Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

        Chapter 42 Uneven Division of Work? Be careful

After patiently waiting for a while, everyone saw Lin Xiuqing put down the abacus and said, "It's 7,628 catties, 1,601 yuan 88 cents, there are no mistakes."

"I told you there wouldn't be any mistakes. We are all from the same village, and I would never cheat you out of a single jin. Doing business is all about integrity."

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "I didn't accuse you, Brother Cai, of shortchanging the weight. I just thought the numbers were too large, so I wanted to double-check them once to avoid any mistakes."

"It's alright, no one can guarantee that they won't make mistakes when calculating. Since everything is fine now, I will issue you a receipt."

"Oh, we can't get the money right away?" Ah Guang widened his eyes.

"I don't have that much cash on hand. Unlike the expensive yellow croaker, which requires finding buyers in advance, these horse mackerels are easy to sell. I'll give you a receipt for now, and you can come to my house the day after tomorrow to settle the payment with the receipt. It's just over a thousand yuan, do you really think I'll run away? How much merchandise do you think I handle monthly?"

"Alright, let's issue the receipt then."

Everyone knew that the acquisition point didn’t have cash on hand, and they had to wait for the funds to be available before settling the payment. They weren't really in a rush. It was just that Ah Guang got a little too excited and impatient.

"Hey, Yaodong, just keep the receipt with your wife and let us know when you've got the money ready to settle."

"Ok!"

After the excitement subsided, the villagers were still reluctant to leave. They gathered around the acquisition point, whispering to each other as they watched the baskets of mackerel.

Little Xiao, Ah Zheng, and Ah Guang were excitedly walking with Ye Yaodong toward Ye's house. As they walked, they boasted to Ye Yaodong's family members about how impressive and clever they were, and how lucky they were at that moment.

Along the way, their voices were filled with joy and laughter.

After reaching Ye's house, they each returned to their own homes.

Mother Ye smiled and asked, "So, are you all going again tomorrow, Yaodong?"

"Let's ask Ah Guang when he gets back and see if we can rent the boat for another day. We had planned to go sea digging on the isolated island today, encountering the school of mackerel was just a lucky coincidence.”

Lin Xiuqing looked disappointed and said, "Tomorrow we have construction work at home, so I need to help out. Otherwise, I would go to the sea with you."

"It's okay, I'll go by myself. You can do whatever you need to do." 

Seeing him being so diligent and understanding, Mother Ye was also pleased. "It's good since you're not that useful here. Going to the sea and bringing back some seafood for the workers' meals would be great. With your elder brother here, everything will be fine."

"Who knows if they will rent the boat tomorrow?"

"If you can’t rent, then help us by carrying yellow soil from the mountain or digging stones from the river in Dongqiao Village. It will be an extra pair of hands for the family!"

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes. If he told his mother that he had a mishap while carrying yellow soil this morning and overturned the cart, she would probably glare at him again. He admitted that he hadn't done much physical work in his past life and was like a useless person.

“Let's talk tomorrow."

He headed straight to the backyard to take a shower. He didn't mind that the clothes he had changed out of in the morning were still wet. After washing up and putting on a pair of shorts, he casually walked back into the house and immediately lay down. He planned to let his clothes dry throughout the day so that he could visit Ah Guang in the evening and save some rice and grain for the family by drinking at his place.

Lin Xiuqing also followed him into the house and whispered to him, "Second Sister-in-law tried to say something several times, but hesitated. Did you notice?"

"I didn't pay attention. What was she trying to say?"

"Oh, I think she might be wondering about the money we'll get from selling the mackerel!”

Ye Yaodong looked at her puzzled and replied, "What does it have to do with her? I earn my own money, and each household in our family is responsible for their own earnings and expenses."

"Perhaps she feels that while your eldest and second brothers contribute their earnings from fishing with father towards the construction of the house, you, on the other hand, don't take turns but instead go out on your own, renting a boat too. She might have some thoughts about this in her mind."

Women tend to have more thoughts and concerns, they can be troublesome sometimes!

"The boat belongs to Dad, and as his sons, what's wrong with helping out the family a bit? Although I may be a bit lazy, haven't I also been helping with the fishing these past few days, saving some money on food for the family? It's the same effort, so why shouldn't I be able to keep the money I earn for myself?"

"Shh~ lower your voice!" Lin Xiuqing glanced at the door, making sure no one overheard them.

"What are you afraid of!"

He was straightforward and unapologetic!

He rightfully earned it, and now even his second sister-in-law wants a share of it. He won't give in to such demands.

Lin Xiuqing didn't dare to say anything, because she was afraid that he would rush out to argue.

Anyway, as long as Second Sister-in-law doesn't bring it up, they can pretend not to know for now.

Seeing her silent, Ye Yaodong tried to reassure her, "Don't worry about her. In a few months, when the house is built, we'll divide the family and everyone can live separately."

She responded softly, "Um."

When Father Ye's fishing boat returned, Ye Yaodong's clothes were still not dry, so he didn't go to the dock to help with the sorting of the catch. He contentedly stayed at home.

When Father Ye arrived home, he showed a rare smile to Ye Yaodong and said, "Not bad, you actually caught over seven thousand jin of mackerel.”

"Actually, it's not much. It's only 400 yuan for four people."

"It's still pretty good. It would have been even better if you had gone alone."

Ye Yaodong: If I had gone alone, you would have had one less son. You would have had to invite relatives and friends to eat at my funeral!

Second Sister-in-law Ye, who had been holding back her words all afternoon, finally had the opportunity to speak up.

"Father, eldest brother and Ah Hua take turns going out to sea with you, and the money they earn is all used for building the house. Shouldn't the money Ye Yaodong earns from selling fish also be used for the same purpose?"

"Hmm?" Father Ye frowned, about to speak, but Ye Yaodong directly repeated what he had said to Lin Xiuqing earlier.

"But it's different. They both put in the same effort and yet the money they earned wasn't divided among everyone; instead, it was used to build a house. Ye Yaodong doesn't go out to sea with you, so he gets to keep what he earns for himself. It's like we have to share a portion of our earnings to help him build a house. Father, this seems a bit unfair, and we're getting the short end of the stick."

Father Ye frowned, "Who said that? Where did you get such calculations from? If I give my money to you to build a house, won't I be at a loss? The boat is mine, not the public's. Have I asked you for money during these past two years while I slowly repaired the boat?"

“The eldest and second child going out to sea can be considered as contributing to the family, and the youngest is also contributing in his own way. Apart from the money-making aspect, haven't they all made contributions? Moreover, I heard from the second eldest that Yaodong has been helping out at the homestead these past few days as well."

"Let me put it this way. If we calculated wages for the eldest and second eldest going out to sea with me, would it be enough to build houses for your families? Why is it that you think you're earning money to build houses for them? It's clearly me subsidizing you to build houses. And the seafood Yaodong gathers while fishing also helps save on food expenses. That's also money, and it's his contribution, just in a different form."

He clearly took in what the third eldest said, that one should keep what they earn for themselves, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Moreover, if we consider the financial situation of the three sons, the third eldest son is considered the least well-off. Parents always tend to worry more about the weaker child. Although they may feel frustrated that he hasn't achieved much, there is still a slight bias towards him in their hearts.

Seeing her dissatisfied expression, Father Ye continued, "If he doesn't go fishing tomorrow, I'll break his legs and have him carried to the homestead to help. Isn't that settled? Which do you think is more tiring, going to sea or carrying stones and soil?"

Just because they earned a little more money, she’s already complaining about the uneven distribution of work? What if the family starts earning big money? How will that be handled then?

The second son's wife is just too good at calculations

In all these years, they have been holding onto the money they earned for themselves, and living off what the family produces. They haven't spent much money, but now that the third son has earned money, she can't wait to jump in and demand a share.

In Father Ye’s heart, everything is crystal clear. He has long been aware of the personalities and attitudes of everyone in the family, and he has long wanted to divide the family so that they can all live independently.

The children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, regardless of how they live their lives.