Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1836 Small Plan

The return of his two nephews from their childhood caused a sensation in the village and also caused a minor stir among his relatives.

Everyone at sea heard about it, and their fathers all rushed back home. Ye Chengjiang and the others naturally knew about it too, and they've been discussing it for the past few days.

Especially before each day's driving, when they gather in the open space downstairs.

"Why don't they just marry a simple, ordinary wife? They should fuck her to death!"

"Exactly, it's a waste of resources. They're all busy with their own little lives and don't even know how to find a few more."

"Are you stupid? A wife is someone you marry to spend your whole life with. Of course you can't marry a mistress, otherwise half of the children you have will be of that side's bloodline. But they must have had their fair share of mistresses."

"Damn, those two brothers got their fun. Their sex lives are so slutty, those women must be really fun. The porn and magazines are all the better ones, all sorts of styles..."

"It wasn't a wasted trip abroad, I made money off them at Xiao Ri Zi and slept with all the women..."

"If you're envious, you should go too..."

"Get lost, I'm not going. I have a wife and kids, but I can support their development of pornography..."

There are all sorts of opinions when we're just chatting and joking around, but when we're talking about porn, everything is harmonious.

The next day, it was Ye's mother's turn to call him excitedly again.

"...I never imagined they actually run a funeral business, and I heard it's quite successful, mostly by Chinese people..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I heard it's a monopoly. The two of them only got to work there because a relative introduced them, and they've made a lot of money."

"I heard that if they leave in a few days, any relatives who want to go with them can go too. Tell them to hurry up and get their visas. If they can get them, that would be great. If not, then they can only pray to Mazu and go by boat."

"I heard that the monthly salary can be as high as 10,000 or 20,000, or even several thousand. Everyone is so tempted! My goodness! Where can we find such a high salary? No wonder they are so generous as soon as they come back, borrowing 500 and paying back 1000."

"The salary here is only five or six hundred a month, which is already considered high, and it has only increased in the last few years. They earn several thousand or even tens of thousands a month. No wonder they are rich."

"How come the wages are so high over there? If we had such high wages here, would there be any poor people? Everyone would have more money than they could spend."

"When they heard about the salary of 10,000 or 20,000 yuan, their eyes lit up with envy. Many said they wanted to go with them; the salary was just too high..."

Ye's mother excitedly muttered to herself, then launched into a long tirade of complaints, her envy practically overflowing from her voice on the phone.

"You seem so excited, do you also want to make this money?"

"I'd like to, but I'm already so old..."

"You all only see that the wages are so high, but you don't think about how high their consumption must be. Otherwise, if they only spend and don't spend, the economy won't take off, and if the economy doesn't take off, how can they pay such high wages?"

"The salary is high too, even if you save a little, it's still better than in the country."

"That's true. If you earn money and spend it frugally, even a little bit left is better than working in China. That's why so many people risk their lives to secretly go abroad."

"Your second uncle's family, your eldest uncle's family, and many other relatives are also planning to go out and make money."

Ye Yaodong calmly said, "Then let's go. Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents."

"Sigh, leaving home and only returning once every ten years, it's not that appealing anymore. Home is still the best."

“It’s none of our business. Everyone in our family has their own way of making money. Others can’t make big money, so naturally they want to follow suit.”

"I wonder how much money they made. They threw a lavish party when they came back, with over a dozen tables. It was quite a spectacle. It's rare for your second uncle's family to get such a big show out of them..."

Ye Yaodong changed the subject, saying, "Ajiang has found a partner, Lin Huixin, Aqing's niece. They should be able to hold their wedding banquet when they go back for the Chinese New Year this year."

Mother Ye was overjoyed. "Oh my, I've heard your second sister-in-law talking about it for days. She said that Ajiang went after Huixin. Finally, there's good news. This time, he's finally found someone reliable. He's quite quick on his feet."

"It was settled a few days ago. They've already brought everyone here and they're working at my factory now."

"That's good. Your second sister-in-law has been worried about it. She said she doesn't know if her son has found a girlfriend yet. She doesn't even call to tell me. I'll talk to her about it later so she won't keep asking people to introduce her to him and scolding her son every day."

"I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."

"Hang it up. The old lady is sunbathing at the door, so I won't ask her to answer. Otherwise, she might not hear me and her words will be a bit nonsensical. She's getting senile."

"That's alright. Since she's at the door, just ask her to come and greet you. It'll save you from sitting here all day bored. It'll be good to talk to her. She can say what she wants, and I can say what I want."

"That's fine."

After hanging up the phone, Ye's mother went out to call the old lady.

The old lady walked along happily, leaning on her cane, saying, "Dongzi called back, hurry up, I just received two red envelopes and I'm saving them for him... Tell him to hang up a little later, I'll be right there..."

"Dongzi, when are you coming back? I received two red envelopes, a lot of money, I've saved it all for you."

Ye Yaodong felt a pang of sadness in his heart again. He raised his voice, afraid that she wouldn't hear him.

"You can keep it for yourself and buy whatever you want to eat."

"I'm saving all my money for you, so I can get you a wife when you get married. You're so handsome, I have to find you a good one..."

"..."

"Two more eggs were laid in the henhouse this morning. I secretly hid one and will cook it for you when you come back."

Ye Yaodong: "..."

"...I've accumulated seven or eight in my room, and I've hidden them all so your mother won't know."

Mother Ye: "..."

"Hey, that chicken is too big to hide. Otherwise, I'll hide one for you..."

Ye Yaodong was both amused and exasperated. "No need."

"When you come back, I'll kill you. I'll slit your throat while your mother's not around, then she won't be able to do anything. It's okay if she curses at me a bit..."

The old lady kept rambling on and on, talking about things that didn't make any sense to him.

Ye Yaodong chatted casually with her, responding without caring whether she understood or not.

The two were talking at cross purposes.

After she finished talking, she started to cry. Ye Yaodong noticed that she was in a bad mood, so he quickly said a few words to comfort her and hung up.

I thought I'd hang up when she was happy and finished talking next time, so she wouldn't keep nagging and get upset later.

After hanging up the phone, he sighed softly.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable. At least for now, I seem to be in good health, without any illness or disaster. So, I might as well be a little confused.

He composed himself and threw himself back into his work.

However, not long after, the fat man called him again.

"Dongzi, I'm thinking of opening a seafood restaurant in Shanghai. What do you think?"

"Open a seafood restaurant in Shanghai? You might as well open a chain store with the same dishes, standardize the dishes for easy processing, or just open a hotel."

"Ah! That's a great idea! You could open a chain store or a hotel. You don't need to manage it much, just hire someone to handle the cashier and cleaning."

"You've made quite a bit of money these past few years, huh? Thinking of opening a shop in Shanghai."

“Isn’t it because you guys are all rushing to Shanghai to buy houses? A-Guang has already bought his third house, and you bought an entire building. So I was thinking of following suit. After all, it’s a big city. If you guys are buying so many, then I have to buy some too.”

“It’s great. Whether you’re buying a house, taking over a shop, or starting a chain store or hotel, it’s all good. I’m not an expert in this field, so you can go and see for yourself. I’ll introduce you to Director Zhang. I’ve known him for a long time. He’s the one who negotiated all our properties. Let him see if there are any suitable shops or properties. You can take some people to check them out.”

"Okay, then give me the number. I'm free these next couple of days, I'll take a few brothers to check it out."

"It's a pity I just got back. If I had told you a few days earlier, I would still be there and could have spent a day or two with you."

"It's okay, just introduce him to me."

Ye Yaodong gave him Director Zhang's phone number, gave him a few instructions, and told him to understand the situation better before proceeding.

Fatty has made a lot of money over the years. He's opened two branches here and is even thinking about opening one in Shanghai. Maybe he can really start a chain of branches and hotels.

Shanghai is a big city after all. If he can get into it, it's like seizing the market ahead of time, since it's still in the early stages of development.

He tapped the table. Pudong is still under development. Let's see if there are any good houses to buy next year.

Just as he was thinking, Ah Zheng, an unemployed bum, ran over.

"Our guest has arrived, Mr. Ye. Are you busy? Quickly make me some tea."

"Don't call me President Ye, it sounds weird."

"What's wrong with you? Isn't it great? You look so impressive. I think people would call me 'boss' and not even know what to do."

Ye Yaodong brewed him some tea and pushed it in front of him, saying, "Sounds like a bastard."

"Pfft, hahaha... Luckily I haven't had any tea yet, otherwise it would have been a waste. How could you even think of such a thing, and to be so self-deprecating?"

“It’s not me making fun of myself, it’s the old lady making fun of my dad. A couple of years ago, when everyone was calling my dad General Manager Ye, he was so proud of himself. Then the old lady said that, and my dad stopped letting people call him General Manager Ye. He only lets the people in the factory call him Uncle Ye. He suddenly became humble.”

"Haha, you tried to show off but failed."

"Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to ask when you're going to Shanghai so I can come with you to see my ship. I also want to know when you're going out to sea so I can prepare in advance."

"No rush. I'll let you know half a month in advance if we're going to go out to sea. I haven't received my boat yet. If you're going to Shanghai, you can go with Fatty. He called earlier and said he plans to go to Shanghai in the next couple of days to check out the market and prepare to open a branch there. I just got back, so I won't be going for the time being."

"That's fine then. I'll go find him later. That kid's made a fortune."

"Didn't you all get rich too?"

"We earn our money through blood, sweat, and tears, while he earns the boss's money. How can you call that the same?"

Ye Yaodong refilled his cup of tea and said, "You seem to have a lot of free time right now. Why don't you come work on my boat for a while?"

"No way. It's not like the ship is gone and I can finally rest for a while. I'm not born to work hard. Why would I give up a chance to rest and insist on doing something that doesn't deserve my salary?"

"You make it sound like you'd love for the ship to disappear."

"I'm just making the best of a bad situation, at least I didn't lose money. Oh, by the way, if you're going to the Canton Fair at the end of next month, take me with you. It's rare to have some free time, I want to go with you to broaden your horizons and see what big cities are like."

"Okay, help me with odd jobs."

"No problem, just remember to pay me my salary."

"Trying to freeload off me? You're dreaming. Who just said they didn't need my salary? You're already going to freeload off me, but you want to get extra pay? You're dreaming."

"You're a big spender, so naturally we have to live the high life with you."

"Let's drink tea for health."

Ye Chenghu was also talking about this with his girlfriend at the time. The two were taking a walk after lunch, holding hands and basking in the sun, strolling through the beautiful campus.

"At the end of next month, let's take a few days off, plus the May Day holiday, and I'll take you to Guangzhou. I already scouted out several places last year, and I'll take you there this year."

Zheng Shuya was tempted, "It's a bit far, wouldn't that be inconvenient..."

"There's nothing wrong with it. Let my dad invite you to work as a translator for a few days! He happens to be short-handed, and since your English is so good, it's perfect for you. You can have fun, earn money, and even get your travel expenses reimbursed. You can also gain experience. It's awesome!"

She found it amusing. "You really go to great lengths to get me all the benefits. I told you I was going with you to have fun, earn money, eat and drink, and gain experience. You've got all the good things for me."

"That's true. Everyone's too busy at the Canton Fair. Even if I went, I'd have to help out by serving tea and water and greeting foreigners in broken English. Not to mention your English is so good. My dad is really lucky to have you go. If you help get more orders, you'll get a commission. Last year, my grandma went and brought in a lot of customers, and my dad even gave her a big red envelope. It'll be good for you to gain some work experience."

"I'll come along to help out. I'll just eat and drink with everyone, and I'll pay for everything else myself. There's no need for any work-study program or any subsidies you can give me. It would be too much of a burden to talk about money all the time, making it seem like I'm only in it for the money. I'm just going with you to have fun and broaden my horizons. Helping out will only be a small favor, which is what I should do."

"It's okay, it's true you went to help out, so consider it a part-time job for you..."

"No need. If you ask me to pay you, I won't go."

"Ok."

Zheng Shuya continued seriously, "Don't always try to get benefits for me or find ways to give me money. That's not good. Your parents will mistakenly think that I encouraged it, and they might have a bad impression of me then."

"Will not……"

"Yes, we're dating. I can't expect you to charge me for everything I do. I was actually getting a good deal by going with you."

"All right……"

“I did put in a lot of effort and provided genuine, serious tutoring for your brother, which is exactly what your family needs, so I’ll accept the tuition fee. Going to the Canton Fair was my own initiative, so I definitely can’t accept money for that.”

Ye Chenghu was at a loss. "Didn't I invite you?"

"I do want to go, but I'm mainly thinking about having fun. Helping out is just something I should do."

"Alright, alright, what you're saying is giving me a headache. You can come along and help out while you're at it. That'll cancel each other out, and I won't ask my dad to give you a subsidy."

"Hmm, everyone says girls are outgoing, but I didn't expect you, a boy, to be so outgoing, going out of your way to pull people out of your home."

"It's not that you should be given what you deserve just because you've made contributions."

The main reason was that I saw her family wasn't well-off, and I wanted to help her earn some extra living expenses.

Except for the first month of school, when my family gave me 200 yuan a month to buy daily necessities, the second month they only gave me 180 yuan.

After learning that she had found a part-time job during the winter break, her family only gave her 150 yuan when school started.

He was speechless. The more he worked, the less money he received for living expenses. So, he was thinking of ways to earn money for her.
Although he always insisted on paying when they ate together, she would also pay. There were other miscellaneous expenses at school, club activities, and the two would buy each other gifts.

By the end of the month, both of them were usually broke.

They need to cut costs and increase revenue.

Where did he open-source it from? From his dad, of course!

He can't possibly find ways to squeeze money out of his family!
If all of his slush fund is used, then his private savings will decrease!
Zheng Shuya swung their intertwined hands vigorously and said with a smile, "I'll take what I'm entitled to, and I won't take what I'm not entitled to, otherwise it'll seem like I'm only after your money every day."

"Actually, it would be better for both of us if we took more money from my dad..."

"You really are your father's good son!"

"Hehe, a little bit of money that leaks out between my dad's fingers is enough for us to eat and drink. When summer vacation comes, you can come to my house all day to tutor my brother and get him lots of test papers to do."

"Isn't your brother going to sea during summer vacation?"

Ye Chenghu suddenly realized, "Oh right... never mind then."

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to let Ye Chengyang go to sea to suffer.

I was originally thinking that if Zheng Shuya had full-time tutoring during the summer vacation, she could earn more tutoring fees. But forget it, I've already decided that Yangyang will go to sea.

"I'll find you a two-month job during the summer vacation, you can work odd jobs at my mom's office."

"No need, I'll find an internship myself beforehand."

"It's alright, my family has plenty of job opportunities for you! By the way, come with me to Zhoushan, and I'll arrange a job for you in a factory. It's easy, you can learn, and you'll earn a wage based on your labor."

Ye Chenghu thought his idea was brilliant. He would go to Zhoushan City and work in the factory, where he would hear people calling him "Little Boss Ye" every day.

So cool.

Zheng Shuya was somewhat tempted. It was a legitimate internship, and she really wanted to learn something and gain work experience there.

"Summer vacation is still several months away. School has only been in session for a little over a month now, and it's still spring. Summer is a long way off. We'll talk about it later."

"I didn't just say this on a whim, did I think of it beforehand? Let's sit on the grass over here, you must be tired from walking for so long."

He noticed a few couples sitting or lying on the grassy area by the lake, some reading or sunbathing, so he pulled her over to sit down and rest for a while, and soak up some sun.

They now eat at Tongji University and take walks on campus. Nobody knows them there. As soon as he sits down, he sits right next to her, and the two of them are very close together.

"Ye Chenghu, your family is so rich, will your parents look down on my family for not being well-off?" Zheng Shuya asked softly.

"How could that be? You're a top student from Fudan University. They're all smitten with you. I'd be incredibly lucky to marry you," Ye Chenghu joked.

"What if I don't get into Fudan University?"

"They like you just the same way. As long as I like it, they won't have any objections."

Ye Chenghu suddenly realized, "Is that why you don't dare to spend more of my money, and don't dare to take money from my family?"

"We're dating as equals, and it's normal for us to spend money on each other. I just feel that since your family is so well-off, your parents won't interfere with your relationship, but if we get married, will they make you look for someone with similarly good financial conditions...?"

"You're overthinking it. What matters most is what I like. My family used to be very poor. My dad was a fisherman, and he earned his money through hard work, accumulating it little by little."

Zheng Shuya took his arm, rested her head on his shoulder, and responded with a smile.

“Your dad is young and handsome, you can’t tell he’s a fisherman at all. He looks like a born boss. No one would believe it if you didn’t tell them.”

Ye Chenghu grinned, his face full of happiness. If it weren't for the fact that it was broad daylight and there were other people around, he would have wanted to hug and kiss them.

“My dad used to get scolded by my grandparents every day. They would call him a coffin-head or a yellow-skinned boy... But he was a good man. Without his hard work, our family wouldn’t be where we are today. Life at sea is tough. I only go to sea occasionally, and I find it very hard.”

"Your dad is very capable, very impressive."

"really!"

"My parents know I have a boyfriend."

Ye Chenghu immediately straightened his back, tense. "Huh? What should we do? Did they say anything?"

"They didn't say it explicitly, but they asked who often drove me back. I told them I tutored your brother at their house. They told me to be careful when I dated, saying I was still studying and should focus on my studies. They didn't say anything else."

"That means you don't object, you've tacitly agreed. I'll be more discreet then, and I'll be careful when I take you home, because your villagers will definitely see and talk about it."

"Well, when some villagers asked before, I just said it was a classmate. The villagers are very gossipy. They all said I found a rich boyfriend who drives a car. Luckily you are young and have shown your face before, otherwise they would say I'm being kept by a rich boss."

Ye Chenghu's face fell, and he said unhappily, "You're really gossipy. You spread rumors over the slightest thing. I'll just send you to your doorstep another day."

Zheng Shuya smiled, then suddenly looked up and quickly kissed his cheek.

Ye Chenghu was instantly delighted.

He looked left and right, like a thief, observing his surroundings before cupping her cheeks and kissing her, even licking and sucking on her lips.

"That's what kissing is all about."

"Someone saw it..."

"It's okay, I saw the couple next to me kissing too."

Ye Chenghu pointed it out to her, and she smiled and glared at him.

(End of this chapter)