When Ye Yaodong woke up again, it was due to the creaking sound of the wooden door being pushed open.
The door only made that noise when someone entered his room, and the only people who would do that aside from his grandma and mother were his wife and children.
With his eyes still closed, he decided to catch a few more moments of sleep.
After all, with spring lethargy, autumn weariness, and winter weakness, it was a good time to nap in summer.
He heard light footsteps approach, and then felt a weight on the bed as his wife, Lin Xiuqing, climbed up with their youngest son in her arms, deeply asleep.
“Is he asleep?” Ye Yaodong asked, still half asleep.
“Mm,” Lin Xiuqing replied softly.
She carefully laid the child next to him and slowly withdrew her arm from behind his head, glancing at him with slight hesitation. “Since you’re not going out, can you keep an eye on him? Just don’t let him fall off the bed.”
“Sure.”
Seeing that he was so agreeable, Lin Xiuqing let out a sigh of relief. “If he wakes up, just call for me, and I’ll come back to hold him.”
“Aren’t you going to sleep for a bit too?”
“No, I’m not sleepy.”
Watching her tuck their son under a green quilt adorned with red peony flowers, she gently climbed down from the bed.
Ye Yaodong didn’t stop her; if she wanted to work and earn some money, he wouldn’t hold her back.
“Where’s Ye Chenghu?” he asked, noticing that his eldest son had disappeared after breakfast.
With such a bright sun outside, he wondered where the boy had run off to play.
Lin Xiuqing lowered the mosquito net and said, “No idea. That boy is always running around. He’ll return when it’s time for dinner. I’m heading out now.”
With the door quietly closing behind her, their youngest son sneaked a kick out from under the quilt.
Ye Yaodong, without thinking much, covered him back up.
But not ten minutes later, the little one kicked the covers away again!
He covered him once more.
And again, the little rascal kicked again!
With a mischievous flex of his legs, the boy turned sideways, sticking his little bottom up in the air.
“Don’t bother with him,” Ye Yaodong thought. “This kid has never given me a warm smile as he grows up!”
Feeling a little relaxed again, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, only to be abruptly awakened when the little foot landed squarely on his face, instantly banishing his drowsiness.
Ye Yaodong glared at his son, still blissfully asleep. “So, you really don't want me to sleep, huh?”
While he stared, the child changed positions again, rolling over and sticking his rear in the air to sleep!
“Nice, how am I supposed to catch some sleep now?” Ye Yaodong thought. “What if he lets out a fart in dreamland?”
Defeated, he sat up and decided to peek out the door.
As he did, he heard Lin Xiuqing talking sharply to some visitors, with his two sisters-in-law chiming in.
“He’s sleeping! Go find someone else to play with! Stop calling for him all day,” Lin Xiuqing complained, clearly annoyed with her friends bothering her husband and dragging him out all the time.
It was rare for him to be home, and yet those friends still came knocking.
“Exactly! You all have wives and kids now. Can’t you take a moment to look after your homes and help with chores instead of just playing all day?” one of the sisters-in-law added.
“Why don’t a few of you just get together and live as one big family? What do you need to marry for?” another voice chimed in, laughing.
“What can I say? I’d love to, but they can’t cook or have children. They’re useless! If we all lived together, my parents would beat me for sure!” came a familiar voice.
Was that Ah Zheng?
“You know you’re useless!” Ye Ersao (Sister-in-law Ye) said bluntly.
“Hey, sister-in-law! Don’t say things like that. When it comes time to handle important matters, we’re pretty hardworking and brave!” he chuckled.
Ye Ersao rolled her eyes. “Hardworking and brave doesn’t pay the bills, you know. At least I married the second son.”
“Just go home! A Dong isn’t going out today,” Lin Xiuqing said impatiently.
“But I’m here! I’m right here!” Ye Yaodong hurriedly spoke up to avoid being kicked out by his wife.
In life, one must have a few friends to talk to.
Although he had slightly failed as a son, husband, and father, he still prided himself on being a good friend.
These companions shared genuine loyalty, though they were all just a little aimless.
Like attracts like, right?
Even though he planned to be a decent human being, he didn’t feel the need to cut ties with his friends.
“Dongzi, why didn’t you come out today? Where were you this morning? Your father nearly kicked us out when we asked for you!”
“I went to the beach to gather clams and seashells. How come it’s just you two?” he asked with rising excitement.
“What’s so interesting about that? When we were kids, we were forced to work, and it got boring. Come on! Ah Guang caught a cobra this morning, and we’ve already prepared it. We’ve been waiting for you to start cooking!”
It was Lin Jianyao speaking.
They called him “Little Xiao,” which he often protested against.
He shamelessly insisted on being called “Big,” suggesting they compare sizes, but only his wife could look.
Previously, it was Ah Zheng and Li Xiaozheng who had come to find him.
Ye Yaodong felt a thrill of nostalgia wash over him. “Where did you catch it? How much does it weigh? Doesn’t this call for killing a chicken to make a dragon and phoenix soup?”
“Where else? We caught it behind the mountain. We didn’t go to town since we couldn’t find you in the morning. We were thinking of checking if the watermelons were ripe when we stumbled upon the cobra! Now we’ll have a big feast tonight!”
“Just a little shy of perfect size. It weighed one and three taels after the head was chopped off,” one of them said.
“That's plenty! It weighs over a pound. Killing a chicken is just right. One pot of dragon and phoenix soup should be enough for us!” Ye Yaodong’s own mouth watered at the thought; it had been years since he’d eaten cobra.
“Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up! If we’re making dragon and phoenix soup, I’ll need to catch a chicken on my way home!” Ah Zheng excitedly draped an arm around Ye Yaodong and Little Xiao, leading them back.
“Are you not scared of your mother beating you?” Ye Yaodong teased.
“Don’t worry! I bought the chicken eggs last year with my pocket money and told her I’d take care of them. They were promised to be mine once they hatched. I’ve raised them, so why not catch one?” he replied proudly.
“I dug up a basket of sea cucumbers, and I have plenty of clams, too! I’ll bring some to stir-fry two bowls of rice,” Ye Yaodong said.
“Then hurry up!” the three of them excitedly chattered, waiting for Ye Yaodong to come out of the house.
The moment he stepped outside, they all linked arms.
Ye Yaodong gave them a tug, and turning towards Lin Xiuqing, who wore a displeased expression, he said, “Uh… Lin Qing, I’m going out with my friends for a bit. Don’t wait for me for dinner; I’ll be back early. And the child is still sleeping, so please keep an eye on him, okay?”
He felt a bit guilty.
He had just agreed to help take care of their child, yet now he was leaving because of friends.
It felt like he was breaking his promise.
But these were his old friends from decades past, like Ah Zheng and Little Xiao, who hadn’t returned from working out of town in years.
Having just returned from his reincarnation, he wanted a chance to catch up with them.
Lin Xiuqing was peeved but didn’t look at him as she turned and went back inside to check on how their child was sleeping.
In the morning, it seemed that he was being more responsible by focusing on work, but once friends came around, he reverted to his old self.
She reminded herself there was no need to be upset; after all these years, she had long been worn down and lost her temper.
(End of Chapter)