Chapter 959: Time to drive

After Ye Yaodong had arranged all these miscellaneous matters, he felt at ease and lay at home for a few days.

It wasn't until dinner time that Ye Mu brought up the subject of the scholarship, asking Lin Xiuqing to prepare for it; it was only a little over thirty yuan.

From first grade to junior high, there were only about a dozen children in the vicinity who were forced to drop out despite good grades. As for those who dropped out due to poor grades, there were plenty, but they weren't within the scope of their assistance.

In the past few days, after repeated visits and persuasion from teachers, village cadres, and the Women's Federation, the parents couldn't save face anymore. Since someone else was paying the tuition, and it would be a fool not to take advantage of such a bargain, most of the children were called back to school.

Of course, for the students, they still had to do their share of chores at home, but having a chance to study again, they would certainly work harder.

The vast majority of these children were girls. Only a few—two or three boys—had families in such dire straits and heavy burdens that they had to drop out to shoulder the family's load, such as those whose fathers had met with accidents, leaving only a mother and a group of young, weak siblings.

When Ye Mu spoke of the families of each child who had dropped out, she couldn't help but sigh.

Before, she hadn't been exposed to this and only swept the snow from her own doorstep. Now, her awareness had grown, she had seen more, and the soft spot in her heart had been touched.

It was either extreme preference for boys over girls or a broken family; every family had its own difficult problems to solve.

Their own children could be considered the luckiest, with nothing to worry about.

Hearing this, Ye Yaodong also felt that his move was very wise. Studying could change one's destiny; this wasn't just talk, it was a solid fact, especially in this era.

For children, studying was the easiest and best shortcut.

After hearing Ye Mu finish, Lin Xiuqing nodded directly and gave her the money after the meal.

As it turned out, within two days, two parents had inquired about it and sought them out, bringing some vegetables produced from their fields and some homemade pickled specialties to express their gratitude.

After all, once the sponsorship was confirmed, as long as there were no changes, Ye Yaodong would be paying for these children's tuition until they graduated.

Ye Yaodong's family also felt very comforted. The gift was light but the sentiment was heavy; they didn't require any grand thanks from others, as long as they remembered the kindness, that was enough.

Often, after helping others, just receiving a "thank you" was already very good.

What surprised them was that they also encountered a boy who came to thank them while carrying two crucian carp.

"Uncle, don't you remember me? My dad passed away in the typhoon the year before last. I once fought with you over a mud crab by the beach, and later you gave the crab to me."

Hearing this, Ye Yaodong remembered. Wasn't this the family that Lin Guang's first boat came from?

"Ah, it's you?"

"Hehe, my younger brother finished fifth grade in the first half of the year and was supposed to be in first year of junior high in the second half. He originally didn't plan to go to school. No matter what we said, it was useless. He just wanted to stay home and help my mother farm so I could go out and work to earn money with peace of mind."

"We were all very regretful. His grades were quite good, and the teacher had come to call him, but he was determined not to go, so we gave up. I didn't expect you, Uncle, to help pay the tuition."

"In the past few days, the teachers and village committee members have come to talk, and my mother has been persuading him constantly. Only then, thinking that he didn't need to pay tuition anymore, was he willing to go back to school."

Ye Yaodong finally understood; it turned out the sponsorship had reached his younger brother.

He exchanged a few pleasantries and, listening to the boy's repeated thanks, sighed inwardly.

After sending the person away, he said to Lin Xiuqing, "Sigh, children without a father or a mother are all quite pitiful."

"That's for sure. Without a father, it's equivalent to the family losing its pillar; the sky is about to collapse. Children without a mother are also bitter; no one cares for them. If a stepmother comes along, it's even more miserable."

"Fortunately, Lin Guang doesn't have a stepmother, and he was already grown when his mother passed away. Otherwise, wouldn't he be as pitiful as a little cabbage in the field?"

"Actually, Uncle Pei isn't that old, he's the same age as Dad."

"Isn't that about the same as the widow next door?"

Lin Xiuqing choked on a mouthful of water, coughing violently.

Ye Yaodong hurriedly patted her back. "You can even choke while drinking water? How old are you?"

Lin Xiuqing coughed until tears came out. Unable to speak, she could only glare at him fiercely.

It wasn't until she calmed down that she slapped him twice.

"How can you talk like that? I was talking about the in-law, yet you dragged in the widow next door."

"Hehe, didn't that kid just leave? And you mentioned Uncle Pei isn't old, looking like you wanted to play matchmaker for him. So, didn't I immediately think of the widow next door?"

"I didn't! As a junior, how could I have the face to play matchmaker for him? Not to mention he's an in-law!"

Lin Xiuqing glared at him fiercely; he was too outrageous.

"I didn't say anything either. I just mentioned the widow next door, and your reaction was so big, which shows you were the one thinking crookedly."

"You just admitted it yourself, and you're still talking."

"You didn't admit it, so why should I?"

Lin Xiuqing slapped the stubborn man twice more. "It's a good thing no one heard, otherwise I don't know what it would have been rumored into."

Ye Yaodong pouted.

A widower and a widow, and they were neighbors next door, wasn't that just right? Quite a match, wasn't it?

Otherwise, who would take care of a grown man when he gets old? For daily life and chores, he couldn't always rely on his children. If the children weren't around, he wouldn't even have anyone to talk to.

He didn't know how Uncle Pei fared in his previous life, but in this life, he hadn't left, so it was hard to say anything.

"Uncle Pei's family is really taking off now, so rich, with a thick family foundation, and such a big boat. Surely there are many pretty widows eyeing him."

"Stop talking. How is it our turn to worry about this? That kid just now was quite thoughtful, even bringing two crucian carp."

"Let's cook crucian carp and tofu soup with some pickled vegetables tonight. I haven't eaten the crucian carp and tofu soup you cook in a long time."

"Aren't you all complaining that the river fish have an earthy smell? No one ate it when I cooked it before."

"You don't look at how you cooked it before. You were stingy with the oil. You have to be generous with the oil, pan-fry both sides, and then add more ginger, scallions, and cooking wine. That way, the earthy smell will be lighter."

"Since you're so good at talking, why don't you do it?"

"Fine, I'll do it. Don't cry from craving it later."

"Pfft, you're only good at talking. Can you even cook crucian carp?"

Ye Yaodong took the straw rope used to tie the fish from her hands. "I'll let you have your eyes opened in a moment. While you're idle, go pick some river snails. I'll stir-fry a plate of spicy snails for you tonight."

"Acting like you're so capable."

Lin Xiuqing shook her head, but taking advantage of her free time, she found a pair of pliers, preparing to clip the tails of the river snails for him.

Those children were really something, bringing back several buckets. They couldn't finish eating them, and even the ducks couldn't finish them. They went to the river to swim every day, so how could they still eat this when they came back?

"The house construction starts tomorrow. Don't run around, and get up a bit earlier."

"I know. I've kept the date in mind. As soon as I finish eating, I'll go to the old house to move the ladder over, and then Dad and I will tie up the nylon bags and secure them to the beams."

Ye Yaodong didn't want to move back to the old house; it was too much of a hassle. Besides, all his treasures were here. If he wasn't watching over them, how could he be at ease? Even if he were to die, he would want to die on this piece of land.

So, he came up with another plan: take a roll of nylon bags and use rope to bundle them across the top of the main hall and every room. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about living downstairs while work was being done overhead.

At the very least, they could still cook and sleep, and they wouldn't have to worry about dust or debris falling down. In any case, the nylon bags would be stretched out there to provide cover.

When they were working during the day, they wouldn't go inside; they would just watch from the courtyard. When there was no work at night, they would go inside to sleep, which wouldn't have much of an impact. They would just have to make do for a month.

The nylon bags stretched out there could also keep the rain out, saving them from having to move a whole pile of things from the house, which would really be like a major relocation.

Over the past few days, he had also hauled all the dried fish from the house to the city. The fish still drying at the workshop wouldn't be affected in the slightest; once dried, they could still be temporarily stored in the small room inside the workshop.

Some of the materials they ordered, like wood and planks, had already been partially delivered over the past few days, and more would continue to arrive later.

After the three families started building their houses together, they mostly left Ye Fu at home to hold down the fort. The three brothers still managed their own deep-sea fishing, and every day they would intentionally set aside some fish and shrimp to serve as dishes for the workers.

Aside from the cost of rice and grain, everything else was basically self-produced and self-consumed, which could be considered quite economical.

The children in the family knew that the house was going to be rebuilt, and they were all incredibly happy. Without anyone telling them, they would spontaneously help move bricks every day until it was almost time to rush to school.

Ye Yaodong and the others also considered that it wasn't convenient to lay large stones for the upper levels, and lifting them up wasn't safe or very convenient, so they decided to use red bricks for the second floor. Most of the houses being added onto in the village were also built with red bricks.

Ye Xiaoxi, being so small, couldn't carry large bricks, so she spent every day sitting in the sand pile playing with sand. She usually didn't get to have enough fun when she went to the beach, but now she could have her fill.

Ye Yaodong also doted on his child very much; he secretly gave her a spatula to dig in the sand and also gave her an iron bowl. As a result, things got out of hand, and she played happily every day. The first thing she did when she opened her eyes was to look for the spatula and the bowl, and then she would rush to the sand pile.

It was just hard on Lin Xiuqing, who had to wash the sand out of her hair every day. Later, she couldn't stop her from playing, and the child would just cry and lie on the ground, rolling into the sand pile.

She didn't have the time to watch her all day long anyway, so she could only curse Ye Yaodong for teaching the child poorly, and then let her be.

Ye Yaodong, while out at sea, kept sneezing uncontrollably. He thought it was because the weather had turned cold; it was already mid-to-late October, and the sea breeze blowing over was chilly. He only realized the truth after he got home and was scolded.

The father and daughter looked at each other with little eyes at the dinner table.

When he pretended to be sad, pouting and making faces, Ye Xiaoxi laughed out loud without restraint, spraying rice grains onto the table, and even pointed at him with her index finger while laughing.

With that, Ye Yaodong got another scolding.

"You're never serious all day long. You have to tease her while eating. What if she chokes later?"

"Who told her to look at me?"

"You weren't looking at her, but you knew she was looking at you?"

Lin Xiuqing finally managed to win a round; in the past, she was always the one left speechless.

"Sophistry!"

"Hurry up and eat. Sleep early after you're done; you still have to go out to sea at night."

"What's the date today? It's the 14th, right? The time for me to get my motorcycle is getting closer."

"That's right. Call and ask in a couple of days, or you can ask early if you want. If it's repaired early, you can go pick it up early."

"Let's wait. They told me to call after half a month, so I'll just call after half a month. It's not like these two days make a difference. It's been busy at home lately, so two days earlier or later doesn't matter much."

"Then do as you see fit. As long as you're not in a rush, it's fine."

It wasn't until two days later, when a full half-month had passed, that Ye Yaodong finally timed it right to go to the village committee to make the call and ask if the motorcycle was repaired.

It lived up to his expectations; there was no delay in the schedule, and it was repaired on time. They notified him to come pick it up the next day.

It was just a repair, after all; if they had arranged for two people to spare a day or half a day, it probably could have been finished. It dragged on for half a month because the factory was increasing production capacity and didn't have time to deal with such a small job.

He felt that being able to finish the repair on schedule without dragging it out might also have been due to that previous phone call from Chen Juzhang, which was why it was repaired on time—after all, it still carried the official name.

Anyway, who cares? It was repaired, and they notified him to go pick it up.

However, fearing he wouldn't be able to buy a train ticket on short notice, he only said he would be able to go once he bought a ticket in the next two days. The other party didn't say anything, just saying he could come and pick it up at any time.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Yaodong immediately called his father-in-law, asking him to close the shop early in the afternoon and take the time to help him buy two train tickets to the provincial capital, preferably for the next two days.

In this day and age, train tickets weren't that easy to buy. Long-distance travel relied entirely on trains, especially sleeper berths, which mostly required a work unit to buy them many days in advance, or else one had to go through scalpers. Anyway, he only needed to go to the provincial capital, so standing for a while wouldn't be a problem.

After giving instructions to his father-in-law, he walked home with a light step. Because he specifically wanted to make the call during the day, he let his father go out to sea at night while he stayed home to supervise the work.

When Lin Xiuqing learned that the motorcycle had been repaired, she was also very happy. Big items for the family were coming one after another, and happy events were happening one after another.

First, there were seven more boats, then three more shops, followed by buying two more mu of land to build a fish sauce workshop, now the house was being added onto, and the motorcycle could be picked up immediately in these two days.

And there was the tractor, which also needed to be ordered and purchased from the factory!

Lin Xiuqing thought about all the happy events that had happened recently, and the smile on her face wouldn't stop.

"Do you want Zhou Shu to drive the tractor to take you, or are you going by train yourself?"

"I'll go by train. Save where you should save, and spend where you should spend. I haven't ridden a train yet, so I might as well go experience it."

"Then let my father go buy a train ticket. Since he happens to be in the city, tell him to go. Ask him to ask around about how to buy it; it should be no problem."

"After I hung up the phone just now, I happened to call our father and asked him to close the shop early in the afternoon to help me buy a train ticket. I'll see when the train is later, and then I'll prepare to take a bus from the county."

Lin Xiuqing was a bit stunned when she heard him say he was going to take a bus from the county to the city.

"You've suddenly become so frugal that I'm not used to it. Did you take the wrong medicine, or did you do something you feel guilty about?"

"No, I'm just thinking that we've spent too much money lately. Save where you should save, and spend where you should spend. Walking a bit and taking a bus makes it look like we've spent almost all our money. Otherwise, there were still disgusting people coming to our door a few days ago asking us to help support their child's tuition."

"Even if you walk to the city now, no one will think we're poor."

"It's fine. I just thought if it's not that rushed, I'll just take the bus myself. I always call Zhou Shu because he has to deliver goods to the city anyway, but now there's no need for that. Bus fare is also very expensive, and we really have been spending money lately. After the house is finished, we have to build the workshop, all of which will cost a large sum, and the final payment for the boats is due soon too."

Mainly, riding the tractor makes my butt hurt; the whole way it's bouncing up and down, and people are always being thrown off the seat for dozens of kilometers.

"It's good that you can think that way."

"Of course, I've always been planning for this family."

"It's better to call Zhou Shu less when going to the provincial capital. After all, we're going to buy a tractor, and we won't have money to let him earn anymore."

"There's no need to think that way. We've always been supporting his business in the past. After we buy the tractor, he'll at most feel a little regret. Once we have a tractor, are we afraid we won't be able to make money?"

"Hmm, I was just saying."

Ye Yaodong didn't talk to her anymore, just looked upward. The roof had already been mostly dismantled, leaving a hollow space in the middle. The nylon bag stretched above was also filled with quite a bit of fallen broken tiles and mud-sand powder.

At this moment, the workers were carrying a crossbeam about fifteen or sixteen centimeters in diameter, tied with a rope, and they were about to lift it up from both ends at the same time.

When laying the floor, there must be a row of crossbeams across the middle. This was all technical work, and he didn't know how to do it, so he could only watch from below and help with moving and lifting.

The neighbors, from initially watching, were now completely uninterested. Apart from the people working, only their own family members stayed in the courtyard to watch—oh, and there was also Ye Xiaoxi playing with sand.

Ye Yaodong saw that she had dug a big hole in the sand pile, and then casually grabbed a spotted dog from the dogs squatting nearby watching her play. She kept patting its butt with a shovel, calling out, "Sit... sit..."

The other dogs squatting there watching immediately scattered like birds and beasts, retreated a few steps, and then walked to the side to avoid her.

The spotted dog lingered there without moving. She even went to hug its two front legs, wanting to drag it into the sand pit, but she couldn't drag it, and she was muttering something.

"Stupid... Flower... Walk... walk..."

The spotted dog's head twisted left and right, looking around. Seeing that no one was managing it, it had to climb up and obediently walk while looking around, forced to walk into the pit.

Ye Xiaoxi was extremely satisfied with its compliance and even patted its dog head. "Good, good~ Sit... sit..."

The spotted dog had to honestly squat in the pit.

She was happy and immediately took the spatula to keep digging sand and sprinkling it on its body, one shovel after another, until she was exhausted and slumped on the ground, panting, and then she threw the shovel away.

However, when the spotted dog wanted to come out, she would still scold it and not let it come out.

Even though it had already lifted one dog paw, it could only shrink back and squat down, whimpering twice.

Ye Yaodong shook his head as he watched. She couldn't even speak clearly yet, and she was already annoying people and dogs. What will she be like in the future?

He walked over, squatted to the side, and said to her, "The dog is so big, how are you going to bury it? It might be simpler if you bury yourself."

"No."

She looked around the courtyard, and then her eyes lit up. "Coo coo coo..."

Making cooing sounds with her mouth, she stepped with her short legs, preparing to run toward the chickens in the corner.

Ye Yaodong hurriedly grabbed her collar. "Stop making trouble. One minute it's the dog, the next it's the chickens. Chickens aren't easily scared, and they aren't that obedient. If you chase them twice, they won't lay eggs these two days, and you won't have eggs to eat either."

"Want to play, want to play~" She twisted and struggled.

He picked her up and held her in his arms. "Let's go, I'll take you to catch crabs and dig for shells. You can put the crabs and shells in the sand and bury them to play; the crabs will keep moving."

"Okay, okay."

It was just changing to another place to play with sand, and there were various different sea creatures on the beach, so of course she thought it was good.

Lin Xiuqing, of course, preferred to be out of sight and out of mind; it was better to take her away quickly.

Anyway, she was already covered in it, so she wasn't afraid of getting dirtier. As long as someone was watching, she didn't care, as long as she wasn't swaying in front of her eyes; otherwise, she would want to beat her to death.

This little girl was even naughtier than the two boys when they were little.

While Ye Yaodong took her to the beach to play with sand and catch small crabs, he also dug half a bucket of clams. He was lucky and caught two or three jin of sand worms to add to their meal in the evening, and also caught a small stone crab, breaking off its big claw for her to play with.

Other people's toys when they were little were all kinds of small gadgets they made themselves; her toys, besides dolls, were all shrimp and crabs.

Ye Yaodong took her to play on the beach until she kept yawning, then carried her back to let Aqing give her a bath, preparing to take her back to the old house for a nap.

Who knew, by the time he carried her to the door of the house, she was already asleep on his shoulder. During the whole bath, she didn't even open her eyes, soft and limp, swaying from side to side.

She played too hard and used up too much energy.

Lin Xiuqing saw the child was asleep and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's asleep, finally quiet. Only when she's asleep does she look the cutest."

"An angel when asleep, a devil when awake?"

"Pretty much. When she's awake, she never stops. She has so much energy, moving all day long. If you don't let her go out, she can make the chickens fly and the dogs jump just in the courtyard."

"You take her to the old house for a nap. I'll watch here, and wait for Dad's call in the afternoon to see if he'll call earlier."

"That's fine. I'll come back when it's time to cook snacks later."

"It doesn't matter. Aren't there Dasao and Ersao? Knowing you have to watch the child, they will also take on a bit more."

"Still have to help."

"Don't you have me? Go."

With a big, strong man like him here, where would she need to busy herself?

Ye Yaodong looked at the pillar by his feet, which was thicker than his thigh, and also took off his outer garment, wearing only a vest to help carry it.

Building a house now really relies entirely on human labor to move and lift; there isn't a shadow of machinery. Working out at sea is more comfortable than helping build a house at home.

He worked while waiting for the call. It wasn't until dusk that someone from the village committee came to call him to answer the phone.

His father-in-law had been queuing all afternoon, and only then did he manage to buy him a train ticket for 8:00 AM the day after tomorrow.

He nodded happily, but after hanging up the phone, he realized that if it was a ticket for 8:00 AM the day after tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to take a bus to the city. He would still have to call Zhou Shu as usual, otherwise, he would have to go over the night before to spend the night.

Where is it as comfortable as one's own home when out? After thinking about it, he could only walk toward Zhou Shu's place to make an appointment for the car early in the morning the day after tomorrow.

Lin Xiuqing, who had initially heard him say he was going to take the bus to the county and then to the city, thought he was abnormal and had taken the wrong medicine. Now that she heard he had already made an appointment for the tractor, she felt he was normal again.

He didn't seem like the type of person who could save money.

At night, the couple lay in the open-air room, covered with a thick quilt, looking at the sky full of stars. Although they had slept like this for several nights, looking at the starry sky every night still felt strange.

Fortunately, the two boys had been sent to sleep at the old house recently; otherwise, they would probably be excitedly screaming every night before falling asleep.

For example, this time, the scolding kept coming from next door, and the children's excited talking finally quieted down.

For the first few nights, besides Ye Xiaoxi, the children from their families also slept at the old house.

It was just rare to have so many gathered together. At night, they were all curiously noisy, talking and not sleeping. Ye Mu thought it was too noisy to have so many together, so today she drove three of them back to separate them.

Ye Yaodong felt that after they slept here watching the stars tonight, tomorrow everyone would want to come home to watch the stars and sleep.

"Aqing, it seems we haven't watched the stars together."

"Busy all day long, who has the leisure to watch the stars and the moon? They can't be eaten as food."

"Now we can watch the stars together, and we can sleep while watching the stars." He hugged his wife in his arms.

"It's still a bit chilly in the open air. Keep the quilt covered well; don't just focus on watching the stars. You even untied the nylon cloth; having a nylon cloth overhead can at least block the wind."

"There's wind at night. If we don't untie it, when the wind blows, the room will be full of scattered mud, sand, and dust. It's better to untie it. Anyway, it's not hard to tie it back tomorrow. Covering with a cotton quilt is fine even if it doesn't rain. It's not particularly cold in October now. It's just right to finish building the house before the temperature drops to get through the winter."

As Ye Yaodong was talking, his hands were also a bit restless.

They had been building the house for several days, and they hadn't done anything for several days.

He was a strong young man in his twenties, in the prime of his life, full of energy. It was one thing if his wife wasn't by his side, but now she was lying right next to him, within reach, so how could he still hold back?

Lin Xiuqing also felt his body temperature rising as he pressed against her. She moved inward and lowered her voice to the lowest level.

"Don't mess around. It's open-air now without a roof; the neighbors can hear even the slightest movement. Listen, the neighbors are still whispering."

"Do you think our soundproofing is that good usually? Can't we always hear the sound of the big bed next door shaking? Who knows, maybe they are just like us right now, discussing whether to do it or not."

"Shh... keep your voice down..."

"You should tell me to be gentle."

"No, it's the dead of night now, and there's no roof. You can make a sound just by turning over that everyone can hear."

"That's even more exciting... hiss... don't pinch... if you're afraid of making noise, we'll go to the ground, that way it won't happen."

"Stop messing around, wait until the house is built..."

"It will take a month to wait for the house to be built. Do you want me to hold it in for a month? I'll explode. What if I hold it in and break something?"

"But it will be heard..."

"You just don't scream..."