Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Chapter 2: How much did the big yellow croaker sell for?

This matter is really not easy to talk about. Two years ago, when the old man passed away, the neighbors all came to help with the funeral arrangements and they all knew how the inheritance was divided.

It's been two years since then, and there have been no objections. It's not good to suddenly come out and talk about it just because Father Ye made a lot of money.

If Father Ye and Mother Ye are willing to give them some money, then no one can say anything about it. But if they are not willing, it's not appropriate for them to ask for money in front of others.

Eldest Uncle Ye and Second Uncle Ye were leaving, and Ye Yaodong didn't stop them. He simply let go and allowed them to leave.

He doesn't care whether they will come again or not.

If his dad doesn't agree, can they still dig out anything from their family?

Even if his dad agrees, he and his two brothers are still not willing!

On what basis?

Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the neighbors also dispersed. Ye Yaodong clapped his hands and said to his father and the rest of the family, Alright, let's go back to the house!

As soon as he lifted his leg, a little radish head came wobbling over, hugged his thigh, and sweetly said with two little small teeth showing: "Daddy, hug!"

When his father and uncles were arguing earlier, the women in the family had all taken the younger children back inside to avoid being frightened.

When things quieted down and moved to the doorway, the women also came out with their children.

As he looked at the cute and tender little child, Ye Yaodong couldnt associate him with his dark-skinned second son from his past life.

Pinching his little face, he picked him up and carried him into the house. He hadn't even had breakfast yet.

He slept until the sun was high up in the sky before getting up to have breakfast, and there was no one else in the house besides him!

The whole family is used to it. Ye Yaodong was spoiled by his grandmother, so he couldn't carry anything on his shoulders, couldn't lift anything with his hands, and didn't do anything all day long, and spent his days playing around.

It's fortunate that he didn't have to do any hard labor. With his smooth and delicate skin, he doesn't look like someone from the coast at all, and can easily find a good marriage just based on his appearance.

Otherwise, no woman would marry such a lazy and unskilled person.

As soon as he stepped through the threshold, Ye Yaodong saw a beautiful, short-haired woman walking towards him. "Give me the child, you go eat. The food in the pot is still hot."

Dull and indifferent, it's hard to say that her attitude is warm, he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

This is his wife, named Lin Xiuqing, who is the same age as him and from the neighboring town.

Because everyone in the surrounding area knew that he was idle and didn't work, when he was 20, his parents were afraid that he wouldn't be able to find a wife nearby, so they asked others to introduce him to someone farther away.

They met once during the blind date, and his wife was attracted to his appearance and agreed to marry him directly. However, not long after they got married, she discovered that his true nature...

is just a good-for-nothing who eats and sleeps all day...

Originally, Lin Xiuqing was very happy when she first got married, but gradually she became more and more disappointed with him. However, she didn't divorce him because getting a divorce is a very shameful thing these days.

Some women never consider divorce, even if their husbands abuse them.

Women in the family who don't obey have to be beaten, as if it were a common problem.

Fortunately, he doesn't beat his wife, he's just lazy and doesn't do any proper work. If she works a little harder, they can still get by.

As a result, his wife worked hard and supported him for 30 years...

At the age of 50, she got colon cancer and didn't have enough money for treatment. She passed away at a young age.

When she was lying helpless in bed, he was very anxious. After she passed away, he was completely lost.

The whole family relied on her to support them, and when she was gone, he suddenly realized that his world had become bleak. But life had to go on.

As a result, at the age of 50, he began to work and earn money. Although he had never done any work before, at least he was a person from the seaside, and his family members all worked in the sea. He was able to get a job as a boatman on a large ship.

Unexpectedly, just over a decade later, he couldn't escape the fate of an early death.

Just, he wonders if he accumulated good karma in his past life to have this chance to start over?

After all these years, he had almost forgotten what his wife looked like. Hearing her speak so indifferently, he felt uneasy and stared at her for a while.

She frowned and said, "What are you staring at? Give me the child."

"Um... It's okay, I'll hold him. Have you all eaten?"

Lin Xiuqing was surprised. Since their eldest son had soiled her husband's clothes, he never held a child again. Today, he unexpectedly wanted to hold their younger son, but she didn't stop him.

Weve eaten.

Ye Yaodong followed her into the house while holding the child. She took out a bowl of shredded sweet potato porridge and a small dish of pickled vegetables from the stove.

He had just put the child down and picked up his chopsticks when he heard his father say, "Your uncles are just envious. It's true that you shouldn't show off your wealth."

Sitting next to Ye Yaodong, Ye Yaopeng frowned and said, "But we have no choice but to show it off. When the boat arrives at the dock, everyone can see the shiny golden yellow croakers, and when they buy it, they give us big stacks of cash. The villagers have all seen it."

"What are you afraid of? What are you worried about? The money is in our pockets, how could they possibly take it away?" Ye Yaodong said nonchalantly as he took a bite of the pickled vegetables and crunched on them loudly.

"Is Dad worried that if things really escalate, it will hurt the relationship between eldest uncle and second uncle?" said the second son, Ye Yaohua, who looked a bit simple and honest.

Father Ye didn't respond and instead pinched a small amount of tobacco with his fingers, pushed it into the round hole of the water pipe where the tobacco is put, and then picked up a match from the box and struck it on the side.

He lit the match, and a small flame flickered to life. He held the match close to the tobacco in the water pipe and began to draw slowly, the water pipe gurgling as he smoked

"Where is your grandmother?" he asked after blowing out a cloud of smoke and looking around.

At this time, Mother Ye spoke up, "She went out early this morning, probably to the roadside at the village entrance to see if the corn and vegetables she planted are ripe. She kept talking about them last night, saying they should be ready to eat and it would be a good way to satisfy the little ones' cravings."

"She's already 80 years old, but still can't sit still..."

After finishing his bowl of shredded sweet potato porridge, Ye Yaodong put down his chopsticks and interrupted his father's words. He then directed several older nephews and nieces who looked to be around 5 to 8 years old.

"You little kids, quickly go to the roadside at the village entrance and see if your grandmother is in the field. Bring her back here."

Haven't seen her for decades, he still misses his grandma who loved him the most.

"Okay, Third Uncle!"

The few children obediently and excitedly ran out without minding the hot sun.

Rural children are very tough. They climb mountains and swim in the sea all day long without needing adults to watch over them. Now that summer vacation has just started, they can play as much as they want.

In this era, adults are busy working for their livelihood and food, and they don't have time to supervise the children. So the kids are allowed to freely run around the whole village.

After giving instructions to the kids, seeing his wife come to collect the dishes, he smiled at her and then looked back at his father.

"Dad, how much did we sell that big yellow croaker for yesterday?"

Father Ye glanced at his ill-mannered third son and remained silent. He had already discussed it yesterday, so he didn't know what he was trying to accomplish by asking again.

Ye Yaodong:

He really doesn't remember!

(end of this chapter)

***

It's gonna be tough for Yaodong to convince his family. But hey, you still have to try. Honestly, I can't wait for the wife-pampering saga (if there is one, I'm reading as I translate)