Chapter 573: Going to the shipyard together

They had diligently worked at sea for two days, but unexpectedly, on the third day, a cold front arrived and the temperature dropped again.

When sleeping at night, Ye Yaodong could hear the doors and windows rattling from the wind, and the wind outside was howling.

He pulled the quilt tighter and also pulled it toward his wife and daughter beside him, but he didn't touch the child for a moment.

He reached out and felt around the bed several times, only to touch empty space. He quickly sat up, but the room was pitch black and he couldn't see anything, so he could only feel around the bed with his hands.

"What are you doing? It's the middle of the night, aren't you tired? It's already midnight..."

Ye Yaodong: "???"

"I'm looking for the child!"

"Ah? The child?" Lin Xiuqing was stunned for a moment, and she also reached out to feel around beside her. Not touching anything, she also sat up.

"Where did she roll off to? This child isn't steady when she sleeps. Ever since she learned to roll over, she's been like her two older brothers, rolling non-stop. We have to look for her everywhere at night."

"She rolls everywhere during the day and we have to look for her everywhere at night, while those two look for trouble everywhere during the day and roll everywhere at night."

"Where did she sleep off to..."

The couple muttered to themselves while feeling around on the bed. They had almost felt the entire bed before they found the child at the opening left by the railing at the foot of the bed.

One of her feet was already out, hanging over the edge of the bed, while her upper body and the other foot were still curled up on the bed.

"How did she sleep like this?" After Ye Yaodong found the child, he was caught between laughter and tears as he picked her up and placed her at the very inside of the head of the bed.

"Sleeping so badly, her hands and feet are ice cold."

"Time to sleep. It sounds like the wind is very strong outside; we probably won't be able to go out to sea tomorrow."

After tucking the child in, he also returned to his spot and lay down.

Lin Xiuqing also lay down. "On such a cold day, it's good to rest for two days. The courtyard is full of drying fish; there's almost no place left to dry them."

"I'm just afraid there won't be any weather later."

"We'll see when we wait. Drying them today, we should have about four or five thousand jin, enough for a few trips. Otherwise, there's no place to pile them up if there's too much."

"That doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't rain, everything is fine."

"Jinx! Time to sleep."

"Sleep for what? I'm already awake, and anyway, we probably won't be able to go out to sea tomorrow."

Ye Yaodong was incredibly clear-headed at this moment, and it was quite difficult for him to fall asleep immediately. Since he couldn't sleep, he had to do something else, and his lecherous hands couldn't help but reach out.

Lin Xiuqing patted his hand twice. "Stop messing around, it's very late, go to sleep quickly."

"Can't sleep."

"Close your eyes for a while and you'll sleep."

"They are closed, but I can't sleep."

"Your hands keep moving around, it'd be a miracle if you could sleep."

"A little exercise will help me sleep." After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he turned over and pressed down on her.

Lin Xiuqing quickly pulled the quilt up higher to cover him, so he wouldn't get cold.

"Why is there still so much breast milk..." Ye Yaodong said vaguely.

"If there's no milk, what will the child eat? Be gentle..."

The cold wind outside the house was howling, but inside the quilt, it was hot and intense, the atmosphere decadent.

The next morning, the wind outside was still howling, but Ye Yaodong woke up early due to his biological clock. Lin Xiuqing beside him was already gone, and only Ye Xiaoxi was curled up in the corner, sleeping soundly.

He lay there for a while but found he couldn't stay in bed, so he simply climbed up to go out and take a look.

The old lady was wearing her reading glasses, sitting in a reclining chair, using a crochet hook to crochet wool slippers. She had been crocheting for a few days, and the wool slippers in her hands were already taking shape.

Hearing the movement of the bedroom door opening, she looked up and saw Ye Yaodong come out. She quickly said, "The temperature dropped today, the frost is heavy, the roof is white, and the wind and waves outside are big. We can't go out to sea, so you should sleep a little longer."

"I know. I heard the movement at night and knew we couldn't go out to sea today. I just couldn't sleep, so I simply got up."

"Then put on another layer of clothes, wrap your scarf, and sit by the stove to warm up later. There are rice dumplings warming in the pot, made with the squid you caught yesterday. They're very fresh; you haven't eaten them yet, so eat a couple more later."

When he returned last night, he saw many baskets hanging under the corridor. On such a cold day, putting them outside and covering them with a cloth was equivalent to a natural refrigerator.

"I know. Where's Aqing?"

"She went to wash clothes and hasn't come back yet."

"On such a cold day, with such strong wind, why is she washing clothes?"

"If she doesn't wash them, what will you wear when you work? And the child's diapers, should we just leave them there to stink? You make it sound so convenient. Don't look at Aqing staying at home all day; she has plenty to keep busy with. When she's a bit free, she's always knitting a sweater." The old lady rarely scolded him twice.

Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose, kept quiet, and silently went to wash his face and brush his teeth.

As soon as he opened the back door, the cold wind blew into his arms, making him shiver instantly.

The sky also looked gloomy. This kind of weather was suitable for wrapping oneself in a quilt and sleeping. Why did he get up so early for nothing?

While brushing his teeth, he thought that since they couldn't go out to sea today, it would be better to do it today than another day. He would go find his father later, and the two of them would go to the shipyard to take a look.

If he went to see it early, he could make plans early. Otherwise, he was afraid he wouldn't have time in a couple of days.

Ye Fu was pulling radishes at the back door early in the morning. It was rare that the wind was strong today, so there was no need to work, and it wasn't raining, so he planned to pull all the radishes in the backyard vegetable plot to dry them.

Recently, the whole family had been busy drying dried fish, and they hadn't had time to manage the radishes, cabbage, and sweet potatoes in the fields. In previous years at this time, they would take advantage of the free time and weather to dry radish strips, sweet potato shreds, or make sweet potato starch.

He was hunched over, having just pulled a basket of radishes, when Ye Yaodong arrived.

"Dad."

"You came just in time. Help me wash all the radishes so we can slice and dry them later."

"There's no weather to dry anything. There's not a bit of sun."

"It's fine, they'll dry if they're blown by the wind. Who knows, the sun might come out at noon."

"Forget it, stop busybodying with these. Let's take advantage of today's free time and go to the shipyard to take a look."

"Today?" Ye Fu straightened his waist in surprise and looked at him. "So urgent? Didn't you say you'd wait until you came back from delivering a shipment before going?"

"I was just thinking that since we're free today and got up early, why don't we go take a look together? Go early and come back early, to save from always keeping it in mind."

"Then you should have said so earlier. I've already pulled half the radishes."

"Who knew you were so full from being idle that you'd get up early to pull radishes? Can't you wait until evening when the boys are out of school and call them over to do the work? Go wash your hands, let's go, stop busybodying."

"Then... then just leave them here." Ye Fu was a bit reluctant to leave work half-finished. Going there would take most of the day, which was too much of a delay.

"Let's go. If you don't go, I'm going myself."

"Ah? That won't do. I'll go with you." Ye Fu didn't hesitate anymore. "You help me carry this basket of radishes into the house first."

"Troublesome."

After Ye Yaodong muttered a sentence, he and his father pushed the basket of radishes into the house, and then the two of them pushed their bicycles out.

"Why didn't you call for a tractor today? You're pushing a bicycle instead, how rare."

"Doesn't it cost money! Money must be spent on the cutting edge!"

"You know that too?"

Ye Fu looked at him with surprise and suspicion. Saying this so righteously, didn't he feel guilty?

Ye Yaodong returned to his true colors in an instant and said with a cheeky smile, "The tractor went to the west to haul stones today; it's not free."

Ye Fu rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "I thought you had changed your nature. With such precious feet, wouldn't you be exhausted from pedaling a bicycle?"

"Occasionally, one needs to exercise. Cycling is great, and it can also exercise the body. It's just that there's no place to borrow a bicycle; everyone treats them like family heirlooms. Otherwise, I'd borrow one for you to ride so you could exercise too."

"Forget it! You must have thought that carrying someone is more tiring, which is why you thought of borrowing one for me to ride."

Ye Yaodong laughed heartily and didn't refute.

"Oh, by the way, we can borrow one from A-Guang. His family has one. Let's go to his house first; I bet he wouldn't dare not to lend it."

"Don't bother him. After all, it's a bicycle, a big item. It's such a long way, don't break it. One is enough, we'll just take turns carrying each other."

"What does it matter? A son-in-law is half a son, not to mention he's my brother, not an outsider. What's wrong with borrowing a bicycle? Why be so cautious?"

As Ye Yaodong spoke, he pushed the bicycle to take a detour, heading toward A-Guang's place first, and Ye Fu had no choice but to follow.

It was just unexpected that as soon as A-Guang heard they were going to the shipyard, he immediately expressed that he wanted to go too. Anyway, he was idle at home, and he was almost molding from idleness; it was rare that he could join in the fun.

Just like that, the original two-person trip instantly became three, and Ye Yaodong was destined to have to carry someone.

"Why are you so damn heavy? You're going to make my bicycle chain fall off."

Ye Yaodong pedaled the bicycle with all his might, the north wind howling and making his hair stand up straight, his voice cracking when he spoke, and he even got a mouthful of dirt.

He spat several times, but ended up getting saliva all over his face.

"Damn it~"

"Hey hey hey~ You damn well steady yourself! Don't turn the handlebars randomly! It's fine if you fall, but don't drop me."

He wiped his face and quickly steadied the handlebars. "Get lost! Eating and drinking while idle at home all day, your face has grown a circle, like a plate of vegetables. Do you know how heavy you are now?"

"Where? I just ate some of the leftovers my wife had."

"You're almost like a pig! You've exhausted me to death, you ride now."

He put on his mask while he was at it. Because he was riding the bike, the wind blew directly into his face, blocking the mask tightly. Feeling that his breathing was a bit obstructed, he pulled the mask down.

A-Guang muttered dissatisfiedly, "I'll ride then, I'll ride. You have so many opinions just from carrying me once. And why wear a mask? A grown man wearing a mask all day, have you no face to see people!"

"What do you know? 30 years later, I'll still look like this, but you'll be as weathered as my father."

"Forget it, stop gilding your own face. Sooner or later, you'll be as wrinkled as old tree bark..."

"What are you two doing?"

Ye Fu had ridden a distance out before seeing that they hadn't followed behind, and were actually still standing there muttering and bickering. He was speechless.

"Doing serious business is what's important. What are you two still talking about? What is there to talk about that's so endless that you have to stop in the middle of the road to talk?"

A-Guang quickly complained, "Dad, Dongzi said you look weathered, and that he'll definitely be more handsome than you when he's old."

"Nonsense, I clearly said you look weathered when you're old. Dad, he said you're as wrinkled as old tree bark."

"I'm talking about you!"

"You go back, go back, I'm not taking you..."

When Ye Fu heard this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. Why was he so unable to think straight, listening to Dongzi's words to borrow a bicycle and letting these two ancestors get together?

"What are you nagging about? If you don't want to go, then don't go, go home."

"We're going, we're going!" Ye Yaodong glared at A-Guang. "It's all your fault! Ride quickly."

A-Guang also glared at him before stepping on it.

Seeing that they had calmed down, Ye Fu turned his head and continued riding, but to prevent the two from bickering and stopping again, he rode beside them.

Although they didn't stop halfway again, his ears didn't have a moment of peace along the way.

"Damn it, you're even heavier than me, and you have the nerve to say I'm heavy. I can't even pedal anymore..."

"Fart, you're useless and you have the nerve to talk. Hurry up, pedal faster, don't pedal until dark, I didn't bring your share of food."

"You want the donkey to run but won't give the donkey grass?"

"Are you a donkey?"

"Get lost..."