Father Ye frowned as he watched him hurry down the hill, then glanced behind him in puzzlement. "What were you doing? Why were you gone so long? I kept calling, but you never answered."
Ye Yaodong felt his pocket and decided not to tell his father. He was getting on in years; there was no need to give him something else to worry about.
Even if there really was a gold deposit here, it was beyond their reach. Telling him would serve no purpose, and the hill was too big for the two of them to search anyway.
Finding two pieces by chance was already lucky. Rainwater might have washed away the soil, exposing the first Nugget Gold, the one shaped like a poodle.
He considered it a blessing and thought he had better not get greedy. Greed could diminish his blessings, and Nugget Gold wasn't exactly lying around everywhere. Searching the hill again would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"I fell. It hurt a bit, so I sat down to recover."
Father Ye saw the dirt on his clothes and hands and believed him. "Be more careful. A grown man like you, still falling over while walking. Go eat your rice cakes on the boat. Good thing we cooked rice cakes-they won't turn to mush."
He nodded, washed his hands in seawater, then boarded the boat.
The two pieces of Nugget Gold were heavy, with a satisfying heft. Fortunately, his pockets were big enough.
After a simple breakfast, they saw that the distant reef had barely changed. It still stood about a meter above the water, leaving them somewhat disappointed.
"Let's go take a look. If there's nothing to get, we'll forget it."
"Okay."
Ye Yaodong nodded and slowly steered the boat over. The reef