Chapter 1777

Ye Chenghu couldn't wait, "I'll ride my bike out to find them and see where they are. Since they weren't beaten to death last night, I have to make sure they're tormented to death today."

After saying this, he ran back into the house to push out his bicycle.

Ye Chengyang followed closely behind, "I'm going too, I'm going with you."

Ye Xiaoxi ran along too, "I want to go too..."

Lin Xiuqing shouted, "Can you all fit..."

"We can fit, of course we can. Second brother and I will sit on the back."

Just as Ye Chenghu pushed the bike out, the two of them sat on the back seat one after the other.

"Maybe don't ride the bike. On this broken road, don't fall."

Ye Chenghu climbed on, slid his feet on the pedals a couple of times, and sat down. After the handlebars wobbled twice, it became steady once it started moving.

"It's fine, we won't fall. My feet can touch the ground; if we're about to fall, I'll just get off and steady it."

Lin Xiuqing looked at Ye Chenghu carrying two people and felt like they were all going to fall together, "One dares to ride, two dare to sit."

"It's fine, if we fall, we fall together. We'll share the trouble."

"Come back early for lunch."

"Got it."

Ye Yaodong waited until they left before saying, "It's fortunate they were caught yesterday. I didn't expect that we'd be taken advantage of just by being away for one day."

"It's good they were caught, so we don't have to worry constantly. How can one guard against thieves for a thousand days?"

"I was thinking of dealing with them after the New Year, but I didn't expect they wouldn't even make it past the New Year."

Lin Xiuqing frowned, "The village committee organizing this parade is probably thinking that since tomorrow is New Year's Eve, it's not good to have a death, so they're using it to deter other villages. As for whether they can survive, that's up to their fate."

"Daring to come steal and even poisoning—even if they die, it's for nothing."

"I didn't tell them just now, but two dogs died. If those three knew, they'd be furious, and your daughter might even be crying."

"Two dogs died too?"

Lin Xiuqing told him the small details she hadn't mentioned earlier, "... We've bred a lot of dogs in the last two years, so I can't even recognize them. Anyway, Dad had them taken to the mountain to be buried during the night."

"If they don't know now, they will later."

"Let them know then. At least it'll give us a breather. Are you hungry? Do you want to go eat first? The food is already cooked over there. I thought you'd be back, so I came here to wait. Dasao is watching things over there."

"Did Mom and Dad go watch the fun too?"

"Yes, more than half the village followed behind to watch. They should be back soon; it's lunchtime, so they have to come home to eat."

As they were talking, they heard noise from afar, and everyone was returning one after another.

Lin Xiuqing saw a familiar neighbor and greeted them, "How many villages have you paraded through? Is everyone back? Are you parading again this afternoon?"

"They say so. It's agreed to parade until New Year's Eve tomorrow. We'll drag them out to continue after 2 PM."

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, everyone has to prepare the reunion dinner. Will there be time?"

"Oh, we women can just do that. The men can continue dragging them to parade; it won't affect anything. The secretary said that after parading to Hehua Village tomorrow morning, we'll just return the three of them to their village. Whether they live or die after that is up to their fate."

A woman nearby chimed in, "It's letting them off easy, giving them a chance to live. If they had been beaten to death last night, everyone would have said they deserved it."

"Enough talk, we have to hurry home to cook. We were so busy watching the fun we didn't even cook."

Ye Yaodong also said, "Since everyone is back, let's lock the door and go to the new house to eat."

"Right, the three of them had a wasted trip. The people came back just as they rode out."

"They probably rode straight to the new house. Don't worry about them, they'll know to come back when it's time to eat."

When the couple went to the new house, everyone was already at the table ready to eat, just waiting for the two of them.

"Dongzi, you're back just in time. Let's eat first, we can talk while we eat."

At the dinner table, they were still talking about the parade and the three men's actions during the night.

Ye Yaodong already knew everything clearly, but that didn't stop them from telling it again.

Although there was some lingering fear, the people had been caught, and the village committee had already made a decision, so they would just follow what the committee said and see whether they lived or died later.

If they died directly, there would be no more trouble. If they didn't die, he wouldn't be leaving so soon anyway; he would have to give them a kick to help them die, or keep them locked up until they died before he could go to Zhoushan with peace of mind. Otherwise, leaving them nearby would be a disaster.

As soon as it was time in the afternoon, the villagers spontaneously went to drag the three to continue the parade. Adults and children all followed to watch the fun; anyway, it was almost New Year's and there was no work to do, so everyone was very free.

But there were fewer people watching on New Year's Eve. Every household had to start preparing the reunion dinner early in the morning, along with food for the next few days and for entertaining guests, so they had no time to follow and watch the fun.

Ye Yaodong, however, mingled in the crowd and followed.

The three had already been beaten half to death. After being tormented for a whole day yesterday, with villagers taking turns carrying and dragging them the whole way, today they had been switched to a flatbed cart to be pushed. They looked like they were about to hang on, with more air going out than coming in.

When it ended in the morning, if not for seeing their chests still rising and falling slightly, no one would have thought the three of them weren't already dead.

Before they could drag the people down to return them, their respective families were already swarming up, crying.

"What a sin, my son..."

"My Ah Qiang, my precious grandson, these people aren't human, look at what they've tortured you into."

"Quick, quick, hurry and carry him home, hurry and invite a doctor..."

"You people really aren't human..."

"You're the ones who aren't human! The upper beam is crooked, so the lower beam is crooked. Who raised you? What kind of good people could raise thieves who poison others..."

Their village was arguing with the other families. Who was afraid of whom?

They weren't afraid even on someone else's turf. In the surrounding ten miles, who didn't know that Lin Jianqiang and the other two went to their village to poison and steal? Not taking their lives was already out of consideration for the New Year.

Moreover, their village's strong laborers were all here now. Hehua Village was just a small village of a few dozen households; their village could handle several of theirs.

Someone acted as a peacemaker, telling them to hurry and invite a doctor and leave other matters for later. Only then did it quiet down; otherwise, there would probably have been another fight.

Ye Yaodong saw that nothing was happening and a fight wouldn't break out, so he went back first.

Today is New Year's Eve, the New Year is what's important.

Whether the three could live was still a question. He would pay attention in a few days. Anyway, such a big matter had spread everywhere, and if there was any result, he would know immediately.

Most of the reunion dinner at home had already been prepared, but they hadn't started eating at noon. Since waking up in the morning, everyone had been going to the kitchen to steal a bite from time to time, so they weren't hungry at noon and didn't need to eat lunch.

By the time the reunion dinner was ready, it was already three or four in the afternoon. The whole family sat at the table together to eat the New Year's Eve reunion dinner.

This year was the year with the largest population in their family, with two great-grandchildren added. The smiles on Ye Fu and Ye Mu's faces couldn't be any brighter.

Ye Fu raised his glass, beaming, "Come, come, let's all have a drink together to celebrate our family becoming more prosperous year by year!"

Ye Chenghu showed off, "Prosperous people, prosperous wealth, prosperous luck!"

Ye Xiaoxi raised her glass and shouted, "Wang wang! The whole family wang wang!"

"Haha..."

The dogs couldn't come in at the gate, but when they heard it, they followed along and barked, "Wang wang!"

The whole room of people burst into laughter.

Ye Chenghe's son looked at everyone laughing in confusion, then also followed suit and laughed "hahaha" after the fact.

Everyone had already finished laughing, but when they saw his appearance, they laughed again.

The whole house was filled with a relaxed and happy atmosphere.

Ye Fu was deeply gratified. This was simply like a dream, the late-life he had long fantasized about: children and grandchildren filling the house, no worries about food or clothing, a big house, and a car.

Ye Yaodong's mood was actually the same as his father's. The life and scene he had dreamed of overlapped with the fantasies in his mind at this moment.

A big house, a luxury car, money in hand, people at home, the elderly still around, parents healthy, children lively. The only regret was that he still had to keep working and it wasn't time to retire yet.

Ye Xiaoxi was the youngest of the grandchildren and also the one who couldn't sit still. After eating a few bites, she said she was full and immediately left the table.

But she didn't run out to play immediately; instead, she turned on the TV to play with her two little nephews. This wasn't the point; the point was that the lucky money hadn't arrived yet, so she naturally couldn't leave the adults' sight.

What if everyone else got their lucky money and she ran out to play, and they forgot about her?

Now that she was this old, she felt ashamed to ask for it and couldn't open her mouth, so she could only wait for the adults to give it voluntarily.

After finally waiting until everyone had finished eating, Ye Mu smiled and held a stack of red envelopes in her hands.

"Stop sitting at home waiting, hurry over and collect them. One for each person, go play after you collect them."

"Waha, lucky money!"

"You two who are married don't need to look. There's no share for you this year. You got married after the New Year last year, so I could barely give you one during the New Year, but don't even think about it this year." Ye Mu joked with a smile.

"It's fine, if my son has it, it means I have it too."

"That's right, what's my son's is mine."

Ye Chengjiang smiled and took his red envelope, "So I said, it's still better not to get married. Look, I still have a red envelope."

Ye Ersao reached out and snatched it away.

Ye Chengjiang looked at his empty hands in confusion.

"You can't find a partner, and you're proud of it? You have the nerve to say that? You're in your twenties and still learning from children to collect lucky money? It should be your turn to give money to your grandfather and grandmother to spend."

"Fart, they still owe me 200 yuan, saying they have no money for the New Year!" Ye Chenghu exposed the truth without hesitation.

"You're really something, you even have to ask Chenghe to borrow 200 yuan?"

"Ah, right, because there's no money for the New Year, and I have no money in my pocket, so I don't dare to talk about a partner. There's a reason I'm single, you know? When I have money, I'll find a wife."

Ye Chengjiang said righteously.

His mother was almost angered to death by him again, "You have a reason, you have a fart of a reason, you have a belly full of excuses."

"It's a fact. I still owe a debt I haven't paid off, and I don't have much money in my pocket. How dare I talk about a partner? That costs money."

Ye Mu acted as a peacemaker, "Oh, it's the New Year, let's not talk about this for now. We just finished eating, let's be festive. Give him a red envelope. Those who aren't married are all children to me, everyone gets a red envelope."

After saying this, she snatched the red envelope from Ye Ersao's hand and gave it to Ye Chengjiang again.

Ye Chengjiang was proud again.

Ye Ersao glared at him, "It's just that the village has been noisy these two days and I haven't had time to deal with you, otherwise, would I let you have such a good life? In two more months, Chenghe's son will be able to run..."

"It's fine, he can't run away, he won't get lost. There are so many pairs of eyes at home."

It was New Year's, so she had to tell herself not to get angry. Ye Ersao took a few deep breaths and turned her head to look away, otherwise, she would have to keep listening to him talk.

Ye Xiaoxi leaned over, "Brother Ajiang, why don't you tell Second Aunt that you have a partner you're talking to?"

"Don't talk nonsense. When did I talk to anyone? I just wrote two reply letters to the other party."

"Ah? You didn't confess? Your hands and feet are too slow. Cousin A-Ming has already confirmed his relationship with the short-haired sister, and the two of them have started talking about being a couple."

"Listen to him bragging. He only wrote two letters and he can confirm a relationship with someone? I'll cut my head off and give it to you as a stool."

"Then you can brag too. Why don't you brag? If you brag, won't Second Aunt stop nagging you?"

Ye Chengjiang was stunned for a moment, feeling that he was stupid. He slapped his forehead.

"Right, you're right. Can't I just tell her directly that I have a partner? I've been with Ye Chenghe for too long, and my brain has become as stubborn as his. There are policies above and countermeasures below. Can't I just trick her first?"

"None of you are smart."

Ye Chenghai walked over with a smile, "Collected the lucky money, have money now. Come on, let's start a game."

"Come, just right for capital."

The few older ones immediately took the poker cards to the living room to start a game.

Having many children at home also has its benefits; there's no need to form a game with outsiders, the family members can form a game themselves.

Ye Xiaoxi collected a round of red envelopes, feeling very happy. After hiding them in her room, she was finally willing to go out and play.

They didn't hear news about Lin Jianqiang and the other two again until the third day of the New Year.

On the afternoon of the third day, they heard that one had died—it was Lin Jianqiang. It was said that he was injured too severely and needed to be sent to the provincial hospital. The family had no money, and after discussing it back and forth, before they could reach a result, the person was gone.

On the sixth day, another one was crippled. It was said that his leg was bitten to the bone by a dog and then broken again. It wasn't treated in time, and he was tormented until he was half-dead. He was later saved, but his leg was crippled.

Only one was left lying there half-dead for treatment. They didn't pay attention to what happened later.

The main person who wanted to die was already dead, and Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing were much more at ease.

"There's one left, anyway, he's half-dead, so we don't need to worry about him. We're leaving in a few days too."

"Mm, anyway, it's fine as long as the main one, Lin Jianqiang, is gone."

Ye Mu pursed her lips, "Lin Jianqiang's family was doing it on purpose, dragging it out, reluctant to treat him. It was just his parents shouting to take him to the provincial capital for treatment. How could the others in the family be willing to spend money on him?"

"The opinions weren't unified, so they could only drag it out, dragging the person to death directly. It's just right, no need to treat him anymore." Ye Yaodong also mocked.

"Isn't that so? Anyway, it's useless even if he's saved. He's a piece of trash. If he's saved, the family won't have peace. It's better if he's dead, and the family will be peaceful."

Ye Fu looked at Ye Mu, "Then when is the funeral? He's your relative, the person is already dead, and everything is gone. You have to go, right?"

"Go my ass. I'll just pack a condolence red envelope later. I won't go. If I go, they'll find me disgusting, why bother?"

"That's true."

The old lady said, "The New Year isn't over yet, don't go to funerals, it's unlucky. Just send the condolences that should be sent."

"Right."

Ye Fu asked Ye Yaodong, "Then when are you planning to set off for Zhoushan?"

"Let's look at the weather in two days. Aren't you going?"

"Do I have to go? It seems there's nothing for me to do?"

"Whatever you want."

Ye Fu was a bit reluctant to leave the big house at home, but since everyone had left, he was a bit hesitant.

Going to Zhoushan, at least they were all villagers, and it was lively. Moreover, hearing people call him President Ye every day in the factory was also satisfying, plus his great-grandson was up there too...

The balance in his heart tilted toward Zhoushan again.

Ps: I'll add another chapter tomorrow during the day.