After changing rides and enduring another hour of jolting and swaying, father and son finally saw the village in the distance.
Here and there in the village, faint little lights shone in a few houses, as weak as fireflies in the night sky.
Although waiting for the tractor had held them up, it was still only a little past seven.
It was just that darkness came early in winter, with the sky already dark by half past five. In autumn and winter, people generally went to bed early once night fell to avoid the cold wind. Most could not bear to keep a light on to weave nets or work, preferring to get up earlier the next morning.
Ye Yaodong braced himself against the edge of the tractor trailer and stood up. "Good grief, we're finally home. What an ordeal. I'm exhausted. Hiring a tractor to take us straight to our destination like before was much easier."
Father Ye relaxed at the sight of the familiar village too. "As long as we're home. A golden nest or a silver nest is no match for your own doghouse."
Then he stood up again and gave the driver directions.
The women at home had not gone to bed either. They were all waiting for them, weaving nets with the lights on and keeping their ears pricked for any sound outside.
Several tractors had passed the entrance by the Beach that day, and each time, they thought the men had returned. But when they went out to look, it was never them. The tractors were either hauling sand or heading to the Pier to transport seafood, leaving them disappointed.
They had waited from daylight until dark, and the one most worried about father and son was actually the Old Lady.
Lin Xiuqing had