Chapter 949: Departing for the Provincial Capital

It is Mid-Autumn Festival again; the moon is full, and people are reunited.

As long as it is a holiday, the children are always happy. If nothing else, a day off from school is enough to make them cheer.

Moreover, there are feasts at noon and in the evening, plus the moon worship ceremony; they had been looking forward to it for days.

Although the family has been making a lot of money lately and their mother has been more generous with spending, meaning there is no shortage of food and drink, the atmosphere of a feast is quite different.

Early in the morning, A Cai also brought over a large shark, two yellowfin breams, and two jin of prawns. The excited group of children clamored happily, shouting that they wanted to eat fried shark meat and shark balls.

Ever since he rescued A Cai's son from human traffickers last year, the two families have become much closer. Furthermore, all the dried fish they produce now passes through A Cai's hands, which has also brought him a significant profit.

This year, whenever they weren't out at sea, he would occasionally send over some fish products.

He had been back for three or four days, but this was the first time he had seen A Cai.

A Cai also joked there, saying that Ye Yaodong was different now, like a divine dragon that shows its head but not its tail; he had been back for many days, and only today, for the holiday, could he be seen.

"There are just a lot of things to deal with right after getting back. I have to get everything arranged before I can enjoy the holiday with peace of mind."

"You're a busy man, sigh. I heard you made a fortune on this trip, far more than last year. If I had known, I would have gone with my friend to act as a middleman for you; at least I could have gotten a share. I missed out."

"Who knew that all the large boats in the village would follow you there this year? It left me with nothing to collect; just a little bit from those small boats, not even enough to fill the gaps in my teeth. It's fortunate that I've been collecting fish for your family these past two months, or I'd be crying my eyes out."

The news of their two months in Zhejiang Province had already spread throughout the village over the last two days, so there was no need for him to add anything. A Cai was just venting his frustrations.

Last year, he had asked A Cai if he knew anyone with connections. If he had relied on being the introducer and gone over with Chen Jianxing at that time, he could have gotten a share this year.

Now, wanting to go and get a share next year is absolutely impossible.

"You'd better just honestly help me collect fish. It's too late to think about that now."

"Then when are you going out to sea?"

"After the holiday. I still have a lot to do. Only after I finish everything will I have time to go out to sea."

"You really are a busy man."

"My brother and the others will rest for at most one more day after the holiday, and they'll probably head out to sea the day after tomorrow."

Just as they were talking, a group of children in the empty lot next door suddenly erupted, all cheering there.

"A television! A television!"

"A television, my family has a television now!"

"My family has one too..."

Ye Yaodong stood on tiptoe and looked toward the other side of the wall, seeing a group of children rushing toward the roadside, surrounding the flatbed cart in front.

A Cai also stood on tiptoe to look, but he was too short and couldn't see anything, so he had to run to the courtyard gate to take a look.

"Good fellow, the three of you brothers all have televisions now. Your eldest brother and second brother ran off early this morning to buy them."

"No wonder I was sleeping groggily early this morning; that group of kids wouldn't stop making noise."

Ye Yaodong also walked toward his eldest and second brothers, thinking he would probably have to help set up the wires and tune the channels later.

Both couples were beaming with joy.

They had also been busy for a few days since returning, dealing with a bunch of aunts and relatives. It was rare to have a holiday today, and both couples were thinking of adding joy to joy.

Having earned so much money, it wouldn't be right not to add some major items.

So, taking advantage of the free time in the morning, the two families put their heads together, reached an agreement, went to town, and each brought back a television.

"Why didn't I hear you say you were going to buy a television last night?"

"We heard last night that everyone was buying televisions these past two days, so while we were sleeping, we discussed buying one too. We asked Eldest Brother early this morning, and he was very interested, so we went together."

"That's a good thing. Since you've made money, you should naturally improve your life."

"Let's move it in first. You brats, get out of the way; don't stand there and get in the way."

The leader, Ye Chenghai, immediately shouted for the others to move aside quickly, and the other children excitedly followed suit, calling for everyone to move.

Seeing how lively and busy their house was, A Cai didn't stay any longer.

Hearing the commotion next door, Lin Xiuqing also started butchering fish, making fish balls for the children in advance. As for the fried shark slices, they would have to wait until the evening when they were ready to eat; they are most fragrant when fried and eaten fresh.

One shark could make quite a few fish balls. She sent a large bowl to both families next door, and when they went to A Guang's house for the feast, she also brought some for them. The rest would be enough for their own family to eat for two days.

If Ye Yaodong and the others go to the provincial capital tomorrow, she can also bring him a basket to eat on the road, so he doesn't have to keep eating dry eggs or biscuits, and can change his palate.

This whole day was a happy one for the children. With food to eat and games to play, these past few days were even more exciting than the New Year, and they had never been so satisfied, except for the day they got a beating.

They were reluctant to go out, staying home all day to watch television, only going to the doorway to play when they worshipped the moon with mooncakes in the evening. However, they didn't forget to spread the news that their family had a television too.

Ye Yaodong took the time today to tell his father, asking him to go to the provincial capital with them tomorrow. He mentioned that A Guang and his father were also going, and since the travel expenses were for one trip regardless of how many people went, he should go and take a look.

Ye Fu agreed immediately. Since the in-laws were going, he certainly had to go too, otherwise, the in-laws would steal all the limelight.

That was the provincial capital! How many fellow villagers had never even been to the county seat in their lives, only moving within the one-acre-three-fen plot of their village, at most going to another village or town when attending a market.

If he went to the provincial capital for a tour and came back, it would be like a modern person returning after being gilded abroad; he absolutely had to go!

In the evening, the father and son sat at the doorway watching the children in the empty lot worship the moon, discussing things there.

"Has the village committee replied about the land you want to buy?"

"No. After I mentioned it early yesterday morning, I went to the county seat. By the time I got back, it was almost dark, and I chatted with A Guang for a long while. Today is a holiday, so I don't know if they've discussed it yet."

"Why don't you go to the village head's or Secretary Chen's house and ask?"

"No rush. It's a holiday today. Besides, I'm going to the provincial capital tomorrow and won't be home. It'll be fine to ask when I get back. I have to give them time to discuss and haggle."

"That works too. Anyway, the land survey will have to wait until we get back. We weren't there when the dried fish workshop was measured; this time, we have to watch it."

"Hmm."

"Actually, you don't need to be in such a rush to fix the motorcycle. You can just leave it there for now. You can do other things first. The land is waiting for an answer, the shop is waiting for news, and the motorcycle isn't that urgent."

Ye Yaodong refused.

"Who says so? Fixing the motorcycle is also very important. It's been piled up there for two months. Machines are prone to breaking if they aren't used, and it was already broken to begin with. What if it gets even more damaged and harder to fix later?"

"I don't know when there will be news about the shop, and I can't just sit at home and wait. If the land matter is confirmed, it won't run away."

"Anyway, I'll take the motorcycle over tomorrow and see how long the repairs will take. If it's fast and can be fixed in a day or two, I'll stay in the provincial capital for a night or two. If it needs to be queued for inspection, I'll come back first, and when it's fixed, I'll take the train to the provincial capital to drive it back."

"Then you decide for yourself, it's your plan." He was just a tool man anyway; his words were never listened to.

"Then go back to sleep early. We have to leave as soon as the sky brightens tomorrow."

"Fine, I'm going home to sleep." Ye Fu stood up, picked up his water pipe, and went out.

Ye Yaodong also stood up, crushed the cigarette butt under his feet, and went into the house. Although it was a holiday, he hadn't rested, helping with this and that, and he was tired. He wanted to sleep early tonight.

The next day at dawn, just as the sky was breaking.

As soon as he climbed out of bed, Lin Xiuqing followed and woke up, getting up as well.

"You go back to sleep, no need to get up. I heard the movement outside; the old lady should already be up boiling eggs."

"It's fine, I can take a nap later. I've already packed your clothes into the suitcase, just in case you have to spend the night out."

"No need for the suitcase. Just grab a cloth bag and pack me a change of clothes, a pair of shorts, and the money. I'll stay for a night or two at most, or maybe I'll be back the same day."

"You bought this suitcase and aren't going to use it? Isn't it convenient to carry when you go out?"

"Cough, I bought it to show off when returning to the village. Going to a big city is another matter; better avoid getting robbed."

"Alright, then you bought it for nothing, using it once and throwing it at home."

"Then I'll take it? It's fine not to put the money inside. I'll let Uncle Zhou watch it when I get off the car, and it saves you from having to pack it early in the morning."

"I don't mind packing, but if you're afraid of being robbed, don't take it."

"I'll take it, I'll take it. A Guang will probably carry one too. Anyway, we'll be in the car the whole time. Who carries a suitcase while walking around the streets?"

"Hmm, okay."

After Ye Yaodong got dressed, he took the money out of the suitcase and put it into the secret pocket inside his pants.

It's better to take it. If there really are thieves, their attention will be drawn to the suitcase, and the money on his person will be safer. Lin Xiuqing gave him a thousand yuan for this trip, fearing the repair costs wouldn't be enough.

The secret pocket inside was large. He folded the money in half, put it in, and straightened it out so it didn't look too bulky.

After finishing, he lifted his shirt and pointed at his crotch, teasing his wife, "Am I big!"

Lin Xiuqing's cheeks instantly flushed red, "Do you have no shame?"

"No shame, what shame do I need at home? I only need it when I go out."

She slapped him twice, "You're about to leave, and you're still so improper..."

Ye Yaodong reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her. He originally wanted to kiss her, but heard a light knock on the door.

"Dongzi, are you up? It's time to get up."

"I'm up."

After Ye Yaodong replied in a normal tone, he told Lin Xiuqing he was leaving, let go of her, and walked out carrying the suitcase.

Lin Xiuqing followed him to the main room.

The old lady had already boiled two bowls of hot spring eggs early in the morning. She called him to brush his teeth and then eat them while they were hot.

The fire in the stove was still burning vigorously, the firewood crackling inside. Lin Xiuqing lifted the lid and saw it was full of chicken, duck, and goose eggs, looking like fifty or sixty of them, half a pot.

The old lady walked over and said, "I took all the eggs in the house to boil. Anyway, the chickens, ducks, and geese are laying eggs every day. I'll have the boys catch more earthworms to feed them these two days, so I'm not afraid of running out of eggs."

Lin Xiuqing nodded and put the lid back on, "It should be enough for the road. Huimei will definitely prepare some too. When they get to the provincial capital, they can buy food, so they won't be afraid of going hungry."

"Sigh, it's much more convenient these past two years. When you go out, you can buy food if you have money. In the past, you had to bring your own dry rations."

The old lady said this and sat down in front of the stove again, picked up the fire tongs to stir the fire inside, and then put them down.

"Dongzi is up, but I don't know what his father is doing, still not coming over. Slow and sluggish, the older he gets, the more he dawdles. You go back to the room and continue sleeping; there's still half an hour until dawn. I'll watch here. When these eggs are boiled, I'll cook some porridge."

"It's fine, I'm awake and not sleepy."

When Ye Yaodong finished washing and was eating the hot spring eggs, Ye Fu happened to come over.

The old lady complained about him, dawdling and sluggish.

"The car hasn't even arrived, what are you rushing for? We aren't rushing, and it's not like we're asking you to go."

"You only know to rush when the fire burns your eyebrows. Going on a long journey, you must get up early and prepare early. Hurry up and eat, you talk so much. Getting up late, coming over late, and you still have reasons."

"What did I say?"

"Eating can't even block your mouth. Look, the in-laws are here too."

Ye Fu turned his head to look out the window, put down his spoon, and went to greet them.

Pei Fu smiled and said, "You eat, you eat, no rush, we've already eaten."

"Oh, alright, then you sit for a while."

Ye Yaodong saw the suitcase A Guang was carrying.

Hey, what a coincidence. I knew this kid would definitely bring it, since he's going to the provincial capital.

Taking advantage of the fact that they were still eating, the old lady fished out all the eggs and put them into a basket.

Lin Xiuqing took them, went to the back door, and rinsed them with cold water, which makes them easier to peel. Then, she and the old lady used a rag to wipe them dry one by one and put them into a cloth bag.

The old lady chattered while busy, "Eating two hot spring eggs in the morning won't be enough. If you're hungry on the road later, eat a few more eggs. There's also a bag of fish balls here, also for you to eat on the road."

"Got it, no need to prepare so much. When we get there, there will naturally be places to eat."

"Going out, it's not like being at home. You must be careful, take care of yourselves, and come back early after finishing your business. Don't keep lingering outside, it's not safe outside..."

"Outside, you have to spend money on everything you eat and drink. No matter how good it is outside, it's not as good as home. Hurry up and finish fixing the car and come back."

"That big iron lump, even if you sell it as scrap, you can sell it for a lot of money. If you ask me, a bicycle is enough. You can go anywhere around here. Why does this thing eat oil? We people don't even eat much oil..."

In this day and age, going on a long journey is not easy, even harder than going abroad now. The old lady hadn't slept all night and had climbed out of bed. If she didn't nag a few more times, she wouldn't be at ease.

The group of people didn't respond, just letting her nag alone.

After eating, Ye Yaodong went out to the courtyard to take a look. It was pitch black outside just a moment ago, but now it was already dawning, and the rooster had crowed.

The old lady followed closely behind him. Hearing the rooster crow, she went to open the chicken coop, sprinkled a handful of rice bran, and incidentally let the ducks out.

The sound of the tractor, *da-da-da*, also came from far to near.

"Everyone help lift the motorcycle later."

"Need to get a sturdy wooden board to pad it; it's easier to push it up if it's tilted."

"We have one."

After the tractor arrived at the courtyard gate and turned off the engine, the five grown men got busy. After pushing the motorcycle out, they took a thick wooden board and leaned it against the back of the tractor at an angle.

However, it was hard to push, so they went to call Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua from next door to help. With everyone working together, they slowly pushed the motorcycle up bit by bit.

Early in the morning, everyone was sweating from the effort.

"Dongzi, are you really going to the provincial capital?"

"Ye Erge, don't you think it's too late to ask that? The car is already pushed up, and you're just now asking."

"Hehe, then when are you coming back? It's better to have more people go; there's someone to look out for each other when you're out, otherwise, it's hard if one person encounters something."

"Hmm, then we're leaving first. Let's take advantage of the daylight and set off quickly. We should be able to arrive by noon or afternoon."

"Call back when you get there," Lin Xiuqing said.

"Got it."

One by one, they climbed onto the tractor. Ye Yaodong also climbed up and waved at them.

Uncle Zhou used the crank to start it, and the tractor roared to life again. Everyone was waving there.

Going on a long journey is not easy, and the whole family was there to see them off.

Ye Yaodong was scalded by the large bag of eggs, so he put it by his feet and took out a bag of fish balls to share with them.

"Eat, pad your stomachs. The eggs in the morning are sweet, which makes my mouth uncomfortable. Better eat something salty."

The four of them sat side by side on the bench, leaning against the wall. With nothing to do on the road, they could only sit and eat.

"Third Sister-in-law's skill in making fish balls is quite good. You can have her make some fish balls to sell in the shop."

"Won't that tire her to death? Where would she find the time to make fish balls all day long? And in this weather, fish balls don't last long. Winter is fine; the temperature is low, so they can last two or three days. It's fine to have Fatty and his wife make them to sell in the shop, but mine is a dry goods store."

"That's fine too, hire two people to specialize in making fish balls, and deliver them when delivering dried fish."

"No need to be so troublesome. Fish balls are a minor thing. Let Fatty and his wife handle it another day; they sell cooked food anyway."

He doesn't need too many tricks now; he should first get the dried fish and fish sauce looking decent. Those two are the big ones, and he already has a pile of goods on hand.

Next year, see how it goes. If the market is good and stable, it's fine to hire two people to specialize in making fish balls.

And it's best to buy a tractor himself, have Wang Guangliang and the others learn, and let them deliver the goods. Getting a whole production line and distribution going would be what you call decent.

Otherwise, Uncle Zhou takes on a lot of private work now and isn't on call. Everything has to be agreed upon in advance. A Cai has also been using Uncle Zhou to transport goods more often this year.

It's also fine; he's often not in a rush, and it doesn't matter if the delivery is a day or two late.

"You're involved in a wide range of areas. I'll go to your shop in the city to take a look when I have time," Pei Fu said with interest.

The day before yesterday, A Guang went back and had a heart-to-heart talk with his father for a long time, which also made his father very interested. Who doesn't want more industries in their hands? Money begetting money is the hard truth.

"Sure, after we get back from the provincial capital, we'll go to the city."

"You're still the bold one. You say you're going to the city, and you go; you say you're going to Zhejiang Province, and you go; and now you're going to the provincial capital. You run around everywhere, yet you don't seem the least bit flustered."

"What's so special about that? Come to think of it, I haven't actually gone that far. Our country's land area is so vast; we can't just stay in our own little corner all day. We have to go out and see the world."

"I can't even speak the language. Once I'm out there, I can't even open my mouth, so how could I dare to run around? Besides, it's chaotic out there. I've heard the public security is bad. If something happened to me, no one would even know."

"Just be honest, be polite to people, don't stir up trouble, and we'll be back after a quick look around. We won't be staying long anyway."

Ye Fu also said, "Just get things done and come back early. Don't run around."

"Mm."

They chatted while they ate.

Early in the morning, there were already many diligent people on the road carrying loads. Some were coming out of the village, others were heading in, calling out to each other from time to time.

In the fields along the way, there were already many figures working with hoes. Everyone was rushing to get work done early in the morning while the sun hadn't risen high and it was still cool. Once the sun hung high, they could rest, and then go back to work when the sun slanted to the west.

On the road, there were also many haystacks piled higher than a person, being continuously transported by flatbed carts. These were good materials for starting fires at home or for twisting into hemp ropes.

By the stream, there were also many women already washing clothes.

The whole journey early in the morning was a scene of busyness.

After sitting in the vehicle for a long time, they all lost the desire to talk. Everyone put on their hats and began to doze off with their heads lowered.

Ye Yaodong felt that later on, he should ask Uncle Zhou to put a piece of black mesh cloth on top of the tractor to provide shade; the October sun was still very fierce.

The tractor swayed and bumped incessantly on the road, and the scenery around them constantly rotated between farmland, villages, and mountain forests.

Whenever someone woke up, they would grab a couple of eggs to eat or a handful of fish balls. With company, the journey wasn't as hard to endure.

The two elders were quite patient, while Ye Yaodong and Ah Guang would check the watches on their wrists from time to time.

When the hands pointed to one o'clock and they still hadn't arrived, Ah Guang nudged Ye Yaodong with his elbow. "Eight or nine hours have passed, and we're still not there. Why don't you ask?"

"Should be soon, right?"

He also glanced at his watch, stood up, and asked Uncle Zhou, "Uncle, are we almost there?"

"Almost, almost. In another half hour, we should reach the provincial capital. Haven't you noticed the road surface is much smoother?"

"Oh."

He sat back in his seat and told everyone there was another half hour to go, and everyone perked up.

Fortunately, no one was carsick; they were just a bit listless from sitting for so long.

"Then let's eat something more..."

Of the fifty or sixty eggs, only half were left, and the fish balls were almost gone. Even though they were just sitting there without doing any work, everyone's stomachs were like bottomless pits; they ate whenever they were idle.

"I'm going to save some room in my stomach to see if there's anything good to eat when we get there." Ah Guang had eaten a belly full of eggs and had no appetite left for fish balls.

Ye Yaodong didn't discourage him. In truth, there wasn't much to eat in the provincial capital either. It was about the same as what they ate back home, nothing special; the most famous things were still fish balls and fish noodles.

In his previous life, he had been a frequent visitor, and he really felt nothing for the food in the provincial capital; it wasn't even as good as their local snacks.

The group regained their energy and started chatting again until they saw more villages appearing, and they guessed they must have reached the provincial capital.

Ye Yaodong was also a bit curious about the provincial capital in this era. His visits to the provincial capital in his previous life had all been in the new millennium, when the city changed with each passing day.

He stood up to look at the surrounding houses, road conditions, and streets, and couldn't help but feel disappointed. It wasn't much different from their county town—equally dilapidated and old.

"Dongzi, didn't you say big cities are clean and ever-changing, with high-rise buildings everywhere? I don't see any. Isn't it about the same as our place?"

Ye Yaodong felt a bit sheepish. In his understanding, this was at least the provincial capital; there should be a few high-rise buildings.

He explained, "We've only just entered the city, we're on the outskirts. Of course, the surroundings are similar to the villages back home. We have to get to the central area to see them."

"That's true."

As the tractor moved forward, they really did see several high-rise buildings, and there were other construction sites nearby building more. The city looked a bit cleaner and tidier, though as far as the eye could see, it was mostly low, flat buildings, with a constant stream of pedestrians.

They also saw rural buses on the road, with a crowd of people standing by the roadside squeezing onto them.

"The buildings in the provincial capital are so tall. If they have to climb up and down these tall buildings every day, wouldn't they be exhausted to death?"

"There are elevators, Big Brother. Buildings this tall must have elevators, otherwise, your legs would go weak from climbing."

All technological progress exists to facilitate human laziness.

"That bus looks much better than our tractor. I see there are many seats inside. This vehicle must not be cheap; we've never seen this kind of vehicle back home."

"You will in the future."

"Dad, look, there are many shops along the street here, and the streets are full of vendors. You can't even squeeze through. Look at how many people are gathered in front of a tiny stall."

"You all should take a good look."

"It does look much livelier than the city, the buildings are taller than in the city, and there are more people than in the city."

"This is just a small area. The provincial capital is definitely bigger than our city. Look, up ahead, there are more high-rise buildings being built."

"Once we get to the motorcycle factory and drop off your motorcycle, we'll go for a stroll and check out those high-rise buildings. Did you bring the camera?"

"Of course I brought it!"

The night before, he had specifically told Lin Xiuqing to pack the camera for him so he could take pictures and show her.

Just as they were talking excitedly, Uncle Zhou suddenly stopped the vehicle. They stood up to look and saw he had gotten off to ask for directions.

He went down and asked a passerby with gestures before continuing forward.

The motorcycle factory wasn't in this area. They walked and stopped along the way, asking as they went, and it took another hour before they saw a large expanse of factory buildings.

"We're here!" Uncle Zhou shouted, then stopped the vehicle.

Everyone jumped off one after another, but instantly, everyone's mouths fell open.

"Is the motorcycle factory this big?"

"This must be nearly ten mu of land, right?"

"Did we go to the wrong place? We passed several places on the way here that looked like factory buildings, just flat houses."

"We didn't go wrong. Look at the characters written on that wall." Ye Yaodong pointed to the characters on the wall.

"I don't know how to read. You two who know how to read, read it out."

"No mistake, this is the place."

"You all wait here, Ah Guang and I will go in and ask."