Ye Yaodong looked helplessly at the old lady.
"Grandma, I've grown up now. I'm not a child anymore! Next time, don’t sneak away with the eggs. If Mom finds out, she’ll give me a good hiding!"
"It’s fine, if you don’t say anything, she won’t know. Just go play for a while, eat the eggs, and then come back," she replied cheerfully.
Sigh, in the old lady's eyes, he was still just a child!
"Go on now, hurry and play! Don’t just stand at the door."
Under her urging, he had no choice but to step outside.
He originally planned to visit A Guang, but now he felt a greater urgency within him.
A strong desire to earn money, to buy grandma a new set of dentures—what he had said was something he wanted to get done quickly.
By age alone, even without a fall, she didn’t have many years left to live.
Today, he had gotten up a little early, and when he reached A Guang's house, he found that A Guang was still in bed.
"What time is it?" A Guang mumbled, still hugging his blanket, still half asleep.
"I left the house at 6:30, so it should be around 6:40 now!"
"Huh?" A Guang opened one eye in disbelief, tilting his head back.
"Are you crazy? What’s the time? There’s no work to do, why are you here so early?"
"To wake you up so you can pee!"
"Are you crazy? Get lost!" He yanked the blanket over his head.
Ye Yaodong tugged at the corner of the blanket.
"Get up! The sun is already high in the sky. At this rate, how will you get up tomorrow to work at the wharf?"
"Don’t bother me! Tomorrow is tomorrow! Today you must be on some medicine, getting up this early for no reason!"
"Getting up early is good for your health. Hurry and get up to borrow the boat!"
"What's the rush? It’s only just past six! The tide won’t go out until noon, there’s no need to bother me. If you keep pestering me, I won’t go borrow it!" A Guang grabbed the blanket from his hands, pressing it down on himself, while tightly wrapping his legs in it, shutting his eyes once more.
"What are you wrapping yourself up for? You’re not a woman."
"Why does it matter if I’m a man or a woman? Men can’t wrap themselves up in a blanket?"
"You don’t understand! Young idiot! Get up, and I’ll tell you once you’re awake."
Bothered by his noise, A Guang rubbed his messy hair and finally sat up.
"Damn it! I don’t care to know! Are you annoying? I have my own morning mood!"
"And I have my own problems too! I’m just trying to borrow a boat," Ye Yaodong replied, smiling as he patted A Guang on the shoulder.
A Guang looked at him sideways and, when he let his guard down, blew a breath of air straight at him…
Ye Yaodong's pupils shrank, and his features scrunched up in disgust, covering his mouth and nose with his hands as he leaped aside.
"Damn… you’ve got no shame…"
"This breath can extend your life by ten years. No need to thank me!"
"You’re the one! I’ll definitely lose twenty years because of you!"
A Guang felt a sense of satisfaction, having hit back at him for waking him up so early.
"Who told you to come disturb me? I also get grumpy in the morning!"
"Damn it! What morning mood is that? It’s just toxic gas! You’re going to kill me!" Ye Yaodong cursed a few times before waiting at the doorway.
Who knows what kind of unknown gases will come out next?
After sitting by the door for quite some time without seeing A Guang emerge, he finally went back inside.
To his surprise, he found A Guang at the back door, pulling up his pants as he fastened his belt.
"You just finished, right? Took you long enough; just in time for breakfast."
A Guang glared at him, "Please add ‘meal’ to that! Just in time for a meal!"
"Same meaning. Hurry and eat; it’s still warm and tasty!"
"You… I’ll eat when I get back!" A Guang cursed as he walked outside.
He knew Ye Yaodong too well; he was just annoyed that he took too long and was subtly urging him to hurry and borrow the boat.
Ye Yaodong sat at the table with his leg crossed, waiting.
A Guang's aunt lived not far from his own home, as both families were from the same village.
He figured since he was already up, he might as well ask about the boat earlier so he could feel a bit more at ease.
He honestly believed there was bound to be more goods on the deserted island than at the wharf.
With his recent stroke of luck, he felt a bit excited.
It wasn’t long before A Guang returned.
"My aunt and uncle agreed to lend the boat, but the elderly at home were reluctant. I told them we would rent it from her for half a day at two coins, and we’d pay for the fuel ourselves. Only then did the old lady agree to lend us the boat."
Usually, a worker earned less than two coins in a day, so renting it for half a day and paying for the fuel was more than fair.
"That’s fine. Brothers should be clear on accounts. If the old lady wants to count money, that's her right. I’ve got two coins right here."
He had found two coins in his pocket yesterday and had been hesitant to spend them on cigarettes.
A Guang pushed them back.
"Hey, what are you giving me money for? It’s just two coins. I’ll cover it; it’s no big deal. I won a few coins yesterday while playing cards."
"That’s one thing, but I asked you to borrow the boat, so of course it counts as mine. Just take it; it's only two coins."
"I already gave it, so just drop it. Take these two coins to buy diesel."
"Alright then."
It wasn’t a large sum, no need to keep insisting.
Buying diesel with it was a good idea too.
A Guang propped one foot up on a stool, grabbing a bowl and chopsticks.
"Now I can eat my breakfast in peace, right?"
"Go ahead and eat. I’m not stopping you; it’s your own impatience."
Ye Yaodong sat back, chuckling as he swayed his legs.
A Guang gave him a roll of his eyes.
"The tide should go out by noon. Just go to the wharf around 10:30 to buy the diesel. I’ll go with you to start the boat."
"Alright, no problem. Since there’s nothing to do now, I’ll head back. If A Zheng and the others come by, just let them know."
"You’re so annoying! This could have been done in just a few minutes, yet you had to come early to wake me up!" A Guang grumbled, frustrated since he rarely woke up this early without reason.
"I'm just training you! How will you manage to get to the wharf for work if you can't get up? If you’re bored, just lie back down."
"Get lost!"
"Sure thing!"
(End of Chapter)