Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1018: Cousins ​​discuss tomb repair (7000 words)
Ye Yaodong was extremely happy. He felt that this friend was not made in vain. His brother-in-law was also very competent, considerate, and sensible. He felt very happy.

He moved several boxes of goods in no time, and then prepared to go back to the house to get the money.

"Wait for me, I'll get you a red envelope."

"You don't need to pack 200, just pack 88. 88 is even better, and this number is big enough."

"Then let's go with 188. Wait for me."

The amount of 88 is indeed very large, but it is not a big deal for him, so he should just make it look good.

Ye Yaodong went home and replaced the money he had prepared long ago. While giving him the red envelope, he also moved a box of goods to his feet.

"You can keep a box to take back for your own consumption. If you want to give it to relatives or friends, feel free to do so. We can't miss out on tasting what we have salvaged."

"That's fine. I won't be polite to you then."

"Just to remind you, there are five pieces of caviar in this box. Remember to pick them out. The label on the caviar is different from that on the canned fish. Take them back and distinguish them later."

"Caviar?" A Guang was completely confused. He didn't understand what caviar was and what it had to do with canned fish.
Ye Yaodong was also thinking that the cargo on the ship had been salvaged and unpacked before, and the sailors on his ship all knew that there were 5 caviar in a box of cargo. It was not a secret and there was no need to hide it from him. He told him about it and asked him to pick them out separately to avoid sending them to the wrong people.

When he just came out of the house, he actually saw the box of food he had brought back and selected a few days ago. An idea flashed through his mind, and he wanted to move it out and get a few canned fish to supplement it.

Don't give them the caviar and don't tell them.

But he gave up after hesitating for a moment. There was no need to do this. Hiding it would only make him look like someone is hiding something.

Just tell A Guang directly and let him pick out the caviar.

Anyway, no one in their country eats it, and no one thinks this thing can really be sold at a sky-high price. The boatmen on the boat just think he is bragging, but everyone knows that there is this stuff mixed in the box, so it is better to tell A Guang directly and let him pick it out, and be frank.

"I don't understand why there are five caviar mixed in one box of goods, but I checked it when I unpacked it before, so you should keep the caviar for yourself. It doesn't taste good either. If you don't like it, you can replace it with canned fish."

"Like this? Okay, I get it. I'll go back and pick them out separately to take a look."

Ah Guang didn't know what caviar was, but he agreed anyway. After all, the two houses were not far away. He could take it back, unwrap it, and return it to him if he couldn't eat it. There would be no difference.

After everyone left, Ye Yaodong moved an armchair and sat in the yard. With the help of the light coming from the house, he prepared to sort out the goods on the wall first. He secretly picked out the caviar and moved it into the house for storage separately.

As for the other people in the family, they rushed to the workshop as soon as they finished their meal. The children were anxious to make money, the old lady wanted to join in the fun, Mr. and Mrs. Ye were also worried about going to the workshop to help out, and A Qing also had to go and take a look.

So he was the only one in the house. He closed the gate and sorted the things slowly by himself.

The silence was not broken until the courtyard gate was opened and Ye Xiaoxi was brought back by Lin Xiuqing.

"Bring me a basin of hot water."

"what happened?"

Ye Yaodong turned around and saw her holding the child under her armpits and hurriedly carrying her into the house. He quickly stood up and followed her.

When I entered the house, I saw that the ground was wet all the way to the room. Ye Xiaoxi looked like she had been fished out of the water, all wet, with even her hair dripping.

"You played with water again? How come even your hair is wet? You're going to be beaten to death. I just gave you a lesson yesterday, and you're playing with water again."

"Yes, it's annoying!"

As soon as Ye Xiaoxi's feet touched the ground, she swiftly snuggled into his arms. He didn't know where to touch her body because there was not a dry spot on her body and her hair was dripping with water.

Lin Xiuqing said angrily and helplessly: "The brothers laughed at her for sleeping in the doghouse yesterday, and then she chased the brothers and beat them up. They were also bad, running around the big basin where everyone washed the fish."

"Then your daughter circled around the fish washing basin, got dizzy and fell into the basin with a plop. She drank several gulps of the fish washing water before she was fished out."

"Ah? I'm going to beat them up. These rascals do nothing good all day long and have the nerve to laugh at others. I'll whip them later," Ye Yaodong cursed. "She's soaked all over. What if she catches a cold? Give her a bath quickly."

"Take off her clothes first, pick her up with a blanket, and I'll get her a basin of hot water."

After saying this, Lin Xiuqing hurried out to get some hot water.

Ye Yaodong also hurriedly undressed the child, "Are you cold? Dad will help you beat up your brothers later, okay?"

Ye Xiaoxi opened her mouth wide and sneezed heavily before nodding, "Yeah, it's bad, it's bad."

After stripping her clothes off, I quickly wrapped her up in a blanket. She slept in the doghouse until midnight yesterday and didn't catch a cold, so she must not catch a cold today.

This child is well taken care of and in good health. He is half a head taller than other children of the same age. People who don't know him would think he is four years old. In fact, he is only three years old after the new year and is more than a month away from being two years old. He has never been sick since he was born.

Lin Xiuqing washed the child and dressed him while nagging, then went back to work. However, this time she asked Ye Yaodong to look after the child, and she would not take him to the workshop, so as to avoid leaving another one unattended.

"You have to keep an eye on her and don't let her get into the doghouse again."

"I know. I'm sober this time."

After Ye Yaodong and the others left, he led Ye Xiaoxi to the yard again. He pointed at the doghouse and asked her, "Do you remember crawling into the doghouse last night?"

Ye Xiaoxi angrily retorted loudly, "No!"

"We looked everywhere for you last night and found you sleeping in here."

"no!"

She had just been ridiculed and she knew that sleeping in a doghouse was not a good thing. Now that it was brought up again, she became even angrier and shook off Ye Yaodong's hand. She retorted even louder and more angrily.

"No! No!"

It was a pity that I didn’t take pictures yesterday. Now I know that my mouth has become hard. When I grow up, my mouth will be harder than a dead duck.

"Okay, okay, no, no, just stay in the yard and play with the dog. Daddy still has things to do."

Only then did she nod and was no longer angry.

Ye Yaodong was also worried that she would run away, so he locked the yard from the inside. This way, she could do whatever she wanted at home, and as long as she didn't run away, he wouldn't have to keep an eye on her.

There are a pile of boxes here, and he can't sort them out very quickly. After sorting, he has to pile them back into the corner.

With so much stuff, he was able to sort out several boxes of caviar separately, and he also moved the other stuff around to fill up the boxes.

After finishing everything, he stretched, patted his back, and moved the caviar back into the house. The half-full box of goods in the house was also moved out and piled in the yard.

I don’t know when I can get back to Linji?

The sooner you act, the sooner you can feel at ease. Unfortunately, this guy is a bit elusive, so he can only wait patiently to see if he will come back to sweep the grave during the Qingming Festival.

The next morning, the sky was gloomy again, and the wind was chilly. In the sunless weather, the temperature felt more than five degrees lower.

It had already been decided to collect the fresh fish from Ding County. Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing to get the money in the morning and decisively paid a deposit of 1 yuan.

Director Wu was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling, and kept patting his chest to promise that there would be no delay and at least he would deliver it together with the three brothers' boats.

Moreover, he was allowed to bring his eldest nephew to the factory to learn skills on weekends. As an exception, he was allowed to come and be an apprentice in advance. After graduation, he could officially join the factory and become a paid apprentice.

Ye Yaodong came back at noon and went over to talk to him while eating.

However, Ye Chenghai now has a job that can make money, and he does not want to be an apprentice in a factory.

But Ye's father forced him to go no matter what.

"Your uncle worked so hard to get you an apprenticeship in the shipyard, but you don't cherish it. There are so many people who want to learn a craft in the shipyard but don't have the chance. I tell you, if you have a skill, you won't have to worry about not having enough food to eat in your life."

"When you learn the craft of shipbuilding, everyone will be polite to you and call you master. Your parents and our whole family will be proud of you. This is much more successful than your father and his family. They have no choice but to go to sea to make a living. If they had a way, who would go to sea to take risks?"

"You have to listen to what the adults say, it's all for your own good. If you can't go to school, you have to learn a skill. It's steady and you can get a salary in the future. It's much better than going out to sea and risking your life."

Sister Ye also held a whip, and with her hands on her hips, she said to him, "If you dare not go, I will break your legs. You are not needed in the workshop. Learning a craft is the right thing to do."

"Besides, you haven't finished your studies yet, so you only need to go for one day on the weekend. You can still work in the workshop and earn money after school every day, so you don't have to delay either."

Mrs. Ye said sarcastically, "If Ah Hai doesn't want to go, don't force him. Let Ah Jiang go. He's 14 anyway, and the two brothers are only a few months apart... Don't just think of Ah Hai when there's something good going on. Ah Jiang is older too, and can do a lot of work. He also needs to learn a craft..."

The three houses are close to each other. If there is any disturbance, how can it be hidden from the neighbors?

When Ye Ersao heard the noise, she had already come out to watch the fun. She heard everything and felt extremely depressed. No good things had ever happened to her family, only to her eldest grandson.

"Come one by one, what's the hurry?"

Father Ye glanced at her and continued to say to Ye Chenghai, "This job is so popular that even if you give gifts, you still can't get it. As long as you become an apprentice, you won't have to worry about food and drink after you graduate from junior high school. After a few years of study, you can become a formal worker and a master."

"Maybe in the future I can be allocated a house, become a city dweller, eat commercial grain, and have a bright future. I can bring honor to my family, don't you know?"

Mrs. Ye's eyes lit up when she heard this. She was excited. "Yes, Ah Hai, if you become an apprentice now, you can become a formal worker after you learn well. That's a stable job. You can live in the city and eat commercial grain. Why do you still want to go with your father to the sea and take risks in the wind and sun?"

Mrs. Ye was jealous. "Ah Dong, can you ask for another quota? We are all nephews. You can't just love Ah Hai. Ah Jiang is grown up too. Can you ask for another quota?"

"They are both nephews. You have watched them grow up and played with them. You can't just think about Ahai. Ajiang is grown up too. Should we let the two brothers go together?"

Ye Yaodong looked at them speechlessly.

"I opened the factory, so do I have the final say? If it was really opened by me and I have the final say, then the whole family should go. It's good enough to be given a quota. It's not that I favor anyone. I will definitely rank them according to age. If my son is older, it won't be Ah Hai's turn."

Just one apprentice, and yet there is an internal conflict. Is that unfair?

His elder brother and second brother shouldn’t be so short of money now, right?

At least it's not as good as the best, but better than the worst.

In the past two years, I have earned more than 1 yuan just from catching jellyfish. There is also the squid fishing season, plus intermittent fishing throughout the year. After deducting the cost of booking a boat and building an additional floor, I should have more than yuan in my hand.

In the past two years, people with a monthly income of 10,000 yuan are not so rare, but they are not everywhere either.

All we can say is that what is worrying is not the scarcity of wealth but the inequality of distribution of wealth.

For formal workers in the city, the temptation to eat commercial grain is quite strong.

Ye Chenghai listened to the adults around him talking. Ye Ersao still wanted to fight for it, but he also felt that it was a good thing and should not be missed, so he reluctantly agreed.

Anyway, now I only have to go there once a day on weekends. When I was in school, I could still go to my uncle's place to work and earn money every night after school.

"Okay then. I'll go then."

Sister Ye was delighted and quickly put down the whip. "Okay, okay, you must be obedient and serious in the future. You must also thank your Third Uncle. When you become a city dweller in the future, you must be filial to him."

He nodded quickly, "Of course, I like Third Uncle the best."

Mrs. Ye continued unwillingly, "Adong, now that Ahai has a job as an apprentice, if you have any other work or other good things in the future, you have to think of our Ajiang..."

"understood."

Ye Yaodong responded perfunctorily and went home.

Lin Xiuqing felt a little sorry that her child was too young. She also thought that it was a great thing for her to be able to work in a factory in the city. Although she was only an apprentice now, after she learned the skills, she would definitely be treated like a formal worker.

How many people want to squeeze into the city to eat commercial grain, but they don’t have that opportunity, but Adong can get one.

“I don’t know if there will be such an opportunity again in the future.”

"Don't think too much. The people in the city are not that good. In a few years, the people in the city won't be able to eat commercial grain. My father has always been telling me that working in a shipyard is good. If possible, let Ah Hai go in and learn a skill."

"Since he keeps talking to me, why don't I just take advantage of the situation and try to get him a try? It depends on whether he is interested or not. If not, then he should just come back and follow his father in the sea business."

He just mentioned it at the time. It was true that his father had nagged him too many times. Otherwise, there was nothing wrong in helping out at home. He didn't have to go to the factory to screw in screws.

Anyway, it all depends on his personal interests.

Ye's mother retorted, "What's good about working at sea? It's hard and tiring, and you can easily lose your life. How many people die at sea every year? We, the older generation, have no choice. We live off the land and the sea. If there's an opportunity to learn a skill, of course you should go. If you don't want to go, you'll have to take a taxi to go."

Ye's father also agreed, "Yes, we have to carry him there even if we kill him."

It's horrible. Even the dead have to be carried away.

"Let's eat, let's eat. It's good that Ah Hai is willing to go. Since he can't read, it would be good for him to learn a skill." The old lady happily invited them to eat first.

After dinner, Ye's father continued to work on building the nylon awning. In the morning, he went to the town to buy materials and called a few people to help build it. He hadn't finished the work in the morning and had to continue in the afternoon.

Ye Yaodong had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he joined in to help. It was not until dusk that the nylon awning was finally set up.

There are several small blocks built above the workshop, which looks extremely simple, but this is the current level of conditions.

After finishing his work, he immediately went to the dock to help receive the goods. By the way, he also wanted to leave some goods to take home and prepare to invite his cousins ​​for drinks in the evening.

He had already asked his mother in advance, and learned that several of his cousins ​​might not be at home during the day, as some had gone out to work, but they were basically at home at night.

After taking some seafood back, he asked Brother A Sheng to call his three brothers and told them to remember to come to his house for a drink after dinner.

Ye Yaosheng was extremely surprised. Why did Dongzi suddenly ask them brothers to come over for a drink?

The others were also surprised. It felt like the sun was rising from the west and they were being called to drink for no reason.

Apart from saying hello when they met on the road, Ye Yaodong had basically never been to their house. Although they were cousins, they each had their own circle of friends when they grew up, and they basically had no contact with each other. How could he invite them to drink?

As for Ye Yaofan, he asked Ah Hai to call him and he never walked over there himself.

Anyway, he would let others call him whenever he could, so that he wouldn't have to go to other places. His uncles and aunts would pull him aside and talk non-stop, asking him to help with the family.

Ye Yaohong will have to spend more than seven years in prison before he can be released, and he now has only four cousins ​​left.

After dinner in the evening, the four of them came together. On the way, they were all wondering if there was any good news that was calling them, and they all asked Ye Yaosheng.

After all, Ye Yaosheng was quite close to him and even rented a boat from his family and worked for him. Seeing that, under his guidance, his life, which had been a mess, was getting better and better, and he even got married and had some extra money, other people were actually a little jealous.

So when they came over in the evening, everyone was particularly active and excited. Maybe during dinner, the couples in their respective families would discuss and speculate whether there was any good news.

I probably had some thoughts about it.

However, no one thought it would be about repairing a tomb.

When Ye Yaodong asked them to sit down and drink and told them the purpose, they all looked surprised.

"It's about repairing a tomb, not renting a boat?"

"Why rent a boat? I don't have any extra boats to rent." Ye Yaodong looked at them with some amusement.

They looked back and forth at each other in bewilderment.

"So you called us here just to talk about building a tomb for grandpa?"

"Yes, your father is stubborn and refuses to agree to build a tomb, leaving grandpa exposed to the wind, sun and rain on the mountain. How unfilial! It's not good to tell others about it, because others will criticize you. Who wouldn't respond positively to building a tomb?"

"We are all counting on our ancestors' blessings. If they don't build a cemetery for us and give us a place to shelter from the wind and rain, how can we ask for blessings from our ancestors? They will scold us to death."

"I never had a single day of happiness when I was alive, and now I have no place to shelter myself from the wind and rain. How miserable is that?"

"What I'm thinking is, is it because my eldest uncle and second uncle have always disagreed with the renovation of the tomb that my grandfather got angry and didn't bless you, but only blessed our family?"

"It's Qingming Festival again. In half a month, we will have to go to the mountains to sweep the tombs and worship. I thought of asking you to go home and persuade your uncles to agree to repair the tomb. This way, when we go to the tomb this year, we can talk to grandpa and pray for his blessing."

"How else would I have the nerve to do that? Please bless me."

Everyone couldn't help nodding their heads at what he said, thinking it made a lot of sense.

You want your ancestors to bless you, but they don’t even build a tomb for you. Who will bless you?

Ye Yaosheng was the first to respond, "Dongzi is right, we should go back and persuade him. Whether it's early or late, we have to repair the cemetery. The sooner we repair it, the sooner we can complete this important matter."

"But our father is old and can't earn money or do any work. It will cost a lot of money to build the tomb..." Someone looked at Ye Yaodong cunningly.

Everyone understood what he meant, he wanted Ye Yaodong to pay.

Among Ye Erbo's family, only Ye Yaosheng looks honest and has a better character, so he usually doesn't pay much attention to the other two. Look at what he said, it's another one who wants to take advantage.

"My dear grandfather, if you want me to pay for it alone, I can do that, but you should first ask your father if he agrees."

Of course he can pay, but it’s not so easy to take advantage of him.

Of course he has the final say on where and how to build the tomb, and since it is his tomb that will be built, no one else will have a share in it. His grandfather will belong to him from now on.

When Uncle Ye and Uncle Ye Er grow old, they will have to wait for their sons to build their tombs. Probably, their posthumous treatment will be similar to that of his grandfather.

It depends on whether they are willing or not.

Ye Yaosheng immediately retorted, "That won't work. Of course, our grandfather's three branches paid for it together and shared the cost equally. This is the tomb of our Ye family, not Uncle San's family alone."

Ye Yaopeng also said: "Yes, that's why we repeatedly asked the eldest uncle and the second uncle to discuss the matter of repairing the tomb, but they just wouldn't listen. That's why I called you here today to discuss it with you and let you do some ideological work on our fathers."

Ye's father did not go to the workshop to help, but sat in front of the stove, listening and smoking a water pipe, wanting to hear what the next generation was discussing. The women all went back to work, as this was not something they should get involved in.

He also said, "When you go back later, tell them what Dongzi just said. Do you still want the ancestors to bless them? If they really have no money, you grandchildren can just scrape together some money for them. Otherwise, what's the point of having a son? Isn't it to help at the critical moment?"

"Then let's go back later and talk to them, try to persuade them, and see if they will listen."

"It has been delayed for several years. Matters concerning our ancestors are of great importance. You should persuade them to pay more attention to it instead of just saying that they have no money. The tomb must be repaired even if they have no money. Otherwise, it will be very embarrassing if the news gets out." Father Ye said again.

"Okay, Third Uncle, we will try to persuade him when we get back. If he doesn't have money, we, as his grandchildren, will have to make up for it."

"Yes, that's right. If your father had listened to you as much as you do, this tomb would have been repaired two years ago."

Seeing that everyone listened and accepted it easily, Ye Yaopeng smiled and raised his glass to everyone, "Come on, come on, it's rare for us brothers to get together for a drink today, let's have a few more drinks tonight."

"Haha, you three brothers have been getting more and more prosperous in the past two years. We have to curry favor with you, haha..."

"What are you talking about? You're being too polite. We are all brothers. We are not much better than you. Aren't we all working at sea?" Ye Yaodong also smiled and was polite.

"We are both working at sea, but there is a huge difference. Each of you has several boats, especially Dongzi. How can we compare? We can't even catch up. We have to rely on you to pull us up..."

"Yes, we are all brothers, not outsiders. If you need help, just call us. We may not have any other skills, but we have strength..."

"Dongzi is now a celebrity in our village. Everyone is counting on you to take care of your brothers..."

Although everyone had reached a consensus on repairing the tomb, they couldn't just turn around and leave immediately. They had just sat down and talked for a while, so the tone of the conversation immediately turned to complimenting Ye Yaodong and his three brothers.

The three of them kept drinking, and the atmosphere became lively.

Ye Yaofan just sat there in silence, occasionally laughing in agreement, saying very little, and just contentedly serving as a foil.

Ye Yaodong saw it, smiled and invited him to drink two cups together, and then he didn't care much about it.

He felt that the problem with his second uncle shouldn't be that serious. Brother Asheng and the others could help now, both financially and physically. However, the situation with his eldest uncle was indeed precarious.

He has no money and no labor. He has two sons, one is in jail and is considered useless, and the other one seems to be of no use either. Even though everyone is talking so excitedly, he remains silent.

Probably in a few days I will have to ask his father to go over and ask. If she really doesn’t agree, I will have to carry the old lady up the mountain and cry.

(End of this chapter)