Chapter 193: Sewing Machine

Lin Lin Xiuqing heard this and lowered her head, not knowing what to say for the moment.

The hand that had grabbed hers was already covered in calluses. He, who had never done heavy work before, had spent the last few months building a house and going out to sea. Blisters had been rubbed into his hands, yet he just sat alone by the window with a needle, silently stitching away.

His hands had become rougher than hers now. There was a time when his hands were smoother than hers.

Ye Yaodong saw her silent with her head lowered and knew she was used to being frugal, unable to spend lavishly all at once.

But life had to improve. They couldn't keep grinding away miserably as a family after earning money. Although the family's current savings weren't much, covering daily necessities was still no problem.

"I'll work hard to earn money and support this family. We don't need to eat well, and we don't need to dress fancy, but we need to eat our fill and stay warm, right?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing gave a soft response.

She'd buy what needed buying; she just liked to take things slowly. Spending a large sum all at once felt painful. It wasn't like they'd gotten rich overnight—his money was all earned through hard work.

Ye Yaodong pressed the back of her head, drawing her toward his shoulder, and emphasized once more, "I'm not useless anymore, don't worry."

"Mm."

"Make yourself two sets of cotton-padded clothes and pants too, make them loose. When your belly gets bigger later, it'll cover it up. Make them in advance so you won't be caught without clothes to wear. You don't want anything to happen to the baby in your belly, do you?"

Right, her belly needed to be concealed.

She nodded heavily. "I can't make them all at once. I'll finish what I'm working on first, then go buy fabric and cotton."

"Mm, how many meters does one set of cotton-padded clothes and pants need?"

"Old Lady is short, three meters is enough. If I make mine loose, a bit bigger, it'll probably need 3.5–6 meters."

"Mm, got it. Cook lunch first, we'll get busy later."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong watched her go to the back door to pick vegetables, hesitated for a moment, then still headed outside.

Lin Lin Xiuqing thought he was just going out for a stroll and didn't mind. She picked vegetables, washed them, killed a fish…

After nightfall, the whole family had gone to bed. Suddenly, knocking came from the door. Ye Yaodong immediately sat up with a carp-like leap.

"I'll go open the door."

"Who is it? Knocking so late at night?"

Ye Yaodong said while putting on his clothes: "I'll go take a look first."

They had come by during the day; he hadn't expected them to deliver that evening. Pretty efficient.

He opened the front door and saw Lin Ji standing with his back to the door, smoking. A handcart was parked at the entrance, and on it was the thing he wanted.

Lin Ji heard the movement behind him, turned around, pinched out the half-smoked cigarette in his hand, and tossed it aside. "Asleep this early?"

"Not yet, it's just dark and there's nothing to do, so I lay down early."

Lin Ji curled the corner of his mouth knowingly and said: "I understand, I get it!"

Ye Yaodong: "…"

Get what? He went out to sea at night, and his wife's belly wasn't even three months along yet.

Lin Ji immediately added: "Come help me carry it over. I was afraid it'd be too conspicuous during the day, so I waited until dark to deliver it."

The two had had a proper chat during the day and were a bit more familiar with each other, able to exchange a few harmless quips.

Lin Lin Xiuqing had just come out of the house when she saw the two of them carrying something in. She asked curiously: "What is it?"

"A sewing machine your husband bought you. Yan brand."

"What?!"

Lin Lin Xiuqing stared wide-eyed at Ye Yaodong. "When did you buy it? Why didn't you say a word?"

"We'll talk later, pay up first." After saying that, Ye Yaodong looked at Lin Ji again. "How much for this one?"

"The supply cooperative is 150, market price is 130. Give me 110. There's also two bolts of red and yellow floral fabric and 5 jin of cotton on the cart. Just give me 15 yuan for those."

"How could I be so shameless?"

The cotton he'd bought during the day was already 2.8 yuan per jin. He hadn't caught the price of the floral fabric clearly, but he had heard the price of the dark blue cotton fabric—3 mao 6 per chi—and the floral fabric was even more expensive.

"Doesn't matter. Making friends. I ship goods every day anyway, one machine more or less doesn't make a difference."

"Alright, thanks a lot then."

Watching this guy working the docks night after night, he must have made plenty. He knew smuggling was hugely profitable in these times—trading in silver dollars for goods, with some high-profit items earning half or even sixty percent.

These smugglers traded goods with smuggling ships headed for Taiwan and Hong Kong using silver dollars. 1 silver dollar exchanged for 22 yuan RMB, plus fees it cost 26 yuan.

Those smuggling ships carried anywhere from one or two thousand silver dollars to seven or eight thousand. The value of goods they brought back ranged from thirty or forty thousand yuan to several hundred thousand yuan.

Lin Ji was considered a small boss; he must have made plenty.

Consider it charity. He appreciated the favor. He'd see later what good stuff he could catch at sea and send some over to him too. Give and take.

The goods had already been delivered to the door. Lin Lin Xiuqing couldn't slap his face at this moment and tell him to take it back, so she could only sulkily go back inside to get the money.

The two bolts of floral fabric and the cotton were also brought inside. Lin Ji pocketed the money and left.

Lin Lin Xiuqing glared at Ye Yaodong. "When did you buy it? Why didn't you say a word? Such a big item—how could you just buy it without a word?"

"Who told you to be too stingy to even buy a few bolts of fabric and a few jin of cotton? So I had to step in myself, give you a strong dose to cure you. Besides, it's inconvenient without a sewing machine at home. Always having the nerve to go borrow from other people's houses—once or twice is fine, but we have so many cotton clothes to make, how could I be so shameless? Not afraid of annoying people?"

The household really did need the addition. He didn't want his wife having to read people's faces.

"Th…then you still have to discuss it with me."

"Going out today, we've already spent almost 70 yuan, right? If I told you about buying a sewing machine, would you be willing?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing couldn't argue back. If he'd told her, she definitely would have said to hold off.

Ye Yaodong saw her go silent again and could only step forward to hold and coax her. "Just over 100, much cheaper than outside. The money I earned yesterday covered it exactly. With a sewing machine at home, it's convenient for you. When the baby in your belly is almost due, won't you need to make little clothes in advance? Are you going to go to someone else's house to do it while pregnant?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing shot him a sideways glance and pinched his lower back hard. "Don't do this again next time! Big purchases—you have to tell me."

"Hiss～ouch～okay okay okay～easy, The waist is heavy."

She couldn't keep a straight face anymore. She gave him a look, pushed him out of her embrace, and went to unbox the sewing machine.

Ye Yaodong saw her eager look and felt a bit smug. He knew she'd like it—the complaints were just lip service.

Women are women—words and heart never match!

When they say no, they actually mean yes!

Sometimes, you have to listen in reverse…

Ye Yaodong, grinning happily, joined in to help her unpack it. Seeing a brand-new sewing machine fully revealed before their eyes, Lin Lin Xiuqing's eyes lit up, and she stroked it again and again with both hands.

She had actually always wanted a sewing machine, but before there had been no way to afford one. These past few months she had finally scraped together a bit of money, but she couldn't bring herself to spend it. Then right after that they bought a boat, a huge sum went out, and she was even more reluctant.

Ye Yaodong had, by a stroke of luck, made the decision for her.

"Like it?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing shot him a smiling glare—how could she not know he was showing off?

"Give it a try?"

"Mm."

She went happily back to the room to fetch the fabric she'd already cut in the afternoon to try it out, but didn't expect that all her going in and out would wake the two children who had just fallen asleep. Ye Yaodong had no choice but to go in first and soothe them.

After getting the children back to sleep, he was also a bit drowsy. Remembering he still had to go out to sea at night, he didn't get up.

In a half-asleep daze he felt someone pressed close beside him, and he casually pulled her into his arms, kneading her into a ball, and mumbled drowsily, "Had your fun?"

"Sewed one sleeve."

"Shouldn't I get a reward?"

He had only said it casually, but he didn't expect Lin Lin Xiuqing to actually take the initiative and kiss his lips. That got him fired up—instantly wide awake—he flipped his body and pressed her down, but the moment their lips touched he was told to stop.

"Cut it out, you still have to go out to sea tonight."

Sigh, he's still a twenty-something young man…

"Go to sleep, stop letting your thoughts run wild!"

"Fine."

He gave her a hard peck on the lips, then turned over and lay back in his own spot, holding the warm, fragrant, soft jade in his arms, but his hand was grabbed and not allowed to wander.

He went along with it and fell asleep just like that.

At half past two in the morning he got up on time. Lin Lin Xiuqing had already risen before him and prepared the meal, and packed his lunchbox for him.

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He put on his headlamp and pushed the cart toward the dock. Father Ye was already waiting there, chatting with Aguang's father.

"That's good, that's good. Tomorrow I'll set aside some seafood, and we'll go to your place for a few drinks and have a proper chat…"

Ye Yaodong heard this line as soon as he walked over. Since when was his dad this close with Aguang's dad, to the point of sitting down for drinks together?

"Dad, Uncle Pei."

"Dongzi's here. I heard your longline fishing works really well. Let us try it out one of these days."

"Sure, you can make a few hundred of them on a small scale to try, it's just that it uses up a lot of bait."

"That doesn't matter. In the trawl net there are plenty of small fish and shrimp—set some aside in advance to use."

Just then Aguang came over after buying the diesel. "Oh? Rare to run into you."

"You might run into me often from now on."

After exchanging greetings, they headed off first. Ye Yaodong also hurried to go get the bait he'd stored at Acui's place, then refueled.

Once on the boat, he finally asked his dad, "Dad, since when are you on such good terms with Uncle Pei? Even making plans to drink together."

"Aguang has been carrying your banner every couple of days—either bringing plantains or wine, or sending over some dried fish goods we don't have here, showing up every day with a different trick. Your mother and I both know what's going on."

"So you two just agreed?"

"Tonight I'll have a couple of drinks with his dad first and chat. Their family doesn't have a woman to manage things either, so his dad can only come to me to talk."

"Then you two still need to ask little sister's opinion."

"Do I even need you to say that?"

"Then what did she say?"

"Go ask your mother. I'm the father, not the mother—how am I supposed to ask? Anyway, your mother wasn't too happy before. She said his family doesn't have a woman to run the household, and if your little sister marries in she'll be worn out. She said things like no one to help with the kids later, and having to marry into a family with two sisters-in-law… Women are so troublesome, overthinking everything…"

"Mom doesn't seem wrong either."

"Isn't it good to be the lady of the house right after marrying in? What's the point of having a mother-in-law? If anything comes up, just have your mother go over and help, isn't that fine? If no one's around to help with the kids later, just have your little sister send them back for her to raise. It's only a few steps away, why worry about that? As long as the person's character and temperament are fine, that's enough. Overthinking it…"

"You've already arranged all the work for my mother, so what can I say?"

"So tomorrow we'll first see what his dad has to say, get a plan together, then we'll go ask your little sister's opinion."

Ye Yaodong pursed his lips. His dad clearly had no objections—lucky break for that stinker Aguang.