The boat traveled across the sea. The early morning sea breeze felt a little cool, carrying a hint of crisp autumn weather.
Just after leaving, they stood looking out over the sea for a while and chatted. Before long, Ye Yaodong took out a deck of playing cards.
"Come on, let's play some cards to pass the time. On the way here, the boat was piled full of stuff, and there wasn't anywhere to play. Now we're heading back and more than half the boat is empty, so it's perfect for a game."
"You even came prepared?"
"Of course. Otherwise, just standing around looking at the sea and getting blown by the wind would be boring. We've got over ten hours to go. We won't arrive until evening."
Ye Yaodong sat straight down on the deck and took out the cards to shuffle them. Only when he looked at the others did he realize they had one person too many.
"How about calling over my brother's boat behind us? One of you could go back there to play. There are exactly four of them aboard, and with one steering, they're one short of a four-player game."
"I'll go back and play with your eldest brother and the others," Eldest Maternal Cousin offered, glancing at everyone else.
Father Ye thought they were making trouble for themselves, stopping a perfectly well-running boat for no reason. He grumbled, "You've only just earned a bit of money. Don't go losing it all again. This past month and more hasn't been easy work. Play a few less rounds. Don't squander it and end up unable to explain yourselves when you get home..."
"You worry too much. We're not playing for big money, and we're not gambling addicts. We're just having some fun to pass the