After walking for almost twenty minutes, Ye Yaodong noticed that his father's steps were slowing and were no longer as brisk as before, so he patted his shoulder and told him to rest a while.
After resting for about five minutes, he ducked under the carrying pole himself and lifted the load.
This time, Father Ye no longer insisted on doing it. After walking such a long way, his shoulders were aching from the weight too.
He merely walked beside him and said, "If you can't manage, say so."
"A man can't say he can't."
Father Ye shot him a glare. He even had a smart mouth with his own father, but Father Ye let it go. It wasn't as though he had only just learned what his son was like.
"If you get tired later, put it down and let me take over. We'll take turns carrying it so we can both rest. We're already in the city now, so we should get there after walking a little farther. Once we arrive, we'll buy something to fill our stomachs first. Who knows what time we'll get home tonight, with the transfer?"
"Mm."
"If you'd bought a shop in the county town back then, you wouldn't have to go through all this trouble... Traveling such a long way back and forth, without even a direct ride. Who knows how many more trips you'll have to make? The fares alone will add up..."
"Taking the bus yourself is too much trouble too. There are only two a day, unlike our county town, where there's one every hour or two. It's close too, and easy to get to and back..."
Perhaps because his shoulders were free of the load and he felt much more relaxed, Father Ye began muttering away again as