Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1124 Bag of Ice Water
They were whispering and chatting at the door. Ye Yaodong was in no hurry to leave, and the others were not in any hurry to get off work. They all wanted to wait for the woman inside to finish her call to see if there was any other news.

After Asheng's wife finished answering the phone, she pulled Ye Yaodong aside to ask him questions, and the one she asked most was about Ye Yaosheng's IOU.

"It's not clear on the phone. I saw you were busy yesterday, so I didn't feel like visiting you. I just happened to meet you here. Can you tell my sister-in-law what happened to the IOU? After I found out the day before yesterday, I couldn't eat or sleep at home. Ah Sheng worked so hard to make money, but he spent it all on other people..."

She talked on and on, and Ye Yaodong waited for her to finish and vent her anger before he politely told her the whole story of Ye Yaosheng's IOU.

"…After I bought the boat, I didn't have enough money to pay the wages, so I didn't lend it to Ah Sheng. I asked Ah Sheng to borrow from Ah Guang. However, Ah Sheng wrote a few IOUs in advance and asked Ah Guo and others to sign and fingerprint them, so I'm not worried about not getting the money back. They are all making money there now, and they should have money to pay back when they come back, so don't worry."

"Alas... everyone is back, but they are still out there working hard. I don't know when they will be back. When I asked, they just said they would wait a few days."

"It shouldn't take long. Sister-in-law, just wait patiently at home."

Ye Yaosheng's wife looked at him, hesitant to speak, and after a moment's hesitation she asked, "Are you still going?"

Many people have asked this question in the past two days, and Ye Yaodong told the truth.

"I'm not sure, but I should make another trip. However, I definitely won't be there in the next few days. I'll have to see how the situation develops."

She nodded.

Ye Yaodong saw that there was nothing to worry about and he understood everything he needed to know, so he went straight home to eat.

While eating, he also mentioned to his father the call that Ye Yaosheng had just made, and the two of them discussed it in detail.

Lin Xiuqing also told him that when he went to the village committee in the morning, someone came to buy small wooden boats. There were not enough boats to sell, only three were left, but four people came. She asked them to discuss it themselves.

Someone will come again in the afternoon to see who wants the boat and then take it to the dock to trade it.

Ye Yaodong nodded and said nothing. He didn't care much about who he sold the boats to. He would sell them to whoever came first. It would be better to get rid of the boats as soon as possible. There was no use in keeping them now anyway.

It was also heard that their family bought several more boats, but they just hadn't returned. Some people came to the door wanting to rent a boat, but Lin Xiuqing didn't agree and just said to wait until the boat returned.

She did everything according to Ye Yaodong's instructions in advance.

It had only been two days since I came back, but the boat had been basically cleared.

The bamboo baskets, beddings and other sundries that had been hung out to dry in the workshop the night before were all dried and put away in the evening. The father and son also finished most of the miscellaneous chores during the past two days.

Early in the morning of the third day, Ye Yaodong rode his motorcycle to the city without stopping.

There was basically no dried fish in stock at home, and none had been dried for a whole month. The remaining fish had already been taken to unused shops in the city and stored there, so he did not drive a tractor with a load of goods, but instead rode a more convenient motorcycle.

There were only a few pounds of jellyfish blood, a bucket of jellyfish heads and a bucket of jellyfish skin in the truck. These were the specialties he was going to bring to Director Chen.

Riding a motorcycle is faster, so he set off at dawn and arrived at only 8 o'clock.

He went to the shop first, but just took a look at it from the roadside and then went to the village. He also took a look at the vacant land he bought and the land bought by Lin Xianghui. After taking a walk, he returned to the shop.

Lin's father and mother were holding a large scale, weighing a sack of goods. They were surprised to see him coming, but did not bother to say much. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work in the store. He also asked a few questions and answered their questions while he was free.

The shop's business is pretty good early in the morning.

"Ever since we put up the sign in our shop, more people have come to our shop, and business has been getting better every month. Many shops nearby have also followed our example and put up signs." Father Lin's face was full of joy.

"Are there any ruffians coming to cause trouble?"

"Not really. After all, the market is maintained by someone, and we pay the management fee on time every year. At most, someone comes to us because of a problem with the goods, and I talk to them nicely. What needs to be replaced will be replaced, and what needs to be delivered will be delivered."

Ye Yaodong nodded and told him to make his own arrangements, then changed the subject, "Has big brother's household registration been moved? I just came over and saw that his land has been leveled."

"Yes. Half a month ago, he found some time to go home and move the household registration of his entire family here. They settled in the village. He also picked a date and will start construction in October."

"Then I will go and settle down there later, and ask someone to get the land ready in the next two months. I'll have to trouble Dad and Big Brother to keep an eye on it then."

"Okay, we're close, right next to it, so it's convenient for us to watch, but how are you going to build it?"

He also told Lin's father about the plan he had mentioned to Aqing. Lin's father just sighed and said that the purchase was too big.

But since he had earned a lot of money in the past two years, it was nothing for him to take out 1 yuan to buy a piece of land. In the end, he didn't say anything. He just told him to do it himself and to tell him directly if he needed them to do anything.

Ye Yaodong stayed in the shop for a while and told Lin's father not to rush to settle the bill as he had to go and do some business first.

Then he took the things out of the sidecar and stored them in the shop. He also got two soup bowls from his brother-in-law and filled them with some jellyfish heads and skins, as well as a handful of jellyfish blood.

Then he packed another copy and put it in the sidecar, then rode slowly to the village to find the village chief. This separate copy was for the village chief, as the more gifts the better, so he asked him to help settle Ah Qing and the child down first.

After completing the settlement procedures, he returned to the store, put the remaining things into the sidecar, and then went straight to Director Chen's house.

The bucket was full when it arrived. Even after scooping out two large bowls, it was still only 6% full, which was still presentable. The most expensive item was jellyfish blood anyway.

It was almost noon when he arrived. Director Chen was at home after get off work and was surprised to see him.

"Didn't you say you were going to Zhejiang Province to catch jellyfish? You'd be gone for two months, so why are you back so soon? It's only been a month, right?"

"Haha, come back early if something happens."

He went into the house, put his things down, and told Director Chen what had happened. Director Chen felt dangerous after hearing it.

"It's like this when you go to someone else's territory. Most places are quite xenophobic. To the locals, you are invaders. Once emotions are slightly provoked, conflicts are inevitable. Fortunately, I came back early, which was wise."

Ye Yaodong nodded, followed up with a few words, and also talked about what happened when he came back.

"You did the right thing. You can't just take on this kind of thing lightly. You are lucky to have met a noble person. The other people's affairs should have been handed over to the local public security bureau for handling. Those people are desperate and will do whatever they want."

"I just need to listen to the news now."

"That's right. But if there's a jellyfish association or fishing association in the local area, and they can give you a position, you can take it. There will always be some benefits. After all, you are the leader of a group of people. If you go there next year, you will have a position and can get first-hand information. It will be more convenient and you can also build some connections."

"Okay, I'll talk about it when I get there."

Ye Yaodong changed the subject and talked about something lighter, and also explained how to cook jellyfish skin, jellyfish head and jellyfish blood.

Transportation is inconvenient these days. Except for small household appliances and some popular items, the circulation of other specialties is relatively slow. You have to buy them locally, which is why there is the business of profiteers. So he also has to explain the cooking methods, especially jellyfish blood. Most people don’t know how to eat it.

By the way, he also boasted about how nutritious jellyfish blood is, and how it is a good ingredient for replenishing qi and blood. In addition to fish maw, local women who have just given birth have to eat this, and it is very popular among local people.

It was already past 1 o'clock when he came out of Director Chen's house. He stopped there for lunch and chatted for a while. He then came out with Director Chen when it was time for him to go to work.

After watching the man ride away on his bicycle, he walked towards the motorcycle under the scorching sun. "It's so hot, damn, it's like a furnace. I almost got roasted when I got out."

"Selling popsicles~Selling popsicles~"

"I bought some popsicles..."

Hearing the sound of someone selling popsicles, he shouted at the person riding a bicycle over there, and the vendor immediately rode over on his bicycle.

Seeing him get off the motorcycle, the vendor's eyes lit up and he asked flatteringly, "Boss, what kind of popsicles do you want? We have red bean, mung bean, sugar water, milk, watermelon..."

Ye Yaodong stretched his head to take a look. He originally wanted to pick up one at random, but when he looked further, he found that they were actually packaged.

"what is this?"

"This is ice water. It has peach, orange, and pear flavors..."

Each bag has a different color, corresponding to the color of the flavor. He picked up a bag at random and took a look. The ingredients were water, saccharin and fruit powder.

"This bag has small ones worth 10 cents each and big ones worth 20 cents each. They've just been produced by the factory and we haven't had them before..."

"Is the manufacturer's address above correct?"

"Ah?" The vendor was confused. Do I have to check the factory to buy ice water?
"Boss...what are you going to do?"

"I'll take a bag of this. Is the address you pick up the goods from the same as the manufacturer's address listed above? Is it in the city?"

"Ah, yes..."

Ye Yaodong took out two dimes and gave it to him, then walked to the shade and squatted to look through the book, ignoring the vendor's confused expression.

The manufacturer's address was in a village in a town in the city, but he didn't know where it was. He looked up at the peddler who was about to leave and called him back.

He was especially patient with rich people and ordinary people. When the hawker heard his call, he immediately smiled and hurried over pushing his bicycle.

"Anything else, boss?"

Ye Yaodong pointed to the manufacturer's address above and asked, "Is this address close to here?"

"Ah? You're going to sell popsicles too?"

"Do I look like a popsicle seller to you?"

"No, you look like a big boss. You must be a big boss if you can ride a motorcycle."

In the hot summer, under the scorching sun at noon, when he goes out, he can't cover his head with only his eyes exposed like he does at sea. Lately he just wears a straw hat.

Although he looks more like a migrant worker than a boss, who can blame him for owning a motorcycle? So he must be a big boss.

Ye Yaodong looked at him with admiration, "You're smart. I want to go to this factory for something else. Can you show me the way? Is this factory far from here? How long does it take you to ride your bike?"

"It's not far, but it's not close either. It's OK to ride a bike for about an hour. I went to get popsicles and sold them while walking, and then rode all the way back."

He thought to himself, it only took an hour to ride the bike, he could go faster on a motorcycle, so that was fine.

"I've bought all the remaining popsicles you have. Can you take me there?"

The vendor nodded happily, "Okay, I'll go get some more goods while I'm at it."

"Go faster on my motorcycle."

He stood up, put the bag of ice water in his hand into his mouth, took a bite and drank the ice water. It tasted quite good and sweet.

The weather was too hot, and after just a short while of holding it in his hand, it was no longer as hard as before, and part of it had melted into water. He sucked up the melted part of the ice, and his whole body instantly felt cool and refreshed from the inside out.

"Then what about my bike? My home is not here. I...I'd better ride ahead and lead the way."

Although he wanted to ride a motorcycle, he was reluctant to park his bicycle on the side of the road for fear of losing it, so he could only ride his bicycle in front to lead the way.

Ye Yaodong could only follow slowly on his motorcycle.

I held the bag of ice water in my mouth and took a sip from time to time. After a few sips, it was all gone and the feeling of heat was much better.

The two motorcycles rode side by side, from the city to the outskirts of the city, and then to the main road. The peddler wanted to chat with him, but the noise of the motorcycle was too loud. Ye Yaodong didn't listen carefully, and he didn't have the patience to chat with a stranger.

After riding for about an hour, the vendor pedaled harder and shouted that they were almost there.

Ten minutes later, the bicycle slowed down and stopped. The motorcycle also stopped at the door of a low-rise house. There were also several bicycles at the door.

"That's it."

Ye Yaodong looked at the gate of the courtyard which looked like his own house. Someone came out with a wooden box and secured it on the back seat of a bicycle.

"A small workshop?"

It looks even worse than his house. No, it's much worse. This house looks like his own house, which is only about a hundred square meters and has a small courtyard at the door.

"Yes, it's just a small workshop. Boss, you see I've brought you to the place..."

"Okay, count the ice cream and water in your pocket and tell me how much they are worth. And put your things in order. Bring them out one piece at a time and give them to me later."

"Okay okay."

The vendor smiled happily and went to count immediately. Ye Yaodong cleared out all his goods in one go, which only took an hour, much faster than if he were wandering around the city, and he could also buy some more goods. It was only a little after two o'clock, and there were still four hours before the sun went down, so he could still sell at night.

Ye Yaodong ignored the vendor's counting. While they were talking, someone came out with a wooden box, and he went straight in.

He didn't expect that there was something else going on inside. There was actually a large freezer in the main room, and two people were picking out popsicles and ice water with boxes. Moreover, in the room at the back, he could only hear the sound of a lot of people talking, and there were no other sounds. He couldn't see anything while standing in the main room.

"What are you looking at? Buy a popsicle?" A middle-aged man looked at him puzzled.

Ye Yaodong immediately came to his senses and touched his pocket. He smiled and took out two cigarettes and said in Mandarin: "Uncle, I'm not here to buy popsicles. I'm more interested in the liquid packaging machine."

The middle-aged man was confused for a moment, "What is it?"

"It's your ice water bag filling and sealing machine. I'm curious about this machine. Can I take a look at it?"

"No, that won't work. You can't just watch it casually. Who knows if you are one of your colleagues here to cause trouble?"

"I'm not in the same business, don't worry. I'm doing other business. I'm not from here either, you'll know if you listen to me. I just want to know where you bought the machine. I also want to buy one to hold other liquids. I've been thinking about it for a long time. I happened to come to the city today and saw someone selling bagged ice water, so I came to ask about it."

The middle-aged man looked at him warily, "That won't work either. Who knows if what you said is true or false?"

After saying that, he shouted twice more inside, and several men ran out, and they immediately drove him out.

Ye Yaodong was pushed out by them, cursing in his own dialect. The vendor just happened to come in after counting the items and call him to pay. Seeing this, he was so surprised that he didn't know what to say.

"boss……"

"I'll go, I can't even take a look, I just want to know where I bought it..."

"What's wrong? Why were you kicked out?"

"I just want to ask where they bought the machine? I also want to buy a machine, but I don't sell popsicles. Do I look like someone who sells popsicles? Damn, I've never been chased away before, damn..."

"What machine?"

"That ice water bag filling machine, don't even let me see it."

"You asked me to bring you here just to ask about the filling machine for the ice water bags?"

"Isn't it? Otherwise, why would I come all the way here? Just for those popsicles? I'm too full, it's so hot."

The vendor hesitated and said, "How about I help you find out?"

Ye Yaodong looked at him in surprise, "Huh? You have a way?"

"I live in a nearby village. I can ask my family to ask my relatives. We have relatives everywhere around here, but I can't guarantee that I can find them..."

"Okay, if you can ask, I'll give you a red envelope." He said casually.

He could actually go ask Linji if anyone knew about this kind of thing, or slowly inquire around the city, but that person was often elusive and might not be seen for a month or so, and now he was a little anxious to know.

This way, his fish sauce can be packed in bags after fermentation, instead of having to send the whole tank to the city, which takes up space and is fragile.
If it can be packaged, he can distribute it better across the country and become bigger and stronger!
I felt excited just thinking about it, but I was just kicked out, so I could only ask for information elsewhere.

The vendor said happily, "Okay, how do I contact you?"

Ye Yaodong gave him the number of the village committee and said, "Just tell them you want to see Ye Yaodong. Remember that? Otherwise, why don't you go in and borrow a pen?"

"Then I'll go borrow a pen."

Ye Yaodong waited for a while, and when the person came out and wrote down the number, he paid for the popsicles and gave him an extra 1 cents to buy the quilt that was used to pad the wooden box. He was not afraid of being laughed at for being stupid and having a lot of money, so he took the whole bag and put it in the sidecar.

Anyway, he lives nearby, so he can just go home and use his old clothes and quilt to sleep on.

"I'm leaving now. If you have news, call me. If not, forget it. I'll think of another way."

"Ok."

Although he made a wasted trip and spent several dollars, he felt it was worth it because at least he knew that such a small filling and sealing machine already existed.

This small plastic bag for ice water only holds 100-200 ml. If there is a bag of this size, there must be one that holds 500 ml.

However, it is probably not widely used yet, as everyone is still accustomed to using bottles to store it.

After calming down, he was suddenly not so anxious anymore, because the amount of fermented fish sauce he had this year was not particularly large. It was just the catch of two boats, and it took several days to bring back 10,000 to 20,000 kilograms, or 20,000 to 30,000 kilograms. Sometimes it took half a month, and this month he had none at all.

Only a few thousand kilograms of fish sauce can be produced from twenty or thirty thousand kilograms of fish sauce, and it needs to be filtered at intervals after fermentation. If he gets a filling machine now, it is estimated that based on the fermentation speed of the fish at home, it will not be enough to fill the bottle, and it will have to be left idle most of the time.

Moreover, if the quantity is small, it cannot be made bigger and stronger. In the end, it still has to be fermented in large quantities. The fermentation time of this kind of thing is particularly long, half a year or a year.

So think about it and there is really no need to be so anxious. First increase the quantity and then think about making the machine.

If you want to increase the quantity, you have to prepare the fermentation containers in advance. It is also very simple to collect those groceries. You don’t have to catch them yourself, although catching them yourself is the most convenient and cost-effective.

Ye Yaodong got on his motorcycle and drove towards the market while thinking about things. However, the market was closed at this time. However, Lin's father and mother did not return to the village. Instead, they stayed in Lin Xianghui's shop, helping with cutting vegetables and making stuffing with the children, doing some preparations in advance.

After hearing the sound of a motorcycle at the door, several children turned around and immediately rushed out excitedly.

"Uncle..."

"Uncle...you are back again..."

"Are you done with your work, little uncle?"

Ye Yaodong looked at the half-grown children who were surrounding him excitedly, and smiled as he picked up the small quilt in his bag. "Go in, I brought you some popsicles and ice water."

"Wow……"

"Great, I'm thirsty..."

"So many? Uncle, why did you buy so much?"

As soon as he put the torn quilt on the table and opened it, the kids became even more excited and each picked out a flavor they wanted. No child could resist the temptation of popsicles.

"Dad, Mom, Big Brother, and Big Sister-in-law should eat one too, otherwise it will melt if left alone."

"Why did you buy so much? How can we finish it?" Mrs. Lin said with a smile, "Wrap it up quickly, it will melt if left outside."

"I believe they can all eat two or three each."

"That's right!" Lin Guangyuan happily took another one, licking it with both hands at the same time.

The other two quickly nodded and took another one.

Mother Lin quickly wrapped the small torn quilt up and said, "Eat it as a meal? One is not too much. Eating too much is bad for your stomach and intestines. You will have diarrhea. Wrap it up first and take it back to feed your children at home. There are about 20 or 30 of them in here."

Ye Yaodong let them eat whatever they wanted and said to his father-in-law, "Let's settle the bill. I have to go back quickly. I've been delayed for too long. It's already 3 o'clock."

"Okay, I thought you would come over after you finish your work, and settle the bill at the store."

"Ah."

The father-in-law and son-in-law walked out again. There was constant laughter and chatter in the house, but Lin Guangyuan followed them out.

Ye Yaodong looked at Lin Guangyuan, who was now as tall as his ears, and felt that he had grown really fast. A few years ago, he was only as tall as his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, uncle, can I go home with you and play for two days?"

"Your store is so busy, can you still come home and play with me?"

"My dad said that he would let us study here when school starts in the second half of the year, and we don't have to go back to the village. I'm a little reluctant. If I don't go back with you to play for a few days now, I may have to wait until the Chinese New Year, which is a long time."

"I can, can your parents?"

"Hey, if you tell them, they will definitely be able to do it."

"What about your brothers and sisters?"

"Leave them alone."

Father Lin glanced at him and said, "You are just making a fuss. Other people's eldest children stay behind to work, but you leave your younger brothers and sisters behind to work while you go back to play."

"I'm here to learn from my uncle, not to play! My uncle is so capable, there's a future for me to follow him. It's rare for him to come back, I haven't seen him for a long time."

Ye Yaodong happily put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Sure, I'll take you back with me later. Let me tell you, Captain Chen, who gave you the sailor shirt before, is also building a lighthouse in our town now. You might see him if you go back with me."

Lin Guangyuan's eyes lit up, "Yes, yes, yes, my aunt asked me to go back with you, I must go back with you."

"No problem, I'll talk to your parents."

Lin Guangyuan clenched his fists and waved them several times with joy.

While they were settling the bill, he immediately ran home to pack his clothes and waited at the gate without even thinking of going to the store to tell his parents first.

Because he knew that if he asked her, the answer might not be yes, but if his uncle asked her, there would definitely be no problem.

Ye Yaodong just glanced at the scribbles on the account book, pricked up his ears and listened to Lin's father telling him how much money was collected on which date. He read it out once, then took the money he gave him. In the end, he only remembered the total amount in his mind and left.

Anyway, when we get back, A Qing will count them again, as long as the total number is roughly the same.

"Let's go. Talk to your parents and I'll take you back."

"okay."

When Lin Xianghui and Lin Dasao heard Ye Yaodong say that he wanted to take Lin Guangyuan back with him, they didn't say anything but nodded in agreement. However, the other two children rebelled.

"We want to go too..."

"Why did you take Big Brother with you and not us..."

"Because I want to take him to work for me, and you are too young."

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he picked up the torn quilt and went out again. Lin Guangyuan had already sat in the sidecar excitedly waiting. The two children at the back were being pulled by their adults, with sad faces, and were still shouting.

"We can also help you with the work, uncle..."

"You don't even do your own work, but you're so enthusiastic about working at other people's homes... Stop making trouble, I'll take you with me next time."

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he walked away, leaving only Lin Guangyuan's excited shouting in his ears.

"So cool, so cool... Wow... Motorcycles are much cooler than tractors."

"Uncle, this motorcycle is so cool. Can you teach me how to ride it when we get back?"

"sure."

"That's great, uncle-in-law. Oh my god, I'm going to learn how to ride a motorcycle? Hahahahaha... cough cough..."

"Shut your mouth, or you'll have to eat a mouthful of dirt."

My ears suddenly became quiet.

(End of this chapter)