BTSFVI Chapter Seventy Seven

Read/BTSFVI/Chapter 77

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        Chapter 77 Small Wooden Boat

"Otherwise? Why would I buy a boat if not for fishing? Just to look at it?" Ye Yaodong said in an annoyed tone. He had been behaving well, and yet he was still being questioned.

The old lady had been silent all this time, but now she happily held his hand and said, "Yaodong has grown up. You're going to buy a boat and go fishing on your own. You need to be more careful when you go out alone."

"I know!"

Father Ye glared at the old lady. He hadn't even responded yet, and he also needed to ask the opinions of his eldest and second sons.

He looked at his other two sons and asked, "Your third brother wants to buy that boat. What do you guys think?"

Ye Yaohua's face turned red as he glanced at his two brothers. He hesitated and said, somewhat embarrassed, "Dad, I... I also want... Ah!"

He touched his arm and glared at Second Sister-in-law Ye, but she smiled and said to Father Ye, "Dad, let's go back to our rooms and discuss it later. Yaodong shouldn't be in a hurry, right?"

Father Ye furrowed his brows and gave her a glance but didn't say anything. His second son was a bit too soft.

He looked at his eldest son, "What do you think?"

"How much does Ah Dong plan to buy it from Dad?"

Ye Yaodong shrugged, "That depends on how much Dad plans to sell it to me."

"What are your thoughts, eldest?"

"I need to think about it, consider it first, then I’ll give you an answer after dinner, Dad."

"Alright, you all think about it. Third, go back to your room and discuss it with your wife. Don't make impulsive decisions!"

In the end, Father Ye still didn't trust him!

The way his second daughter-in-law acted made him feel that his second son was soft-hearted, and he didn't like it.

He wanted his third daughter-in-law to supervise his third son more, to keep an eye on this unruly third son, and he hoped that his third son would listen more to his third daughter-in-law.

Being a father was so contradictory.

When his sons listened to their wives for everything, he felt stifled. When his sons didn't listen to their wives, he wanted them to listen more to their wives' advice.

Mother Ye smiled and said, "You all go back to the room and discuss it. I'll go make dinner. It's already late, and I haven't cooked yet."

She hadn't done much work, and the meals were simple. So she didn't need their help.

After returning to the room with Ye Yaodong, Lin Xiuqing pulled him aside and asked, "Why do you want to buy that small wooden boat? It can be kept in the public fund, and anyone who needs it can use it. Isn't that better?"

God knows how difficult it was for her to suppress the urge to ask him what he was thinking when he blurted out that he wanted to buy that boat. She just didn't want to interrupt at that moment.

"If it's kept in the public fund, who will keep the money?"

Lin Xiuqing was speechless.

"With the current arrangement, the money we earn from working with Dad goes towards building houses. After we divide the family property, if we go fishing with Dad, he will share the money or pay us wages. But we take turns, at most ten days a month. If we have to repair the machines or if there are rough waves, we may not even be able to go out for a whole month."

"With a small boat, we can make some traps and go to collect the catch the next day. Isn't that more stable? And we won't have to go in the middle of the night."

Lin Xiuqing stared at Ye Yaodong intently. "Are you serious?"

"Of course, no one believes me, but you have to!"

"Why should I believe you?"

This...

Ye Yaodong scratched his head. "Sigh~ I've been doing well lately, haven't I? You've seen it too."

"Who knows how long you can keep it up?"

"Don't dampen my enthusiasm, okay? Aren't you supposed to encourage me? Don't you want me to work hard and earn money?"

She said seriously, "I saw your recent performance, and that's why I think there's hope for you. That's why I'm asking if you're serious. If it were in the past, I wouldn't even bother asking, and you can forget about getting money from me."

"If you genuinely have the determination to work hard, then I'll definitely support you. But if you're just going to be inconsistent, it's better not to waste the money.”

Ye Yaodong sighed helplessly and pulled her into his embrace, stroking her short hair. For the first time, he spoke sincerely, "Trust me this once; even a prodigal son can turn around."

Hearing these words, Lin Xiuqing's nose felt a bit sour, and her eyes became teary.

After a while, she said, "You said it!"

"Yes, I said it!" He heard the slight nasal sound and patted her back to comfort her. "Let's buy the boat. It's a rare opportunity. We can sell the small boat in the future when we have enough money to buy a bigger one. We won't lose out."

"Okay." She reached out and hugged him.

Seeing his recent performance, she was willing to give him a chance. If he was lying to her, she could sell the boat, and the cost of trying wouldn't be too high.

After the couple reached an agreement, they discussed how much their father would sell it to them for. It probably wouldn't be much lower than the market price, especially with their sisters-in-law watching.

However, Ye Yaodong wasn't worried. His parents were not greedy for money. "Let's see what Big Brother and Ah Hua think. Ah Hua seemed a bit tempted just now."

"But didn't Second Sister-in-law stop him? It would be even harder to get her to pay than anything else."

He pouted. Like Pixiu that only takes in and never gives out. It's no wonder he managed to accumulate a good amount of money in his past life.

"We'll find out later. Maybe they prefer to work with Dad; no capital required and more security."

"We don't actually need to work alone..."

"Not working alone? Then us three brothers take turns? Going for just a few days each month while enjoying the rest of the time with eating, drinking, and having fun as usual?"

Lin Xiuqing pursed her lips tightly. It would be better to work alone with a tighter schedule. If they play too much, they might end up wasting time.

"Then it's up to you. Let's buy it, but you definitely can't selfishly go out fishing now. Big Brother and Second Brother have work to do at home, and you should help too."

"I know. The family is busy right now, and I can't go out every day. I also need to help with the new house. I'll find time to go fishing intermittently."

And he still needed to learn how to row a boat.

Sailing a boat was easy for him, but rowing... It was a bit old-fashioned, something he had never learned when he was young. He needed to spend some time testing the waters near the shore.

After discussing it, the couple went out. It was also time for dinner.

During the meal, Ye Yaopeng said directly, "Dad, Little Third wants that small wooden boat. You can sell it to him at a lower price. It's rare that he wants to work hard. I don't want it."

"Okay, what about Second?"

Ye Yaohua glanced at Ye Yaodong with a hint of embarrassment. "Since Little Third wants it, let him have it. A second-hand small wooden boat isn't worth much... money..."

He gnashed his teeth, furrowing his brow...

Everyone knew that Second Sister-in-law Ye must have pinched him again!

Any discerning person could see it. Mother Ye glared at Second Sister-in-law Ye, displeased. "Why are you interfering when the men are talking?"

"Ah... I... I didn't do anything, Mother..."

Father Ye glanced at them but didn't bother commenting on his second daughter-in-law. It wasn't appropriate for him as a father-in-law to say anything.

He put down his chopsticks and said affirmatively, "Family members need to settle their accounts clearly. We certainly can't give it away for free, and that small wooden boat isn't considered very small. According to the market, it's worth around 200 yuan. Since you all have no objections, let's give it to Yaodong for about 150 yuan. We're all family. It's a good opportunity to use this money to build houses. Do you all agree?"

Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua had no objections. Second Sister-in-law Ye was warned and dared not say anything. Eldest Sister-in-law Ye was wise and good at protecting herself.

And so, the matter of the small wooden boat was settled.

(end of this chapter)

***

1. A Chinese mythical hybrid creature that likes gold, silver, and jewels.

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BTSFVI Chapter Seventy Six

Read/BTSFVI/Chapter 76

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        Chapter 76 Want to Have My Own Boat

After about an hour, Lin Jishang and his companions left. Only then did Mother Ye and the others anxiously enter the house.

"What did they say? Are they really here to buy our homestead?"

Father Ye finished taking a puff of his pipe and nodded. "I don't know where they found that master, but he said our land has good feng shui and will bring him prosperity. He mentioned that he has had bad luck in recent years and wants to change his fortune."

"But he's not from our village. Why would he buy the land here?"

"He said he wants to build a small house. Sometimes when he returns from a fishing trip, it's too late to go to the county town, so he wants to dock his boat at our pier and rest here."

"Is this person rich?"

"I heard he has a large ship, but I'm not sure about the details."

Ye Yaodong lazily leaned against the wall and said, "This person is not honest. I guess he's involved in smuggling on the high seas. The big port is not safe for docking, and our small village pier conveniently allows them to secretly unload goods at night. They need a place to stay overnight after unloading, right?"

"The location of this land is not far from the beach, and there aren't many residents nearby, right? Maybe that's one of the reasons they believe it has good feng shui!"

In his previous life, he had heard some rumors. Lin Jishang's family made a fortune through smuggling, but he didn't know exactly what kind of smuggling they were involved in.

In rural areas like theirs, the villagers preferred to mind their own business. Even if they knew something, they would discuss it privately and wouldn't deliberately report it.

Everyone in the room took a sharp breath upon hearing this. Smuggling on the high seas was illegal, and Father Ye was also extremely surprised. "How do you know?"

"I'm just guessing. The way he spoke earlier seemed evasive. Well, whatever. We didn't lose anything. We even gained a boat. Just don't go outside and make a fuss."

"How did the discussion go? What do you mean by gaining a boat?" Mother Ye's curiosity was itching, but no one took the initiative to explain.

Others were also anxious. "Yeah, how did it go?"

Father Ye smiled and said, "We've decided to transfer the homestead we are currently building to Zhou Yechi, Lin Jishang's cousin. He will cover the wages of the workers we've hired during this period and the cost of food. We will choose another piece of land in the village, and he will cover the cost of the homestead. As a bonus, he will compensate us with a 6-meter wooden boat."

Everyone's eyes lit up. Didn't that mean they got a boat for free?

"Why would we transfer the homestead we're currently building to him without any benefits?" Ye Yaodong said.

"Well, Dad, since we sold the land to him, shouldn't we also get paid for our work?" Eldest Sister-in-law Ye couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, all of you who have been working should be paid. Tonight, let your mother calculate how many days you've worked and how much money you should receive. Also, calculate the food expenses. Tomorrow, we'll go together to the commune and find Secretary Chen."

Ye Yaopeng reminded, "Dad, tomorrow we should check the boat first. We can't accept a damaged boat."

"Of course we have to test it on the waters."

Eldest Sister-in-law Ye asked happily, "So, where should we choose our new homestead?"

Father Ye looked at his three sons and asked, "Where do you want to choose?"

"Let's choose the land in front of the beach. It's close to the sea, and we'll know when the tide recedes. It's convenient for sea digging."

Facing everyone, Ye Yaodong wouldn't mention anything about facing the sea, warm in spring. If his parents heard that, they would probably scold him. They worked hard every day just to put food on the table. Who has time to enjoy the sea and warmth in spring?

Father Ye frowned. "During a typhoon..."

"Just don't build too close to the front, as long as the waves don't reach. This location is close to the beach, and you won't have to walk as far to the pier."

Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua had no objections. Any location would do for them.

Eldest Sister-in-law Ye and Second Sister-in-law Ye also felt that what he said made sense. They could see the tide recede and return faster than others. As long as they built it in a position that the waves couldn't reach, it would be fine.

"If none of you have objections, then let's choose that area. We'll measure it tomorrow."

Since there were no objections, Father Ye made the decision directly.

Due to important matters the next day, Father Ye didn't go fishing at night. They also informed the workers to temporarily halt construction on the houses. They would resume work once the new homestead was confirmed.

The wooden boat is about 6 meters long and can carry about 5 tons. It's not too old. If you buy it second-hand, it would cost around 200 yuan.

Father Ye rowed the boat on the sea, checked it for any issues, and then, as a precaution, asked the village's master shipbuilder to inspect it again. Once there were no problems, he went to the commune to find Secretary Chen as a witness and to mark the new homestead.

Everyone in the Ye family was delighted. They were just changing the residential plot and got a boat for free. There couldn't be anything better than this.

After the smooth transaction, Secretary Chen confirmed with Father Ye multiple times that they were doing this voluntarily. Then he promptly issued a new certificate and approved the plot by the seaside. The money, of course, came from Lin Jishang's cousin, Zhou Yechi.

After settling the calculations for wages, the Ye family didn't concern themselves with the homestead anymore. They planned to inform the workers to dig a hole at the new homestead the next day and resume construction.

Back at home, Ye Yaodong couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what are you going to do with the small boat?"

"Hmm? What do you mean, what am I going to do?"

"You already have a big boat. You can't sail the small boat too!"

Father Ye frowned. "What do you want to do?"

"Sell it to me!"

The boat was 6 meters long—not too small. He couldn't afford a bigger one, and he couldn't afford a new one either. Getting a second-hand wooden boat temporarily wouldn't be bad. 

It was better than taking turns with his two brothers to go fishing with their father. They only got to go fishing once every three days, and the earnings from fishing had to be used for building houses. They had no money left.

He wanted to earn money, but he didn't know how to do business, had no capital, and nobody trusted him. As someone living by the sea, having a small wooden boat to catch some fish would be good.

You see, fishing boats were the tools that coastal people relied on for survival. Rarely would anyone sell a perfectly good boat unless they were exchanging a small boat for a bigger one. Discarded small boats were usually prioritized for sale within the family. Second-hand boats were also not easy to come by. Today, this boat presented an opportunity for him.

When he said this, everyone was surprised and asked in unison, "You want to buy it?"

"Can’t I?"

Father Ye frowned. "What's the point of buying? If you need it, just take it and use it."

"Then, Dad, since you have three sons, who are you planning to let use it?"

Um... that question stumped Father Ye.

It was Mother Ye who had a better understanding of maintaining balance in the family. She changed the topic and asked, "Yaodong, why do you want to buy that wooden boat?"

"Well, I want to have my own boat. I can't afford a new one, and I can't find a second-hand one. Now that we have an extra boat at home and it's not easy to divide among the three brothers, I thought I could buy it."

Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua, the two brothers, also felt a bit eager when they heard him say he wanted to have his own boat. They also wanted one.

Father Ye looked at him with suspicion. "Are you planning to go fishing by yourself?"

Why didn't he believe it? If the eldest or second son said they wanted their own boat, he would believe it without a doubt. But the third son...

Plenty of criminal records!

Even though he seemed diligent and hardworking lately, his father had doubts about how long he could keep it up!

 

(end of this chapter)

***

1. Don’t know why Secretary Chen suddenly became Secretary Lin in the raws. My guesses are they got two Secretaries(unlikely) or the usual typo, so I’ll just put Secretary Chen

***

Z's corner:

Ah Dong is finally making plans for the future

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BTSFVI Chapter Seventy Five

Read/BTSFVI/Chapter 75

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        Chapter 75 Changing the Homestead

Lin Jishang smiled and said, "These things are negotiable. As long as you are willing to resell."

This place of theirs is just a small fishing village. Most of the village consists of relatives, and even the remaining half is somehow connected. Moreover, if they want to buy land, they definitely have to speak politely and nicely.

"What? Are you planning to buy at a high price? You should know that the land here already has the foundation of our three houses!"

"Why don't we sit down and talk at your place? It's not convenient to talk under the sun."

"No time; we're busy. We need to quickly build our new house so that we can move in! You should know that this place is a Feng Shui treasure land. As soon as we purchased the land, money started flowing in frequently at home. We have a higher catch of fish every day compared to others who drag nets. It's such a great location, so of course we want to build and move in as soon as possible!"

Ye Yaohua awkwardly glanced at Ye Yaodong. How did their land become a Feng Shui treasure?

Hasn't it been only Ah Dong who has been getting big hauls recently? It doesn't seem like they're doing exceptionally well, right?

The three people across from them exchanged glances, feeling that things might not be easy to handle.

"Uncle Ye isn't here. Let's wait until evening when he comes back before we visit them."

They came quickly and left quickly!

The Ye brothers stood there, watching their hurried figures.

When they had gone far, Lin Xiuqing asked, "Do they really believe in the good feng shui theory? Why does it feel so mystical to me?"

"Who knows if they have been deceived by some charlatan. Anyway, let's just say that this is a feng shui treasure. You know, when the water rises, the boat floats higher, right?"

"Are we really going to sell? We've transported so many materials from the mountain and river."

"No worries. If they really want to buy, they'll have to offer a high price. Otherwise, we won't sell. We can't sell at a loss, right? After all, this is a feng shui treasure. It's clear to everyone that we've been frequently receiving money during this period. Some businessmen believe in these mystical things."

Ye Yaodong nonchalantly walked over and sat down under a shady tree, not planning to work anymore. He was thinking that maybe he could really make a profit by selling the land.

If he could sell at a high price, then he would definitely sell. He couldn't just pass up the opportunity for money. You can build a house anywhere. There's plenty of vacant land in the village. They could just find another place.

Lin Xiuqing was starting to believe what he had told her about this land being a feng shui treasure.

Ye Yaohua felt the same. "Is our place really a feng shui treasure? Then we shouldn't sell it. With such good feng shui, our family will thrive."

Ye Yaodong looked at his second brother speechlessly. "Do you believe every nonesense I say?"

"Didn't he invite someone to assess the feng shui yesterday morning?"

"And before that, there were fortune tellers who said your son would be a top scholar. Do you believe that?"

"Uh... I don't believe it..."

His second nephew grew up to be a seaweed farmer...

"That's settled then. Just listen to what these fraudsters say, and when they claim it's a feng shui treasure, let's consider it a feng shui treasure. Then we can make a hefty profit when we sell it."

It just so happens that the family is poor. They can sell it at a high price and make a profit. They can then find a new piece of land and build a house there, while also making some extra money.

He looked at the land in front of the beach. It was perfect, facing the sea, warm in spring, and with even better feng shui!

In his previous life, the village developed a tourism industry, and they filled the mudflats in front of the beach to create a large area of land for housing. They built a lot of villas, and the ones in the back were turned into guesthouses. The business was booming.

Although the beach hasn't been filled yet, there are still plenty of vacant lots around. Occupying a piece of land in advance and they can get compensation for demolition in a few decades.

At first, his father mentioned building a house to split the family, but he was still processing his rebirth and hadn't sorted out his thoughts. He didn't expect this opportunity to arise now!

He stopped Lin Xiuqing, who was pushing the gray cart up the mountain to work. "Take a break, don't work so hard. When Mother brings the food later, talk to her about it."

"But we can't delay the work."

"You know, what if we build a house in front of the beach? Open the window, and there's the sea. Facing the sea, warm in spring, isn't that great?"

Lin Xiuqing said irritably, "You're being ridiculous. We've seen the sea before. During a typhoon, one wave can flood the house."

"Just don't build too close to the beach. There's a large empty area further back where the waves won't reach. You'll know when the tide comes and goes just by standing at the doorstep. We can go sea digging anytime."

She thought about it and felt that what he said made some sense. They would know when the tide receded while at home, and they could go to the beach faster than others.

"So... if those three come to our house in the evening, should we really sell this piece of land?"

"Well, we only started construction a few days ago and just finished the foundation. Let's see how much money they're prepared to offer. We spent 300 yuan on the foundation, and the workers have been working for these days. The wages are not small, and there are expenses for food and drink. Let's see what Dad says."

He couldn't make the decision; the money for building the houses came from his parents.

"Oh."

Knowing that someone was interested in their property, Ye Yaodong also didn't work as hard. Who knows if his father would sell?

When he finished work and returned home, he realized that today's catch was just average. Only making 28 yuan from selling the fish, and after deducting the diesel cost, what was left was only 22 or 23 yuan.

Compared to yesterday, it was much less.

As soon as Lin Xiuqing and the two other sisters-in-law came back, they started gutting the fish without taking a breath. Ever since they had a boat for fishing, the amount of fish they caught each day equaled what others caught in a lifetime.

Father Ye also knew that someone went to the homestead today and said that he wanted to buy that piece of land. He was smoking his pipe while thinking about whether to sell it or not.

"What do you think?"

Ye Yaodong, shirtless and with one leg propped up on a chair, fanned himself. "Whatever, there's empty land everywhere in the village. Can't we build a house anywhere? We don't have to hang ourselves on one tree. Besides, the house hasn't been completed yet. We've only laid the foundation and stacked a few stones."

Ye Yaopeng also chimed in, "Let's see how much they're willing to offer. We can't let our work during this period go to waste."

Ye Yaohua rubbed his hands together and grinned, "Our piece of land is a feng shui treasure. They should be willing to pay a good price, right?"

"Why don't we spread some more rumors saying that our land is a feng shui treasure? Maybe we can attract a few rich people to bid for it."

Father Ye glared at Mother Ye. "That's a bad idea. What if they say it's fake and cause trouble for us? Lin Jishang and the others came to us on their own. We have nothing to do with it."

"I'm going to take a shower. Who knows if they'll come or not? I'm starving after working all day."

"Go take a shower first, then we'll eat. We can discuss it when they arrive."

As a result, by the time they finished their meal, it was almost dark when they finally saw the three people from earlier approaching.

"Uncle Ye, have you finished eating?" Lin Jishang smiled and greeted everyone.

"We have. I heard you were looking for me during the day?" Father Ye sat at the entrance, enjoying the cool breeze, and didn't bother to get up. After all, he wasn't the one seeking a favor.

"Yes, my cousin wanted to talk to you, but my dad is not at home, so I brought him here. Can we go inside and talk?"

"Sure, let's go inside."

All the men from the Ye family followed them inside, while the women and children remained at the entrance, still enjoying the cool breeze. The curious neighbors asked what they were there for.

Mother Ye simply said she didn't know, brushing off their inquiries.

(end of this chapter)

***

Z's corner:

Oh damn, hmm should Ah Dong sell it or not? Depends on the benefits tbh

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BTSFVI Chapter Seventy Four

Read/BTSFVI/Chapter 74

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        Chapter 74 Came to the Door

No matter how much Father Ye and Mother Ye tried to persuade them, Secretary Chen's family insisted on going home for dinner. They didn't want to insist either, especially since building a house recently consumed a lot of rice and grain. Saving a bit would be good.

After Secretary Chen's family left, the house became lively. A group of unruly children didn't care about the adults and stretched their necks, looking at the tea cakes and canned oranges in the basket.

They had eaten tea cakes before—sweet and chewy. Taking a bite and filling their mouths. But they hadn't had a chance to eat canned oranges. Their family was poor, and their parents couldn't afford to buy them canned food.

Ye Yaodong patted the heads of his two oldest nephews. "Stop drooling. It's time to eat."

Ye Chenghai tilted his head and asked, "Uncle, can we have the tea cakes and canned oranges after we finish eating?"

"You're already full from eating rice. Can you still eat them?"

The group of children vigorously nodded and said in unison, "Of course we can."

"Then go ahead and eat!"

He didn't think it was a big deal. Since they wanted to eat, they could have tea cakes and canned oranges after finishing their meal. However, Mother Ye disagreed. She glared at him and said, "Canned food is expensive. Don't let the children waste it. Put it away for now. In two months, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, we can include them in the gift package to make it look better."

If it weren't for the fear of the canned food expiring by the time Chinese New Year came around, Mother Ye would have wanted to save them for Chinese New Year so they would look more presentable and prestigious.

Ye Chenghu looked at them with longing eyes and weakly said, "Dad... I want to eat the canned oranges..."

"Your grandma doesn't allow it!"

Ye Yaodong shrugged helplessly. Since his mother had control over the items, there was nothing he could do. He did want to give the children a chance to eat.

Mother Ye lightly poked Ye Chenghu's forehead with her index finger. "Always thinking about eating. We're about to have dinner. No one is allowed to eat them. We'll save them for gifting."

She locked the canned food and cigarettes in the cabinet, leaving only the tea cakes on the table. "After dinner, I'll give you all the tea cakes. As for the cigarettes and alcohol, I'll ask later if they can be exchanged for money. They are too valuable, and we can't afford them."

Everyone had no objections. Eldest Sister-in-law Ye and Second Sister-in-law Ye felt relieved after hearing this. They thought that Mother Ye would directly give these gifts to the third household since Ye Yaodong was the one who saved lives.

However, what they didn't expect was that as soon as everyone went back to their rooms, Mother Ye secretly went to Ye Yaodong's room. She took the money from selling the gifts to the town and handed it over to Lin Xiuqing.

She was afraid that there wouldn't be time during the day, so as soon as they finished dinner, she hurriedly took the money to the large store in town. It took her two hours back and forth, and by the time she returned, it was already dark outside.

Lin Xiuqing looked surprised at the money in Mother Ye's hand. "Why is Mother giving this to me?"

Mother Ye whispered, "Shh, they came to thank Yaodong, and these gifts should be given to you. I thought since the whole family was there, it's better to give them to you now. Otherwise, someone might feel uncomfortable."

"But we haven't separated yet, so these things..."

"It's true that we haven't separated, but doesn't each family keep their own money? They came to thank Yaodong, not us. These gifts are for him. You keep it. Your father and I have worked hard all our lives for you. What's yours is yours."

Ye Yaodong stood by, tightly pursing his lips, and felt that his mother was quite clever. Even rural women had wisdom and knew how to balance things in the family.

"You keep it. After the houses are finished, you'll have plenty of places to spend the money." After stuffing the money into Lin Xiuqing's hand, she looked at Ye Yaodong and couldn't help but say, "Be more diligent in the future and don't fool around all the time with your friends..."

"Huh? Why are you calling it fooling around? Who doesn't have a few friends? Even you have a group of friends who call you to go sea digging every day."

"Just a word from me, and you're talking back. My friends tell me to do something proper, while your friends only call you to play and drink."

"That's not true. Didn't we go to catch eels yesterday afternoon? You even ate them. And didn't we go to sea recently? We just made a few hundred yuan. Did you forget already? Besides, they also came to help us with the construction of our house. We don't play and drink every day."

Mother Ye was speechless...

The rascal became serious, so how could she argue with him?

She glared at him and said, "Wake up early tomorrow and work!"

"I got it."

After Mother Ye left, Lin Xiuqing counted the money in her hand. "Mom said Maotai is sold for 12 yuan per bottle, and Zhonghua cigarettes for 1 yuan per pack. She said the repurchase price is slightly cheaper."

"Normal. It's a give-and-take. They also need to make a profit. Otherwise, why would they repurchase?"

"Well, I'll keep it then." It was a substantial income, and she was quite happy. Lately, she has been receiving money quite frequently!

"Let's go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to work."

"You're quite concerned, aren't you?"

"Of course. Isn't that our house?"

In the middle of summer, building a house was a sweaty task. The sweat dripped like water, and their clothes were so wet they could be wrung out. Running a big boat was a bit lonely, but it was still better than moving stones and carrying gravel, which was exhausting.

Ye Yaodong had just finished carrying a load of stones and sat down to have a tea break. He rubbed his sore shoulders and decided to take off his damp shirt. However, he noticed that his shoulders were red from the weight of the shoulder pole.

He couldn't help but shed a tear of self-pity. Did the heavens throw him back to age 25 to make up for the hardships he missed out on in his youth?

Lin Xiuqing happened to be pushing a gray cart over and saw it. She whispered, "I'll apply camellia oil to it at night, and it will be fine."

He raised an eyebrow, about to say something, but then he saw Lin Jishang from his memories walking towards their construction site with two unfamiliar middle-aged men, swaggering.

"Is Uncle Ye here? Is this Third Uncle Ye's house?"

Just yesterday, Secretary Chen had warned him, and he didn't expect them to come so soon.

Ye Yaodong furrowed his brows, stood up, and hung his shirt over his shoulder. He walked up to them and looked down at them. "Lin Jishang? What do you want?"

The three of them instinctively took a step back and couldn't help but curse in their hearts. Why did they do that? So what if he's tall?

"Hehe, I wanted to talk to Uncle Ye about something."

"If you have something to say, you can tell me!"

At this moment, Ye Yaohua also noticed the commotion and walked over. "What's going on, Ah Dong?"

Lin Jishang?

He instantly thought of what Secretary Chen had mentioned yesterday evening. Did they want to buy this piece of land?

"They're looking for Dad," Ye Yaodong said, then turned to the three of them. "The houses being built here are for the three of us brothers. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't interrupt our work."

"It's like this, my cousin wants to buy this piece of land from you and wants to discuss it with you."

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes. "Can't you see that we've already laid the foundation? We've hired so many workers and transported so much stone and yellow soil. You want to buy it, so it? Then what have we been working on during this time? How much sweat have we shed carrying all these stones?"

How much sweat did he shed when he carried loads of stones?

Without offering more money or giving some benefits, they just casually say they want to buy it’s theirs? What nonsense!

(end of this chapter)

***

Author's note:

Thank you for your support. After the third round of PK, this book has already reached 9,000 favorites and over 2,200 followers. We skipped the fourth round of PK and went straight to the top three in the Three Rivers rankings.

The editor has notified me that the book will be released at 12:00 on the 14th and there will be several days of frequent updates!

During this holiday, I exhausted all my saved drafts. I will now work hard to save up more drafts. Please make sure to support the first release when the time comes!

A big thank you to those who have been continuously reading this book, as well as to the generous readers who have given rewards and votes. Love you all!!

Bow deeply!

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