Chapter 7: Going to the Beach

After Ye Fu went out, Ye Da and Ye Er also headed to the dock to check on the boats.

With the first day of the lunar month approaching, the tide had receded significantly; if a boat ran aground, it couldn't put out to sea tonight, so they needed to inspect the vessels, move them slightly further out, and buy a barrel of diesel to store onboard, since they planned to venture out at night while their luck was high.

The huge catch of large yellow croaker from yesterday was truly exhilarating; they were eager to go immediately, but it was impossible, as the time was too short and going out only to return shortly would just waste money on diesel.

The women at home also took their fishing nets and sat by the doorway, beginning their daily net-mending work.

The difference today was that they were exceptionally energetic; who wouldn't be happy knowing that once the house was finished, they could split the household and move into the new home?

Lin Xiuqing was also very happy; even lips and teeth sometimes clash, let alone sisters-in-law, and since she too desired her own small family, her hands moved even faster as she wove the fishing net.

Their fishing village was called Baisha Village, located far from the county town, requiring over an hour's walk along mountain paths; since women had to care for the household and couldn't go out to work for wages, making fishing nets was the only way for them to earn money.

Although this work paid little, it was light and could be done at home; every woman by the seaside knew how to weave and repair nets, while most men in the village went out to do odd jobs or farm, with only a few owning boats to go sea fishing.

Lin Xiuqing had been married into the family for several years and had learned to make fishing nets; after all, since her husband did nothing, she could only rely on herself to save money.

Everyone had work to do, making Ye Yaodong the idlest one; even the old lady was helping them thread the shuttle needles through the net loops.

He shuffled over, squatted beside his wife, picked up the fishing net she was weaving, and asked curiously, "How many of these gill nets can you weave in a day?"

Lin Xiuqing gave him a baffled look. "Five or six; with the child crying and making trouble, there's no way to do more. Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law can make a bit more."

"Then how much money can you earn in a day with this?"

"A few mao, less than one yuan!"

Ye Yaodong glanced disdainfully at the fishing net and pursed his lips; labor was truly cheap!

Just as he turned to say something, his second son, Ye Chengyang, toddled over and shoved a cucumber smeared with drool into his mouth, startling him so much that he plopped down on the ground and quickly spat it out.

"Ah, ptui~ yue~ Aren't you disgusted? Eating it yourself is one thing, but shoving it into my mouth?"

Ye Mu glanced sideways at him from the side. "Your own son is being filial to you, and you're acting disgusted."

"If you're not disgusted, I'll take a piece of melon, smear it with mouthfuls of drool, and feed it to you! It's your own grandson, don't be disgusted!"

"Don't be gross; how old are you, and how old is he? A nursing baby's drool is clean."

"Touching here and grabbing there all day, stuffing everything into his mouth, how clean can it be?" Ye Yaodong patted his buttocks, stood up, and seeing his son about to step on the fishing net to cause trouble, quickly grabbed him and moved him aside. "Don't be mischievous, or you'll get a beating."

"Don't scare him; he's so small, what does he know? It's rare that you haven't gone out today; just stay home and watch the child properly, letting your wife weave more..."

"Lixiang~ The tide is receding; stop making nets, let's go beachcombing together..."

Ye Mu's given name was Chen Lixiang, and she was the second child in her family; before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted, and looking up, she saw it was her eldest sister calling her.

She was one of those who married within her own village; in those days, every household had many children, and among the four or five hundred households in Baisha Village, half were relatives by some twist of connection.

"The first day of the lunar month is the day after tomorrow; will there be anything to dig up today?" Although she said this, she still stuck the shuttle needle into the fishing net and stood up.

"We'll know once we go look; it won't take long. I heard some people have already gone; hurry up, and I'll go check first."

"Ah, okay, okay," Ye Mu replied, then called out to everyone in the courtyard, "Put away the nets for now; grab your spatulas, tools, and buckets, and let's all go take a look."

At that time, most people orally called it "tao hai" (scouring the sea), while "gan hai" (catching the sea) was used less frequently.

Since Ye Yaodong was idle anyway, he followed behind them as well.

Having been reborn, he hadn't yet gone out to see their little fishing village.

Lin Xiuqing, holding her son, looked at him perplexedly, feeling that he was acting strangely today. "You're not going out today?"

"Where would I go? Do you really hope I go out?"

She turned her head away; who would be happy having a husband idling around outside all day? "No, just asking casually."

"I don't feel like going out today; I'll go beachcombing with you all to see if there's any harvest; it's also been a while since I strolled on the beach."

Indeed, it had been a very long time since he had leisurely walked on the beach; in his previous life, only during the fishing moratorium when he wasn't out at sea would he occasionally take his young grandson to play on the sand.

Lin Xiuqing sized him up, then looked up at the sun shining overhead; had the sun risen from the west? This was truly rare!

Seeing her actions, Ye Yaodong's mouth twitched; what was wrong with going beachcombing with them?

Having come back to life, he wanted to work hard.

He turned his head and stopped speaking, novelty filling his gaze as he surveyed the dilapidated surroundings; forty years had passed, and he had originally become somewhat unclear about what the village looked like in the 80s, but now, looking at it, those memories were awakened.

Underfoot was a gravelly dirt road, difficult to walk on; a single careless stumble could definitely leave your palms and knees bleeding. Weeds grew wildly on both sides of the road, alongside a small ditch, while uniformly short stone bungalows, along with some two-story brick-and-tile houses, were regularly distributed around.

The brick-and-tile houses had been built in recent years; previously, building with stone masonry had been popular, but after 2020, stone houses were rarely seen, and those that remained were plastered with cement putty and painted.

"Sigh~"

"Ah!"

Ye Yaodong was looking around without watching his feet and accidentally stepped on his wife's heel; watching her stumble and fall forward, the child nearly flew out of her arms.

He quickly reached out to pull her, wrapping both her and the child in his embrace.

"Are you okay?"

"What are you doing? Don't you watch where you're walking? It's fine if I fall, but what if the child had fallen?" Lin Xiuqing, still trembling with fear, soothed the child by patting his back; the child was remarkably bold, neither crying nor making a fuss, and appearing unharmed, which relieved her somewhat.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking carefully; this gravel road isn't easy to walk on. Give me the child; I'll carry him."

The sun really must have risen from the west; he actually apologized and voluntarily offered to carry the child. He had been acting abnormally since early morning, and Lin Xiuqing looked at him suspiciously.

"What's wrong with you today?"

Ye Yaodong's heart tightened; indeed, the person sharing your pillow knows you best. Better to take it slow.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, stopped trying to hold the child, and said casually, "Nothing much; Father and Mother have finally knocked some sense into me. Let's go."

Lin Xiuqing: "..."

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and keep up; they've already gone far ahead."

"Oh, oh..."