Ye Yaodong stood in the corner of the room, his head throbbing. With no cigarettes, he could only chew on a piece of straw, watching Ye Dabó and Ye Erbó argue with Ye's father and his two older brothers, their faces red and necks thick with anger, the table thumping loudly!
He couldn't understand. Wasn't he hired as a deckhand on a large ship, and then, on a whim, went to pee on the deck, only to be swept into the Sea by a wave and die?
How did he wake up this morning and find himself back in 1982?
This is so… miraculous!
He still hadn't fully recovered from the shock. Even Ye Yaodong's father catching a net full of Large yellow croaker couldn't excite him, because the joy of being reborn at 25 was just too overwhelming!
I'm 65, and I've actually crossed 40 years, returning to my youth at 25.
This… this… this is truly wonderful!
I actually get to start over!
It's just a pity that after his death, the ship owner would surely have to pay a million or so in compensation, which would benefit his two sons at home.
He wondered if they would cry or laugh when they received the news…
"Third Brother, don't forget that boat was left by Dad. It was only because our mother chose to live with you in her old age that it was left for your use. We brothers originally all had a share, so the money from selling the Large yellow croaker must also be divided among us brothers."
"That's right, Third Brother, you've caught a net of Large yellow croaker now, so you're feeling emboldened, are you? The boat was left by Dad, and everyone has a share. You can't disregard our brotherly affection and keep it all to yourself."
Ye Dabó and Ye Erbó yelled at the top of their lungs, one after another, making Ye Father glare in anger.
"Nonsense! It's true the boat was left by Dad, but at that time the boat was almost scrapped, and the engine was also broken. You yourselves didn't want it and wanted cash, so you threw the broken boat to me! You said a broken boat still has three thousand nails and could sell for a lot of money, and since Mom was living with me, it was convenient for me to take it."
"I'm the youngest, and I suffered a silent loss because I couldn't argue. What, you saw me slowly repair the boat over the past two years, and now you're envious? No way! I spent all my family's savings on this boat, and just got a good start, and now you all come to demand a share of the money. Where's your shame?"
Ye Erbó frowned and said, "Third Brother, when we divided Dad's inheritance, you did get the better deal. This boat is Dad's relic after all. We thought that since Mom was living with you, we'd leave the boat to you, so Mom would have something to remember him by. Otherwise, wouldn't it be better for us to sell the boat and divide the money?"
"It sounds good to say 'something to remember him by,' but what do you think it's worth if sold as scrap? The wooden planks aren't worth much, and iron is only a few cents a pound? You just threw it to me, and you could also have one less person to divide the family property with!"
"Ye's uncle, Ye Erbó, everyone was present when Grandpa passed away. It was already agreed upon that you would divide the money, and Ye Yaodong's father would get the broken boat. This was decided by your discussion. Ye Yaodong's father saw Grandma constantly wiping her tears, unwilling to sell the boat, so he didn't suggest selling the boat and dividing the cash among everyone, accepting this silent loss."
The one speaking was Ye Yaodong's eldest brother, Ye Yaopeng. As soon as he spoke, he was scolded by Ye's uncle.
"We adults are talking, what are you, a junior, interrupting for!"
"It's my family's money, why can't I speak? We already split the family property a long time ago. The money from my family's fish sales, Ye's uncle and Ye Erbó, you can all come to our door and demand a share, and you still won't let me speak?"
"This is an elder's matter, you have no right to speak!"
Ye Yaodong stood in the corner, his head aching from listening. He frowned, spat out the straw from his mouth, and stepped forward, putting his elbow on Ye's uncle's shoulder. Ye's uncle was short and stubby, so it was just right.
He said rascally, "Ye's uncle, what you're saying is too much. This is our home, why doesn't my eldest brother have a say!"
"The Large yellow croaker was also caught by Ye Yaodong's father. Did you and Ye Erbó go out to Sea with him? Where do you get the nerve to come to our door and demand a share of the money? Because your faces are big?"
"Come on, let's go outside and talk. Let's call out everyone in the Village, and call the Village chief to mediate, to see if we should give you a share of the money!"
"If everyone says our family should share and not keep it all, Ye Yaodong's father is a man of principle, and he definitely won't say anything else!"
Ye Yaodong directly hooked Ye's uncle's neck and walked him out of the house. It was only because Ye Yaodong's father cared about his reputation and brotherly affection, not wanting to break ties, that he could still argue for so long.
If it were him, he would have kicked them out a long time ago. What kind of people are they, so shameless!
However, they were still Ye's uncle and Ye Erbó. No matter how much of a hooligan he was, he couldn't beat them. He could only use his words and drag them out to talk it over.
Ye's uncle was short, only a little over 160 cm, while Ye Yaodong was 180 cm. With his neck caught under Ye Yaodong's armpit, Ye's uncle couldn't break free and could only stumble along as he was pulled outside.
"Let go of me! How can you be so reckless as to choke my neck? I'm your uncle!"
"What uncle? Anyone who tries to extort money from my family is my enemy. Let's go outside and talk!"
He vividly remembered that when he was young, he was the Village's hooligan, idle all day, hanging out with friends and not doing proper things. Fights were commonplace, but he settled down after marriage.
Dragging elders and speaking disrespectfully like this was not considered out of line by anyone; in fact, it was seen as quite normal.
However, he was still Ye's uncle. With decades more experience, he wasn't as much of a scoundrel anymore, and this action indeed looked bad.
Ye Yaodong let go and switched to pulling, dragging Ye's uncle to the main entrance.
Ye Yaopeng breathed a sigh of relief. Third Brother finally made a move. He didn't know what was going on, but Third Brother had been looking dazed and hadn't said a word all morning, remaining silent until now. In the past, he would have lost his temper long ago, and there was no way he would have let Ye's uncle and Ye Erbó talk for so long.
"Folks, folks, come quickly… Mmm mmm…"
Ye Erbó quickly covered Ye Yaodong's mouth, forcing a smile and saying, "Yao Dong, Ye's uncle and I came to discuss with Ye Yaodong's father. After all, everyone's life is very difficult, and it's normal for brothers to help each other out…"
"That's right, we were just discussing with Ye Yaodong's father. How can we talk about our family matters outside? Let go of me quickly, let's go inside and talk."
Ye's uncle also felt guilty. If they talked about this in front of the Village people, they would lose face, especially since it had been two years since the family split.
Ye Yaodong pulled away Ye Erbó's hand covering his mouth, "Talk about what inside? I've been hearing you banging on the table and arguing since early morning, my skull hurts. Let's talk outside, let everyone hear if you're reasonable. Folks… Mmm mmm…"
"Third Brother, aren't you going to control your son?" Ye Erbó glared at Ye Father.
"Hmph… Now you know not to air dirty laundry in public, do you? Let's talk outside, it's good to let the folks judge, otherwise, uninformed people might think I took a huge advantage!"
At this time, the neighbors also heard the commotion and gathered around, curiously watching the Ye family brothers.
"What's wrong? Didn't you sell over two hundred catties of Large yellow croaker yesterday? Weren't you happy?"
"What's wrong with you all? Did Yao Dong fight again?"
"What did Yao Dong do this time?"
"He's married with children, why is he still so insensible…"
Ye Yaodong was speechless. It seemed his image as a hooligan was deeply ingrained in people's minds. Whenever something happened, the blame always pointed to him!
He raised an eyebrow and said roguishly, "I didn't cause trouble this time. Don't blame me, someone is shameless…"
"Ah… nothing, nothing. Catching Large yellow croaker is a good thing. We were just curious how it was caught, so we came over to ask and chat. Yao Dong insisted it was too hot inside and told us to come out to talk where it would be cooler…" Ye's uncle interrupted him, smiling awkwardly as he dealt with the neighbors.
Ye Erbó also gave an awkward laugh, "Hehe, we've finished talking. Mom also went to the fields and isn't home, so Big Brother, let's go back first."
"Mm, go back first, go back first."
New author, new book. Please be understanding if there are any shortcomings, and please be gentle!
Please collect and read to the latest chapter. Thank you very much!
