Early the next morning, after sending their pouting, reluctant eldest son off to school, the couple left their younger son with Father Ye. Only then did they take Ye Xiaoxi, who was just over five months old, and head to the roadside to wait for a bus, carrying a shoulder pole loaded with goods.
If they had not been worried that Old Lady was too slow on her feet to keep an eye on Ye Chengyang, they could simply have left him with her.
Fortunately, Ye Yaodong had prepared a pile of snacks for him. With something to eat, he behaved himself and did not cry or fuss.
Just as they left, they ran into several relatives on the road, who said they wanted to visit their house.
The couple smiled and declined outright, saying they were just heading to her parents' home.
Father Lin and Lin Mother had thought that Ye Yaodong had not returned and that A Qing could not get away with the children, so they would not be coming for the Mid-Autumn Festival. They had not expected a neighbor to tell them, close to noon, that the couple had arrived with their child and bags of goods.
Delighted, the two hurried outside and, sure enough, saw the couple approaching in the distance.
"When did you get back, A-Dong? We thought you hadn't come back for the festival..."
"How could I not come back for the festival? I got back the night before last."
Father Lin quickly said, "If there's money to be earned, what does it matter whether you celebrate the festival? Making money comes first..."
"No, I'd just finished up, so I hurried back. I happened to make it in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival," Ye Yaodong quickly explained.
Lin Mother smiled as well. "Why