Chapter 942

Ye Yaodong had finished off a large bowl of chicken and soup when Lin Xiuqing finally returned late, carrying a basin.

"Stewed so quickly? You've already started eating? I was thinking you'd have to go settle the accounts and wouldn't be back so soon, so I thought I'd wash the dirty clothes first. Your clothes are incredibly dirty; I reckon you haven't washed them clean once in these two months."

"I'm a big man, how would I know how to wash clothes? Just rinse them in the water and beat them a couple of times, that's enough."

"No wonder they're so dirty. Didn't Dad come back? Then I'll take the chicken over to him. You all left in such a rush, I forgot to tell you to kill a chicken."

"I wanted to stew it in the afternoon, but these chickens run around everywhere and are hard to catch. I could only wait until they went back to the coop in the evening to catch one and stew it."

Lin Xiuqing brought the clothes in, took a glance, and then went to the doorway, intending to hang them out first.

"Don't busy yourself yet, leave those clothes for now. I just settled the accounts, you put the money away first."

She wiped her hands, which were wet from touching the clothes, and asked with a beaming smile: "How much money can we split from Uncle Pei's share?"

"Over five thousand one hundred. I just finished showering, go check the pockets of the pants I changed out of."

"Such a large sum of money, and you just threw it into the pocket of dirty clothes? You didn't even think to take it out and put it in the room first. You really have too much money, you don't care about anything, just throwing it around like that..." Lin Xiuqing scolded him twice and hurriedly went to find the pants he had thrown on the floor.

"I'm at my own house, I didn't throw it outside. Besides, as soon as I got back, Grandma was either fetching me hot water to shower or chicken soup to eat, I didn't have a free hand to take the money to the room first. It's fine for you to take it out when you get back."

"You just have too much money, that's why you don't take it to heart."

"If that's what you want to say, I can't help it. It is the truth, after all."

"Just keep being smug."

Ye Yaodong sat with one leg propped on a stool, picking his teeth with a toothpick, looking triumphant. But he said: "Hey, hey, don't empty it all out! Give me the round numbers, keep the change, put it on the table in the room later."

"8 yuan?"

"Who's giving you 8 yuan?" Ye Yaodong was almost choked with anger. "It's 138! You keep the 5,000 round number, give me the 138 remainder."

"You call 138 a remainder?"

"Of course it's a remainder!"

"I think even eight yuan is a lot."

"Don't go too far..." Ye Yaodong couldn't sit still anymore and hurriedly went over to squat beside her. "I've worked so hard, is it too much to ask to keep 138 for pocket money?"

"Didn't you spend everything you should have before you came back? What expenses do you have that require 138 in your pocket? That's so much."

"Well, a big man like me can't have no money in his pocket, can he? Just treat it as a reward for me!"

Lin Xiuqing glanced at him, shameless as he was. "I'll reward you with 38. How can 100 yuan be considered a remainder? Even eight yuan isn't a remainder, alright?"

"Fine, 38 is 38. Three brothers, all prospering together."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuqing's fingers counting the money paused. She turned her head and asked in a low voice: "Hey, tell me, now that Big Brother and Ye Erge have earned so much this trip, do you think they'll want to order their own boat and stop partnering with us?"

"That would be great! The whole family is thriving, boat after boat. Dad and Mom's mouths should be smiling from ear to ear."

"Are you serious?"

"Each doing their own thing, no need for all that trouble of partnering up. I can just give the boat to someone else and take half, and I won't have to split the expenses. Splitting a third with their two boats isn't much different."

Lin Xiuqing had only thought of this on the spur of the moment and asked casually. She hadn't expected him to think this way, but thinking about it, it didn't seem like a loss for their family.

After deducting expenses, splitting a third of the net profit from two boats versus splitting half of one boat—with the boat captain bearing the expenses—it was hard to say who would get more or less.

"Then Big Brother and Ye Erge will have to discuss splitting Dad's boat first. Our boat is simple, just return it to us directly. Anyway, there's nothing to calculate, today's accounts are already settled."

"Don't think too much. Whatever plans they have will be a matter for a few days from now, they won't bring it up now. They'll definitely go to the factory first to see if there's any stock. If not, how long it takes to order a boat is also something they have to consider."

Lin Xiuqing nodded, not worrying about other people's business. "I was just saying. I'll go put the money away first, we'll settle the total accounts tonight."

"Remember to put my 38 yuan on the table for me."

"Got it."

Ye Yaodong turned to the old lady and said: "You pack up the chicken soup for Dad, I'm going inside to put on some clothes."

"Alright, alright, no rush. I'll go hang the clothes first, you take your time."

He followed Lin Xiuqing directly into the room. After watching her lock the money in the cabinet, he went back to the table, took paper and pen, and started recording. He followed her every step of the way.

He also rested his hands on the table, encircling her in his arms, his chest pressed tightly against her back, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"How much money in total?"

"I haven't calculated yet. Anyway, every time you sent money back, I recorded it in the notebook, and I also recorded the labor expenses earlier. I haven't totaled it up. After I hang the clothes, I'll go back to the room and calculate. If you're free, why don't you calculate it yourself?"

Ye Yaodong hugged her waist tightly, licking the back of her fair neck. "You calculate it. The old lady has already gone to hang the clothes for you, you don't need to go out, just settle the accounts."

Lin Xiuqing felt her shoulder itch, dodged a bit, and scolded: "Oh my, do you want me to settle the accounts or what?"

"Both! You do your calculating, I'll do my busy work."

"Be serious. I'll settle the accounts first, we'll do that when we go to sleep tonight."

"You just do your thing, don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"Crazy, what 'take care of yourself'? You go sit on the bed, I still need to reconcile the accounts with you."

Reconcile what? He was dying of thirst. His head was full of lust, he had no mood to reconcile accounts, he was about to burst.

If he didn't cool down, he wouldn't have the mood for anything else.

"If you can't settle the accounts, then do it later. Let's finish the urgent business first."

Lin Xiuqing was helpless as he touched her all over and rubbed against her.

"Is it that urgent?"

"Of course it's urgent! Two months—do you know what two months is? I've been a virgin for two months, you know? This raging fire needs to be extinguished, otherwise, the house will burn down."

"Nonsense... just running your mouth all day..."

Lin Xiuqing also felt sorry for him being away for two months, so she let him be and let him do as he pleased.

Ye Yaodong, with soft, warm jade in his arms, didn't care about sending chicken soup to his father anymore.

Let his father wait. Anyway, whenever he finished his business, he'd send it. It was good enough that there was something to eat.

The couple tried to keep their voices low. The old lady was still outside, and the neighbors hadn't gone to sleep yet. If the commotion was too loud, it would be too embarrassing.

Although most people knew, when someone just got back, the couple would inevitably share some intimacy.

The couple busied themselves for a good while before separating. One lay spread-eagled on the bed, the other tidied up.

"Whew..."

Lin Xiuqing glanced at him, finished tidying herself, put on her clothes, and sat down again, intending to settle the accounts.

"Your first remittance was..."

"Yeah, you just figure it out yourself. I've sent money so many times, I've long forgotten how much I sent. Anyway, you have it recorded, don't ask me."

"I just wanted to reconcile it with you. After so long, I've forgotten too, but I shouldn't have recorded it wrong."

"Mm-hmm." Ye Yaodong responded perfunctorily twice.

Lin Xiuqing saw his lazy look and stopped asking him, calculating on her own.

Ye Yaodong lay there, originally wanting to rest a bit and wait until the accounts were settled before getting up to put on his clothes and pants to go out. He still hadn't sent his father's chicken soup.

Who knew that as he lay there, listening to the noise outside, he would actually fall asleep and start snoring.

Lin Xiuqing just turned and glanced at him, then went back to her accounts. Only after she finished did she go to help him put his pants on.

Ye Yaodong, dazed, cooperated by pulling up his pants and asked unclearly: "Finished?"

"Finished."

"How much money did I earn in total?" After asking, he was much more awake and sat up. "Mm~ I'm so tired. After getting home, I feel especially relaxed and sleep especially well."

"You go to sleep, anyway there's nothing else to do." After saying that, she picked up the account book and read it to him.

"The money you remitted includes the money for the sea urchins, and also the money for helping Uncle Pei deliver goods. After deducting fuel and labor costs, the two boats totaled... Big Brother and Ye Erge split 8,122, Uncle Pei's side split 5,138..."

"The 5,138 from Uncle Pei's side includes 618 from the large boat trawling."

"Oh, oh, then I calculated wrong. Then we have to subtract 618, so this trip we earned..."

Ye Yaodong was instantly energized and no longer sleepy.

"So much! That's 50,000 yuan! The day before I came back, I gave Dad 200 yuan, and I also bought some odds and ends, miscellaneous gifts, which cost over a hundred."

"Buying so much," Lin Xiuqing muttered, then changed the subject. "I originally wanted to ask if you should give Dad a red envelope. Since you already gave him 200, I don't need to give him another."

"No need, that was an extra red envelope for Dad to spend on things he wants."

Lin Xiuqing climbed onto the bed with a beaming smile and huddled next to him. "You really earned a lot this trip! Is there really that much cargo in that trench? What about next year?"

"Don't count on next year. It definitely won't compare to this year. Cutting it in half would be considered good; it might not even be half, or maybe just a quarter, around 10,000 or so. And that's only if we go out to the open sea and search for scraps."

"If it exceeds 10,000, then it must be that we earned most of it from catching sea urchins."

"Is the difference that big?" Lin Xiuqing was uncertain.

Ye Yaodong explained to her the reason they earned so much this year, and according to this year's trends, the number of people following them next year would at least double.

It wasn't just people from their village, but also surrounding villages, people related to their village, and some from the town. Doubling was his conservative estimate.

"It's certain that next year won't be easy to work."

"It's a good thing we earned the money this year. If we earn a little less next year, so be it. Plus, at least we can go into the water, and we're the only ones who can catch sea urchins in the urchin nests, so we can still earn a large sum."

"Mm, that's what I mean. But for small boats, going over to stay for a month or two is still better than trawling at home. After all, it's the fishing season, better than nothing."

"We were also lucky this year, everything went smoothly, we didn't get delayed by any major typhoons. Small typhoons passing through only had a minor impact and passed in two or three days. This year really was a good year, one good thing after another."

Ye Yaodong agreed wholeheartedly; this year was a good year for their family.

Big items for the house came one after another, the money kept rolling in, everything they did went smoothly, and even the unexpected events were pleasant surprises.

He hugged Aqing and kissed her hard. "Life is getting better and better."

Lin Xiuqing also smiled and hugged him. "Yeah, I never dared to imagine life like this before. I never thought we could live so well, it feels like a dream, I have to wake up laughing even in my dreams."

"This isn't a dream, this is really happening."

If this were a dream, he hoped he would never wake up.

"Of course, hehehe. Then if you're tired, keep sleeping. I'll go out and take a look, and by the way, call the children back to drink chicken soup. They've all gone crazy playing tonight, so noisy, and they're still making a racket out there late at night."

"I have to get up too. The old lady asked me to send a bowl of that chicken soup to the old house."

"It's a bother to carry it back and forth, just go call Dad and Mom to come over and eat together."

"That works too."

"I'll go call them, anyway I'm free. You sleep, you're exhausted."

"After this interruption, I can't sleep anymore."

The couple got out of bed together. Lin Xiuqing went out first, Ye Yaodong still had to put on his clothes and lagged behind.

Seeing the two of them come out one after another, the old lady hurriedly stood up from in front of the TV, preparing to scoop a bowl of chicken soup.

"Finished the accounts? I'll pack the chicken soup."

"No need, I'll ride the bike to call Dad and Mom over to eat."

"Oh."

Lin Xiuqing went to the entrance to take a look; the clothes were already dry. She followed Ye Yaodong outside and dragged back the three monkeys playing in the empty lot next door.

Yet those three were having so much fun that calling them to drink chicken soup and eat chicken meat couldn't move them at all. One by one, they all shouted they didn't want to eat.

Once upon a time, when they ate chicken, they wished they could crush the bones and swallow them. Now, it couldn't attract them at all, which shows how good their food is recently and how happy their life is.

They wouldn't even eat chicken!

What spoiled brats?

Lin Xiuqing grabbed Ye Chenghu by the ear. "If you don't eat meat, go back and drink a bowl of chicken soup before coming out. Making such a racket all day, you need to eat something to have energy."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, I'm going right now, let go... let go..."

"You don't even like eating chicken anymore? It seems life has been too comfortable lately. Tomorrow I'll have you fast with your Great-Grandma to cleanse your stomach."

"Mom, I love eating chicken and drinking chicken soup, I'm going right now." Ye Chengyang, young as he was, knew how to adapt to the situation; those who know the times are wise.

But this made Ye Chenghu stare in anger, thinking he was too good at sucking up.

Ye Xiaoxi, holding her doll, looked at her mother and the pitiful Ye Chenghu, then looked at Ye Chengyang running home. She decisively turned and followed Ye Chengyang, very observant.

Lin Xiuqing saw them running home and let go of Ye Chenghu. "Hurry home, play after you finish eating."

"Got it, you guys wait for me, I'll go back and drink some chicken soup and come right out, it'll be quick."

Watched by the two of them, he didn't forget to turn and remind his little friends.

But turning to see his mother's gaze, he immediately took off running home.

On such a happy day, his mother didn't even know how to save face.

By the time they finished eating like they were in a war and ran back out, Ye Fu arrived late, but there was no sign of Ye Mu at all.

"I don't know whose house your mother went to. I didn't see her when I got home earlier, the lights in the house weren't on either. I reckon she hasn't been home since she went out to deliver mooncakes after eating here. I don't know whose house she's at now."

"She hasn't finished delivering mooncakes and labor money after so long?" Lin Xiuqing was speechless.

"Don't worry about her. She doesn't do anything sitting at home all day. Don't call her to eat, she'll come back naturally when it's time to sleep."

However, after Ye Fu had eaten his fill, Ye Mu came over with a stern face. To their surprise, she didn't wait until it was time to sleep to come back.

"You old fart, next time deal with your brother's side yourself. I was almost angered to death, so shameless."

Ye Fu was bewildered. "What's wrong? Did you eat gunpowder? Everything was fine, did I provoke you?"

Ye Mu glared at him fiercely. "You provoke me everywhere! Why do you have to have the surname Ye for no reason?"

"Ah, if I don't have the surname Ye, what should I have? I'm your biological son."

One word after another, Ye Mu got even angrier and slapped him twice.

"Don't hire your big nephew to work next time. Your sister-in-law is really not a good person. They aren't the same family, but they're a perfect match."

"What happened? What did they say again?"

"I kindly went to deliver mooncakes and 180 yuan in labor money, and they complained it was too little. Saying things like, 'We're all nephews, how can you treat us like outsiders? Even if you don't give more, giving a double portion is only right, isn't it?'"

"Who gave her the nerve? Whoever I hire is my business. Do I have to give a double portion just because I hire her son? Is her face that big? Or does her son have four hands?"

"And there's more. She said to get Afan a boat next year so he can follow you all, and for you to help him out more. She also said that since Dongzi earned tens of thousands this year, why not lend him some money so he can pay it back with interest next year, and if he earns more, he can pay back Peng and Hua too."

"What kind of talk is that? We have to lend him money so he can earn money, and then he'll pay back Peng and Hua?"

"Thinking so beautifully? Really good at using an abacus, spinning around and around, all circling your three brothers. Do we deserve to have money? Why should I take money to let him earn money? Isn't it better to keep it and earn it myself? Her brain is fried, a dog can't change its habit of eating excrement."

"She also said, 'One stroke can't write two Ye characters, family members don't hold grudges overnight, you should help your nephews and brothers.' She should look in the mirror and see what kind of character she has."

"After I sprayed her, she said, 'The richer you get, the stingier you become. After your grandfather passed away, we don't even have any human sentiment left.'"

"Human sentiment, my foot! I immediately picked up my basket and came back, didn't waste any more breath on her. I didn't even give her the mooncakes, I took them back. Saving one mooncake is better than nothing."

"It's a good thing I specifically put their house last. I knew your sister-in-law would say some disgusting things to me."

"If I had gone to their house first, I wouldn't have been in the mood to go anywhere else. I was in such a good mood, and I got disgusted. How can they be so persistent? Every time they come over they get rejected, yet they can still think so beautifully. At that age, I don't know where their brains are."

Ye Yaodong said calmly: "What's there to be angry about? Isn't Aunt always like this? Only listening to what she wants to hear, only keeping what she wants to keep in her brain. Just don't take her words seriously."

Lin Xiuqing also packed a bowl of chicken soup and placed it in front of Ye Mu. "Mom, drink a bowl of chicken soup while it's hot, you'll have the energy to scold after you finish."

"I'm too lazy to scold them. I'm never going to their house again."

"Mom, you're quite early today, aren't you? In such a short time, you've delivered almost everything?" Ye Yaodong changed the subject.

He wasn't angry at all. Every family has a few extreme relatives. Anyway, as long as it wasn't his own immediate family, it wouldn't affect his life.

Brother Afan worked quite diligently and put in a lot of effort; it didn't affect his earning money.

"Just delivering mooncakes and labor money, how long could it take? I chatted for a while with those I was familiar with, and for those I wasn't, I just put down the mooncakes, said hello, and left."

"Some of their families were all huddled together, talking about what happened in Zhejiang Province. I didn't feel like staying long."

"When I got home and saw no one, I thought I'd come over to see if your father was still here, and by the way, bring the extra mooncake back for you all."

No wonder she came back so early.

Ye Yaodong looked at the mooncake left in the basket. His mother was quite petty too.

She gave it away, then took it back, not willing to suffer any loss at all.

You disgust me, so I won't give you anything either.

"Then just leave it there. When I go to the city in a day or two, I'll bring some more mooncakes for my father-in-law and the others."

"Hey, that's good for the in-laws, can't let the ungrateful wolves benefit."

Ye Yaodong bought enough mooncakes. He actually prepared some for people in the village too, and had to send them over later, like the village head and Secretary Chen, and Lin Ji. He also bought some for Fatty, but he didn't know if he was home. How was the breakfast business doing lately?

He slapped the table. Thinking of the breakfast business, he thought of his brother-in-law.

"School has started, right? Are A-Yuan and the others all back? Have they gone to school? Can your big brother and sister-in-law's shop in the city handle the work?"

"Sister-in-law originally thought, since A-Yuan doesn't like studying anyway and his grades aren't good, she'd let him stay in the city to help and stop studying. But A-Yuan insisted that you always told him he must study, and he promised you, so he has to do it."

"Then my father also opposed it, so sister-in-law had no choice but to let the three children go back to study. If the shop is too busy, there's nothing they can do. Anyway, they have good skills, and customers are willing to wait."

"That's still better to study. There will be plenty of opportunities to work later. Are you afraid there won't be work in the future?"

"Yeah, so many people want to study but don't have the chance. Now that they have the chance to study, they should cherish it."

Ye Mu also chimed in: "Isn't that so? This month we went to several households in nearby villages to persuade them to let their children study."

Ye Yaodong was curious. "Is it because parents won't let their children go to school after school starts on September 1st?"

"Yeah, saying that knowing a few characters is enough, not letting them go to school anymore, wanting to keep them at home to work, especially some little girls."

"Some clearly have very good grades, the teachers went to their homes to persuade them, but some parents said they had no money, or said a girl would be married off in a few years, no need to study too much, wanting to keep them at home to work or watch their younger siblings."

"It looks quite pitiful. Those little girls have tears streaming down their faces, but their parents are still heartless and won't let them go."

"The teachers couldn't help it, so when persuasion failed, they came to us at the Women's Federation. There are a few small villages nearby that are under our village's jurisdiction, so we went to talk to them too."

"They should study. If there's the ability to support them, they still should."

After Ye Mu learned a few characters, under the influence of the public sector, she also especially supported children studying and didn't think that girls studying was useless.

Ye Yaodong pondered for a moment and asked Lin Xiuqing: "Earlier, the cousin from the second aunt's house said that the children didn't have money for school, and she came to borrow money a month in advance. Did you lend it to her before school started?"

"I lent it. They said the children didn't have money for school, could I not lend it? Besides, the tuition is only 1.5 yuan, and for three children it's only 4.5 yuan. Actually, she isn't that hard up, she just thought our family has money now and wanted to come over to borrow some."

"Those who live on the mountains are the ones who are truly difficult. They can only rely on planting a little land, earning so little from the land all year round. In previous years, some had many children, and there were many mouths to feed at home."

Ye Yaodong understood. He said to his mother: "Mom, you're familiar with the ten miles and eight villages. Go talk to the families you mediated before. If children want to study but the family is in difficulty, I'll pay their tuition. Just treat it as doing a good deed, sponsoring these children. They shouldn't lose the chance to study just because the family is poor. In this day and age, children who love to study and have good grades might have great prospects in the future."

"Ah? You're paying for them? Are you joking? We have a bunch of children ourselves."

Others also looked at Ye Yaodong with some surprise.

"It doesn't cost much money, tuition is only 1.5 yuan, right? If I sponsor ten children, it's only 15 yuan a semester, 30 yuan a year. I don't need to raise them, I just need to pay their tuition. I believe their parents would be very happy."

Ye Mu thought about it and felt the money wasn't much. Anyway, they didn't need to raise them, just sponsor the tuition so these children could study.

Dongzi earned tens of thousands this trip, taking out a few tens of yuan a year to pay for children's tuition to accumulate virtue and buy a good reputation wasn't bad.

"That works too, doing good deeds brings a good reputation."

The old lady grabbed Ye Yaodong's hand directly. "You have a good heart. Helping those children go to school is a good thing, and it doesn't cost much money. It's only right, only right."

Ye Fu also nodded. "This is also possible, then whoever talks about you will have to give you a thumbs up."

Lin Xiuqing had some concerns. "If that's the case, will other parents follow suit in the future, intentionally not letting their children go to school and asking us to pay?"

"Don't worry about that. We can find the teachers after school starts, see which students are missing this semester, and ask about their grades. If they have good grades and love to learn, but their parents won't let them, we'll sponsor and support them. If their grades are bad and they don't like studying anyway, then why sponsor them? Just let them have their way and stay home to farm and herd sheep."

Ye Mu nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, that's how it must be, otherwise everyone will think our money is blown in by the wind, intentionally not letting their children go to school and begging us."

"So Mom, go ask around, or if there were any with good grades in previous years who were forced to drop out, we can also support them and let them return to school. If the parents aren't willing, just do more ideological work. Anyway, they can do the work and go to school at the same time."

"Alright."

Ye Yaodong was just worrying about how to spend such a large sum of money.

It was just the right time to spend a little money to do some good deeds and buy a good reputation first.