Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1202 Kissing
"Then we do have to wish our leader a happy new year... He has helped us so much and has always been supporting you. However, the new year is the day after tomorrow, so it's a bit late to wish him a happy new year now. Remember to explain tomorrow, as I'm only resting these two days."

"Well, I'll call him later. I wonder if he's on holiday. Tomorrow is the 29th, and the day after tomorrow is Chinese New Year. Maybe he's already on holiday and is spending the New Year in the county town."

Lin Xiuqing thought about it and it made sense. "That's right. The Chinese New Year is the day after tomorrow. I might not be in the city. After all, my home is still in the county. I might go back to the county to celebrate the New Year."

"Pack these things up, I'll go make a phone call first."

Ye Yaodong did what he said, put down the newspaper in his hand, and walked out again.

"Dad, where are you going? Take me with you... take me with you..."

Ye Xiaoxi appeared out of nowhere, and when she saw him riding a bicycle, she immediately spread out her hands and blocked his bike.

Ye Yaodong was shocked, but luckily he had just ridden out of home and the road was all dirt, so he couldn't ride fast and he braked suddenly.

"What are you doing? Move aside and go play with your brothers and sisters."

"No, they all have new bills and I don't."

Ye Yaodong felt in his pocket, took out a few new banknotes, and gave her two one-cent notes.

"Now you have it, go ahead."

Ye Xiaoxi happily ran forward to take it, "I have one too, I'll go find my brother..."

After getting the new money, she ran away again without even looking at Ye Yaodong.

Only then did Ye Yaodong get on his bicycle again and head towards the village committee.

The Chinese New Year is the day after tomorrow. The village is particularly festive these days, with the sound of children's firecrackers ringing out from time to time.

There are tables of all sizes on the roadside in the village, where people are either playing dice, cards, or gambling. The women are also preparing various foods to eat during the New Year.

The nets that needed to be cleaned and dried have basically been cleaned in the past two days and are now hung in front of everyone's doorsteps.

Along the way, I could smell either the fishy odor of fishing nets or the saltpeter of firecrackers.

The hawkers' calls were heard in waves, and people kept coming in with things on their shoulders to sell, more than ever before.

Ye Yaodong passed by and saw a barber shaving someone's hair on the roadside. He also called out to him, asking him to remember to go to the beach in the afternoon as the children at home also needed to get a haircut for the New Year.

Of course the barber knew him. He had shaved dozens of heads in the past few months and had become a big customer.

When he arrived at the village committee, his mother was happily carrying two large pieces of fat meat and a basket of soybeans, and his father was holding a bag of flour and a bag of rice.

"The government is providing welfare?"

"Yes, we are resting today. Let us come here to collect our benefits and go home for the New Year. We will take them to you later. Are your sisters-in-law sitting at the door?"

"Drying the fishing nets at the door."

"Then I'll take it later."

"What are you afraid of? Taking something is like stealing."

"I'm afraid they'll gossip and say I'm biased. I'm eating your food and drinking your drinks, so it's only natural for me to take your things. But it's different when they see me in person. I'll wait until later."

"It's your business."

Ye Yaodong didn't bother to care about his mother's grudges. He parked his bicycle at the door, walked past them, and went in to make a phone call.

Just then, a phone call came in, asking for him, so he answered his own call first, and then called Director Chen.

The call came from the army, requesting another batch of goods before the New Year. However, Director Chen will not have his holiday tomorrow, as it will only start on New Year's Eve.

The call came at the right time. He could go to the army to deliver some goods and give Director Chen a New Year gift. When he came back, he could also bring Director Chen back to the county to celebrate the New Year.

When he talked on the phone, Director Chen just said that he would wait and see tomorrow, as he was afraid that it would be unsafe to travel at night. He originally planned to return to his hometown in the county town on the morning of New Year's Eve to celebrate the New Year.

So we can only talk about it after tomorrow.

After making the call, he started counting the goods when he got home and asked the two guys guarding the workshop to load them into the truck and cover them with a waterproof tarpaulin.

In the afternoon, he took Ah Qing to the town again. In addition to wanting to exchange some new banknotes, he also wanted to buy some New Year gifts and bring them over tomorrow to avoid having to rack his brains to think of what to buy in the city.

However, there was a very long queue at the post office in the afternoon. It seemed that all the people were from their village. They all greeted them with a smile. Fortunately, the person at the counter was busy with his head down and did not see them.

Otherwise it would be awkward...

The two of them took a look at the door, greeted their acquaintances, and gave up.

"It's all my fault. I said that. There were only so many people in the afternoon. It was still deserted in the morning. I didn't see many people coming all morning. Those who came were just making phone calls."

"It doesn't matter. I've already changed some this morning. Shall I take you to a bank in the city to change it tomorrow?"

"That's not a good idea. If you go to the city with so much money, there will definitely be a lot of people there."

"Are you stupid? You're going to deliver another truckload of goods to the army tomorrow. Can't you just use the money you get to exchange for cash?"

"Then you go and change. I won't go. The Chinese New Year is the day after tomorrow, and I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. I have to fry meatballs and lard, and start making fish balls, braised pork feet, and drunken shrimps and crabs in advance. I'm very busy."

"Start making fish balls when we get back. Make 10 kilograms first. I'll send them to Director Chen tomorrow."

Ah Qing also reminded him when he talked about making fish balls.

"Then I asked Ah Cai to save some mackerel for me tonight. I didn't want to rush to cook it, otherwise it would take many days to cook. It tastes better when it's fresh..."

"It's okay. There's a dock in town. We can go there later and take a look around. We can buy a few more to take back."

"Row."

The couple had been running back and forth in the town buying things, all of which were for Director Chen.

Cigarettes, alcohol, canned food, and biscuits are all must-haves. You need to have the stuff on the shelves and you also need to have homemade stuff.

Lin Xiuqing originally planned to start working early tomorrow morning, but now she has to go back in the afternoon to start working.

After Ye Yaodong returned home, he immediately called his parents over to help her.

If his parents were called over to work, of course he would have no part in the work.

While her two daughters-in-law were exchanging money in town, Ye's mother took the annual interest paid in the morning and put it directly into the pot to cook.

The children in the family were the happiest. They ran around the village. They had already smelled the aroma of lard being made by many families and were looking forward to their own families making lard as soon as possible.

Now they can finally eat the delicious lard residue, and they are all so happy.

In addition to the three children each holding a small bowl, Ye Yaodong also had a bowl.

It happened that A Guang brought Pei Yu over to play while the twins were taking a nap, so they formed a group and called Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua, and the four of them started playing cards at the door.

They can eat melon seeds and lard while playing cards, and their mouths are full of oil.

Even when Ye's father was chopping fish into paste, he stretched his neck and watched them play cards, shouting, "No, no, it should be a straight, why are you playing a pair..."

"Oh, if you hit a pair you win... Do you know how to hit it..."

"Dad, I would have won if you didn't shout! If you didn't shout, how would Dongzi know that I had a straight?" Ye Yaopeng turned around and glared at his dad, he was so angry.

Ye Yaodong laughed, "Dad is my spy, give me money..."

"You old thing, I told you to chop fish into paste, but where have you been working? Why are you still here watching them play cards?"

"I'm doing it right now, right? I'll just say a few words."

"I see you want to do it yourself."

"As long as you know."

Ye's father immediately stuffed the kitchen knife into Ye's mother's hand and said, "You've finished making lard and have nothing to do. You come."

Mother Ye raised the kitchen knife high, almost scaring Father Ye to death. He quickly took two steps back, "What are you doing?"

"I'll chop you off. You have no eyes for work. I called you here to do some work, not to play cards?"

She had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She raised the kitchen knife high, said some harsh words, and then started chopping the fish into paste with the knife.

Ye's father's heart also settled down. This way he could stand aside and watch them play cards.

Then after a while, he pulled Ye Yaohua up and did it himself.

Ye Yaohua was a little unconvinced, "Dad, do you have any private money to lose?"

"What bad words? I sit down to win money."

"Then you have to stand up if you lose."

"Don't keep talking about losing. I was lucky enough to win money, but you still told me that it was bad luck. Shut up."

Ye Yaodong laughed, "Dad, if you lose, it's on me."

"You said that? No, I'm here to win money, so stop saying bad things."

Father Ye was originally quite happy that someone was paying the bill, but then he thought something was not right, as this was another person saying discouraging words.

"Then do you want to pay for my loss? You can't let mom know that you're hiding some private money."

"When did I hide my private money? You all shut up and watch how I defeat you."

"Okay, then I don't have to pay. I'll shuffle the cards."

While Ye's mother was chopping fish paste, she pricked up her ears to listen to their conversation. Seeing them talking excitedly, she also smiled.

How could she not know whether the old man hid his private money? She just turned a blind eye.

Father Ye won money in the first few rounds and was so happy that he was grinning from ear to ear. When he saw his little grandchildren coming over, he generously gave each of them 5 cents.

Soon, the other grandchildren found out and came running over to ask for money, and Father Ye gave each of them some.

However, just after dividing the money, he started losing in the next round.

After losing all the money he won at the table, he took out the few dollars in his pocket and lost that too.

“Why did I win at the beginning but keep losing later…”

After he finished speaking, he finally reacted and slapped his thigh, "Oh, it's bad luck to give money to those kids. I shouldn't have given them money..."

"Dad, if you don't have money, get up. It's my turn."

Father Ye looked at Mother Ye, then at Ye Yaodong. He was too embarrassed to say anything and could only stand up reluctantly.

But I was thinking, Dongzi seems to be quite smart, but now he doesn't know how to respond. He just spoke so nicely, so he should be the one to lose...

"It's all your fault. You said I would lose before the fight even started. I really said bad luck to you."

Everyone laughed.

"Dad, it was obviously you who gave the money and lost, you can still blame me for this."

Ye's mother called out to Ye's father, who was still feeling resentful and wanted to speak.

"If you've lost everything, stop messing around and quickly shave the pig's feet. If you can't shave them off, light a candle and burn them clean."

"Oh fine."

With his pockets empty, he couldn't have any other ideas.

What a mistake. Next time I must not open the champagne in the middle of the party. I didn’t feel happy for long before it was all gone.

The pig bristles were very hard and the knife at home was not sharp enough, so he lit a candle to burn them and then scraped them clean. After he had scraped them clean, he went to borrow a machete and chopped them into pieces.

Seeing that he was free, Ye's mother wanted to ask him to do something else, but Ye's father was quick and left the house before she could even open her mouth.

As long as he is not under anyone's nose, he is free.

You can't fight here at the door. There are a lot of people forming parties elsewhere. It's New Year's Day, so which man would stay at home?

Lin Xiuqing and Ye's mother worked for the entire afternoon to prepare all the things that Ye Yaodong would give away tomorrow.

Ye Yaodong and his friends played cards for the whole afternoon and dispersed at dusk.

Lin Xiuqing did not let them go home empty-handed, and gave each of them a bowl of fish balls.

Ye Yaodong looked at the basket full of fish balls, which were still warm to the touch, and stuffed one into his mouth.

"good to eat!"

"Of course it's delicious, fresh out of the pot."

"Tomorrow we will make some for our family to eat during the New Year holidays. It's getting cold now, so it won't go bad if we keep it."

"Ah."

Lin Xiuqing looked at Ye Xiaoxi who ran in from the door, and picked up two pieces of food for her with chopsticks, asking her to eat them with her hands.

But she was about to pull out the fish ball and hold it in her hand, but Lin Xiuqing quickly patted the back of her hand.

"Look at your hands, are they dirty?"

"dirty."

"So are you going to eat it like this or go wash your hands?"

Ye Xiaoxi tilted her head, thought for a moment, and took the chopsticks, "Eat it like this!"

"You are so lazy. Take the chopsticks back after eating. Don't throw them outside or run with them."

She nodded, and went out happily while eating.

"She has been staying close to me all afternoon. The old man gave her this and that to eat. She looks so plump, she doesn't need to eat dinner."

"After the meal, even if others can't eat, she can still eat."

Lin Xiuqing laughed and shook her head.

"Hey? The barber is here." Ye Yaodong listened to the voice outside and stretched his neck to take a look. "I'll go out and call the two boys back to get a haircut. Let them wash their hair before eating before it gets dark."

The barber had arrived at his door.

He carried a cloth bag filled with barber tools and a small stool on his back, and held a metal clip about one foot (33.3 cm) long.

A metal rod slid through the clamps, making a distinctive sound that informed him that a barber was approaching.

Ye Yaodong gave instructions in the morning, but he didn't come until the afternoon. This shows how many people in the village took advantage of the New Year to get their hair cut.

He pulled the child back to have his hair cut, and the adults around also brought their own children over and lined up to get their hair cut together.

The New Year is coming soon, and business is good no matter what you are in.

Ye Yaodong pulled the two small buns on Ye Xiaoxi's head and teased her with a smile, "Do you want me to shave your head?"

"No, no!" She quickly protected her head.

"You don't want it anymore? You insisted on shaving it before."

"Don't shave it, never again."

Lin Xiuqing said with a smile: "A few months ago, she was very happy after shaving her hair, but the next day she came back crying and everyone laughed at her."

Ye Yaodong was also amused, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You were gone for a month or two, so how could I tell you earlier? You would have forgotten by the time you came back, and her hair had grown back."

The old lady also smiled and said: "She cried bitterly for several days and did not dare to go out for several days for fear of being laughed at. Then I made her a small straw hat and she went out to play happily again."

Ye Yaodong squatted down and coaxed her earnestly, "Why don't you shave another one? You have a hat anyway?"

"No, no..." She shook her head like a rattle, shouted and ran into the house to hide.

He refused to come out even when eating, and when he was forcibly dragged out, he still looked vigilantly at the door to see if the barber had left.

I didn't dare go out the whole night, for fear that there might be another barber outside.

The next morning, Ye Yaodong drove his tractor to deliver the goods at dawn.

After delivering the goods, he rushed to the door to wait for Director Chen before the Ocean Bureau got off work.

After all, it was a New Year gift, so I didn’t dare to take it directly to the office so blatantly.

After Director Chen came out and was stopped by him, he smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you all morning. So you were waiting here."

"I thought it would be a bad idea to deliver it to the office directly, so I'll wait for you at the door after get off work. I'll help you put the bike on the tractor? Or take the tractor back?"

"Row."

Ye Yaodong drove the car and explained to him why he came only today. He said that he was very miserable. Even if he made money, he had to work until the New Year before he had time to stop. He was like a spinning top spinning around all day long.

The two of them chatted as they walked on the road. After three years of interaction, they were very familiar with each other. Ye Yaodong spoke in a very homely manner and his complaints were also very direct.

Director Chen listened with a smile and gave a few compliments.

He did not refuse the New Year gift that Ye Yaodong gave him. After all, they were very close, and he thought that giving him a gift was also a token of Ye Yaodong's thoughtfulness.

Anyway, he had collected a lot of specialties in the past, and Ye Yaodong had brought him a lot of good luck, so he also treated him as his own junior.

I also plan to take care of it more in the future.

Ye Yaodong knew that he would return to his hometown in the county to celebrate the New Year after finishing work today, so he volunteered to wait for him to get off work and go back together.

For him, it doesn't matter whether he goes home early or late, because his family is now completely rested and there is no work for him to do.

When Director Chen went to work in the afternoon, he stayed at his home, helping Director Chen's wife Jin Yuzhi with work, lending a hand, moving and loading luggage, and bringing holiday gifts back to her hometown.

Jin Yuzhi was also very familiar with him. After all, they had frequent contact and he often invited her to dinner. She had a good impression of him and treated him like her own junior.

After Ye Yaodong finished helping her with the housework, he also took a walk around the market and looked at the goods in the warehouse.

His two uncles have not yet taken a break for the New Year and are planning to work until tomorrow, sell for half a day tomorrow morning, and then go home at noon.

Then he said that he would come back to open the business in the third year of junior high school and he worked very hard to make money.

Ye Yaodong chatted with them for a while, asked them to help look after the warehouse while they were in the city, and then returned to Director Chen's house.

Because there is a holiday tomorrow, Director Chen left work early in the afternoon, so they can leave immediately after returning.

During the conversation, he also learned that Director Chen's children were all in various units and could only go home after work today. Some of them lived far away and might not be able to go home until New Year's Eve, or even not be able to come back at all.

Jin Yuzhi also said with emotion, "Sometimes I would rather my children not be successful, so that I can still be with them and see them. If they are successful, I can't see them anymore."

The number of times we meet in a year can be counted on 10 fingers.

Ye Yaodong said, "If you are really a loser, you might even be disappointed and dislike me."

He hadn't achieved much in his previous life, but since he was always under the watchful eyes of his parents, they didn't like him very much.

"Yes, every parent wants their children to be successful, but when they do succeed, they feel lonely without their children around."

"Just ask them to send their grandson back to you to raise. This way you won't be lonely."

"Haha, you hit the nail on the head. I tell them the same thing every time I call them, but they, as mothers, are reluctant to send their children back. Alas."

"Otherwise, I will be half your son. You don't have to raise me, and I can be filial to you with a legitimate reason."

Director Chen smiled and said, "Will your parents agree to give their son half to each person?"

"Why would I disagree with this? On the contrary, my dad would be so happy. It's not like he's disowning them. Aren't they still his children? They're still keeping us under their noses."

Ye Yaodong was not saying this casually, he had had this idea a long time ago.

I just didn't have the courage to say it, and the atmosphere wasn't there.

Normally, if you say it this way, it would be too abrupt and seem too purposeful.

Now they were the ones who initiated the conversation, and it seemed very casual for him to bring it up.

Originally, he didn't intend to gain any benefit from them, and he really had enough money now.

I just feel that the more I interact with Director Chen, the better he is to me, and I have no way to repay him. It would be more legitimate and closer to him if I had a godparent.

Of course, the relationship is also more solid.

The godparents nowadays are real, not as casual as it is in the future, where you can just randomly recognize a godfather, godmother, godbrother, or godsister.

Director Chen and Jin Yuzhi looked at each other and were actually a little moved.

They have indeed had a lot of contact in the past two years, and the benefits they have gained are mutual, and Ye Yaodong's character is also evident.

Although he is not well educated, he is a down-to-earth and hard-working person. Although he seems a little lively, he is also smart and has not gone astray.

They have also met his family members. His father is an honest man, his mother is a warm-hearted woman, and his brothers are also very honest. They don't look like a troublesome family.

"When the kids come back in the next couple of days, I'll discuss it with them. It would be nice to have a godparent. I have high hopes for you, a young man, and you should be filial to your father."

"You have come to visit us two old people quite often in the past two years, which has made our lives a little more lively. I really hope you can come over and visit us more often from time to time."

The smile on Ye Yaodong's face deepened.

"Oh, as long as you don't find me annoying, I'll come over every now and then when I'm free. Auntie's cooking is delicious, and it's a change of taste. My wife's cooking is delicious, but I get tired of eating it every day, haha."

Jin Yuzhi smiled and said, "You are really good at talking. Even when your wife is not around, you still remember to praise her. You praised everyone."

"I speak from my heart. I don't tell lies."

Jin Yuzhi said to Director Chen, "When the children come back tomorrow, tell them about it. If they have no objection, we can take advantage of the New Year holidays to go to Adong's house. We are in the same county, so it won't take much time to go there and back."

"Okay, it's just right to take advantage of the New Year's Eve and double the happiness."

Ye Yaodong was overjoyed. Fortunately, he was smart and waited for them to get off work and then sent them back.

It was the New Year these two days and the atmosphere was just right. They were both feeling lonely, so they had a chance to talk, so he got the chance to bring it up.

Now that the two old people agreed, the matter was almost half settled.

When he gets home, he has to remind the whole family.

Ye Yaodong listened to them talking with great joy in his heart.

"That's great. I'll go buy some good tea in the next two days and wait to kowtow to you and offer you tea to receive the red envelope."

Director Chen joked, "Haha, if your children don't agree, you won't be able to kowtow."

"That's okay. I can still kowtow and wish you a happy new year. After I accompany my wife back to her parents' home on the second day of the New Year, I will go to your house on the third day to kowtow and wish you a happy new year. I will also send you the tea leaves I have collected."

"Well, you are good at talking. None of the children in my family can talk better than you."

"It's natural. I've been used to coaxing the old lady at home since I was a child, so I've developed my eloquence. Otherwise, how could the old lady at home love me the most?"

Jin Yuzhi also said: "She is very good at pleasing others."

……

Ye Yaodong was driving the tractor, with Director Chen and Jin Yuzhi sitting on either side of him, and everyone was talking excitedly along the way.

He also made them happy and they were always smiling.

By the way, he asked whether the little whale was alive.

Director Chen just said he wasn’t sure, because after it was sent to the provincial research institute, it was sent to the research institute in the special economic zone.

After it changed hands, he wasn't so clear about it anymore. He only knew that he was still alive when he sent him away.

Ye Yaodong could only give up with regret.

"When I went to town yesterday, I heard someone say that the city's fishery association seemed to be about to be finalized?"

"Yes, all the plans have been discussed and approved before the New Year, and the personnel have also been decided. We are just waiting to release it after the New Year."

"Oh...are the positions also based on what I said? Are they all in the city?"

Director Chen looked at him with a smile and said, "You will know after the New Year. There will be good news."

"good news?"

"Well, you did a good job reporting to your superiors. The two whales are of great research value. Our country is in short supply of everything right now, so we will give the public some rewards for anything that is valuable."

"Oh, that's it. The last time we received the commendation and reward, we were already very satisfied. Everyone was very happy. It doesn't matter if there is no reward this time."

"We have to follow the rules and regulations. This is also an encouragement to everyone."

"I would like to thank you on behalf of everyone."

"You're welcome. This is what you deserve."

Ye Yaodong smiled, still thinking about the good news in his mind. He was not a fool.

Director Chen asked him some more questions about fishing boats. He knew that he had a lot of boats, but he hadn't asked him in detail.

If you want to adopt a godson now, you still need to learn more about him.