MMB Chapter 1680 Vacation
Chapter 1680 Vacation
Chapter 1680 Vacation
Ye Yaodong counted down the days until his holiday started.
As the due date approached, he urged payment more and more frequently, and became even busier. He was almost never seen from morning till night, only showing up when he woke up naturally to eat in the cafeteria and then dealing with some matters.
His family called him, but no one could answer. They could only tell him to wait for him to call back.
But he doesn't always wake up at the same time every day, so it's not always possible to get the message to him in time.
After receiving the message, he called home, and his two younger children almost caused a huge uproar.
As soon as the call was answered, Ye Chengyang's voice came through.
"Hey, Dad, is that you, Dad?"
"Yes, it's me..."
"Dad, why did it take you so long to call? It's been several days, and we've all been on holiday. Why didn't you call? When are you going to pick us up and take us to your place?"
"I've been too busy lately, I'm not at the factory every day. There are only a few days left until the Chinese New Year, today is around the 11th of the lunar calendar..."
Just as Ye Yaodong was about to flip through the calendar, Ye Chengyang said, "Today is the 17th, we'll have a holiday on the 14th."
"Your brother got a holiday on the tenth of the month and has been at sea for several days. He should be back in a couple of days."
"Has my brother already gone out to sea on vacation? Dad, when are you coming back to pick us up? You promised to pick me up when you have your vacation, and I'll continue working for you."
"They'll all be on holiday and going back home in a few days, so there's no need to go through all that trouble. There are no boats right now, and if you wait a few more days, and then get delayed on the road, you won't be able to do anything when you come here, and you'll have to prepare to go back again."
"Ah..." Ye Chengyang exclaimed in disappointment.
"How did the exams go? Did you get your report cards? Did you get the top five in the class as promised?"
"Yes, I came in fifth place. I even told my mother that if I received your call, I should tell her, but you haven't called back for many days."
“Not bad, you actually ranked fifth. Then we’ll arrange for you to come to Shanghai to study next spring. Since you’re coming up tomorrow after spring starts, it won’t make a difference if we wait a little longer. Next year, you can go to school with your brother.”
"Really?" Ye Chengyang's eyes lit up with hope. "You're really sending me there?"
"Of course, I mean what I say."
"Okay, then I won't go upstairs. I'll just wait for you to come back at home. When are you coming back?"
"I don't know, but I'll definitely be going home for the Chinese New Year."
"Dad, what you're saying is nonsense. If you don't come home for the New Year, what will become of us?"
"Where's your sister? I haven't heard a sound from her."
"She and Xiaoyu have gone off to play somewhere. She keeps saying that you haven't called back, but she's not at home waiting for you. She's always running around."
What score did she get on her final exam?
"She scored 95 in Chinese and 97 in math."
"Hmm, not bad, you've improved."
"Her mother also said that she had made progress and rewarded her with 10 yuan, which made her very happy."
Go and call your mother to answer the phone.
"OK……"
Ye Chengyang placed the phone sideways on the table.
The old lady and her mother were gossiping in the workshop. Lately, they talked most about Old Pei and Aunt Ma, occasionally interspersed with their experiences in Shanghai and Zhoushan.
Ever since the old lady couldn't hold back and blurted out the bombshell, this group of women have been talking about it.
A while ago, there was talk about whether Aunt Ma would be sent back by Lao Pei. But she wasn't sent back, so we know she successfully stayed. Now the gossip has started again, with people saying that if she's sent back for the New Year, she won't be allowed to stay with Lao Pei anymore.
Since no one was in the village, everyone talked freely and openly, without any secrecy.
The old lady could hear clearly without having to get close to anyone.
However, as soon as she heard Dongzi's call, she immediately leaned on her cane and started to walk out, asking anxiously.
"Did your dad just call? Has he hung up? Is he still there?"
"It's not hung up, it's still there. Don't worry, take your time. My mom will go back to pick it up first, and you can pick it up when you get home after she finishes talking."
"Okay, then I'll walk slowly..."
He kept saying he would walk slowly, but his pace was much faster than usual.
Lin Xiuqing ran home first to answer the phone, panting heavily, still catching her breath.
"Slow down, don't rush to speak."
"Have you been very busy lately? You haven't called home for so many days."
"I'm so busy, I haven't even had a proper meal yet. I'm working day and night. I just woke up and heard that you called, so I immediately called back."
"It's nothing much, it's just that I haven't received a call for many days. My two kids are on winter vacation and they keep asking to come see you and call you. They call you every day."
"Yes, I just talked to Yangyang and we'll bring him over after the New Year."
"When are you coming back?"
"The factory arranged for us to have a holiday on the 28th. I'll probably be back on the evening of the 27th. Other fishing boats should be back three or four days earlier."
"Then you won't get home until the 29th?"
"Yes, even if we leave early, we can't leave. The factory workers are all working overtime during the Spring Festival. Only the fishermen can go home early for the Spring Festival. It's good that there are 30 days left this year. It's good that we can get home the day before New Year's Eve. So many people are too busy to go home for the Spring Festival this year."
"Ok."
Lin Xiuqing then remembered that Ye Xiaoxi wasn't there and added, "I wonder where your daughter has gone. She didn't answer your call today. She'll be furious when she gets back."
"It's freezing cold, is there any sun in the house? Running around everywhere, sweating and getting chilled in the wind, she's likely to catch a cold. You should keep an eye on her and keep her at home watching TV."
"You yourself are worried that she'll ruin her eyesight by watching TV. You told me before not to let her stay home and watch TV all day, but now that she's out and about, you want her to stay home and watch TV. You're the one who says all the right things."
"What I mean is moderation. Watching TV should be moderate, and running around outside should also be moderate. You can't watch TV all day long and run around outside all day long."
Ye Yaodong didn't argue with her about that, and changed the subject by asking, "How's the house renovation going?"
"It's almost all done. Mom has been cleaning there these past few days. Now all that's left is to buy furniture and appliances. I was thinking of going to take a look when you come back."
"That's good too. Let my mother keep the windows open to let the air out. In a few days, my eldest and second eldest brothers will go back first and take our parents to the city to buy what they need."
"They were originally looking forward to spending the Lunar New Year in their newly renovated house this year, but now it seems they'll have to spend it here again."
"It's alright. Anyway, it's just my mother living alone now. The house was just renovated and needs to be aired out to get rid of the smell. This house is not like our stone house."
"How are your earnings this year, eldest brother and second brother?"
"It's great, pretty good. We should be able to break even after working for a few more months next year. The cost of buying furniture and appliances can be split between the two of us."
"Um……"
The old lady, leaning on her cane, walked in with a slight tremor. "Dongzi hasn't hung up the phone yet, has he?"
"not yet."
"Let me say a few words to him. He can't take this long to call back in the future..."
Before the phone was even close to her ear, she had already started rambling on and on.
They're just nagging about how busy he is, whether he's eating and sleeping properly, and that he should take care of his health and not just focus on making money, etc...
"The New Year is almost here, so come home soon. You've been away all year, so take a few more days off during the New Year and make sure you take good care of yourself..."
Ye Yaodong obediently agreed, and also inquired about her health.
The old man was so easily satisfied; he was happy and beaming with joy after just a few words of concern from Ye Yaodong.
After hanging up the phone, they all seemed quite satisfied, and even went to look at the calendar to see how many days were left before they came back.
I already knew in my mind how many days were left, but I still had to flip through the calendar again to confirm before I could feel at ease.
After finishing reading it, he sighed, "He won't be back until at least the 29th, and the day after he gets back will be the New Year."
"I'm making more and more money, but I'm seeing people less and less. They're getting busier and busier, coming home later and later each year. I don't even know if they'll leave earlier. These days, I hardly spend any time at home all year..."
Lin Xiuqing explained, "It's not later than in previous years. Although I arrived home before the Lunar New Year, I was still busy traveling around and wouldn't be able to see anyone until New Year's Eve. There's not much difference."
"Well, they've already gotten home first..."
"You even stayed there for a month this year."
The old lady nodded. "That's right. Luckily, I spent a month there this year. Big cities are so different. They're much cleaner than our rural area. When we go out, we're always walking on mud, but their roads are all concrete. The buildings are so tall, and there are so many cars. You can see cars driving around everywhere. I've never seen such tall buildings or so many cars in my life..."
She recounted this experience with a look of reminiscence. She had told it countless times over the past few months, but every time someone brought it up, she could enthusiastically tell the story again.
People get more talkative when they get old. Lin Xiuqing's ears are calloused from hearing it so much. She's used to it and doesn't mind it in a good-natured way. But if it were Ye's mother, she would have to interrupt her and tell her to stop reading.
Lin Xiuqing tidied up the house and organized the children's things before going out.
Ye Xiaoxi was sweating profusely and thirsty when she came back outside. When she heard Ye Chengyang say that her father had called back after lunch, she felt terrible.
"Ah! Why didn't you call me!"
“Where am I supposed to go to call you? How am I supposed to know where you’ve gone? If you were nearby, I could call you. I can call for my mother and my great-grandmother anyway.”
“Shout loudly! I’m just playing in the village. Go out and shout for me, I’m sure I can hear you.”
Ye Chengyang turned his head away from her, his eyes fixed on the television screen.
"Mom said that after you come back, you shouldn't go out. Just stay at home and watch TV for a while, otherwise you'll get sick from sweating and being exposed to the wind."
Ye Xiaoxi stomped her foot angrily, "Ugh, how annoying! I didn't answer Dad's call."
"Don't be angry. Dad is very busy. It's almost Chinese New Year, and he's out chasing debts. He can't sleep well and leaves early and comes home late."
She pouted and sat down next to him. "Did my dad say when he's coming back?"
"In a few days, he said he'd take us to Shanghai after the New Year..."
Ye Chengyang explained to her what their father had said, and also told a little white lie.
She said her dad would call back after he finished his work in the next couple of days, and that he already knew her exam results and would praise her when he called back.
After hearing this, she obediently stayed home and watched TV.
The crew members have a 24-day holiday before the Lunar New Year, but some who want to work overtime to earn extra money can stay.
No one in their village wants to stay; they're all rushing home for the New Year. They've been working hard from the beginning to the end of the year, so they don't need to worry about this little bit of money. Conditions have improved in recent years.
Other veterans on the ship have different ideas; some want to go back as soon as possible in their first year, while others plan to stay and work overtime to earn more money.
It also conveniently filled the gaps for those in the factory who didn't want to work overtime.
Everyone should make their decisions and register in advance so that there won't be any problems when the holiday starts.
Fishing boats also returned one after another before the holiday, including the large boats in the DYD fishing grounds.
The factory has a cold storage facility with a considerable amount of stock, so even if there is no fishing for a period of time, the factory is not worried about running out of stock.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, most other factories are also gradually closing for the holidays. They are not operating and do not need to deliver goods, so he has to speed up the collection process. If they close for the holidays, the payment will have to be delayed until next year.
That's the inconvenience. If you had a cell phone, you could call and urge them every day instead of having to go out and ask for it yourself.
When Ye's father returned to the factory, he breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was because of his age, but after spending a few days at sea, he was exhausted and looked much more haggard. His dark face seemed to have even more wrinkles.
Ye Yaodong felt a pang of sympathy upon seeing this, and said, "After this trip, I don't want you to go anymore. You can just stay at the factory."
"It's okay, I'll be back after a good night's sleep."
"Don't push yourself too hard, you're getting old. I'll kill a chicken and take it to the canteen later, and they can cook it for you."
"Why kill the chicken? There's only one rooster left. It needs to be kept to mate with the hen so that the eggs can hatch into chicks."
"Anyway, I'm going home in a few days, so you can catch another one in the spring."
"Keep it, no need to go through all that trouble."
Ye Yaodong ignored him. Since he wasn't allowed to kill a rooster, he decided to kill an old hen instead.
Ye Chenghu, on the other hand, was in high spirits. Young people are indeed healthy. After spending so many days at sea, he was still full of energy. At most, he might look a little haggard and have some dark circles under his eyes from staying up late.
Ye Yaodong also said to him, "Take a rest. Tomorrow you, your grandfather, and your eldest and second uncles will go back first. I will be leaving three or four days later than you."
"Dad, I can go back with you. Anyway, I won't have anything to do back there. I'll help out here and do odd jobs for you. Aren't you very busy? You're out chasing payments every day and not at the factory. If there's anything you need, just tell me!"
Ye Chenghu patted his chest, thinking that he was already an adult and could help, and he also wanted his father to treat him like an adult.
"you sure?"
"Of course, even my uneducated grandpa can help you, so why can't I? I'm a high school student."
"That's fine too. It'll only be a few days later. You can come back with me. Someone can take care of things at the factory for me, like signing documents for your grandpa."
"No problem, I can definitely do it."
P.S.: I'll add another chapter tomorrow during the day; otherwise, I don't think I can write much more tonight.