Chapter 958: Arranging to Build a High-Rise Building

Big Cousin and Ah Sheng were suddenly called over and were a bit confused. Originally, they were farming or chopping wood.

Father Ye suddenly appeared and called them, telling them to come over.

They asked if they were going to sea, but he only said no, there was something else to let them come over first.

Both of them were a bit worried in their hearts. If they weren't called to go to sea, was there something important to let them come over?

They were very satisfied with the current situation, and both hoped that there would be no changes. When they went to Zhejiang to catch jellyfish before, there was extra money, and a month was calculated as 90 yuan.

As a local boat worker, if it is fixed, it is 60 yuan a month. Basically, most of them are odd jobs. Most of them do a little work at home, and a little there. Who has work to ask, can't earn much money.

Now that they are back and haven't worked, of course, it is still calculated as 60 yuan a month. Where can such a good thing be found?

Even if there is going to sea, it is a lot to go for half a month. Next, the weather will turn cool, and there will be wind every three days. It is very good to be able to go for ten days a month.

They have been back for many days, and this time they walked all the way, and their hearts were a bit uncertain about what they were called to do.

Just heard that Dongzi bought a piece of land, shouldn't it be related to buying land...

It just happened that the land was bought, and they were called over...

It happened that Father Ye was walking on the side

Ye Yaodong looked at the serious expressions on both their faces and smiled. "Why so serious?"

The eldest cousin had just stepped through the gate when he heard this. He rubbed his cheeks and said with a smile, "Is it? I can't exactly walk down the road grinning; people who don't know better would think I'd found money."

Brother Asheng also said with a smile, "We just stepped inside."

"Didn't my dad tell you why he called you over?"

"No, Uncle was being all mysterious. When we asked if it was about going out to sea, he said no, just that we should come over first. It made us afraid to ask, and we've been guessing the whole time why he called us."

"I've got good news for you. Sit down and let's talk."

As soon as he mentioned good news, the two of them relaxed, a thought flashing through their minds in an instant.

Before they could even ponder it, Ye Yaodong got straight to the point: "I just bought a piece of land. I'll plan it out in a while and get it ready for use. I also plan to add another floor to the house here. My dad and I don't have the energy to captain a boat each to take you all out."

Their eyes lit up. It's not easy to order boats from the shipyard right now, and buying a new one is difficult. Being able to rent a boat to tide them over and save up some more money would be the best thing ever.

Seeing how happy they were, Ye Yaodong continued, "My dad and I discussed it and decided to do what Brother Aguang's family is doing: put one boat out for rent. You've been working with us for a long time, and I trust you. Besides, we're all relatives, not outsiders."

"It's hard to manage if I rent to either of you individually, so why don't you two just rent it together? How about it?"

The two looked at each other and nodded repeatedly. They had worked together for two months and were compatible, so there was no problem.

The eldest cousin happily spoke his mind, "We'd love to! We've finally waited for this opportunity. Haha, I heard from the villagers that the shipyard's delivery schedule is already booked until the year after next. It's hard to buy a boat, and nobody knows how sought-after these boats are right now. Hahaha~"

Brother Asheng was also all smiles. "That's right. When we were coming over, we were nervous, thinking something was wrong. I was worried we wouldn't even have work and would have to find new jobs. I never expected you'd be renting the boat to us. This is just great, hehe~"

"I thought of you two first for renting the boat, of course. Who else would I give it to? We're all cousins; we're not outsiders. When my big boat is delivered at the end of the year, I'll rent the other boat to you, and then you can each have one and manage yourselves."

The two were even happier, their smiles deepening.

"Good, good, good. Then thank you very much."

"Thanks a lot. We will definitely follow the rules and not mess around."

Ye Yaodong nodded with a smile. "I trust you. Just follow the same terms as Brother Aguang's group: a fifty-fifty split. Expenses on the boat, labor, maintenance, and whatever else are all for you to handle. I won't interfere; I only take my half."

"That's only fair."

"We'll do whatever everyone else is doing."

"Mm, when we dock, either my dad or I will go to receive the catch. If we're both busy and can't get there in time to wait, I'll tell Acai to receive it."

"Good, good, good. Then we can go out to sea tonight. We've been playing at home for many days and are getting anxious. Actually, after hearing you bought land, we wanted to come over and ask when you were planning to go out to sea."

Brother Asheng chimed in, "I was also thinking that since you've bought the land, you shouldn't have anything else to do, so I figured you'd be going out to sea soon. That's why I asked Third Uncle earlier."

"The weather should be fine tomorrow. Since you've rested enough, just go tonight. The sooner you go, the sooner you earn money. Staying at home won't lead to any fortune."

"Right. You should go check the boat later to see if there's anything useful that needs to be moved to the other boat. We'll go check it in a while too, and while we're at it, we'll add fuel and get everything ready in advance."

"I'll go take a look later, but there shouldn't be anything left. When we came back, most of the things on the boat were moved off. The things I use regularly are basically already on the boat I'm watching."

As for things like buckets and crates, they had already hauled them back on flatbed carts when they came home. If they had left them on the boat just sitting there, who knows who would have stolen them by now.

The eldest cousin and Brother Asheng would have to prepare their own containers for the catch. Since the boat is rented to them, the fishing nets are included, but they have to provide everything else themselves.

"Got it, got it."

Seeing that they were about done talking, Lin Xiuqing handed them their wages for the past few days.

"This is your pay for the past few days since we got back, up to today, including today. It's six days in total. At two yuan per day, that's 12 yuan each. You two count it."

The two opened their mouths, but neither reached out to take it, looking at each other instead.

"Uh... this..."

Seeing they didn't take it, Lin Xiuqing placed it on the table in front of them. "Take it. What's agreed upon can't change. Even if you didn't work, the wages are calculated by the month."

The eldest cousin said hesitantly, "Is this necessary? You've already rented the boat to us. We've just been playing around these past few days and haven't done any work, so don't count the wages. We already earned quite a bit of pay when we came back from Zhejiang Province, and you even gave us a red envelope. That's enough."

Brother Asheng also nodded. "That's right. We haven't helped with anything these past few days. If we were going straight out to sea, it would be one thing, but we haven't, and you've already rented the boat to us. We didn't feel right taking it before; it's like getting it for nothing."

"One thing is one thing. Not working is not working, but since we agreed to calculate wages by the month, we follow the rules. Take it. We should do things properly; we're all family, no need to be polite."

Ye Yaodong picked up the money and put it into their hands, then changed the subject.

"The crank for your boat is still in the courtyard. Take it with you when you leave later."

The two, who had stood up intending to return the money, nodded in agreement instead, following his lead.

"This money..."

Ye Yaodong pushed them by the shoulders toward the door without taking it back. "Since everything is settled, go back and prepare the things for the boat so you can head out to sea tonight."

"Dongzi..."

"Don't 'Dongzi' me. I'll go get you the crank and the cabin keys."

Who doesn't love money? The two actually wanted to accept it, but they felt embarrassed. After all, they had just received a favor, and it didn't feel right to just take it like that.

Now that he was pushing them toward the door, they had no choice but to go with the flow and accept it.

"Then we'll be thick-skinned and accept it. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, it's only right."

"No, no, it wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't given us this money; we've already gained enough."

"I said one thing is one thing. Hurry up and get busy; I have things to do too."

"Alright, alright, then we won't bother you anymore."

The two thanked him repeatedly before finally leaving.

After they left, Ye Fu stood in the courtyard and said in a low voice, "That was a loss. They didn't work these past few days, and we still have to give them twenty-something yuan while they were just idling at home."

"They put in the effort even if they didn't have the merit, Dad. You have to think about it this way: they've helped us a lot. Besides, I'm not short on a few days' wages right now. By doing the surface work well, they'll be even more grateful."

"I know it should be given, and we can't give people cause to gossip, but it's just a pity."

"Alright, that's that. If you're free, go to the dock and check the boat to see if anything was left behind that needs to be moved to my boat."

"I'll go take a look then."

After sending his father off, Ye Yaodong finally had some peace.

He stood in the courtyard and stretched. "Finally done! Time to go back and lie down."

"Lie down for what? The land on the hillside by the back door is still waiting for you to turn it over when you're free, so we can plant some vegetables. I picked the beans a few days ago and took down the bamboo trellis; all that's left is to turn the soil."

"The pile of seeds Grandma has been clutching has been sitting there for days. Seeing you all coming home late and leaving early, she didn't call you, but she's been touching the soil eight times a day. Yesterday, while we weren't home, she even secretly picked up a hoe to turn the soil in the courtyard."

The old lady sat at the entrance, chuckling. "It's okay, no rush. You go inside and sleep a while longer, do it later."

Ye Yaodong saw it too; the potatoes originally planted in the courtyard had all been dug up, a basketful was piled in the corner, covered with a nylon bag.

"Can you even eat all that? Why plant so much every day?"

"She wants to plant lettuce and radishes to dry them, and sweet potatoes. At the end of the year, she'll make sweet potato starch and sweet potato noodles. Once made, we can eat them all year round."

"While you're home and not doing anything, go turn the soil for her and plant the seeds, so she doesn't secretly climb up there to do it herself."

"Besides, we really do need to plant more now. If we build the house and workshop later, we'll have to feed the workers, so we'll need vegetables for them to eat. You can never have too much planted right now."

"Got it, I'll go turn it now."

The old lady nagged beside him, "It's not that urgent, no rush, it's fine if you do it in two days..."

"It's not that urgent, no rush, it's fine if you do it in two days—then why did you turn all the soil here yourself?"

"Hehe... I was just thinking, since I'm home alone, I might as well..."

"You were thinking that since you're home alone and no one's watching, you might as well stretch your muscles."

"Hehe..."

Ye Yaodong shouldered the hoe and avoided the old lady, heading toward the back door. He had thought he could lie down after finishing his business, but now he had to farm first.

"I'll go get the seeds for you..."

"Wait a while, I'll hoe the useless vines first and turn the soil once before planting."

If he had known, he would have gone to the dock and left his father behind; his father loved farming too.

The skills matched, and the interest matched; it would have been more appropriate to swap.

Ye Yaodong spent the mid-morning busy farming. When Lin Xiuqing called him for lunch, he realized he could have called those boys to do it!

Those two stayed in the workshop all day watching the dried fish, and since they were idle, wouldn't it have been perfect to put them to work?

Too bad, he had already done more than half of it. Seeing that all that was left was to bury the seeds, wouldn't calling someone else now be like letting them reap his harvest?

So after lunch, he continued sowing seeds with resignation, refusing even when his father offered to take over.

Just kidding, he was a model worker now!

But before he could finish sowing, an uninvited guest arrived. However, he was sowing on the hillside and didn't hear any commotion; he only heard about it from Aqing when he came down after finishing his work.

"Auntie came over again just now. She heard we bought another piece of land and told us to remember to call Brother Afan if there's work, saying he's been resting at home for several days and hasn't found anything to do."

"She just wants work? Nothing else?"

"I asked around. She asked if we bought anything else besides the land. She also asked if we didn't have two shops in the city, and if they were short of people."

Ye Yaodong pursed his lips. "She really knows how to scheme."

"I sent her away, just saying we'd call if there was work, and that we hadn't decided how to arrange that land yet. She didn't seem to believe me, but I didn't care."

"Don't worry about her. If there's anything awkward to say, just push it onto me."

"That's what I thought. Lately, besides the neighbors, she's the one who runs to our house the most."

"Second Aunt is quite good at sitting still; she stays in the background."

"Birds of a feather flock together. Uncle and Aunt both like to charge ahead; as soon as they figure something out, they act on it immediately. Ye Erbo and Second Aunt like to point fingers from behind the scenes."

Ye Yaodong looked at her with curiosity. "You know all this?"

Lin Xiuqing rolled her eyes at him. "How many years have I been married into this family? Didn't I see them clearly before? Didn't I see them clearly two years ago when Dad's boat was repaired and started working?"

"That's true. If Brother Asheng can use the boat I rented to him to earn some money, marry a wife, and move out to live on his own, life will be a bit more comfortable for him."

"Don't worry about others. Now that you're done with work, go take a nap. Your daughter just fell asleep; it's the perfect time to keep her company."

"Alright, baby, here I come."

Ye Yaodong immediately started taking off his clothes as he walked. By the time he reached the bedroom door, he was already shirtless.

In the evening, Aguang ran over excitedly to tell him that he had gone to the city today and ordered four boats directly, though they also had a delivery date for the year after next.

The latest is the end of the year after next, with one boat delivered as soon as it's finished during that period.

"That's because the city shipyard has a wide range of business; so many small groups are scheduled until the end of the year after next."

"Indeed. When we went, there were quite a few outsiders visiting the factory, and some checking on progress. I also saw the master craftsmen inside building a boat over thirty meters long; I heard it costs tens of thousands."

"Our county shipyard probably can't build one that big. I've been to the county a few times and haven't seen them building anything that large."

"Probably. Anyway, it just looked really awesome."

"My first boat was bought from a friend of Uncle Jingye. That friend of his heard he was going to partner with others to build a thirty-meter big boat, which is why he sold the boat to me."

"So rich, jumping straight into big boats."

"How is that possible? It's likely a partnership of a dozen or more people. The partners all get on the boat together and work together, so there's no need to hire outsiders."

Aguang looked at him with glowing eyes. "Dongzi, when are you going to get one that big?"

Ye Yaodong glared at him. "Why don't you get one that big? You're richer than me."

With the current shipbuilding technology, he wouldn't do it even if he had the money; his life is more important.

At the very least, he has to wait a few years for shipbuilding technology to become more mature and for equipment to be more perfect.

Besides, his savings aren't enough. With those tens of thousands, after buying this and that, only half is left—where would he get enough to buy a boat?

If he had to pull in dozens of people to partner up, that would be a disaster; every tiny little thing would require a huge group of people to discuss and solve.

"Bullshit. Touch your little conscience and speak: you're richer than me, okay?"

"Big conscience. My chest is big, so my conscience is naturally big too."

"That big boat really was super long; it looked impressive."

"Earn more money in the next few years, save enough to buy one, and bring some glory so I can bask in it too."

"Then you better pray I earn a lot of big money."

Ye Yaodong diverted the conversation from this aimless topic. "How much did you pay for those boats?"

"3,600 yuan. It's not much different from the county. I heard from the villagers that the county price was 3,500. It's normal for the city to be a bit more expensive; I was mentally prepared."

Ye Yaodong: "..."

Better not discourage him; he's already bought them.

He forgot to tell him yesterday how much he paid for his boats. Aguang probably took it for granted, hearing the villagers say 3,500, and assumed that's what he paid too.

Still, it's normal for the city to be a bit more expensive, and being able to get delivery the year after next is already very good.

"When you went to find Uncle Zhou last night, didn't the villagers go find him?"

"I don't know. When I stood up after drinking yesterday, I felt quite clear-headed, but as soon as I went out and the wind blew, my head went blank. Luckily, I remembered I had to go to Uncle Zhou's house to tell him. I didn't ask much else and just hurried home to sleep."

"That must be it—they were probably discussing it back and forth, thinking they'd finish the work on hand first, and then one waited for another, so they didn't go find Uncle Zhou immediately."

"Maybe. That's how it is with a lot of people: you say something, I say something, you have things to do, I have things to do, and after waiting, the opportunity is gone. Anyway, I managed to cut in line; I don't care about them."

Ye Yaodong asked again, "Did you go to my father-in-law's place again? I was only thinking about buying land this morning and forgot to call him."

"It's fine. He knows me anyway. My dad and I went the day before, and when we were chatting, your father-in-law was there too. We went over this morning to mention it. We were about to turn and leave when we happened to run into someone who hadn't managed to come yesterday and also wanted to sell their shop."

"But he said he bought it when the price went up later, so one shop is 3,500. He won't sell if it's lower than that price, so my dad and I didn't buy it. We planned to come back and ask you first."

Ye Yaodong explained to him, "At that time, the shops in this market were released in batches. I bought one first, then my eldest brother and second brother and I bought another one at the same time, and it was said then that the ones released later would go up in price."

"It's probably because of the price hike; with comparisons, nobody wanted to buy them. The market is cunning, too—they held onto most of the well-located shops and only released a few for the lottery."

Aguang suddenly realized.

"So that's how it is."

"Which entrance number was it?"

"Entrance 4, so we didn't think it was worth it."

"Actually, it's not bad. If you want to buy, you could buy it; I bought one too. The quality of a shop's location depends on what you're selling and who your audience is. Like I said before, Entrance 4 is the loading entrance; it's most suitable for use as a warehouse or for selling breakfast from late night to early morning."

"If you want to buy later, it might not be easy. If the surrounding area gets busier, the price will definitely go up again. Those who are selling now are short-sighted; they think that entrance location is bad, too remote, and that the bustle won't reach that direction, so they think it's useless and want to exchange it for cash to stop their losses."

"My dad and I were thinking of waiting and seeing. Who told you to buy yours so cheaply yesterday? Otherwise, we wouldn't be struggling with this."

"We were lucky yesterday. One person was honest and agreed to sell at the original price, and the other two were hesitant, but I managed to persuade them in the end."

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he thought for a moment and said, "If you want to wait and see, don't wait too long."

"We'll go back and discuss it. Today we saw that some streets in the city are very lively—there are people repairing watches, selling ancestral antiques, and all kinds of miscellaneous goods. Some people have directly turned old houses into workshops, with machines running non-stop at home; I don't know what they're making. There were even street performers on the side of the road. I was thinking, is it possible to buy old houses on the street?"

"If you can buy one, that would be even better. After all, it's a downtown area with lots of people."

"Sigh, I'll ponder it later. It's such a hassle; even spending money is this much of a struggle. Earning money is easier—you just have to work your head off."

"Spending money now is the same as earning money."

"We'll go look around again tomorrow. If we can't buy it, we won't. We'll wait two years and save up more before talking about it. Anyway, we've already bought four boats, so we can't just waste all our time on this."

"That works too."

Anyway, the times aren't changing that fast. Take it slow, accumulate capital; earning money is the top priority.

In a few years, it won't be too late to consider buying houses or shops. It doesn't have to be the market; Aguang himself is smart enough to have his eye on the streets around it.

"If there's nothing else, we'll retire the boat the day after tomorrow. My dad might go out to sea that same night; he's been home long enough, and he's getting anxious himself."

"That works. A day without going out to sea is a day of loss. It's perfect that the weather has been good these past few days."

"Mm, and the Fengshou earns quite a bit in a day. If we wait a few days, the weather might not be this good. Nothing else, I'm heading back."

"Stay and eat here. It's mealtime, and the food is already cooked."

"It's about ready at home too. I came over on short notice, so Third Sister-in-law definitely didn't cook extra for me. You'd all have to eat two mouthfuls less later, so I'll go home to eat. Leaving now."

"Then I won't keep you."

After the person left, Lin Xiuqing said happily, "Wasn't buying our boat and shops too good of a deal?"

"That's why I'm smart. This is the result of being one step ahead. Anyway, being able to buy them is a good thing. Let the little brat run to the old house and call my parents over to eat."

"Mm."

When Ye Fu heard about Aguang coming over in the evening, he didn't say anything. Knowing the Fengshou was going out to sea the day after tomorrow, he felt a bit more at ease.

After they finished eating, they took advantage of Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua returning from the sea to go discuss building the house.

Before, he thought he'd just leave it to his eldest and second brothers to arrange, but now that he had the land in hand, he wanted to strive to get both things done before the end of the year.

There has to be a schedule for when to build. The three houses are side-by-side, so the three of them have to discuss when to build at the same time; only then could he arrange the fish sauce workshop.

This way, when his big boat returns before the end of the year and he goes out to sea after the New Year, his miscellaneous goods can be brought back to continue production, and he can expand the fermentation scale based on sales.

His eldest and second brothers were also anxious. With money in hand, they wanted to get things done quickly so their families could be seen as having achieved something while the momentum was high.

Once the three of them hit it off, they immediately called Ye Mu to find time tomorrow to pick a date to start construction.

Then they asked Ye Fu to find a master craftsman tomorrow to come take a look and plan how many red bricks are needed, how many load-bearing beams for the second floor, and how many wooden boards are needed for the second-floor flooring. These all have to be calculated in advance so they can find people to order them.

The tiles on the roof can be taken down and reused; they only need to supplement a little for any that are broken or missing.

The four heads of the family discussed it until the lights were out and they dispersed. Ye Fu went back with a smile so wide he couldn't close his mouth.

Ye Yaodong felt that his father hadn't even been drinking, yet his walk was already starting to sway.

All three sons were building multi-story houses, his son-in-law was successful, his wife and daughter had decent jobs, and he had a huge group of grandchildren. He felt he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

Actually, he felt like his own walk was starting to sway too...

But stay steady—where are we even at?

He was just preparing to build a house; he hadn't even ordered a tractor yet. Living in a villa with a BBA in the driveway was still a long way off. The goal was still distant; he must not get drunk on the villagers' sweet talk.

Thinking this, he instantly sobered up. He didn't even kick the dog at his feet. Looking at the old-fashioned low bungalow, he felt he still had a long and arduous road ahead.