Playing dad for a day

As the men headed back, the women on the beach were still digging, and the children were still playing, seemingly oblivious to hunger. Their faces and bodies were covered in sand and sweat, yet they were all laughing so happily.

The Ye family's children had even dug a large hole, sat the youngest, Ye Chengyang, inside, and buried him until only his shoulders and everything above them remained exposed.

If Ye Yaodong had arrived any later, Ye Chengyang probably would have had only his head sticking out.

He frowned. "You little terrors sure know how to amuse yourselves. This is dangerous, you know? What if someone tripped and fell right on your little brother, or stepped on him? What then? Dig him out, now!"

"Oh, okay, Third Uncle! We'll get Yangyang out right away."

"Oh, it's perfectly normal. Didn't we all play like this when we were kids? It's fun." A-Zheng crouched down with a smile and looked at Ye Chengyang. "Having fun?"

"Yes!"

"You little fool!" Ye Yaodong said irritably, then called to his wife, "Ah Qing, come see how silly your son is."

Lin Xiuqing turned and only then noticed that her younger son had been buried. Frowning, she hurried over despite her aching back and numb legs.

"What are you doing? How could you bury Yangyang? What if the pressure on his chest makes him unable to breathe? Hurry up and dig him out! You're all so naughty. You'll turn anything into a game."

Looking at the children, their faces flushed red and their bodies filthy as little mud monkeys, Ye Yaodong shook his head. "Come home with me first. You've been playing for ages. Look how sunburned you are! You're all filthy. Come back with me and wash up."

"Huh? We're going home already? Are our moms going back too?"

"Come back with me and take a bath first. Stop getting in the way here. You've played long enough."

Seeing him volunteer to take the children home, Lin Xiuqing was more than happy to agree. Having so many noisy children around was driving her mad. "Be good and go home to bathe and eat. We'll be back soon too."

"All right, then."

Once their leader, Ye Chenghai, agreed, none of the other children objected. It was already past one, and they were actually all starving.

Ye Yaodong told Xiao Xiao to take the octopus, then handed the bucket to A-Zheng. "Keep these at your place. I'll go straight to A-Guang's this evening."

"Just pour them into my bucket and take yours home, so you don't forget it."

"That works."

The others left first. Once his younger son had been dug out, Ye Yaodong picked the little fool up. "Let's go. Time to head home."

Lin Xiuqing watched his bucket get emptied in an instant but said nothing. At least he had handed over the valuable tiger grouper and blood clams, so they had made a tidy sum today. He could take the rest of the seafood if he wanted.

"Third Uncle, how come you decided to gather seafood today? My mom and the others said the sun must've risen in the west." Walking beside Ye Yaodong, Ye Chenghai questioned him like a little grown-up.

Ye Yaodong glanced down at him and answered offhandedly, "I ran out of snacks to go with my drinks, and I haven't got any money. Had to gather some free seafood to eat with my booze, didn't I?"

"I knew it! As if Third Uncle would turn over a new leaf!" Ye Chenghai looked so smugly knowing that he was practically asking for a smack.

Unable to resist, Ye Yaodong flicked his eldest nephew's forehead. "What do you know, you little brat? Have you done your summer homework?"

"Ow! We only started vacation a few days ago. What's the rush? We've still got months left. I hate it when people ask about my homework or my grades." With that, he turned his head away and quickened his pace, refusing to walk beside his third uncle anymore.

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes. There wasn't a single good student in their family!

The college entrance exams had been reinstated several years ago, yet their village still hadn't produced a single university student. Among his generation in White Sand Village, those born in the fifties and sixties, being able to read a few words was already considered pretty good.

"Walk properly! Stop chasing each other and roughhousing. One fall on this dirt road and your knees will be bleeding. And you lot, what are you trying to catch in the grass? Hurry up and get home..."

Calling and scolding the whole way, he finally herded the mischievous little terrors home like a flock of ducks. His mouth was dry from all the shouting.

Looking after children really wasn't easy, especially a whole pack of them. All that shouting had left his throat burning.

As soon as he entered the house, he grabbed the water jug and gulped down water, only for the little brats to start tugging at his clothes and arms.

"Third Uncle, are you done drinking yet?"

"Third Uncle, hurry up!"

"Third Uncle, don't drink so much. Leave some for us. We're really thirsty too."

"Dad, I want some too..."

"Cough, cough... Here, take it, take it!" Their tugging made him choke on the water. These little brats!

The old lady watched them with a warm smile. "Once you've had your water, go wash out back. I've already heated two buckets of water, and there's another big pot on the stove. Dongzi, take the hot water out back in a bit, then draw two buckets from the well and mix it for their baths."

"All right. Sit down and rest. Stop keeping yourself busy walking back and forth." Ye Yaodong helped the old lady over to sit at the table.

"Oh, all I did was heat some water. I haven't done much. When your mother went to the dock, she said we'd have sweet potato noodles for lunch, so I didn't even cook any rice."

"Okay, stay seated, then. I'll take them out back for their baths."

He wasn't too bad himself. He wasn't particularly dirty, just sweaty, so a quick rinse later would do. The children, though, were covered in sand, even their hair. He would have to help wash them!

His three nieces carried water into their rooms to wash, while the five boys stripped naked in the backyard. The older ones could wash themselves, but the youngest two were his sons, and he had to help them.

"Stop, stop! Dad, you're getting it in my eyes! Do you even know how to do this?"

"You're lucky I'm washing your hair at all. A quick rinse will do. Get over here!"

"Mom puts a basin on a stool and lets me lie across her lap when she washes my hair. Ugh, move aside. I'll do it myself. You wash Yangyang." Ye Chenghu dodged away in disgust, intending to rinse himself.

"Fine, wash yourself, then. Here I am playing dad for you, and you don't even appreciate it. I don't want to wait on you anyway."

Looking at his tiny younger son waiting beside him, he suddenly felt at a loss again. "Forget it. Your mom can wash your hair when she gets back. Sit in the basin. I'll wash your body."

"Heehee! Haha! That tickles! It tickles, Dad!"

The childish little voice made the corners of Ye Yaodong's mouth lift. He had never noticed before how cute his younger son had been as a little boy.

"Your neck's done. Now we need to wash your armpits. Come on!"

"No! It tickles!"

"You little brat, you've splashed water all over me!"

Ye Chengyang slapped the water in the basin and seemed to discover a fun new game. He kept smacking the surface with both hands, splashing water all over Ye Yaodong's face.

Nearby, his eldest nephew finished washing and picked up his basin to throw the remaining water at his second nephew. Wonderful. The spray drenched Ye Yaodong's head too.

He wiped his face and turned around, bedraggled and helpless. "Ye Chenghai, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Huh? Haha! No, I didn't. Who told you to crouch there, Third Uncle?"