Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Going to the Beach

After Father Ye left, Eldest Brother Ye and Second Brother Ye went to the pier to see the boats.

As the Lunar New Year was approaching, the tides were receding quite a bit recently. If the boats were to run aground, they wouldn't be able to set sail tonight. They wanted to go and check, move the boats a bit further out, and also buy a barrel of diesel fuel to put on the boats. They planned to take advantage of the auspicious time to go out to sea at night.

The large haul of yellow croakers they caught yesterday was truly exhilarating. They were eager to set out immediately, but it wasn't feasible. The time interval was too short, and if they went out for just a short while and returned, it would only be a waste of diesel money.

The women in the family also took their fishing nets and sat on the doorstep, starting their daily task of repairing the fishing nets.

However, today they had extra motivation. Knowing that once the houses were built, they would be able to live separately in their new homes, everyone was excited and happy.

Lin Xiuqing is also very happy. Even though her lips and teeth are still bumping, let alone among sisters-in-law, she also wants to have her own little home. As she weaves the fishing net, her hand movements become faster.

Their fishing village is called Baisha Village, which is far from the county town and requires more than an hour's walk along a mountain road. The women have to take care of their families and can’t go out to work and earn money. The only way they can earn money is by making fishing nets.

This job may not pay much, but it is convenient and can be done at home. Every woman in the seaside community knows how to weave and repair fishing nets. The men in the village often go out to do odd jobs, work on the fields, or go fishing if they own a boat. However, the latter is relatively less common.

Lin Xiuqing has been married for a few years and has also learned how to make fishing nets. After all, her husband doesn't do much work, so she has to rely on herself to save money.

Everyone had their tasks to do, and Ye Yaodong became the one doing nothing. Even the old lady was helping them thread the shuttle needles for the fishing nets.

He moved around, squatted beside his wife, picked up the fishing net she wove, and asked curiously, "How many fishing nets can you weave a day?"

Lin Xiuqing looked at him inexplicably, "About five or six. With the children crying and other tasks to do, I can't do much. The eldest sister-in-law and the second sister-in-law can do more."

"Then how much money do you earn in a day?"

"Less than one yuan, just a few cents!"

Yaodong glanced at the fishing net with disdain, pursed his lips, thinking how cheap labor is!

As he was about to say something, his second son, Ye Chengyang, approached and stuffed a piece of squash, dripping with saliva, into his mouth. Startled, he immediately sat down on the ground and quickly spit it out.

"Ugh! Yuck! Are you trying to disgust me? It's enough to eat it yourself, but you had to stuff it in my mouth."

Mother Ye glanced at him, "Your own son is being filial to you, and you're still complaining."

"Mom, if you don't mind it, I can take a piece of squash and feed you with a mouthful of saliva! Don't complain about your own son!"

"Don't be disgusting. How old are you, and how old is he? The saliva of a baby is clean."

"All day long, touching this and grabbing that, stuffing everything into their mouths. How clean can it be?" Ye Yaodong patted his bottom and stood up. Seeing his son about to step on the fishing net and cause trouble, he quickly grabbed him and pulled him aside. "Don't be naughty. If you misbehave, I'll spank you."

"Don't scare him. He's just a little child, what does he know? It's rare that you didn't go out today and stayed at home to take care of the child. Let your wife do more weaving..."

"Lixiang~ the tide is ebbing. Stop weaving the nets and let's go foraging at the seashore together..."

Mother Ye, whose real name is Chen Lixiang, is the second oldest in her family. Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted and looked up to see her older sister calling her.

She belongs to the category of marrying within the village. In this day and age, every household has many children, and in the entire Baisha Village with four to five hundred households, almost half of the village consists of distant relatives.

"Isn't it two days until the first day of the lunar year? Will there be anything to dig today?" Although she said that, she still inserted the shuttle needle into the fishing net and stood up.

"You'll know once we go and see. It won't take long. I heard that some people have already gone. Hurry up, I'll go and take a look first."

"Alright, sure," replied Mother Ye, then she turned to the people in the courtyard and said, "Let's collect the nets first. Bring along the ladles, tools, and buckets, and let's go and have a look."

At this time, most of them referred to it as "tao hai" (digging the sea) rather than "gan hai" (chasing the sea) when speaking.

Ye Yaodong was idle anyway, so he followed behind.

After being reborn, he hadn't had a chance to go out and see their small fishing village yet.

Lin Xiuqing held her son and looked at him curiously, feeling like something was off with him today. "Aren't you going out today?"

"Where would I go? Are you hoping I go out?"

She turned her head away. Who would be happy with a husband who was idle and playing around all day? "No, just asking casually," she replied.

"I don't feel like going out today. I want to go to the beach with you all, see if there's any catch, and it's been a while since I strolled along the shore."

It’s true that it has been a long time since he leisurely walked along the beach. In his previous life, it was only during the fishing ban or when he couldn't go out to sea that he would occasionally take his grandson to play on the beach.

Lin Xiuqing glanced at him and then looked up at the sun shining brightly overhead, did it rise from the west today? What a rare sight!

As Ye Yaodong watched her actions, a twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth. What's wrong with going to the beach together with them to dig for treasures?

Starting over, he wanted to make an effort to work hard.

He turned his head and fell silent, marveling at the dilapidated surroundings. After forty years, he had almost forgotten what the village looked like in the 1980s. But now, as he observed, his memories were reawakened.

The path beneath his feet was made of gravel and soil, not easy to walk on. One could easily slip and end up with bloody palms and knees. Weeds grew abundantly on both sides of the road, and there was a small ditch nearby. The surroundings were filled with uniformly scattered short stone houses and some two-story brick and tile houses.

The brick and tile houses were newly built in recent years. In the past, it was popular to construct houses using stones. However, after 2020, stone houses became increasingly rare. Those that remained were often plastered with a layer of cement mortar and painted.

"Oh~"

"Ah!"

Ye Yaodong, while looking around, didn't pay attention to his footsteps and accidentally stepped on his wife's heel. Seeing her stumble and almost fall forward, their child was almost thrown off.

He quickly reached out and pulled her, embracing her and the child in his arms.

"Are you okay?"

"What are you doing? You're not watching where you're going. It's fine if I fell, but what if the child got hurt?" Lin Xiuqing comforted the child by patting his back, still feeling a lingering fear. The child was surprisingly brave, not crying or fussing, and didn't seem scared. That brought her some relief as well.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. This gravel road is not easy to walk on. Give the child to me, I'll carry him."

It's really unusual today, he apologizes and offers to hold the child. He’s been acting strange since this morning. Lin Xiuqing glanced at him with suspicion.

"What's up with you today?"

Ye Yaodong's heart tightened. Indeed, the person by your side knows you the best. It's better to take things slowly.

He casually replied with his hands in his pockets, no longer insisting on holding the child, "It's nothing. Just had a moment of enlightenment from my parents. Let's go."

Lin Xiuqing: "..."

"What are you looking at? Hurry and keep up, they've already gone far ahead."

"Oh, okay..."

(end of this chapter)