After a while, Ye's mother came over, and then only her voice was left.
Mrs. Ye knew she was in the wrong, and like a quail, she didn't say a word. Mrs. Ye, however, did say a few words back, but was scolded even more badly.
The couple went out to take a look and then went back into the house. It might be helpful to scold him a little and learn some brains.
Ye's mother had forgotten about it herself. She was also tempted and almost gave money. Fortunately, she was persuaded by Dongzi. Otherwise, she would not have been able to scold him so confidently and she would probably have been scolded too.
After a long while, Ye's father went to the dock to help pick up goods, and came back with Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua. Maybe he had already told them on the way, and both of them looked a little ugly.
It was rare for Ye Yaopeng to point his finger at Mrs. Ye and scold her harshly. He even dragged her into the house. It was not known whether he used physical force or not, but he kept scolding her.
Ye Yaohua did the same. He pulled Ye Ersao into the house with a gloomy face. However, no harsh voice was heard from him. Instead, Ye Ersao's voice was quite loud.
For example: "You knew I gave you the money, and you didn't object at the time. Now you blame me?"
Hearing that Ye's father and mother were so angry at the door, Ye's mother continued to curse: "Did all the money in the family come from the wind? You don't feel bad about taking so much money out to waste it, and you are so self-righteous. How much money can you earn..."
Father Ye shook his head and said, "Fortunately you listened to Dongzi, otherwise you would have been stupid too."
Ye's mother was speechless again, and only grumbled a few more words, "They are all so troublesome. We have separated and live far away. I can't take care of them. Forget it..."
She picked up the leftover fish at her feet, went to Ye Yaodong's house, got a kitchen knife and helped kill the fish. After killing them, she put them at the door and waited for them to finish cursing. Then she let them divide the fish however they wanted.
Ye Yaodong and his wife also went into the house. As there was no loud noise next door, they ignored it for the time being.
Over the next few days, rumors in the village intensified. Everyone was talking about Ye Yaohong. Even the village cadres would be stopped by the villagers and asked if they had any news about Ye Yaohong.
Of course, they didn't have any substantive response.
Amid the villagers' discussions, Ye Huimei's wedding day arrived, and Ye Yaodong's family happily went to their hometown to see her off.
Big Brother Ye and Second Brother Ye's family were just forcing themselves to smile, even the children hung their heads, looking unhappy. They had been behaving themselves down at home these past few days, and if they weren't careful, a scolding was the least of their worries. They were beaten for the slightest thing and were living in dire straits.
It's a good thing that there was no wedding banquet for my daughter's wedding. She only set up a table to entertain her son-in-law when he returned home. Otherwise, these two families would not be able to entertain relatives and friends with the appearance of the banquet.
Seeing that his elder brother and second brother were not in a good mood, Ye Yaodong went out on horseback and carried his younger sister out. When they were at the door, they even cried and performed the wedding ceremony.
The daughter cried because she was reluctant to leave her parents, and the son-in-law promised to treat her well. After a while, Ye's father and mother nodded with tears in their eyes and handed their daughter to him.
After the ceremony, Ye Huimei also rode on A Guang's bicycle with a big red flower tied to it.
The two families lived close to each other, and A Guang's family bought a bicycle and a ring, so they chose to get married on a bicycle instead of a tractor, a sedan chair or a horse.
There were constant sounds of firecrackers along the way. Friends gathered around. Those who had bicycles rode them, and those who didn't have bicycles tried to borrow one, stopping from time to time to set off firecrackers.
The sight of so many bicycles was no less lively than the scene of using luxury cars to pick up the bride in later generations. The village was unusually lively. Most of the villagers followed along the way to watch and ate wedding candies while following to A Guang's home.
In local weddings, the bride's parents were still not present, and only two brothers went to see the bride off and attend the wedding banquet. This was not like decades later, when the groom would invite all the relatives from both sides.
All the favors from the girl's side go into the pocket of her parents, and they don't have to pay any money. Conscientious parents will give this money to their daughter to keep in the bottom of the box, but generally there is nothing left.
Ye Yaodong gave his younger sister two hundred yuan the day before her wedding, as a dowry for her. A Guang bought all the three-wheeled dowries and one-ring, and he wanted to give her something hard to buy as a dowry, but it was difficult, so he simply gave her 200 yuan and let her use it to arrange the flowers herself.
He also helped A Guang block a lot of alcohol that day. At night, when they were drinking and lighting cigarettes at the long table, everyone acted in his favor and no one made things difficult for Ye Huimei. They let her pass smoothly. He was almost drunk as well.
As I was staggering towards home, by chance, I ran into a group of people from Linji. It had been a long time since I had gone out at night, so it was no wonder that I hadn't run into them for a long time.
He sobered up a bit and burped when he saw someone. "What a coincidence. Haven't seen you for a while."
"I heard that your sister is getting married today. Congratulations."
"The first corruption case since the reform and opening up was publicly tried a few days ago, and a severe crackdown has begun in the coastal areas. Have you read the newspaper?" Perhaps because he was drunk, he spoke more directly.
Lin Ji paused, his expression becoming somewhat serious, "People's Daily? Which issue? It's the end of the year, and there are a lot of shipments. I'm not at home much, so I haven't had time to read the newspapers delivered these days."
"The public trial was held on January 17, and the report was published in the daily newspaper the next day. I suggest you go back and take a look."
"Thanks for the reminder!" He sent someone to the dock first, and he walked with him, "I'll take you back."
"So polite?"
"Aren't they all friends?"
"Haha... You should keep a low profile."
Lin Jishang smiled and said, "So that's why you don't want to report it and just give it to your cousin?"
"Didn't my cousin's wife come to me first? I wanted to take the job and then find someone to raise the money. The people in the village committee are not easy to offend. Speaking of a millionaire, you are more qualified, right?"
"Don't... I can't bear this title, so I'll give it to your cousin."
"I heard that the leader said, 'Act with swift and decisive action and do not let go.' I guess a group of people will be in jail next. Our village is a small pier and we cannot dock before the tide comes in. It is not as good as a big port. The villagers know nothing about it, so it should be safe."
"Well, as long as you don't betray me."
Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes. "What nonsense! I'm not that kind of person. I don't care how much you earn. I'm counting on you to help me make good things."
Lin Jishang smiled and said, "That's good. What good things do you want?"
"Is the net-lifting machine easy to use?"
He relies on manpower every day, and his shipping is very powerful. If he continues for a while, his arms will be disabled.
"I'll keep an eye on it. You shouldn't be in a hurry, right?"
"Don't worry. We won't go out to sea until at least the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. You can decide. We'll talk about it after the New Year. Don't go against the wind. Safety comes first."
"I know what's going on."
They chatted all the way to the doorstep. Lin Jishang left, and Ye Yaodong rubbed his temples and pushed the door open.
The house was quiet. He hadn't come back since he sent her off this morning. He had been at A Guang's house the whole day. After dinner, he played cards with a group of friends in his free time. It had been a long time since he had been with them.
The next day when she returned home, there was a wedding banquet at the old house, so Lin Xiuqing went there early in the morning with her two sisters-in-law to help.
They didn't seem to have any injuries on their faces, so they probably weren't beaten. The three brothers of the Ye family were good in this regard: they wouldn't beat their wives.
Even though they still looked sad, they were scolded by Ye's mother as soon as they walked over. "Today is Huimei's return home, don't look so sad. I didn't have the nerve to say anything to you yesterday..."
No one would be happy about the possibility of losing so much money, but these two were too guilty to say anything.
Ye Yaodong woke up late due to a hangover and walked slowly towards the old house with his two children, but he ran into Secretary Chen who was also walking towards the commune.
He smiled and greeted, "Good morning, Secretary Chen, are you going to work?"
"Early? It's already past nine or ten. You're taking a break early."
"It doesn't matter if these few days pass. There are many things to do at the end of the year. What about my eldest cousin's matter? Will the county arrange for him to become a millionaire?"
Since they had met, he just asked.
Secretary Chen said unhappily, "A millionaire? That's wishful thinking. Fortunately, his wife was smart. Otherwise, if he hadn't been used as a substitute, no one would have known what the Rat Club was. Although the Rat Club is not illegal, I'm not afraid to tell you that the higher-ups have issued a notice in the past few days to severely crack down on illegal crimes and punish them severely. The county is worried about the lack of performance. I heard that he was found to have committed smuggling crimes and they are preparing to arrest him."
"Found the person?" Ye Yaodong was surprised. When did officials become so efficient
"I heard that, right? We have to wait for the announcement from above. I heard about this while running back and forth to the county meetings these days. I mentioned it casually because it's you. Don't let it slip yet. Wait for the announcement to be broadcast. The village has been buzzing lately. It's going to be a hard year."
"Got it. Then you don't have to keep looking for ten thousand yuan, right?"
"There are some in other villages. I heard they raise pigs and chickens and ducks. They make money through their own labor, which is much more suitable than the rumored business. They don't need you anymore, so you don't have to worry."
He laughed and said, "Then I feel relieved."
"Where are you going? Oh, your younger sister got married yesterday and is returning home today."
"Yes, then go and do your thing. I won't bother you anymore."
Secretary Chen waved his hand casually and walked towards the commune on his own.
Ye Yaodong also started to think about it. Since they had found the person efficiently, he should be caught in the next few days.
He thought as he walked. The two children were having fun and running ahead. They were familiar with the village anyway, so Ye Yaodong just lagged behind.