Chapter 1: The Shameless Uninvited Guests

Ye Yaodong stood in the corner of the room, his head throbbing; with no cigarettes to smoke, he could only chew on a straw, watching his eldest and second uncles argue face-to-face with his father and two older brothers until their necks turned red, slapping the table with loud cracks!

He couldn't make sense of it: hadn't he been hired as a deckhand on a large fishing vessel, gone up to the deck on a whim to urinate, been struck by a wave, fallen into the sea, and died?

How was it that upon waking this morning, he had directly returned to 1982?

Damn... miraculous!

He still hadn't fully come to his senses; even the fact that his father had hauled in a net full of large yellow croakers failed to excite him, for the shock of being reborn at twenty-five was simply too great!

I was already sixty-five, yet I've leaped across forty years, turning old age back into youth at twenty-five.

Truly... truly... truly wonderful~

It's actually started over!

It's just a pity that after my death, the boat owner will surely have to pay over a million in compensation, which will benefit those two boys back home.

I wonder whether they'll cry or laugh when they hear the news...

"Third Brother, don't forget that the boat was left by Father; it was only because Mother chose to grow old with you that it was left for your use. We brothers all originally had a share, so the money you get from selling the large yellow croakers must be divided among us."

"Yes, Third Brother, now that you've caught a netful of large yellow croakers, you're acting tough, aren't you? The boat was left by Father; everyone has a share. You can't ignore brotherly affection and swallow it all yourself."

Eldest Uncle Ye and Second Uncle Ye shouted at the top of their lungs, one sentence after another, making Father Ye stare at them in fury.

"Bullshit! Yes, the boat was left by Father, but back then it was nearly scrap, and the engine was broken. You yourselves didn't want it; you demanded cash instead, so you dumped the wreck on me! You even said a broken boat still has three thousand nails that could be sold for a good sum, and since Mother lives with me, you let me take this 'bargain'."

"I'm the youngest; I couldn't argue and had to swallow this silent loss. So what? Now that you see I've spent the last two years gradually repairing the boat, you're getting greedy? No way! I've poured my entire savings into this boat, and just as we've had a successful start, you all show up demanding a share. Where's your shame?"

Second Uncle Ye frowned and said, "Third Brother, when dividing Father's estate, you did indeed get the better deal. This boat is, after all, Father's legacy; we thought that since Mother would live with you, leaving the boat to you would also give her something to remember him by. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better to sell the boat and split the money?"

"You make it sound so noble, talking about 'something to remember him by.' How much do you think selling it as scrap would fetch? The wooden planks on top are worthless, and iron sells for only a few cents per jin? You dumped it on me so you'd have one fewer item to divide in the estate!"

"Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, everyone was present when Grandfather passed away. It was already agreed: you would take the money, and my father would take the broken boat. That was decided by your own discussion. My father saw Grandma wiping her tears, unwilling to sell the boat, so he didn't insist on selling it to split the cash among everyone, accepting this silent loss."

The speaker was Ye Yaodong's eldest brother, Ye Yaopeng, but as soon as he spoke, his eldest uncle scolded him.

"We adults are talking; what business does a junior have butting in!"

"It's my family's money; why can't I speak? We divided the household long ago. My family sells the fish, yet Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle come demanding a share, and now you say I'm not allowed to speak?"

"This is a matter for elders; you have no say in it!"

Standing in the corner, Ye Yaodong felt a headache coming on from listening; frowning, he spat out the straw from his mouth, stepped forward, and rested his elbow on his eldest uncle's shoulder. His eldest uncle was short and squat, making the position perfectly convenient.

He spoke with a ruffian's air: "Eldest Uncle, your words are excessive. This is our home; how can my eldest brother have no say?"

"The large yellow croakers were caught by my father. Did you or Second Uncle go out to sea with us? What face do you have coming here demanding money? Is it because your faces are big?"

"Let's go, let's go! We'll settle this outside. Call all the villagers, call the village head too, to judge this matter and see whether you really deserve a share of the money!"

"If everyone says our family must divide the profits and cannot keep them all, my father is a principled man and certainly won't object!"

Ye Yaodong hooked his arm around his eldest uncle's neck and dragged him outside. Only his father, caring about face and brotherly bonds and unwilling to tear apart relationships, could have endured such haggling for so long.

If it were me, I would have kicked them out long ago. What kind of people are they, shameless and brazen!

But, after all, they are my eldest and second uncles; no matter how rowdy I am, I can't beat them, so I can only use my mouth and drag them out to reason with them publicly.

Eldest Uncle Ye was short, barely over 160 centimeters, while Ye Yaodong stood 180 centimeters tall; with his neck trapped under Ye Yaodong's armpit, Eldest Uncle Ye struggled but couldn't break free, so he could only stumble along as he was dragged outside.

"Let go! Do you think it's proper to lock my neck like some hooligan? I am your eldest uncle!"

"What eldest uncle? Anyone trying to extort money from my family is my enemy. Let's go outside and talk!"

He remembered vividly that in his youth, he had been the village's good-for-nothing, idling every day, messing around with friends instead of doing proper work, with fighting and brawling as common occurrences; only after marriage had he restrained himself.

Dragging an elder like this and speaking so disrespectfully wouldn't seem outrageous to anyone; instead, they would find it quite normal.

But, after all, he was his eldest uncle, and with several more decades of life experience, Ye Yaodong wasn't that wicked anymore; this behavior truly didn't look good.

Ye Yaodong released his grip and switched to pulling, dragging his eldest uncle to the main gate.

Ye Yaopeng breathed a sigh of relief; finally, his third brother had stepped in. He wondered what was wrong; third brother had looked dazed since early morning, not saying a word, remaining silent until now. In the past, his temper would have flared up immediately; how could he have allowed Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle to talk for so long?

"Folks, folks, come quickly... mmph mmph..."

Second Uncle Ye hurriedly covered Ye Yaodong's mouth, saying with an awkward smile, "Yaodong, your eldest uncle and I came just to discuss matters with your father. After all, life is hard for everyone; it's normal for brothers to help each other..."

"Yes, we were just discussing with your father. How can we casually talk about our family affairs outside? Quickly let me go, and we'll discuss inside."

Eldest Uncle Ye also felt guilty; if this were said in front of the villagers, they would lose face, especially since the household had been divided two years ago.

Ye Yaodong pulled Second Uncle Ye's hand away from his mouth. "Discuss inside? All morning I've only heard you slapping the table and arguing; my skull is pounding! It's better to speak outside and let everyone hear whether you have any reason. Folks... mmph mmph..."

"Third Brother, aren't you going to control your son?" Second Uncle Ye glared at Father Ye.

"Hmph... Now you know family scandals shouldn't be aired publicly? Speaking outside and letting the villagers judge is fine; otherwise, those unaware might think I gained some huge advantage!"

At this moment, neighbors on both sides gathered around upon hearing the commotion, curiously watching the Ye brothers.

"What's wrong? Didn't you sell over two hundred jin of large yellow croakers yesterday? Weren't you happy?"

"What's going on? Did Yaodong get into a fight again?"

"What has Yaodong done this time?"

"He's already married with children; why is he still so immature..."

Ye Yaodong was speechless; it seemed his image as a good-for-nothing was deeply ingrained in everyone's mind. At the slightest trouble, all fingers pointed at him!

He raised an eyebrow and spoke with a ruffian's tone: "This time I didn't cause trouble; don't blame me. It's someone else who is shameless..."

"Ah... nothing, nothing. Catching large yellow croakers is a good thing; we were just curious how they were caught, so we came to ask and chat. Yaodong just said it was too hot inside and suggested we come outside where it would be cooler..." Eldest Uncle interrupted him, smiling broadly to appease the neighbors.

Second Uncle Ye also smiled awkwardly: "Hehe, we've finished speaking. Since Mother has gone to the fields and isn't home, Eldest Brother, let's head back."

"Yes, let's go back, let's go back."