Being debt-free was a weight off his shoulders.
Even if he owed only a few hundred yuan, Ye Yaodong preferred not to owe anyone unless he had to. Paying people back right away put him at ease and let him sleep soundly.
Only after he woke that afternoon did he learn that his father had already come by, and word had spread all over the village. Everyone knew that their families had deliberately hauled their catch into the city and sold it for a good price.
Word traveled fast in their little village. Who didn't have a whole host of aunts and other relatives?
Only the mediocre escaped envy. In any case, he didn't take it to heart. He worked all day and had no time to wander around, so he never heard what people were saying anyway. It wasn't going to hurt him.
Sure enough, as soon as he woke, he stood at the door, checked the tide, and decided to go down to the Beach to haul in the fishing pots. It was already afternoon. The tide had stayed high for nearly two days, but now it had receded a little, exposing the pots. It was about time to bring them in. He wondered how much they would hold.
Standing beside him, Lin Xiuqing watched him pull on his rain boots. "There's still food keeping warm in the pot. Why don't you eat something before you go? I'll go get Dad and ask him to help you haul them in."
"No need. I'm not hungry now anyway. I'll just have dinner when I get back with the pots. Otherwise, my meals will be all out of order, and you'll have to keep fussing over them too."
"Then ride over and get Dad to help. It'll be faster and