Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Chapter 23

Early the next morning, when there was some movement beside him, Ye Yaodong also woke up. His eyes were still heavy, and he couldn't fully open them, so he squinted, alternating between one eye open and one eye closed. He saw Lin Xiuqing dressing the two children.

"What time is it? Why are the two of them awake so early?"

"Six o'clock!"

After finishing dressing, Ye Chenghu crawled over curiously and said, "Dad, why did you wake up so early today?"

"Is it not allowed? It's good for the body to sleep and wake up early!"

"Well, normally you sleep until the sun is shining on your butt before you wake up."

Ye Yaodong glanced at his eldest son and remained silent. He closed his eyes again, as it was still too early and there was nothing pressing to do. He decided to doze off for a little while longer.

"Hehe~ Grandma says Dad is a big lazy bug!"

The youngest son also excitedly shouted, "Big lazy bug! Big lazy bug!"

He opened his eyes again and gave his two sons a stern glare. These two were so unpleasant! He couldn't believe that even after his death, he had left them a sum of compensation money.

"Why are you making noise so early in the morning? Go out and play!"

"Lalala~"

The eldest son made a funny face at him and quickly slipped off the bed and ran outside. The younger son looked extremely anxious and called out, "Brother, Brother~"

"Why are you so anxious?" Lin Xiuqing put on his pants and let him down to the ground. "Be careful, don't run and fall."

As she spoke, she held the bowl and spoon from last night and followed behind with the wet bed sheets.

"I put the shorts I changed out of last night on the corner stool, and the clothes are thrown in the backyard.

"Got it."

After the door was closed, the room returned to quietness. However, Ye Yaodong no longer felt sleepy. He rested with his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and conserving his energy. He didn't want to surprise everyone by waking up too early.

However, before he could lie down for long, he heard his second sister-in-law loudly gossiping in the main hall, as if she was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hear her.

"Mom, the construction of the house will start in a couple of days. Ah Hua and his eldest brother will take turns going out to sea with Dad, leaving only one person at home. Shouldn't Yaodong help with the lifting as well? He's idle anyway, and it would save us from hiring an extra person and paying more wages."

"I'll talk to him when he wakes up!"

"The three brothers each have their own houses, so even if he doesn't go out to sea, he should at least lend a helping hand. After the separation, he's also considered a head of the family and should take some responsibility."

Eldest Sister-in-law Ye chimed in, "Yes, we don't expect him to do much work, but he could at least lend a helping hand..."

Eldest Sister-in-law Ye's voice was not as loud as Second Sister-in-law Ye's, so Ye Yaodong couldn't hear very clearly, but he caught a few words.

He furrowed his brows tightly. His eldest sister-in-law was alright, relatively kind-hearted, but this second sister-in-law of his, she was particularly good at finding faults, talkative, petty, and calculating. Fortunately, his wife wasn't like that.

In fact, with a husband like him, Lin Xiuqing garnered sympathy. His mother also showed a bit of favoritism towards her. Every time they returned to her family's home, his mother would secretly give her some money to buy seafood to take back.

His eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law didn't receive such treatment. After all, his eldest and second brother were hardworking individuals.

Come to think of it, apart from accompanying his wife to her family's home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, he realized that he hadn't accompanied his wife back there for the past half year.

Although he was a bit of a disappointment, his father-in-law had been relatively kind to him in the earlier stages, probably out of concern for his daughter?

Later on, that kindness disappeared, and he was ignored. Perhaps behind his back, his father-in-law constantly criticized and berated him...

He thought that he could accompany his wife to her family's home during the Mid-Autumn Festival, at least for that occasion.

After lying in bed and contemplating for a while, his mind wandering in various directions, he felt that the sunlight streaming in from outside was a bit dazzling. Judging by the time, it was probably about right, so he got up.

But as soon as he opened the door and went outside, his grandmother was surprised. "Why did you wake up so early, Yaodong? Don't you want to sleep a little longer?"

"It's not early anymore. Dad and Big Brother went out to sea after 1 o'clock, and Ah Hua got up at 6 to weed the foundation. Even the children finished their breakfast and went out to play. Who in this house gets to sleep comfortably until now?" Second Sister-in-law Ye sat at the door and, upon hearing the old lady's words, couldn't help but look up at the glaring sunlight. She straightforwardly shouted into the house.

Ye Yaodong pretended not to hear and absentmindedly scratched his ear. He had heard such remarks countless times in his previous life, so he was used to it!

"I woke up and got up. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I've eaten, I've eaten. Go quickly to the back door and brush your teeth and wash your face."

"Um."

After brushing his teeth, he felt the urge to pee. As he turned his head and took a few steps, he noticed a makeshift outhouse in the corner of the backyard, covered with bricks and straw. The door was blocked by a piece of broken wood. In an instant, he remembered that inside was a large toilet, and well... the toilet contained all sorts of things

Moreover, at that moment, he also heard the buzzing sound of big-headed green flies flying by...

Ye Yaodong abruptly retracted his leg and walked towards the nearby vegetable patch. He decided to use it as a makeshift restroom, providing some natural fertilization for the vegetables.

Yesterday morning, while he was by the sea, he happened to relieve himself there. And in the afternoon, he ended up peeing in the bushes at Ah Guang's house. He didn't even consider using the toilet at home.

Uh... let's not dwell on it. He still has breakfast to eat later!

He feels motivated to live a better life now. Not only does he need to buy a bed, but he also needs to make an effort to have a decent toilet.

After shaking off a couple of times, he went straight back to his room.

On the table, there was a bowl of porridge and two pieces of dried fish. The porridge was still shredded sweet potato porridge, but what surprised him was that instead of pickled vegetables, there were dried fish. Instantly, his appetite grew.

"Grandma, were these dried fish sun-dried yesterday?"

The old lady smiled and revealed her toothless gums, "Yes, they are. They are so small and not worth much. Your father brought back several tens of jin the day before yesterday, and we killed them. They dried in the sun all day yesterday, and this morning I steamed a bowl specifically and saved two for you. Eat up!"

This is driedwater grain fish. After removing the head, it's just slightly longer than his middle finger. It's too small to braise, but perfect for drying. It's the best side dish for coastal people.

Mmm, it smells good!"

"If you like it, we'll steam some more for lunch. Your father will definitely bring some when he returns in the evening, and we'll continue drying more tomorrow."

"Do you want to husk the corn today? I can go to the field later and husk them for you."

The old lady waved her hand repeatedly and said, "No need, no need. If you're busy, it's fine. I'll take a few of the little ones later and pick a basketful. That should be enough."

"I have time, I'm not busy at all. Today, the tide will be half an hour to an hour later than yesterday, so there's no need to go to the seaside so early. After I finish eating, I'll go and pick them for you."

"Aren't you going out to play today?"

"It's too hot. I don't feel like going out. I made plans with a few friends to go to the sea together after low tide."

"Okay, okay, then pick them for me."

Yaodong quickly finished his bowl of porridge, as his grandmother reached out to collect the bowl with a cloth, he took the cloth from her hand and swept the fish bones on the table into the bowl. He then headed towards the back door to dispose of it.

The old lady's face lit up with a smile and she said, "Just leave it there, your wife can wash it later."

"Alright, let's go."

Seeing his youngest son sitting at the doorstep playing with seashells, he picked him up effortlessly and asked, "Do you want to go play?"

"Yes, yes!" Ye Chengyang excitedly wrapped his arms around his father's neck.

He was the youngest in the family, and his older siblings had already finished their meals and ran off before he could catch up. He was left alone at home, only able to stay with his mother.

***

2.

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