Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1020: Indignation (7000 words)
Ye Chengjiang's two siblings surrounded Ye Ersao and stood at the door, stiffening their necks and glaring at their mother in indignation.

Ye Chenghai's three siblings stood side by side, blocking the door with their hands outstretched, not letting Mrs. Ye in, and also shouting.

"You keep your promises all the time. You said that we should share the wages in half. I am a grown-up boy, not a child anymore, and you still lie to me every day."

"When you beat me the day before yesterday, you clearly promised me that you couldn't lie to me." Ye Chenghe was crying as he spoke.

Ye Jingjing also shouted into the house, "Dad, come out quickly..."

Ye Chenghe also shouted: "Dad, my mother cheated us out of our money again. Everyone come quickly, my mother cheated us out of our money again, bullied us because we were young, and took away all our wages..."

Mrs. Ye was so angry that she raised her hand to hit the child, but Ye Chenghe dodged it and sat directly on the ground, starting to act like a spoiled child.

"My mother cheated me out of money and is going to beat me again. She beats me every day. I must have been picked up..."

The two girls on Ye Ersao's side were also shouting "Dad", "Uncle San" and "Aunt San", "Father Ye" and "Mother Ye" at the top of their voices. Ye Yaodong was speechless when he saw this.

Ye's mother went over first and immediately scolded, "What are you doing? Are you going to rebel? What's the point of not having money? You eat and drink at home, and you earn some wages by doing some work at home, but you want to put it in your own pocket? What money do children have? Your mother keeps it for you, and of course she spends it on you. Otherwise, what would you eat and wear?"

The old lady heard the noise and slowly came over with her cane. When she heard this, she asked, "What are you doing?"

Ye Chenghai also said loudly: "My mother clearly promised us the day before yesterday that she would give us half of the wages we earned from working for Uncle San. Now she has taken all of it and not given us a single cent. She is not keeping her word."

Ye Chengjiang also accused and echoed, "That's right, if she didn't want to give it, she said she didn't want to give it at the beginning, but she coaxed us into working, and now she won't give us a cent."

Ye Xiuxiu was also angry. "We planned to help Uncle San from the beginning and didn't expect to be paid. Uncle San didn't want us to work for nothing, so he said he would give us some wages so that we could buy paper, pens and candy, but mother kept all of it."

"If mom didn't want to give it, she should have said no from the beginning. We wouldn't have done anything and would have helped if we could. But she lied to us!" Ye Tingting said in a crying voice and wiped away her tears.

Ye Jingjing also cried aggrievedly, "Adults can't lie to me..."

Ye Chenghe was already rolling on the ground, "My mother is a liar, a liar, I will never help you with work again~"

Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Ye were so angry that they had no time to beat this one or that one, and the door was in chaos.

The old lady came forward with a cane and spread out her hands, trying to stop them. "Don't hit them, don't hit them. We've already agreed, so just give them a little bit, give them some benefits. Look how well behaved they are, they help with the work as soon as they get home from school..."

"You are going to rebel. I can't do anything to you when you are so young. What will happen in the future? You are so independent at just a few years old, but you have grown so powerful? You dare to threaten me?"

"What's wrong with helping the family? What's wrong with earning some money? Isn't this what you should do? We'll keep the money for you and spend it on you in the future. If a child holds so much money, he might get cheated someday."

"Whose kid has so much money?"

"That's right. I'm keeping it for you first. It's not like I won't return it to you..."

Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Ye stood with their hands on their hips, pointed whips at a group of disobedient children, and took turns speaking angrily.

Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua were startled by them and ran out.

"What are you doing?"

Their daughter quickly ran over and pulled their sleeves, complaining about her mother's bad behavior.

The three boys continued to stare at me unconvinced.

"But we clearly agreed to split it in half. You guys were angry at the time and you also agreed to it. If you don't agree, don't lie to us!"

Ye Chenghai's tone was even more ferocious than his mother's. He had been growing continuously in the past two years, and the 15-year-old boy was already taller than his mother.

Ye Chenghe quickly got up from the ground and said, "I will never help you with work again. You lie to me every day!"

"I'll beat you to death, you ungrateful bastard. Help me with some work and I'll pay you back..."

Ye Chenghai stiffened his neck and said fearlessly: "Then don't talk about money, just give the money back to Third Uncle! It's only natural for me to help with some work. We are all family, so what's wrong with helping with some work? You still want money!"

Mrs. Ye almost died of exhaustion.

"I've raised you in vain. You've grown up so big and you're already mad at me. I should have beaten you to death a long time ago..."

She was so angry that smoke was coming out of her head and her eyes were spitting fire. She swung the whip in her hand, but Ye Chenghai grabbed her wrist and took it away, then threw it away.

Her eyes widened as she realized that her son had grown taller than her and his eyes were even bigger than hers. She could no longer beat or scold him at will.

Ye Chenghe was also very excited, "Brother, you are so awesome!"

The old lady looked at the mother and son with her eyes spitting fire, and hurriedly called Ye's father, "Why don't you come over and help? Are you dead?"

When Ye's father came over, the old lady hit his calf with her cane, "You watched for a long time but didn't even say a word to help. Look how anxious these children are. They are crying so aggrieved."

"I just want to hear what they are doing. Children can't handle so much money, so what's wrong with beating them? They are so obsessed with money that they dare to make such a fuss. Don't they deserve to be beaten?"

Ye Chenghai was extremely angry. "But we already agreed on this. If you said you wouldn't give it to me, then don't give it to me. Now you've changed your mind. You're just deliberately lying to me."

"That's right, you don't keep your word."

The other children also joined in, chattering and making accusations.

Ye's father and mother didn't think that children should have so much money in their hands. There was nothing wrong with giving it back to their mother. If they made a fuss, they could just be beaten up.

Ye Yaodong watched with his hands in his pockets. Although he did not agree with his elder and younger sisters-in-law's behavior of going back on their words and bullying the children, he could not say anything. One or two dollars was indeed a lot of money. Any child who had one or two cents to buy snacks was already very happy.

Apart from the New Year's money, no child has any spare money. The New Year's money is taken away very quickly, leaving only a few cents at most.

Seeing that their grandparents didn't speak up for them, Ye Chenghai was furious. He turned to Ye Yaodong and said, "Uncle San, we will help you with work next time. You don't have to pay us. We are doing this voluntarily. You love us so much every day. It's not right for us to ask you for money."

"Ahem~ You said it yourself, I'm not exploiting you or telling you to work."

Ye Chengjiang also echoed loudly, "We are the ones who want to help you with the work. Don't ask us for wages in the future. We are a family. You buy us delicious food every few days, so it is only right that we help you with some work."

Ye Chenghe also nodded, "Uncle San, we will help you, not my parents."

Mrs. Ye couldn't beat her eldest son, so she could only grab her younger son's ears, pull him back, and spank him hard.

Their elbows were all turned outward, and I almost pissed them off to death.

Seeing the angry faces of the children, Ye Yaohua could not help but said, "We promised them two days ago, so give them some pocket money and buy them food. They are very well behaved if they help with the chores as soon as they get home from school."

"Yes, yes, yes. Just give them a dime or two to buy food and give them a sweet treat. Although they are your own children, you can't trick them into working. The children are grown up, how can you cheat them so casually? They are not children who can be coaxed or tricked at will."

The old lady immediately agreed and started to search her own pocket, pulling out a pile of coins and putting them in the hand of Ye Chengjiang who was closest to her.

"Here, here. Grandma has no money. This is all we have. Use it to buy candy and share it among you."

Ye Chengjiang's eyes were red with grievance. He wiped his eyes secretly and stuffed the money back. "I don't want it. I don't want it. If you don't want it, then don't give it to me."

After saying that, he went home upstairs in a huff.

Ye Chenghe also broke free from his mother, humming and muttering "liar" under his breath, and went home.

Ye Chenghai also ran out angrily.

When the three girls saw their brothers leaving dejectedly, the light of hope in their eyes dimmed. They pouted, let go of their father's sleeves, and went back to the house.

The farce ended with the children's protest failing.

"Look at you, you can just give them a little comfort, but you coaxed them to work a few days ago, but you turned your face against them after the work was done..." Ye Yaohua looked at the lonely backs of the children as they walked into the house with heartache, and couldn't help pointing at Ye Ersao.

"How can they just give a little? They want to split it in half, which is more than one dollar. For three children, that's more than three dollars. It's impossible for a child to get such a large amount of money."

The old lady angrily poked the ground with her cane. "If you are not happy, then you should not have agreed to them in the beginning or you could have agreed to less. You didn't even bother to give them some pocket money to appease them. You didn't even give them a penny. No wonder they are angry."

"It was the same last year. I coaxed Ah Hai to go out to sea for you. He was exposed to the sun for more than half a month and his skin was peeling. But you didn't give him a cent. It was Dongzi who bought him a football to appease him. Do you still expect Dongzi to give you money every day?"

"He's taller than you, how can you treat him like a child? In two years, everyone will be able to get married, so what's wrong with having some pocket money in hand?"

"If you lie to them every day, will they still want to help you with the work in a few days? Who will you expect to help you pick up squids in the sea in a few months?"

"Do they dare? What's wrong with helping with some housework? If you ask them to work, they have to work. Otherwise, they won't do it and the whole family will starve." Ye Ersao retorted indifferently and went into the house.

Sister Ye also grumbled stubbornly, "I can't control him now that he's grown up. Even if he's grown up, he's still my child. How can I control him before he even gets married? If he dares to rebel, I'll beat him to death."

"He's just spoiled. Which kid has so much money?" When Ye's mother said this, she glanced at Ye Yaodong.

"Why are you looking at me? You go back on your word and don't keep your promise. Do you think you're right? If I hadn't given them any expectations from the beginning, they certainly wouldn't be so disappointed."

"Besides, I pay them wages just to give them pocket money, to buy them food, drinks, school supplies, etc. What's wrong with that? Isn't that right?"

"We are not children anymore. We are grown-up kids. What's wrong with having some pocket money to spend as we wish? Other children have never had so much money. Should we have the same as them? If other families are poor, should we be poor too? There is nothing wrong with learning how to spend money in advance."

"When money is tight and the family is poor, there is nothing we can do. It is normal for children to help with work and earn money to supplement the family expenses. If money is more generous, it is also normal to give children some sweet dates for their hard work."

"I pay them wages, not to subsidize my elder brother and second brother's family, but to give them pocket money. My elder brother and second brother have saved some money in the past two years, why do they need me to subsidize them?"

Ye Yaodong didn't want to be nagging in the first place. He didn't give birth to his child, so how could he teach his elder brother and sister-in-law how to do things? If their protest failed, then so be it. At most, they won't count their salary as such next time, but will give it to him secretly.

This was what he planned at the beginning, but who knew that a few idiots would be so happy that they would shout it out.

But the look his mother gave him, wasn't it implying that he had spoiled them and that was why those children had learned to rebel?

Then he had to say a few words.

It turned out that the eldest and second sisters-in-law were too stingy and kept all the money in their hands. How could the children not be greedy? So of course they had to give them sweet dates.

What's more, he was originally looking for a reason to give them pocket money, as a reward for their help with the work. It would be totally inappropriate to take all of it away.

The children's enthusiasm for work has been dampened.

Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Ye had already gone into the house. Although they heard what he said, they were too embarrassed to come out to refute or argue. After all, they were earning his money.

After hearing what Big Brother Ye and Second Brother Ye said, they felt a little embarrassed. They smiled awkwardly and didn't know what to say. In fact, they felt that what he said made sense. They shouldn't take what was given to the children.

But my wife also makes a point. It is not right to let a child have so much money.

Ye's mother was the same. She was blocked by his words and didn't know how to refute him. She was at a loss for words for a moment.

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he felt that it was boring, so he picked up Ye Xiaoxi, who had come with the old lady to watch the fun, and went straight home. Lin Xiuqing hurriedly followed behind.

The old lady angrily hit Ye's father's leg again, "Dongzi is the one who knows the situation. You all treat your children as if they are immature."

"What does this have to do with me? Why are you hitting me?"

"You are my son. If I don't hit you, who else should I hit? You are old and frail, but you are still my son."

"You're crazy. You took the wrong medicine." Father Ye glared at the old lady and turned around to go home.

Mother Ye pursed her lips and followed with a mutter, "A bunch of kids making a fuss is called a trouble?"

Everyone dispersed instantly, some went home, and the old lady also slowly returned to the next door with her crutches.

Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang saw how stingy their aunt and second aunt were. Ye Chenghai and the others got nothing, so they suddenly didn't dare to ask their mother for their wages.

Lin Xiuqing had just said that she would give the wages to them when she got home, but now they were dejected. Their little eyes looked towards their parents from time to time, but they didn't dare to speak a word, for fear that they would not only not get their wages but also get beaten.

The one who owes money is the boss, and those who ask for money have to be careful.

Children have no human rights.

Lin Xiuqing was not so stingy. She watched the two of them move slowly to the front of the TV, and then glanced at her from time to time, but did not say anything.

It’s easy to tell that the two men wanted to ask for money but didn’t dare to because they were frightened by the commotion next door.

She felt in her pocket, took out two brand new one-yuan bills and handed them to them. The two brothers' eyes instantly became brighter than the stars in the sky and hotter than the sun.

"One per person. Keep it for me. Don't spend it. If I find out that you have spent all the money, I will take off your pants and beat you until you are bleedin'."

The two of them were overjoyed. They each drew a card and held it tightly in their palms. They were so happy that they nodded rapidly.

"Yeah, well, we don't spend it, we definitely save it."

"Yes, yes, I'll keep it, don't worry, mom."

Ye Chengyang helped with housework at home all day, but he didn't care that his mother gave him too little. It was good enough that she gave him anything at all. He grinned and was very happy.

"It's new! Brother, this is new money!"

"Yeah, it's so new~"

Ye Chenghu happily agreed and immediately turned around and ran upstairs, preparing to hide the money, as he had earned it with his own hands.

Ye Yaodong's depressed expression also relaxed, and he smiled and said to Lin Xiuqing: "Next time you go to the market, buy each of them a piggy bank to store their money, so that they don't have to hide it everywhere all day and you won't be able to find it next time."

"How much money can I save and still have a piggy bank..."

"It's hard to say. There's a lot of work at home and the children help out. Just give them a little as a token of appreciation to increase their enthusiasm for work. Besides, this is earned by their own labor, so it has a different meaning. Let them save it and give them more new money later. They will definitely not be willing to spend the new money."

Lin Xiuqing smiled. She thought so too. She would definitely not be willing to spend the new money.

She herself was obsessed with new money. As long as the money Ye Yaodong brought back was new, she would put it flat and tidy, not willing to fold it at all, and would put it away separately.

During the Chinese New Year period, she received a lot of new money that he brought back.

"Well, the eldest and second sisters-in-law are really mean. They are reluctant to give a dollar. Just give a few cents at least. Next time, they will definitely not do it. In fact, they will not spend a dollar recklessly. It's the end of the Chinese New Year. At most, they will have snacks worth one or two cents every day. If you give them a big dollar, they probably won't be willing to take it out to make change. They will definitely save it."

That's why she simply took a brand new one-dollar bill instead of giving change. If she gave change, she would most likely spend a penny or two, but she would definitely not be willing to give out a one-dollar bill to get change.

What’s more, it’s brand new!

"Don't worry about them. The kids won't help with the work next time. If they do help with the work, you can give the wages directly to the kids and leave it in their hands. As for whether the eldest and second sisters-in-law can get it back from them, it depends on their ability."

"Okay, so you're going out to sea at night?"

"The weather forecast says there will be heavy fog tomorrow, but I don't know if that's true or not. It was clearly foggy this morning, but I don't know if it was a typo. I'll take a day off tonight and wait and see."

"Let me prepare your clothes first. They're all washed and dry anyway."

Ye Yaodong suddenly slapped his thigh, "The quilts are not dried again. My father has a stupid brain. I asked him to remember to take down the quilts on the boat and dry them, but he didn't even know where to put them."

"Didn't you forget it yourself? It's my fault too. I've been busy with work in the workshop these days and forgot to remind you. Just cover it for now. Remember next time. If you leave it for too long, it will be easy to get sick if you cover it with moisture."

"Forget it now that it's dark. We won't go out to sea tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the boat to get the quilt. If there's sunshine, I'll let it dry for half a day. If there's no sunshine, I'll let it air out to avoid the fishy smell. After work, everyone will crawl into bed. The quilt will smell fishy, ​​and I'll dream about fish in the middle of the night."

After Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang climbed up the stairs, they were reluctant to come down, and even Ye Xiaoxi sneaked up the stairs to play with them.

Even the sound of the TV being turned on downstairs cannot attract them. The charm of money is infinite.

Lin Xiuqing also took out an account book and wrote some records, while pressing the calculator non-stop.

Ye Yaodong never cares about the family accounts. He sits aside watching TV, but his hands are not idle.

The last batch of dried shrimps weighed several hundred kilograms. Before we finished drying and shelling them, the goods came back.

These days, everyone is busy killing and drying fish there. There are still some dried shrimps that have not been shelled yet.

He didn't know it at first. But in the afternoon, Ah Qing saw him sitting there eating melon seeds and chewing sugarcane, with the food all over the floor. He got angry and carried a bag of shrimps back from the workshop to give him something to do.

So that he wouldn't have nothing to do and find something for her to do.

He wrapped a pile of shrimps in a nylon bag, then crushed them back and forth several times with a beer bottle, and then poured them into a round bamboo plate and picked out the shells for the old lady.

As the old lady was peeling the shells, she was muttering about what had just happened, feeling sorry for her great-grandson.

"I wonder if anyone will come to buy candy tomorrow. If so, I'll buy a few more to sweeten their mouths... I didn't even get a single bite..."

"If you work for the landlord, he will give you food..."

"Poor guys, they have been busy for days without touching the ground..."

Ye Yaodong ignored her and let her chant. Older people love to chant. No matter whether others want to listen or not, or whether they like it or not, they just want to chant a few sentences.

He originally thought that the group of children had not gotten what they wanted, and the next day he would see them going to school with their heads down.

Unexpectedly, when he got up early and stood at the door to stretch, he saw them laughing and playing early in the morning, as cheerful as sparrows, chirping and calling their friends.

"Hurry up, it's time to go to school~"

"Let's go~ Hurry up~"

"I go to school and I'm never late~"

"No, no, that's not how you sing it. I went to blow up the school, the teacher didn't know, as soon as the string was pulled, I ran away, and the school disappeared~"

"Hahaha~ I'm going to tell the teacher~"

"You're a snitch!"

"The sun is shining in the sky, the flowers are smiling at me, the birds are saying, good morning, good morning, why are you carrying a bag of dynamite~"

One by one they started laughing, making noise and singing at the door, which was a bit beyond his expectation. Shouldn't they have drooped shoulders, depressed faces, and shouting curses?
"What good thing is there to be so happy about? Did you find money in your dream last night?"

"Hey, Third Uncle~" Ye Chenghe excitedly and actively ran to him from next door, and then whispered, "Third Uncle, let me tell you, my father secretly came to our room yesterday and gave us money."

Ye Yaodong was surprised, "Is there such a good thing?"

He nodded vigorously, "Yes, you must not tell anyone, don't let my mother know. My father told us not to tell my mother, otherwise he will not give us money in the future, and my mother will take the money away."

"How much did you give?"

“He gave each of us a dollar!”

"So much? Your father must have hidden a lot of private money, that's pretty impressive, huh?"

"Yes, my father hid a lot of private money." Ye Chenghe suddenly realized in surprise.

"So do we have to divide the spoils? I think what I said last night worked, so your father secretly went to your room last night to give you the money."

He immediately turned around and glared, "No, that won't work. I earned it, and I want to keep it to save more."

"You want to save a lot to marry a wife, right? You want to save a lot to spend on your little girlfriend, right?"

"Nonsense! Don't talk nonsense about Uncle San. He is my classmate."

"I understand. I understand. It's not good to fall in love too early. But you should pay more attention to your female classmates, buy them more delicious food, make up for your mistakes, and atone for the mistakes you made."

Ye Chenghe nodded seriously, "Yes, that's what I thought, but Uncle San, she ignores me, what should I do?"

"Nothing to do. If someone bullies her, you should stand up for her, send her home every day, talk to her whenever you have time, be thick-skinned, and get close to her. If she ignores you again, you should sincerely apologize several times, saying that it was your fault before and now you know you are wrong."

He nodded.

"If you see beautiful flowers on the road, pick a few and give them to her. Girls, young and old, all like flowers. Also, keep yourself clean. Don't be sloppy, with snot hanging from your nose all day and your body dirty."

He continued to nod.

"Also, your grades have to be better. Girls like boys with good grades."

His shoulders slumped instantly.

“That won’t work.”

"Then you should say more nice things, be sweeter, and praise people more. It doesn't matter if you are ugly, as long as you can talk. It's also okay to send flowers, food, and toys. It's hard to be as handsome, talkative, and rich as your third uncle."

Ye Yaodong could never have imagined that one day he would be able to teach his nephew how to pursue a girlfriend.

Ye Chenghe nodded seriously, "Yes, Third Uncle is good in every way, except that he is not my father."

"If I were your father, then that would be a big problem! Your father secretly gave you money. Did A Jiang and the others? Did your second uncle give them money?"

"I don't know? Does Second Uncle have any private money?"

"Would you like to ask?"

"Then I'll ask?"

Ye Chenghe immediately ran over and asked Ye Yaohua who was at the door directly.

"Uncle, do you have any private money?"

Ye Yaodong almost choked on his cigarette.

He asked him to ask Ye Chengjiang instead of asking the person involved directly. What a fool.

(End of this chapter)