While their whole family was busy working, a man in his thirties suddenly arrived on a bicycle, with A-Cai sitting behind him.
The two stopped the bicycle at the gate and were just about to come in when the barking dogs, big and small, frightened them off.
"Oh! She's had a litter, too? These little things are tiny, but pretty fierce."
Seeing them arrive, Ye Yaodong quickly brushed the salt off his hands and went to greet them.
"They were just born. Want to take one home to raise? The yard's piled full of things, so it's hard to get through. Let's talk inside."
Everyone looked curiously at the visitors. Ye Yaodong offered no explanation to the others. After showing the two men how they were salting the jellyfish, he took them inside to sit down.
Father Ye followed them in as well, intending to stay for a bit and greet them, since they had guests.
Looking at the basins of cooked jellyfish brains on the table, A-Cai sat down and spoke first. "These jellyfish brains look pretty good. The jellyfish heads you're salting outside look properly done, too."
"Take some jellyfish brains home for soup when you leave later. They're really delicious."
Jellyfish brains were not poisonous. When freshly removed and blanched in boiling water, the liquid jellyfish flower would immediately congeal into a cauliflower-like solid. Rich in nutrients and delicious, it could be eaten directly.
"Sure, then I won't stand on ceremony. This is the friend I mentioned before, Chen Jiannian. He just came over and said you'd spoken on the phone. He wanted to come and have a look."
"I know. We spoke on the phone earlier." Ye Yaodong turned to Chen Jiannian. "If that works for you, Brother Nian, we'll leave the morning after tomorrow. I