"Was it because of this fish?"
Father Ye had come out late, so he had no idea why they had been swept into the sea. In his panic just now, he had not had the presence of mind to ask.
The three brothers exchanged glances, all too guilty to dare say anything.
The others were too ashamed to speak as well.
"I asked you a question! Dongzi, you tell me."
There was no avoiding a scolding anyway, so he might as well say it.
Ye Yaodong simply told him how they had spotted a big sea bass and all crowded over.
A torrent of abuse immediately rained down on them, spittle flying straight into the three brothers' faces. All three reached up to wipe their faces at the same time, but none dared make a sound. They stood obediently and took the scolding.
They had not been wronged. They deserved it!
Even Ye Yaodong did not try to argue that it had nothing to do with him, nor did he crack any jokes. He willingly stood there and took it.
His father was angry enough already. There was no need to provoke him at a time like this, and it was only right to let him vent.
Father Ye pointed at the three brothers and scolded them without pausing for breath, wishing he could string all three up and beat them until they could not get out of bed.
Only after he finished scolding them did he take a great gulp of air and continue, "Ignore your elders' advice and you'll suffer for it right away. We should have listened to the Old Lady and made you tie ropes around yourselves too. Then you wouldn't have gotten carried away and rushed over at the sight of a big fish without