Chapter 864: A Boat Full of Fish and Shrimp

As he walked, Ye Yaodong said, "Has the harvest been good these past few days? There were only five of you on this trip; was the manpower enough?"

"The harvest was quite good. We were trawling day and night, taking turns to rest. It's just that we were a bit short-handed; we couldn't keep up with sorting the catch. The amount pulled up in a single net was just too much. If they rest for two days and go out again, we'll have to call for two more people." Ye Fu was all smiles.

Pei Fu also added, "With two shifts, we don't have enough hands. We're planning to call for two or three more. This trip, we were all our own people, so we didn't need to calculate wages. Tonight, we'll calculate the proceeds from the catch over these past few days, and then we'll split the money."

"When we go out to sea in two days, we'll calculate that separately. We'll keep the two accounts distinct. Hmm... the day after tomorrow is the end of the month. We'll rest tomorrow, so starting from the end of the month works too."

"We'll check the weather forecast tonight. It's been overcast all day today; I don't know what it will be like in the coming days."

"So you're still short of people? How many more do you need?"

"Are you paying by the job, or are you hiring people on a fixed basis?"

Some villagers walking alongside them heard they were short of crew members and asked one after another. Pei Fu only said they would decide after discussing it tonight.

They continued to ask curiously about other things, while Ye Fu, Pei Fu, and Zheng Shu chatted and laughed with the villagers as they walked.

A Guang put an arm around his shoulder and asked, "I haven't been home these past few days; is everything okay at home? Did you collect the catch from the fishing boats today?"

"It's been great. I collected quite a lot of watermelons and bananas for you. My wife and children have been eating well..."

"Damn," A Guang laughed and pinched his shoulder, "Did you save any for me?"

"Of course. Go back and check the corners; there should still be some left."

After joking, Ye Yaodong said seriously, "The catch from the two boats today hasn't been collected yet. I came back early. I've been worried about not making it in time these past few days, so we've been docking early and waiting on the shore to receive the catch."

"You guys go home, take a shower, and have a meal before going out to collect the catch; that should be in time. It's been getting dark late lately, and the fishing boats have been returning late too. The sales slips have all been handed to Ye Huimei. You can go back and check them yourselves."

"Alright." A Guang then nudged Chen Shi, who was at the side, with his chin. "Why did you find such a young crew member? He looks like he's in his teens, seventeen or eighteen?"

"Eighteen. He came to my door himself, wanting to be my lackey..."

"Huh?"

A Guang stared wide-eyed at Chen Shi, unable to believe it for a moment. He had only been away for a few days, and Dongzi had actually started taking in lackeys? Is it for real?

"And it's not just one. A whole bunch came running to be my lackeys, and they even chop wood and carry water for me every day... But this matter is a bit complicated; I can't explain it in two sentences. I'll come to your place later; I'll tell you guys after we finish the accounts."

After showing off a bit, he left them hanging.

"Don't wait until later, tell us now. Tell us as much as you can."

"The village has been too lively these past few days. When you go back, let Ye Huimei tell you about it. I'm almost home. Once you know the gist of it, I'll tell you more, or you might be able to figure it out yourself."

"Fine."

The two of them walked side-by-side with their arms around each other's shoulders, talking, while the other adults were also chatting there; no one was listening to what they were talking about.

When they reached the fork in the road, they saw the small workshop that had been completely covered. Even the main gate had been installed. The simple stone walls were still topped with a circle of broken glass, just like his own courtyard, looking quite dangerous.

Pei Fu smiled and said, "The walls are already finished so quickly?"

"It's not that fast; it took over a month. Fortunately, the weather has been quite good this month, otherwise, it would have been delayed even further."

"Then when the weather is good, you can move it here to dry. It looks safer too. When the fish sauce is fermented enough, you can move it out and put it here to sun-dry. You just need one person to watch it. The old house is really too small."

Ye Yaodong nodded; that was what he was thinking too.

If the large boats from both their families continued to trawl, and thousands of jin of trash fish were sent ashore every few days, the old house really wouldn't have enough space. The small-scale fermentation in the clay pots this month could still be placed there for now.

Later, he would see what his mother thought. Anyway, his mother would have her hands full with these thousands of jin of trash fish today, and she would have to hire people to help.

"We're going this way. Dongzi and Ye Yaohua, you two go back first. Remember to come to my place later after dinner."

"Sure."

Whatever needed to be said could be said slowly tonight. Ye Fu also walked with Pei Shu and the others, so they could chat a bit more. Anyway, he also had to go home to shower first, then go to Dongzi's place for dinner.

Ye Yaodong followed the smiling Ye Yaohua and Chen Shi, who was pushing the handcart. The three of them walked together. The other handcart had been left directly at the pier just now; his eldest brother would have use for it when he returned later.

"Dongzi, let me tell you, you should be able to get five or six hundred yuan from this trip. You've made a fortune."

"Seeing how happy you guys were when you returned, I also thought I must have made a fortune on this trip. If I can get five or six hundred yuan, then Ye Erge's share should also be around one hundred seventy or eighty, right?"

"Yeah, it's just that the investment was too small. If I had known earlier, when eldest brother didn't want it, I should have gone half-and-half with you." Ye Yaohua's eyes were bright.

"Money can't buy foresight. If he had known earlier, eldest brother wouldn't have given up on investing."

"Right, if it weren't for thinking that you were determined to invest, I wouldn't have followed you to invest a share to try it out. It's a pity eldest brother didn't get a piece of the action."

When they go back, his eldest sister-in-law will probably be sour again. The village has been lively these past few days, so things have been better on the surface, but in the next few days, Ye Chenghai and the others will probably have a hard time again.

Seeing that they were almost at the door, he changed the subject, "Has everything been smooth at sea these past few days?"

"Smooth. The days were good, the weather was good, and there was no wind or waves on the high seas. We also encountered schools of fish several times. The quantity was really large. Every time we cast the net, it was at least two thousand jin, and at most over 3,000..."

Ye Yaohua was speaking with excitement when the children waiting for dinner in the house heard the commotion, ran out one after another, and shouted into the house, "Mother, Father is back..."

"Mother, Father is back..."

"Alright, alright, alright..."

Ye Yaohua touched one child's head with a smiling face, then touched another's, "Go home first."

Ye Yaodong also led the two from his own family who had run out, along with a group of dogs, and walked into the courtyard.

Chen Shi followed behind and pushed the handcart in for him.

In the courtyard, one of the walls was already piled with several rows of shrimp, stacked high, as high as the courtyard wall. Lin Xiuqing and Ye Mu had also moved a large pot out and placed it in the courtyard.

Ye Mu was nagging, "It's a good thing those boys sent another handcart of firewood over yesterday, otherwise, for so many shrimp, how much firewood would it take to boil them..."

"And there are two large vats of water. If we don't wash them and just boil them, those two large vats of water won't be enough..."

"Wash what? What does it matter? Just boil them directly. Anyway, after they're boiled and dried, the shells have to be removed. You don't need to pour out the water later; if it's not enough, just add more to it..."

"It's n-n-n-n-n-not enough. I-I-I-I-I-I'll call A-A-A-A-A-A-Liang, h-h-h-h-h-he, th-th-th-th-they, they..."

Ye Mu couldn't help but hold her forehead, "Speak slowly, don't rush."

He touched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Ye Yaodong also helplessly helped him supplement, as he knew what he meant.

"You mean to call Wang Guangliang and the others to go to the mountain to chop some more firewood and carry some water over, right?"

"R-r-r-r-right... f-f-f-f-firewood m-m-m-m-means f-f-f-f-fortune..."

Ye Mu was pleasantly surprised and said with a smiling face, "Right, why didn't I think that firewood means fortune? Sending firewood is good. But it's dark now. Let's burn the firewood in the courtyard first and see. There's still some in the house. It should be enough to boil these shrimp today. You guys go chop some more and send it over tomorrow..."

His mother was really not polite, ordering them around as soon as she opened her mouth. He hadn't agreed to take them in as lackeys, yet his mother really didn't treat them as outsiders.

Yet Chen Shi was nodding happily.

"Mother, at the old house, Father also pushed back dozens of baskets of trash fish, and he just went back. Aren't you going to the old house to check first? By the way, ask him what the situation is at sea, how many nets he drags a day, and how much money he can sell them for?"

"Right, right, I have to go back and check first, ask your father first, how much money he sold them for, see how much fish he brought back, the large vats probably won't be enough..."

Ye Mu ran off immediately in a flurry.

Lin Xiuqing smiled and said, "Mother kept asking Chen Shi just now, why are there only shrimp and no fish? But Chen Shi couldn't explain clearly, only saying there was fish, but it was pushed home. Mother didn't know whose home he meant by 'pushed home', since everyone has a share."

"A Guang and the others brought them back specifically for Mother to make fish sauce. These shrimp are for me to sun-dry into dried shrimp, otherwise, it would be too wasteful to pour them back into the sea. These shrimp and those trash fish are only a day or two's worth. The ones caught in the first few days can only be poured back into the sea, otherwise, there's no place to store them, and it would waste ice cubes."

"Then do we have to pay for these?"

"Yes, we should pay them something. We can't take them for nothing. It's not like only our own family has a share. It's okay to occasionally keep them and send them to us, but it won't work in the long run. It's better to pay."

"After all, ice cubes and such also cost money. Transporting them back might also consume more fuel due to the weight. A Guang said earlier that he brought them back for us on the way to avoid waste. When we go to settle the accounts later, we'll tell them that these are to be paid for."

Lin Xiuqing responded, "That's as it should be. After all, we're taking them to make and sell for money. If we got them for free, our own family wouldn't say anything, but other people or those sleeping beside them would eventually have opinions if it went on for a long time."

Ye Yaodong knew who she meant by "other people" — Zheng Shu — and "those sleeping beside them" — Ye Ersao. And it was indeed the case.

He wasn't just taking this one shipment. If it were free, everyone would want it; it would just take a bit of effort to hire people to do it.

Chen Shi stood at the side for a while, and only after they finished talking did he interrupt, "I-I-I-I-I-I'll f-f-f-f-first..."

"Wait a moment," Ye Yaodong interrupted him and turned to look at Lin Xiuqing, "Go get Chen Shi's wages. He worked for 4 days, calculated at three yuan a day, give him 12 yuan."

"Alright."

"N-n-n-n-no..."

"My father and the others are back, and they won't be going out with the large boat anymore. The large boat has other hired crew members, so you don't need to come tonight. I won't be going out to sea tonight either; I'll rest at home for a day, I have other things to do. You also rest well at home. If there are shrimp and dried fish to be sun-dried in two days, I'll call you guys then."

Chen Shi felt a bit more at ease after hearing him say that, but suddenly felt something was wrong; he wanted to say he didn't need wages.

"I-I-I-I-I-I am p-p-p-p-p-planning, planning to h-h-h-h-help..."

In the time it took him to stutter, Lin Xiuqing had already taken the money out and stuffed it into his hand without question.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no..."

"Take it. It's earned by labor, it's only right. I won't order you around for nothing. You want to follow me, aren't you also hoping to do better and have me lead you to fortune? Then you help me do things, and it's only right for me to give you money. Take it, go back and rest early."

Chen Shi held the money in his hand, lowered his head, and looked at it silently for a long while, then said, "Th-th-th-thank you..."

"Go."

Lin Xiuqing also separated half of the fish and shrimp brought back today, put them in a separate bucket, and placed them at his feet.

"Take this back too, have an extra meal tonight."

"R-r-r-r-right, I... w-w-w-w-will t-t-t-t-tell L-L-L-L-Liang... t-t-t-t-to ch-ch-ch-ch-chop f-f-f-f-firewood..."

"Don't listen to my mother. The sun is almost setting, what firewood are you chopping at this time."

"N-n-n-n-n-no..."

"Stop with the 'no's. Hurry back and eat. You've been tired all day. If you go back now, you can still catch a hot dinner."

"R-r-r-r-right."

"Also, I suggest you pause after saying one word. Don't rush to say the rest; it might be better. You're always in such a hurry to finish a sentence, which might make you stutter more. Pause for one word, say it one word at a time. No one is rushing you. It sounds better than you repeating the same word over and over."

"R-r-right... r-r-right..."

He nodded with a smiling face while speaking and picked up the bucket at his feet.

"W-w-w-wait... w-w-w-will... b-b-b-bring... o-o-o-over..."

"It's fine, it's okay if you bring it over tomorrow."

He nodded and left.

Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang, the two brothers, had been watching from the side, both full of curiosity.

"Father, h-h-h-h-h-he w-w-w-w-why..."

"Smack!"

Ye Chenghu's head was slapped hard!

"You are not allowed to imitate him. If you imitate him again, I'll take your pants down and spank you." Lin Xiuqing glared at him and said.

Ye Chenghu covered the back of his head and quickly hid behind the old lady, because he saw his father also raising his hand, wanting to hit him.

"I-i-i-i-imitate... so what."

Who knew the old lady also hit him several times with the cattail leaf fan in her hand, "You can't imitate him. If you keep imitating, you'll become a stutterer too."

"How is that possible!"

Ye Yaodong also glanced at him, "If I hear you imitating him again, I'll hit you too."

Ye Chengyang stood to the side and shrank his neck. Fortunately, his parents weren't there when he imitated him with his brother last night.

"But Yangyang imitated him too, why didn't you hit him!"

"I didn't, Brother is framing me!"

Ye Chenghu glared, "You're lying!"

"You're the one lying."

The two brothers glared at each other like fighting cocks. If the adults weren't there, they probably would have started fighting immediately. ===== CHAPTER 865 =====