Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982 - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Big Green Flies

Early the next morning, when there was movement beside him, Ye Yaodong also woke up. Unable to fully open his eyes at first, he kept one eye open and one closed, watching Lin Xiuqing dressing their two children.

“What time is it? Why are they up so early?”

“Six o’clock!”

After getting dressed, Ye Chenghu crawled over and asked curiously: “Dad, why are you awake so early today?”

“Is that not allowed? Early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy!”

“But usually you sleep until the sun shines on your bottom before getting up.”

Ye Yaodong glanced at his eldest son and said nothing, closing his eyes again. It was too early and there was nothing to do, might as well doze off a bit more.

“Hehe~ Grandma says dad is a big lazy bug!”

The younger son also excitedly shouted: “Big lazy bug! Big lazy bug!”

He opened his eyes again to glare at his two sons. These two were so unlovable! To think that after he died, he still left them compensation money!

“What’s all this noise so early in the morning, go out and play!”

“Blehhh~”

The eldest son made a face at him before sliding off the bed and running outside. The second son watched anxiously, “Brother, brother~”

“What’s the hurry?” Lin Xiuqing finished putting his pants on and set him on the ground, “Be careful, don’t run and fall.”

As she spoke, she followed behind with last night’s bowls and spoons, and the urine-soaked bedding.

“My shorts from last night are on the stool in the corner, and the clothes are in the backyard.”

“Got it.”

After the door closed, the room returned to silence, but Ye Yaodong had lost his sleepiness. He lay with his hands behind his head, resting with his eyes closed. He worried that getting up too early would surprise everyone.

But before he could lie there long, he heard his second sister-in-law talking loudly in the main hall, as if afraid he wouldn’t hear.

“Mother, the house construction starts in a few days, Ah Hua and eldest brother will take turns going to sea with father, leaving only one at home. Since Yaodong isn’t going to sea, shouldn’t he help with the carrying? He’s just being idle anyway, otherwise hiring another person would cost extra wages.”

“I’ll talk to him when he gets up!”

“The three brothers each get one room, since he’s not going to sea, he should at least lend a hand. After the family splits up, he’ll be a head of household, he needs to show some responsibility.”

The eldest sister-in-law chimed in, “Yeah, we’re not expecting him to do much work, but at least he could help out…”

…

The eldest sister-in-law’s voice wasn’t as loud as the second sister-in-law’s, and Ye Yaodong couldn’t hear very clearly, but he caught some of it.

He furrowed his brows. His eldest sister-in-law was still okay, relatively kind, but this second sister-in-law was particularly picky, talkative, petty, calculating – thankfully his wife wasn’t like that.

Actually, having him as a husband, Lin Xiuqing garnered quite a bit of sympathy. His mother would show her extra care, and whenever she visited her maiden home, his mother would secretly give her some money to buy fish to take back.

His sisters-in-law didn’t get such treatment, after all, his eldest and second brothers were hardworking men.

Thinking about it, except for visiting her maiden home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, he hadn’t accompanied his wife back home for most of the year.

Although he wasn’t very capable, his father-in-law had treated him quite well initially, probably mainly because he felt sorry for his daughter?

Later that stopped, and he was ignored. Maybe they cursed him behind his back every day…

He could accompany his wife to visit her maiden home during Mid-Autumn Festival.

After lying in bed thinking about this and that for quite a while, feeling the sunlight coming through the window becoming a bit harsh, judging the time was about right, he got up.

But as soon as he opened the door and went out, his grandmother was surprised, “Why are you up so early, Dongzi? Don’t you want to sleep a bit more?”

“It’s not early anymore. Father and eldest brother went to sea at past one, Ah Hua got up at 6 to clear weeds at the foundation, even all the children have finished breakfast and gone to play. Who else in the family gets to sleep comfortably until now?” The second sister-in-law sat at the door, hearing the old lady’s words, couldn’t help but look up at the harsh sunlight and speak directly into the room.

Ye Yaodong picked his ears pretending not to hear. He’d heard plenty in his previous life, he was used to it!

“I got up when I woke up. Have you had breakfast?”

“Yes, yes, go brush your teeth and wash your face at the back door.”

“Mm.”

After brushing his teeth, he felt the urge to urinate, but after taking two steps, he saw the makeshift outhouse in the corner of the backyard, covered with bricks and straw, with just a broken wooden board for a door. He suddenly remembered there was a large toilet bucket inside, and um… the bucket contained all sorts of things…

And at that moment, he also heard the buzzing of big green flies…

Ye Yaodong’s extended leg withdrew sharply, and he walked toward the vegetable garden in front. Better to urinate in the vegetable garden as fertilizer.

Yesterday morning while foraging at the seaside he’d relieved himself there, and yesterday afternoon he’d done it in Ah Guang’s bushes. He really hadn’t thought about the toilet at home.

Ugh… can’t think about it, he still needed to eat breakfast!

He felt renewed motivation to live well – not just buying a bed, he also needed to work hard to get a proper toilet.

After urinating and shaking a couple of times, he went straight back to the room.

The table was already set with porridge and two dried fish. The porridge was still sweet potato strip porridge, but unusually, instead of pickled vegetables, there was dried fish, which immediately opened his appetite.

“Grandmother, are these fish dried from yesterday?”

The old lady smiled showing her toothless gums, “Yes, they were too small to be worth much. Your father brought back several dozen catties the day before yesterday for processing, dried them all day yesterday, and they were ready. This morning I specially steamed a bowl and left you two, eat up!”

These were dried water rice fish, just a bit longer than his middle finger after removing the head. Too small for red braising, but perfect for drying – the best dish to go with rice for coastal people.

“Mm, smells good!”

“If you like them, I’ll steam more at noon. When your father returns in the evening there will surely be more, and we’ll continue drying tomorrow.”

“Do you need to pick corn today? I’ll go to the fields and pick some for you in a bit?”

The old lady waved her hands repeatedly, “No need, no need, if you’re busy don’t worry about it. I’ll take the little ones later, one basket is enough.”

“I’m free, very free. Today’s tide will be half an hour to an hour later than yesterday, so we don’t need to go to the seaside so early. After eating I’ll go pick for you.”

“Not going out to play today?”

“Too hot, don’t want to go out, agreed with some friends to go foraging when the tide goes out.”

“Good, good, good, then you pick for me.”

Ye Yaodong finished his small bowl of porridge, and when the old lady reached out with a cloth to collect the bowl, he took the cloth from her hand first, swept the fish bones into the bowl, and took them to the back door.

The old lady’s old face bloomed with smiles, “Just leave it there, let your wife wash it later.”

“Mm, let’s go.”

Seeing his younger son sitting alone at the door playing with seashells, he picked him up, “Want to come play?”

“Want to, want to!” Ye Chengyang excitedly hugged his neck.

He was the youngest in the family. His brothers and sisters had all run off before he finished eating, leaving him alone at home with his mother.