Lending a hand

"Dad, gourd! Gourd!" Ye Chengyang cried, hugging his father's thigh.

"What are you, a frog? Croaking away-all you ever think about is eating!" Ye Yaodong looked in disgust at the muddy marks his son had rubbed all over his trouser leg, then picked the snake gourd the boy had bitten. "Take it home and wash it before you eat it, or there'll be bugs inside."

He counted heads again. Only after making sure everyone was there did he head back, surrounded by the children.

They had just reached the doorway when their neighbor, Aunt Chen, looked at him in surprise. "Dongzi, you didn't go out to play today? You even helped your grandma pick corn?"

"Yep!"

Why ask when you already know? Didn't you see me heading out? You stood at your doorway watching my back until I was out of sight.

Nobody needed to ask how he knew. He had experienced it firsthand. Most women in the countryside were like that, and they were even worse when a stranger entered the village-their eyes practically stuck to the newcomer.

"Why are all of you back too? It's not mealtime yet. Did you follow the smell of food home?" Mother Ye asked, smiling at the children.

"We went to pick corn with Uncle Dong!"

Lin Xiuqing noticed her younger son, filthy from head to toe, and quickly stood up. "How did you get so dirty? You're covered in dirt, even your face and hands. Did you roll around in the field?"

"Haha, Mom, he tried to sneak a bite of a snake gourd, but it hit him and knocked him over. That's what he looked like when he got up!"

"Don't laugh at him. Turn around and show your mother your backside." Ye Yaodong set down the sack and basket, grabbed his older son, and turned him around.

Ye Chenghu scrambled to cover his backside with his hands. "No, Dad..."

Lin Xiuqing's brows drew together. "What did you do this time? How did you get a hole in the seat of your pants? What were you playing at now? You run around all day long. Look at your knees, look at your legs-is there a single patch of skin that isn't scraped?"

As she spoke, she gave him several hard smacks on the bottom.

He only stayed put because his father was holding him and he couldn't break free. Otherwise, he would never have stood there obediently taking a spanking.

"That hurts, Mom! It was an accident! Dad, let go!"

"When have you ever fallen on purpose? You bounce around all day, tearing a hole here and a hole there. Look at the hole over your knee-I only just patched it, and you've already worn it threadbare again. You wear out pants faster than your grandpa does working!"

Only when the boy lowered his head under the scolding did Ye Yaodong let go, satisfied. Naughty children needed discipline. He didn't know how to teach them himself, so he could only leave it to their mother.

Luckily, both boys had grown up to be quite filial decades later. Well... only toward their mother... best not to mention him...

The old lady stepped in to smooth things over. "Stop scolding him. Children run and jump; of course they'll fall. A few tumbles help them grow. Go inside and change your pants, then come out for some melon."

With the old lady's pardon, Ye Chenghu shot into the house like the wind. Lin Xiuqing took her dirt-covered younger son by the hand and followed. Both boys needed a change of clothes.

She kept grumbling as she walked. "Every single day, who knows how many changes you need. Good thing you have so many older cousins. You can wear the clothes they've outgrown."

Mother Ye grumbled too. "Making noise all day, running off who knows where. Never a quiet moment."

"If they sat quietly all day without running or jumping, Mom, you'd start worrying they were dim-witted!"

Ye Yaodong's retort left Mother Ye speechless. She glared at him but had nothing more to say.

"Come on, have some melon. You can get back to work afterward." The old lady brought out a large basin of sliced melon to share, handing some to the neighbors as well.

Ye Yaodong took a slice. "I'll go see how Yaohua's doing."

It was going to be his house too. He couldn't leave everything to everyone else the way he had in his previous life. He ought to go take a look and lend a hand, if only to stop people gossiping.

He had barely gone a few steps before he heard the women behind him talking about him.

"Dongzi seems to have turned over a new leaf these past couple of days, hasn't he? He's gathering seafood now, and even helping Hua."

"Oh, please. He vanished yesterday afternoon, and who knows what time he came home last night. I'd already locked the door, anyway. Qing, what time did Dongzi get home yesterday?"

"Pretty early. A little after seven."

"A grown man like him, without the slightest sense of responsibility..."

Ye Yaodong quickened his pace. He had heard it all so often his ears were practically callused. He might as well get farther away and pretend he hadn't heard. As long as he knew he wouldn't be like his old self again, that was enough.

When he reached the building plot, Ye Yaohua had already hoed out more than half the weeds. Sweat poured off him, and his cheeks were bright red.

He couldn't help reflecting that, for country people, hard work really could bring prosperity. Over the following decades, the hardworking villagers had all become quite comfortably off. Every one of them had torn down their old house and built a little villa. Their lives couldn't have been better.

He didn't dare hope for anything more. As long as he could live as well as everyone else and his family stayed safe and healthy, that would be enough.

"Hua!"

There were only two years between him and his second brother, so he always called him by name rather than by his place in the family. He did address his eldest brother as such, though.

Hearing someone call him, Ye Yaohua straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked over. "Dongzi, what brings you here?"

"Nothing much. Just came to have a look. Work starts the day after tomorrow, right? Have you arranged all the materials and workers?"

"Yep. Dad and I spent all day yesterday sorting it out. Everything's arranged, and the materials will arrive tomorrow."

"Shame we can't use sea sand. Otherwise, we could haul it straight over from the beach to build the house and save a fair bit of money."

"Heh, if sea sand could be used to build houses, there wouldn't be any left for us. People would've shoveled it all away long ago."

"How much longer will it take to finish hoeing these weeds?"

"Not much longer. Then I'll tidy up and take the weeds to an open patch to burn them. Once they're burned, I'll bring the ash back to spread over the vegetable patch."

Ye Yaodong was speechless.

He really makes use of everything. Even the weeds don't go to waste. No wonder he's loading them all onto the handcart.

"Are you burning them by the beach? Want me to push them over?"

Ye Yaohua looked at him in astonishment. Coming over to talk to him was already unprecedented, and now he was actually offering to help?

"What? I'm getting a place out of this too. If I don't help with some of the work, what if Dad changes his mind? Even if he doesn't, I won't be able to take all the scolding from him and Mom."

"Heh, true. This cart's full anyway, so help me push it to the open ground by the beach. I'll burn it when I get there. Let me finish hoeing these weeds first."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong pushed the handcart toward the beach under the blazing sun. Some women sitting in their doorways weaving fishing nets kept shooting him astonished looks, but he pretended not to notice any of them.

Once Ye Yaohua finished weeding and started burning the weeds for ash, Ye Yaodong dusted off his hands and left. It would take a while for everything to burn. His brother could wait here; he wasn't going to keep him company under the sun.

It was almost ten now, and the tide had receded most of the way. He could already see people digging on the stretch of beach in front of him.

He reckoned the beach by the pier would soon be exposed. He needed to go home for his hook and bucket.