Chapter 247: Aftermath

Ye Yaodong led the way at the front, tugging on a rope with a long string of bare-skinned thugs behind him. Only the five who had been caught at the very beginning had clothes to wear; the rest had nothing but a pair of shorts, and they were walking barefoot on the Shi Zilu.

One by one, the thugs were crying their eyes out, tears mixing with snot—surely regretting it to the bone.

A Guang walked beside them with a stick in hand, watching them tiptoe across the Shi Zilu, dawdling along. Whoever he took a dislike to got a whack on the backside, and the whole group could only swallow their anger in silence.

"Damn it all, walk faster! You're holding up Laozi from getting home. You think Laozi won't beat you all again? Won't even leave you your shorts."

The group had their mouths gagged—couldn't cry out, couldn't even cry. Cold feet and aching pain; just thinking about it made them feel utterly pitiful.

555… Why did they have to go and try to rob someone? This time the tears really were flowing straight into their stomachs.

"Walk faster…"

One person tugging the rope up front, another walking alongside with a stick, a whole string of bare-skinned men—funny no matter how you looked at it.

Too bad the sky was already pitch-black, and there wasn't a soul walking on the nearby roads. Ye Yaodong had deliberately chosen secluded little paths.

The cold night wind blowing in from the harbor made him shiver, and he couldn't help yanking the rope hard. "Walk faster! Don't you know it's freezing?"

Thugs: We're even colder…

After dawdling all the way to the border defense station, Ye Yaodong was afraid there might be someone on duty, so he didn't dare tie the men to the front gate—getting discovered right away and letting them go would be pointless.

He looked around and spotted a thick, sturdy osmanthus tree nearby, so he simply tied the men to it.

He didn't just tie one end of the rope to the osmanthus tree—he made this string of human candied hawthorns loop all the way around the big tree.

Likewise, the ropes on their hands also went around the big tree once, and then one by one the thugs ended up all facing the tree, huddled together.

Right after that, he tied several firm dead knots, then stepped back to take a look, and only after satisfying himself did he clap his hands.

A Guang burst out laughing. "Not bad—hugging the big tree for warmth. Squeeze in tighter and it's even warmer."

The group couldn't speak, so they could only struggle there with muffled whimpers, looking especially comical.

Ye Yaodong also said with a beaming smile, "Alright, let's hurry back. Been busy most of the day—I'm starving to death."

"Let's go, let's go…"

The two of them didn't bother with the group anymore, arm-in-arm they hurried off toward the dock. Tied up here, they wouldn't freeze to death overnight, and naturally someone would discover them by tomorrow.

Everyone else was already waiting on the boat; only Xiao Xiao was still waiting on the shore. The moment she saw them running over, she shouted at them to hurry up.

Only after seeing his son board the boat did Ye Fu finally feel at ease.

"Sigh, this is too flashy—it's not a good thing… Almost got robbed. These times are unsettled, plenty of idle street loafers around. These young fellows, idle as can be, don't help out at home, just wander around all day…"

Ye Fu muttered with a frown, and as he went on, his gaze drifted toward Ye Yaodong…

"Say what you want, why are you looking at me? Haven't I already turned over a new leaf and been working hard?"

Ye Yaodong shot back at his father, then went to start the boat.

"I'm just saying, I never said it was about you. Just trying to sell some fish, and you got into another fight. Did you get hit anywhere? The money? You didn't drop it, did you?"

He glanced at his father, reached his hand in to feel his pocket, and instantly his eyes went wide in shock, pupils contracting. "Holy shit…"

"Huh? What? You dropped it?" Ye Fu immediately panicked.

"Holy shit, it dropped?"

"Holy shit, no way?"

"It can't really be gone, right? All that work today for nothing?"

Everyone was startled and crowded forward to ask. Such a large sum of money—heartbroken just thinking about it.

"Hurry ashore and look for it. Maybe it fell in some corner, on the ground—you might still find it…"

"How can you be so careless…"

"Must have been from all that fighting and running around just now. Hurry and look…"

Ye Yaodong saw everyone panicking even more than he was, and immediately laughed. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, clutching a thick wad of bills.

"Haha, it's still here…"

"Holy shit…"

Everyone kept cursing "holy shit," and a surge of old blood rushed up their throats—so tempted to spit it in that bastard's face!

In an instant the whole group swarmed him, some throwing punches, some throwing kicks.

"Ouch… stop, stop… it was just a joke… ouch…"

"Damn… still calling it a joke… not funny at all."

"Exactly, scared the hell out of Laozi…"

"Dammit, Laozi was terrified—thought the 800 yuan really got lost."

Ye Fu's face also went dark in an instant. The heart that had been clenched tight immediately swung back to where it was, his chest heaving up and down.

It was obvious he was on the verge of exploding. If there were a stick within reach, he would absolutely have swung it down and beaten that dog of a son's backside to a pulp!

This unfilial brat!

Furious half to death, he shot a fierce glare at his son being beaten by the crowd, then took several deep breaths and went to start the boat.

"Ouch, that's enough, that's enough, let me go! I was just joking, so petty."

"Damn, if the 800 yuan really got lost, let's see what you'll do?"

"Hehe, I specifically had my wife sew my trouser pocket extra deep, just in case the money fell out." His pocket was one or two times deeper than a normal garment pocket, just to guard against the money dropping.

In these times, money falling out of pockets wasn't uncommon—if you lost money, what a pity that would be.

After chatting happily for a while, Ye Yaodong looked at his father again. "Dad, that Zhou Shu from the village who drives the tractor—on the way back tonight he seemed to have gotten beaten by those thugs too. Has he made it home yet?"

"Don't know. The old man who guards the commune gate came over and said you told me to bring the boat to the town dock, so I came straight over. When we get back, you go check on him and see how he's doing."

"Mm, alright. I haven't even given him the fare yet—let's buy something to bring over."

"Mm, be more careful next time…"

The wind was strong on the sea. Everyone huddled together in a corner chatting, and in less than 20 minutes the boat pulled up to the dock.

Everyone had planned to go their separate ways after boarding. They'd been busy until now, none of them had even eaten, and their stomachs had long been growling—but Ye Yaodong called them to stop.

He patted his pocket, finding no loose change—only the 800 yuan he'd just earned—and handed each of his two cousins a single hundred-yuan note.

"You were both searched before, and all your money was taken—that's my fault, so consider this compensation. You've been working hard all night too…"

"Dongzi, you're being too formal. We're not strangers—we're cousins. Helping out is nothing. You giving us money? That's just asking for laughs."

"Exactly. Take it back. We're family—no need for such formality. It's our own fault for not running fast enough. At least you didn't have to pay to get us out."

"Hahaha, if you'd gone to pay for our release, your sisters-in-law might think you'd done something scandalous!"

The two cousins laughed. "Alright, put the money away. Let's all go home and eat."

Seeing their faces were sincere and not sour, Ye Yaodong relaxed and slipped the money back into his pocket.

"Then I won't be polite. Tomorrow I'll bring back some good dishes—come over to my place for a drink. It's getting cold; a little liquor will warm you up."

"That works!"

After the two cousins left, Ye Yaodong turned to the others. "You don't need money, right? A beating isn't that bad, is it?"

"Pfft~"

"Alright, let's go. Just don't forget to treat us to drinks."

After seeing everyone off, Ye Yaodong told his father he'd be going out to sea at night, then each went home.

Lin Lin Xiuqing had waited a long time without his return; she couldn't sit still, frequently running to the door to peer out. Only when she saw a shadow approaching through the night did she finally relax.

When he drew near, she said, "You're back? I kept your food warm. Go wash up and eat."

"Mm."

He patted his pocket and handed her the stack of hundred-yuan notes. "The imperial ribbonfish sold for 800 yuan. Keep it. Your share from Dad's portion will be settled with him at month's end."

"So much…?" Lin Lin Xiuqing's face lit up with joy.

"Good. Now you can count money until your hands go numb."

She shot him a playful glare. "How could I possibly count until my hands go numb?"

"Add this to the savings you've built up lately—aren't you tired of counting?"

"Go eat. Stop joking."

"How much money do we have now?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing whispered, "With today's 800 yuan added, a bit over five thousand."

Ye Yaodong nodded. It was decent—the money was coming in fast. But as the weather grew colder, strong winds would make going out to sea dangerous.

He pulled from his pocket again the half-broken red coral branch he'd pried from the parrotfish that afternoon. "Keep this too. Later, you can set it in a ring, bracelet, or necklace—it'll look beautiful."

"Huh? This isn't worth anything—why did you pick it up? Mom threw out a whole basket of these…"

"Damn it, don't say that—it hurts my heart. I didn't even know she threw out a whole basket! This'll be valuable later. Keep it safe. Next time you see any, pick them all up, got it?"

"Really? This tiny bit's valuable? No one in the village wants it." Lin Lin Xiuqing rolled it between her fingers, idly rubbing it, unconvinced.

"Why would I lie to you? Don't you think it'll look gorgeous polished into an oval and set in a ring, glowing red on your finger?"

"The color is festive, but I don't know if it's pretty. Since you say it'll be valuable later, I'll keep it—it doesn't take up space anyway."

"Good. Next time you see any, bring them home."

She nodded absently, took the money and coral inside, and put them away.

Only then did Ye Yaodong wash his hands, sit down to eat, and after she emerged, tell her the story of catching the ribbonfish.

Whenever something interesting, surprising, or strange happened at sea, he'd come home and tell her like a tale—and Lin Lin Xiuqing listened with keen interest.

"In two years, I'll go with you."

"Don't even think about it… Life at sea isn't as easy as you imagine. I only tell you the interesting parts—I never mention the bad ones. Most people get seasick. I don't need you out there with me. Just take care of home and the children. I'll handle the earning."

Lin Lin Xiuqing sat beside him, chin propped on her hands. "But it sounds interesting when you tell it."

"That's just a small part. The real work's hard, and the danger's great. Every year, countless people die at sea."

Her heart tightened instantly; her expression turned serious. "Then be careful. Watch the sea's waves closely. If anything feels off, come back right away."

"I know. I haven't lived long enough to die yet. I was just speaking casually—don't take it to heart." Sensing he'd frightened her, he quickly changed the subject. "The ribbonfish is called the earthquake fish. Stay alert these next few days."

What if the next two lifetimes were different?

"I know."