Lin Xiuqing hurried out when she heard movement at the back door.
Her husband was rather unreliable, and she couldn't help but worry.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw him in a disheveled state, and fearing he might be angry enough to hit their eldest nephew, she quickly spoke up, "Let me wash our son; you go take care of yourself."
"You've finally come back! I thought I was going to be driven to madness!" Ye Yaodong stood up, looking frustrated.
He promptly stripped off his shirt to wipe his still-dripping hair.
Seeing he wasn't angry, Lin Xiuqing felt a bit relieved.
"Mother is already cooking noodles. After you wash up, you can eat."
"Got it, I’ll wash my hair first. You kids, hurry up and get out once you’re done; clear the basin for me."
The kids laughed and playfully pushed each other as they dashed inside, leaving only the youngest, Ye Chengyang, still sitting in the washbasin.
He hurriedly stood up, anxious.
"Brother~ Brother~"
"Stop being a clingy little bug, calling out ‘brother’ all the time. Hurry up and wash so you can join!" Ye Yaodong said, grabbing a bucket of well water without bothering with hot water.
He poured it into the basin, stripped down to just his shorts, and began rinsing himself.
After spending two days at the beach, the color of his face was noticeably darker than his neck and body, but compared to his older brothers, he was still fair-skinned.
His two sons were also fair, but they had tanned as they grew up.
His family wasn’t bad-looking overall, just a bit short…
That was a common shortcoming among most folks from the south!
In truth, it was due to the family’s poor conditions and lack of nutrition.
He managed to reach a height of 1.8 meters thanks to his grandmother’s favoritism.
Growing up, he never lacked eggs to eat.
Whenever the family killed a chicken, there was always a leg saved just for him.
Back in the day, they had livestock to tend as well.
When he was younger, his grandmother would sneak a bowl of goat milk home for him, brewing it with tea leaves to drink.
His siblings and cousins were already much older at that time, left to only watch.
His little sister could occasionally taste her mother’s milk.
Thus, he ended up being the tallest in the family, and among his friends, he was also the tallest.
These days, in their village, people who were 1.8 meters tall were quite rare.
After a day of work, he only broke a light sweat, so he didn’t bother with soap.
He rinsed off casually, then went back inside to grab a towel and dry off before searching for some clothes.
But when he opened the wardrobe, he remembered that he only had one set of summer clothes to swap out, and they were likely still hanging outside to dry.
With a squeak, the door swung open suddenly, and he hurried to grab a sheet to wrap around his lower half.
"I thought someone had come in! Why didn’t you knock?"
"Dad~ How embarrassing~"
"Get out of here! You’re still running around bare yourself, and you have the nerve to laugh at me!"
Lin Xiuqing shot a glance at the shorts he had carelessly tossed onto the chair.
"I’m entering my own room. Why would I knock? You’re standing there naked without pants on—don’t you feel embarrassed?"
"I was just looking for clothes when you barged in. Don’t you remember I only have two sets? They’re outside drying; what do you want me to wear? Besides, you’ve seen me before, what’s there to be embarrassed about?" Ye Yaodong said with a cheeky smile, inching closer and raising his eyebrows playfully.
"Stop joking around! You have only two shirts, but four pairs of shorts. They might not be in the wardrobe but are in the drawer."
She pushed him away in annoyance, placed the child on the bed, and went to the drawer to grab him a pair of shorts, tossing them into his arms.
"Hurry up and put these on. I’ll go outside and get you some new clothes."
His ears turned red, thinking she didn’t notice.
They had been married for several years; what was there to be shy about?
"Have some dignity…" Lin Xiuqing glared at him before shutting the door.
He happily grabbed the shorts and moved to the side of the bunk bed.
Just as he was about to change, he noticed his youngest son peering over the bed railing at him.
"What are you looking at? When you grow up, you’ll have the same charm as your old man."
With that, he lifted the mosquito net and playfully tossed the sheet over Ye Chengyang's head, completely covering him.
"Ah haha~ Dad~"
"Thud~"
The sound of his head hitting the bed board followed immediately by a loud wail.
Ye Yaodong hurriedly put on the shorts and leaned over to see.
"That silly boy!"
Lin Xiuqing walked in with his clothes at that moment.
"What’s with the crying again?"
She rushed over and upon seeing her youngest completely wrapped in the sheet, kicking and pulling to free himself while calling for his mother, she shot Ye Yaodong an annoyed glance.
"How old are you, and yet you’re still bullying him? Mother has made the noodles; hurry and put some clothes on so you can go eat."
Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose.
He had just tossed the sheet playfully; it was all in good fun.
Hearing her comforting the child, he quickly put on his clothes; his stomach felt empty.
For lunch, they had sweet potato vermicelli.
They ground the sweet potatoes from their own garden into a paste, which they then made into sweet potato starch to store.
When it was time to eat, you simply scooped out a couple of bowls, mixed them with water, and swirled a little in the pot, cooking them like pancakes before cutting them into strips, repeating the process.
With some side dishes and today’s dug-up clams cooked into the broth, it was truly delicious.
Ye Yaodong finished a big bowl for himself.
This dish only required sweet potatoes and labor, so they could make it at home without spending any money.
His family planted plenty of sweet potatoes every year, making a lot of sweet potato starch.
Whenever they wanted, they could have it.
By the time he finished eating, Lin Xiuqing was still making the vermicelli since there were too many people in the family.
"I’m leaving; no need to cook for me tonight."
"Can’t you sit still for a moment? You’ve just eaten and are already up to run away, acting like a child who hasn’t grown up yet."
"Didn’t I work all day today? There’s not much to do now, right? I’ll definitely come back early tonight. Mother, don’t lock the door."
He attempted to sneak out but was called back by Lin Xiuqing, "Wait a moment, when we returned, we saw the wind picking up. The waves at sea are getting bigger; your father and the others should be back soon. Don’t run off. In an hour, go to the dock and help unload the goods."
Lin Xiuqing felt pleased noticing he had been helpful for the past couple of days, so she thought to send him out to help.
"Where’s Ah Hua?" He was hoping after all the busy work at home, he could finally hang out with friends.
"The elderly lady said he had noodles for lunch, then scattered ashes in the vegetable garden before heading out to work. He probably won’t be back soon. Do you think everyone is like you, idling about all day?"
"Ah, stop scolding me! Haven’t I been working hard with you today too? In an hour, I’ll definitely head to the dock to help unload."
"Remember! If you don’t go, don’t come back tonight."
"Don’t worry, I’ll remember."
If he didn’t come back, he had plenty of places to sleep, but he would surely go help.
He had caught a big yellow croaker yesterday; who knew what he would catch today?
It felt like ages since he had any special haul, and he couldn't really remember.
If only he could have his own boat, relying on the mountain for resources and the sea for sustenance.
(End of Chapter)