Chapter 31

When Lin Xiuqing returned and heard the commotion at the back door, she hurried out. She really couldn't rest easy with her husband being so unreliable.

As soon as she stepped out the back door, she saw his disheveled appearance. Afraid he would get angry and hit his eldest nephew, she quickly spoke up, "I'll wash our son. You go wash yourself."

"You're finally back. I was about to be killed by them!" Ye Yaodong stood up, feeling depressed, and took off his shirt to wipe his dripping hair.

Seeing that he wasn't angry or throwing a fit, Lin Xiuqing felt a bit more at ease.

"Mom is already cooking noodles. You can eat as soon as you finish your shower."

"Got it. I'll wash my hair first. You kids who are done, get lost quickly and free up a basin for me."

The kids pushed and shoved each other, laughing as they went inside naked, leaving only the youngest, Ye Chengyang, sitting in the basin. He stood up anxiously.

"Brother~ Brother~"

"You little tag-along, always 'brother, brother' all day long. Wash up quickly so you can go in too."

Ye Yaodong didn't use hot water; he just drew a bucket of well water, poured it into the basin, stripped down to his shorts, and started splashing it on himself with a ladle.

After two days of sun at the beach, his face and neck were noticeably darker than the rest of his body, but compared to his older brothers, he was still very fair.

His two sons were also very fair; they only got tanned after growing up. His family members actually weren't ugly, just short...

This was the Achilles' heel for most Southerners!

In reality, it was because the family conditions were poor and they lacked nutrition. That he could grow to 1.8 meters was thanks to his grandmother's favoritism. From childhood to adulthood, he never lacked eggs to eat. Whenever the family slaughtered a chicken, there was always a chicken leg for him.

Back when the production team raised sheep, when he was little, his grandmother would secretly milk a bowl of sheep's milk, boil it with tea leaves, and give it to him to drink. His brothers and cousins were already older then and could only watch. His little sister, who was still nursing, could occasionally taste a bit.

Because of this, his genes mutated, and he grew to be the tallest in the family. Among his friends, he was also the tallest.

In this day and age, in their countryside, it was rare to see someone 1.8 meters tall.

After half a day, apart from some sweat, he wasn't really dirty, so he didn't use soap. He just rinsed off casually, went inside to wipe himself with a towel, took off his shorts, and went to the cupboard to find his clothes and pants.

As it turned out, once he opened the wardrobe, he remembered he only had one set of summer clothes to change into, and it was probably still hanging outside to dry.

"Creak~"

The door was pushed open suddenly, startling him so much he ran to the bed to wrap his lower body with a bedsheet. "Who is it? Why don't you knock when you come in?"

"Dad~ Shame shame~ Shame on you~"

"Get lost! You're still bare-bottomed yourself, how dare you make fun of me!"

Lin Xiuqing glanced at the shorts thrown on the stool. "I'm entering my own room, why would I knock? You're standing there naked without your pants on, and you don't even feel embarrassed."

"I was just looking for them when you walked in. Didn't you say there were only two sets? They're all drying outside, what do you want me to wear? Besides, it's not like you haven't seen it before, what's there to be embarrassed about?" Ye Yaodong smirked and leaned in close to her, winking.

"Stop with the smooth talk. There are only two shirts, but there are four pairs of shorts. They aren't in the wardrobe, they're in the drawer." She pushed him away in annoyance, put the child on the bed, went to the drawer to get him a pair of shorts, and threw them into his arms. "Put them on quickly, I'm going outside to get your clothes and pants."

"Your ears are red, don't think I didn't see. We've been married for years, what are you shy about?"

"Shameless..." Lin Xiuqing turned her head and glared at him before closing the door.

He chuckled, took the shorts, and walked to the side of the canopy bed. Just as he was about to change, he saw his youngest son lying on the bed frame looking at him.

"What are you looking at? When you grow up, you'll have your old man's assets too."

After saying that, he lifted the mosquito net and threw the bedsheet he was wrapped in directly onto Ye Chengyang's head, covering him completely.

"Ah haha~ Dad~"

"Thump~"

The sound of a head hitting the bed board was followed by loud wailing. Ye Yaodong quickly pulled on his shorts and poked his head over. "You little idiot!"

Lin Xiuqing walked in with his clothes at that moment. "Why is he crying again?"

She took a few quick steps, saw her youngest son wrapped in the bedsheet, kicking and struggling, unable to get out and calling for his mother. She glared at Ye Yaodong in annoyance.

"How old are you, still bullying him? Mom has already cooked the noodles, hurry up and put on your clothes and go eat."

Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose. He had just tossed it casually, just playing around with his youngest son.

Hearing her coax the child, he quickly put on his clothes; his stomach was growling with hunger.

Lunch was sweet potato noodles. They ground their home-grown sweet potatoes into a paste, made it into starch, and stored it. When they wanted to eat, they would scoop out two bowls, mix it with water, and pour a small amount into a pan to swirl around like a pancake. After both sides were cooked, they would take it out and cut it into strips, repeating the process many times.

Cooking it in noodle soup with some side dishes and the sand clams they dug up yesterday—it was incredibly delicious.

Ye Yaodong ate a huge bowl all by himself. This stuff only required sweet potatoes and labor, which they could do themselves without spending money. His family planted a lot of sweet potatoes every year and made plenty of starch, so they had it whenever they wanted.

When he finished eating, Ye's mother was still making the noodles. There was no helping it, there were many people in the family.

"I'm leaving. No need to cook dinner for me."

"You haven't even rested for a moment, and you're already patting your butt to leave after eating. Do you still think you're a child who hasn't grown up?"

"Haven't I been working hard for most of the day today? There's nothing to do now, right? I'll definitely be back early tonight, Mom, don't lock the door."

After saying that, he tried to slip away, but was stopped by Ye's mother. "Wait, when we came back, we saw the wind picking up and the waves at sea are a bit big. Your father and the others will probably be back soon. Don't run around; go to the pier in an hour to help pick up the cargo."

Ye's mother only thought of asking him to help because she saw him being a bit more diligent these past two days.

"Where's Ahua?" He was still thinking that since the family chores were done, he could go socialize with his friends.

"The old lady said he ate noodles at noon, sprinkled wood ash in the backyard vegetable patch, and went to work in the fields. He probably won't be back that soon. Who do you think is like you, idling around all day?"

"Ah, stop scolding me, stop scolding me. Didn't I work hard with you guys today? In an hour, I'll definitely go to the pier to wait and help pick up the cargo."

"Remember that. If you don't go, don't come back tonight."

"Don't worry, I'll remember."

Even if he didn't come back, he had plenty of places to sleep, but he would definitely go help. They caught a net of large yellow croakers yesterday; who knew what they would catch today?

It had been too long, and without any special cargo, he couldn't remember clearly.

If possible, he also wanted a boat of his own. Rely on the mountains, eat from the mountains; rely on the sea, eat from the sea.