In a single instant, Father Ye had already pictured living with his third son and having to work until he dropped dead. He would be better off living alone.
"Dad, I mean it!"
"If I trusted you, I'd have to work until I was eighty!"
"Even if you don't trust me, you'll still have to work until you're eighty! Grandma's eighty now, and she's still growing vegetables!"
Father Ye said irritably, "Living with you would shorten my life. You'd drive me to an early grave. I might not even make it to eighty."
"Oh, fine." Ye Yaodong shrugged. "Nothing we can do, then. I'd better move out so you can live to a hundred! Pick Eldest Brother or Second Brother to live with you and look after you here in your old age!"
He knew perfectly well that his father planned to build three houses, but he deliberately said it anyway, just to stir things up.
Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law immediately looked unhappy, though neither dared say outright that she was unwilling.
How could Father Ye fail to see what they were thinking? He simply chose not to expose them.
Mother Ye had been busy feeding her little grandson, so she had only listened without saying anything. Now she felt a little hurt, too.
She felt she had treated all three daughters-in-law well. She had taken good care of each of them after childbirth and helped raise their children, yet in the end, only her third daughter-in-law was willing to live with them!
In fact, before bed the previous night, she and Father Ye had discussed simply building three houses. Their old home was already quite run-down. They were only in their early fifties, and if they lived another twenty-odd years, this house probably would not be fit to live in anymore.
After they died of old age, the three brothers could just sell this homestead plot and split the money. There was no need to decide which son to live with. They could still work and did not need their sons to support them. If the boys wanted to give them things out of filial respect, they could accept them.
Who would have thought Father Ye's spur-of-the-moment test would reveal what two of their daughters-in-law were thinking? Luckily, their two sons were good boys, and their third daughter-in-law was good, too.
Hearing the adults talking, the children at the table did not dare interrupt. They simply buried themselves in their food, then left the table to play as soon as they finished, unconcerned with the adults' troubles.
Only then did the three daughters-in-law sit down, but none had any appetite. They were all waiting for Father Ye to speak.
Father Ye was deeply displeased as well, but he could not lose his temper at his daughters-in-law. He only glared at his three sons and stated firmly, "I've settled it with the People's Commune. We'll build three houses, one each. Your mother and I don't need you to support us. We can still work."
I really brought this aggravation on myself. I should've just said they'd get one house each!
At those words, Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law relaxed, smiles appearing immediately on their faces.
By now, how could Ye Eldest Son and Ye Second Son not understand their wives' little schemes? Both glared at them unhappily.
"All right, hurry up and eat. Afterward, you two come with me to hire workers. We need to buy sand, too."
Mother Ye added, "I'll find someone to choose an auspicious date later. We'll pick a good day before we start building."
"Mm."
Of everyone at the table, only Ye Yaodong and the old lady remained entirely unaffected. He even smiled as he picked up some fish for her.
With no teeth, fish was about all the old lady could eat!
"Grandma, once I make some money, I'll buy you dentures. Then you'll be able to eat anything!"
"Oh, good, good!" His sweet talk made the old lady beam.
The same thought flashed through everyone's mind: When pigs fly?
Still, his gesture instantly lightened the atmosphere at the table again.
Once Ye Yaodong finished his rice, he moved his bowl aside before reaching for the small clams with his chopsticks. These were better with a drink than with rice. Having to shell them with one hand was too much trouble, so he always saved them to eat with a drink after his meal.
Unfortunately, there was no alcohol at home now. Even if there had been, they would not have let him drink it!
He knew his place well enough not to ask, saving himself a scolding!
But even so, he still got scolded...
He had only eaten a few when his mother knocked his chopsticks away as he reached out again.
"If you're finished eating, leave the table! Why are you still reaching for more? Can't you leave some for tonight? All you think about is eating everything in one sitting. If you finish it all, what will you eat with your rice tonight?"
He had gone from the grandfather generation to the grandson generation in an instant. Damn, that was one hell of a drop!
Ye Yaodong bit the tips of his chopsticks and said glumly, "We dug up a whole basket this morning. There's enough to last until tomorrow. Can't we go gathering on the shore again tomorrow anyway? It's not like we'll run out of these things."
"Will you go?"
"Sure, I'll go. Didn't I go this morning?"
Mother Ye was about to say something when the old lady spoke up, concerned. "It's so hot out, and the sun's fierce. Remember to take a hat tomorrow. Don't get sunburned. I'll fill a flask with tea for you tomorrow, too, so you have something to quench your thirst."
Father Ye said unhappily, "He's only going to gather shellfish. How much sun can he get? We're out on the boat from morning till night and never say a word. You're the one making a fuss."
Ye Yaodong felt utterly wronged. I didn't even say anything!
"You're used to hard work. Dong's skin is still soft and tender. How can you compare? He's already said he'll go gathering tomorrow. Can't you let him have a few more bites now? It doesn't cost anything."
Faced with the old lady, Father Ye felt completely helpless. "Just keep spoiling him!"
"A good appetite is a blessing. As long as our children are healthy and safe, that's all that matters. Eat, Dong. If you like it, have some more. If we finish it, we'll just dig up more tomorrow."
"Okay."
His parents seemed irritated no matter how they looked at him. How had he once managed to be so thick-skinned, pretending not to notice and carrying on however he pleased?
At any rate, he could not do it now. After another couple of bites, he left the table.
After noisily rinsing his mouth, he tossed the dipper aside and noticed two large basins of sand clams on the stove, their shells open and siphons extended. There was another half bucket on the floor, with their siphons sticking out as well.
Many hands made light work. They really had gathered quite a haul, digging up so much in just three hours. But there were plenty of mouths at home, too, so it would not last long-probably only two or three days.
"Mom, did you bring seawater back especially to keep them in?"
"What else?"
He obediently shut his mouth!
If he said they could also keep them in tap water mixed with salt, he would definitely get another scolding!
The salt they used was coarse salt, brought around by peddlers, and it was not cheap. There was no way his mother would use it to mix water for the sand clams. She would rather walk ten-odd minutes to the shore and fetch a bucket of seawater.
"Move aside. I need to find the rag."
His wife tugged him out of the way, so Ye Yaodong stopped standing around inside and carried a reclining chair out to sit beneath the tree by the door.
But he had barely settled into the chair and started bouncing his leg when he saw his eldest and second uncles coming over again.
Still not giving up?
"Oh, what wind blew you two back here? That damned southeast wind! Have you eaten?"
The corner of Second Uncle Ye's mouth twitched. "We've had our fill of the northwest wind. No need to eat the southeast wind, too!"
Ye Yaohua was rinsing his mouth with a dipper by the door. Hearing that, he choked and burst into a violent coughing fit. Seriously... seriously... who knew you could answer like that?
Ye Yaodong also looked at his second uncle in surprise. His uncle was pretty quick-witted to come up with that so fast.
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