MMB Chapter 1715 Village
Chapter 1715 Village
Chapter 1715 Return to the Village
Ye Xiaoxi was always thinking about her birthday. Every day when she came in or left the house, she would look at the calendar and ask a couple of questions to confirm it.
On her birthday, she couldn't wait any longer. As soon as she got home from school, she shouted, "Mom, I want to celebrate my birthday!"
"Okay, okay, it's all ready for you."
A small round table was placed in the small room, with a cake, some fruit, and snacks already laid out on it. These were all bought the day before yesterday over the weekend and personally selected by Ye Xiaoxi.
She exclaimed excitedly as she pounced on the table, "Wow! So much food!"
Pei Yu and the twins, who were following behind, followed suit, each occupying a spot and pounced on the table, yelling.
Wow~ a birthday cake~
Wow~ So much delicious food~
Wow~ Happy birthday, sister~
"Haha, it's my birthday, I'm going to make a big wish!"
Lin Xiuqing smiled as she opened the cake and began preparing it for them. Her eagerness showed that she couldn't wait until after dinner when it got dark.
"Mom, light the candles and close the door, I'm going to make a wish!"
Ye Huimei walked at the very back and closed the door behind her.
After the candles were lit, Ye Xiaoxi put her hands together, closed her eyes, and said, "My first wish: Never have homework again!"
Everyone laughed.
"My second wish: May you be blessed so that I can get into university when I grow up!"
"Haha, you don't even want to do your homework, yet you want to go to university?" Ye Chenghu laughed and mocked her.
"Don't laugh!"
Ye Chengyang rested his chin on his hand and said, "If you say it out loud, it won't come true. Your two wishes definitely won't be granted!"
"Nonsense, then I won't say my third wish."
Ye Xiaoxi closed her eyes, ignoring them, and only opened them excitedly after they finished making their vows: "I'm done making my vows!"
"What's the promise?"
"Don't tell you!"
She pouted, took a deep breath, and blew out the candles.
Half of the 10 candles were blown out in one breath, leaving the other half still burning.
"It's over. The candle can't be blown out. Your wish is unlikely to come true. There's at most a 50% chance."
Ye Xiaoxi glared at Ye Chenghu, then continued blowing, and three more sticks were still burning.
"It's over, it's even less likely to happen. It couldn't be extinguished even after two attempts, so there's only a 20% chance left."
"Stop making noise!"
Ye Chengyang also teased, "What kind of wish did you make? It's so difficult! You have to blow out the candles several times."
She puffed out her cheeks and blew again, finally managing to extinguish it, only to have it reignite.
"Haha, it's completely impossible now, let me help you brag!"
Ye Xiaoxi stood on the stool and slapped his pouting mouth directly. "Shut up! You're not getting any cake!"
Lin Xiuqing tugged at Ye Chenghu's collar, "You're such a smart aleck, still teasing her even at your age."
"Blow it out, Mom! Quickly cut the cake, but don't give any to eldest brother! Second brother can only have a small piece too!"
"Heh, can't I even say a few words to you?"
Ye Chengyang: "You hold a grudge so much? I only said one sentence!"
"Hmph, if you say that again, I won't give you any!"
Ye Chenghu rolled his eyes. After everyone had finished cutting the cake, he cut himself a huge piece and quickly carried it back to his room. Ye Xiaoxi's shouts could be heard behind him.
After dropping them off at school the next day, Ye Yaodong went straight back to Zhoushan City. He took care of his business within two days and then spent the next few days simply accompanying them.
He was supposed to leave the day before, but he received a call from the factory saying that he had "helped" an international friend at sea last month, and the friend had given him a thank-you gift.
After nearly two months, there is finally a result. Perhaps it takes a little longer because it is different for one's own country to pay a reward than to seek compensation for losses from the other party.
But at least the result came out, so everyone's wait and hard work weren't in vain.
He asked Manager Qi to arrange for the cargo ship to notify the fishing boats at sea, so he didn't need to return immediately.
Upon returning to the factory, Ye Yaodong immediately inquired about the specific details from Manager Qi.
"They called and told you to come and claim it as soon as possible. Just go to the government building. I had them notify you yesterday when the fish-collecting boat went out to sea. They should be back in a few days."
"That gave them a chance to dock and rest, instead of staying for half a year."
"Staying at sea for half a year at a time is indeed quite long. It's good to come back to receive the award and take a rest at the same time."
"I'll wait for them to come back before we go to receive the award together."
After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he calculated the time again, "Today is the sixth day of the lunar calendar, right?"
"It seems so?"
"It will probably be about a week before their ships return one by one. By then, my older brother won't need to go out anymore and can prepare to go home early. I'll go back with him then."
There are still two weeks left, so it's reasonable to go home a week early to visit, so I can stay at home a few more days and enjoy the visit a little longer.
It was just right after I received the award and headed back.
"Oh, you go ahead and do your thing."
"Did my dad sail back home on the same day I went to Shanghai?"
"Yes."
"Okay, I got it. You go ahead with your work."
Ye Yaodong also needed to call home in advance to let them know, as it had been a week since his last call.
His dad probably won't want to leave after a few days at home.
After dialing his home phone, he waited patiently, but the phone rang several times without being answered, which puzzled him; this was unusual.
Normally, every time I call home, it's answered immediately or after a few rings. But this time, it hung up automatically after the ringing ended, and no one answered at all.
This is the first time ever!
Little did they know that everyone was sitting and chatting next door when the phone rang. They pushed each other, but the old lady slowly walked back. Her legs were too slow, and she missed answering the phone.
When he made his second call, the old lady, who was slowly returning with her cane, picked him up.
"Hehe, Dongzi, I knew it was you calling back."
"Why isn't anyone answering the phone? Are they all next door watching their kids?"
"Isn't that right? That child is so fair and tender, changing every day. It's so precious. After your father came back, he would sit by the door all day long, waiting for the child to wake up so he could hold him."
"Ok."
"Your mother is boiling water, planning to give the baby a bath while it's still warm during the day. Your father is holding the baby, and the two of them are pushing him back and forth. I'm the only one who came back to answer the phone. Dongzi, when are you planning to come back?"
"In about a week, I'll be able to stay for a week when I go back."
"That's good, that's good. Coming back earlier means you can stay a few more days. Your dad suddenly came back, and I was wondering why you didn't come back with him. He said you went to Shanghai for some business and took care of the kids. Are the kids getting used to Shanghai? Have they been bullied at school?"
"It's alright. There are quite a few people from other places in Shanghai, including children from other places. Just have the adults keep an eye on them. Anyway, they seem quite happy every day, so there shouldn't be any major problems."
"That's fine, I'm just worried that the child won't be able to adapt to being ostracized."
"I checked, but there's no such thing. They even arrange for bodyguards to pick them up and drop them off every day. What family gets that kind of treatment?"
"So, will the child come back with us in a few days?"
"Yes, except for Ye Chenghu who is in high school and can't take too long off to avoid falling behind in his studies, I'll take everything else back with me."
"Good, good, good." The old lady was overjoyed. All the children in the family were coming back, and it would be lively and bustling again.
Ye Yaodong listened to the old lady talk about the child for a while longer before hanging up the phone.
Ye Yaopeng and his crew returned around the same time as the cargo ship. The cargo ship that delivered the message returned the next day, and the fishing boats didn't return until one after another.
The truth is, they just didn't want to come back empty-handed. They wanted to fish for a day or two longer so the fishing boats could bring back more cargo and at least recoup their fuel costs.
The first thing everyone asked when they got back was about the reward, while Ye Yaopeng asked about his grandson with a beaming smile.
Ye Yaodong told him to call back directly to explain, but he had no idea about his grandson's situation.
His older brother has double the joy this time.
He received the honor and went home to be with his grandson.
Ye Yaopeng was full of vigor and felt that he had reached the pinnacle of his life at only 40 years old.
They've got a ship worth hundreds of thousands, an honor to boast about for a lifetime, and now they've welcomed a grandson into the family.
I feel like I've lived a decent life until I'm 40!
When everyone ate together that evening, Ye Yaopeng was so happy that he couldn't help but drink too much.
"I'm so happy... so happy. Only now do I feel that life is interesting and full of hope."
"I've lived for decades, and only in the last two years have I felt able to stand up straight and speak loudly. No matter how hard it is, it's all worth it."
"Now I'm being rewarded again, I've finally paid off my debts, and I've gained a grandson. This year is truly a good year..."
“A few years ago, it took years to save up even 1000 yuan, and then it would be gone. I was so heartbroken that I couldn’t sleep for days and nights. Now I can earn 1000 yuan easily…”
“Back then, my second brother partnered with Dongzi to buy a boat, and they would each get tens or hundreds of yuan a month. Hearing that made me really anxious. Then your sister-in-law said it was bad luck, and we didn’t have any money at home. Who knew if we could make money? We couldn’t afford to go through any more trouble…”
"I regretted it later. I shouldn't have listened to your sister-in-law. What do women know? They can be easily coaxed into believing a few words of reasoning and spend money without batting an eye. But when something actually starts to make money, they become uneasy..."
"Thank goodness, I didn't fall too far behind, and I caught up..."
"Sigh... All these years of hard work haven't been in vain. We've saved up some money, and our family has grown. The hard times are finally over..."
Ye Yaopeng talked on and on about his experiences over the past few years, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying when he talked about the sad parts...
All Ye Yaodong and the others could do was offer words of comfort and reassurance…
Indeed, their hard times have finally come to an end. They can now steadily save more money for retirement without much trouble. With a boat, a shop, and land, they are already much better off than 80% of people.
"Big brother, you're already a winner in life, why are you crying? I'm the one who should be crying. My brat at home said he doesn't want to go back with us. He wants to stay here so that when we go back, all the aunts and uncles will be nagging him!"
"As long as he doesn't go back, he's relaxed and carefree. He says he's determined not to go back and make himself uncomfortable or tortured. It's enough to drive you crazy."
"You're comfortable now, holding your grandchildren one after another, your life is complete."
Ye Yaopeng was delighted to hear this and the two brothers clinked glasses.
Ye Yaodong could only watch helplessly as the two of them, drunk and laughing and crying, waited until they had had enough before having someone carry them back to their dormitory.
The next day, when everyone went to receive their awards, Ye Yaopeng made an awkward appearance.
When they arrived at the auditorium to receive their prize and payment, everyone was overjoyed. The compensation for the boat was 3 yuan, which was almost a month's worth of net profit.
This certainly doesn't include Ye Yaodong, who has his own fish-collecting boats and doesn't need to have a large portion of his catch taken away by them.
Although it was far from the expected 5 yuan, everyone was still satisfied.
He was compensated 3 yuan per boat, and he owned 12 boats. His freshwater fishing boat was even compensated 30 yuan, which was equivalent to ten fishing boats. Although it was less than what he had demanded, he was still satisfied, since it was something he had extorted.
After making an offer, haggling, and some haggling, you should be grateful for this much compensation.
And originally he only had one cargo ship participating, but he reported one more, adding the cargo ship that caught up with him halfway!
They should really squeeze a hefty sum out of the poor.
Everyone happily received their awards and certificates, and then took a group photo.
Ye Yaodong made nearly 100 million yuan this time, and he took out 10 yuan to share equally among the ordinary crew members.
He has many fishing boats, with more than 300 crew members. Each person would only receive about a month's salary.
It's not bad for everyone; they got an extra red envelope for free.
As for the captain, first mate, second mate, chief engineer, and bosun, he would receive an extra amount, ranging from 500 to 1000, which is equivalent to nearly two to three months' salary.
He paid an extra 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, which is equivalent to taking out 15%, bringing the total to over 100,000 yuan. He felt that he had done a good job as a boss.
The factory workers were extremely envious when they heard about it, as their wages were not as high as those who went to sea, and the bonuses they received at sea were higher than their wages.
Ye Yaodong had a copy of his newly acquired certificate of honor made, framed it, and hung it on the wall again.
Meanwhile, after receiving news that their fishing boat had returned to port, Lin Xiuqing asked the children to take leave the next day, and she and Ye Huimei took the children by boat to come over.
We need to arrange their return after they finish receiving their gifts.
Ye Yaodong had already made arrangements. It didn't matter much whether the factory had him or not. Everyone had their own duties, and things wouldn't be chaotic without him. He also gave his seal to the finance department to manage.
Lin Xiuqing was stunned when she heard that he had taken over 900,000 yuan. Could that really be possible?
However, she didn't understand this matter. Anyway, whatever she got back was fine, it was all free money. Although they had a lot of money on hand, several hundred thousand was still a considerable sum.
"So, shall we go home tomorrow?"
"Yes, my brother has already set sail to arrange refueling. Everyone will be on his boat first thing tomorrow morning. It will be a bit crowded, but you'll have to make do. You and the kids can lie down in the beds, and the adults can lie down anywhere. It'll be over in a couple of days."
"Well, they're used to traveling by boat, so they'll be fine in a couple of days."
"Let them go to bed early tonight and get some rest, they have to get up early tomorrow."
"I know, did you call home and tell them?"
"Yes, I called and we agreed. We'll leave early tomorrow morning and should be home around the 17th if all goes well. We'll stay for 5 days, have the full moon celebration on the 22nd of the lunar calendar, and then stay for another two days before coming up again."
"That's about right, the kids took ten days off."
They arranged for the fishing boats to return home, and the remaining fishing boats were also scheduled to set sail the next day. They all departed around the same time, just in different directions.
His friends were incredibly envious and eager to go back with him, but reason prevailed, and they decided to go to sea instead.
However, a few more words need to be said over the walkie-talkie.
The first to speak was the talkative A-Zheng, "Dongzi, it would be great if your grandson could have a full moon celebration, then we could go straight back to attend the wedding."
"Why don't you say I'll have another baby, and when it's a month old, it'll give you guys a chance to come home and have a drink?"
"Then why don't you have another one? Many people have one place, one home, one project, and one girlfriend. You're so rich, you should have one wife at home, one wife in Zhoushan, and one wife in Shanghai!"
"Damn, you really know how to think."
"Of course, one wife per place, two kids per wife, you can have four more! That way we can drink four more times."
“You can do it! Anyway, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, your wife isn’t around and can’t check up on you. My wife is different, she’s always around, and I’m not that thirsty.”
"You said it! Then I'll do as you say. If my wife finds out, I'll say you told me to do it!"
"Damn it, get lost, it's none of my business."
Ye Yaodong rejected him outright, refusing to listen to his pointless ramblings.
Ye Yaopeng, who was in the cockpit with him, coughed and said, "Dongzi, you can't have such dangerous thoughts as your friend. He can do whatever he wants, but you can't encourage him. If things go wrong with your wife, you'll be caught in the middle."
"He was joking."
"That would be easy to get back to him. If his wife finds out that you encouraged him to have affairs, she might come knocking on his door and hurt their relationship."
"you think too much."
“You’re too rich now, but your wife and kids are right here with you. If you find someone else like Lao Pei and the others, it’ll be bad if the whole village finds out. There are no secrets that stay hidden forever.”
Ye Yaodong emphasized again, "You're overthinking it. Stop overthinking and keep your boat going."
"okay."
Seeing that he had no desire to speak, Ye Yaopeng shut up and started the boat, but he still couldn't help himself.
"Dongzi, you're out drinking and socializing every day, have you found someone you like?"
"Brother, you're overthinking it."
"Well, I was just curious. I heard you don't get back until several in the morning."
"I'm just doing this to make money. Don't overthink it. If anything bad gets out, you'll be the root of the problem."
"Oh! I didn't say that, I don't know anything."
Ye Yaodong gave him a disgruntled look and didn't reply.
He's not some young punk who can't tighten his belt; he's an old man, and he knows how to restrain himself and what he wants.
He spent a while in the cockpit, and as the fishing boat sailed away from the harbor, he took out his binoculars and looked around before returning to the deck.
After Ye Xiaoxi and the others boarded the boat, they started playing with cards. The rocking of the fishing boat didn't affect their fun.
With company, the two days didn't pass by at all, especially since they had something to look forward to—they hadn't seen their friends from the village in a long time.
The family is counting down the days, eagerly awaiting their return.
As soon as we received the call saying the fishing boat had docked and that a tractor would be sent to town to pick them up, the family started preparing snacks for them when they returned.
As soon as they get off the bus, they can fill their stomachs immediately.
As soon as the children jumped off the bus, they started calling out for their nephew.
"I want to see my nephew first..."
"Me too, I want to see my nephew..."
"My eldest nephew..."
"Shh, don't shout..."
"You guys keep it down, my nephew is sleeping."
"No shouting allowed. Go eat first. You can check on the child after he wakes up. He's still sleeping now."
"If you yell again, I'll beat you up!"
Ye Chengjiang complained, "With a great-grandson, even the grandson doesn't matter anymore!"
Ye's father glared at him, "If you keep nagging, I'll hit you first!"
“I told you I shouldn’t have come back. Before I was even attacked by everyone, I was warned! It’s true what they say, the older ones aren’t as close as the younger ones, and the grandchildren aren’t as close as the great-grandchildren! I’ve become someone everyone hates and wants to beat.”
Mr. Ye turned around to look for a broom.
Ye Yaohua also cursed, "You know you're annoying! You talk too much. Your great-grandson is naturally closer to you than you are. If you're so capable, have one yourself and then you won't have to make sarcastic remarks here."
"How am I supposed to give birth? I'm not a woman. If you can give birth, you can do it yourself."
After finishing his sentence, Ye Chengjiang turned around and left to eat noodles next door.
Ye Yaodong said, "Every beating and every scolding you received was well deserved."
"Sigh, I don't want to come back, but if I don't, Ye Chenghe will definitely be angry!"
Ye Yaohua angrily cursed at his second sister-in-law, "How did you give birth to such a wretched child? All you do is make me angry. How old are you? You're over 20 years old, yet you still act like a child. How did you raise you?"
"How did I teach him? He's your son too, why didn't you teach him? If you're so good at it, why don't you teach him? He's not just mine."
"You raised a fine son!"
"Could I have given birth to you? It's not like he's not your son!"
The couple started arguing as soon as they got back.
Ye's mother scolded, "Keep your voices down, if you want to argue, go home and argue."
The two then shut up.
The instigator, without a care in the world, sat down and ate his own food.
"Brother, didn't you say you weren't coming back? Why are you back now?" Ye Xiuxiu asked.
“My conscience got the better of me. After all, he’s my first nephew. Everyone’s back for his full-month celebration. How could I not come back? I had to come back and see him. Look how much I sacrificed!”
"Come on, Mom gets a headache as soon as you come back, and we start arguing as soon as you come back!"
"Then it would be best if I didn't come back, so they could unite to criticize me."
"Yes, yes, that's right."
Ye Chengjiang tapped her on the head. "You have to be on my side!"
Ye Yaodong asked, "What's the child's name?"
"His name is Ye Huaize. The fortune teller said he was lacking water in his destiny, so Chenghe spent several days flipping through the dictionary to find the name."
Ye Chengjiang nodded, "It must have been tough for him; all his learning in this life is reflected in this name."
Ye Tingting chuckled to herself, "It's so hard for you to give me a compliment, no wonder you can't find a boyfriend."
"Bullshit, I don't want to look, it's not that I can't find someone. I have plenty of people who like me."
"Then you're still single."
"Can't you speak properly? Are you all asking for trouble?"