Chapter 458: Departing for the City

The few households next door were all situated beside Ye Yaodong's home, separated only by a courtyard wall and two vegetable plots.

They had also poured a large flat area of leftover gravel and mud in front of their door; on rainy days, there were no puddles or mud everywhere, and stepping inside wouldn't leave yellow mud footprints all over.

Zhou Da was still eating while Ye Yaodong sat on the wooden bench at the doorway waiting.

As soon as he sat down, others nearby came over, and Zhou Da also emerged; they simply sat at the doorway and started chatting.

It was scorching hot, but sitting at the doorway blowing the sea breeze was quite comfortable; moreover, after the typhoon, the night was especially cool, and the salty sea breeze carried the unique scent of the seaside.

"What do you all say? Do you want to go to the city to take a look?" Zhou Da asked as soon as he came out of the house.

Ye Yaodong looked at everyone; they looked at each other, still hesitating, so he said, "How about this: those planning to go raise your hands; those not planning to go, or who haven't decided yet, just stay silent?"

Zhou Da raised his hand. "Sure, I want to go, but if the number of people is too small, then forget it."

Ye Yaodong also raised his hand. "Same here; we can treat it as seeing the world, after all, I've grown up this old and have never left the county town."

Others hesitated one after another and raised three hands; only two people were still hesitating, the two Lan brothers.

Six households lived next to him: the two Lan brothers and the four Zhou brothers.

"If you two don't plan to go, we already have five people; we'll just go to the Secretary's house to help get an introduction letter and apply to use the tractor."

Among neighbors, there was no real distrust; they just felt it was too much trouble and too far, and leaving it for the wharf to collect was convenient.

"Big men shouldn't dither; you probably haven't left the county town in your lives either, just like me? We should at least go out and take a look. Reform and opening-up is already underway, and everything is improving everywhere. I've heard the city changes every day, so the provincial city must be even better. Are you sure you don't want to go out and see the world?"

Whether it was Ye Yaodong's words that moved them or not, the two exchanged glances; after Lan Da nodded, Lan Er gritted his teeth and said, "Alright then, let's all go together; we'll just treat it as gaining some experience."

Lan Da also said, "We have quite a lot of goods; the prices in the city will definitely be higher than at the wharf, so we can sell for more money."

"Fine, seven of us will go. I'll go find the Secretary to get an introduction letter; you all get ready what needs preparing, and those who want to sleep, go to sleep."

"I'll go with you," Ye Yaodong stood up as well. "Dad, do you want to ask if Big Brother and Second Brother want to come along?"

As for the few friends, they could skip it; they arrived late, checked earlier, and the quantity wasn't that large; if the difference wasn't significant, there was no need to make such a fuss.

"Yeah, call your two brothers too; after all, it's the same trip."

Ye Father hesitated for a moment. "I mentioned it to them earlier and asked them to consider whether to take theirs to the city too; I don't know if they're willing? I'll go ask."

Ye Yaodong nodded. "That works; you go ask, and we'll head off first. When you've asked, go to Chen Shuji's house."

"Alright."

After settling it, everyone went back to prepare separately; Ye Yaodong and the eldest of the Zhou family walked with flashlights, chatting as they went toward Chen Shuji's house.

It was already dark; on this rare night, the village looked quite lively, with every household brightly lit. In the past, everyone turned off the lights as soon as it got dark to save on electricity bills, cooled off for a while, and then went to bed.

Today, every household was still queuing outside the wharf; the women, unusually, had their lights on, weaving nets while waiting, and the children were running and jumping at their doorsteps.

Those who had sold their goods early couldn't bear to sleep, their conversation still at its peak.

"Those who sold early really made a profit; they caught a good price. Oh, by the way, did your batch this morning sell at three mao seven for the large ones and three mao for the small ones?"

Ye Yaodong nodded. "Yes. At that time, no one was there, I delivered early, and I sorted very carefully. Damn it, it made me sort like this later too; I didn't mix in anything at all, it was all genuine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been unwilling to just send it to the wharf like that. If I had mixed in even one or two tenths, I wouldn't have made such a fuss and would have gone straight to queue."

"Your careful sorting is good too; no one is blind. The buyers will definitely check roughly, so you'll definitely get a good price."

"Let's hope so!"

It was already sorted and tied up; mixing anything in now would be too troublesome; anyway, that's how it is.

They walked and chatted; there were hardly any people moving on the road, mostly sitting at their own doors, but the gazes from both sides of the road fell on them, and after they passed, some started gossiping again.

Rural areas are full of gossip; everywhere is material for conversation.

As soon as Ye Yaodong and the others arrived at Chen Shuji's house and explained their purpose, Chen Shuji, although surprised, still issued the introduction letter.

Using the tractor at night was too late to easily discuss; approval could be granted, but they had to find the few people in the village who could drive a tractor themselves, negotiate who would go, and decide on the wages; they had to settle that themselves.

Both indicated no problem.

After they came out, planning to find someone who could drive a tractor, they happened to meet Ye Father coming over.

"Your Big Brother and Second Brother said they've already queued for quite a while, so they won't make a fuss; the queue is moving now, not stuck there, so they'll just wait patiently and queue slowly."

"Fine, then we won't force it."

"Mm."

Ye Father actually wanted the three brothers to go in and out together, do everything together, discuss and earn money together, but each had grown their wings too hard; he could only accept that children and grandchildren have their own fortunes.

After everything was arranged properly and they agreed to depart at 10 o'clock, everyone went back to their own homes to sleep.

Four hours was sufficient; in the past, the bus would drive slowly, stopping and starting, and even passing the neighboring county required a fifteen-minute stop to wait for passengers, taking just over three hours. At night, the tractor would drive slower, but going straight, it should arrive in about three hours.

Ye Yaodong was afraid he wouldn't fall asleep if he went to bed too early, so he specifically drank two cups of white liquor with his father before lying down.

When it was nearly ten o'clock, Lin Lin Xiuqing called him, and he finally woke up.

"I boiled two eggs for you, and I also took a can and some noodle tea cake; I put them all in the satchel I prepared for you. If you get hungry, remember to take them out and eat."

"Alright."

"Carrying the satchel is convenient; wearing it in front makes it less likely to fall off. Remember to wear it properly and don't let anyone snatch it."

Lin Lin Xiuqing held a pair of shorts in her hand and continued, "Also, inside these shorts, I just sewed a hidden pocket with a button. After selling the goods, put the money inside so it won't fall out. Get up and change into them."

Ye Yaodong didn't take the shorts; instead, he cupped her face and kissed her fiercely. "Wife, you've thought of everything so thoroughly; you're so considerate."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and pushed him away. "Of course, you must be careful when traveling; besides, you're going on a long trip. Remember to come back early; return as soon as you sell the goods. Don't wander around aimlessly; the more people there are, the more chaotic it gets."

"Don't worry, I have my own judgment..."

"What judgment do you have? If I don't say a few more words, who knows where you'll wander? Earlier, Dad asked me to remind you a few times: don't run around everywhere. If you want to gain experience, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"I know."

Anyway, he had to agree nicely; Ye Yaodong took the shorts, got out of bed, immediately took off what he was wearing, and put on the ones Lin Lin Xiuqing had just sewn.

He also touched the hidden pocket inside; it felt like it had no presence even if he didn't touch it; anyway, the boxer shorts were very loose.

After putting on the long-sleeved shirt and long pants, he went out; Lin Lin Xiuqing followed behind him, intending to see him off. This was his first long trip; she was a bit worried, considering he used to be so unreliable...

As soon as Ye Yaodong opened the front door, he looked toward the wharf in the distance; it was still brightly lit, and many flashlights were shining wildly along the shore, with quite a few people there.

Several hours had already passed; unexpectedly, there were still so many people. He didn't know if his Big Brother and Second Brother had finished selling their goods yet.

He took a few glances, heard the chatter drifting from next door, then walked out the courtyard gate and headed toward Zhou Da's door, where the others had already gotten up and were chatting.

"Morning!"

"Hahaha, it's still nighttime right now."

"Ah, right, it's still nighttime."

Ye Yaodong smiled. They were all half-asleep and muddled — it wasn't even past the small hours yet, what morning?

Before they could chat idly for a few sentences, the putt-putt-putt of a tractor drew close after a little while. He glanced at his watch — right on time.

Everyone helped each other lift their goods onto the tractor and stack them properly. They weren't worried about mixing up each other's goods either, since each of their sacks had their own mark.

Ye Yaodong was the same — the mark on his family's sack was "Ye Three." The sacks had cost money to buy, so of course they had to be marked.

Once everything was loaded, they climbed onto the tractor. Ye Yaodong waved at Lin Lin Xiuqing, who was standing at the courtyard gate. "Go back, get some sleep early. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Be careful, and remember not to wander off, alright?"

"Got it."

The others also waved at their own family members standing at the door.

The tractor's crank handle was turned slowly a few circles. Once the engine ran normally and accelerated, the vehicle once again let out the putt-putt-putt of its motor. When it reached a certain RPM, the decompression was released; after it fired, the crank handle popped out on its own — all in one smooth motion. The young man driving also climbed onto the tractor.

"Xiao Zhou, it's fine to drive slower — safety first."

"Right, right. The typhoon just passed, the mountain road isn't easy to travel, it's full of potholes everywhere. Caution above all — driving slow is fine."

"Got it, I'm wearing a headlamp."

"We brought ours too."

Each of them was carrying a flashlight, and they all conscientiously turned theirs on to help light the road ahead — safety first.

The tractor rolled along the mountain path, water pits everywhere and jolting badly, the surroundings pitch-black. Luckily, with so many of them, they weren't lonely.

They even deliberately tipped over two sacks of shells so everyone could sit on them.

Chatting all the way, their mood was at once anxious, a little excited, and tinged with a hint of bewilderment.