Who Would Care for Their Parents?

Lunch was still rice porridge with shredded sweet potatoes, just like in Liang Yusheng's novels!

With so many mouths to feed, the family could hardly afford plain rice every day. Even their porridge needed a big handful of shredded sweet potatoes.

They shredded the sweet potatoes instead of cooking them in chunks because they kept better that way. Once dried, the shreds would last more than half a year. Cooking them with rice meant using less rice, and they tasted pretty good too, with a hint of sweetness.

Of course, that sweetness was only how Ye Yaodong felt about it. Everyone else had eaten so much rice with sweet potatoes, shredded or otherwise, that they were thoroughly sick of it. Who would still think it tasted sweet? Filling their stomachs was good enough.

Since the family had not split into separate households, there were plenty of people and the dishes came in generous portions. The vegetables were grown in their own backyard, while the seafood had been kept from yesterday afternoon's trawl.

The pile of small fish was worth very little, so they had cleaned them yesterday and put them out to dry, keeping only a few slightly bigger ones to braise.

The buyers at the dock would not take the three-spot crabs either. Eating too many could cause an allergic reaction and leave people itching all over, so nobody bought them. But throwing them back into the sea would have been a waste. There were too many for the family to finish, and they would stink if left too long, so they had given some to relatives, friends, and neighbors after coming home yesterday.

Adults could eat two or three without any trouble as long as they did not overdo it, but the elderly and children were better off avoiding them.

They had also kept a dozen or so swimming crabs, which the children could eat.

There was also a bowl of Small Sword Shrimp and a bowl of Sea Melon Seeds dug up that morning. The Sea Melon Seeds had been boiled, drained, and tossed with seasonings and a little chili—a tasty dish that used very little oil...

And there was the oyster omelet everyone loved!

He loved them too. He had spent ages prying those Juvenile Shellfish out of the rock face. The old folks called it "chipping oysters."

The moment he sat down, before taking even a bite of rice, he reached for the oyster omelet. If he did not grab some now, it would all be gone. He had worked his ass off gathering those oysters-how could he not get any? They were great for replenishing his ammunition, too.

"Hey, hey! Third Uncle, take a smaller piece! Leave some for me!"

"Haven't you had enough? All I've seen you do is reach for this oyster omelet." Ye Yaodong took a piece for himself, then remembered to put another in his wife's bowl.

She had not even sat down to eat yet. By the time she did, what decent dishes would be left?

Lin Xiuqing's gaze softened at this rare gesture from him, but she could not bear to eat it herself. She picked up the piece of oyster omelet and fed it to their eldest son instead.

Oysters were hard to gather. It took ages just to pry out a bowlful, and they certainly did not get to eat them every day. They had some for lunch and some for dinner, but there might not be any left tomorrow.

"You've eaten plenty too, Third Uncle!"

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes at his eldest nephew, Ye Chenghai. "I gathered those oysters. Am I not allowed to eat them?"

"What's all this chatter over a meal?" Mother Ye tapped a plate, and only then did they both shut up.

It was rare to have such a lavish spread. Nobody wanted to talk; everyone buried their heads in their bowls and ate with gusto.

Usually, they only had a bowl or two of shellfish, or some fish and a few vegetable dishes. Today, they had everything-crabs, shrimp, fish, and shellfish!

After all, the family had a boat now, and they had made a good sum yesterday. It was only right to eat a little better today.

Only after everyone was there did Father Ye speak. "I just went to the People's Commune to apply for land to build houses. We discussed it there, and they approved the empty plot at the turnoff onto the road to the beach. Nothing can be grown there, so it's just right for building houses."

Their village was by the sea, with little arable land. The fields allocated to them lay along the boundary with neighboring East Bridge Village.

The two villages were very close, though East Bridge Village was a little smaller, with only a hundred-odd households. It was not on the coast either, but beside the main road, so whenever the tide went out, its villagers came to White Sand Village to gather seafood.

The villagers of White Sand Village were very familiar with those from East Bridge Village. There were many marriages between the two villages, and Ye Yaodong's grandma was from East Bridge Village.

After Father Ye finished speaking, Ye Yaodong showed no reaction and kept eating. They had bought this same plot in his previous life, and the three brothers had built their houses side by side.

He had still been living there when he died.

His indifference did not mean everyone else felt the same. They were about to have little homes of their own, and everyone was quite excited.

Ye Second Sister-in-Law said eagerly, "That's a nice plot. It's close to the beach—just walk straight down the road and you're there!"

"Are we building three houses, Dad?" Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law frowned, looking worried instead.

Normally, two houses would be enough. One son would stay with their parents and take care of them in their old age.

But who didn't want to live in a new house and enjoy life with their own little family? Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law had her own interests to consider. If they built only two houses, their branch of the family would definitely be the one left in the old house.

Ye Yaopeng looked at his wife in confusion. "What do we need three houses for? Two will do."

Men tended to be less sensitive about such things. Besides, Ye Yaopeng felt that as the eldest, it was only natural for his parents to live with him in their old age. Surely they could not rely on their good-for-nothing third son?

Watching his two sisters-in-law's reactions, Ye Yaodong curled his lip in disdain. Both his brothers were decent men, but his sisters-in-law each had their own selfish concerns. Neither was as generous as his wife.

In his previous life, he had run off after eating and had not come home at noon, so he did not know how the discussion had unfolded. Only when he returned that evening had he heard that the family would build three houses, one for each brother.

Now he could watch it unfold!

After hearing Ye Yaopeng's words, Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law didn't dare ask how the two houses would be divided or who would stay behind to care for their parents. If she did, he would get angry with her!

Ye Yaohua, however, was a simple soul. He smiled and said, "Dad, Mom, whichever one of us you want to live with can stay behind and look after... Ow! Why are you pinching me?"

Ye Second Sister-in-Law glared at him. "Nobody will think you're mute if you keep quiet. The houses haven't even been built yet, and you're already in a hurry to split up the family?"

Her words sounded fine, but everyone present could see right through her. How could they miss the fact that she did not want to stay in the old house with her in-laws?

Seeing his daughters-in-law's little calculations, Father Ye decided not to beat around the bush. He asked bluntly, "Which of you plans to stay behind and look after us in our old age?"

"Dad, it depends on who you want to live with. I'm the eldest, so normally you and Mom should live with us."

Ye Yaohua nodded too. "That's right, Dad. If you and Mom want to live with us in your old age, that's fine too."

Ye Second Sister-in-Law forced a smile, looking rather unhappy. "Dad and Mom are only in their early fifties. They hardly need anyone looking after them yet."

Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law hurried to add, "Exactly. Dad and Mom are still fit and strong. They can work for at least another ten or twenty years. They're nowhere near needing care..."

"So none of you are willing?" Father Ye's expression darkened.

"No, of course that's not..."

Before either sister-in-law could protest, Ye Yaodong propped one foot on his chair and said in his usual flippant manner, "Dad, my sisters-in-law aren't willing, but my wife is. So am I. Why don't we stay here with you, Mom, and Grandma?"

Lin Xiuqing backed her husband up, nodding earnestly. "Dad, Mom, come live with us!"

The old lady happily agreed at once. "Wonderful! Dongzi will live with us."

"Oh, give me a break. If we live with him, will he be supporting me, or will I be supporting him?"