This matter is indeed not something easy to bring up.
Two years ago, when the old man passed away, the neighbors all came to lend a hand, but everyone knew how the inheritance was divided.
It has been two years since divvying things up, and with no objections raised all this time, it would indeed sound awkward now that Ye Father has made a fortune to suddenly have others coming forth.
If Ye Father and his mother were willing to share some of the money, others wouldn't be able to say much.
But if they weren’t willing, it would be difficult for the others to demand their share in front of outsiders.
Ye Uncle and Ye Second Uncle were leaving, and Ye Yaodong didn't stop them but simply let them go.
He wasn’t worried about whether they'd come back.
If his father didn’t agree, how could they take any money from their home? Even if his father were to agree, he and his brothers wouldn’t be happy about it! Why should they?
The neighbors, seeing that there was no more excitement, also dispersed.
Ye Yaodong clapped his hands and said to his father and the whole family, “Alright, let’s head back inside!”
Just as he was about to step forward, a little child came waddling over, hugging his thigh and showing off his tiny white teeth as he sweetly called out, “Dad, hug!”
When his father was arguing earlier, the women in the house had taken the younger kids back inside to avoid any distress.
Now, as the commotion moved to the door, they brought the children out again.
Seeing such a cute and chubby little one, Ye Yaodong didn’t connect him to his dark-skinned second son from his previous life at all.
He playfully pinched the boy’s face, picked him up, and hugged him close as he headed inside.
He hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet.
He had slept in until the sun was high above, and he was the only one left in the house!
The whole family had gotten used to it; Ye Yaodong was indeed spoiled by the old lady, which is why he couldn’t lift a finger to help with anything, spending all day idling around and playing.
It was lucky for him that his lack of labor had left his skin soft and smooth, making it easy to attract a woman’s eye with just his looks.
Otherwise, with such laziness and being a good-for-nothing, there wouldn’t be any woman willing to marry him.
As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Ye Yaodong saw a beautiful woman with short hair walking towards him. “Give me the child. You go eat; the food is hot in the pot.”
Her tone was calm and not particularly warm, which left him feeling a little uneasy.
This was his wife, Lin Xiuqing, the same age as him, hailing from the neighboring town.
Since everyone in the surrounding area knew he was idle and didn’t work, his parents had worried that he wouldn't be able to find a wife near home.
They had someone introduce him to a woman from further away.
When they met for their blind date, his wife had really liked his appearance and agreed to marry him right away.
But not long after they got married, she discovered his true character… just a lazy good-for-nothing…
At first, Lin Xiuqing was full of hope when they got married, but gradually, her disappointment grew.
Yet, she did not seek a divorce; back then, divorce was a very shameful thing.
Some women who were abused by their husbands never even thought about leaving.
It was considered common for a man to hit his disobedient wife; it seemed like an illness of sorts.
Luckily, he was just lazy and didn't hit her, allowing her to work hard enough to keep their life going.
And so, she had put up with him for thirty years.
At fifty, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and without money for treatment, she passed away young.
When she was helpless in the hospital, he felt panicked.
Once she was gone, he was lost, realizing that the whole family was held together by her.
Without her, he finally understood that his world had turned gray, but life still needed to go on.
Because of this, at fifty, he finally started working to earn money.
Although he had never done any kind of work, being from a seaside family meant he could easily find a job as a deckhand on a fishing boat.
Who could have imagined that just over ten years later, he too would be unable to escape a short life’s fate?
Still, unknown to him, perhaps he had done something good in his past life, as he was given another chance to start anew.
So much time had passed that he had almost forgotten what his wife looked like.
Hearing her speak softly now made him feel unsettled, and he stared at her for a long while, only to see her frown. “Why are you just standing there? Hand me the child.”
“Uh… it’s fine, let me hold him. Have you all eaten?”
Lin Xiuqing looked surprised.
Ever since their eldest son had had a stomach issue after being held by him, he had refused to hold their children, but today he was unexpectedly willing to hold the younger son.
However, since he wanted to hold him, she didn’t stop him.
“I’ve eaten.”
Holding the child, Ye Yaodong followed her into the house.
He watched as she ladled out a bowl of sweet potato porridge and brought out a small dish of pickled vegetables.
Just as he was about to set the child down and pick up his chopsticks, he heard his father say, “Your uncles are envious. It’s true that money shouldn’t be too visible.”
Ye Yaopeng, sitting next to Ye Yaodong, frowned and said, “We can’t hide it, can we? The boat has docked, and everyone saw the golden yellow fish. They gave us big bundles of money during the purchase, and all the villagers saw that too.”
“What’s there to fear? Why worry? The money is in our pockets, how could they take it from us?” Ye Yaodong said, casually biting into a piece of pickled vegetable, the crisp sound ringing out.
“Father is just worried that if this matter makes too much noise, it might harm the brotherly bond with Uncle and Second Uncle?” This was said by the second son, Ye Yaohua, who appeared rather simple-minded.
Ye Father didn’t respond, instead pinching a small handful of tobacco leaves and pressing them into the hole in the tobacco pipe.
He then took a matchbox, fished out a match, and struck it against the side.
A small flame flickered to life, and Ye Father brought the burning match closer to the tobacco.
A moment later, the tobacco pipe began to gurgle with smoke…
Once the smoke billowed from his mouth and nose and he glanced around, he finally asked, “Where's your grandmother?”
Only then did Ye Mother speak up, “She left early in the morning. She probably went to the roadside at the village entrance to see if her corn and cucumbers are ripe. Last night, she mentioned that the corn and cucumbers should be ready, just in time to satisfy the cravings of some little ones.”
“Still won’t rest at eighty years old…”
Ye Yaodong dug into his bowl of sweet potato porridge, setting down his utensils to interrupt his father’s words.
He directed a few of his nieces and nephews, who looked to be around five to eight years old, “You few, hurry and check if your grandmother is in the field. Bring her back!”
It had been decades since he last saw her, yet he couldn’t help but miss his dear grandmother, who had treated him so well.
“Alright, Third Uncle!”
The children excitedly bolted out, not even minding the hot sun.
Children in the countryside are very tough; they go up mountains and down to the sea every day without needing adults to watch over them.
With summer vacation just starting, they could play enthusiastically to their hearts' content.
In those days, adults were busy with work and couldn’t spare time to look after them, so they let them run wild all around the village.
After sending the little ones off, he saw his wife come over to collect the bowls and chopsticks.
He smiled at her and turned back to his father.
“Dad, how much did we sell yesterday's catch of big yellow fish for?”
His father cast a sidelong glance at his unfocused third son but didn’t respond.
They had already discussed it yesterday; why was he asking again? Had he not understood anything?
Ye Yaodong:…
He truly had forgotten!
(End of chapter)