As he walked down the street, he paused upon seeing a big pot at a shop, where someone was cooking Minnan porridge.

His wife loved that dish.

"Boss, please pack me a bowl of Minnan porridge," he called out.

"Got a lunch box?" the vendor asked.

"Oh?" He realized he didn’t bring one!

"Forget it, I’ll get it next time!" he sighed, looking around the street but finding no shops selling cloth.

After asking a passerby, he learned that the fabric shop was down an alley.

Following his wife's instructions, he chose two pieces of thin cotton fabric: one deep blue and one dark gray, each two meters long.

Men’s clothing fabrics weren’t fancy, but women’s could come with many designs.

He glanced around at the vibrant array of fabric.

It was popular nowadays, especially since everyone seemed to be wearing dull colors.

He thought about how his wife always wore black, gray, or blue, and realized she could use something a bit nicer.

Braving the chance of getting scolded, he said, "Boss, cut me two meters of that yellow floral fabric."

"Good eye, comrade! This one’s a new-style polyester, comfortable and durable, with bright colors…"

It wasn’t too bad.

Everyone on the street was dressed in gray, so these floral fabrics really stood out.

Delighted, he tucked the cut fabric under his arm and decided not to shop anymore.

He’d already spent enough and surely would get scolded for buying these items.

He couldn’t wait to get home and out of the heat.

The scorching sun had him feeling like he was about to peel!

Once he boarded the small bus, vendors hopped on, offering peanuts, melon seeds, all kinds of pastries, and oil cakes.

A few passengers bought them, adding to the bustling scene.

The bus was crowded with various baskets and loads of goods.

The smell of food, sweat, and fish wafted about, creating a complex aroma.

Luckily, he sat by the window, so he cracked it open a bit to let the breeze in.

After about ten minutes of this bouncing ride, they finally reached the village entrance, and Ye Yaodong called out that it was time to disembark.

He picked up the bucket he was carrying and headed straight home, just missing his mother, who was carrying dinner, as she disappeared around a corner.

Entering the house, he found a gaggle of kids at the table, busy eating.

Only Ye Chengyang was perched on his little sister’s lap, letting her feed him, while the old lady busily dished out food for the children.

"Third Brother's back?" one child squealed.

"Uncle's back~"

"Dad—"

"Dinner's ready? Just in time for a treat!" Ye Yaodong tucked the fabric under his arm and grabbed a couple of oil cakes from the bucket, placing one paper packet after another on the table.

Instantly, the children's eyes lit up, and they scrambled down, shouting with joy.

"Oil cake~"

"Smells so good~"

"Uncle is amazing!" they chimed in excitement.

Ye Huimei watched as each child grabbed one, then glared at Ye Yaodong, "Third Brother, have you struck gold? Buying so much without fearing Third Sister-in-law's scolding. Mother will definitely whip you for this."

"It won't be a problem! I sold the sea chicken feet for a decent price this morning, so they'll be thrilled!" Ye Yaodong assured her.

He even handed one to the old lady, who frowned, "Why did you buy so much? How much did this cost? You should save some for yourself, I won’t eat any."

"It wasn’t much; just eat it. I’ve already had some on the way back."

Ye Huimei chimed in, "Really? Isn't that just Buddha's hand? Who would believe your tall tales?"

Ye Yaodong frowned at her, "What do you mean tall tales? You just don't know good stuff when you see it; I ran into people who appreciate it."

"How much did you sell it for? You spent so much!" she pressed.

"I won’t tell you!"

"Hmph—at most, it’d be just over ten coins!"

He felt a rush of pride, "Your sights are set too low!"

"Isn’t it more than that?" Ye Huimei asked with surprise.

"Hehe, just mind your meals, is there any more in the pot?"

"Nope, it’s all gone. Mother packed it well. If you want something to eat, you’d better check the other house for leftovers."

"Then forget it. I’ll go over later."

He carried the bucket into the house, making sure to keep a few oil cakes as a snack, lest the kids sneak them away.

He stuffed the fabric away in the cupboard.

After storing everything and hiding the money safely, he headed back out.

"Hurry up and eat! Once you're done, I'll take you out to bask in the sun!" he called to the kids.

Ye Huimei burst out laughing, "As if they’ve never seen the sun before! Mother just said not to let them run around too much, or they’ll get heatstroke."

"Fine, then I’ll go alone."

"You can take that bucket of tea over. Mother wanted to carry it but couldn’t fit it, so she said to wait for someone to help. You can take it now."

"Oh."

When he arrived with the bucket of tea, everyone was done with their meal, lounging in the shade.

He first greeted Ah Guang, who was working hard, "Why are you still at it? You should head back soon, it’s too hot. You hired so many workers too."

"It’s all good."

"Here, have an oil cake."

"Did you buy it in town?"

"Yeah."

His father and older brother were out at sea, so he had a couple left over.

He offered another oil cake to his wife before heading over to his mother, "Everyone gets one."

"What’s all this?"

Sure enough, when Ye Mu saw the pile of oil cakes, her brow furrowed.

Just as she was about to scold him, Ye Yaodong cut her off.

"Don’t scold! I sold the sea chicken feet for a good price, so I thought to bring each of you one."

Her attention shifted, and she looked at him in surprise, "You really made some profit?"

"Of course!"

"How much did you sell it for?"

"I won’t tell you."

"Let your wife keep it safe; you’ve hardly any money in your pocket and you spend it all. Buying so many oil cakes like this… just give some to the kids."

"They’ve all had some already."

After saying this, he slipped away to Ah Guang, wanting to avoid another round of lectures from his mother.

Lin Xiuqing was also curious about how much he made, but she held back, deciding to wait until they got home tonight to ask.

However, she was caught off guard when he delightedly presented a piece of yellow floral fabric to her later that evening.

She wanted to scold him but couldn’t bring herself to do so, especially since she was still holding over ninety coins that he had just given her.

Calculating in her mind, she figured it was roughly that amount.

He wouldn’t be able to hide much, and she wouldn’t dwell on how much he spent penny by penny.

“Just buy what you want this time. But next time, don’t spend so carelessly. I work hard every day; it doesn't matter what I wear. If I have clothes, that’s enough. Why buy this fabric? When will I even wear the clothes made from it?”

Deep down, she was quite pleased.

This kind of fabric was currently in vogue, and anyone who owned a piece would certainly turn heads when out and about.

She was just saddened about the money, knowing that she wouldn’t have the chance to wear nice clothes while working every day.

It would be better to save money for a winter outfit, so that she could visit relatives for the New Year in something decent.

Ye Yaodong laughed, "You can wear it anytime; this fabric is really durable and won’t easily wear out."

Lin Xiuqing rolled her eyes at him in mock annoyance, "Who wears such nice things while working?"

"Clothes are meant to be worn. If you leave them for too long, even if you hold onto them, they’ll get old just the same.”

"Alright, don’t buy any more next time."

A nice outfit for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival at her family’s wasn’t a bad idea; it would ease her parents’ worries about her living conditions.

(End of Chapter)