Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Chapter 52

Chapter 52 Typhoon is Coming

Ye Yaodong didn't know that the old lady was acting like this. If he knew, he would definitely feel very embarrassed...

When he finished work and headed home, whenever he encountered elderly men and women along the way, they would smile at him, leaving him somewhat puzzled. Since when did he become popular among the elderly?

It wasn't until he ran into Little Xiao at the doorstep of his home and was asked how much his grandma's dentures cost that he found out the entire village's elderly population knew he gave his grandma dentures. He was taken aback and somewhat shocked.

"This old lady is really... really idle. I told her to rest at home, she still goes out and shows off for no reason…”

It's truly embarrassing. He’s blushing with shame. Just like they said yesterday, 'When you're used to being criticized all the time, suddenly being praised one day can make you feel uncomfortable.'

"Hey, let me ask you something. My grandma is in her early 70s, and she doesn't have teeth. My dad wants me to ask how much it would cost to get dentures for her. If it's not too expensive, he also wants to take my grandma to get them. If it's too expensive, then forget about it."

"It's not expensive, just a little over 12 yuan. Adding the round trip cost, it's less than 13 yuan. If only I had known earlier, I would have taken my grandmother to get dentures a few years ago. It would have saved her from only being able to eat soft and mushy food all this time."

He thought it would be expensive, but he didn't expect it to be so cheap. If he had known it was this affordable, he would have taken her a few days ago.

"That's right. Our rural area is quite isolated, and we didn't even know about this. Now that we know the price is reasonable, my dad will probably take my grandma to get dentures."

"Go, go. I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a shower and lie down for a while."

Little Xiao gave him a tug, "We're going to Ah Guang's place to play cards later. Are you coming?"

"I won't go. I'm already exhausted from working all day. You guys go ahead and have fun."

"That's fine."

After taking a shower, Ye Yaodong went straight to his room and laid down flat. He didn't feel like moving at all. With his current weak and feeble body, physical labor was really challenging for him. He felt quite useless.

After Lin Xiuqing carried her freshly bathed, naked little son into the room, she placed him on the bed and turned around to fetch his clothes. However, the little guy immediately climbed onto his dad's back and exclaimed, "Giddy-up, giddy-up!"

"Aww~ my poor back~ little rascal, get off..."

"No! Giddy-up, giddy-up!"

As each moment passed, the weight on his back increased, and his waist couldn't bear it anymore. He was still young and had a lot of use for his back.

"Ah~ it hurts! You little rascal, if you don't get off, I'll give you a spanking!"

After Lin Xiuqing got the clothes, she lifted the child off his back and gently slapped his bottom. "Don't be naughty. I'll let your dad handle you later. I won't protect you."

"Hee hee~" Ye Chengyang hugged his mother's neck and slobber kisses on her cheek.

"Eww, that's disgusting! Quickly put on your clothes and go find your brothers and sisters.”

After sending off the youngest son, Lin Xiuqing finally asked, "I was busy working all afternoon and didn't have a chance to ask. How much did the dentures for the old lady cost? Your parents asked you at the dinner table, but you didn't say anything. Just now, grandma grabbed me at the back door and insisted on giving me a big red envelope. I quickly came inside without accepting it."

"I was afraid that the old lady would give me money, so I didn't say how much."

As he spoke, he took out a few banknotes from under the pillow. When he returned home at noon, he had conveniently placed the money from his pocket under the pillow to prevent it from falling out while he was working. These were not small amounts of money, and if they were lost, not only would his mother scold him, but his wife would also give him a hard time.

"The dentures and registration fee together only cost 12.28 yuan. Adding the round trip cost, since grandma is old, we also took a rickshaw, the total came to less than 13 yuan. You can do the math. Besides transportation expenses, there was nothing else. Once the dentures were fitted, we immediately returned home. Grandma doesn't like to eat outside."

Upon hearing his words, Lin Xiuqing felt relieved. She didn't expect it to be so cheap, only costing thirteen yuan. She had prepared herself for a much higher amount and was ready to spend.

"The elderly are reluctant to spend money as they grow older. I wouldn't be willing to eat outside either. I'd rather endure and go home to cook.”

After counting the money and confirming that everything was in order, he didn’t hide any money, she finally felt satisfied and locked it away.

Her man was so unreliable; he should never handle money.

"Have you finished counting? If so, come over and massage my shoulder. It's really sore.”

"Just a few days and you're already feeling sore? I don't have time right now. I need to do the laundry.”

"You..."

No sense of romance at all...

He still wanted to have a good conversation with her.

The next morning, when Ye Yaodong woke up, he was surprised to see his father eating breakfast.

"Didn't you go to sea today?"

Ye Yaohua said, "It got windy last night, and the waves at sea are getting big. We went back shortly after we set out."

“A day not gone is a day lost.”

"Well, there's nothing we can do. The waves are too big. I heard on the radio from the commune this morning that a typhoon is passing through our area these days. We won't be able to go for the next few days. We'll have to wait until the typhoon has passed.”

Ye Yaodong glanced outside and saw that the sun was still shining brightly with a gentle breeze. There was no sign of an approaching typhoon.

"Well, that's a big loss. Not going for a few days means losing hundreds of yuan.”

Father Ye gave him a disdainful look and said, "Stop babbling. Do you want to come with me?"

"Do you want me to come?"

Father Ye was taken aback by him. Although Ye Yaodong had shown some improvement in the past few days, his past record was full of shortcomings. It was also uncertain whether he would be of any help if taken along. On the other hand, the eldest and second sons had been operating the boat proficiently recently, allowing him to take occasional breaks.

Taking this kid along... It feels like it’ll be difficult to teach him, and he doesn't feel comfortable leaving the boat in his hands. If Father Ye brings him along, he'll be working day and night to operate the boat. It would be nearly impossible for Father Ye to take a break...

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes. Just when he was thinking of going out to sea with them, his father hesitated instead.

Father Ye hesitated for a moment before saying, "We'll talk about it after the typhoon has passed."

Definitely need to teach this kid, but it should be done after a while when there's less pressure. They can't afford him to be unreliable, especially when building houses requires a significant amount of money. There can't be any delays.

At that time, the three brothers can take turns accompanying him and give each of them a share of the money. Although the youngest is a bit unreliable, Father Ye still wants to give him more guidance so that the three brothers won’t have a significant gap.

Mother Ye also added, "Fortunately, we have dried a lot of fish and shrimp during this period. We can rely on them for a few days without buying vegetables. It will save us a lot of money on groceries. Otherwise, with so many workers, we would spend several yuan just on food every day."

Lin Xiuqing entered from outside and said, "Mom, I checked and found that the oysters we sun-dried yesterday can also be stored now."

"Then put it away, we'll stir-fry it in the afternoon."

Ye Yaodong looked at his wife and asked, "Why did you take out the oysters to dry? It's so much work."

"Well, there were too many shellfish and seafood leftovers, and we couldn't finish them in two days. So I decided to cook and dry them, that way we can store them for a few more days and prevent them from going bad and being wasted.”

"After around the fifteenth, I'll go and explore the surrounding isolated island.”

He’ll collect some. Drying them is a good idea.

At this thought, he quickly turned to his father and said, "The typhoon is approaching. Shouldn't we take our boat to a sheltered harbor?"

(end of this chapter)

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