After nightfall, there were strong winds and heavy rain. The day was insignificant compared to night. They had to empty the washbasins and soup bowls in the house several times. The table by the window was hit by rain and was completely wet. Lin Xiuqing specially took a footcloth to cover it.
The two children were not afraid of the strong wind and heavy rain outside, and were still secretly playing with candles...
Ye Chenghu carefully put his finger into the candle oil under the wick, and when he took it out, there was a layer of white candle cap on his finger.
Until all ten fingers were covered with candles, they were crushed one by one, and the process continued...
Ye Chengyang took out a toothpick from somewhere and fiddled with the wick, stirring the candle oil...
The candle flickered as they played with it, and the couple realized that the two were being naughty. They slapped one of them on the butt, and the two jumped around on the bed, howling for a while before they lay down and went to sleep.
Ye Yaodong sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes to rest. He had no place to lie down, so he couldn't sleep, and it was very noisy outside.
His eldest brother and second brother's room also had leaks and their beds were leaking, and they had three children, all of whom were sent to live in the old lady's and his parents' rooms.
At night, everyone had to squeeze together and get through the night.
"They're both asleep. I'll let you lie down here for a while."
"It's okay, you go to sleep. I can't sleep. It's the same if I sleep during the day tomorrow. I'll go pour out all the water."
For fear of disturbing their sleep, he went to the main room after pouring the water. Seeing a few benches, he took two of them and put them together, then lay down and took a nap.
It was not until the second half of the night that the wind and rain gradually weakened, and Ye Yaodong also had a long-sleeved shirt as a blanket.
He slept restlessly on the bench. He woke up at the first sound of movement. Touching the clothes on his chest, he whispered, "Why are you up?"
"Pick up Yangyang to pee. If you can't see me, come out and check."
"The typhoon should be over, and daybreak is almost here. Go back and get some sleep."
"Go inside and sleep!"
"No need, go in and stay with the two children, otherwise they will cry when they wake up and don't see you."
Lin Xiuqing looked at him deeply and went into the house.
This was the first time that he did not sleep like a dead pig on a typhoon day, but also accommodated the three of them. In previous years, she would take a nap by the head of the bed.
Ye Yaodong sat up as soon as it was light. At this time, the old lady also came in through the back door holding an umbrella. She lived in a small house in the backyard.
"Did you sleep on the stool last night? Hey, you, how can you sleep like this? Look at your face and neck, there are so many mosquito bites. Hurry up and wipe them with your saliva."
He scratched it casually and said nonchalantly, "It's okay, it will stop itching in a while. The floor is wet, so be sure to hold onto the wall when you go in and out, be careful."
"Hey, I know. Do you want to go to my room and lie down for a while? Ah Hai is still sleeping..."
"No, I'm going to go to the beach to see if the waves are big."
It was still drizzling outside. He took the raincoat hanging behind the door, put it on and went out.
At this moment, there were many villagers wearing straw raincoats walking on the road. They all came out to see whether the typhoon had passed. They greeted each other and talked about how strong the wind was and how heavy the rain was last night.
"Why did Dongzi get up so early?"
"Well, if you can't sleep, come out and take a look."
"Let's go to the beach together. Everyone is heading to the beach..."
He nodded casually without stopping. He was just a neighbor and they were not very familiar with him.
As he walked, he looked at the extent of the impact on the village. Several small trees along the way had fallen, and tiles on the roofs of many houses were blown all over the ground. There was also flying straw, and there were dead branches, garbage, and puddles everywhere. It looked very messy.
By the time we reached the shore, the sky had become a little brighter and many villagers were already standing on the shore.
From afar he saw the rolling waves rising and flowing back, and the turbid sea water rose to a height that was usually unreachable. The surrounding villagers were discussing that the typhoon had passed, and everyone would be able to go out to sea to fish again after the sea level calmed down.
Ye's father and he reached the shore at the same time. The sky was getting brighter and there were more and more people around. Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua also came out. Living by the sea, the villagers were most concerned about when the waves would recede.
Everyone stood on the shore, reluctant to leave, until the sun rose from the sea level and the village radio broadcast the morning news that the typhoon had landed in Zhejiang Province. Only then did everyone feel relieved and went back to have breakfast one after another.
While eating, Ye Laoda asked, "Dad, everyone's house was leaking badly yesterday. Should we take advantage of today's free time to go to the roof to check the tiles and fix them?"
"Yes, I do. I guess the typhoon last night blew a lot of tiles off and moved them around, so the house is leaking badly. There are still some tiles in the backyard. After dinner, put up a ladder and I'll climb up and take a look."
"Then Dad, can we start work on the house again tomorrow?"
"The day after tomorrow, maybe. It's wet everywhere now. The hills are all muddy. The water level at the stream has risen, so it's not convenient to wash the stones. Let's start the work a day later."
"Then when can we go out to sea?" the two brothers asked in turn.
"It's impossible tonight. The waves at the dock are still very big. The open sea is definitely still affecting it. Let's wait and see what the tide is like tomorrow. There should be more cargo after the typhoon passes."
Ye Yaohua had seen Ye Yaodong's catch yesterday. Since he had some free time today, he was eager to go to the beach right away. "Well, since we have nothing to do, let's go to the beach when the tide starts to recede and see if there is any big catch to pick up."
Ye's mother was also very excited. "When the time comes, let's all go and have a look. We can also buy some seafood to go with the dishes."
"We're going to the beach too!"
"Yes, we are going to the beach too..."
"No, it's about fishing in the sea. Are you stupid? Will you say, we want to go fishing in the sea too?" Ye Chenghai looked at his group of younger brothers and sisters with disappointment.
"Yes, yes, let's go fishing too!"
"You are everywhere. Come and eat. The tide has not receded yet and the waves are very big. No one of you is allowed to go to the beach. If you are swept into the waves, no one can save you." Mother Ye looked at her grandchildren seriously, "Did you hear me?"
"I heard it." Everyone responded in unison.
From childhood to adulthood, what they heard the most was that they were not allowed to go to the beach alone, and they were not allowed to swim in the sea without an adult around. They all remembered it clearly.
But to everyone's disappointment, even after the typhoon passed, the tide did not recede immediately today, the water level just dropped a little.
Although their hopes of going to the beach were dashed, the children were not very disappointed as they could have fun doing other things even though they couldn't go to the beach. The adults were the most disappointed.
The weather was clear all day, and the tide gradually receded until noon the next day. The Ye family immediately went to the beach with great enthusiasm.