Chapter 624: If I don't say it out loud, how will others know I've eaten shark fin?

Lin Xiuqing had just stepped through the door when she heard this, and she was instantly speechless. How could she not know what her eldest son was planning?

He had to take every little bit of good food outside just to eat it in front of others!

This habit of showing off was truly well-inherited; when would he ever change it?

Did he think the envious gazes of others made the food taste better?

"You are not allowed to take it outside. Eat it right here in the room. Put that bowl down for me; if you drop it, you'll be getting a beating on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Ye Chenghu had just lifted his rice bowl from the table when he heard his mother's voice. His hands shook, and he couldn't hold the bowl steady. It wobbled when it landed back on the table, nearly scaring him to death.

"Ouch, ouch... thank goodness, thank goodness... it didn't tip over..." Ye Chenghu let out a sigh of relief, then turned his head to look at Lin Xiuqing with a fawning expression.

"Hehe, Mom, I was just saying. I thought Brother Ahai and the others must have never seen what shark fin looks like, and they definitely wouldn't know that shark fin looks exactly like sweet potato starch noodles, so I thought I'd take it out to show them, let them have a look."

"Otherwise, if I told them shark fin looks exactly like sweet potato starch noodles, they definitely wouldn't believe me and would say I'm lying."

Ye Chengyang stirred his bowl with his chopsticks and looked innocently at his brother, "But I think it is just sweet potato starch noodles."

"What do you know!" Ye Chenghu said bluntly.

The big one loses his temper at the small one, and the small one loses his temper at the even smaller one. Poor Ye Chengyang, at the very bottom of the food chain.

"Eat quickly, stop blabbering. Even eating can't stop your mouth."

Ye Yaodong had finished offering incense and burning the gold ingots before washing his hands. He walked in just in time to hear Ye Chenghu's long-winded speech. It was rare for him to speak so clearly, but it sounded a bit convoluted, and he was talking too much!

After Ye Chenghu glanced at the doorway with some regret, he picked up his chopsticks and took a slow bite, "Dad, is this really shark fin you made? Why does it look so much like sweet potato starch noodles?"

"How should I know? Can I tell it not to grow like that? It doesn't look that much like them; this is shorter and a bit crunchier, while sweet potato starch noodles are longer and softer. Eat quickly, stop talking nonsense. It won't taste good once it gets cold. There's only this little bit in total, and I haven't even had the heart to eat it yet, and you're still there muttering."

"It doesn't taste that good either... just about the same as sweet potato starch noodles..." Ye Chenghu took a bite, tasted it, and kept muttering to himself.

Lin Xiuqing glanced at him, pursed her lips, and couldn't be bothered to lecture him anymore. She didn't know when he had become such a chatterbox. She picked up Ye Xiaoxi, intending to feed her the steamed egg custard.

Shark fin itself really didn't have much flavor. If one had to say it did, it would definitely be a faint fishy smell. Anyway, it was just like stir-fried vermicelli; you just stir-fry it and eat it.

Ye Yaodong also walked toward his seat and sat down. In front of him on the table was already a bowl of seafood-boiled rice cakes. His chopsticks were neatly placed, and steam was still rising from the bowl. Two large shrimp and some clams were visible on top, along with a few dried mussels, making it look very appetizing. A bowl was also placed on the table for the old lady and Lin Xiuqing each.

One must eat rice cakes on the first day of the Lunar New Year, signifying that each year will be higher than the last.

These rice cakes were also bought before the New Year; Ye's mother had specifically bought a hundred jin of glutinous rice and sent it to the workshop along with the family's regular rice to be pounded, then divided it among her three sons.

Just as their family was eating rice cakes, Ye's father and mother finished their breakfast and came over for a stroll, having nothing else to do.

"There's still quite a bit of leftovers from yesterday. Cook some porridge for lunch. You all go eat at the old house and finish the dishes. Otherwise, tomorrow you'll all be going to your in-laws' houses to eat, and your father and I won't be able to finish the leftovers at home."

"Mm."

"Also, since you're going to ask your father-in-law to look after that shop of yours in the city, make sure you ask clearly when you go over tomorrow."

"I know, that was the plan anyway, so I don't have to make another trip in a few days. I heard that after the New Year, all the stalls will be moved to the new market, so it can't be later than the fifteenth."

"As long as you have a plan in mind."

"If I ask tomorrow and he's willing to go, I'll have to help him prepare the bedding, pots, bowls, and ladles in advance to take with him. As for the other shop, if it can't be rented out for a while, it can just be used as a room for him to sleep in."

"Do as you see fit. Getting things done in one trip can save on travel expenses. You might as well take the dried fish to the city together; it has to be sold there anyway. Your room is almost out of space to step, and it's about the same at your eldest and second brothers' places."

"Got it."

He would settle the payments for them while he was at it. Otherwise, his eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law would keep fretting about it. Everyone else had weighed their goods and settled their payments, but those two families still had theirs piled up there.

Although they didn't mutter in front of him, he could still hear them whispering to each other occasionally when separated by a wall.

He had thought that since his own place couldn't hold them and they were all piled up at their places, there was no need to move them back and forth to weigh them. They could just stay there. When it was time to haul them away, they could move them out, weigh them, and load them onto the truck. Could he really go back on his word and not want them?

Seeing that the adults had finished talking, Ye Chenghu tilted his head and said to Ye's father and mother, "Grandpa, Grandma, we had shark fin for breakfast today! It looks exactly like sweet potato starch noodles..."

"It's dried, so it can be eaten?"

"I saw it was about ready last night, so I brought it in. It was just right to stir-fry a bowl for them for breakfast this morning. Let's see if it can make them a bit smarter and bring back a score of 100."

"Huh?"

After Ye Chenghu opened his mouth in surprise, he quickly lowered his head to shovel in the little bit left in his bowl, not daring to speak again, and took the opportunity to slide off his stool and slip away.

Of all things to bring up, he had to bring up the story of the 100-point score?

When he brought back his report card before the New Year, he had nearly been beaten by his mother. Luckily, he had hidden in the old lady's room.

"If eating shark fin could get you a 100, sharks would be hunted to extinction," Ye's mother remarked.

"That would require the ability and the technique to catch them. Do you think sharks are all that small? It might not even be certain who ends up eating whom."

After Ye Yaodong drank the soup in his bowl clean, he put down his bowl and chopsticks, "I'm going out for a stroll."

"Just say you're going to play cards, what's this about a stroll..."

Ye Yaodong glanced at his mother and walked out on his own, not caring about her muttering. Her mouth had never said anything good about him, but she hadn't said anything good about anyone else either.

Taking advantage of the New Year, everyone had money in their pockets. Going out to wander around and play some cards could even win him a few dollars for living expenses.

When he went to his father-in-law's house to pay his respects on the second day of the New Year and asked about looking after the shop, his father-in-law agreed readily this time, but his mother-in-law would have to go along too, otherwise, there would be no one to look after his daily needs.

That was even better!

The two of them would have each other's company and someone to talk to, so they wouldn't be bored or lonely. Anyway, their two sons at home had long since split the family property. Even if they worked together to earn money, it would just be split into three shares.

The two old folks were getting on in years. Earning so much money would just be for the young ones later on. It would be better to just hand all the work over to the two brothers-in-law now and let them do it. If he went to the city to look after the shop, he could earn some retirement money for them.

He didn't know if they had held a family meeting, but they didn't look reluctant at all; the whole family was very willing.

Ye Yaodong was also very happy. This way, he wouldn't have to run to the city every few days to sell dried fish. Occupying the tractor every day wasn't great, and it hurt his wallet. Without anyone to carpool with, the travel expenses were a huge sum.

Since his father-in-law was willing, he would only need to find time to make a trip every ten days or half a month to deliver goods or check on things.

The goods for the military before the New Year had all been delivered. Whether they would want more after the New Year hadn't been mentioned yet, and he couldn't let the soldiers eat dried fish every day.

He thought that if they wanted more later, it probably wouldn't be so frequent. After spring began, there would be more ships going out to sea. He couldn't rely entirely on the military's orders. With the shop open there, he could sell at least a little bit.

It was just that Lin Xiuqing was a bit worried about her parents, feeling that they were old and going to a strange place, fearing they wouldn't adapt or wouldn't be able to stay. She kept muttering about it on the way back.

Ye Yaodong helplessly comforted her, "Didn't I say? We'll buy them a radio in a few days so they can pass the time in the shop. Don't old people love listening to stories and operas? They won't be bored."

"And don't they love farming? There's some empty land on the roadside nearby. When the time comes, tell him to bring his hoe, and he can open it up and plant some vegetables to eat."

"You make everything sound so simple."

"It was always a simple matter; you're just the one who loves to worry and overthink everything. Could I possibly scam your parents? If it doesn't work out and they can't stay, we can just bring them back. What kind of loss could there be? Oh, maybe the loss of one radio, but just consider that an act of filial piety toward your parents; it was something that should have been done anyway."

Lin Xiuqing smiled, "You're the only one who knows how to talk and plan."

Thinking about it, she stopped fretting. Anyway, they had already decided and discussed that they would go to the city after the fifteenth. At worst, if they couldn't adapt to the water and soil or couldn't stay, they would just bring them back.

Ye Chenghu tilted his head and asked, "Then Dad, when will you take us to the city?"

"Take you there for what? To be sold off?"

"No, you said before that you'd take us if there was a chance."

"You said it yourself, that was if there was a chance. Just wait. Most kids haven't even been to the town, and you're ambitiously thinking about the city. You've grown up, and you've got quite the imagination."

"Must!" Ye Chenghu tilted his head proudly.

"You're thinking about showing off at school after the semester starts, right?" Lin Xiuqing saw through his little thoughts at a glance.

"How did you know?" Ye Chenghu blurted out.

"You're my son!"

That bowl of shark fin yesterday hadn't successfully made it to the doorway, but it hadn't hindered his desire to show off in the slightest. As soon as he finished eating, he ran to the neighbor's house and chattered about how he had eaten shark fin that morning, describing the taste to his brothers and sisters and how expensive it was, making everyone drool with envy.

She had heard it all while standing at the door separated by a wall.

Ye Chenhe had said mindlessly at the time, "I wish I was born to Third Uncle..."

As a result, he brought upon himself a scolding from his mother on the first day of the Lunar New Year. ===== CHAPTER 625 =====