felt as if her son and grandson belonged to someone else's family, had grown close to someone else's family. She had even spent a whole month changing his diapers and feeding him—losing them felt like having her heart and liver ripped out.

"Brother Ahai, when you have the time you must bring the child home to let me see him often, and call home more." Ye Ye Dasao's eyes were red as she spoke, her face full of reluctance.

"I know. Next month for Mid-Autumn Festival, I'll go back. But the child is still young, it's not good to drag him around, so I won't bring him back."

Ye Ye Yaopeng glared at Ye Ye Dasao and said, "Don't listen to your mother. What's there to drag around? The child is still young—wait until New Year to bring him home. You don't need to run back and forth either. We won't be home for Mid-Autumn Festival either; business comes first. Running home just for one meal, and you'd still have to rush all the way back. No need for that fuss. Just stay here with your daughter-in-law."

Ye Ye Dasao quickly nodded. "Right, right, right, listen to your father. I was just reluctant for a moment. Don't go to the trouble. No one will be home for Mid-Autumn Festival either. Wait until New Year to bring the child back."

"That works too."

"Take good care of your health too, don't just busy yourself with the business…"

Ye Ye Dasao chattered on with her instructions, and Ye Ye Chenghai listened patiently to all of it.

It wasn't until the car arrived and everyone got in, leaving only her, that she finally got into the car with reddened eyes, reluctant to part.

"Sigh, once the children grow up, each has their own life and none of them are by your side. Suddenly having them gone like this really feels awful."

"Try to look on the bright side. It's much more convenient now, you can make phone calls. Anyway, whether the children get married or not, they won't be by your side, so at least you won't have a headache over it. Now you've been given a grandson too—you should be happy. Having one grandson at home is enough to keep you busy."

While Ye Ye Ersao was offering her comfort, she didn't forget to fix Ye Ye Chengjiang with a fierce glare.

Other people, even though their sons weren't by their side, at least had a grandson. As for her, her son wasn't by her side, she had no grandson, and she didn't even have a daughter-in-law.

He was still hanging around with his younger brothers and sisters every day, playing the fool. Just looking at his useless appearance made her angry.

It would be better if he weren't in front of her eyes, so she wouldn't have to work up a whole bellyful of anger.

Ye Ye Chengjiang seemed to sense something and turned his head, just in time to catch his mother's gaze. He quickly turned his head away, pretending he hadn't seen it.

Seeing other people holding two grandsons at once made the killing power of that gaze even stronger.

"Third Uncle, when are we going to Zhoushi?"

"When do you want to go?"

"I want to go right now."

Ye Chenghe chuckled and teased him, "You were still saying you'd take on both of us by yourself, that you'd have more kids than my brother and me put together."

"I'm going to Zhoushi to hurry up and find a wife!"

"For real?" Lin Lin Xiuqing said with a smile. "Then how about we arrange it—put the matchmaking gathering at National Day, so you can find a wife sooner?"

Ye Ye Chengjiang begged for mercy. "Don't do that, Third Aunt…"

Ye Ye Ersao glared at him fiercely. "Look at your useless self. If you don't bring a daughter-in-law home for me this year, don't bother coming home for New Year this year."

"Okay."

"You'll be the death of me one of these days."

Ye Ye Chengyang nudged Ye Chenghu. "Big Brother, why don't you take a page from Brother Chenghe and find a partner early in your class? That way when the time comes, Mom won't have to be this angry about you not being able to find a wife."

"Who's unable to find a wife? Who are you looking down on?"

"Find one early and place your bet. What if your partner ends up becoming a college student? Then your little car will be yours! You'll have both a car and a wife—a winner in life!"

Ye Chenghu's face turned red, his eyes wandering. "What you're saying does have some sense to it!"

"Of course! If my sister-in-law is a college student, how much face does that give me? How much face does that give you? How much face does that give our whole family! It's fine if you don't study well—as long as my sister-in-law can study, that's enough!"

Makes sense!

Ye Ye Xiaoxi leaned her head over. "Big Brother, is there a sister you like in your class? When school's out I'll come find you, and you point her out for me, okay? I'll help you confess!"

"I'm loved by all, flowers bloom when they see me. If a sister sees me, she'll definitely like me a lot, and the success rate of my confession will go up by half!"

Ye Chenghu quickly pushed her head aside. "How is it that you're everywhere? What's it got to do with you?"

"Of course it has to do with me—it's about my future sister-in-law, doesn't it?"

"Stop being noisy, go away."

"Then Big Brother, is there a girl you like?"

"No."

Ye Ye Chengyang: "You answered so decisively—you must have one!"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi: "Big Brother, you should give the sister more flowers and buy her tasty things. Brother Chenghe had Second Brother pick wild flowers for him every day back then. If you're too shy, I can help you deliver them."

"I already told you no, are you guys annoying or what! Can't I just get into college on my own?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi: "Big Brother, do you think you have a chance?"

Ye Ye Chengyang: "Big Brother, do you think your chances of getting into college are bigger, or your chances of finding a sister-in-law who gets into college?"

The two soul-searching questions stumped him.

Ye Chenghu closed his eyes and refused to answer.

"I think you should do both—take the college entrance exam yourself, and find a sister-in-law who can take it too…"

"Yes, exactly…"

The brother and sister chattered in his ears like a strategist, buzzing like little bees.

Lin Lin Xiuqing sat beside them, hearing every word clearly, but pretended not to hear.

If she could find a college-student partner for her child, she'd be overjoyed—but she couldn't say that; wouldn't that be encouraging her child to fall in love too early?

Thinking was fine; speaking was not.

If early love hurt the child's grades, that would be a sin.

Under the relentless barrage from both of them, Ye Chenghu's heart had already wavered, but he still stubbornly refused to respond, lest they stir up even more chaos.

Finally reaching the dock, after boarding the boat, he quickly hid from the two of them.

They got home right on September 1st, just as the school enrollment period had begun; they wouldn't reach the school for another two or three days anyway, so since they were already late, why not stay home two more days—as long as they asked the teacher for leave in advance.

When the old lady saw them all return, she was overjoyed.

"You all left at once, leaving the house empty and silent—just me alone—and I was unsettled for two days. Now you're finally back."

Ye's father replied, "What's there to be unsettled about? The neighbors are all people too."

"But they're other people—not family."

"Isn't Chenghe's wife staying home with the child?"

"Thank goodness they're home. What does Brother Brother Ahai's child look like? Is he cute?"

"Cute—so adorable, so fair and clean. Even when sleeping, his lips pout and twitch, like he's drinking milk in his dreams."

The old lady's wrinkled face lit up with a smile. "Good, good, good. When the child grows a bit bigger, bring him back so I can see him."

"We agreed to bring him back for the New Year—otherwise he's too young to travel."

"Yes, too young. Can't disturb him."

As soon as the children reached the front door, they kicked off their shoes and rushed in, flopping onto the sofa.

Ye's mother called out from behind, pained: "Wash your feet! Sandals are filthy—don't just trample in like that, leaving footprints everywhere, and now you're climbing on the sofa, leaving marks all over it… Do you even want to live here?"

"No!"

"It's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away—a bunch of living ancestors who only know how to make noise."

The moment they returned, Ye's mother felt exhausted; when she saw them fighting over the TV, she felt even more drained.

"I want to watch The Legend of the Condor Heroes—I haven't seen it in days…"

"I want to watch the Calabash Brothers…"

"No, we're watching The Legend of the Condor Heroes…"

"Why? First watch the Calabash Brothers, then The Legend of the Condor Heroes…"

"Why not! No!"

The old lady hobbled forward with her cane, smiling soothingly. "Elders, yield to the young. Don't fight—take turns watching."

"Oh dear, stop shoving—someone's going to fall off!"

Ye's mother's head throbbed. "If you keep yelling, go home—don't stay here. If you jump on the sofa again, go home. The sofa's going to break, and I'll break your legs."

She turned to Ye's father. "When are you leaving? Just go already."

"The day after tomorrow? Hold on two more days. Go cook already—ignore them."

"Heaven above, now I have to cook two huge pots again…"