Ye Yaodong stood uneasily in the corner of the room, his head throbbing.
He had no cigarettes, so he could only chew on a piece of straw while watching his uncles arguing with his father and two older brothers.
Their faces were red with anger, and they slapped the table with such force that it echoed loudly!
He couldn't understand why he, who had been invited to work as a boatman on a large ship, had ended up falling into the sea for just a moment of relief on the deck.
How had he woken up this morning, only to find himself back in 1982? It was truly... miraculous!
Even now, he was still coming to terms with it.
The sight of his father catching a net full of big yellow croaker brought him no joy at all, for the surprise of being reborn at age 25 was overwhelming! He was 65 years old and somehow jumped back in time by 40 years, regaining his youth at 25. How marvelous!
But alas, he thought, he must have left a hefty sum behind after dying; his old boss would have to compensate his family with over a hundred thousand—thus, his two younger brothers would benefit.
He wondered how they reacted upon hearing the news, whether they cried or laughed...
"Third Brother, you must not forget that the boat was left by our father. It's only because our mother chose to follow you into retirement that it was handed over to you. Originally, we were all supposed to share it; you must sell the yellow croakers and share the money with us!"
"That's right, Third Bro. Now that you've caught a net full of fish, you're feeling proud, aren't you? The boat is a relic from our father, and we all have a share. You can't just forget your brotherly bond and keep it all for yourself."
Uncle Ye and Second Uncle Ye shouted at him in tandem, making their father glare back with frustration.
“Nonsense! The boat was indeed left by my father, but it was on the brink of falling apart and the engine was broken. You didn't want it and chose cash instead, so you threw that broken boat to me! You said it still had three thousand nails left and could still sell for a decent price; since my mother and I were struggling, I might as well benefit from it.”
“I’m the youngest one here and got the short end of the stick. What's wrong with me repairing the boat bit by bit these past two years while you’re itching for a piece of the action now? There’s no way! I poured all my money into that boat just to finally catch a break, and you both show up, knocking on my door demanding a share—where's the shame?”
Second Uncle Ye furrowed his brow.
"Third Brother, during the division of our father's estate, you indeed took advantage. This boat is our father's legacy, and we intended to leave it to you for your mother to have something to hold onto. Wouldn't it have been better if we sold the boat and split the money instead?”
"How convenient it sounds to be keeping some sentimental memory! Do you think that pile of junk is worth much? The wood is cheap, and iron sells for pennies, right? You could’ve just given it to me to avoid splitting the inheritance!”
"Uncle and Second Uncle, everyone was around when Grandpa passed. We agreed on this long ago—you two would take a share, while my dad would take the broken boat—that was settled between you. Seeing my grandmother in tears, my dad couldn’t bring himself to sell the boat to divide the cash, so he accepted this loss."
The one speaking was Ye Yaodong’s elder brother, Ye Yaopeng.
Just as he was finishing his point, Uncle Ye cut him off.
"Stay out of it, you young one!"
"This is about my family’s money—how can I not say anything? We’ve already split the family; the money from our fish sales—don’t you two dare show up asking for it while I'm not allowed to speak?"
"This is an affair of elders, not something for a younger generation to meddle in!"
Listening from the corner, Ye Yaodong's head ached.
He frowned and spat out the straw, then leaned over his uncle's shoulder, who was short enough for Ye Yaodong's 180 centimeters to place him comfortably under his armpit.
"Uncle, you’re going too far. This is our family; how can you claim my brother doesn’t get a say?"
"The big yellow croaker was caught from my father’s nets. Did you go to sea with me? Who gave you the nerve to come knocking for a share? Is it your face that allows this?"
“Let’s go outside and talk! We'll bring the villagers, and the village chief too, to settle it. We’ll let them decide if you deserve a share!”
"If the villagers say we should share, my dad was a principled man; he wouldn’t object!"
Ye Yaodong dragged his uncle toward the door.
It was just like his dad to care for family ties, not wanting to ruin faces between brothers, but he found it ridiculous they were still fussing over things.
How could these two, after all these years, still have the gall to act this way?
But still, they were his uncles—he couldn’t hit them no matter how rebellious he might be, only using his mouth to explain things as he led them outside.
With a height difference of about twenty centimeters, Uncle Ye, standing a bit over 160, couldn’t escape Ye Yaodong’s grip and stumbled along awkwardly behind him.
“Let go! How can you be so rude and act like you’re choking me? I’m your uncle!”
“What uncle? Anyone trying to extort money from my family is my enemy! Let’s talk outside!”
Ye Yaodong vividly remembered how, in his youth, he was known in the village as a troublemaker, spending every day idling around with friends, fighting and causing chaos, only to settle down after marriage.
With older relatives being dragged and spoken to so disrespectfully, no one found it strange; in fact, it seemed normal.
However, realizing the age and experience his uncle had over the decades, it struck him that this was indeed not a good portrayal of himself.
With that in mind, Ye Yaodong loosened his grip, switching to gently pulling his uncle outside.
Ye Yaopeng, relieved, realized his younger brother was finally taking a stand.
It was odd; his younger brother had seemed dazed all morning, staying silent until now.
Usually, he would have lost his temper long ago and wouldn’t let Uncle Ye and Second Uncle shout for so long.
“Villagers, villagers, come quick... mmph...”
Second Uncle hastily covered Ye Yaodong's mouth, offering a forced smile. “Yaodong! Your uncle and I just came to talk with your father about some things. After all, life is hard, and it’s only normal for brothers to help each other...”
“Right, we’re just discussing things with your father. How can we talk about family affairs outside? Let me go; we’ll go inside to discuss.”
Uncle Ye seemed to realize he was being unreasonable.
If the villagers heard, they would both lose face; after all, it had been two years since they split.
Ye Yaodong pulled away the hand covering his mouth. “What’s there to talk about? You’ve done nothing but shout at the table! My head is pounding up here. Let’s say it outside, let everyone listen. Is there any reason for you?”
“Third Brother, aren’t you going to manage your son?” Uncle Ye glared at Ye’s father.
“Humph... Now you care about keeping family matters private? Coming out to let the villagers settle this is a good idea. Otherwise, people would think I took a huge advantage!”
At that moment, neighbors began gathering at the sound, curious about the commotion among the Ye family.
“What happened? Didn't you sell over two hundred pounds of big yellow croaker yesterday? Were you all happy then?”
“What’s going on? Did Yaodong get into a fight again?”
“What’s Yaodong done this time?”
“It’s surprising he still acts so thoughtlessly after getting married and having kids…”
Ye Yaodong felt speechless.
It seemed that his reputation as a troublemaker was firmly rooted among the villagers; any issue seemed to point straight at him!
He raised an eyebrow and replied in a lazy manner, “This time, I didn’t cause any trouble! Don't pin this on me; it’s someone else who’s shameless…”
“Ah... it’s nothing, nothing. Catching big yellow croaker is a good thing. We were just curious to know how you caught so many, that's why we came over to chat. Yaodong said it was too hot inside, so he asked us to come out to talk...” Uncle Ye interrupted him, smiling awkwardly in response to the neighbors.
Second Uncle Ye forced a laugh. “Haha, we’ve finished our talk. Mother went to the fields, so let’s go for now, Big Brother.”
“Yeah, let’s head back, let’s head back.”
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(End of Chapter)