The next day, Ye Yaodong got up and went to offer incense as usual. On his way back, he happened to run into Father Ye carrying a hoe over his shoulder, a watering can in his hand, a packet of something that looked like seeds, and a sack whose contents he couldn't make out.
"Dad, where are you going?"
"To dig up some potatoes for pickled vegetable soup at lunch. The little ones all like potatoes. That'll save them complaining that there's nothing but greens again when we eat. I'll sow some radish and mustard green seeds while I'm there."
"I'll come with you. If you have any seeds left after planting, give me some to plant too. I haven't planted anything in the patch I cleared yesterday."
"There'll be some left. Come on, then."
He hurried after him.
Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang had gotten up early. Hearing their father say he was going to the fields, they each grabbed one of his legs, insisting on coming along.
"What are you going for? You'll come back covered in dirt, and your mother will scold you again."
"We want to go! We want to go!"
The other children stood nearby with their schoolbags on their backs, full of envy. They wanted to play in the fields too, not go to school...
"Still dawdling there? Hurry up and go to school! Every single day, either you can't get out of bed or you won't leave until someone nags you. You always wait until it's dark and you've finished playing before rushing through your homework. I'm paying for you to go to school, not to..."
The moment the children heard the nagging, they covered their ears and slipped away...
Ye Yaodong felt as if he had two weights hanging from his legs.