This matter was indeed not good to bring up. Two years ago, when the old man's funeral was held, neighbors all came to help, and they all knew how the inheritance was divided.
It had been two years since the division, and there had been no objection for so long. Now, seeing Ye Father earn a large sum of money, they suddenly jumped out, which indeed sounded bad.
If Ye Father and Mother Ye were willing to share some money with them, others couldn't interfere. If they weren't willing, it would be truly difficult for them to demand money in front of outsiders.
Ye Dabó and Ye Erbó wanted to leave, and Ye Yaodong didn't stop them, directly letting go and allowing them to depart.
He didn't care if they would come again; he wasn't afraid if they did.
If Ye's father didn't agree, could they really dig it out of their house?
Even if Ye's father agreed, his three brothers wouldn't be willing!
Why?
Seeing that there was no more excitement, the neighbors also dispersed. Ye Yaodong clapped his hands and said to Ye's father and the rest of the family, "Alright, back inside!"
As soon as he lifted his leg, a small child wobbled directly over, hugged his thigh, and with two tiny teeth showing, sweetly called, "Father, hug!"
Just now, when Ye's father and the others were arguing, the women in the house had taken the younger children back inside to prevent them from being scared.
When the commotion moved to the doorway, they also brought the children out.
Looking at such a cute, fair-skinned little one, Ye Yaodong didn't associate him with his dark-skinned second son from his previous life at all.
He pinched his little face, then easily picked him up, held him in his arms, and went into the house. He hadn't even had breakfast yet.
He woke up at noon and had breakfast. Besides him, there was no one else in the whole family!
The whole family was used to it. Ye Yaodong was spoiled by Old Lady, which was why he couldn't carry heavy things, couldn't lift anything, didn't do any work, and just idled away his days playing around.
It was also fortunate that he didn't do manual labor; his skin was soft and delicate, making him look nothing like a person from the seaside, which allowed him to secure a marriage based on his looks.
Otherwise, being so lazy and a good-for-nothing, no woman would have married him.
As he stepped over the threshold, Ye Yaodong saw a beautiful, short-haired woman walking towards him. "Give me the child, you go eat. The food is warm in the pot."
Her tone was indifferent, not particularly warm, and he felt a little uneasy.
This was his wife, Lin Xiuqing, the same age as him, from the neighboring town.
Because everyone in the surrounding area knew he was idle and didn't work, when he was 20, his parents, fearing he wouldn't find a wife nearby, asked someone to introduce him to someone from further away.
They met once during their blind date, and his wife indeed fell for his looks and readily agreed. However, not long after they got married, she also discovered his true nature…
He was just a lazy good-for-nothing…
Initially, Lin Xiuqing was full of joy when she first got married, but gradually, she became more and more disappointed in him. However, she didn't divorce, as divorce was a very shameful thing in those days.
Some women, no matter how much their husbands beat or scolded them, never thought of divorce.
If the women in the house didn't obey, they had to be beaten; this seemed to be a common problem.
Fortunately, he didn't hit his wife; he was just lazy. He didn't do proper work, but if she was diligent, life could still go on.
Because of this, his wife worked tirelessly and supported him for 30 years…
At 50, she got bowel cancer. Without money for treatment, she passed away at a young age.
When she was sick and helpless on her hospital bed, he was very flustered. After she passed away, he felt completely lost.
The whole family relied on her. When she was gone, he suddenly realized his world had turned gray, but life still had to go on.
Because of this, at 50, he started working to earn money. Although he had never done any labor, he was a person from the seaside, and his family members all worked at sea, so it was no problem for him to be hired as a boatman on large ships.
He didn't expect that after only a little over a decade, he too couldn't escape the fate of a short life.
However, he wondered if he had accumulated good karma in his previous life to be able to start over?
So much time had passed that he had somewhat forgotten what his wife looked like. Now, hearing her speak so indifferently, he felt uneasy and stared at her for a long time.
She frowned, "What are you staring for? Give me the child."
"Uh… it's nothing. I'll hold him. Have you all eaten?"
Lin Xiuqing was surprised. Ever since his eldest son had defecated on him, he had never held a child again. Today, he was surprisingly asking to hold his youngest son, but if he wanted to hold him, she wouldn't stop him.
"We've eaten."
Ye Yaodong held the child and followed her into the house. He saw her bring out a bowl of sweet potato porridge and a small plate of pickled vegetables from the pot on the earthen stove.
As soon as he put the child down and picked up his chopsticks, he heard Ye's father say, "Your Ye Dabó and Ye Erbó are envious. The principle of not revealing wealth is correct."
Ye Yaopeng, sitting next to Ye Yaodong, frowned and said, "We had no way not to reveal it. When the boat arrived at the wharf, everyone saw the golden Large yellow croaker, and when they were buying, the villagers all saw the stacks of money."
"What's there to be afraid of? What's there to worry about? The money is in our pockets; how could they possibly dig it out?" Ye Yaodong picked up a piece of pickled vegetable, biting into it with a crisp crunch, completely unconcerned.
"Ye's father is afraid that if it really escalates, it will hurt the brotherhood with Ye Dabó and Ye Erbó, right?" The one speaking was the second son, Ye Yaohua, who seemed a bit more honest.
Ye Father didn't respond. He pinched a small pinch of tobacco, pressed it into the round hole for tobacco in the water pipe, then picked up a matchbox, took out a match, and struck it against the side.
A small flame lit up, and Ye Father brought the burning match close to the tobacco hole, slowly taking a puff. The water pipe gurgled…
It wasn't until smoke came out of his mouth and nose, and he looked around, that he spoke, "Where is your Grandma?"
Mother Ye then spoke, "Mother went out early in the morning. She's probably gone to the roadside at the village entrance to see if the corn and cucumbers she planted are ripe. Last night, I heard her muttering that the corn and cucumbers might be ready to eat, just right for the little ones to satisfy their cravings."
"She's eighty, and still can't sit still…"
Ye Yaodong quickly finished a small bowl of sweet potato porridge, put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and interrupted Ye's father, then instructed his older nephews and nieces, who looked to be 5, 6, 7, and 8 years old.
"You little ones, quickly go to the roadside at the village entrance and see if your A Tai is in the fields. Bring her back."
After decades apart, he still really missed his Grandma, who doted on him the most.
"Okay, Third Uncle!"
The children, obedient and excited, ran out with a whoosh, not minding the hot sun at all!
Country children were very hardy. They spent their days going up mountains and down to the sea, and didn't need adults to watch them. Now that summer vacation had just started, they played wildly to their hearts' content.
Adults in this era were busy struggling for their livelihood and food, so they had no time to manage them. They just let them run around the village freely.
After instructing the little ones, he saw his wife coming to clear the dishes. He smiled at her, then looked at Ye's father.
"Ye's father, how much money did that net of Large yellow croaker sell for yesterday?"
Ye Father glanced at his unreliable third son and didn't say anything. He had already told him yesterday, and he was still asking; he didn't know what he was plotting!
Ye Yaodong: …
He really didn't remember!