MMB Chapter 1688 The Eight Trigrams (Edited at the end of each chapter)
Chapter 1688 The Eight Trigrams (Edited at the end of each chapter)
Chapter 1688 Gossip (Edited at the end of the chapter)
Ye Yaodong watched her reach here and there, sometimes reaching up, sometimes crawling under the bed...
"I've hidden them all separately. 50 is too much; I need to find several places to hide it..."
He couldn't help but laugh when he saw it. "You're like a hamster, hiding a little here and a little there. Where did you even hide?"
Lin Xiuqing also found it funny, "Isn't that right? It's because there's too much cash. If it were all hundred-yuan bills, it wouldn't take up so much space. 50 yuan would only be 50 stacks. Now it's a national unity, 50 yuan would be 500 stacks. I think you'd have to use a sack to carry it all."
Ye Yaodong opened the combination lock box and put the hundred-yuan bills inside first.
"Let's fill this up first. It's worth over 100,000 yuan. This box is enough to hold it, and we can even fit some more 'big coins' (units of currency)."
"Then you can stack them neatly first and count them. Anyway, a stack of 100-yuan notes is 10,000, and a stack of 'Great Unity' notes is 1000. I'll count them neatly, tie them together with rubber bands, and store them."
"Fortunately, there are 100-yuan notes available in recent years, which makes things much more convenient."
"Isn't that right? The denominations are too small and the quantity takes up too much space. I guess the government saw that the economy has been doing well in recent years and everyone has made money, so they issued the hundred-yuan note."
"Even the most people can't make money from a fart. Most people are still struggling to earn two or three hundred yuan a month, which is already considered very good. Only a minority of people actually make money."
Lin Xiuqing dared not refute.
The couple searched the room one by one, counting the contents, and after filling the briefcase, they had to get a burlap sack to put the rest in.
Ye Yaodong stared at the large opening in the sack and pondered, "Why not just put everything in the sacks, carry them onto the ship, and carry them to pick up the car? That would save us the trouble of carrying both sacks and suitcases, since we'd be putting everything in sacks anyway."
Lin Xiuqing thought about it and agreed, "Then you should put more in the sacks, that way it'll be safer."
He then took the money out of his suitcase and put it into a sack.
When I pick it up, the shape seems quite obvious?
"How about we put a tattered sheet or blanket inside to cover it up? The traces of money here are quite obvious."
Lin Xiuqing took a look and agreed.
The couple poured the banknotes onto the bed, then used a torn sheet to wrap the banknotes before putting them in a sack.
Ye Yaodong thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you have any broken copper or iron, or any broken pots or pans at home?"
"Huh? What are you going to do with this?"
Lin Xiuqing couldn't keep up with his train of thought.
"There's still room, so we can put a couple of things in there, like scrap metal."
"What?"
"That way, if a thief tries to steal something, the clanging sound of these broken pieces of metal will startle them and make us more alert."
She gave him a thumbs up, "You're so smart."
"Of course, that's what I did when I first started out in Zhou City. Every day, I would collect the money I earned and stuff it into the pots and pans in the sack. People with guilty consciences would definitely be scared when they hear the noise."
"That's right, I'll go look for it."
While Ye's parents were busy outside, they watched Lin Xiuqing rushing in and out.
"What are you doing? It's almost noon, come and lend a hand! In broad daylight, what are you two whispering about? You're going in and out so often, first you were looking for tattered clothes and rags, now you're looking for scrap metal."
She leaned closer and whispered, "A-Dong and I are preparing the money. We're going to the city to pick up the car the day after tomorrow morning."
Mother Ye suddenly realized and lowered her voice, "Then you two go ahead with your work. Your father and I will take care of things here. Today is New Year's Eve, and tomorrow is New Year's Day, so we need to start preparing in advance. I'll go find some scrap metal for you. What do you need this for?"
She explained it to him, and Ye's mother praised Ye Yaodong for being smart.
While rummaging through the items, he said, "His mind works so fast, no one can compare to his."
After the couple had packed all the money and confirmed that everything was in order, Ye Yaodong tied the opening of the sack with hemp rope and then stuffed it under the bed.
Ye Xiaoxi played by the door and wouldn't leave no matter who called her. When the peddler came, she still had to keep her eyes on the door while buying things.
She couldn't wait to run up to Ye Yaodong until he came out of the house.
"Boss, your snail shell is here!"
"Where did you get so many tricks from? Go, your mother wants you to bring back a bottle of soy sauce."
Ye Yaodong handed her the bottle and two yuan, saying, "You can earn the rest."
Ye Xiaoxi took the bottle and two yuan, then turned and called out, "Twins, come here."
The twins had just bought malt candy and were happily licking it when they heard her call, so they immediately came running over.
"What's wrong, cousin?"
"Hey, go get my mom a bottle of soy sauce. Here's two yuan. If you have too much, you can buy some candy."
"Okay!" The two of them happily grabbed a bottle and money, and hurried off to buy soy sauce.
Ye Xiaoxi looked at Ye Yaodong with a grin.
Ye Yaodong said helplessly, "I'm ordering you around, and you're ordering your cousins around too?"
"Of course, you guys used to always say the youngest errand boy, but I'm not the youngest now. Besides, I need to keep an eye on you and wait for them to bring the soy sauce back."
"People are as big as little devils."
Ye Yaodong flicked her forehead, went inside to say something, and then went out to play cards.
With so many people busy at home, he, a grown man, doesn't need to follow around. Since he's finally back on vacation, he naturally wants to relax with friends.
I should also tell them that we should go to the city together early on the second day of the Lunar New Year. If the transaction can be completed that day, we can settle the money that day, drive the car back to the factory, and then drive it back early on the third day of the Lunar New Year.
After all, counting 50 is troublesome, especially since he has a lot of unpaid bills in his account...
Ye Xiaoxi came running over, following right behind him as usual.
It would be even better if her dad went to play cards; she could play alongside him and collect a cut...
If I make money, I can give her two tickets; I'll give her two tickets every time I make a profit...
Cool!
His friends had already gathered in front of A-Guang's house to play cards. Since there were no elders at A-Guang's house, they were relaxed and could do whatever they wanted.
Ye Xiaoxi was even happier when she saw that she was going to her aunt's house. It was close by, and she would get money and have fun.
When Ye Yaodong arrived, there were no seats left. A Guang, Fatty, A Zheng, and Xiao Xiao had already made up a table.
"Damn it, you guys played cards without inviting me."
The fat man didn't even look up and said, "Who didn't call you? It's just that you weren't home. We came here as soon as we woke up."
Ah Zheng: "Exactly, who knows where you've gone."
Ye Yaodong: "Whoever wins, stand up and give it to me, so I can win a little for the New Year."
Ah Zheng: "Stand up and find someone else, maybe we can change our luck. If we lose, we'll win it back from you."
"As soon as I heard you say that, I knew you were talking about that one."
"My grass..."
"It's Chinese New Year, be civilized. It's obvious you've won by a small margin, so get up and let me hit you for a bit."
Xiao Xiao was slightly surprised, "How did you know I won? The amount of money on everyone's table was about the same!"
"A dog that bites doesn't bark, and a winner won't make a sound."
"Damn it."
"I'll give you some fuck, get up now."
Just then, he finished playing all his cards, so Ye Yaodong quickly pulled him up and sat down himself.
Ye Xiaoxi added from the side, "Grandpa is so old."
Ye Yaodong quickly patted his pocket, took out two coins and gave them to her, telling her to go play somewhere else and not get in his way.
She happily accepted it, knowing that following her father meant she would get money.
I'll come back and check again in a bit!
Ye Yaodong sat down to play cards and casually mentioned to them that he had gone to the city to drive a car with them on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Several of them wanted to go along, saying they wanted to see what it was like and would have experience when they bought their own cars.
They were also curious about how much the car cost and how they drove it back, so they talked about the car while playing cards.
He figured they'd all be going tomorrow anyway, so he might as well tell them the truth sooner rather than later.
"What?! 40!"
"Fuck..."
"My dear..."
"40... My God, I can't even afford 40 for my boat, and you've already spent 40 on a car? Damn it, I'm going to beat the landlord!"
"Shh, keep your voice down. I'm only telling you the truth. I won't talk about the price with other people."
Ye Yaodong also took the opportunity to explain why the two cars were so different.
He also needs to go out to discuss business frequently, so buying a better car is quite necessary.
Do other bosses treat him the same way if he drives a Mercedes versus a Santana?
It's the same principle as whether a beautiful woman should pursue a Santana or a Mercedes.
All four of them were envious.
However, their success, achieved step by step, is evident to all, and they are even influenced by him to be where they are today.
"Although this Mercedes is quite expensive, you don't deserve to drive something so expensive."
“40 is like a death sentence for us, but it’s a piece of cake for Dongzi. We’re not surprised at all.”
"That's true."
Ye Yaodong calmly said, "Once you earn more money, buying a Mercedes-Benz in a few years will be as easy as drinking water."
"Really? If I can't afford one in a few years, will you buy me one?"
Ye Yaodong kicked him, "You damn fatso, you've made a fortune, you're rolling in money, and you still have the nerve to tell me you're getting a replacement? Go buy me one someday."
The fat man shook his head vigorously. "No way, my wife would never agree. 40 yuan for a useless little car? She could slap me to death."
"You become timid when you go home?"
"Shhh."
Xiao Xiao helped change the subject, "Chen Wei and Haozi are back, did you know?"
Ah Zheng said, "I heard about it this morning. I heard that some people were so bored that they went straight to someone's house. The wife at home treated them like royalty and welcomed them into the house."
Ah Guang said, "Everyone's back for the New Year, so at least let's have a peaceful holiday."
Xiao Xiao: "That's what they say."
The fat man asked in confusion, "When I came over just now, I heard that Rat's wife wanted him to go and get their marriage certificate again this afternoon, but he refused and they started arguing. She accused him of keeping a vixen outside and abandoning his wife at home."
"Maybe you're late, is there anything else?" Xiao Xiao asked immediately.
"The rat told her that she was divorced and was no longer his wife. He said if she wanted to stay, there was no possibility of getting a new marriage certificate; if she didn't want to, she should just pack her bags and get out."
"His wife started crying and making a scene, telling him to just not come back, that way he wouldn't have to see her anymore, and that he could just give her money."
"Then before Haozi could say anything, his mother slapped him and cursed her as a jinx, saying that she was wailing during the New Year because her son hadn't come back for several years and was finally coming back for the New Year this year, and she was telling him not to come back."
"Tell her to leave if she wants, and if she doesn't, she should stay home and raise the children quietly, and not interfere in her husband's affairs outside. If she keeps nagging, send her back to her parents' home; she can't stay here."
Everyone was somewhat surprised when they heard this.
Ye Yaodong asked in confusion, "This has caused quite a stir, how come it hasn't spread? Has no one gone to see the excitement? My mother is still at home making arrangements."
"That's because his wife immediately gave in and didn't dare to say a word, afraid of being sent back to her parents' home. What kind of man can a woman in her thirties or forties marry if she's sent back to her parents' home? She might as well stay here and take care of her son. Besides, does a common-law marriage even count?"
“A few years ago, none of us had marriage certificates, and we were all doing just fine. I guess everyone saw that their family had suddenly quieted down and there was no more noise, so no one went to investigate; it was just the neighbors watching.”
"I happened to pass by the small shop on my way here and overheard everyone talking about it in great detail."
Even during the Lunar New Year, several tables were set up in front of the small shops, with people playing cards and mahjong. It was quite lively, practically the center of the village.
His family's small workshop was closed for the Chinese New Year, and the village's intelligence center was also relocated.
"It's almost Chinese New Year, everyone in the village has come back, and it's much more lively now."
"That's right. If we had come back a few days earlier, we probably would have been watching a big show every day."
Just as they finished talking about this, Pei Dongqing came over, greeted them with a natural smile, and then went to help Ye Huimei prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
The fat man winked at Ye Yaodong and said, "Dongqing is getting married, did you know?"
Ye Yaodong was surprised for a moment, then calmly said, "If you're going to get married, then you're going to get married. You're getting on in years. If you don't get married soon, you'll be 30 and an old maid. In two years, we might both be grandfathers."
Ah Guang couldn't help but twitch his lips. "A grandfather in his thirties, how could you say that?"
"How is that impossible? My older brother will turn 40 after the New Year, but he's only 39 in real age. How can he not be a grandfather in his thirties?"
"Hey, aren't you curious about who Dongqing is going to marry?"
Ye Yaodong kicked him, "You fatso, watch yourself. What do I care who she marries? Her brother is here."
But he really didn't know, and was actually a little curious about who she was going to marry?
When I got back yesterday, Ye Xiaoxi kept me occupied, so I went straight to sleep. I didn't have much of a chat with Aqing, except for some recent updates during dinner.
I've been busy since I got up this morning and only just now had some free time to play cards.
Ah Guang coughed and then said, "Dongqing still married Liu Zhigang, the man she got engaged to a few years ago. He was released before the new year and knew that Dongqing hadn't married for so many years. He thought she was waiting... oops, she was waiting for him. So he started pursuing Dongqing again, all the way to the city. Dongqing went along with it and agreed."
“I only found out after I came back and heard it from Huimei. Because my father and I weren’t home, the two of them started dating. After we came back, the two families re-arranged the marriage.”
"Because the two of them are both quite old, they decided to get engaged and married on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year. They will also have an extra wedding banquet."
Ye Yaodong felt he had to say something.
"It's good that you're married. You're finally married. Your dad can finally relax. Otherwise, he would be cursing you all the time during the New Year."
"Yes, it's only because we can't arrange marriages now that my dad has made her marry someone else. But she's so stubborn, she's held on until now, and she's finally willing to marry someone."
Ah Zheng said, "It's a good thing. Anyway, his family is well-off. It's just that he's been to jail before, it's not a big deal. But didn't they say he was going to be sentenced to more than ten years?"
Ah Guang said, "They said his family put in a lot of effort and spent a lot of money, and he behaved well in prison, so his sentence was reduced a lot, and he was released in just over three years."
Ye Yaodong: "That's good. It'll only be three years, but then the child won't be able to take the civil service exam or join the army."
Ah Guang: "Why bother taking the civil service exam or joining the army? You don't even have a child yet, and you're already thinking about taking the civil service exam or joining the army? If you have money at home, wouldn't it be nice to stay home and be a boss?"
"That's the truth."
"It's good that she got married. She's so old, she should get married quickly. It will save her the trouble of going through all that trouble and she can just become a boss's wife."
"Yes, it's also because we didn't sever ties after he went to jail, but instead ran around helping him. Dongqing had been single for a long time, and when he heard about it after he got out, he went straight to the city to look for him, so he's finally settled down. I just hope the tenth day of the lunar month comes soon."
Ah Guang suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Ye Yaodong: "By the way, Dongzi, you drove your car back on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Isn't this perfect? Can you lend your car to my sister as her wedding car? It doesn't have to be a Mercedes-Benz, a Santana will do."
"It's okay to use it as a wedding car, as long as you trust my dad's skills. Go talk to him in advance and see if he dares to take the job."
“I’ll talk to Dad about it later and we’ll marry her off in style. That way, I can finally put my mind at ease.”
"Well, if my dad dares to drive it, he'd probably be happy to."
This was quite a spectacle. These days, only Ahai and Chenghe at the beginning of the year got married in a car in the countryside, and the surrounding villages talked about it for more than half a year.
"I'll give Dad a big red envelope then, and I'll give you one too, so you can share in the joy."
"Let's talk to Dad first."
Five men sat together playing cards and then continued gossiping.
The fat man asked, "Will your dad eat at your house for the New Year, or with Aunt Ma's family?"
“We’ve already separated our families, so let him stay there. My sister will live with me. When she gets married, we’ll move back to our hometown a day in advance, and she’ll leave for her wedding the next day.”
"Your dad finally managed to bring Aunt Ma back during the New Year. Will he bring her up again during the New Year?"
Ah Guang retorted bluntly, "Isn't he too full? He finally managed to bring the person back, and now he wants to take them up again?"
"That's hard to say. What if she throws a tantrum and insists on going with us?"
Ye Yaodong said, "Fatty, I've discovered you have the potential to be a gossip!"
"Damn, I don't believe you guys aren't curious. I'm just asking what you've been thinking."
"Thank you so much, you're asking about gossip and then dragging us into it."
"You're welcome. I asked, and I'll share it with you."
Ye Yaodong said irritably, "The crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide are because the money wasn't paid enough. Once your father paid the child support, he probably wouldn't do that anymore."
“Yes, Dongzi is right. It must be that the child support payment wasn’t agreed upon properly. We still need to have a proper talk and discuss it. Otherwise, if we don’t let her go here, she’ll just follow the cargo ship on her own. Once it happens, it’ll happen again, and then we won’t be able to shake her off, and we won’t even have time to send her back,” Xiaoxiao said.
“What you said makes sense, but it also depends on my dad. If my dad gets so worked up by her that he's thinking of just taking them up with him, then there’s nothing I can say.”
“The old man must be regretting it terribly.” Ah Zheng chuckled. “If he hadn’t gotten married and hadn’t registered his marriage, he would have been living a very carefree life.”
"Now that we've got the marriage certificate and gotten married, it's like he's tied up with a rope. Even if he runs away, the rope can still pull him back."
"Alright, stop talking, don't drag my family into this again," A-Guang said unhappily.
"It's because your family has so many topics to discuss; one or two of them are always the center of attention."
Ah Guang glared at the fat man who was the culprit.
The fat man stopped, knowing when to stop. He couldn't just finish gossiping about his sister and then start gossiping about her father; it would never end.
At this moment, Pei Dongqing also brought out a plate of freshly fried vegetable balls, saying, "They're fragrant and crispy, you should eat them while they're hot."
Ah Zheng smiled and said, "Congratulations! I heard you're getting married."
"Yes, I'll treat you to wedding candy then."
"When I just got back, I heard that your friend Haozi got into a fight with his own son, did you know?"
"Huh?" the fat man said in surprise. "I hadn't heard anything about this when I came here. I only heard that his ex-wife had given in."
The two exchanged information and discovered that the fight with their son had just happened.
"I heard that Haozi's mother was very critical of his wife, and she kept nagging her while preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. His eldest son defended his mother and pushed her, so Haozi slapped him, and then the father and son started fighting."
"Then his son pushed him, and he fell onto the stove. His hand touched the oil pan, and his screams were so pitiful that they were said to break through the roof. The skin on his body was so red and swollen that it could be torn off."
"We just asked Uncle Zhou's tractor to rush them to the hospital. They won't be able to celebrate the New Year again."
“I just came from my hometown and passed through the village. I listened there until I had enough before coming here. It would have been better if I hadn’t come back. As soon as I came back, chaos broke out. I even ended up in the hospital during the Chinese New Year.”
Everyone was deeply moved; they hadn't heard such a commotion in years.
Even though we no longer keep in touch, we don't specifically hope that others are having a bad time or that their lives are chaotic.
You can listen to gossip if you want, but if your hand goes into a vat of boiling oil, you'll still feel terrible after hearing it.
“If they hadn’t come back, they would have given us money and we would have had a peaceful life at home. But now that they’ve come back, they’ve ruined themselves.”
"Did you burn your hand or your fingers?"
"I heard that the palm of the hand touched the side of the pot directly, and then the arm rubbed against the oil pan a little."
"hiss……"
Everyone gasped.
"commit a sin."
"Just hearing about it makes me feel pain."
"If you ask me, these two shouldn't come back. Just send money home. If they come back, it'll cause chaos."
"Seriously... I don't even know how to say this..."
Ye Yaodong said, "It harms both others and oneself. Your son is already so grown up. You have to give your son and his mother face in front of him."
"Yeah, if you can't even manage a family, you're completely finished."
"It's the Lunar New Year..."
"Forget about them, let's not talk about them anymore, let's have our own fun."
P.S.: I made a slight correction. I changed "the son of a mouse was burned" to "the mouse was burned." I didn't think things through last night, so I've corrected it promptly. Please forgive me.