"Then you really have to send the New Year to the leader... He has helped us so much and has always supported you. However, the New Year will be the day after tomorrow, and it is a bit late to send the New Year now. Remember to explain tomorrow. You are also like this.
Only two days to rest."
"Well, I'll make a call later. I don't know if he's on holiday. It's already 29 tomorrow, and the Chinese New Year will be the day after tomorrow. Maybe he's already back from vacation and celebrating the New Year in the county."
Lin Xiuqing was right when she thought about it, "Well, the Chinese New Year is the day after tomorrow. I may not be in the city. After all, my family is still in the county, so I may go back to the county to celebrate the New Year."
"You pack these things, I'll make a call first."
Ye Yaodong just did what he said, put down the newspaper in his hand, and walked out again.
"Dad, where are you going? Take me...take me..."
Ye Xiaoxi came out of nowhere. When she saw him riding his bicycle, he immediately spread his hands and stopped in front of his car.
Ye Yaodong was shocked. Fortunately, he had just come out of his home to ride on a dirt road. He couldn't ride fast, so he braked suddenly.
"What are you doing? Leave it alone and go play with your brothers and sisters."
"No, they all have new banknotes, I don't."
Ye Yaodong touched his pocket, took out a few new banknotes, and took out two one-cent bills and gave them to her.
"Now that you have it, let's go."
Ye Xiaoxi happily ran forward to take it, "I have it too, I'll go find my brother..."
After getting the new money, she ran away again without even looking at Ye Yaodong.
Ye Yaodong then got on his bicycle again and walked to the village committee.
The Chinese New Year is the day after tomorrow, and the village is particularly festive these days, with children's firecrackers ringing from time to time.
There are tables of all sizes set up on the roadside in the village, where they are either rolling dice, playing cards, or gambling. The women are also packing all kinds of food to prepare for the New Year.
The nets that should be cleaned and aired have basically been cleaned in the past two days and are hung to dry in front of their respective homes.
Along the way, I smelled either the fishy smell of nets or the saltpeter smell of firecrackers.
The shouts of vendors also came one after another, and people kept coming with burdens to sell things, more than ever before.
Ye Yaodong was passing by and saw a barber shaving people's hair on the side of the road, and shouted to him to remember to go to their beach in the afternoon, and the children at home also had to get a haircut for the New Year.
Of course the barber knows him. He has cut dozens of bald heads for him in the past few months, and he has become a big customer.
When he arrived at the village committee, his mother was happily carrying two large strips of fat and a basket of soybeans, and his father came out holding a bag of flour and a bag of rice.
"Is the government providing benefits?"
"Yes, we have a rest today. Let's come and collect the benefits and go home to celebrate the New Year. We will take them to you later. Are your sisters-in-law sitting at the door?"
"Drying fishing nets at the door."
"Then I'll get it later."
"What are you afraid of? Taking something is like being a thief."
"I'm afraid they'll gossip and say I'm biased. I eat and drink from you, so I should take it from you, but it's different when I see it in person. I'll take it later."
"Whatever."
Ye Yaodong didn't bother to care about his mother's worries, parked his bicycle at the door, walked directly past them, and went in to make a phone call.
It happened that a phone rang calling for him, so he answered his own phone first and then called Director Chen.
The call was from the army, asking for another batch of goods before the New Year, but Director Chen is not on holiday yet tomorrow and will only start on New Year's Eve.
The call came at the right time, so he could go to the army to deliver goods, give Bureau Chen a New Year gift, and take Bureau Chen back to the county town to celebrate the New Year.
When he spoke on the phone, Director Chen only said that he would check it out tomorrow. He was afraid that it would be unsafe to travel at night in the dark. He originally wanted to go back to his hometown in the county 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 began to count the goods when he got home, and asked the two boys guarding the workshop to load the truck first and cover it with a waterproof tarpaulin.
In the afternoon, he took Ah Qing to the town again. In addition to wanting to change some new banknotes, he also wanted to buy some New Year gifts. He would take them with him tomorrow so that he would not have to rack his brains for what to buy in the city.
However, there was a long queue at the post office in the afternoon, and I guessed that they were all from their village. They all greeted them with a smile. Fortunately, the people at the counter kept their heads down and were busy working, so they didn't see them.
Otherwise it would be embarrassing...
The two of them glanced at the door, said hello to an acquaintance, and gave up immediately.
"It's all my fault. After I said it, there were so many people there in the afternoon. It was still deserted in the morning. I didn't see many people coming here all morning, and some even came to call."
"It doesn't matter. I changed it a little bit in the morning. Will I take you to the bank in the city to change it tomorrow?"
"That's not good. If you go to the city with so much money, there will definitely be a lot of people in the city."
"You are stupid. You will send another truckload of goods to the army tomorrow. Wouldn't it be better to just use the payment for the goods to exchange for money?"
"Then you go and change, I won't go there. The Chinese New Year is the day after tomorrow, and I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. I have to fry the meatballs, deep-fry the meatballs, and start making fish balls, braised pig's feet, and drunken shrimps and crabs.
You have to do it in advance, I’m very busy.”
"We'll start making fish balls when we get back later. We'll make 10 pounds of fish balls first. I'll send them to Director Chen tomorrow."
Ah Qing also reminded him of the fish balls.
"Then I asked Ah Cai to save the mackerel for me at night. I thought I wouldn't rush to cook it so quickly, otherwise it would have to be left for many days. It tastes better when cooked fresh..."
"It doesn't matter. There is a pier in the town. I will go to the pier later. If you don't worry about not having any, buy a few more and go back."
"OK."
The two couples have been running back and forth in the town to buy things, all for Director Chen.
Cigarettes, alcohol, cans, and biscuits are all must-haves, as well as those on the brand name and home-made ones.
Lin Xiuqing originally planned to wait until early tomorrow morning to start working, but now she has to go back and start working quickly in the afternoon.
After Ye Yaodong returned home, he immediately called his parents over to help her.
If his parents are called over to work, of course he won't have any work to do.
Mother Ye happened to take advantage of the time when her two daughters-in-law were exchanging banknotes in the town, so she raised the annual interest paid in the morning and went straight to the pot.
The children at home were the happiest. They ran all over the village and had long smelled the aroma of many family members cooking lard. They had been looking forward to cooking lard at home.
Now they can finally eat delicious lard residue, and they are all very happy.
In addition to the three children each carrying a small bowl, Ye Yaodong also shared a bowl.
It happened that Aguang brought Pei Yu over to play while the twins were taking a nap, so they organized a game and called Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua, and the four of them started playing cards at the door.
While playing cards, I could also eat melon seeds and lard residue, and my mouth was full of oil.
Father Ye stretched his neck even as he chopped into pieces of fish paste. He watched them play cards and shouted, "No, no, no, it should be a straight. How can you hit a pair..."
"Oh, if you hit the right match, you will win... Do you know how to hit..."
"Dad, if you don't shout, I will win! If you don't shout, how will Dongzi know that I have a straight?" Ye Yaopeng turned around and stared at his father, furious.
Ye Yaodong laughed, "Dad is my spy, give me money..."
"You old guy, I told you to chop fish into puree. Where did you go to work? Are you still here watching a card game?"
"Isn't that what I'm doing? I'll just say a few words."
"I think you want to fight on your own."
"It's good that you know."
Ye's father immediately put the kitchen knife into Ye's mother's hand, "You've finished boiling the lard anyway, and you're very free. Come on."
Ye's mother raised the kitchen knife high, almost frightening Ye's father to death. She quickly took two steps back and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I chopped you up, and I don't see any work in my eyes. I called you here just to do work. Could it be that I wanted you to play cards?"
She also had a sharp tongue and a soft heart. She held the kitchen knife high, and after saying the harsh words, she took the knife to chop the fish paste.
Father Ye's heart also dropped, now he could stand to the side and watch them play cards.
After a while, he pulled Ye Yaohua up and started doing it himself.
Ye Yaohua was a little unconvinced, "Dad, do you have any private money to lose?"
"What bad words are there? I just sit down and win money."
"Then you have to stand up if you lose."
"If you keep your mouth shut, you will lose. Even though I'm lucky enough to win money, I'm telling you that I'm bad, so shut up."
Ye Yaodong laughed, "Dad, if you lose, it's mine."
"What did you say? No, I'm here to win money, so you should stop saying bad things."
Father Ye was a little happy at first that someone was paying the bill, but when he thought about it, he was wrong. This was another person saying depressing words.
"Then if you lose, do you want it to be mine? I can't let my mother know that you are hiding your personal money."
"When did I hide my personal money? Shut up all of you and see how I can win against you."
"Okay, then I don't have to pay the bill, I'll shuffle the cards."
While Ye Mu was chopping fish paste, she also listened to their conversation with her ears raised. Seeing their lively conversation, she also smiled.
How could she not know whether the old man was hiding his personal money or not? She just turned a blind eye and closed her eyes.
Father Ye won money in the first few rounds of playing. He was so happy that he saw his grandchildren gathered around and generously gave each of them 5 cents.
After a while, the other grandchildren knew about it and rushed over to beg for money. Father Ye gave everyone a share.
However, just after dividing the money, he started losing in the next round.
After all the money won on the table was taken out, a few dollars from his pocket were also lost.
"Why do you win at the beginning and then lose all the time..."
After he finished speaking, he realized what he was doing and patted his thigh, "Oh, it's a waste to give money to those children, so you shouldn't give them money..."
"Dad, if you don't have money, get up and it's my turn."
Father Ye looked at Mother Ye and then at Ye Yaodong. He was too embarrassed to say anything and could only stand up reluctantly.
But I was thinking in my heart, I usually see Dongzi as quite clever, but now he doesn’t know how to answer the question. He just said something so nice, it’s his fault if he loses...
"It's all you. You said I lost before the fight even started. That's really bad for you."
Everyone laughed.
"Dad, you obviously lost the money, so you can still blame me."
Ye’s mother shouted to stop but she still felt resentful and wanted to speak to Ye’s father.
"If you lose all your money, don't join in the fun. Quickly shave the pig's feet. If you can't shave them off, light a candle and burn them clean."
"Oh, okay."
With his pockets empty, he couldn't think of anything else.
Wrong decision, I must not open the champagne in the middle of the next time. Before I was happy for a long time, I drank it all.
The pig hair was very hard and the knife at home was not sharp enough, so he lit a candle to burn it, and then scraped it. When it was clean, he borrowed a machete and chopped it into pieces.
Seeing that he was free, Ye's mother wanted to instruct him to do something else, but Ye's father ran away quickly and had already left the house quickly before she could say anything.
As long as he is not under his nose, he is free.
You can't fight here at the door. There are a lot of people in other places organizing games. It's the Chinese New Year. Whose men stay at home?
Lin Xiuqing and Ye Mu worked hard all afternoon to get out all the things Ye Yaodong was going to give away tomorrow.
Ye Yaodong and the others also played cards all afternoon and disbanded at dusk.
Lin Xiuqing didn't 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.
"tasty!"
"Of course it's delicious, fresh out of the pan."
"Tomorrow we will make more at home to eat during the Chinese New Year. It's cold, so it won't go bad if we leave it alone."
"Um."
Lin Xiuqing looked at Ye Xiaoxi running in from the door, inserted two chopsticks into her and asked her to eat with her hands.
But she started to pull out the fish balls and pinched them in her hand. Lin Xiuqing quickly patted the back of her hand.
"Look if your hands are dirty?"
"dirty."
"Then are you going to eat like this or wash your hands?"
Ye Xiaoxi tilted his head, thought for a moment, took the chopsticks, "Eat like this!"
"You're so lazy. Take your chopsticks back after eating. Don't throw them out. Don't run away with them."
She nodded and went out happily while eating.
"She stayed close to me all afternoon, and I gave her this and that. Seeing how round she is, she doesn't even need to eat dinner."
"After finishing the meal, others can't eat it, but she can still eat it."
Lin Xiuqing laughed and shook her head.
"Hey? The barber is here." Ye Yaodong listened to the sounds outside and stretched his neck to take a look. "I went out and called the two boys back to get a haircut. Before it got dark, I asked them to wash their hair before eating.
"
The barber had arrived at his door.
He carried a cloth bag filled with barbering tools and a small stool, and held a metal clip about a foot (33.3 centimeters) long.
A metal rod is slid in the clamp to make a special sound, which tells him that a barber is coming.
Ye Yaodong gave the explanation in the morning, but he didn't expect him to come until the afternoon. This shows how many people in the village took advantage of the New Year to get their hair done.
He took the child back to have his hair cut, and the other adults around him also brought their children over and asked them to line up and have their hair done together.
The Chinese New Year is almost here, and business is good no matter what profession you are in.
Ye Yaodong tugged on the two small knots tied above 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 now? I had to shave it before life or death."
"Don't shave, never shave again."
Lin Xiuqing said with a smile: "I was very happy just after shaving a few months ago, but when she came back crying the next day, everyone laughed at her."
Ye Yaodong was also happy, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You were only there for a month or two. Why did I tell you so early? By the time you came back, you had already forgotten about her. Her hair had grown out."
The old lady also smiled and said: "I cried hard for several days and didn't dare to go out for several days for fear of being laughed at. Then I knitted a little straw hat for her, and she went out happily again.
Let’s play.”
Ye Yaodong knelt down and coaxed her, "How about another shave? You have a hat anyway?"
"No, no, no..." She shook her head like a rattle and ran into the house to hide while shouting.
He didn't come out even after eating. He was forcefully dragged out, and he watched vigilantly at the door to see if the barber had left.
I didn't dare to go out all night, for fear that there would be a barber outside.
Ye Yaodong drove his tractor to deliver goods at dawn the next morning.
After delivering the goods, I hurried to the Ocean Bureau to wait for Director Chen at the door before getting off work.
After all, it was a New Year's gift, so I didn't dare to take it directly to the office blatantly.
After Director Chen came out and was stopped by him, he smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you all morning, and it turns out you are waiting here."
"I don't think it's a good idea to send it directly to the office. I'll wait for you at the door after get off work. I'll help you put the bicycle on the tractor? Take the tractor back?"
"OK."
Ye Yaodong drove the car and explained to him the reason why he came today. He said that he was very hardworking. After making money, he had to work until the Chinese New Year was approaching before he had time to stop. He was spinning around like a spinning top all day long.
The two of them walked and chatted on the road. After three years of contact, they were both very familiar with each other. Ye Yaodong also spoke in a very homely manner, and his complaints were very straightforward.
Director Chen listened with a smile and praised a few words by the way.
He did not refuse the New Year's gift that Ye Yaodong gave him. After all, he was very close to her, so it was Ye Yaodong's wish to give him some gifts.
Anyway, he always collected specialties in the past, and Ye Yaodong also brought him a lot of good luck. He also treated him as his own descendant.
I also plan to take more care of it in the future.
Ye Yaodong knew that he would return to his hometown in the county to celebrate the New Year after work today, so he volunteered to go back together after he got off work.
For him, going home early and going home late is the same thing. The family is now completely rested and there is no need for him to do any work.
When Director Chen went to work in the afternoon, he stayed at his house and helped Director Chen's wife, Jin Yuzhi, with work, helping with the moving and loading of luggage and the gifts he wanted to take back to his hometown.
Jin Yuzhi was also very familiar with him. After all, she had frequent contacts and meals. She had a good impression of him and treated him as one of her own descendants.
After Ye Yaodong finished helping her with the work at home, he also took a walk around the market and took a look at the goods in the warehouse.
His two uncles have not yet taken off for the New Year, and they plan to work until tomorrow, sell for half a day tomorrow morning, and go home at noon.
Then he said that he would continue to come here and open the business when he was in the third year of junior high school, and he would work very hard to make money.
Ye Yaodong chatted with them for a while, asked them to help him take care of the warehouse while they were in the city, and then returned to Director Chen's house.
Because there is a holiday tomorrow, Director Chen will get off work early in the afternoon, and they can leave immediately when he comes back.
During the chat, he also learned that Director Chen's children were in various units, and they could not go home until after work today. If some of them were far away, they might not be able to go home until New Year's Eve, or even not come back at all.
Jin Yuzhi even said with emotion, "Sometimes I would rather my children have no future, but can still be with me and see people. If they have no future, they can't see people."
The number of times we meet throughout the year can be counted on 10 fingers.
Ye Yaodong said, "If you really have no future, you may still hate iron for not being able to become steel, and don't want to see you."
He didn't have much potential in his last life, but he was under the eyes of his parents, so he was quite unwelcome.
"Yes, every parent hopes that their children will succeed, but if they really succeed, they will feel lonely without their children."
"Just ask them to send their grandson back to you to raise, so that he won't be lonely."
"Hahaha, you have spoken to my heart. I have told them the same thing over and over again on the phone, but they are mothers who are reluctant to send their children back, ugh."
"Otherwise, I can treat you as half a son, and you won't have to raise me. I can still be justly filial to you."
Director Chen smiled and said, "Can your parents agree to split up their son?"
"What's wrong with this? On the contrary, my father would probably be overjoyed. It's not like he doesn't recognize them anymore. Isn't he still born to them? He's still under their noses."
Ye Yaodong didn't just say it casually, he had already had this idea.
I just didn’t have the nerve to say it, and the atmosphere wasn’t up to par.
Normally speaking like this would be too abrupt and too purposeful.
Now, they were the ones who initiated the conversation, and he seemed very casual when he brought it up casually.
Originally, he didn't even think about getting any benefits from them, but now he really doesn't lack money.
I just feel that having more contact with Director Chen is not good for him, but I can't repay him. It's more legitimate and more intimate to have a close relationship with him.
Of course, the relationship will be stronger.
Nowadays, godparents are real people. They are not as casual as they used to be in the future. You can blindly identify your godfather, godmother, brother, and sister.
Director Chen and Jin Yuzhi looked at each other, and they were actually a little moved.
They have indeed had frequent contacts in the past two years, and the benefits gained are mutual, and Ye Yaodong's character is also appreciated.
Although he has little education, he is down-to-earth and hard-working. Although he seems a bit lively, he is also smart and has not gone astray.
They have also had contact with his family members. His biological father is honest, his biological mother is enthusiastic, and his brothers are also very honest. They are not a top-notch family that would cause trouble.
"When the children at home come back in the past two days, I will discuss it with them. It would be good to have a godmother. I am very optimistic about your offspring, and I will be filial to your father."
"In the past two years, you have visited us two elders frequently. It has added a little excitement to our lives. Occasionally, I really look forward to you visiting more often."
The smile on Ye Yaodong's face deepened.
"Oh, it's okay if you don't find me annoying. If you don't find me annoying, I'll come to your house every now and then whenever I'm free. The food cooked by my aunt is also delicious, and occasionally I can change the taste. Although the food cooked by my wife at home is delicious,
But I’m tired of eating it every day, haha.”
Jin Yuzhi smiled and said: "You are really good at talking. Even if your wife is not here, you don't forget to praise her. Everyone praises you."
"I speak from my heart, I don't tell lies."
Jin Yuzhi said to Director Chen: "When the children at home come back tomorrow, let them know. If you don't have any objections, let's take a break during the Chinese New Year. Let's go to A Dong's house. They are all from the same county. Come and go.
It’s not time consuming either.”
"Okay, it's just a good time to take advantage of the excitement of the Chinese New Year, so we can be even more happy."
Ye Yaodong was extremely happy. Fortunately, he was smart and waited for others to get off work and sent them all the way back.
During these two days of Chinese New Year, the atmosphere was in full swing, and they both felt lonely. They just had something to talk about, but he took the opportunity to bring it up.
The two elders agreed, and the matter was almost settled.
When he gets home, he has to give the whole family a heads up.
Ye Yaodong listened to them with pleasure.
"That's good, I'll go buy some good tea in the next two days, and I'll kowtow to you, serve tea, and receive red envelopes in two days."
Director Chen joked: "Hehehe, if the children at home don't agree, you can't do it."
"That's okay, you can still kowtow to pay New Year greetings. After I accompany my wife back to her parents' house on the second day of the Lunar New Year, I will go to your house to kowtow to the New Year and send you the tea I collected as usual."
"Okay, you can still talk. None of the children in my family can talk better than you."
"I am born with it. I have been used to coaxing the old lady at home since I was a child, and I have developed a smooth tongue. Otherwise, how could the old lady at home love me the most?"
Jin Yuzhi also said: "She is very lovable."
…
The tractor driven by Ye Yaodong, Director Chen and Jin Yuzhi were sitting on either side of him, and everyone said it was lively along the way.
He also made them happy, always smiling.
By the way, he asked if the little whale was alive?
Director Chen only said that he was not sure, because after it was sent to the provincial research institute, it was then sent to the special economic zone research institute.
After turning his hand, he was no longer so clear. He only knew that he was still alive when he was sent away.
Ye Yaodong could only give up with regret.
"When I went to town yesterday, I heard someone say that the fishery association in the city seems to be finalized?"
"Yes, all the plans were negotiated and approved before the year, and the personnel have been decided. We will wait for the release after the year."
"Oh...are the positions based on what I mentioned? Are they all in the city?"
Director Chen looked at him with a smile, "You will know after the new year, there will be good news."
"Good news?"
"Well, you have something to report to your superiors. You have done a good job. The two whales are of great research value. Our country is scarce of everything now. As long as there is something of value, we will give some rewards to the masses."
"Oh, that's it. The commendation rewards last time have made everyone very satisfied and everyone is very happy. It doesn't matter if there are no rewards this time."
"We should do what we should do according to the regulations. This is also an encouragement to everyone."
"Let me thank you first for everyone."
"You're welcome, you deserve this too."
Ye Yaodong smiled, still thinking about the good news in his heart. He was not a fool.
Director Chen asked him some more about fishing boats. He knew that he had many boats on hand, but he didn't inquire in detail.
Chapter completed!