He also called out to the two sisters-in-law next door, Lan Da's and Lan Er's wives, and the Zhou family, who were putting the finishing touches on their house, telling them to bring a basin each and take some. They could help themselves to whatever they wanted.
They had pried it all off the islands anyway, and it had cost nothing, so they might as well share some with the neighbors.
The women knew what to do, too. Each brought over a little stool, and after picking some out into their own basins, they helped sort the rest.
The soldiers also carried over a sack and emptied it into another pile on the flat ground, then joined in the sorting.
Seeing this, Ye Yaodong quickly said, "There's no hurry to sort it. Why don't you go back, shower, and change first? Wearing those soaking-wet clothes can't be comfortable. Don't go catching a cold in the middle of summer."
He went into the water often, so he knew all too well how wet clothes felt sticking to his body.
When they got off the boat, the soldiers hadn't been wearing their undershirts, just their trousers, with their upper bodies bare and their undershirts draped over their shoulders.
But the women passing through the pier kept sneaking looks at them, so they had felt awkward and put their undershirts on.
Captain Chen nodded. "All right. We'll go back, rinse off, and change, then come over again."
Once they left, the women sorting the catch started gossiping again.
The soldiers already stood out in the village. They were ready-made gossip material. Who else would the women talk about? Besides, everyone was very curious about them.
"A-Dong, are those fellows married?"
"Soldiers really do look sharp. Tall and sturdy, with their backs so straight.