Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1527 Birthday
New Year's Eve was no different from previous years. As usual, only Lin Xiuqing and Ye's mother were busy. After the men finished their meal, they patted their butts and went to play cards.

After getting their New Year's money, the children left the table early, put on new clothes, put some change and firecrackers and snacks in their pockets, and ran out happily.

For several days, Ye Yaodong had a rare chance to relax.

He is busy from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, and only on New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month can he relax.

However, they won't be able to relax for a few days this year, as the old lady will be celebrating her birthday on the fifth day, so they will start to get busy on the fourth day.

I had to drive a tractor to pull tables, chairs, benches, bowls and chopsticks, and prepare the dishes in advance according to the menu. Fortunately, there were many people in their family, so if one person helped out and shared the burden, they wouldn't be too busy.

The venue for the birthday banquet was arranged in the workshop. After all, it had a awning, was surrounded by walls on all sides, the place was spacious and the ground was flat.

Ye Yaodong also went out to buy a large roll of red carpet a day in advance and laid it out in the aisle between the tables and chairs on both sides. With the red embellishments, the atmosphere instantly felt festive.

The other brothers and sisters also helped with the decoration. Longevity characters were pasted on the walls and small red lanterns and red ribbons were hung on the ceiling, making the place look even more festive.

The old lady stayed at the decorated venue the whole day. Even when she went home to eat, she would come over immediately after eating, sit at the door with a smile on her face, looking particularly happy and energetic.

Ye Huimei took a pair of scissors and wanted to cut the old lady's shoulder-length white hair smoother.

"Give it a nicer cut, wash your hair later, take a bath tonight, and wear new clothes tomorrow to celebrate your birthday happily."

The old lady smiled so hard that her teeth were showing, and she held her hands, which were wrinkled like tree bark, to talk to her.

"You guys are all just messing around. You can just cook a bowl of longevity noodles and two poached eggs. Why are you making such a fuss..."

"How many times can you live to be 88 in your lifetime? The next birthday celebration will be when you are 98 or 100. Come, sit down and let me wrap the towel around you."

"Well, okay, after all the hard work to arrange it so beautifully, with red everywhere, it would be a shame to tear it down later..."

"Then we can take it down later. It will be festive if we keep it hanging for a few days. I will let you see it to your heart's content."

"That won't do. We need to free up space here for everyone to work. We can't delay Dongzi from making money."

"It doesn't matter these few days. We won't start work so soon. My third sister-in-law said we won't start work until the 16th day of the first lunar month."

"That's fine, that's fine..."

Ye Huimei cut the old lady's shoulder-length hair a little bit behind her ears, making it smooth and tidy.

The old lady held a round mirror with a red plastic frame and looked at herself from time to time with a smile, looking particularly satisfied.

She took the old lady back and washed her hair.

The red carpet on the floor looked festive and clean. The children couldn't help running and jumping on it, and some even lay down on it.

Lin Xiuqing was worried that they would dirty the red carpet, so she drove them all out and then put the red carpet away. Now she just spread it out to check the size.

It’s still in time to lay the floor early tomorrow morning, otherwise it will be covered with mud in no time.

Ye Yaodong placed the carpet against the corner of the wall and said, "Do you have more red silk? Otherwise, let's put a red background behind this wall? Let's take a family photo tomorrow. It's rare that everyone is here."

Father Ye happily agreed, "That's fine. We haven't taken a family photo in several years. It's a good opportunity to take one tomorrow while everyone is here. The children have grown up quickly in recent years."

Mother Ye also nodded and said, "I'll look around to see if there are any extra red cloths."

"Should we prop up the table first?" Ye Chenghai and a few other young men asked out of boredom.

"Then you guys should prop up the table first."

Everyone has so much energy but nowhere to use it, so they all get busy.

Some of the villagers were bored and would take a handful of melon seeds and start eating them in front of their workshops, chatting as they ate.

"The old lady is so blessed. She has many children and grandchildren, and they are all filial to her. Let's celebrate her birthday..."

"Who says it's not true? If I am this glorious when I am old, I will die with a smile on my face."

"It has to be that your children and grandchildren are successful. If they are not, they will think you are in the way."

"Yes, old people are worthless, and they all rely on their children and grandchildren to be filial..."

"If you ask me, the old lady's life is worth it. She can still live so happily in her old age. It's good enough to live to this age."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... I heard there are fifty or sixty tables, and most of the village people will come to share the spoils."

"The accountant sitting at the door over there was specially hired to keep accounts and do favors for them. I've been standing here for most of the day, watching people constantly coming over to do favors. It's such a great honor."

After finishing her work, Ye's mother came out to chat with everyone. It was the old lady's birthday, and she was very proud of it. She looked very happy and smiled before she spoke.

"It's all because of Dongzi's filial piety. He said the old lady is 88 years old, and this year she celebrated her 90th birthday in advance. What kind of cake did he order? He said he had eaten it in Shanghai, and foreigners liked it very much. It was delicious..."

The whole day long, the villagers were talking about the old lady's birthday, and those who had nothing to do liked to take a look at the workshop.

Children also like to go to crowded places and run wherever there is excitement. The sound of firecrackers at the door never stopped, and the adults did not drive them away. They just let the children spread red decorations on the ground in advance.

Early the next morning, before daybreak, Ye's father and his two brothers drove a tractor to pick up the pre-ordered ingredients.

After daybreak, others also got up, washed, dressed and started to work.

Ye's mother, along with several sisters-in-law and the wives of each family, prepared the vegetables and side dishes and washed the dishes in advance. They also hired a dozen or so helpers, but none of them could sit still and were used to lending a hand.

When they hold banquets in the countryside, it is basically close neighbors and relatives who help each other. There is no labor payment, but they provide a table for the banquet.

It is still early in the morning, so they can help out for a while and then change clothes and take care of themselves later.

By the time the vegetables were brought back, the sun had come out and the workshops on both sides were bustling with people.

Seeing a bunch of people watching the fun, Ye's mother didn't want to wash the vegetables anymore. Hearing Ye's father urging her to go home, she wiped her hands, went home, changed into new clothes, and took her gold jewelry with her.

The couple looked particularly wealthy wearing gold necklaces, gold rings and gold bracelets. Whenever they left the house, a bunch of people would smile and compliment them.

They stood at the door of the workshop and greeted and chatted with relatives and friends who came to watch the fun.

The families of Uncle Ye and Uncle Ye II also changed into new clothes. Like them, they stood at the door and greeted relatives and friends who came to watch the fun.

After all, it is close, right in the village. Although it is not time for the birthday dinner yet, everyone has nothing to do in the morning so they come here early to take a look around and join in the fun.

The old lady also changed into a cotton-padded jacket with big red flowers early in the morning. She also pinned a red artificial flower on her head and even wore red cotton shoes. She looked particularly festive and you could tell at first glance that she was the protagonist.

She also wore the gold earrings, gold necklace, gold bracelet and gold ring that Ye Yaodong bought for her. She looked very wealthy, like an old lady from a wealthy family in the old society.

She sat at the door of the workshop with a cane in her hand, and everyone who came to watch the fun came forward to congratulate her.

The old lady had never been so happy. Looking at the lively scene, she couldn't stop smiling the whole morning.

"Your old lady's life has not been lived in vain..."

"He's 88 and still in such good spirits. I think he can live another 10 years without any problem. He can even celebrate his th birthday."

"That means that life at home is good, the elderly eat well, live comfortably, and have no worries, so they can live longer."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk...Everyone in your family wears gold and silver. Look at these gold rings, gold necklaces, and bracelets. They have the whole set."

Mother Ye responded with a smile, "These were all bought by Dongzi for us... They didn't cost much, you can buy them too... Just because they look good makes you happy."

"I want a gold ring, and I will wear it on my hand every day and never take it off..."

"The old lady has so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If you count the men and women of both generations, there must be 30 or 40 people. Are they all here today?"

"You guys should have seven or eight tables for yourselves..."

"Hey, don't tell me, isn't there another person named Hong in jail?"

"Why haven't you been released yet? It's been several years now. Isn't it time for you to be released? How many years was he sentenced to?"

The smile on Ye's mother's face faded. "He was sentenced to 10 years. This year should be the 8th year. I guess he will be released soon."

"I don't know if I can reform myself after I come out..."

"Afan has reformed quite well. He has been working hard to earn money at sea these past few years. His family has lived a stable life for a few years and has more money on hand. I heard that he has paid back all the money he handled."

"Isn't it? If those evil ways hadn't been used, your son would have been able to rise to great heights with just a little help."

"Yes, like Azu and Aguo, who hasn't made a fortune? And your nephews and nieces from your mother's side make thousands of dollars a year, and they even have color TVs and refrigerators at home."

"That's right, it really hurts others and yourself."

Everyone was talking at once, criticizing Ye Yaohong from head to toe.

However, he also knew that he couldn't say it in front of the other person's parents, so he could only whisper a few slanderous words in front of Ye's mother.

These people also have their own circles when it comes to gossiping.

It’s not easy to integrate into their gossip circle.

Seeing that Aunt Ye and Aunt Ye seemed to be looking over here, they hurriedly smiled and changed the subject.

"Hey, your two grandsons went to Xiaozizi to earn money a few years ago. Did they make any money? How much was their monthly salary? I heard it was several thousand?"

These words touched Aunt Ye Er's heart.

"I heard they make more than 2,000 a month, but they earn money there and it's hard to send it back. Haha, I'll just wait for them to work for a few more years so that I can enjoy the good life with them when they come back."

"That's not bad. It's as much as everyone earns in a year. This is a way for your family to make money."

"Isn't it? Only those two kids are promising. Once they go out, they can earn so much. They are not much different from the big bosses."

After hearing what his second aunt said, Ye Yaodong tried his best to hold back his laughter.

However, the women around were extremely envious.

"That would make me a real boss. I could actually earn over 2000 yuan a month, which means I could make to yuan a year. If I stay here for a few years, I'll be rich."

"Hehehe..." Aunt Ye Er laughed so hard after hearing everyone's compliments that she felt relaxed both physically and mentally.
It was a rare opportunity for him to become the center of attention. He was extremely happy and kept talking about how successful his two grandsons were. He also said that it was only because of his strong connections that he was able to send his grandsons abroad. He was just flattering himself and bragging.

When Ye's mother heard this, she pouted. But she couldn't make trouble, so she could only turn her head away with a look of disgust.

Ye Yaodong's friends also gathered around him and talked, and heard the bragging of Aunt Ye and Uncle Ye.

Ah Zheng asked, "Are your two nephews doing well abroad?"

Xiao Xiao also said: "How can money be so easy to earn in daily life? I can earn more than 2,000 yuan a month. What do you do? In China, we only earn a few dozen yuan a month."

Ye Yaodong whispered, "When I first went there, I seemed to be washing dishes in a restaurant. The prices there are different from ours, and the salary level is also different. The cheapest job is more than 2000 a month."

"Ah? So profitable?"

"Then you have to earn money abroad and spend it at home, wouldn't that be great?"

Each of them said one sentence.

"It's great, but they don't have passports, they are illegal immigrants, and can't easily return to China. At most, they can go there and come back the same way. That's a huge risk."

"That's true."

Ah Guang said, "Since you're already out there, why not work for a few more years and earn a little more? After all, it's not that easy to make money back home."

"I heard last year that he was earning something else. I told you guys, don't tell anyone. It seems that people said the funeral industry paid well, so he went into the funeral industry."

This is what he found out when he talked with Ye Yaohai when he sent Ye Chenghai to the provincial capital last year.

After all, he is my nephew, and he was the one who got the connection, so it is reasonable to ask him a few more questions.

The three of them were shocked. "Funeral service!"

"It's a bit unlucky, but the salary is high, and both of them are not picky and can endure hardships. Don't tell anyone, otherwise it will be embarrassing."

Ah Zheng was stunned. "Then, then we should... wish them a prosperous business?"

"puff……"

"Ah ha? Hahaha..."

"Fuck...business is booming...hahaha, can it be used like this?"

"Damn, this is so funny, I wish them good business!"

Ye Yaodong also laughed.

"What are you laughing at? Why are you so happy? Who are you wishing a prosperous business?" Ye's father walked towards Ye Yaodong with a smile on his face.

"I heard from my second aunt that the two children who went to work in Xiaozi have very high monthly salaries, which are not much worse than those of domestic bosses. We all wish them a prosperous business."

Father Ye nodded, "As you should. After taking a big risk and spending a lot of money, you must earn more. You can come back in a few years with glory."

"Yes."

"Dongzi, I think most of our family members are here, why don't we take a family photo before the banquet starts? Otherwise, when the guests arrive, we will be too busy entertaining them. It will also be inconvenient if the banquet is already full and everyone has to be busy eating."

Ye's father came over just to talk about this.

"That's fine, I'll go get my camera."

"Well, I'll ask them to go in first and take photos near the wall with the red cloth, to make it more festive."

"it is good."

Father Ye happily called out to his brothers and nephews, "It's time to take a family photo. Let's take a family photo together. Today is a festive day. Let's take a photo with five generations of our family together. Come, young and old."

"Oh~ Let's take a family photo, let's take a family photo~"

Adults and children alike started shouting with excitement and rushed into the workshop.

There are five generations, so the population seems to be quite large. Today, even the married daughter came back with her children and husband.

There were so many people gathered together, it seemed like there were hundreds of them.

Seeing the excitement in their home, some people who were not from their family also crowded into the workshop to watch the fun, not to mention the children, who all rushed to the front and made a lot of noise. Order could not be maintained at all.

Ye Yaodong came over with his camera and saw the mess inside. Adults and children were standing and crowding together, but no one listened. He felt overwhelmed at the sight.

"Dad, this won't work. We can't shoot like this at all."

"Then...what should we do?"

"You and your uncles should first gather your own people, each family standing in a group, and then line up from the big to the small..."

Lin Xiuqing frowned, "With so many people, it's too chaotic and hard to organize. Besides, can our cameras take pictures? Don't let this go in vain."

"Well, if we stand in line, it shouldn't happen, right?"

"I think we should go to the photo studio in town and ask a photographer to come over and take pictures for us, so as not to waste this rare opportunity. It's not far away anyway."

Father Ye agreed, "Ah Qing is right. While everyone is standing there making a lot of noise, you can ask Ah Hai and Ah Jiang to drive the tractor to the photo studio and ask a photographer to come take the photo."

"That's fine. Then you should organize everyone to stand in position first. You must stand one family at a time, one generation at a time, and wait for the photographer to come over to see how to adjust it."

"Ah."

Ye Yaodong hurriedly called out Ye Chenghai and Ye Chengjiang and asked them to drive the tractor to ask for help.

It takes about half an hour to go back and forth.

Look at how noisy the venue is now. It may take half an hour to find a good spot to stand. There are just too many people.

The old lady sat on a stool nearby, smiling so hard that she couldn't close her mouth. She muttered happily, "There are so many people here. I don't usually see so many people here. So many people are here today..."

Ye Huimei coaxed the old lady, "This shows that our family is prosperous."

"It's better to have people than to have money. It's much better to have more people. It's more lively."

Ye's mother hit her at an inopportune time, "Forget it. If you have too many people but no money, who will celebrate your birthday? You have to be rich to have a grand celebration. If you don't have money, forget about celebrating your birthday. You'll be living a tight life, so how can you expect filial sons and grandchildren?"

Ye Huimei smiled and said, "Although what mother said is not pleasant to hear, it is indeed true. Only when you have money can you be prosperous. This is all thanks to my third brother. Without him, there would be no such a lively family now."

The old lady didn't think what Ye's mother said was unpleasant. Instead, she was very happy. "You are right. It's all thanks to Dongzi who has worked hard to make money outside these years that we have today's glory and can wear gold and silver."

"So they say that we need both wealth and children to prosper. No matter how prosperous we are, we can't have the joy of today. When I get old, I'll have to count on you three brothers to hold a wedding for me. Then I'll wake up laughing in my dreams."

"Of course, mother. My brothers are all filial. I guarantee that you will be as prosperous as this when you are old."

Mother Ye was so happy that she said, "Your father and I must live well and live to this age."

Ye's father and the two brothers were arranging the team formation. They were all sweating and their throats were almost hoarse from shouting, but a group of children were still squirming around in the crowd.

Ye's mother also hurried to help, and drove out those who were not their family members first, and then pulled the children aside to stand, so that the rest of the adults could be arranged.

After the team was lined up loosely, the master from the photo studio was invited over with his equipment.

Now that they had a backbone, everyone became more serious and obedient. They stood where they were told. Their words were more effective than what Ye's father and the others had just shouted at the top of their lungs.

The words of your own people are not as effective as the words of your master.

Under the master's arrangement, they all stood in their respective positions.

They also brought a throne from the Tianhou Temple for the old lady to sit in the middle. The younger children squatted on both sides of the old lady, and the others stood back according to their seniority. Those at the back also stood on the bench.

It took four rows of people to arrange the team neatly.

It took about an hour from start to finish, just for those few clicking sounds, and then it fell apart in two minutes.

"After all the effort, you've already finished the photo?"

"It's good that the photos are taken well. Fortunately, I invited someone to come. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take good photos myself."

"Can you take a photo of our family separately?"

"Go talk to the master yourself. We've invited everyone back. If we want to shoot, we can shoot together..."

Every family wants to take this opportunity to take photos, whether it is a family portrait or a personal photo, everyone wants to take one.

After all, taking a photo is not cheap. Not everyone takes one every year, and no one has the spare time. Today is the best day, and everyone has dressed up, looking neat and radiant.

Ye Yaodong's family did not have any desire to take pictures. After all, he had a camera and could take pictures of his family at any time.

He asked them to line up inside to take photos, and his family came out to greet the guests first. He also had to talk to the village cadres.

It's getting late now, it's already 10 o'clock, and many people are waiting at the door, chatting in groups of three or four.

Around 10:30, his godfather and godmother also came over. Before they could even exchange a few words, the village cadres immediately surrounded them.

"What a rare visitor, haha... I haven't seen Director Chen for two years..."

"Haha, your village is developing better and better. I often see in the newspapers that Secretary Chen is a good leader..."

"No, this is the result of the concerted efforts of the villagers, and it is also thanks to Adong's cleverness and advice..."

Ye Yaodong said modestly: "It is not my credit. I just made a suggestion. It is everyone who implemented it. It is also the leaders who led the whole village out of poverty and into prosperity."

"Haha, they all made contributions. Don't you know? Secretary Chen may be promoted to the county level. All he needs is the approval of the documents."

"Really? Congratulations then..."

"Congratulations, our village's backing is even stronger now, haha. What position?"

"I can't tell you. I can't tell you. The document hasn't been issued yet. It has to be kept confidential."

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "Secretary Chen, don't forget the village when the time comes. When will we build a road? Didn't we say that? If you want to get rich, build roads first."

"Haha, I remember that..."