Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

In just a moment, Father Ye had already imagined the scene of living with his youngest son and having to work until his last breath. He thought to himself that he would rather live alone.

"Dad, I truly mean it!"

"I believe you, I'll have to work until I'm eighty!"

"Don't believe me then, but you have to work until you're eighty too! My grandma is eighty years old and she's still growing vegetables!"

Father Ye angrily retorted, "If I live with you, I'll have a short life and die from anger. I probably won't live to be eighty."

"Oh, well," Ye Yaodong shrugged. "In that case, there's no other way. I'll move out and let you live a long life! Choose either eldest brother or second brother to live with you and take care of you here!"

Knowing full well that his father had planned for three houses, he deliberately said those words out of spite.

Both Eldest Sister-in-law Ye and Second Sister-in-law Ye's expressions instantly turned sour, but they didn't dare to openly express their unwillingness.

Could it be that Father Ye couldn't see through their thoughts? He simply chose not to bring it up.

Mother Ye was busy feeding her grandson, so she remained silent and didn't say anything. However, her heart felt cold at that moment.

She considered herself to have treated her three daughters-in-law equally well. She had taken good care of them during their confinement period and had even helped take care of their children. But in the end, it turned out that only the wife of the youngest son was willing to live with them!

Actually, the previous night before going to bed, she had discussed with her husband about directly building three houses. Their current old house was also in a dilapidated condition, and they were only in their 50s. If they were to live for another 20 or so years, it was unlikely that the house would be suitable for living.

After they pass away, they can simply let the three brothers sell the land and divide the money. There would be no need to worry about choosing which son to live with. As long as they are still capable, they don't need their sons to support them. If their sons willingly show filial piety in their daily lives, they can just accept it.

Who would have known that with such a spontaneous probing, Father Ye could see through the thoughts of the two daughters-in-law? Fortunately, both sons turned out to be good and even the third daughter-in-law is also a good one.

The children at the table didn't dare to interrupt the adults' conversation. They kept their heads down and ate silently, and once they finished, they immediately got off the table and went to play, unaware of the adults' concerns.

The three daughters-in-law finally sat down, but none of them had the appetite to eat. They were all waiting for Father Ye to speak.

Father Ye was also feeling unhappy inside, but he couldn't vent his anger on his daughters-in-law. He simply glared at his three sons and stated firmly, "Inform the commune that we've decided to build three separate houses, one for each of you. Your mother and I don't need you to take care of us; we're still capable of taking care of ourselves."

He was truly causing unnecessary discomfort for himself, if only he had said directly to build one house per person, things would have been much simpler!

With those words spoken, both Eldest Sister-in-law Ye and Second Sister-in-law Ye breathed a sigh of relief and their faces lit up with smiles.

At this point, even Eldest Brother Ye and Second Brother Ye couldn't be oblivious to their wives' subtle intentions. They stared at them with a hint of displeasure.

"Alright, let's eat quickly. After finishing the meal, Eldest and Second, come with me to hire workers and buy sand."

Mother Ye also said, “I’ll also go and find someone to determine an auspicious day before starting the construction."

"Um."

The rest of the people at the table, except for Ye Yaodong and the old lady, were affected and had fluctuating moods. However, Ye Yaodong remained cheerful and even happily served fish to the elderly lady.

The old lady has no teeth and can only eat fish!

"Grandma, when I earn money, I'll buy you dentures, and then you'll be able to eat anything!"

"Ai, good, good~" Grandma was delighted by his coaxing and smiled with joy.

Everyone had the same thought in their minds, god knows when?

However, with his actions, the atmosphere at the table became more relaxed.

After finishing his meal, Ye Yaodong pushed his bowl aside and reached for the sea melon seeds. He believed that they were more suitable as a snack to accompany drinks rather than as a side dish for the meal. Plus, peeling the shells with one hand was too troublesome. He usually saved them to enjoy as a post-meal snack.

Unfortunately, there was no alcohol at home, and even if there was, they wouldn't let him have any!

So he was self-aware and didn't bother asking, to avoid getting snapped at!

But, even so, he was still scolded...

Just as he reached out to take a few, his mother slapped his hand away.

"After finishing your meal, get off the table. Why are you reaching for more food? Can't you save some for later? Do you always have to finish it all in one sitting? If you eat everything now, what will you have for dinner?"

Suddenly going from being the grandfather to the grandson, damn, the generation gap feels quite big!

Ye Yaodong, biting the tip of his chopsticks, said with frustration, "We dug enough this morning to last until tomorrow. Can't we go digging in the sea again tomorrow? Why worry about not having enough of this?"

"You're going digging?"

"If I go, I'll go. Didn't I go in the morning as well?"

As Mother Ye was about to say something, the old lady expressed her concern, saying, "It's scorching hot out there, be careful not to get too much sun tomorrow. Remember to wear a hat when you go, so you don't get sunburned. I'll brew a pot of tea for you to take with you, quench your thirst."

Father expressed his dissatisfaction, "It's just going to the seaside, how much sun can there be? We used to be out in the boat all day long, exposed to the sun, and we never complained. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

Ye Yaodong: It's unfair... He didn't say anything, did he?

“You're already used to doing laborious work, while Yaodong is still young and delicate. Can you compare? He already said he'll go digging tomorrow, so what's wrong with letting him eat a bit more now? It doesn't cost anything either.”

Father Ye also felt powerless towards the old lady, "Just indulge him then!"

"Being able to eat is a blessing. As long as our children are healthy and safe, it's all that matters. Let Yaodong eat, if he likes it, let him eat more. After he finishes, we can go and dig more tomorrow."

"Ah."

His parents looked at him with disapproval, and no matter how he looked at it, he felt uncomfortable. He wondered how he had been able to shamelessly ignore their disapproving gazes in the past and continue doing things his own way.

Anyway, now he couldn't do it, couldn't continue eating. He took a few bites and then promptly got up from the table.

After gargling, he tossed the ladle aside and noticed two large pots of sand clams on the stove, with their shells open and tentacles extending outward. There was also half a bucket of water on the ground, with tentacles sticking out of it as well.

With more people, the harvest was indeed substantial. They managed to dig up so much in just three hours. However, with a large family to feed, the supply wouldn't last long. It was probably only enough for two or three days.

"Mom, did you bring back seawater to raise them?"

“Otherwise?”

He obediently shut up!

If he said that it’s okay to use salt mixed with tap water, he will definitely be criticized again!

They are now using coarse salt, which has been handpicked and sold by others. It's not cheap either. How could his mother possibly use salt to dilute water and raise sand clams? She would rather walk for ten minutes to the seaside and bring back a bucket of seawater to raise them.

"You go away, I'll find a rag."

Ye Yaodong was pulled by his wife, so he didn't stay in the house. He directly carried the armchair and sat under the shade of a tree near the door.

Just as he had barely settled into the armchair, and before his legs could even shake a couple of times, he saw his eldest and second uncles arriving at the door again.

Are they not giving up?

"Oh, what wind blew my eldest and second uncles here again? Damn southeast wind! Have you had your fill?"

Second Uncle Ye's mouth twitched slightly, "We have already had our fill of the northwest wind, no need to eat the southeast wind!"

Ye Yaohua was rinsing his mouth with a ladle at the door, and upon hearing those words, he choked and started coughing violently. It's really... really... impressive how they could respond like that…

Ye Yaodong also looked at his second uncle in astonishment. He was impressed by how quick-witted he was, responding so swiftly.

(end of this chapter)