Ah Zheng grabbed Ye Yaodong by the chin, looking him up and down.
"We all live by the sea, so why can't you get tanned? If I had your fair skin, I wouldn't still be single!"
"Are you sure being fair is all it takes? That’s a major flaw!" Ye Yaodong cheekily placed his hand on Zheng’s head, then gestured to his shoulder with a smirk.
Ah Zheng was irritated.
"Hey, I'm170 centimeters!"
"169, rounded up to 170?"
"That’s still 170!"
"Hahaha~~"
Everyone joined in the laughter, each chiming in with their own jokes, making the atmosphere lively.
Ye Yaodong hadn’t laughed like this with his friends in ages.
Most of his life had been spent hustling for a living.
The phrase "not working hard in youth means sorrow in old age" couldn’t describe him better!
After eating and drinking to their fill, the sky began to darken, and the table was in a complete mess with empty dishes scattered everywhere.
Ye Yaodong burped contentedly.
"You guys clean up. Me and Fatty have been busy all afternoon!"
"No worries, just leave it for me to handle."
"Nonsense, you’ll definitely make your sisters do it. We didn’t even drink today, and it’s not completely dark yet. Let’s just clean it up!"
Ye Yaodong had matured a lot compared to when he was younger.
This wasn’t a restaurant; in civilized society, everyone should clean up after themselves.
"Alright, alright, let’s each do a bit to make it quick."
Once Ye Yaodong reminded them, the others began to pitch in.
A few bowls and chopsticks weren’t much—simple enough!
"There’s still Dragon and Phoenix soup in the pot. Do you want some? It’s just a bit cold."
Ye Yaodong leaned over to take a look.
There wasn’t much meat left, but a good amount of soup remained.
"Pack me a bowl to take home. Let my wife and son have a sip."
"Since it’s rare to have leftovers, pack me a bowl too," Xiao said.
The others didn’t ask for any; either they didn’t have wives or children, or like Fatty, came from well-off homes without worries about food.
Everyone was close friends; if someone ate a bit more or less, what did it matter?
Ye Yaodong filled a large bowl with soup and some scattered pieces of meat and headed home first.
Ah Guang’s house was at the foot of the back mountain, not far from where they were.
A short walk, about ten minutes, but with soup in hand, he was cautious not to spill it and didn’t dare walk too fast.
By the time he reached home, it was pitch black outside.
The neighbors had all gone to bed early to save on electricity, and their lights were out too.
He pushed against the front door.
"Damn, it’s locked? Who locked it?"
He muttered a couple of curses and walked around to the side of the house where his room’s window was.
It was open, but it was quiet inside.
He knocked softly and called out, "Aqing, Aqing? Are you asleep? Open the door for me; it’s locked."
"Father!"
"Father!"
Though his two children had their eyes closed, they were not yet asleep.
Hearing the noise at the window, they hurriedly scrambled up.
Lin Xiuqing was nearly losing her cool; she had just lulled the children to sleep when they were disturbed!
This troublemaker!
"Are you still awake? Perfect timing—I've brought you something delicious. Quickly, call your mother to let me in!"
As soon as the elder son heard the word "delicious," he perked up.
"Mother, hurry and open the door; Father can’t get in!"
"Got it, keep it down. Don’t wake anyone else. I’ll open the door; you two stay in the room."
Lin Xiuqing put on her slippers and quietly opened the door, trying to be as quiet as possible so she wouldn’t disturb anyone.
Ye Fu and Ye Yaopeng had to go to sea at night, so they must have been asleep.
Ye Yaodong stood at the door as his wife opened it with a frown.
He patiently coaxed, "Don’t be angry; I'll definitely come back earlier next time. I brought back Dragon and Phoenix soup. You just need to heat it up and eat."
"What Dragon and Phoenix soup?"
"Cobra stew with chicken, and I added spare ribs too. It helps clear heat and detoxify. I made sure to get extra soup; it’s gotten cold and needs reheating. Who locked the door? Was it on purpose?"
Lin Xiuqing took the soup and gave him a look that felt like a "You should know better."
"My mother did?"
"Yeah, she told me not to open it. Just sleep outside and wake up your mind!"
Ye Yaodong: My dear mother!
"Heat the soup while I go shower at the back."
In this hot weather, he didn’t need hot water; drawing a bucket of well water outside was more refreshing.
When he re-entered the house, only a flicker of fire remained in the stove, casting some light in the living room.
Light seeped out from the crack of his room door, clearly visible in the dark.
He opened the door to find Lin Xiuqing sitting at the edge of the bed, feeding both boys.
They took turns opening their mouths for bites.
"That was quick to heat up?"
"Mhm, no need for it to be too hot in this weather. Just warm enough without oil bubbles."
"Dad, what's this meat? It’s all bones, not tasty!" the elder son complained while eating.
"Not tasty, yet you keep gobbling it down! After you finish, go relieve yourself before sleeping. If you wet the bed tonight, you’ll get a beating!"
"I won’t wet the bed!"
Ye Yaodong grabbed a pair of shorts and changed beside the bunk bed.
He tossed his old clothes into the corner on a stool and then lay down on the bed.
"How much did the two crabs sell for today?"
"One dollar fifty cents. Mother gave it to me, and I saved it."
He frowned.
That’s so cheap!
"Save some for your mother; don’t spend it all."
Lin Xiuqing kindly said, "It’s fine, if they want to eat, let them."
Not long after finishing dinner, the two kids weren’t too hungry.
They sipped some soup and swirled the meat but didn’t want to eat more.
"They’re not eating anymore. You must have eaten enough. I already ate outside."
"Oh!"
After eating, the two kids started jumping on the bed, giggling and playing.
One accidentally stepped on Ye Yaodong’s foot, sending both crashing down onto him.
Ye Yaodong grunted, thankful his hands were covering his important parts, avoiding any crushing!
He gave each of them a light smack on their bare behinds.
"No more noise! Get in bed and go to sleep."
"No, I can’t sleep!"
"After playing all day, and you still can’t sleep? If you can’t sleep, lay down properly, each in your spot."
Under his imposing authority, the two kids obediently lay down side by side.
Lin Xiuqing finished off the remaining soup and meat, then switched off the lamp, lowered the mosquito net, and lay down next to Ye Yaodong, gently patting the two children on the chest to coax them to sleep.
Though the two still claimed they weren’t sleepy, they were out cold in no time after just a couple pats.
Ye Yaodong, under the moonlight, glanced at his wife lying beside him, her back towards him, wearing only a tank top and shorts.
He felt a surge of desire...
Yet, he hesitated, not daring to reach out...
Just when he turned over, preparing to make a move, she suddenly sat up, and he quickly asked, "What are you doing?"
Lin Xiuqing shot him a puzzled look.
"Going to sleep!"
She changed her position, lying down at his feet.
Ye Yaodong recalled that the bunk bed wasn’t great for everyone lying close together.
Ever since their second child was born, his wife would crawl to the other end to sleep after putting the kids to bed.
Damn it, it would have been so easy to reach out!
Now, he had no choice but to crawl up and shift to the other end.
Chapter 22 is blocked and will be released in a few hours.
(End of this chapter)