Watching the two figures flee in a panic, the people inside the house were still seething with anger, continuing to hurl curses!
In their coastal village, people were particularly wary of saying anything inauspicious.
As long as a family member went out to sea, they wouldn't even think about eating fish without first checking its body.
They could call it superstition, but they placed great importance on such matters.
The dangers of going out to sea were immense; every year, someone would fall overboard and disappear.
No one wanted any accidents to befall their family.
"Alright, let's get back to what we were doing. They won't dare to mess with the boat again. Before you head out to sea, make sure to check the boat thoroughly. Only set sail when everything is fine. Safety comes first—no amount of money can replace a life."
"I understand, Mother. I've checked everything already. On my first trip, I even invited some experienced old hands to inspect it first. We wouldn't have gone out if everything hadn't been cleared," Ye's father assured her, not willing to joke about the safety of himself and his sons.
"As long as you know," Ye's mother nodded, and then Ye's father took his two sons out to buy bricks and sand.
Once Ye's mother chose a good day, they would start to build their house.
Ye Yaodong, however, found himself unceremoniously left behind.
He typically avoided all serious work, so who would dare give him orders? Standing to the side with raised eyebrows, he watched his father and brothers leave, feeling quite amused.
The June sun was scorching, and not being called for work meant he could nap instead, reminiscing about the household affairs of that time—after all, it had been 40 years, too long to remember everything clearly.
Having just woken up and still feeling a bit dazed, he was disturbed by the ruckus made by his uncles, which drew him out to see what was going on.
After the three sisters-in-law tidied up both inside and outside the house, they began weaving fishing nets at the cool entrance, all while cursing Ye's uncles for being devious.
The air inside was stifling, so Ye Yaodong stretched out on a lounge chair by the door to cool off and nodded off for a bit.
Yet, from the moment he lay down, his ears were bombarded with noise.
The three sisters-in-law kept chattering, engaging with the neighbors and sharing village gossip, and their conversation grew more lively.
Their hands never stopped, seamlessly working the netting as they spoke.
Ye Yaodong felt amazed at how talkative these women were; it was just fishing nets, yet they could pull together all sorts of stories.
He couldn't lie still any longer.
One woman could easily drown out the calm of five ducks, and a group of women chattering endlessly meant he couldn't even take a proper nap.
Feeling annoyed, he scratched his head.
Maybe he'd better head back inside; there was a breeze today, and opening the windows would be fine.
However, as soon as he stepped inside, he spotted his younger son playing by the water bucket, splashing around and nearly toppling in, soaking wet.
“Goodness, you rascal! I turn my back for just a moment, and you've snuck over here to make mischief!”
He quickly scooped his son out and called towards the door, “Aqing, your son has been sneaking around, and now he’s all wet!”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuqing frowned and hurried inside.
Seeing her son’s water-smeared face and his innocent gaze, her anger melted away.
She approached him and gave his backside a light pat.
“Why can’t you be a little more careful? Playing with sand all morning isn’t enough? Now you’re wet again. How many times do you need to change clothes in a day?”
Ye Chengyang thought his mother was just playing with him and grinned, revealing his tiny teeth while wrapping his arms around her neck.
Lin Xiuqing helplessly picked him up, “You’re all wet—no sticking to me! Go change your clothes!”
Following them, Ye Yaodong entered the house leisurely, flopping onto the bed and propping his hands behind his head, observing as his wife changed their child’s clothes.
For decades, in his memory, she had always appeared worn out and burdened, but he suddenly remembered that she had once been a young and fresh beauty too.
Feeling his gaze, Lin Xiuqing grew a bit uncomfortable, her ears flushing slightly.
After finishing with the clothes, she turned to glare at him, “What’s with that kind of look in broad daylight?”
Then, as if escaping, she hurried out with the child…
In that moment, he felt somewhat confused.
Wasn’t she his wife? He could look at her a little longer, couldn’t he? He was merely appreciating how beautiful she had been when young!
Did she really need to glare at him for that?
After lying there for a short while, Ye Yaodong suddenly realized, wait… was she thinking he wanted to do something to her right now?
Wasn’t that a bit of an overreaction?
He had actually intended to suggest she let him watch their child for a while.
Forget it; he might as well enjoy some peace and quiet on his own for now.
Kicking his feet up, he stared at the mosquito net above the bed, reflecting that it seemed their family had lived rather peacefully.
Aside from building their house and dividing up, nothing particularly monumental had occurred over the years; everyone had remained safe and sound.
No, something suddenly popped into his mind—an important event he had forgotten for many years! His wife had seemed to be pregnant with their third child a couple of years back, but since it was against the policy, she had gone back to her family.
One day, while six or seven months pregnant and picking tea, she had slipped and fallen.
By the time they got her to the hospital, the child was already gone, having just been born and lived for less than half an hour!
He heard it was a girl!
His wife had mourned and blamed herself for days!
As for why he knew it only hearsay, that was because he hadn’t been at his in-laws at the time—the very next day after the child was lost, she returned for her confinement, and only then did he learn of the incident.
Although he felt a pang of regret, the child had never been born.
He was hardly at home during those days, so he felt little emotional connection to it.
Over time, he had forgotten about it until he seriously thought about it now.
Realizing this, he abruptly sat up straight.
What year had his wife gotten pregnant with their third child again?
He vaguely remembered her stomach starting to grow after they moved into the new house.
What year had that been?
Didn’t she go tea picking in March?
If she was about six or seven months along, that meant the conception had happened around July or August.
But was it this year, next year, or the year after?
"Damn it, how could I forget such an important thing?"
Ye Yaodong felt frustrated, trying to recall but not able to put the pieces together.
He just remembered that it was after moving into their new house that her belly began to show, and to avoid the policy, she’d gone back to her family to prepare for childbirth after New Year’s.
After thinking for a long while and still drawing blank, he shook his head. “Forget it; when it’s time, we’ll find out. It’s probably better if she doesn’t get pregnant again. Who knows if it will even come to term? Better to spare her any suffering!”
Now that he had come to this conclusion, he lay back down.
Aside from that event, the biggest incident in his life had been the passing of his grandmother a few years back.
He still vividly recalled how sad he had been back then.
The old lady had fallen while watering the vegetable garden and stubbornly refused to go to the hospital, claiming she was fine.
After lying down for a few days, her body simply couldn’t hold on any longer.
If it were possible, he wished she could have lived a few more years.
If not for that unfortunate fall, the old lady had been in relatively good health.
Not being able to properly honor her in her elder years was also a regret that lingered in his heart over the years.
As he was lost in thought, the sound of cicadas outside soothed him, and before he knew it, Ye Yaodong drifted off to sleep.
(End of Chapter)