Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1408 Arriving Home
Father Ye said unhappily, "You have so much money, how dare you think of me like this?"

"No matter how small a mosquito leg is, it's still meat. If you spend less, I can spend more."

"Give me 50 yuan. 10 yuan is too little."

Ye Yaodong glanced at him, then took out four Big Unity notes and handed them to him.

Father Ye happily took it and put it in his palm, "I'll go buy a bottle of Moutai later. I usually can't bear to drink it. I just drink Erguotou every day."

"How about buying two more bottles? Maybe I'll go back tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"No, no, I'll be back in the next two days. I can't finish drinking. If I bring it back to your mother, she'll scold me to death and blame me for days."

Ye Yaodong spread his hands and said, "Then give me back the money and don't buy it. You can't spend it anyway."

"What do you mean by return it to you? This is the money I earned."

Father Ye stuffed the money into his pocket, straightened his back, opened the door and went out for a walk with the others.

Ye Yaodong shouted, "We'll have to settle the score later, don't you want to watch it?"

"Okay, just tell me."

At this time, few workers outside had received their wages and had gone out. Only his brother and A Guang and others were left waiting to be settled.

Most of the people who rented Ye Yaodong's boat had gone out for a stroll. Anyway, he wouldn't settle the bill so quickly, so he would collect the rental of the small boat in the afternoon.

Ah Guang stepped forward and said jokingly, "Have they all been distributed? And you're making it so mysterious. The captain has to go inside one by one to collect them."

"Of course it has to be kept secret. The captain gets a cut of the profits, and the ships are big and small, so everyone gets a different cut."

"How much? How much did your captain get these past two months?"

"I told you it's a secret, how can I tell you?"

"Tsk, you'll die if you tell me that."

"It's time to settle the accounts."

Ye Yaodong spread out the account book and documents on the table, "You have the receipts, check the quantity first, and if there is no problem, calculate it yourself first."

He had already calculated everything last night, so if there was no problem with their calculation, he could just give it to him directly.

He and A Guang were the only ones who had calculators, so they all took turns to calculate. Now he was just leisurely crossing his feet and letting them calculate on their own.

The weather is good today, with sunshine, a gentle breeze and not too hot. The sun is warm in the middle of winter and quite comfortable. The only thing missing is a lounge chair.

Ye Yaodong deliberately moved the stool to the side of the pillar under the corridor, so that they could have their own space and he could catch up on his sleep.

By the time they had almost finished settling their bills, Ye Yaodong had already dozed off. After being woken up, he checked the amounts for any discrepancies. After everyone had no objections, he went into the house, took out a few stacks of banknotes, and paid them all.

It was almost time for lunch, so after they settled the bill they did not leave. Instead they took a roll of straw mat and spread it on the ground and started playing cards.

And there were a pile here and a pile there, forming three or four piles of cards.

When some people came back after shopping, I saw them spreading mats on the ground, playing cards and basking in the sun. I felt so comfortable that I immediately went back to the house and took out my own straw mat.

After lunch, there were even more people, hundreds of them. Except for some newcomers who were still fresh and went out to hang out, the rest formed groups at home.

Ye Yaodong was tired and didn't want to play anymore. When he stood up to let others play, he stretched himself and looked around, then he was shocked.

"Oh my god, this is a big group of people. Are they not going out in the afternoon?"

If there weren't pockmarked stones under his butt instead of grass, Ye Yaodong would have thought that they were all camping.

"It's not like I haven't been here before. I'm very familiar with this place. There are only a few streets in total. I can just walk around in the morning."

"Yeah, I know this place better than the whole village. There's nothing good to buy... Shunzi 34567..."

"Damn it, how come you have so many lucky charms? Just buy a few small toys for your kids at home and take them back."

Ye Yaodong counted the money he had lost, put it back in his pocket, and then pushed his bicycle out.

I don’t know when I will go back, so I have to go say goodbye to those friends in advance.

I have been very busy these days, recording and delivering goods every day, and running back and forth to the shipyard to negotiate fishing boats and payment methods.

All the fishing boats came back yesterday, and after settling the accounts today, I feel a little free.

I have to take advantage of my free time in the afternoon to run around and tell people that I'm going home for the New Year.

In fact, most people are basically finishing their trips at this time and planning to go home for the New Year, except for those who live nearby who may go back a little later.

We have been busy outside all year round. It is almost the end of the year and now it is the middle of the month. Those who have made money have gone back early.

There are many more cargo ships at the dock these days. The shipping volume is large before the New Year, and most businessmen also take cargo ships home.

When he went to the Chamber of Commerce to say goodbye, most people there were planning to go back to their hometowns in the next two days, as it might be difficult to get a bus or a boat there later.

Someone even asked him if he had passed through Vancouver and wanted to take a ride with him.

He agreed without hesitation, as it was indeed on his way, and he also had to stop by Vancouver to visit the lighter factory, and the small fishing boat also had to dock and rest for a night.

After saying goodbye to his acquaintances, he called home and then went to the factory to inform them that he was going home for the New Year and would come back after the 15th.

The factory is almost ready for the break. We have been increasing production during this period so that we can ship out goods even when we take an early holiday for the Spring Festival.

Originally, Ye Yaodong was still hesitant about whether to come up next spring or wait until the second half of the year, but recently everyone seems to be determined to come up after the New Year, so he will definitely come up after the New Year as well.

If you don't make money when you have it, you're a bastard. He has got 5 more boats, so he must earn back the money he spent first.

Besides, everything was fine at home. Lin Xiuqing managed everything in an orderly manner and nothing went wrong. There was no big problem if he called home regularly.

There is my father-in-law looking after me in the city and there is a set of procedures in place. There is also A-Qing looking after me at home, so I can rest assured that he is busy outside.

He thought about keeping busy for a few years, and once everything was on the right track, the country was prosperous, fully liberalized, and transactions and payments were more convenient, he could hand it over to his subordinates.

Now other things can be handed over to the workers, but he has to collect the money himself. That is a lot of real money, so of course he has to put it in his pocket himself.

Anyway, he is only 30 years old, and he will be 31 after the Chinese New Year. He should earn more money while he is young. It will not be too late to retire at 40 and raise a dog at home.

Ye Yaodong took a stroll outside and finished his work. He also declined the offers of help from laymen and business owners to carry out his mission, saying that he still had a pile of things to pack and had no time to stay outside.

The workers at home rarely relaxed. They fought from day to night, to the early morning, and until dawn, and then another group of people would join in.

There was a strong wind on the second day, also the fifteenth day. Normally they would not travel far on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, so after listening to the weather forecast that night, they decided to leave at dawn on the 2rd.

Then they lived without day or night, and gathered in several rooms. Fortunately, they chose the corner rooms so as not to disturb others' rest.

It just so happened that there were extra workers and not enough beds, so they were always at sea, so there was enough sleep. It’s just perfect this way now, and we can take turns sleeping.

But Ye’s father is a little worried about them. What if they lose all their wages without gambling day and night?
"I should have done the same as in previous years and not paid them directly. I should have paid them after they got home. If they had gone back a few days later, they would have been left with nothing to lose."

Ye Yaodong also admitted that he had made a mistake. He only wanted to go back, settle the project, and pay their wages so that they could happily go shopping and buy New Year's goods to take home.

"Next year, I won't pay it all at once. I'll settle it when I get home."

"It would be best if we could pay them a lump sum each year, so that they can save all their earnings. We provide food and lodging anyway, so they don't have anywhere to spend their spare money."

"It's troublesome to get an advance payment, so we'll see when the time comes. Anyway, starting from the new year, we'll give you a meal allowance every month. You can either keep your salary and get paid once a year, or get paid once when you quit, or get paid once when you go home."

The three-story building that started construction last month is now in good shape, with only the last floor left.

The canteen was also completed. Actually, it was more like three rooms than a canteen, but they were connected and had more windows. He had discussed this with the foreman later.

Just use three rooms as the canteen. There are so many rooms here anyway, so the canteen doesn't need to be too big. Everyone can eat in their own rooms, or squat at the door, under the corridor, or in the open space. There is no need to sit in the canteen to eat.

This also saves him building space and money.

Moreover, half of the time, fishing boats are at sea and come back at night, which makes them unsuitable for going out to sea. The most people are there during their rest time.

The foremen are all locals, so there is no need to stop work early and go home. Even if they go back, the foremen can continue working.

Even if Ye Yaodong took the large army back, he would leave two people here to guard. It was agreed that it would be double work, so he picked two from the volunteers.

Generally, this is either because there are many children in the family and they are not favored, or because the family is too poor, or because the family situation is complicated and special, and they are alone or in a reconstituted family, or because they are not liked by their family members. Of course, they would rather stay outside if they are paid more.

He had made all the arrangements before leaving.

It was not until the early morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year that everyone carried their luggage to the dock to board the ship.

They were not the only ones rushing back home to celebrate the New Year. Besides those going out to sea, there were also many people carrying luggage on the dock.

As the Chinese New Year approaches, more and more people will return home.

The 3rd was the th day of the lunar calendar. Some people went straight home, some small boats followed Ye Yaodong to Vancouver to rest for the night, and some rested and left early the next morning.

Ye Yaodong had to do some business in Vancouver, so he was the only one with his boat and waited until the afternoon of the 2th before leaving. When he got home, it was already a.m. on the th. He was the last one to return. It was only because his fishing boat was fast, otherwise it would have taken until the morning of the th.

He asked his father to come back first and bring back all the workers. He only left four or five people behind as the ship needed help, otherwise he could do it alone.

As soon as he got home, he felt relaxed all over.

He just sat there and did nothing, while Lin Xiuqing was busy taking care of things for him.

"We have to settle accounts before the New Year anyway, why don't you just come back? You've been here for most of the day. Dad comes back a day earlier than you."

"Like A Guang and Zhou Da, they came back on the morning of the 17th. Luckily they said you went to Vancouver, otherwise people would be worried to death."

"Wash your face first, and I'll change the foot basin for you to wash your feet."

Lin Xiuqing wrung out the towel carefully and handed it to him. She then went to get him a foot basin, put water in it, took off his shoes and socks, and got him a pair of slippers.

"I've been thinking about your return for a few days, so I made your favorite glutinous rice dumplings. I steamed some for the children, but I couldn't bear to touch the rest."

The old lady sat in front of the stove, lit a fire, and steamed rice dumplings for him. She looked at him with a smile and said, "I made them early. Now you can eat them right away when you get home. It saves you the trouble of cooking other things in the middle of the night."

"it is good."

"You've become a lot darker. You used to be so fair. Don't become as dark as your father. You have to keep on wearing that hood and mask you wore before."

Ye Yaodong touched his face and felt that the old lady also paid great attention to appearance.

If he wasn't so handsome, the old lady might not have been so open-hearted to him?
At first people were saying what he looked like wearing it, but now that he’s dark, I think he should just wear a hood or a mask?

"Yes, there are some. The wind is strong at the dock, so I brought some to protect myself from the wind." Ye Yaodong explained and then asked Ah Qing, "Have you unloaded the dried fish you brought back?"

"It's ready. Dad will arrange for the unloading when he gets home this afternoon."

"That's good. It will save me a lot of trouble tomorrow."

"You came back so late at night. You can sleep until you wake up naturally tomorrow. No one should disturb you."

After the old lady finished speaking, Lin Xiuqing asked again: "Is this sack the money you brought back?"

"Yes, if you sort it out, there are probably about 30 in it."

"So many, didn't you order two boats?"

"Not two, but three."

In light of the previous experience, Ye Yaodong told her as soon as he came back. When he called her the day before yesterday, he was also thinking that he would be back soon, and it would be difficult to communicate over the phone.

After listening to his explanation, Lin Xiuqing thought that this was a good idea.

Just think of it as saving money, deposit a sum every once in a while, and you won’t feel sad. After all, you pay in installments and there won’t be any extra interest.

Ye Yaodong also said that if the order is placed in advance, the price will be locked in and the remaining balance can be paid slowly over time.

In the past two years, everyone in the village has improved their conditions, and many people have rushed to order fishing boats. The prices are no longer the same as in previous years.

It’s not like there hasn’t been some discussion about this, with many people criticizing the shipyards for being unscrupulous and raising prices arbitrarily.

In fact, it is inflation and rising prices, but ordinary people cannot feel it and do not have this concept, so they do not understand it and can only complain.

Lin Xiuqing had been the head of the household for several years and had some feelings about this. His family's wages were rising, the prices of goods were rising, and it made no sense that the price of ships would not rise.

"That's fine. Let's order three boats. We're running out of cash at home right now."

"what?"

"I was wondering, should I ask Dad to help me secretly dig a cellar?"

As the Chinese New Year approaches, I feel a little distracted. Please allow me to slack off for a while.